Apocalypse Trade Monopoly

Ava knew it wouldn't take long.

Jessica Tang was a rat.

And rats? Ran straight to the biggest threat.

They were halfway back to the safehouse when William spoke first.

"There's a bounty."

Lucas didn't stop walking. Didn't even turn his head.

"On who?"

William's voice was calm. "You."

Ava's steps slowed.

Lucas? He smiled. "Predictable."

Ava inhaled through her nose. "How bad?"

William's jaw tensed. "Five hundred high-grade tokens."

Ava barely stopped herself from swearing.

Five hundred.

Enough to buy a fortified stronghold. A bunker's entire yearly supply chain.

Enough to make every merc, bounty hunter, and desperate bastard start tracking Lucas Bai.

Lucas only chuckled. "Well. At least I'm worth something."

William didn't react. "That's not the bad part."

Ava stiffened. "Then what is?"

William stopped walking. Turned fully toward them.

Golden eyes met steel grey.

"They put one on you too, Ava."

Ava's stomach dropped. "How much?"

William's next words made her fingers go cold.

"One token."

Silence.

Ava's pulse thundered in her ears.

One.

Not fifty.

Not five hundred.

One.

Lucas's smile vanished.

William's voice was low. "The contract lists you as Lucas Bai's 'slave girl.' Face unknown. No further details."

Ava's fists clenched so hard her nails bit into her palms.

"They don't even know who I am."

Lucas exhaled through his nose. "They don't need to. They just need you alive."

Ava's stomach twisted. "So Zhao's hunting me, but not for profit. Just to own me."

Lucas's voice was flat. "Yes."

Ava swallowed the sharp burn of rage.

A bounty that low?

It wasn't about money.

It was an insult.

A way to brand her. To make it so anyone desperate enough to sell a favor for one token could grab her off the street.

And if they got lucky? They'd hand her over to Zhao, get in his good graces.

Ava took a slow, controlled breath.

"We need a plan."

Lucas's smirk returned. Sharp. Calculating. Dangerous. "Oh, don't worry, Beauty. We're going to fix this."

They reached the safehouse in silence.

Ava was still processing.

The bounty on Lucas was expected.

Her bounty? That was something else entirely.

William closed the reinforced metal door behind them, then turned. "I have a suggestion."

Lucas, now leaning against the workbench, lifted a brow. "Do tell."

William crossed his arms. "I disappear for a while."

Ava frowned. "What?"

William's expression was unreadable. "If I vanish, people assume I'm working on something. And if people assume I'm working on something—"

Lucas's grin widened. "They'll start thinking I put a job out."

William nodded. "It'll shift attention. Slow the bounty hunters down."

Ava narrowed her eyes. "Where exactly are you planning to disappear to?"

William gave her a small, knowing smile. "I have an errand to run."

Lucas exhaled, amused. "Let me guess. Something that conveniently benefits us in the long run?"

William didn't deny it.

Ava crossed her arms. "You're being vague."

William met her gaze. "Because it's better if you don't know."

That made Ava pause.

Lucas, however, just laughed. "Do what you do best, William."

William inclined his head. "I'll be back soon."

Ava wasn't sure what William was planning—

But something told her, when he returned, the game was going to change.

William was gone.

Lucas? He was waiting.

Ava could see it in the way he sat at the workbench, flipping a token between his fingers.

Thinking. Calculating. Plotting.

Ava leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Are we just going to sit here while half the Black Market tries to kill you?"

Lucas smirked. "Oh, Beauty. We're not waiting."

He flicked the token into the air, caught it without looking.

"We're hunting."

Ava raised a brow. "Hunting who?"

Lucas's golden eyes gleamed. "Whoever takes the first shot."

Ava exhaled. "So… bait."

Lucas's smirk sharpened. "Exactly."

They didn't have to wait long.

The Black Market was already buzzing.

Lucas Bai was walking through the stalls, untouched, unbothered—

Like he wasn't worth five hundred tokens dead.

Ava walked beside him, silent but watching.

The weight of the bounty was thick in the air.

People stared.

People whispered.

And then—

A man moved.

Fast. Too fast.

Ava saw the blade a second too late.

But Lucas?

He caught the man's wrist before the knife could even reach him.

CRACK.

A sharp twist—bone snapping.

The bounty hunter screamed.

Lucas didn't let go. He tilted his head, smiling. "That was pathetic."

Ava stepped closer, voice calm. "Who sent you?"

The man's breath was ragged. "It—it's an open contract!"

Lucas sighed dramatically. "Boring."

And then—he yanked.

The man hit the ground hard.

Unconscious.

Ava exhaled. "One down."

Lucas grinned. "Many more to go."

It started subtle.

A few too many eyes watching.

A few too many hands hovering near weapons.

Ava tracked them all.

They weren't coordinated. Not a real hit squad.

Just mercs, scavengers, and bottom-feeders—all hoping to be the one to cash in on the five-hundred-token bounty.

Pathetic.

Then—the real move.

A figure lurched from the shadows, gun raised—

Ava's Blueprint System flared.

[ANALYZING THREAT…]

[LOW-LEVEL PISTOL – MODIFIED MUZZLE]

[STATUS: JAMMED – FAULTY MECHANISM]

Ava's lips twitched.

"Lucas."

He didn't stop walking. Didn't even look at the attacker.

Just sighed.

And then he moved.

Fast.

Ava barely saw the motion before the gun was ripped from the man's grip—wrist twisted at an ugly angle.

Lucas inspected the weapon, unimpressed. "Jammed."

The attacker wheezed, still cradling his arm.

Lucas smiled. "Embarrassing."

He tossed the gun over his shoulder. Didn't bother watching where it landed.

Ava kept walking beside him.

Two down.

The next ones wouldn't be so stupid.

And she was counting on that.

By the time they reached the outer edge of the market district, the amateurs had stopped.

But the real killers?

They were waiting.

Ava saw them the second Lucas took the next turn.

Three men. One woman. Sharp-eyed. Armed.

Professional.

Finally.

Lucas's golden gaze flicked toward Ava. "You ready, Beauty?"

Ava exhaled, adjusting the bag strap on her shoulder.

"Try to keep up, Bai."

And then—

The real fight began.