Chapter Five: The Blockade That Failed

People hid smiles. Zhou's face whitened. Betraying Chenzhou had not made him an equal. It had merely given him a master less careful about showing contempt. At seven on match night, Wildfire went live. The app stores had removed it. But Chenzhou had spent forty-eight hours embedding a lightweight web player into 320 partner accounts and campus forums. Hanhai could block one app, not hundreds of independent entrances. At 7:10, viewers passed one hundred thousand. At 7:30, four hundred thirty thousand. By kickoff, projection screens filled streets across sixteen towns. Restaurants moved tables outdoors. Students waved hand-painted flame flags. Many viewers heard professional football called in their hometown accents for the first time.