Apocalypse Trade Monopoly
Chapter 64: : Force and Finesse

Chapter 64: : Force and Finesse

Ava had barely taken three steps before she felt it.

The shift in the air. The change in posture. The way trained bodies move before striking.

Locke moved first.

A hand—strong, fast, trained—clamped around her wrist. Not enough to hurt. Not yet. Just enough to stop her. To make a statement.

Ava exhaled through her nose. Of course.

Jessica stood just behind him, arms crossed, eyes sharp. Calculating. Not stopping him.

Locke tilted his head, his grip firm but steady. "Now, Zhang, I don’t like unfinished business."

Ava slowly turned her head, her gaze locking onto his hand. Then, up to his face. "And I don’t like being grabbed."

Locke smiled—slow, amused. But there was an edge to it. "You walked in here with something valuable and dangled it in front of me." His fingers flexed slightly. "And now you expect me to let you walk away with it?"

Ava kept her expression cool, her pulse steady. "I don’t expect anything, Captain." She smiled slightly. "But I do plan for it."

She moved fast.

A sharp twist. A precise shift in weight. She pivoted, breaking his hold with ease. Before his grip could return, her fingers brushed against the stack of chips in her bag—and scattered them across the table.

The slim, high-grade data chips tumbled across the polished wood, some skidding onto the floor.

Jessica cursed, stepping back instinctively.

Locke’s smirk flickered as he caught one mid-air. His fingers closed around it, and for the first time, Ava saw what she was really dealing with. Not just a military officer. Not just Angel’s lapdog.

A predator.

Locke turned the chip between his fingers. "Now, what do we have here?"

Ava forced herself to relax, rolling her shoulders. "Something you weren’t supposed to have."

Locke grinned. "And yet, here it is."

Jessica scoffed. "What now, Zhang? Seems like you just lost your leverage."

Ava huffed a small laugh. "You think so?" She lifted a hand, gesturing lazily toward the floor. "You’re standing on the problem."

Locke’s eyes flicked downward. So did Jessica’s.

Scattered across the floor—dozens of identical chips. Some real. Some completely worthless.

Locke chuckled, shaking his head. "You’re a pain in the ass, Zhang."

Ava smirked. "And you’re predictable."

Jessica glared. "So what now?"

Ava tilted her head. "Now?" She grinned. "Now you get to guess which ones are real."

Locke’s grip on the chip tightened. But he was still smiling. Still enjoying the game. "Clever."

Ava leaned in slightly, voice smooth and sharp. "And next time, Captain? Buy before you steal."

Locke chuckled, rolling the chip between his fingers, clearly considering his next move. But before he could speak—

Another presence entered the room.

The air shifted. Conversations dimmed just slightly.

Angel.

She moved like she owned the place—because in a way, she did. Dark crimson dress, sleek and perfect, not a single thread out of place. Her heels clicked against the polished floor, controlled and deliberate.

Jessica straightened immediately, her expression sharpening, while Locke only sighed, leaning back in his seat.

Angel’s gaze swept over the table, the scattered data chips, then landed on Ava. Her red-painted lips curled into something almost pleasant. Almost.

"So," Angel said smoothly. "You’re the one causing all this noise."

Ava didn’t blink. "I prefer the term ’business.’"

Angel tilted her head slightly, gaze flicking to the chip still in Locke’s hand. "And what exactly are you selling?"

Ava smirked. "Depends. You buying?"

Angel smiled, slow and deliberate. "I’ll take the whole box."

Ava tilted her head, waiting. "For?"

Angel reached into a small, sleek pouch at her hip and pulled out a single vial. The liquid inside shimmered—not red like the ones Lucas had experimented on, but a deep, iridescent blue. Almost electric.

Ava’s fingers twitched. This wasn’t the same formula Lucas had tested.

"This," Angel said, holding it up between two fingers. "One of my finest. No pairing required."

Jessica shifted slightly beside Locke, as if even she was surprised by the offer.

Ava kept her expression cool, but her mind was racing.

[SCANNING COMPOUND...]

[UNKNOWN FORMULA DETECTED]

[BASE STRUCTURE: ENHANCEMENT CLASS]

[COMPOSITION: STABLE]

[EFFECTS: UNDETERMINED]

Stable. That was rare.

Angel tapped the vial lightly against the table. "Consider this an opportunity, Zhang. Your chips for something that could make you... better."

Ava exhaled slowly, gaze locked onto the shimmering liquid. "And the catch?"

Angel smiled. "You stay at my inn."

Jessica smirked. "For monitoring, of course."

Ava felt the weight of the room shift. This wasn’t just about a trade. This was control.

Angel leaned in slightly. "You’re smart, Zhang. You know how rare something like this is. So tell me..." She tilted her head. "Do we have a deal?"

Ava hesitated—but only for a second.

She reached for the vial, fingers brushing the glass. "I’ll agree."

Then—she looked Angel dead in the eyes.

"But I need to know if this thing works first."

