The moment Ava closed the door to her new bedroom, she finally exhaled.
The whole day had been a lot.
Scavenging. Getting caught in a Shifter ambush. Nearly getting murdered by her own aunt.
And then, of course, Lucas Bai—offering her a deal she couldn't afford to refuse.
But now?
Now she had a moment to herself.
She turned toward the small, metal desk in the corner of her room. Basic. Functional. But for the first time since this apocalypse started, she had a workspace.
Her fingers twitched.
Her system was humming in the back of her mind, restless.
It was time to see what it could really do.
The Blueprint System – Online
Ava pulled out one of the salvaged circuit boards she had grabbed earlier and placed it on the desk.
The moment her fingers brushed the surface—
[SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
[ANALYZING MATERIAL…]
[BLUEPRINT OPTIONS AVAILABLE]
Her vision shifted as glowing schematics overlaid the object in front of her.
Lines of text and numbers scrolled in her mind, breaking down the quality, structure, and potential uses of the board.
She barely breathed as she scanned the options.
[Basic Power Source – Requires: 1x Circuit Board, 1x Copper Wire, 1x Power Cell]
[Encrypted Data Storage – Requires: 1x Circuit Board, 1x Memory Module, 1x Secure Casing]
[Faulty Component Repair – 67% Success Rate]
Ava's heart pounded.
This wasn't just scrap metal anymore.
This was opportunity.
She scanned the room, looking at the other pieces she'd collected.
A rusted motherboard. A bundle of old wiring. A few damaged battery cells.
It wasn't much—but her system saw potential in all of it.
And that meant she could turn garbage into something worth trading.
A slow smile crept onto her face as Ava worked fast.
Not just because she wanted to test her system, but because she finally had the space to do it.
For the first time since the world ended, she wasn't sitting in a cold, overcrowded bunker fighting over scraps. She had a desk, materials, and—most importantly—privacy.
She rolled up her sleeves, fingers itching as she laid out the salvaged parts.
Her system was already waiting.
[Blueprint System – Active]
[SELECT PROJECT]
Ava scanned the options again, weighing her choices.
Most of them were too complex for her current materials. She needed better parts—higher quality, less rust, actual power sources.
But one blueprint stood out.
[Faulty Component Repair – 67% Success Rate]
Not glamorous. Not groundbreaking.
But useful.
If she could fix broken components, she could sell them. Trade them. Stockpile working tech before anyone else.
That was how you stayed ahead in a place like this.
She selected the blueprint.
[INITIATING REPAIR SEQUENCE…]
[TARGET: Circuit Board]
[PROCESSING…]
Ava grabbed a thin tool from her kit, carefully following the glowing system instructions overlaying the board.
She removed a damaged resistor, replaced a few corroded pathways, and adjusted the remaining power lines.
The moment she finished, her system flashed.
[REPAIR SUCCESSFUL – FUNCTIONAL CIRCUIT BOARD OBTAINED]
Ava grinned.
Perfect.
She had just turned a worthless piece of junk into something valuable.
And if she could do it once?
She could do it again.
Ava leaned back, staring at the board in her hands.
Lucas Bai wanted tradeable assets?
She was about to give him something even better.
A new supply chain.
And she'd make sure she was the only one who controlled it.
Ava didn't waste time.
She had a working circuit board—something that shouldn't exist in a place like this. Most scavengers barely knew how to tell wires from scrap metal, let alone fix delicate tech.
Which meant she had an edge.
And she was going to use it.
She grabbed the board, wiped the dust off her hands, and left her room.
Lucas was in the living area, casually flipping through a worn ledger, golden eyes scanning numbers that probably decided half the bunker's economy.
Ava dropped the circuit board onto the table in front of him.
Lucas raised a brow, glancing at it. "You brought me a broken circuit board? I have plenty of those."
Ava smirked. "Check again."
Lucas sighed, picked it up—and the moment he turned it over, his expression shifted.
Ava caught it instantly.
A flicker of genuine surprise. A quick recalculation.
Then, just as fast, it was gone—replaced by his usual amused smirk.
Lucas leaned back, spinning the board between his fingers. "This was dead when we pulled it from the ruins."
Ava shrugged. "Not anymore."
Lucas hummed, clearly reappraising her.
"You fix broken tech now?"
Ava stretched, pretending she wasn't watching him carefully. "Let's just say I have a good eye."
Lucas chuckled. "Sure. And I'm a humanitarian."
Ava didn't rise to the bait. "You wanted me to be useful. Here's proof."
Lucas tilted his head. "And what do you want for it?"
Ava tapped the edge of the table, considering.
"Information," she said finally. "You know everything happening in this bunker. I want in."
Lucas grinned. "Bold."
"Smart," Ava corrected. "You need me more than I need you."
Lucas laughed, tapping the board against the table. "That remains to be seen."
But he didn't say no.
Which meant she had his attention.
Good.
Because this was just the first step.
And if Lucas Bai thought she was just going to be another pawn in his game?
He had no idea who he was dealing with.