The stadium lights were dim now, and the audience had been given a break before the final match. Everyone needed rest. The energy from the previous rounds had left both teams tired, and the organizers knew the final round had to be the best.
So they gave the teams a full break until night.
Back in the hotel, Gu Jin and her team returned to their rooms. The mood was quiet. Everyone felt nervous but excited. They were about to face England, one of the strongest teams.
Inside the team room, Gu Jin stood in front of her teammates with a serious expression. She looked at each of them before speaking.
"From now on," she said clearly, "no one is allowed to eat or drink anything without letting me check it first."
The room went silent.
Meng Hao blinked. "Why? Are you worried about the food?"
Gu Jin didn’t smile. She nodded slowly. "Yes. But it’s not just that."
She paused, then added, "You are also not allowed to take food or drink from each other."
That shocked everyone.
Lin Yue frowned. "You think... someone among us?"
Zhou Lei sat up straighter, his usual sleepy face now serious. "Are you saying there’s a traitor?"
Gu Jin didn’t answer right away. Her eyes swept over each of them, calm but sharp. Finally, she said, "I don’t know who it is yet. But there have been signs. Poison traces in the air. Unusual movements. I’ve been watching and clearing it quietly."
Everyone was stunned. Some looked at each other in disbelief. Others lowered their eyes.
"I didn’t say this to scare you," Gu Jin said softly. "But to keep us safe. I don’t want any of you to get hurt. Not now. We’re so close."
After a moment, everyone nodded. No one argued. Even Meng Hao, who loved to joke, stayed quiet.
Bai Yu whispered, "We understand."
Yun Qing didn’t speak, but she gave a small nod. Her eyes were thoughtful, as if she already guessed something too.
Gu Jin sighed quietly in her heart. She hated saying those words. It hurt to see the team doubt each other. But it had to be done. The final match could decide everything, and one mistake could ruin it all.
Meanwhile, in another part of the hotel, the England team was gathered in their room. The air was tense there too, but for a different reason.
Sophia sat with her back straight, arms crossed. Her brown eyes focused on Leo, the boy with golden curly hair and a grin that never left his face.
"Leo," she said sharply, "you can’t keep acting is a game. This next round is everything. Do you understand?"
Leo gave a lazy shrug. "Relax. We’re already in the top two. How hard can it be?"
"That kind of thinking will make us lose," said Priya. Her brown skin glowed under the light, and her shiny black hair was tied neatly in a bun. She held a thick notebook full of notes.
"China’s team has improved fast. I’ve recorded their methods. Each of their members has reached the yellow rank peak tier. If we don’t work together, we’ll lose."
Finn, with bright red hair and a mischievous grin, rolled his eyes. "Come on. They were weaklings when we first saw them. Just because they had a few lucky wins doesn’t mean they’re a threat."
Emma, who looked half-asleep with her pale blonde hair hanging in her face, nodded. "Yeah. I think you’re overthinking it, Sophia. I just want to take a nap before the match."
Sophia’s voice turned cold. "Emma. If you walk out that door right now, I’ll send a message to our university and report you for breaking the training rules. You’ll lose your chance to enter any Ivy League university."
That got their attention.
All the members looked up, their eyes serious now.
They had all come from a good university, but their dream was to enter the best. Ivy League universities had promised them a place if they won this competition. That was the future they were working for.
Sophia looked around the room and continued,
"If you’re serious about your future, then stop acting like children. Train with me. Just for one more session. After that, you can rest for three hours."
Even though some of them wanted to argue, no one did. They nodded and got into position.
Sophia was not satisfied with how they moved. She saw too many small mistakes. Their timing was off. Their focus was weak. But she didn’t yell. She let them rest after the session.
Still, her heart felt heavy.
She remembered how she used to laugh at Gu Jin for wasting her time helping her teammates grow. Back then, Sophia believed the leader should just carry the team. But now, she realized she had made a huge mistake.
Looking at her team now, she felt regret. She had not pushed them hard enough. She had not made them work together the way Gu Jin did. Now it might be too late.
Even though they didn’t say anything, Sophia could see the uneasiness in their eyes. Some of them were feeling small, maybe even scared. They tried to hide it, but it was there.
Back in Gu Jin’s room, the lights were off. She was lying on the bed, her eyes closed.
But she was not sleeping.
Suddenly, her eyes opened. They were sharp and clear.
She looked toward the door. She had felt something. A small change in the air.
It was faint, but not hidden from her senses.
Someone had tried again.
She got up quietly and walked to the table. A bottle of water was sitting there. It looked normal.
But Gu Jin took out a thin silver needle and dipped it into the water.
The needle turned black at the tip.
She sighed and threw the bottle into a sealed box.
"The traitor is getting nervous," she whispered to herself. "They know this is their last chance."
Gu Jin calmly looked toward the closed doors of the rooms, her expression unreadable. Then, without rushing, she took out a small pouch and sprinkled some strange powder on the ground, right in front of each teammate’s door.
No one saw her do it. The powder looked ordinary, but it shimmered slightly under the light.
After she finished with each door, she walked near the water tank and sprinkled more powder there. When she was done, she dusted her hands off and returned to her room quietly.
Inside her room, she picked up her phone and dialed a number. When the call connected, she spoke in a calm voice.
"I need your cooperation," she said.
The voice on the other end replied quickly, "Of course. What can I do for you?"
Gu Jin didn’t answer right away.
Shouts filled the hallway.
Gu Jin came out of her room.
The rest of the team came running too. What they saw shocked them all.
Yun Qing was lying on the floor, shaking and convulsing. Her face was pale, and her lips had turned red with a strange unnatural color. She was coughing, and blood dripped from her mouth.
Everyone stared in horror. Then they quickly ran to her side.
Gu Jin, however, didn’t panic. She knelt beside Yun Qing, took out a thin silver needle, and gently inserted it into the center of her forehead.
The others watched with worried eyes.
A few moments later, Yun Qing’s body stopped shaking. Her breathing became a little more stable, and her eyes fluttered open.
She looked at Gu Jin with deep emotion in her eyes.
"I don’t know what happened," she said weakly. "I just drank some tap water. Then I started feeling dizzy. I barely managed to leave my room and shout."
Gu Jin’s eyes became sharper.
"Do you remember which tap you drank from?"
Yun Qing nodded. She turned her head toward one of the boys and pointed.
"It was the first one."
Gu Jin smiled faintly.
"Good. I had a CCTV camera placed near that area. The person who poisoned it should appear in the footage."
Everyone looked surprised.
Gu Jin stood and led them back into her room. The team followed quietly, their faces filled with worry and suspicion.
Once they were all inside, Gu Jin sat at her desk and opened her laptop. Her fingers tapped quickly on the keyboard.
But then she stopped typing.
She looked at all of them.
"I’m giving one chance," she said clearly. "If the person who did this admits it now, I will only let them be jailed for two years. But if you stay silent, I will make sure you are banned from practicing alchemy for the rest of your life."
The room became completely silent.
Still, no one came forward.
She nodded. "Fine. Then I will show the footage."