The Trap

"Is that all you've got?"

Yang Yang had no idea how stunned everyone on and off the pitch was; his eyes were fixed solely on his opponent.

Having his dribble stolen for the first time in the match, Omnibus Number Seven was already humiliated and irritated. Hearing Yang Yang's words only stoked his fury, making him gnash his teeth.

Just a fluke—what are you so smug about?

"We'll see." The Number Seven spat out the threat viciously before turning and walking back.

Clearly, he was truly enraged.

Yang Yang stared at his retreating back, curling his lips into a cold, indifferent smile.

After the ball was cleared into the frontcourt, it was quickly intercepted again by Omnibus.

It wasn't that Baken Academy's players weren't trying; it was that the midfield relied too heavily on Henk Dimer. With their core player neutralized, the entire midfield operation fell into chaos, riddled with mistakes.

After several passes, the ball once again reached the left flank.

As a strong team in the Amsterdam Southern Inter-school Cup, Omnibus's Number Seven was no slouch among his peers. Though provoked and a bit hot-headed, he had learned from his earlier mistake and proactively dropped back to receive the ball.

His strength lay in his speed; charging forward with the ball was his greatest asset.

This time, after receiving the ball, he dribbled down the right wing and charged straight at Yang Yang.

That was your luck earlier—let's see how you defend this time!

Yang Yang immediately realized that his opponent was holding nothing back, going all out.

"When facing a one-on-one attack, the defender is often under immense pressure and must make a split-second decision. It's easy to be misled by the attacker's feints when they show even a hint of an opening, leading to reckless tackles—that's a major taboo."

"The more critical the moment, the more you need to stay calm and patient, stick with your opponent, and wait for the right opportunity."

"And that opportunity often appears during the transition between two moves or when the ball gets away from control."

The opponent quickly dribbled to the edge of Baken Academy's penalty area. Suddenly, he shifted the ball with his right foot as if to cut inside. Yang Yang immediately turned sideways at a forty-five-degree angle, facing the target, and kept retreating. Though he never let the opponent break through, he gave up a large swath of space on the right flank.

Heh, still falling for it? The Number Seven rejoiced inwardly.

"Damn it, he's going to the baseline!" Dick Van Pool shouted in panic from the sidelines.

Such a simple feint, and he actually fell for it?

But Van Pool's warning clearly came too late. Omnibus's Number Seven suddenly hooked the ball with his right foot, jabbed it forward hard with his left, and changed direction from cutting inside to charging down the flank.

He had never intended to cut inside from the start. His right foot could only dribble; cutting in would limit his effectiveness. Driving to the baseline and crossing was his specialty.

But just as he felt triumphant, certain he was about to beat his defender, a figure flashed before his eyes. The rookie defending him had somehow cut in front of him at just the right moment, using his body to block the path and his waist to shove the opponent behind him, forcing his sprint to the baseline to abort prematurely.

After blocking him, Yang Yang chased down the ball, pushed it horizontally with his right foot, and sent it into the penalty area.

The center-back covering behind him once again booted the ball clear, and Baken Academy averted another crisis.

Applause erupted from the sidelines once more, even mingled with cheers from the fans.

"Well done, Chinese kid, great defense."

"Solid as a rock, awesome!"

"I'm starting to like you, haha..."

Hearing the applause and cheers from the fans on the sidelines, Yang Yang curled his lips and raised his right hand to acknowledge them.

It feels pretty good to be praised.

Turning back to look at his stunned opponent, Yang Yang chuckled. "I knew you were going to the baseline."

Omnibus's Number Seven was startled. Could it be that giving up all that space on the right was a trap he deliberately set?

Thinking it over carefully, he realized that before he had tried to cut inside, his opponent had made a disruptive move. Could it be that even then, he had already decided to leave the right side open to lure him into going to the baseline?

Watching Yang Yang's back, he suddenly felt a twinge of wariness.

Having failed to gain an advantage twice in a row, how could he afford to be careless?

But inwardly, he couldn't help feeling frustrated. Was this kid really the rumored waste from the Almere Youth Team?

"He... actually defended successfully!" Dick Van Pool could hardly believe his eyes.

If the first defensive play was luck, then the second couldn't be explained away by luck anymore.

But was this really Yang Yang? When had he developed such skill?

"His improvement is astonishing." John Rep was also full of surprise.

Though he knew Yang Yang had been making progress in training lately, with decent defensive performances, he never imagined the improvement would be this dramatic—it was truly shocking.

"Both defensive plays used only the simplest, most common practical techniques, but whether it was his calm composure in the heat of the moment or his timing in reading the game, it was eye-opening. Especially after that successful defense, when he passed the ball across the penalty area—he didn't even lift his head to look at his teammate, yet it was as if he knew exactly where that teammate would be."

