Chapter 32: Pressing the Fast-Forward Button (Two-in-One)
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Carrington Training Ground.
Dark clouds pressed low over the pitch, and a fine drizzle fell.
“Some places are leaking. They need to be repaired before Li returns.”
“A lot of the old equipment ought to be replaced as well.”
Several Manchester United veterans offered their suggestions to the staff.
Inside, a television was showing highlights from Li Luo’s recent matches.
Rooney could not help sighing. “Li has changed the way he plays in the Bundesliga. It is less damaging to his body, and he is less likely to be fouled by opponents.”
Carrick nodded. “Wherever he goes, he shines like gold.”
“I even have a suspicion.”
“A suspicion about what?”
“I suspect Li changed his style of play in the Bundesliga entirely for the sake of Manchester United’s revival.”
“Huh? Van Gaal changes his starting lineup dramatically from match to match, especially in the defensive and midfield areas. When the time comes…”
“Shh!”
No one continued the discussion.
Manchester United’s own situation demanded more attention.
They had lost another Premier League match the previous night, and what they needed to do now was review the game.
Assistant coach Giggs approached slowly, his expression melancholy.
He had heard the players’ conversation.
Revival? Then they had to fight for Champions League qualification next season. At the very least, it would give them another path toward rebuilding.
“What are you all talking about?”
Van Gaal strode over, straightening the red scarf around his neck.
He was also holding a tactics board.
He was brimming with confidence.
“I’ve found Manchester United’s way forward.”
“First of all, our fluid formation needs to become a circle…”
…
Lower Saxony, Wolfsburg.
Li Luo finished training.
After taking a shower, he returned to his bedroom and quickly began typing on his keyboard, completing yesterday’s diary entry.
It was not as long or complicated as before. Its general purpose was to summarize how to deal with a high-pressure system like Bayer Leverkusen’s.
A moment later, he closed the laptop.
He thought:
“Wolfsburg’s players are not lacking in ability. Their reactions are quick, and their tactical understanding is solid. They can cover up many of my weaknesses. At least for now, I should be able to establish myself gradually in the Bundesliga.”
“But what about the Asian Cup?”
“My style of play in midfield can raise Wolfsburg’s overall attacking and defensive level, but is it suitable for the national team?”
“I hope I can draw a few more simple and powerful modules. If I reach the ultimate peak of a Super League foreign star, perhaps I won’t expose too many weaknesses—and that might solve a lot of problems.”
With several questions still lingering in his mind, Li Luo left his desk and lay down on the small sofa.
Suddenly—
A mechanical electronic voice rang out.
[National Team Main Quest Activated: Summit of Asia.]
[Quest Description: Put on that jersey, carry the dreams of countless compatriots, and write the legendary chapter of your national-team career. You must lead the Huaguo national team to the summit of Asia.]
[Quest Reward: International Cup Stars Mystery Box.]
[Exchange Cost: 1,000,000 Astonishment Points.]
[Every possible reward within this mystery box will grant you a substantial improvement.]
Stars of the Hall of Fame?
Li Luo took a closer look and discovered a preview interface showing several card characters. Was it a preview of the prize pool?
Maradona in Argentina’s jersey.
Pele of Brazil.
Beckenbauer of Germany.
Cruyff of the Netherlands.
Baggio of Italy.
There were also stars such as Zidane, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho wearing their national-team jerseys.
National-team-exclusive versions?
As long as he won the Asian Cup, he could obtain the ability modules of these legendary stars? And his own strength would receive a “substantial improvement”?
“The reward is excellent, but the difficulty is immense.”
“There are still several months until the Asian Cup.”
…
Wolfsburg Sporting Director’s Office.
Allofs picked up several pages of reports, grinning from ear to ear.
“Li’s jerseys and merchandise are selling so well in Huaguo. It’s unbelievable!”
