Chapter Five: The Wrong Save

Shen did not deny it. “Then tell me how to avoid it.” “What I do to avoid it may be what causes it.” The Thunder seemed to know every weakness. They shot for deflections instead of the net, changing the puck's direction at close range. The more Shen resisted the lines, the worse the score became. Aurora trailed 3–2 after two periods, while synchronization climbed to thirty-nine percent. In the room, Gao crouched before him. “Don't choose for me. Just guard the net.” Aurora tied the game. With forty seconds left, a Thunder forward broke in and Gao chased. The vision assembled itself: shot, save, rebound, Gao hitting the post and breaking his left leg.