Apocalypse Trade Monopoly
Chapter 57: : The Hidden Office

Chapter 57: : The Hidden Office

Lucas twirled one of the glowing energy cores between his fingers, gaze thoughtful.

Ava watched him carefully. "What?"

Lucas grinned. "We’re moving."

Ava blinked. "Excuse me?"

Lucas pushed off the wall, already heading for the door. "Come on, Beauty. Time for an upgrade."

Ava exhaled sharply, following. "Bai, I swear to—"

Lucas glanced over his shoulder, smirk widening. "What’s wrong? You don’t trust my hospitality?"

Ava gritted her teeth. "I don’t trust anything about you."

Lucas laughed. "That’s the spirit."

He led her through the dim alleyways, weaving through the city’s underbelly with the kind of ease that made Ava wonder just how many places he had stashed away.

Then—he stopped.

Ava tilted her head. "This is it?"

Before them, another motel—sleek, discreet, the opposite of the first motel. No flashing neon, no seedy entrance. Just a single, well-secured door.

Lucas grinned. "Welcome to my real office."

Ava folded her arms. "Why do you own so many motels?"

Lucas chuckled. "Diversified assets, Beauty."

Ava sighed. "You said that last time."

Lucas winked. "And I’ll say it again."

He pressed his palm against a hidden scanner. A second later, the door clicked open.

Lucas stepped inside, motioning for her to follow. "They won’t find me here."

Ava paused. "And why is that?"

Lucas grinned. "Because no one’s supposed to know this place exists."

Ava exhaled. "Of course."

Then—reluctantly—she followed him inside.

Lucas walked straight up to the reception desk, posture loose, golden eyes lazy—like he had all the time in the world.

Ava watched him carefully. This place was different. No flashy distractions, no cheap décor. Just smooth, quiet efficiency.

The receptionist barely looked up, sliding a keycard across the counter. "Welcome back, Mr. Bai."

Lucas grinned, fingers tapping the card once before slipping it into his pocket. "Always a pleasure."

Ava expected him to head toward the elevators. Instead—

He veered left.

Ava blinked. "Bai?"

Lucas ignored her, stepping past a barely noticeable door—

And into a narrow, dimly lit hallway.

Ava exhaled sharply, following. "You just love taking side doors, don’t you?"

Lucas chuckled. "You should know by now, Beauty. The best places aren’t found on the first try."

Ava narrowed her eyes. "And where exactly are we going?"

Lucas stopped at the end of the hall, resting his hand against a scanner embedded in the wall. "My office."

Ava stiffened. "Your—"

The lock clicked.

Lucas pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Ava followed—

And froze.

Unlike the love motels, unlike the hidden alleyway dens—this was different.

Sleek. Minimalist. A glass wall overlooking the lower levels. A reinforced desk stacked with encrypted tablets. Several locked safes built into the walls. Piles and piles of tech everywhere.

This wasn’t just a hideout.

This was headquarters.

Ava exhaled. "This isn’t just an office."

Lucas grinned, locking the door behind them. "No, Beauty." He leaned against the desk, golden eyes gleaming. "This is where the real business happens."

Ava let her gaze sweep the room, taking in every detail.

A reinforced desk, encrypted tablets, safes built into the walls.

A couch—but no bed.

And weapons. Piles of them.

Blades, guns, prototype tech—lined up in perfect order.

Ava crossed her arms. "You call this an office?"

Lucas grinned. "What else would it be?"

Ava arched a brow. "A damn armory, Bai."

Lucas chuckled, moving to the nearest rack. He ran a hand along the weapons, fingers tapping over different models. "Well, I do like to be prepared."

Ava tilted her head. "For what? War?"

Lucas smirked. "You never know when business negotiations get messy."

Ava exhaled. "You sleep here?"

Lucas shrugged. "Sometimes."

Ava gestured to the couch. "On that?"

Lucas sighed dramatically. "Beauty, are you concerned for my comfort?"

Ava rolled her eyes. "I’m concerned about your insanity."

Lucas chuckled, finally turning to face her. "This is the safest place in the entire city. No one gets in without my say."

Ava narrowed her eyes. "So why bring me here?"

Lucas grinned. "Because for the next three days, this is where you stay."

Ava exhaled. "Of course it is."

Arriving Lucas didn’t waste time.

The moment he settled into his chair, he was all business—decrypting messages, checking supply reports, scanning for movement in Level One.

Ava watched him for a moment, arms crossed. "You do realize we’re supposed to be hiding?"

Lucas didn’t look up. "And?"

Ava sighed, dropping onto the couch. "And you’re still working like you own the whole city."

Lucas grinned. "Because I do."

Ava rolled her eyes, but her mind wasn’t on his arrogance.

It was on the data. The numbers. The link.

Her system had already analyzed it, breaking it down into raw calculations.

[SYNC FUNCTION: AVAILABLE]

[WARNING: NOT ADVISED – IRREVERSIBLE PROCESS]

[HIGH REWARD: ACCESS TO LINKED USER’S POWER SUPPLY]

[DOWNSIDE: INCREASED CO-DEPENDENCY – BIOLOGICAL DRIVE MAY ADJUST TO LINKED USER]

Ava tapped her fingers against her knee, rereading the words.

High reward. Power. Access.

Downside. Co-dependency. Biological shift.

She didn’t like that part.

Didn’t like not knowing what "adjustment" actually meant.

Her system was designed for creation. Lucas’s? For trade, influence, power.

If she synced—she’d be tying herself into his world permanently.

Ava glanced at Lucas, still focused on his work, golden eyes scanning through tablet after tablet. He didn’t need to tell her what he wanted.

She pull up her system data.

[USER: AVA ZHANG]

[Name:] Ava Zhang (张)[Age:] 18[Height:] 5’5" (165 cm)[Weight:] 120 lbs (54 kg)[Eye Color:] Sharp Grey (mutation effect)[Hair Color:] Long Black with Silver Streaks (mutation effect)[Build:] Slim but lean muscle from training

[SYSTEM: ] BLUEPRINT SYSTEM

[ACCESS LEVEL: ] PRIMARY USER

[Inventory – Notable Items]

[FUNCTIONS:]

SCHEMATIC CREATION – Generate blueprints for weapons, armor, tools, and technology based on scanned materials.

MATERIAL ANALYSIS – Scan and break down components for potential use.

REPAIR MODULE – Restore damaged technology within a set success rate.

UPGRADE PATHWAY DETECTION – Identify ways to improve current blueprints.

EFFICIENCY OPTIMIZATION – Reduce waste and streamline production.

[ACTIVE BLUEPRINTS:]

TIER-2 ENERGY CORES – 78% Efficiency

HIGH-FREQUENCY BLADES – Requires Power Stabilization

TACTICAL DRONES – Partially Functional

SECURE DATA STORAGE UNIT – Military Encryption Required