A pause followed, then Wendy, impressed, extended a thumbs up. Shortly thereafter, Sloane arrived at their dorm and suggested they go out for coffee.

She added, “I’ve also asked Bonita to join us. I just can’t shake my concern for her. It’s important for me to see her every day.”

Approaching the gate of their dorm building, they spotted Bonita already there, waiting.

Sloane immediately inquired about any updates on the man who had hurt Bonita. Bonita shook her head.

Sloane expressed frustration, saying, “This is dragging on. The police should have caught him by now.”

“They’ll find him,” Bonita assured with a smile. “I’ll keep a watchful eye out.”

Seeing Bonita in high spirits, Sloane chose not to delve further into such a distressing topic. They grabbed their coffees, with Sloane taking extra for the crew at the studio.

Upon arriving at the studio, they found Neal and the others deep in gameplay.

Sloane’s spot had been filled by someone unfamiliar, and to be honest, the player was terrible.

Standing behind Neal, Sloane peered at his screen and couldn’t resist exclaiming, “Good grief, who recruited this support? They’re terrible! My dog Snowy could do a better job if I just let him walk on the keyboard with a sausage!” Snowy, a Samoyed, belonged to Sloane.

The room remained silent.

As Sloane watched the gameplay, her irritation with the poor performance grew.

Turning to Levi and the crew, she questioned, “What’s with the silence? Normally, you’d be tearing into a player like this. They’re practically handing the game to the other team!”

Levi, typically the most vocal during games, was conspicuously quiet today. He often peppered the air with sarcastic remarks, but today, he was silent.

On any typical day, a player this bad would have faced relentless criticism. Today, however, Levi kept his peace.

Even with Neal and the other skilled players around, winning felt like a struggle. Sloane grabbed Neal’s mouse and replaced the ineffective support player on their team.

“We’ve entered a critical phase of competition; we can’t afford to slack. Weak links will drag us down,” Sloane said firmly. “In the future, let’s ensure we’re more discerning with our team selections. We must uphold our standards.”

At that moment, a notification sounded from Clement’s direction, and his screen displayed: “You have been removed from the team.” Sloane couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Seriously? Who kicked you out?”

Again, silence took over the room.

Clement was frozen, his intense stare fixed on his monitor.

When Sloane first met Clement, his striking looks and the scars that marked his arms suggested a man not only physically formidable but also quick to anger.

She had assumed that Clement was prone to aggressive outbursts, making her cautious about interacting with him.

Something about the mood was unsettling. Breaking the silence, Alex candidly explained to Sloane, “That support player you just kicked? That was Clement.”

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