Chapter Two: Three Seconds From Now, the Bullet Fires First

At two in the morning, the tournament clinic delivered its verdict: Su Cheng and He Chuan would remain under observation. Neither was cleared for the final. The league refused to postpone. Machines could be replaced. Players could not. “You have seven hours to submit your locked roster,” the head referee said over video. “Fail to do so, and you forfeit.” Four people sat in the conference room. Kinesiology tape wrapped Zhou Yan’s right hand. Tang Ye leaned against the wall with folded arms. Xu Duo stared at the table. Lin Mo still wore the jersey that was no longer his. “Put him in,” Zhou Yan said. Tang Ye straightened. “Why?” “You’re the marksman. He can fill shot-caller. If Su Cheng or He Chuan is out, we still need five.”