Chapter Three: The Sentence That Was Erased

He had dismissed it as a stress hallucination. Two seconds of hesitation had destroyed their championship, while every post-match inspection declared the equipment normal. “I don't know,” he said. “But I'm going to find out.” Lin Qi pointed at the rules. “You can't even refuse. How do you investigate?” Shen Yan looked at the trial invitation she had brought. Undertow was a new second-division team with too little money and too many rookies. They needed the sort of old commander nobody else wanted. The time on the back read 9:00 a.m. Their opponent would be the academy roster of reigning champion Throne. He understood the sender's intent. The card had not given him a collectible reward. It wanted him back in competition.