Morning arrived quietly across the OOTP facility.
But the calm did not last long.
Suddenly, the large screens installed across the training halls, dorm rooms corridors, and cafeteria flickered to life.
A sharp electronic tone echoed through the building.
ATTENTION ALL CANDIDATES.
The mechanical voice of the system followed.
"An irregular breach has been detected within the tactical database."
Candidates across the facility stopped what they were doing.
Conversations halted.
Eyes turned toward the screens.
"An unknown party has accessed restricted tactical data belonging to several candidates."
A murmur spread through the halls.
Someone had hacked the system?
"That means someone was spying on strategies…"
"Are you serious?"
The system continued.
"Due to this breach, Match Day 5 will be temporarily delayed while the issue is investigated."
More whispers erupted among the candidates.
"This tournament is getting crazy."
"So someone really cheated."
"Which matches were affected?"
The announcement continued calmly.
"All candidates are advised to use this time to rest and prepare for upcoming fixtures."
"Further updates will follow after the investigation."
The screens slowly went dark.
Silence filled the facility.
Then the noise exploded.
Everyone began discussing the news at once.
Inside the dorm room, Daniel and his roommates stared at the screen in shock.
Tunde blinked several times.
"Wait… wait… wait…"
"You're telling me someone hacked the system?"
Ayo scratched his head.
"So that means… someone actually had access to other people's tactics?"
Chinedu folded his arms thoughtfully.
"That would explain certain strange matches."
Tunde suddenly looked at Daniel.
"Bro… your match against Petrov…"
Daniel sat quietly on his bed.
His expression was calm.
"I figured something like that happened."
The others looked at him.
"You WHAT?" Tunde shouted.
Daniel shrugged.
"Petrov knew too much about my setup."
"He reacted to things he shouldn't have predicted."
Ayo whistled.
"So you already suspected someone leaked your tactics?"
Daniel nodded slightly.
"But whoever did it underestimated something."
Chinedu raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Daniel leaned back in his chair.
"Adaptation."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"If someone studies my tactics too much…"
"They'll only learn the version of me from the past."
Meanwhile, across the cafeteria…
Fatima leaned casually against one of the tables as the announcement replayed on a nearby screen.
She listened carefully.
When it ended, a small smile formed on her face.
Across from her, Harada stood with his arms crossed.
Their eyes met.
Fatima chuckled softly.
"Well…"
Harada nodded slightly.
"…things just got interesting."
Both of them clearly understood something others didn't.
This tournament wasn't just about matches anymore.
It had become a battlefield of minds.
At the far corner of the cafeteria…
Farouk sat quietly with a cup of coffee.
Beside him, Mendes remained calm, observing the room.
Candidates were arguing.
Others were panicking.
Some were already accusing each other.
But Mendes simply watched.
Farouk leaned slightly toward him.
"They're starting to notice."
Mendes' expression remained unreadable.
"Of course they are."
Farouk took another sip of his drink.
"You think the investigation will find anything?"
Mendes' lips curved faintly.
"That depends."
His eyes slowly scanned the cafeteria.
Across the room, Daniel was talking with his roommates.
Mendes watched him carefully.
"But either way…"
His voice was low.
"The game has already begun."
Elsewhere in the facility…
Inside one of the private analysis rooms…
Martins Adeyemi sat alone.
The screen in front of him replayed Daniel's recent match.
Formation shifts.
Player rotations.
Counter strategies.
Martins watched every movement carefully.
The door behind him suddenly opened.
One of his followers stepped inside.
"Martins."
Martins didn't turn.
"Yes?"
"The system just made an announcement."
"Apparently the tactical database was breached."
Martins paused the footage.
The screen froze on Daniel standing calmly on the sideline.
"Interesting."
His follower stepped closer.
"They delayed Match Day 5 because of it."
Martins finally leaned back in his chair.
"So someone decided to interfere with the tournament."
His gaze remained fixed on Daniel's frozen image.
"Did the announcement mention who was responsible?"
The follower shook his head.
"No."
Martins smiled faintly.
"Of course not."
He stood up slowly.
"But if someone needed to steal tactical data…"
He glanced once more at the screen.
"…that means they were afraid."
His follower looked confused.
"Afraid of who?"
Martins turned off the monitor.
The room went dark.
"Someone who doesn't need the system to win."
His voice was calm.
But his eyes were sharp.
"And that makes this tournament far more interesting."