"This..." Dick Van Pool was taken aback. "Are you saying..."

Some star players possess a reading of the game that surpasses others, able to grasp everything around them even in the most fluid moments, as if watching a replay, and from that deduce the thoughts of defenders, making unexpected choices.

Such players are rare, but every time they appear, they leave a lasting impression—like Raul, Bergkamp, or Ronaldinho.

But did Yang Yang seem to have that kind of ability?

Earlier, during team training, he was like a headless fly, nothing like it at all.

John Rep shook his head with a sigh. He was finding this player harder and harder to read, but judging by his performance in these few minutes on the pitch, with proper development, he might one day become a competent defender.

"Either way, let's keep observing for a while."

Dick Van Pool nodded slightly, sensing that the Head Coach seemed inclined to keep this Chinese player on the team.

After two failed attempts to break through on the left flank, Omnibus Number Seven didn't change their attacking route.

Their greatest reliance was on their left-wing Number Seven's dribbling, and with Baken Academy's right-side defense being a weak spot, why would they alter their strategy?

But in the subsequent one-on-one duels, the opposing Number Seven couldn't gain any advantage over Yang Yang. Whether it was a direct dribble breakthrough or a through ball chased for pace, Yang Yang gave him no opening at all.

This left Omnibus Number Seven frustrated but helpless.

Although Baken Academy's defense had stabilized, their midfield organization remained weak, and the attack showed no signs of improvement.

After winning several one-on-one battles, Yang Yang grew increasingly confident. As the match wore on and stamina drained, the opposing Number Seven began to change tactics, and Omnibus started seeking attacks from other directions. The pressure on Baken Academy's right flank eased significantly, and Yang Yang began trying to support the midfield.

But players led by Henk Dimer clearly didn't trust him. Several times, Yang Yang ran into open space on the right, yet no one passed him the ball, wasting attacking opportunities. This made Dick Van Pool and John Rep on the sidelines shake their heads in dismay.

In terms of skill, Henk Dimer was indeed the team's standout, but he was narrow-minded and lacked team spirit. Because of his conflict with Yang Yang, he would disregard the team's interests—hardly behavior befitting a captain.

But Almere had been founded less than seven years ago, with few youth talents. Henk Dimer's potential might not be enough for Ajax's Youth Training Camp, but he could certainly help Almere compete in the Netherlands' second division in the future.

Any team would be more lenient with such homegrown talent, and John Rep and Dick Van Pool understood that.

Yang Yang also realized his teammates had no intention of passing to him, but he didn't mind. Whenever an opportunity arose, he still ran into open space to offer support. To him, this was a rare chance for match practice, especially in applying God's Perspective.

Time ticked by, and the score remained 0-2. Baken Academy's attack showed no improvement. After several failed attempts to storm the left flank, Omnibus began focusing more on the right and center.

But in the 78th minute, Omnibus launched a strong attack on the right. Baken Academy's entire defensive line shifted left, and Yang Yang was forced to retreat into the penalty area to defend. Suddenly, the opponent sent a long diagonal ball to the left flank.

The opposing Number Seven sprinted from midfield, chasing the ball.

Everyone on and off the pitch was startled. Head Coach Dick Van Pool even blurted out, "Damn it." Omnibus's center forward was waiting at the edge of the box. If the Number Seven caught the ball and crossed it low, it would be dangerous—hadn't the two goals been conceded that way?

At that moment, Yang Yang dashed out of the penalty area, also racing toward the ball's landing point.

Omnibus Number Seven was known for his speed, but Yang Yang, with his abundant stamina, was not only a match but seemed even faster. He turned a disadvantageous situation into a 50-50 contest.

Especially the opposing Number Seven, after repeatedly coming out on the losing end, faced Yang Yang charging out like a fierce wolf—seemingly frail but showing no fear of colliding head-on. His momentum faltered.

With his momentum weakened, his pace slowed by a beat. Yang Yang reached the ball first and, without waiting for it to land, chipped it lightly.

After a period of basic training, Yang Yang's fundamentals had indeed improved, and this chip showed it clearly.

The ball was lifted over the Number Seven, landing behind him on the outside, while Yang Yang, without slowing down, swept past him like the wind, chasing after the ball.

Once again, the pitch and stands erupted in warm applause and cheers.

But Yang Yang paid no attention. After catching the ball, he drove it quickly up the right flank.

Yang Yang had won the ball and launched a counterattack, turning Baken Academy from defense to offense.

And on the entire right flank, the only obstacle in front of Yang Yang was Omnibus's left-back, who had pushed up to the halfway line.

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