On the perimeter of the stadium.
The officials from The Severian Syndicate Council immediately leaped to their feet. Some grabbed their walkie-talkies and began shouting, putting on a grand show: "Critical failure in Apex Simulation Pod 10!"
"Hurry! Activate emergency protocols immediately! Security, cut the power and force the pod open to save her!"
Others grabbed security personnel and rushed toward the simulation pods, yelling loudly, "Major malfunction in Pod 10! The organizers have initiated maximum-level emergency procedures. Commencing rescue immediately!"
The host hastily grabbed the microphone, speaking at a rapid-fire pace to calm the audience. "Please do not panic! Please maintain order! The organizers are intervening immediately. To avoid causing further alarm, we will temporarily cut the broadcast from Pod 10 until the malfunction is resolved!"
As soon as the words fell, the split-screen feed for Pod 10 abruptly cut to black on the stadium's main broadcast.
A prompt flashed across the screen.
[Technical Interruption. Emergency Repairs in Progress.]
The audience held their breath, genuinely believing the organizers were racing against time to save the competitor.
Even the lower-level staff, unaware of the actual plot, assumed rescue operations for Pod 10 were in full swing.
But the reality was entirely different.
The door to Pod 10 hadn't budged. Internally, no rescue mechanisms had been activated.
The pod remained exactly what it was meant to be—an inescapable death trap.
...
Inside the VIP suite.
They stared at the screen, calculating the aftermath with wicked glee. "Once Undead Legion Specimen 404 lands a fatal strike and finishes her off, the organizers will just go through the standard procedures."
"We'll immediately hold a press conference and announce that the Elyndorian Captain tragically passed away due to an unforeseen equipment malfunction in the simulation pod."
Another official chimed in with a laugh. "Then, the Severian organizers will offer an astronomical compensation package that no one can fault. As long as we give them enough face, the Elyndorian executives will definitely accept it."
Even if some people were dissatisfied or wanted to seek justice for Serena Lancaster—so what?
She died in a tragic accident during the competition. The cause of death would be clear, and the liability perfectly categorized. As long as they played their roles well on the surface, no one could legally find a single flaw. All the paperwork would be spotless.
The group of men snickered sinisterly.
To them, the vibrant, young life fighting on the screen was nothing more than an orchestrated "accident."

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