Designated Landing Point

"Damn, Magic Ball! A Scorpion's Tail? You're showing off now." The right back arrived late and could only shout, "Awesome!"

Wang Xiong on the left ran over as well, saying excitedly, "Nice one, Magic Ball. You're in great form today—keep it up. I knew the Beauty Buff would make you guys show off."

Mo Qiong was speechless.

Not far away, Zhang Xin smiled. "Showing off? It was just luck. The match has only just begun."

Then he said to Mo Qiong, "Your defending isn't bad, but your defenders... heh. I'll score within ten minutes."

Mo Qiong stared blankly at the ball and ignored him. Finding no response, Zhang Xin awkwardly looked toward the stands.

Those cheering girls weren't just firing up the home team; they were boosting the visiting team's morale too.

Zhang Xin thought to himself, There are so many girls watching matches at Yan Da? But this team's organization is terrible. I'll have plenty of chances this game. Maybe I can get a Hat Trick.

While everyone waited for the goal kick, Mo Qiong's mind was full of doubt.

"Something's wrong. The first save could have been a mistake, but the second one should definitely have gone in. Why was the ball's Landing Point so strange?"

Everyone else thought he had used a Scorpion's Tail to brush the ball perfectly in front of himself and catch it.

But only he knew that shouldn't have happened.

He could feel exactly how much he had touched the ball and with what force. That Scorpion's Tail had practically failed. Given Zhang Xin's shot, the ball should have changed direction, but it still should have gone into the goal.

Yet in reality, that casual graze had caused the football to drop lightly from behind him directly in front of him.

"The trajectory looked reasonable, but... I just kicked wildly."

Mo Qiong couldn't figure it out, but the match had to continue.

"Kick it! You're about to run out of time!" Wang Xiong shouted.

Mo Qiong snapped back to his senses, hurriedly dropped the ball to the ground, and swept his gaze across the field.

His vision on the pitch was exceptionally broad, and he immediately located everyone.

Han Dang, far away from him, kept making runs, trying to shake off the defender beside him.

"This guy..." Mo Qiong knew Han Dang was waiting for a long pass from him.

They had agreed earlier that if there was a chance, he would launch the ball forward. Seeing the goal kick, Han Dang frantically tried to create an opening.

"I'll give it to you!"

"Bang!"

Mo Qiong sent a long ball forward, aiming for a spot not far ahead of Han Dang, behind the opposing defender, at the edge of the penalty area.

Of course, that was the ideal in his mind, but his technique was average.

At such a distance, it was no easy feat just to kick it that far, let alone place it exactly where he wanted.

Most of the time, the Landing Point would be off, and the power might even fall short.

But as long as it wasn't wildly inaccurate and Han Dang could reach the ball, there would still be a chance. In the past, such long clearances had always depended on luck.

"Huh?"

The football traced an exquisite arc through the air. One look at it told Mo Qiong, Holy crap, that's a perfect Landing Point!

He had no idea whether he had simply performed exceptionally well, but the football was actually about to land exactly where he had intended to pass it.

"Great chance!"

Han Dang thought it was his time to show off. The pass was perfect. The Landing Point was exactly where the defenders would have no time to turn around, while he could charge straight at it and control the ball.

If he got the ball in that position, he would also have an excellent shooting angle.

However, Han Dang jumped up and received the ball with his chest, cushioning its force. He then lifted his foot, intending to flick it into a more suitable position in midair before charging into the box.

But something went wrong with the second movement. Rather than bouncing up from his chest, the ball dropped straight down along his chest and stomach, slammed into the grass, and bounced back up.

The rhythm was all wrong. Han Dang's foot swung at empty air instead of meeting the ball.

By the time momentum carried Han Dang two steps forward and he turned back, the chasing defender had already kicked the football out for a throw-in.

"Damn! Such a good chance! What a waste..."

Han Dang held his head, wishing he could punch himself to death.

Missing the ball while controlling it was a huge mistake. Without that error, he might have scored by now—or at the very least, had an outstanding shooting chance.

Ordinarily, he would not have been so upset, but he knew Mo Qiong's pass had been far too good.

It was so good that he felt far guiltier than he normally did after missing a chance, as though he had let Mo Qiong's pass down.

With such an incredible pass, if he had not made that mistake and had scored, then that full-field assist and goal between him and Mo Qiong would have been enough for him to brag about until graduation.

"Great ball, bro." Though Han Dang inwardly lamented the missed chance, he clapped twice, gave Mo Qiong a thumbs-up, and praised the pass from far away.

Several defenders from the sports school also looked toward Yan Da's goalkeeper. That ball had been genuinely dangerous, but that striker... controlling it like that was just pathetic.

Mo Qiong had a broad view of the field and had also seen Han Dang's attempted control.

Though he could not see it clearly, he knew that with Han Dang's technique, he should have been able to control that ball. Even if it had been imperfect, he should not have missed it so absurdly.

Han Dang had first received it with his chest, then tried to tap it with his foot, only for the ball to drop straight onto the grass beneath his crotch and ruin the control.

That Landing Point seemed to be where the ball would have landed even if no one had touched it.

"That spot was also the Landing Point I wanted to pass to..."

Suddenly, Mo Qiong seemed to realize something.

Thinking back to all the strange Landing Points from before, Mo Qiong thought, Could it be that the Landing Point I determine can't be changed? Or rather, if I want to shoot somewhere, does it have to go there?

Such an absurd thought arose in his mind.