“It’s a shame we don’t have Manchester United’s commercial infrastructure. Otherwise…”
“What a magnificent loan deal!”
A staff member added, “Boss, that’s not all. The other players who have assisted Li are also very popular in Huaguo.”
“Yes, yes. There’s an old saying in Huaguo.”
“If you love one person, you will also come to love the birds that perch beneath his roof.”
“Huaguo fans love Li, so naturally they will also like the Wolfsburg players who link up well with him.”
Everyone burst into laughter.
The entire Wolfsburg club adored everything the young Huaguo player had brought them.
The most tangible benefit was the victory bonuses.
…
The days that followed seemed to pass at double speed.
Wolfsburg had no chance to catch its breath before facing four matches in a single week.
Matchday Five of the Bundesliga.
A home fixture against Hertha Berlin.
Founded in 1900, Hertha had been one of the founding members of the German Football Association and had enjoyed a brief period of glory in the early twentieth century.
They were an average side.
They loudly proclaimed their intention to break into the Bundesliga’s top five, but their actual results were mediocre.
At this stage, they belonged among the league’s weaker teams.
“CCTV! CCTV!”
“The match has been rather dull.”
“It has become completely one-sided.”
“Hertha Berlin have chosen to use physical challenges to break the game into pieces tonight.”
“But they have been unable to capitalize on their opportunities in transition.”
“Their head coach, Strenz, is displaying wonderfully expressive body language on the touchline. He looks as though he wishes he had a remote control in his hand so he could operate his midfielders himself. Ha-ha!”
“Heh-heh-heh. Strenz? He was a very good player in his day.”
…
Japanese media had heavily promoted the match beforehand.
Hertha Berlin’s starting lineup included two Japanese players: Hajime Hosogai and Genki Haraguchi.
“The Demon King Li Luo’s Bundesliga Winning Streak—Can Japanese Players Abroad Stop Him? Only by Challenging the Strongest Can One Become Stronger! Only by Giving Everything Can One Touch the Summit! Hosogai-san, Haraguchi-kun—We’re Counting on You!”
Unfortunately, Haraguchi was still developing and had yet to adapt to Hertha Berlin’s tactical system, leaving him with very few opportunities.
As for Hosogai, Hertha had assigned him the role of a midfield workhorse responsible for all the dirty and exhausting labor.
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…
The twenty-fourth minute.
Hajime Hosogai carried the ball forward.
Li Luo moved across to intercept him.
The Japanese midfielder had no time to release the ball.
He decisively chose to challenge Li one-on-one.
He forced himself to calm down, studying and anticipating the shift in the Huaguo youngster’s center of gravity.
Born in 1986, Hosogai had loved watching passionate manga since childhood, including Captain Tsubasa. He had never been corrupted by the otaku culture that appeared later.
“A genius midfielder like Li could never be this simple.”
“Now is the time to prove myself. I was the number ten at Maebashi Ikuei High School! I was the soul of Urawa Red Diamonds! I’m not some defensive workhorse incapable of beating a man!”
There was no earth-shaking battle of balance and body feints.
Snap!
Li Luo casually poked the ball away, leaving Hosogai completely disoriented.
“Wolfsburg are launching a counterattack!”
“Li Luo sends a diagonal pass to De Bruyne in the inside channel.”
“De Bruyne delivers the cross.”
“Dost!”
“There it is!”
“The deadlock has been broken!”
1–0!!!
The Volkswagen Arena erupted with thunderous cheers.
The Wolfsburg players embraced one another in celebration.
Black Gold remained calm and composed.
…
The thirty-fifth minute.
Hertha Berlin launched an extremely simple and practical counterattack.
“Cameroonian full-back N’Zeng receives the ball out wide.”
“He drives forward relentlessly.”
“Very old-fashioned in style.”
“His teammates have opened up a little space for him.”
“He reaches the byline and crosses.”
N’Zeng’s cross was excellent, its trajectory leaving the Wolfsburg goalkeeper in an awkward position.
