The Proxy Protocol

Jessa Varlon is a cynical, underground VR hustler who wakes up somewhere completely impossible: locked inside the biometric stasis pod of the world-famous, all-male esports idol team, the Iron Qilins. The twist? Her runaway lookalike brother swapped their neural-IDs, leaving her trapped in his multi-million-credit contract. If she confesses, they both go to a corporate black site. Her only option is to play the part of the cocky male prodigy. Enter Zaven Vance, the Qilins' tyrannical, hyper-aggressive captain who despises her brother. But as Jessa's lethal, world-weary combat style begins to synchronize perfectly with Zaven's in the arena, their bitter rivalry ignites into something else. Soon, Zaven finds himself spiraling into a violent identity crisis, getting inexplicably furious whenever female fans swarm his new 'brother-in-arms'. Between surviving brutal virtual deathmatches, avoiding accidental exposure in the team's mandatory post-match geothermal hot springs, and keeping a scheming, omniscient coach off her back, Jessa is walking a razor's edge. What happens when a severe neural fever forces the team doctor to strip away her disguise in front of a frantic Zaven?