The lounge was quiet, the soft hum of the video playing the only sound breaking the silence. Ye Xiu sat on the couch, staring at the card in his hand. The edges were rough, the surface scratched and worn to the point of obscuring whatever information it had once held. Su Mucheng sat beside him, her expression thoughtful, while the rest of the team continued their analysis of the previous match.
"Ye Xiu, what are you going to do about the card?" Su Mucheng asked quietly.
He looked up, meeting her eyes. "For now, we focus on what we can control. The card... it's a clue, but we don't know enough yet."
Su Mucheng nodded, but the unease in her gaze remained. The unknown man who had brushed past them, the manager's strange behaviour during the match, the glitch—none of it sat right with her. But she trusted Ye Xiu. If anyone could piece it all together, it was him.
Across the room, He Ming and Liu Hao sat with their arms crossed, replaying the footage of the final moments of the game for what felt like the hundredth time. The screen flickered with the chaotic scenes of battle, but no matter how many times they watched it, they couldn't pinpoint what had gone wrong.
"It's impossible," Liu Hao muttered, running a hand through his hair. "We practised those characters for days. There's no way we messed up that badly."
He Ming nodded in agreement. "Exactly. I've never felt so disconnected from my character before. It's like something was blocking us—like that glitch wasn't just visual, but a complete interference."
Su Mucheng leaned forward, joining the conversation. "You're not imagining it. I felt it too. During the third round, everything felt off. The timing, the controls... everything."
The room fell into an uneasy silence as her words sank in. Even though they all knew something was wrong, they couldn't prove it. The footage showed no anomalies, no glitches, nothing that could explain their feelings.
Ye Xiu stood up, his gaze hardening with determination. "Let's not waste more time on what we can't see right now. Keep watching the videos, but focus on your tactics. We still have games to win, and we can't let this throw us off."
As much as the team wanted answers, they knew Ye Xiu was right. They couldn't dwell on what they couldn't explain. Not yet. With a nod, they turned back to the screen, resuming their analysis with renewed focus.
Just then, the door to the lounge creaked open. Their coach entered, his expression calm but unreadable as he took a seat beside Ye Xiu and Su Mucheng. He glanced at the footage for a moment before turning to the team.
"What's the situation?" the coach asked, his voice neutral.
Ye Xiu hesitated for a moment before responding. "We've been reviewing the game. There's something we need to talk about."
He handed the scratched card to the coach, explaining what had happened earlier outside the camp. As the coach examined the card, Ye Xiu continued. "During the match with Tiny Herb, there was a glitch. At least, that's what it seemed like. Something disrupted the flow of the game, but the footage doesn't show anything unusual."
The coach listened carefully, his brow furrowing slightly as he considered Ye Xiu's words. "A glitch, you say?" His tone remained calm, almost dismissive. "You've been playing for a long time, Ye Xiu. Maybe it was just exhaustion. The match was intense, and nerves can play tricks on the mind."
Ye Xiu's jaw tightened, his patience fraying. "I've been playing Glory for 18 years. I know what exhaustion feels like. This wasn't that."
The team watched the exchange closely, tension building in the room. Su Mucheng shifted uncomfortably beside Ye Xiu, sensing his frustration. She understood his anger—something was wrong, and the coach's dismissal wasn't helping.
"We all felt it," she added, her voice firm but respectful. "It wasn't just Ye Xiu. There was something off, and none of us could shake it."
The coach sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I understand your concerns, but without any evidence, we can't make any accusations. Focus on the next game. That's what's important."
Ye Xiu clenched his fists, but before he could argue further, the coach stood up. "Keep practising. I'll look into it, but don't let this distract you from the bigger picture. We still have a tournament to win."
With that, the coach left the room, leaving the team in silence once again. Ye Xiu stared at the door, his mind racing. He knew the coach wasn't taking this seriously. Something was being hidden, but without proof, they were stuck.
Su Mucheng placed a reassuring hand on Ye Xiu's arm. "We'll figure it out. You're right—we'll find the truth."
Ye Xiu nodded, but his thoughts were far from settled. He couldn't let this go. Not when so much was at stake.
As the night deepened, the team continued their analysis. Hours passed, and one by one, the others began to head to bed, exhausted from the day's events. But Ye Xiu and Su Mucheng remained, their eyes glued to the screen, watching the same scenes over and over, searching for something—anything—that could give them a clue.
Suddenly, the video glitched for a brief moment. It was so quick that it was almost unnoticeable, but Ye Xiu's trained eyes caught it immediately.
"Wait, stop," he said, rewinding the footage. He played the scene again, this time slowing it down frame by frame. There it was—just before the final blow from Tiny Herb's leader. A flicker, barely perceptible, but enough to show that something was wrong.
"Do you see that?" Su Mucheng whispered, her eyes widening.
Ye Xiu nodded, his heart racing. It wasn't much, but it was enough to prove that they weren't imagining things. The glitch was real.
"This is just the beginning," Ye Xiu murmured, his mind already racing ahead. There were more questions than answers now, but at least they had something to hold on to.
And whatever this was, Ye Xiu knew one thing for sure—it wasn't over. Not by a long shot.