He could not help thinking that way, because once he considered it, he immediately recalled that the same thing had happened during his earlier saves.

His first save should have knocked the ball out past the end line, but he had pictured the ball landing at Zhang Xin's feet.

He had been afraid that would happen, and the more afraid he was, the more he thought about it. In the end, it really did happen. The ball inexplicably curved and landed at Zhang Xin's feet.

The second save had been the same. When his heel brushed the ball, he had been lying on the ground and thought it would be nice if the ball landed on the grass right in front of him so he could catch it directly.

And his wish had come true. That brush had really made the ball land right in front of him.

Combined with that exquisite long pass just now, it truly felt like he could pass the ball wherever he wanted. It was so precise that... even when Han Dang stood at the Landing Point and affected the ball's path while trying to control it, he still could not stop the ball from landing where Mo Qiong had intended.

"If I want to shoot somewhere, it goes there? Am I possessed by the God of Football? No way, right?" Mo Qiong could hardly believe it and desperately wanted to test it again.

Nothing tested an idea better than practice. It was one thing when he had not known before.

Now that he had the idea, if it happened again a few times, it would prove a great deal.

An opportunity came quickly. Just five minutes later, the opponent's midfield pressed forward.

Whether in organization or individual technique, their team was completely outclassed.

The opposing players could easily find openings and even create them.

A through ball went behind Wang Xiong, whose reaction was more than a beat slower than Zhang Xin's.

By the time Wang Xiong turned around, Zhang Xin had already received the ball and was dribbling toward Mo Qiong. All Wang Xiong could do was trail behind him.

Zhang Xin charged into the penalty area with unstoppable momentum. He glared fiercely, his face twisted as he tried to intimidate the goalkeeper and make him panic.

But even in elementary school, Mo Qiong had dared to chase wild dogs around with a piece of firewood, and catch snakes barehanded in the fields before smashing them to death.

Zhang Xin's vicious expression was nothing more than a cute little act to him. Mo Qiong felt no fear at all.

"Bang!" Seeing Mo Qiong firmly cover the angle, Zhang Xin had no choice but to unleash a powerful shot.

It was a heavy, forceful strike. Even if Mo Qiong got a hand to it, he would probably only deflect it slightly, and it might still go in.

As expected of a near-professional player. When faced with shots this good in the past, Mo Qiong had always done his best to alter the trajectory.

As for whether it went in or flew wide, that had depended on luck.

But this time, Mo Qiong did not care whether it went in. He only wanted to touch the ball.

"Whoosh!"

Mo Qiong dove out, stretching his arm to the limit and brushing the incoming ball with his fingertips.

The ball seemed as though it had been struck by his palm, dropping straight to the grass before bouncing back up.

Mo Qiong dropped to one knee and securely gathered it into his arms.

The entire sequence looked smooth and effortless.

It was as though he was not making a save at all, but merely swatting a flying balloon down onto the ground.

"Holy shit..." Zhang Xin felt that his shot had been excellent, but the goalkeeper's performance had been even better. He did not look like an amateur at all.

In Zhang Xin's eyes, Mo Qiong had dived and slapped the shot down onto the ground, a save of extreme difficulty.

Of all the goalkeepers he had encountered, the best possible outcome against that shot had been to punch it away.

Yet Mo Qiong had forced it down... For a goalkeeper, that was an extremely risky choice. It demanded tremendous reflexes, arm strength, and overall form.

If it worked, it looked incredibly cool. But if it failed, he would become the culprit.

"Tch. His technique is decent, but he chose the wrong kind of save. A goalkeeper this flashy will collapse as soon as I break through." Zhang Xin felt he had seen through Mo Qiong.

He figured Mo Qiong was a talented goalkeeper with amateurish training, who just happened to be in great form today.

But Zhang Xin was experienced in dealing with such goalkeepers. He knew he would get plenty of chances, because this type of goalkeeper made mistakes easily.

Listening to the home crowd's roar, Zhang Xin smiled confidently as he left the penalty area.

"That number one is solid. He actually slapped the ball down."

"Not bad. That super-long pass earlier was good too. Shame that center forward is kind of useless."

Because of their viewing angle, the students in the stands did not realize how dangerous that save had been.

They only felt that the goalkeeper was reliable. Less than ten minutes into the match, he had already stopped three shots on target from the sports school.

What they did not know was that Mo Qiong was trembling with excitement.

"So it really is like this... Is this some fucking superpower?"

Everyone thought he had slapped the ball down, but only he knew that he had merely brushed it with his fingertips.

With such a slight touch, it should have been impossible to make the ball drop to the grass and then gather it securely.

It could not have been luck. It could not have been coincidence. It could not have been an exceptional performance.

He had seen it clearly. The instant he touched the ball, its flight path changed.

And he had been thinking of the ball landing on the grass in front of the goal line, so its altered direction had truly sent it down toward the ground!

But according to physics, it should have flown diagonally toward the far corner of the goal or bounced off the crossbar and out.

Holding the ball, Mo Qiong set it on the ground, preparing to kick off.

He took a deep breath and swept his gaze once more toward Han Dang, the lone striker up front, and then toward the even more distant goal...

What would happen if, on a football field, he could designate the football's Landing Point as though he could kill physics?

He could shoot from his own penalty area and send the ball directly into the far corner of the opposing goal!

"No, stay calm. I can't show off recklessly."

"Leave the chances to score to the striker. I'm only a goalkeeper..."

"Bang!"

Mo Qiong launched another powerful long ball, sending the football soaring high toward the front field.