A light drizzle fell from the overcast sky, glistening on the LED display outside the Guanghan Sports Center in Sichuan. The glowing words "Chengdu Universiade Basketball Venue – Guanghan Division" stood out vividly in the rain. As a satellite venue for the Chengdu Universiade, this newly completed, state-of-the-art arena was hosting some of the preliminary matches.
Today, an important game was scheduled: a group stage match between the United States and Poland.
Wang Wei sat in his car, waiting in line at the entrance to the stadium. Several cars were still ahead of him, and glancing at the growing line of vehicles behind, he felt lucky to have arrived early. The drivers further back would be stuck for ages.
Ever since the main venue in Chengdu had postponed events due to a local epidemic, many matches had been reassigned to nearby cities. Guanghan, a once-quiet town, had suddenly become a critical part of the Universiade. Overnight, the city transformed—new subway lines, expanded roads, and ultramodern facilities breathed new life into what had been a dormant community.
From the floor-to-ceiling windows of the control room, Li Yi surveyed the unending line of vehicles. As the chief systems engineer for the sports center, he would never forget the events of this fateful afternoon. At the time, he had been performing routine checks on the newly installed German-made environmental monitoring system, as usual, ensuring each data point was accurate. Then, an anomaly appeared on his screen.
The new sports center employed cutting-edge smart technology. From air quality to crowd density, every aspect was monitored by tens of thousands of sensors. Li Yi was intimately familiar with every parameter of the system, but he had never seen fluctuations like these. The bizarre electromagnetic signals seemed to pulse like a living organism, as though something unknown was awakening within the building.
Outside, the rain intensified, and the stadium loomed like a monolith in the downpour. In an hour, it would host the much-anticipated basketball game between college teams from the United States and Poland. The polished wooden floor of the court awaited the athletes' battles. Yet, deep within the building's foundations, a disaster capable of unraveling everything was silently brewing.
"Engineer Li, there's a situation in the equipment room on Basement Level 2," called Old Liu, his assistant.
Li Yi turned and pulled up the basement's surveillance footage. Under the dim glow of fluorescent lights, several figures in maintenance uniforms were pushing an unusual-looking piece of equipment down the corridor. Narrowing his eyes, Li Yi studied the device and spotted a troubling detail—it wasn't registered as part of the stadium's inventory. Why would maintenance personnel seal off the entire basement level during the day?
Their movements were suspicious. The "maintenance workers" avoided main hallways, opting for secondary routes and service corridors instead. The equipment they transported was covered in a protective shroud, but Li Yi could make out its metal casing and the refrigeration unit, which hummed as it worked to maintain a precise temperature.
"Old Liu, contact security immediately. Tell them I need an emergency meeting—don't use the radio, call their internal line," Li Yi said, lowering his voice. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he saved the surveillance footage and marked their route.
Minutes later, Wu Gang, the security chief, arrived in the control room with two plainclothes operatives. Li Yi briefed them quickly and pointed to the frozen image on the monitor. "Their credentials are all temporary passes added to the system this morning. But look at how they handle the equipment—they're clearly professionally trained."
Wu Gang stared at the screen for a few moments, his eyes sharpening. Picking up his comms device, he spoke a sequence of code words in a calm, measured tone. Within three minutes, a dozen plainclothes operatives had dispersed to key positions across Basement Level 2. There were no alarms, no announcements, not even a hint to the regular guards, who had been quietly reassigned.
"Target has entered Room B-217," Li Yi reported, his voice tense. "They're installing some sort of equipment. Electromagnetic signals indicate unusually high power output."
"Understood." Wu Gang nodded and issued a single command: "Move."
On the monitor, the operatives emerged like phantoms, surrounding the equipment room. Their movements were so swift they were almost imperceptible. A faint sound of impact echoed through the speakers as the door was breached. For a split second, the mysterious device glowed with an eerie blue light.
The entire operation lasted less than ten seconds. When Li Yi checked the feed again, the suspects and the device had already been extracted, leaving the basement eerily quiet, as though nothing had happened. The only evidence of the covert action was a small puddle of water on the floor, remnants of the operatives cleaning up traces of the skirmish.
"This matter ends here," Wu Gang said cryptically before leaving. "The game is about to start."
After Wu Gang left, Old Liu leaned in and whispered, "What was that thing? Did you get a good look?"
"No idea. I've never seen anything like it," Li Yi replied, still shaken. "Let's stay vigilant."
Meanwhile, Wang Wei had finally parked his car. Pulling out his phone, he texted his girlfriend Qi Shan, whom he had met just days ago:
Wang Wei: I'm here. Where are you?
Qi Shan: Stuck at the entrance. It's gonna take a while. You go ahead!
Wang Wei: Alright. Just follow the seat info on your ticket. I'll wait for you there. Want me to grab you something to drink?
Qi Shan: Coke is fine. Thanks!
After sending the text, Wang Wei headed toward the stadium entrance.
The line was long, filled with people holding tickets, ready for security screening. The crowd's excitement was palpable—Guanghan hadn't hosted an event of this caliber in years. Wang Wei noticed that security was unusually strict. Each attendee's belongings underwent two rounds of scanning, and even bottled water was prohibited. Ahead of him, a foreign visitor was arguing about his coffee cup being confiscated.
"Please cooperate," the security officer said in stilted English. Wang Wei noticed the officer wore a badge he hadn't seen at regular sports events.
When it was finally his turn, the scanner emitted a piercing alarm.
"Sir, step aside for further inspection," a young female officer instructed, gesturing toward a separate area.
Confused, Wang Wei complied. He had only brought his phone and wallet. The officer used an unusual handheld device to scan him. When it passed over his chest pocket, the device emitted a faint beep.
"Please empty your pocket."
Wang Wei retrieved a metal keychain—the new badge issued by his hotel. The officer scrutinized it, scanned it again, then handed it back.
"You're good to go. Enjoy the game."
Pocketing the badge, Wang Wei entered the stadium. The atmosphere was electric, with spectators finding their seats and the hum of conversation filling the air. After locating his seat, Wang Wei surveyed the arena. Its modern design was striking, with uniquely shaped ventilation ducts on the ceiling resembling the breathing organs of some enormous creature. Beneath each duct was a small device blinking with a red light.
As he prepared to buy drinks, a young staff member appeared beside him. "Excuse me, sir. May I confirm your seat number?"
"I'm in Section D, Row 6, Seats 1 and 2. Already found them. Just heading for drinks," Wang Wei replied.
"Alright. Let us know if you need anything." The staffer's overly polite tone struck Wang Wei as odd. This level of service was unheard of at regular events.
Drinks in hand, Wang Wei returned to his seat, but the one beside him remained empty. He texted Qi Shan again.
Wang Wei: Still not here? The game's about to start!
Wang Wei: ???
Qi Shan: Almost at security. Two more cars ahead.
The lights in the arena dimmed, leaving only a spotlight on the center court. The LED screens played highlight reels for the teams, and the booming music energized the crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer's voice resonated through the arena, "welcome to the 2023 Chengdu Universiade Basketball Tournament, Guanghan Division! Today's matchup: the United States versus Poland!"
The teams entered the court, greeted by deafening cheers. The game began at a blistering pace, with both teams trading points. Wang Wei, engrossed in the action, barely noticed the man in Section E wiping cold sweat from his pale face. By the time he did, it was too late.