Chapter Four: The Knee He Chose Not to Heal

Before the City League began, Han Zheng hung a wooden sign outside his repair shop. WILDFIRE TRAINING COURT. TWENTY AN HOUR. NO REFUNDS FOR LOSING. “We might lose a leg ourselves,” Su Qing said. “And you're charging tuition?” “That means the lessons are honest.” Han tightened the last screw. The stolen webpage had erased itself at dawn, but Su had recovered seventeen records. Every victim had received a Midnight invitation before an important real-world game, then lost to teams bearing Heaven's gold emblem. To reach Zeus, Wildfire needed a top-eight city ranking. They played five matches over six nights. Zhou's Forecast produced three steals in the first.