The recreational hall was quieter now.
Most candidates had already left after spending the afternoon relaxing.
Daniel and his roommates were still sitting near the pool area, talking and laughing.
Adisa sat with them, her legs lightly swinging over the edge of the bench.
For a moment, everyone was silent.
Then Daniel spoke.
"Can I ask you something?"
Adisa looked at him.
"Sure."
Daniel leaned forward slightly.
"You look like a good strategist."
She blinked in surprise.
" But Why are you near the bottom of our group?"
The question hung in the air.
Tunde and Ayo exchanged glances but stayed quiet.
Adisa looked down at her hands.
After a few seconds, she sighed.
"My system isn't built for aggression."
Daniel frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Adisa looked toward the water in the pool.
"My coaching philosophy focuses on balance and patience."
"Ball control. Gradual build-up."
"Careful defensive structure."
Chinedu nodded slowly.
"That's not a bad system."
Adisa smiled weakly.
"It isn't… in normal football."
Her expression darkened slightly.
"But this tournament…"
"It's different."
She hesitated.
Then finally said the name.
"Mendes."
The group went quiet.
Adisa's voice became softer.
"My match against him scared me."
She clenched her fingers slightly.
"I couldn't read him."
"Every time I tried to control the tempo…"
"He destroyed the structure."
Daniel listened carefully.
Adisa continued.
"And the worst part wasn't losing."
"It was how easily he broke everything."
Her shoulders lowered.
"That's when I realized something."
"What?" Ayo asked.
Adisa forced a small laugh.
"I'm not built for this kind of battlefield."
Her voice dropped.
"Honestly…"
"I just want to go home."
Silence followed her words.
Then Tunde suddenly leaned forward.
"Whoa, hold on."
"You're giving up already?"
Adisa looked at him.
Tunde pointed toward Daniel.
"Look at this guy."
"He literally got his tactics stolen and still won."
Ayo nodded.
"Yeah."
"Everyone here is under pressure."
Chinedu added calmly,
"The difference is how you respond to it."
Adisa looked back at Daniel.
He smiled slightly.
"You said your system focuses on patience and balance."
She nodded.
"Then trust it."
Adisa blinked.
Daniel leaned back casually.
"This tournament is chaos."
"But chaos creates opportunities."
His voice was calm but firm.
"If you run away now, you'll never know how far your system could go."
Tunde grinned.
"Exactly."
"Besides, the tournament would be boring if everyone quit."
Adisa stared at them for a moment.
Then she laughed softly.
"You guys are surprisingly motivational."
Before anyone could respond—
A shadow fell across the floor.
The group looked up.
Petrov stood there.
His expression was serious.
His eyes moved toward Daniel.
The atmosphere immediately shifted.
Petrov spoke quietly.
"You should be careful."
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"About what?"
Petrov's gaze hardened.
"The shadows."
Everyone looked confused.
Petrov continued walking past them.
But before leaving, he said one last thing.
"They're watching you."
Then he walked away down the corridor.
Tunde blinked.
"…Okay that was creepy."
Ayo rubbed the back of his neck.
"What shadows?"
Daniel frowned slightly.
Petrov's words echoed in his mind.
Something about them felt… real.
Elsewhere outside the facility…
Inside a large spacious office overlooking the beauty of the city at night…
A man stood near the window studying several reports.
Desmond Willy.
The official representative of the Nigerian Football Federation.
The door behind him suddenly opened.
Several security officers entered first.
Then a woman stepped inside.
She looked confident and composed.
Elegant.
Powerful.
The room immediately grew quiet.
She walked to the center of the office and sat down.
She was the Minister of Sports in Nigeria.
Amina Adisa.
She folded her hands on the table and looked toward Desmond.
"How is the project progressing?"
Desmond turned toward her respectfully.
"Minister."
She leaned back slightly.
"The President wants to know if his investment is being used properly."
Her voice was calm, but the meaning was clear.
This project carried enormous expectations.
Desmond walked slowly toward the window again.
He smiled faintly.
"Project X will change the history of football in this country."
Amina studied him carefully.
"That's a bold claim."
Desmond nodded.
"But a true one."
He continued watching as the city glow and move below.
"Faith, Minister."
"Everything will go exactly as planned."
He paused.
Then suddenly smirked slightly.
"And if I remember correctly…"
He turned and looked at her.
"…your son is also part of this project or you could say tournament."
For the first time, Amina's calm expression shifted slightly.
Her eyes sharpened.
The future of the project had suddenly become much more personal.