Go Go Squid! · Conversa

At the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore, the red numbers finally froze on the giant screen of the CTF Cybersecurity Tour. A tsunami of cheers erupted from the audience, but the roar sounded as if muffled behind thick glass. Inside Team K&K's soundproof booth, the only sound was the harsh scrape of keyboards being shoved across desks. Dai Feng kept his head down, his fingers frozen above the keys as if hit with a pause button. Ling Shan ripped off his headset and slammed it onto the desk, his mouth parting slightly, unable to utter a single word. Shen Zhe leaned back in his chair, his eyeliner faintly smudged with sweat, watching Team SP's flag slowly rise on the screen with a self-mocking smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Zhou Yi silently crushed a mineral water bottle until the plastic crackled, his knuckles turning white. Wu Bai stood up from the corner, walked over to each teammate, and handed them red envelopes. Han Shangyan stood before the one-way glass of the soundproof booth, his back to everyone. Today, he wore a black high-collar jacket zipped all the way up, his jawline clenched so tightly it seemed ready to snap. The glass reflected his face as well as the players behind him. He spoke suddenly, his voice not loud, yet it froze the entire room in an instant: "In competition, there are only champions and trash." Without looking back, he fished a piece of candy from his pocket, unwrapped the foil, and tossed it into his mouth. The crunch of the candy between his teeth was piercingly clear. He pushed the door open and walked out. In the hallway, Ai Qing of Team SP was walking toward him holding a tactics clipboard. The two brushed past each other, neither sparing the other a single glance. Han Shangyan turned into a roadside internet café, just wanting to catch his breath. Behind the counter, a girl in a white hoodie was zoning out at the lines of code on her computer screen. Hearing the door chime, she looked up. The moment their eyes met, all Han Shangyan saw was a pair of astonishingly bright eyes, followed by a greeting so soft it was barely audible—"Welcome."