The night had deepened into a quiet, almost oppressive stillness, yet Lin Feng sat hunched over his screen, the glow from the monitor casting sharp shadows across his face.
Beside him, Emery was just as focused, her fingers dancing across her controller with practiced precision.
They were in their usual world of virtual warfare, but something immediately struck Lin Feng as different this evening.
Her playstyle had changed.
At first, it was subtle.
A momentary pause here, a slightly delayed reflex there but soon, the differences became glaringly obvious.
Several times, she nearly died, her health dropping to the slimmest of slivers of one health remaining, her character teetering on the brink of death as bullets and missiles flew toward her from every angle.
Each time, she managed to evade just in the nick of time, her instincts still sharp but her reactions tinged with hesitation.
