---
Chapter Twelve — The Queen's Gambit
By dawn, I'd read every line of code twice.
Nothing explained who'd planted the breach, but that message—
> // the queen always moves first
—was a signature. Someone who knew how I thought.
Ashen came in early, yawning. "You didn't sleep?"
"Couldn't."
He frowned at the glowing monitor. "Then sleep later. We've got inspectors back at noon."
I nodded, but my mind was already moving.
If someone wanted me framed, they'd underestimated one thing: I play better under pressure.
---
Noon — League Headquarters
The conference room smelled of cold coffee and suspicion.
Screens filled the walls with logs and timestamps.
The lead investigator spoke flatly:
"Miss Qin, your ID initiated the breach at 03:12. Unless you can provide evidence otherwise, ECLIPSE will be suspended."
I slid a drive across the table. "You missed a mirrored port in the trace. Check again."
They exchanged glances, typed, waited.
The data began to unfold on-screen—duplicate paths, ghost addresses, and one origin point buried beneath league infrastructure itself.
Someone high up had mirrored me.
The room went still.
---
Outside, Lao K was waiting by the glass doors.
"You dropped something," he said, handing me my phone. "League took a copy of your messages. You might want to scrub backups."
I stared at him. "You broke into their archive?"
He shrugged. "Borrowed an opening. You taught me that."
A small, involuntary smile tugged at my mouth. "You shouldn't keep learning from me."
"Too late."
---
That evening we met in a quiet café two blocks from the arena.
No logos, no cameras—just rain against glass.
"I think I know who's behind it," I said.
Lao K leaned forward. "Who?"
"Someone with access to both Lyra's systems and league servers. Someone who benefits if I fall."
He waited.
"Lin Jie," I said finally. "League's data compliance officer. He used to work for my father's company before the merger."
Lao K's expression darkened. "Then he knows exactly how to cover his tracks."
"I just have to prove it," I said.
"You don't have to do it alone."
His voice was calm, steady—the kind that reached past the noise in my head.
But I shook my head anyway. "If they see you helping me, you'll burn with me."
He smiled slightly. "Maybe the match is worth the risk."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Outside, the rain blurred the city lights into streaks of silver, like code unraveling.
---
Later — ECLIPSE HQ
When I returned, a single envelope waited on my desk.
Inside was a note, handwritten in sharp, deliberate strokes:
> "If the queen won't fall, break her board instead."
— L.J.
No signature.
No threat needed.
Just confirmation: the game had only just begun.
I closed my eyes, steadied my breath, and reached for my headset.
If Lin Jie wanted a game, I'd give him one.
The queen always moves first.
---
✨ End of Chapter Twelve — "The Queen's Gambit."