The yard was in reset. Ropes lay coiled like sleeping snakes. The air held the scent of hot wax and cold iron. Chalk brooms swept faint ghosts from the stone. The faulty metronome bell lay in a repair tray, its tiny, treacherous micro-weight beside it. The vendor stamp—a broken circle with a chevron—was identical to the mark on a supply crate near the marshal's stand. The trail started here.
---
Qin Ye approached the procurement ledger desk. His fingers brushed the buckle on a crate strap.
[Daily Sign-In available.]
[Location: Supply Crate Buckle.]
[Sign-In? Yes / No]
Yes.
[Ding! Sign-In successful!]
[Reward: Audit Thread (Lv.1, 20 breaths — highlight form/serial discrepancies) + Chain Seal (1 use — register an item as evidence with timestamp & auto-notify Proctors).]
---
He didn't touch the evidence. He addressed the head clerk. "Clause 9.4. Requesting a public inventory check of the apparatus supply crate. Two witnesses required."
The clerk looked startled, but fetched the ledger. Liu Shan, observing from a few paces away, stepped forward silently, fulfilling the witness role. A neutral marshal joined them.
The crate was opened in full view. Inside: axle caps, a shim kit, more micro-weights. Qin Ye activated the Audit Thread. For twenty breaths, numbers and details sharpened. His eyes fell on the kit's manifest. One line glowed in his perception: the listed vendor for the micro-weights was different from the stamped symbol on the physical items. A mismatch.
A He-line aide approached. "This is a scheduled maintenance issue. Not a competitor's concern."
Qin Ye ignored him. He pointed to the first micro-weight. "Chain Seal." He willed the command.
A soft chime sounded from the proctor's desk. A small, luminous seal appeared over the micro-weight, and a timestamped entry flashed on the ledger. "Evidence registered," the desk announced mechanically.
The proctor's face tightened. "All semifinal lanes will undergo an immediate equipment sweep. No assistants are to touch apparatus until further notice." The procedural face-slap was complete.
---
Instructor Mo's trainees approached as Qin Ye returned to the muster area. "We request a pre-bout baton inspection and grip-wrap verification," the lead disciple said, all polite procedure.
Qin Ye complied instantly, presenting his gear. The regulation stamps were clear. He and Lin Xiu shared a look, then took two silent, mirrored steps—a brief, wordless demonstration that their duet remained perfectly locked, legal, and unshaken.
---
[Ding! Side Quest completed: Trace the Hand (Stage 1).]
[Reward: Evidence Seal (tool) + Reputation: Proctors +1.]
The system acknowledged the secured chain of evidence, though the human hand behind it remained unnamed.
An announcement echoed. "All semifinal lanes will use Neutral Bell Mode by default. Device Witness Marks are now active on all apparatus."
A murmur rippled through the crowd. Liu Shan noted on his slate: "Vendor mark traced to supply line. Evidence chain registered."
---
Officials called, "Competitors to lanes!"
As Qin Ye moved toward Lane One, his eyes caught a flicker of motion at Lane Two—his semifinal lane. A maintenance apron shifted. In a partially open pocket, he saw a small toolkit. Stamped on its leather was the same broken circle and chevron.
The bell hadn't rung; the apron moved anyway.