Legacy of the Stars

The night was cold and quiet in the Swiss village where the teams were staying during the tournament. Frosty air seeped through the open window of Liu Cheng's room as he sat at his laptop. The screen illuminated his serious expression as he analyzed footage and data from their last match. Something wasn't right—it didn't make sense that technical issues had emerged at such critical moments.

"What are you doing?" a voice broke his focus. It was Lin Mei, their technical support and analytics expert, standing at the doorway with her arms crossed. Her dark hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, and her face showed a mix of concern and exhaustion.

"I'm trying to find a pattern," Liu Cheng replied without looking up. "Look at this—there were server lag spikes exactly when we switched to a defensive strategy."

Lin Mei stepped closer, examining the screen. "That doesn't look like a normal system glitch. You think this was... deliberate?"

Liu Cheng nodded. "I'm not sure yet, but we might be dealing with sabotage. I can't ignore this."

---

Scene 1: Team Debate

The next day, the Glory International team gathered in the hotel's conference room. Zhang Wei, their captain, sat at the head of the table. His sharp gaze swept across the team as Liu Cheng presented his suspicions.

"These are serious accusations," Zhang Wei interrupted, cutting through Liu Cheng's explanation. "We have no proof. We can't risk our reputation with conspiracy theories."

"Reputation?" Liu Cheng countered, raising his voice slightly. "If someone's sabotaging us, we're already at risk. This isn't just a theory—look at the data."

Yao Feng, the team's young attacker, raised his hand. "But if this is true, why target us? We're not tournament favorites."

Lin Mei chimed in: "Maybe that's the point. Maybe they're trying to eliminate weaker teams to clear the path for the favorites."

Zhang Wei sighed, massaging his temples. "Even if that's true, what can we do about it? Our focus needs to stay on the next match, not chasing ghosts."

Liu Cheng froze for a moment, gripping the edge of the table. "If we keep ignoring this, we'll be an easy target. I think we need to investigate."

The debate continued for some time, but Zhang Wei ultimately made the final call: "We're not taking the risk. This conversation is over."

But Liu Cheng couldn't simply let it go.

---

Scene 2: Phantom's Message

That night, as Liu Cheng mulled over Zhang Wei's words, he received a notification on his laptop. An unknown email, no subject, with an attachment. Opening it, he found only one line of text:

"What you're looking for is below. But beware—the system sees everything. —Phantom"

The attachment contained a series of encrypted data. Lines of code that looked like a puzzle, but Liu Cheng recognized it as an entry point into the tournament's system.

"Phantom… Who are you?" he whispered.

For a moment, he felt a chill of fear but also a spark of excitement. This was his chance to uncover the truth.

---

Scene 3: An Unplanned Intrusion

Later that evening, Liu Cheng slipped into the hotel's technical room, where Lin Mei was working on her laptop.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered, but when he showed her Phantom's message, her expression changed. "You're crazy, you know that?"

"Maybe. But if we're right, this changes everything."

The two began working together, following the data Phantom had sent. They managed to decrypt part of the system, uncovering anomalies in several matches—all targeting weaker teams.

"So, it's not just us," Lin Mei concluded. "But who would have the power to do this?"

---

Scene 4: An Unexpected Attack

As they worked, suddenly their laptop shut down. The lights in the room flickered, and a red warning message appeared on the screen:

"Stop, or you'll pay the price. —Phantom"

Liu Cheng's heart pounded. "Is he with us or against us?"

Lin Mei quickly grabbed another laptop. "If they've found us, we have less time than we thought. We need to finish this."

Moments later, hotel security began heading toward the room. Liu Cheng and Lin Mei barely managed to escape through a back exit, carrying their equipment with them.

---

Scene 5: A Risky Decision

Back in their rooms, Liu Cheng reflected on what they had uncovered. Phantom was clearly connected to those sabotaging the tournament, but why had he helped them? And how could they use this data without exposing themselves?

"What do we do now?" Lin Mei asked as they sat in his room.

Liu Cheng took a deep breath. "We keep playing. But we stay vigilant. If they try this again, we'll be ready."