Apocalypse Trade Monopoly
Chapter 39: : A Backdoor

Chapter 39: : A Backdoor

William pushed off the counter, straightening his jacket.

"I’ll be back in 24 hours." His voice was steady, but there was something beneath it. A warning. A deadline.

Ava crossed her arms. "And if something happens before then?"

William’s gaze flicked toward the hallway—toward her room, where Lucas was still unconscious.

Then—he met her eyes.

"Then don’t let him break any further."

Ava didn’t answer.

William didn’t wait.

He turned on his heel, moving toward the exit, slipping into the shadows as if he had never been there in the first place.

The door clicked shut behind him.

Ava exhaled sharply, turning back toward her room.

She stepped inside, her eyes immediately landing on Lucas—still sprawled across her bed, still too still.

But his breathing was steady. Too steady.

Too controlled.

Ava’s Blueprint System pulsed, already analyzing before she even gave the order.

[SCANNING TARGET...]

[TARGET: LUCAS BAI]

[SYSTEM TYPE: MONOPOLY APPRAISAL – ENHANCED]

[CURRENT STATUS: STABILIZING]

[BIOLOGICAL CHANGES DETECTED – INITIATING FULL BODY SCAN]

Ava moved closer, pressing two fingers against his wrist. His pulse was strong—stronger than before.

Her Blueprint System continued feeding her data, line after line of new information.

[SYSTEM CONNECTION DETECTED]

[SECONDARY LINK ESTABLISHED – BLUEPRINT SYSTEM ACCESSING MONOPOLY APPRAISAL]

[USER PERMISSIONS: GRANTED]

Ava froze.

"What?"

She blinked, running the scan again—but the result didn’t change.

Her system wasn’t just reading him.

It was connected to him.

Ava’s stomach twisted. "No. That’s not possible."

But it was.

Her Blueprint System had never linked to another person before—had never interfaced with anything outside of technology.

And yet—it had a backdoor into Lucas’s system.

Ava’s breath hitched.

Lucas had done this.

Planned this.

From the very moment he handed her that vial of his blood.

Ava clenched her fists.

Lucas Bai never did anything without a reason.

And now?

She was in.

Whether she wanted to be or not.

Ava stared at the data flickering across her vision, fingers curling against her palm.

[SECONDARY LINK ESTABLISHED – BLUEPRINT SYSTEM ACCESSING MONOPOLY APPRAISAL]

[USER PERMISSIONS: GRANTED]

Granted.

That meant Lucas had allowed this.

Not accidental. Not a side effect.

Planned. Deliberate. Controlled.

Ava’s jaw locked.

Lucas Bai had been playing this game from the start.

She inhaled slowly, her Blueprint System humming, processing every new variable.

[SCANNING TARGET: LUCAS BAI]

[ENHANCEMENT STABILITY: 92%]

[BIOLOGICAL RESTRUCTURING: COMPLETED]

[HEALING RATE: ACCELERATED]

[NEW FUNCTION DETECTED – LOCKED]

Locked?

Ava’s pulse jumped. "What the hell are you hiding, Bai?"

Her fingers twitched, tempted to push deeper—to break past the restriction, force access.

But then—Lucas stirred.

A slow, lazy inhale. Too controlled. Too knowing.

Ava tensed, watching as his golden eyes flickered open.

For a moment, he just looked at her.

Then—a smirk.

"Enjoying yourself, Beauty?"

Ava’s teeth clenched. "You planned this."

Lucas hummed, stretching slightly, like he hadn’t just rebuilt his own body in her bed.

"Of course."

Ava exhaled sharply through her nose. "You put a backdoor in my system."

Lucas tilted his head. "No, Beauty."

His golden eyes gleamed.

"I gave you a key."

Ava stared at him, pulse spiking.

"A key?" Her voice was sharp, edged with irritation. "You just handed me access to your system without telling me?"

Lucas grinned, stretching his arms behind his head, completely unbothered.

"Telling you would’ve ruined the fun."

Ava’s jaw clenched. "Bai."

Lucas chuckled, voice still hoarse from whatever the hell he had just put his body through.

"Relax, Beauty. It’s a one-way link. You have access to me, not the other way around."

Ava’s Blueprint System pulsed, running a deeper scan—checking for any hidden commands, any fail-safes.

[USER PERMISSIONS: READ-ONLY ACCESS]

[MODIFICATION RESTRICTIONS ACTIVE]

[CONNECTION CANNOT BE REVERSED]

Ava exhaled slowly.

So he wasn’t lying.

She could see him. Monitor his system, track his stability. But she couldn’t alter anything. Couldn’t change him.

Lucas Bai had given her access—but only on his terms.

Ava crossed her arms. "And why exactly would you do this?"

Lucas’s golden eyes gleamed, sharp and unreadable.

"Because if I go too far, Beauty, you’re the only one smart enough to pull me back."

Ava’s stomach twisted.

Lucas never said things like that outright.

Not without layers of meaning.

Not without implications.

Ava inhaled, steadying herself.

"You think you’ll need pulling back?"

Lucas’s smirk faltered—just for a fraction of a second.

Then—it was back.

"Let’s just say I like having a safety net."

Ava scowled. "I’m not your damn babysitter."

Lucas’s grin widened. "No, but you are my partner."

Ava’s fingers twitched.

Because somehow—someway—

He had tied himself to her.

Ava exhaled sharply, forcing herself to think.

Lucas Bai had just handed her control.

Not over him—not directly. But over his limits, his breaking point.

And now?

She couldn’t ignore it.

Ava’s Blueprint System pulsed, still feeding her data on him.

[SCANNING TARGET: LUCAS BAI]

[STATUS: STABILIZED – 87%]

[HEALING RATE: ACCELERATED]

[NEURAL RESPONSE TIME: +42%]

[UNKNOWN FUNCTION LOCKED]

Ava’s jaw tightened.

87%. That was lower than before.

The secondary dose had pushed him past his initial stability.

And she didn’t know how long it would last.

Lucas watched her, reading every flicker of emotion across her face.

Then—he smirked.

"Careful, Beauty. You look like you’re worried about me."

Ava’s fingers twitched. "You’re an idiot, Bai."

Lucas laughed. "We’ve established that."

Ava gritted her teeth. "This isn’t a joke."

Lucas’s grin didn’t fade, but his gaze sharpened.

"No, it isn’t. That’s why I gave you access."

Ava crossed her arms. "You’re saying you trust me with this?"

Lucas tilted his head, watching her.

"Trust might be a strong word."

Ava’s scowl deepened. "Then why give me the key?"

Lucas’s golden eyes gleamed.

"Because I trust your intelligence, Zhang. And if I ever start breaking?"

His smirk faded slightly.

"You’ll be the first to see it."

Ava’s stomach twisted.

Because this wasn’t just about watching him.

This was about knowing.

And once you knew something—

You couldn’t un-know it.

Ava inhaled slowly.

She had wanted control.

Now?

She had it.

And it felt a hell of a lot heavier than she expected.

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