Coming off his line would be dangerous.
Staying on the goal line would be no better.
A black figure burst forward.
“Kalou! A header!”
“It’s in!”
“Hertha Berlin have equalized.”
“There must be plenty of older fans watching who are thinking, ‘Kalou is still playing?’”
“Back in the day, Feyenoord’s front three—Kuyt, Kalou, and Castelen—were famous throughout Europe.”
“Kalou also holds a record. He is the substitute appearance leader in Chelsea’s history.”
“In 2006, Van Basten even wanted to help Kalou obtain Dutch citizenship so that he could represent the Tulip Nation at the World Cup.”
The commentator once again drifted, almost unconsciously, into the subject of naturalized players.
Coach Zhang merely chuckled beside him without expressing an opinion.
The football world had never been particularly opposed to naturalized players. Brazilian-born Pepe became Portuguese; Brazilian-born Diego Costa became Spanish; there were also Oliveira, Deco, and many other naturalized stars.
The Huaguo national team was also working hard to naturalize foreign players from the Super League.
…
The seventy-eighth minute.
Wolfsburg were building an attack of their own.
Li Luo had pushed to the very front of the formation, running level with Dost.
One fast, one tall.
“De Bruyne.”
“A cross from a forty-five-degree angle.”
“Oh! Into the Hertha Berlin penalty area!”
“Li Luo’s header!”
Bang!
The spectators had not even realized when Li Luo had made his diagonal run toward the far post.
The ball had already been smashed into the net by his head.
2–1.
Li Luo rubbed his forehead, turned around excitedly, and sprinted toward the corner flag.
…
Live chat:
—Another match with a goal! Absolutely brilliant!
—A midfielder scoring for fun? Lampard was known as “Little Li Luo.”
—Someone should tell Li Luo to stop heading the ball all the time. Scientific studies show that frequent heading can cause lasting damage.
—Tottenham legend Alan Gilzean and Manchester United great Nobby Stiles both suffered from dementia because of heading the ball.
—Jeff Astle’s cause of death was brain trauma caused by years of frequent heading.
—Alan Shearer has also said that his memory isn’t very good these days.
—Isn’t that exaggerated? It’s frequent heading during adolescence that causes serious long-term damage. The English FA introduced regulations about it long ago. Li Luo probably only learned to head the ball later, so it won’t affect him.
—Don’t worry. Looking at Li Luo, you can tell he doesn’t train particularly hard. He’s just like Hazard and Neymar.
…
The rest of the match became simple.
Black Gold was not interested in pursuing a massacre. He chose instead to see the match through steadily and securely.
Wolfsburg controlled the tempo.
They patiently organized their attacks.
The eighty-sixth minute.
Full-back Ricardo took a speculative shot from outside the penalty area.
The ball went in again.
3–1!!!
“There is no suspense left.”
“Wolfsburg are within touching distance of victory.”
“Hertha Berlin surely don’t have the ability to score twice in the final few minutes.”
“Heh-heh-heh. I remember a Championship match in which three goals were scored during three minutes of stoppage time.”
…
Finally—
The referee blew his whistle to end the match.
Wolfsburg 3–1 Hertha Berlin.
“We’re Singing Green!”
“We’re Singing Green!”
The rousing club anthem echoed through the Volkswagen Arena.
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Another victory had arrived, and the home supporters were overjoyed.
Li Luo was very busy.
He was busy checking his Astonishment Points.
[Astonishment Points Acquired: 102,684]
Was the opponent simply too weak?
He had earned only a little over sixty thousand Astonishment Points that night.
But it did not matter.
That was enough for one mystery-box exchange.
[Would you like to spend 100,000 Astonishment Points to exchange for a Bundesliga Star Mystery Box?]
[Exchange in progress.]
Rumble!
A gigantic card suddenly rose before him.
Within the card, a familiar figure slowly emerged.
