The storm broke, but the thunder stayed.
Within twenty-four hours, every feed from Shanghai to Seoul carried the same headline:
> "League Scandal — ECLIPSE Captain Exonerated, Administrator Under Fire."
The victory had gone viral.
Investors called, sponsorships doubled, and suddenly everyone who'd once whispered against me was speaking my name with reverence.
Power.
It always returned, but never quietly.
---
ECLIPSE Headquarters — Morning Meeting
"Congratulations, Captain," Luna said with a grin.
Ashen nodded. "Never seen a league official sweat like that."
I smiled faintly. "Don't get used to it. People love you when you're useful."
He raised a brow. "And when we're not?"
"Then they look for a new favorite."
The laughter that followed was easy, almost normal.
Almost.
Because while the team celebrated, my mind was already turning.
Lin Jie hadn't acted alone. Someone had funded him — someone with deeper reach.
And if I'd learned anything from this world, it was that no system falls without a shadow pulling strings.
---
Later — Rooftop of Lyra Tower
Lao K stood at the edge, hoodie pulled up against the cold.
I joined him, two coffees in hand.
He took one without a word.
"Reporters everywhere," he said. "Half the league's pretending they didn't doubt you."
I smirked. "People rewrite history faster than code."
He chuckled softly. "You look tired."
"I am," I admitted. "Victory's exhausting."
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The city stretched below — lights, noise, possibility.
"You ever think about what comes next?" he asked.
I glanced at him. "You mean after all this?"
"After ECLIPSE. After ZGDX."
I paused. "You planning to retire?"
He shrugged. "Maybe. Or maybe I'm just wondering what it'd be like to play without a contract telling me who I can care about."
The words hung in the air like static — quiet, unflinching.
I didn't answer. I just let the silence settle between us, warm despite the wind.
---
Night — Qin Ruo's Office
The system monitor flickered.
One unread message.
> Unknown Sender: You may have won the match, Miss Qin.
But the board is bigger than the league.
— Ω
I stared at it until the cursor blinked away.
No traceable address, no metadata. Just that single, elegant symbol.
Omega.
Not the end, then.
The beginning of something new.
I closed the monitor, my reflection catching in the glass — calm, poised, and ready.
Because if the board was bigger, I'd just have to play a bigger game.
---
✨ End of Chapter Fifteen — "Echo Effect."
---