Work Fast or Die Trying

Ava didn't trust Lucas Bai.

Which was perfectly reasonable, considering the guy looked like he was born to scam people out of their last scraps of food and make them thank him for it.

But she trusted hunger even less.

So here she was—following him and his silent but lethal butler, William Zhou, through the ruins of a collapsed warehouse, dodging unstable flooring, rusted metal, and the occasional dead body.

Lucas led the way with casual ease, like he'd done this a hundred times before. He probably had.

"Try to keep up," he called over his shoulder.

Ava ignored him, adjusting the thin gloves she had borrowed from a dead guy outside. If she was going to be digging through contaminated ruins, she wasn't doing it barehanded.

Lucas stopped in front of a half-collapsed storage section, motioning toward the remains of a supply rack.

"See anything useful?" he asked, tone light. Testing her.

Ava exhaled through her nose.

His Monopoly Appraisal System could tell him exactly what had value.

And her Blueprint System could tell her exactly how to use it.

The moment she scanned the wreckage, blueprints flooded her vision, overlaying the scene like a holographic schematic.

[Analyzing…]

[Identifying Materials…]

[Scrap Alloy – Reinforceable]

[Copper Wiring – Salvageable]

[Rust Damage – 42% Repairable]

Ava grinned. Oh, this was fun.

She moved instantly, slipping past Lucas, crouching beside a shattered console buried under metal beams.

Her hands worked fast, prying off anything that could still be useful—wiring, panels, even a rusted motherboard that her system said could still function with minor repairs.

Lucas watched, intrigued.

Most people worked slowly, second-guessing themselves.

But Ava?

She moved with certainty—like she already knew what she was looking for.

Because, he realized, she did.

His system flashed another analysis report on her.

[User Ava Zhang]

[Processing Speed: 97% Efficiency]

[Resource Judgment: Exceptional]

[Trade Potential: Skyrocketing]

Lucas let out a low chuckle.

"Well, well," he murmured. "Looks like I found a goldmine."

Ava didn't look up.

She just reached for another salvageable part, her voice dry.

"Yeah? Too bad you're terrible at keeping secrets."

Lucas blinked—then laughed outright.

She'd caught on.

Smart girl.

They worked fast, efficiently, pulling salvage from the wreckage like they'd been doing it together for years.

William Zhou stayed on watch, his eyes scanning the ruins for movement, threats, or other scavengers.

By the time they had gathered enough, Ava was breathless, sweating, but exhilarated.

Lucas appraised their haul, golden eyes gleaming.

Ava's hands moved fast, efficient, and ruthless.

She knew exactly how this worked.

Lucas Bai didn't give things for free.

Which meant the moment he turned to her, golden eyes glinting with something too sharp to be friendly, she was already bracing herself.

And sure enough—

"You should work for me."

Ava scoffed, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Yeah, no thanks."

Lucas didn't look surprised. If anything, he looked amused.

"Come on, Zhang," he said, stepping closer. "You and I both know you're wasting away in Level Three. You're sharp, you work fast, and—"

His head tilted slightly.

"You have a system, don't you?"

Ava's fingers twitched.

She kept her face neutral, but Lucas was watching too closely.

She could lie. Deny everything. But something told her it wouldn't work.

Because Lucas Bai already knew.

"Think it through," he said, stepping closer, his tone still easygoing—but there was something dangerous beneath it. "The bunker's changing, Zhang. The military's rolling out tokens soon—official currency for food, supplies, everything."

He smirked.

"And you're gonna want some if you plan to stay in the system."

Ava narrowed her eyes.

That was new information.

Right now, trade was barter-based—people exchanged what they had, fought for scraps, made deals however they could.

But tokens?

That meant real structure. Real control.

And if Lucas already knew about it, that meant he was getting ahead of it.

Ava crossed her arms, studying him.

"You planning to hoard them?"

Lucas smiled. "I'm planning to own the economy before it even starts."

And there it was.

The truth, laid out in one simple sentence.

He wasn't just trading. He was building an empire.

And he wanted her on the ground floor.

Ava rolled her shoulders, pretending she wasn't already thinking ten steps ahead.

"And what exactly do you need me for?" she asked.

Lucas's eyes glinted.

"You work fast. You know how to spot value before others do. And," he paused, watching her too closely, "I have a feeling you'll be very useful soon."

Ava's stomach twisted.

He still wasn't saying it outright, but she knew.

He knew.

About her system.

Not everything. But enough.

Which meant she had two options.

Walk away. Keep pretending. Keep scraping by in Level Three with rotting food and no future. Take the deal. Play the game. Use Lucas as much as he was planning to use her.

Ava ran her tongue over her teeth.

"Alright," she said finally. "I'll work for you."

Lucas smiled.

"Smart girl."

Ava scowled. "Yeah, yeah. Where's my cut?"

Lucas chuckled, already turning toward the bunker.

"First cut?" he echoed. "How about a room?"

Ava blinked. Paused.

Lucas glanced back, golden eyes glinting. "You wanna stay in Level Three forever, Zhang?"

Ava sighed.

Yeah. That's what she thought.

So she followed him inside.

And just like that—the first deal was made.