[Mystery box opening…]
[Congratulations! You have obtained Matthäus’s “Cannon Shot” Module.]
[Wow! What incredible luck!]
[Powerful enough to uproot mountains! Unstoppable!]
[At the 1990 World Cup in Italy, Matthäus’s cannon-shot strikes shocked the entire world.]
[Module-template compatibility: 100%! Additional attribute increase: Shooting +10!]
What?
A Matthäus template? A Matthäus module? One hundred percent compatibility! Would it grant him an additional attribute increase?
His shooting attribute had already surpassed seventy points!
In a daze, Li Luo saw image after image of devastating long-range strikes tearing through defenses.
Long-range shooting placed a heavy burden on the body.
Many of football’s legendary cannon-footed strikers had suffered greatly from pain in retirement.
Some had even asked doctors to amputate their limbs.
…
Time continued to race forward.
Wolfsburg, fighting on multiple fronts, was exhausted yet exhilarated.
Two days later.
Matchday Six of the Bundesliga.
After another home match, Wolfsburg welcomed a new opponent: Freiburg.
In the minds of many supporters, Freiburg had a distinctly “young” image.
In reality, Freiburg had been founded in 1904 and had spent many years competing in regional leagues. It was not until 1978 that they first reached the second tier of German football.
…
“The Bundesliga schedule is bizarre, isn’t it?”
“How can they play again after only two days?”
“The German Football Association had to rearrange the schedule, forcing many teams into an exhausting run of fixtures.”
“After this match, Wolfsburg can properly prepare for their second Europa League opponent: Inter Milan.”
…
The atmosphere at the home ground was overwhelming.
The Wolfsburg supporters sang their anthem at the top of their voices, seemingly granting the players a massive boost.
“Black Gold has given Bendtner another opportunity.”
“He has no choice. The squad lacks depth.”
“If this were another top club, they might simply stop using Bendtner altogether. He is far too unstable off the pitch.”
“Exactly. What if he gets arrested again one day?”
…
The match was alarming from the outset.
Not long after kickoff, Freiburg forward Philipp suddenly exploded into life. He dribbled past three players, broke through the Wolfsburg defense, and finished in a single stroke.
0–1!!!
Wolfsburg goalkeeper Benaglio stood frozen in place.
He had not yet recovered from the shock.
…
Fortunately, the rest of the match held little suspense.
Freiburg were weak as well.
They had little prospect of achieving anything that season, and their goal was simply to avoid relegation.
The thirty-fourth minute.
“Knoché with a long pass.”
“Bendtner shields the ball with his back to goal, holds his position, and lays it back to Li Luo.”
“Hm?”
“Whoa!”
Li Luo instinctively decided to try Matthäus’s “Cannon Shot.”
Bang!
The close-range microphone captured an extraordinarily frightening sound as he struck the ball.
The football turned into a cannonball.
With a shriek, it thundered into Freiburg’s goal.
1–1!!!
“Spectacular!”
“Li Luo with a thunderous long-range strike!”
“Powerful and unstoppable!”
“He has helped Wolfsburg equalize!”
“Wow, that was magnificent! We’ll have to wait for the official Bundesliga statistics and see how fast that cannon shot was traveling.”
…
Li Luo staggered two steps forward.
A tearing sensation shot through his thigh, followed by searing pain.
The experienced referee immediately signaled for the medical team to enter the pitch.
Black Gold and the assistant coaches did not lose themselves in the joy of the goal. Instead, they looked deeply worried.
“Let’s hope Li Luo hasn’t suffered the same fate as that Premier League player. One cannon shot, and suddenly something goes wrong with the lower half of his body.”
Several minutes later, Li Luo was hopping around the pitch completely unharmed.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
…
Finally—
The referee blew his whistle to end the match.
Wolfsburg 2–1 Freiburg.
The supporters were ecstatic.
They were even more eager for the Europa League match several days later.