Chapter Two: Eight Minutes at Twenty-Seven

Gu Chenzhou entered the match in the sixty-sixth minute. Southport's center back stood half a head taller and deliberately struck his shoulder. “Wrong door, Professor Gu. The retirement home is down the road.” Gu did not answer. He walked to the edge of the box and pressed a hand against his right knee. Expectation rolled down from the stands, but reality was cruelly visible. He was late to his first header. A defender poked away his first touch. Ten meters into his second sprint, he slowed. Gold text remained in Shen's vision: [Echo awaiting activation.] It was not automatic. Shen had to choose when the eight minutes began. In the sixty-ninth minute, Luo Xiao crossed from the right.