Chapter Five: The Route to a Draw

The Skylarks attacked with everyone, leaving an empty net. Qiao Ran stole the ball. A thick blue line ran from her foot straight to victory. She turned and passed backward to Wei Lan. The final whistle sounded. A draw. The scoreboard flickered, then held at 1–1. Zero had been wrong. But Qiao Ran slowly released her teammates and pointed at a supporter holding Qiao Qing’s photograph. “Who is that?” Jianxia’s heart dropped. Seconds later, Qiao Ran clutched her head. “I know she’s my sister. I know she died. But for a moment, I couldn’t remember her face.” Zero had not taken the memory. It had bitten off a piece. The locker-room screen displayed: 【FORECAST ERROR: 1.】 【PUNITIVE CALIBRATION COMPLETE.】