Ava gripped the vial tightly, mind already racing. This wasn’t just about the trade anymore. This was about risk. About control.

She closed her eyes for half a second, letting her system scan the substance in her palm.

[SCANNING FOREIGN COMPOUND...]

[ANALYZING COMPATIBILITY...]

She braced herself.

[RESULT: COMPATIBLE]

Ava’s breath hitched slightly.

[REASON: LINKED SYSTEM DETECTED – SYNCHRONIZATION OVERRIDE]

Her eyes snapped open. That meant one thing.

She wasn’t compatible on her own.

But because of Lucas—because of the synchronization—her body could process it.

Angel watched her carefully, smirking. "Well?"

Ava forced herself to breathe evenly. If she wasn’t synced with Lucas, her system wouldn’t have let her take this. That meant the link was deeper than she had realized.

Tempting.

She looked at Angel, expression unreadable. "It’ll work."

Angel’s smile widened. "Good. Then let’s get you settled in."

Ava tilted the vial between her fingers, watching the electric-blue liquid swirl under the dim light. Then, she looked up at Angel, voice calm.

"We could trade now."

Angel’s brow lifted slightly, but she said nothing.

Ava set the case of chips down on the table, sliding it forward. "You get what you want. I get what I want. And I drink this now." She lifted the vial, her smirk sharp. "We get it over with."

Jessica let out a quiet, disbelieving laugh. "That’s bold."

Locke studied her with renewed interest. "Or reckless."

Ava shrugged. "Depends on the outcome."

Angel rested her chin against her palm, watching her carefully. "You’re eager."

Ava leaned back, completely at ease. "I don’t like dragging things out."

Angel smirked, then tapped the table lightly. "Fine. A deal’s a deal."

She slid the vial across the table. Smooth. Effortless. Like she already knew Ava would take it.

Ava picked it up. Tapped the glass once. Then—

She uncorked it. And drank.

The moment the liquid hit her tongue, her system flared.

[FOREIGN COMPOUND DETECTED]

[PROCESSING...]

[ADAPTATION IN PROGRESS]

Ava barely had time to brace before it hit her bloodstream.

Chapter 217: The Unexpected Upgrade

Jessica didn’t waste time. The second the vial tipped back, she grabbed the case of chips, flipping it open to confirm the contents.

Ava barely registered it.

Because the moment the liquid hit her system—everything shifted.

[FOREIGN COMPOUND PROCESSING...]

[UPGRADE DETECTED – UNEXPECTED SYSTEM ADAPTATION]

What?

Ava stiffened as a pulse of heat surged through her veins—not burning, not painful, but powerful. Her Blueprint System flared so hard she almost gasped.

[BLUEPRINT SYSTEM EVOLUTION IN PROGRESS]

[SYSTEM SYNC WITH LUCAS BAI: AMPLIFIED]

[NEW FUNCTIONALITY DETECTED]

Amplified?

Ava’s **vision flickered, and suddenly, she saw more. Not just schematics, not just blueprints—but potential.

Every item in the room, every piece of tech, every material—it wasn’t just what it was.

It was what it could be.

Jessica snapped the case shut, tossing a glance at Ava. "You good?"

Ava exhaled sharply, masking the flood of information slamming into her system. She forced a smirk. "Never better."

Angel was still watching her, lips curved in amusement. "Interesting."

Ava felt the pounding in her skull, a sharp ache from the upgrade forcing itself into her system. She needed time to process—time she didn’t have.

So instead? She smiled.

She tilted her head, her gaze flicking lazily to Locke, letting her smirk curl at the edges. "You know, Captain, I expected more resistance."

Locke chuckled, clearly amused. "Oh?"

Ava rested her elbow on the table, chin in her palm. "You don’t strike me as the type to let a woman walk all over you."

Jessica went rigid beside her, eyes narrowing.

Locke leaned in slightly, smirk widening. "Depends on the woman."

Ava let the pause stretch, her fingers tracing the rim of her empty glass. "Good to know."

Then—Angel laughed.

Slow. Controlled. Sharp.

Ava didn’t even have to look to know what was coming.

"We’re married," Angel said smoothly.

Ava turned to her, keeping her expression pleasantly surprised. "Oh?"

Locke didn’t flinch, didn’t correct her, just kept watching Ava with quiet amusement.

Angel’s gaze was calm, but her eyes? Calculating.

Ava grinned, completely unbothered. "Well, congratulations. You make such a lovely couple."

Jessica huffed a quiet laugh. "Bold of you to flirt with someone’s husband."

Ava exhaled dramatically, tilting her head at Locke. "You should’ve warned me, Captain. I could’ve been more... subtle."

Locke just chuckled. "But where’s the fun in that?"

Angel watched them both, then sighed, her tone light. "Jessica, you’ll be keeping an eye on our guest."

Ava raised a brow. "A chaperone? How cute."

Jessica smiled, all teeth. "I think we’ll get along just fine."

Ava kept her smirk in place, but inside?

This just got more complicated.