The gentle rustle of leaves echoed in the peaceful garden as Ye Xiu strolled along the path. The sun hung low in the sky, casting a soft, golden hue over the scene. As he walked, his eyes were drawn to a small dog wandering near the bushes. Without thinking, he crouched down, gently petting the dog, his fingers running through its soft fur. The animal responded with a wagging tail, happy for the attention.
"Ye Xiu?" a soft voice called out from behind him.
He looked up, his gaze meeting Su Mucheng's. She stood there, holding a cup of cold iced tea in her hand, a warm smile on her lips.
"You and dogs, huh?" she teased lightly as she approached.
Ye Xiu straightened up, grinning at her. "What can I say? They seem to like me."
Together, they began walking side by side, leaving the dog behind as it trotted off into the greenery. The air between them was comfortable, filled with the lingering energy from their latest matches. The conversation soon turned to what was on both of their minds.
"You know," Su Mucheng began, her voice quieter now, "I love the way our team has been progressing. We've come so far, but... something keeps bothering me."
Ye Xiu glanced at her, listening attentively. "What is it?"
Su Mucheng sighed, her fingers absentmindedly brushing the edge of the teacup. "It's about the last few matches. I can't shake this strange feeling. I noticed our manager... he kept glancing at the host. Almost like they were exchanging signals. Every two minutes or so."
Ye Xiu furrowed his brow but didn't interrupt, letting her continue.
"And then there's the glitch," she added, her tone more serious. "The one we all felt during the match with Tiny Herb. I know it wasn't just fatigue or stress. Something wasn't right. It wasn't normal."
Ye Xiu remained silent for a moment, processing her words. His eyes were fixed ahead, watching the garden's path twist and turn under the canopy of trees. After a long pause, he spoke quietly, but with certainty.
"We'll find out the truth," he said. "Whatever's happening, it won't stay hidden for long."
Su Mucheng looked at him, her expression softening. She trusted Ye Xiu—his instincts, his experience, and his ability to get to the bottom of things. They continued walking, their footsteps light on the gravel pathway, the conversation leaving a lingering unease between them.
As they neared the camp base, the atmosphere shifted. The tall, imposing gates came into view. Just as they reached the entrance, an unknown man brushed past Ye Xiu, bumping into him with enough force to nearly knock him off balance. The man didn't stop. Instead, he kept walking, hurriedly disappearing around a corner without even acknowledging the incident.
"Hey—" Su Mucheng began to call out, but the man was already gone.
Ye Xiu bent down to pick up a small object that had fallen from the man's pocket—a card, scratched and worn. He examined it, holding it up to the light, but its content was barely visible. The surface of the card had been scratched deliberately, leaving only faint traces of what might have once been a business card.
Su Mucheng peered over his shoulder, her curiosity piqued. "That looks... familiar."
"Familiar?" Ye Xiu asked, frowning as he turned the card over in his hand.
"I'm not sure where I've seen something like this before," she replied, her mind racing through the possibilities. "But it's not the first time."
Without further discussion, they walked into the building, entering the familiar warmth of the lounge. The rest of the team was scattered around the room, their eyes glued to the screen where the previous match with Tiny Herb was still playing. The tension was palpable—everyone was still frustrated over their loss, analyzing every second of the footage for mistakes, weaknesses, or anything they might have overlooked.
Ye Xiu noticed the collective mood. As the team leader, he knew they all felt that the defeat hadn't been fair. But he couldn't afford to let their morale dip too low. His focus remained on keeping them sharp for what was to come.
He cleared his throat to get their attention. "Did any of you see someone enter the building? A guy bumped into me outside, and dropped this."
He held up the card for them to see, though no one seemed to recognize it at first glance.
"No one came in," He Ming replied, shaking his head. "We've been here the whole time, looking at these videos."
Liu Hao added, "Yeah, no one came by. We were just trying to figure out what we're missing in our playstyle."
The team's faces reflected a shared sense of confusion and frustration. Ye Xiu glanced down at the card again, his mind racing through the events of the day. Something was off, and it wasn't just about the matches anymore.
Su Mucheng stepped closer to Ye Xiu, her voice barely above a whisper. "We need to figure out who that man was. And what this card means."
Ye Xiu nodded, his grip tightening around the card. As he looked around at his teammates—each of them still focused on finding answers from the footage—he knew that this was only the beginning. The mystery of their defeat, the strange man, and the scratched card were pieces of a much larger puzzle, one that they needed to solve before it was too late.