Chapter 6 - THE POISONED RIVALRYDuring the 15-minute intermission before the final round, desperation pushed Emma into dark territory.
Inside the private locker room, Emma’s head coach, a dirty veteran named Marcus, approached her with a small black aerosol can.
"She's too good, Emma," Marcus whispered urgently. "Her muscle memory is inhuman. You can't beat her fairly."
"What is that?" Emma asked, her eyes wide with fear and ambition.
"A subtle optic-blurring compound," Marcus smirked evil. "A light spray on the glass of her scope during the break. It won't be visible to the naked eye, but when she looks through it at 200 meters, it will distort her depth perception by two inches. She'll miss every shot, and everyone will think her pressure caught up with her."
Emma hesitated. Her heart pounded in her chest. Cheat? If she was caught, she would be banned for life. But if she lost to a janitor on live television, her life was ruined anyway.
"Do it," Emma whispered coldly.
Five minutes later, Marcus snuck near Sarah's equipment bench while the technical team was distracted. He quickly sprayed the invisible chemical agent onto the front lens of Sarah’s scope and slipped away into the crowd.
When the break ended, both competitors returned to the arena. The atmosphere was electrifying.
The head referee announced the final test: "Round 3: The Extreme 200-Meter Precision Shot under simulated high-wind conditions! Shooters will fire one single bullet at a target the size of a coin!"
Emma stepped up first. She took her time, calculating wind speed and elevation. She pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The screen updated: BULLSEYE! 10.8!
Emma let out a massive sigh of relief and turned to look at Sarah with a vengeful grin. "Your turn, janitor. Let's see your fake legend survive this."
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Sarah raised her rifle to her shoulder. She leaned forward to look through the scope.
Instantly, her eyes caught the unnatural glare. The target 200 meters away was completely blurred and warped. She realized instantly what had been done.
