Liu Hao paced back and forth in his room, the sound of his agitated footsteps filling the air. His phone was pressed against his ear, and on the other end, the voice of the team's coach continued droning on, insistent and relentless.
"You need to focus, Liu Hao. The Invitational is around the corner. You and Ye Xiu have to lead the team—this isn't the time for distractions."
Hao's grip tightened on the phone. His anger simmered just beneath the surface. How could the coach not see what was going on? How could he ignore the chaos surrounding them, the disappearances, the ominous threats?
"Our lives are on the line here!" Hao snapped, cutting the coach off mid-sentence. "Do you even care about what's happening? This isn't just about the Invitational anymore. Sun Xiang is gone! Zhang Xinjie is gone! And now we're being dragged into something we don't understand!"
The coach's voice fell silent for a moment, perhaps caught off guard by the outburst. "I understand the gravity of the situation, but—"
"No, you don't," Hao interrupted, his voice shaking with frustration. "I don't care about the Invitational right now. Our lives matter more than any championship!"
Without waiting for a response, Hao angrily ended the call, tossing his phone onto the bed. His chest rose and fell rapidly, his mind racing with frustration and helplessness. They were professional gamers, not investigators. And yet, they were being pulled deeper and deeper into a dangerous game that no one seemed to understand.
Just then, the door creaked open. Ye Xiu walked in, his usual calm demeanour unchanged despite the tension surrounding them. Without a word, he sat down next to his best friend, his presence a quiet reassurance. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The weight of the situation hung heavy in the room, a silent acknowledgement of the severity of what was happening.
Ye Xiu glanced at Hao, sensing his friend's turmoil but choosing not to comment on it directly. Instead, he sighed, leaning back against the chair.
"This isn't just about winning anymore," Ye Xiu finally said, his voice low and measured. "We need to get to the bottom of this, but we can't lose sight of who we are either. Our team still counts on us."
Liu Hao didn't respond immediately, but his clenched fists slowly relaxed. He knew Ye Xiu was right—he always was. But the constant pressure, the unknown dangers, and the eerie calls weighed heavily on him. There was too much at stake.
Suddenly, the door burst open, and the female lead rushed in, her face pale and her voice panicked.
"The officer's here!" she said, breathless. "He's delivering some kind of news. We need to go!"
Ye Xiu and Hao exchanged glances before springing to their feet. The tension in the air thickened as they hurried out of the room and down the hall toward the main lounge.
When they arrived, they found the police officer, Captain Li Wei, sitting with one of their trainees. The officer's expression was serious, and his voice was firm but measured as he questioned the young player. The three of them stopped at the door, watching as the officer pressed the trainee for details.
The player in question was Lu Hanwen, a relatively new addition to the team. He had joined Excellent Era with high hopes, but a recent injury had put him out of commission for weeks. Still, seeing him under scrutiny like this sent a ripple of unease through the room.
"I already told you," Lu Hanwen said, his voice steady but edged with frustration. "I've been on a break due to my injury. I haven't been at any events or practices since then."
Captain Li leaned in slightly, his eyes narrowing. "And the night of the summit? Where were you then?"
Lu Hanwen hesitated for a moment, clearly taken aback by the intensity of the questioning. "I… I wasn't there. I was resting. You can ask the team—they know."
At that moment, Ye Xiu stepped forward, locking eyes with Lu Hanwen. The young player looked back at him, clearly anxious under the weight of the investigation. Ye Xiu nodded slowly, offering a quiet sense of support before turning his gaze to Captain Li.
"He's telling the truth," Ye Xiu said calmly. "Hanwen's been on a break. He wasn't involved in the summit, and I was aware of his situation."
Captain Li paused, his sharp gaze shifting from Lu Hanwen to Ye Xiu. For a brief moment, the tension in the room was palpable, but the officer eventually leaned back in his chair, seemingly satisfied for now.
"Fine," Captain Li said, scribbling something in his notebook. "But we'll still need to keep this on record. If anything else comes up, we'll be back."
With that, the officer stood, offering a curt nod to the group before making his way out of the room. The moment he was gone, the air seemed to thin, but the unease remained.
Lu Hanwen let out a shaky breath, clearly relieved, but still rattled by the intense questioning. "I… I didn't think things would get this serious."
Liu Hao ran a hand through his hair, his frustration still simmering beneath the surface. "None of us did."
The female lead moved closer, her eyes wide with worry as she glanced between Ye Xiu and Hao. "What do we do now? This is getting out of hand."
Ye Xiu's expression remained calm, but the weight of the situation was evident in his eyes. "We stay focused. We protect our team, and we get to the bottom of this."
But deep down, he knew things were far from under control. There were too many questions and too many unknowns. The disappearances, the mysterious calls, the ominous threats—it was all building toward something, and Ye Xiu couldn't shake the feeling that they were running out of time to figure it out.
As the group stood in uneasy silence, the door to the lounge creaked open once more, and a low, unfamiliar voice echoed through the room:
"You won't find answers if you're afraid to ask the right questions."
Everyone turned, eyes wide, as a shadowy figure slipped through the door and into the room.