CHAPTER 98: CHANGE OF PLAN

The final line of the text message was a ghost that haunted Ethan’s every waking thought for the next three days.

You know him as Liam.

His best friend. His inside source. The secret scout from the hospital bed.

He was the "anonymous benefactor"?

The one who had arranged the high-stakes, winner-takes-all wager against a virtual demigod like GridironGuru?

It didn’t make any sense. Was Liam a secret genius, a puppet master playing a 4D chess game he couldn’t possibly comprehend?

The questions swirled in his mind, a constant, low-level hum of confusion and betrayal that followed him everywhere.

It followed him to his shift at CostMart.

He stacked milk cartons and faced-up cheese with the glazed-over expression of a man trying to solve an impossible puzzle. He barely noticed Mr. Henderson’s grumpy, but now almost fond, insults.

And it followed him home, where he would sit with his family, laughing and talking, a part of him always distant, lost in the labyrinth of the game.

Finally, on Friday, he received his weekly wage slip.

It was a solid, tangible piece of reality, a welcome anchor in a sea of virtual conspiracies.

He looked at the hard-earned money in his hand. He knew what he had to do.

He called Leo.

"I’m at the kebab shop," he said, his voice a low, serious command. "Get here. Now. It’s an emergency."

Leo arrived, still wearing the bright blue Apex United tracksuit, a testament to his own recent, comical defeat. He slid into the booth, his face a mixture of excitement and concern.

"What is it?" Leo asked, his eyes wide. "Did you get another crazy message? Did ’Prodigy’ offer you an assistant manager job at Man United?"

"Worse," Ethan said. He slid his phone across the table, the final message from the unknown number displayed on the screen.

Leo read it, his jaw slowly dropping. He looked from the phone to Ethan, then back to the phone. "Liam?" he whispered, his voice filled with a stunned disbelief. "Our Liam? Hospital-bed-and-bad-grapes Liam?"

"That’s what it says," Ethan confirmed, taking a huge, stress-induced bite of his food.

"But... how? Why?" Leo’s mind, a natural home for conspiracy theories, went into overdrive. "Is he a double agent?! I knew it! He’s been playing Guru all along! He got inside his organization, found out about the ’Composure’ trait, and then set up this wager so you could win it! He’s a hero! A silent, bed-ridden guardian of justice!"

"Or," Ethan countered, a more pessimistic thought taking hold, "Guru found out he was feeding us information and is now using him to lure me into a trap. Liam isn’t the benefactor; he’s the bait."

The two possibilities hung in the air, equally plausible and equally terrifying.

They spent the next hour dissecting every conversation they’d ever had with Liam, every scouting tip, every off-hand comment, searching for clues. They found nothing.

"We can’t know for sure," Ethan said finally, a feeling of weary resignation washing over him.

"Not until we talk to him. And we can’t do that."

"So what do we do?" Leo asked.

Ethan looked at his friend, at the ridiculous blue tracksuit, at the worried but loyal expression on his face. And for the first time in days, he felt a sense of clarity.

"We win," he said simply. "The message said the wager is pending the result of my next cup match. That’s the semi-final. If we win that, we get a shot at Guru, a shot at the ’Composure’ trait, and a shot at getting some real answers. So, we focus on the only thing we can control. We win the next game."

The next few days were a blur of intense preparation. Ethan spent every spare moment in the pod, his new, singular focus giving him a sharp, clear-headed energy.

He and James Pearce analyzed their semi-final opponent, Sheffield Wednesday, a "fallen giant" with a massive stadium and a team of seasoned, experienced professionals.

He was in the middle of a tactical briefing with his team when his real-world phone, which he now kept in his pocket even in the pod, buzzed. It was a message from his mom.

Mom: Dinner’s ready, honey. Don’t be late! Sarah made your favorite dessert.

He smiled, the warmth of his real life a comforting anchor in the high-stakes virtual world.

He logged off, the sleek manager’s office dissolving into his quiet, familiar bedroom.

He went downstairs to find his family already at the table, a happy, normal scene that felt more precious than ever.

The next morning, his alarm went off for his shift at CostMart. He groaned, but he got up. He had made a promise to his dad, and to himself. He would not abandon his real-world responsibilities, no matter how crazy the virtual one got.

He was restocking the yogurts, his mind a million miles away, when a cheerful voice cut through his thoughts.

"Morning, gaffer," Maya said, her eyes sparkling.

"You look like you’re plotting a multi-million-pound transfer deal."

"Something like that," he said with a grin. "Just preparing for a big semi-final. No big deal."

"Oh, the EFL Trophy?" she asked, her expression turning serious.

"Who’d you draw?"

"Sheffield Wednesday," he said.

She let out a low whistle. "Ouch. That’s a tough one. They’re a huge club. My brother says their virtual stadium is one of the most intimidating in the game."

"We’ll be fine," he said, a confidence he didn’t entirely feel in his voice. "We’ve got a few tricks up our sleeve."

"I’m sure you do," she said with a smile. "Well, good luck. I’ll be watching."

The day of the match finally arrived. It was a holiday from work, a small mercy.

Ethan spent the morning with his family, a quiet, peaceful calm before the storm.

Then, it was time. He said his goodbyes, went to his room, and lay down in the pod.

He appeared in the away dressing room at a virtual Hillsborough Stadium.

The place was huge, old, and steeped in history. The low, guttural roar of the home crowd was a constant, intimidating presence.

His players were quiet, their faces a mask of nervous focus. They knew what was at stake.

Ethan stood before them. "Lads," he began, his voice ringing with a quiet, unshakeable belief. "Look around you. This is a proper football stadium. We are playing a proper football club. And they think we don’t belong here. They think we’re just the lucky upstarts from League One who got a few fortunate wins. Today, we prove them wrong. Today, we show them that we are not just a good story. We are a great team."

He was about to continue when a single, priority-flagged notification appeared in his vision. It was from a sender he had come to both dread and anticipate.

From: Liam

His heart hammered against his ribs. He focused on the message, his players forgotten for a second.

I know you have questions. I know you’re confused. I can’t explain everything yet. But I am on your side.

Win tonight, and you get your shot at Guru. And you will get your answers. I promise.

I’ve sent you a little help. Check your new scout report. Now.

Ethan’s hands trembled slightly as he navigated to his inbox. There was a new report from his scouting department. He opened it.

It wasn’t a normal report. It was a complete, exhaustive, and utterly brilliant tactical breakdown of Sheffield Wednesday. It detailed their weaknesses from set-pieces, their goalkeeper’s tendency to be slow off his line, and a hidden ’Low Composure’ trait on their star central defender.

It was a perfect, SSS-Rank blueprint for victory. A gift.

He looked up from his tablet, at the expectant faces of his players. He had his answers.

Or at least, he had a path to them. And it started right here, right now.

"Alright, lads," he said, a slow, predatory grin spreading across his face. "Change of plan. Here’s exactly how we’re going to win."