Chapter One: The Fifty-Million-Euro Scar

An obsolete tactical terminal sat in the corner. Since the center's renovation, the coaching staff had used holographic boards, and this machine had remained unplugged beneath a layer of dust. Lin inserted the wafer only to learn whether it belonged to the club. The screen came alive. A blue grid shaped like a football pitch flickered. A sentence appeared in Spanish. [If you can read this, lock the door first.] Lin's hands froze over the keyboard. A second line appeared immediately. [Are they gone?] This was not a recording. Someone was waiting on the other side. Lin locked the room and typed in French: [Who are you?] There was no answer for twelve seconds.