Butcher II, Angel or Devil

"Good heavens! Lu Yang has unleashed a rising shot! This is the best possible rebuttal to those who questioned his long-range shooting ability!"

"This strike was powerful and heavy, and what makes it particularly impressive is that Lu Yang managed to fire it while shouldering off the opposing center-back."

"Before today, rumors had emerged in the football world that Lu Yang was the Viola Crown Prince, because Lu Yang shares a similar playing history with the Fiorentina super striker Carlisle."

"Many people thought this was meaningless clout-chasing, as it was impossible for Lu Yang to play like Carlisle."

"But... Lu Yang has done it!"

"Oh, the camera has panned to Carlisle; he is dancing with excitement, shouting something to Maniero beside him."

"Maniero is equally thrilled; they are cheering for Lu Yang's goal just like the San Remo fans."

"Wait, Lu Yang isn't celebrating the goal! He is running back to the defensive half, heading straight for the referee! What is he trying to do?"

The situation on the pitch shifted in an instant.

Lu Yang brushed past the referee.

In that moment, the meaning behind his gaze was clear.

Borges is playing like this, and you won't even give him a yellow card? That tackle from behind could even be a straight red!

The referee's evasive eyes made it equally clear that he would not be giving Borges a second yellow card; don't ask why, there is a reason for it.

The eye contact between Lu Yang and the referee was fleeting.

He walked up to Moric: "How are you?"

Moric replied: "I might be okay, but..."

Moric spread his hands slightly, and Lu Yang saw the wound on his ankle.

The camera captured this scene as well.

Moric's ankle had been sliced open by studs, leaving two rather deep gashes.

For football players, especially midfielders and forwards, the demands placed on their feet are extremely rigorous.

This is especially true for players who rely on powerful passing and shooting.

Even the slightest injury, even a superficial one, can severely impact their competitive form.

"What are you pretending for? You're just like a girl, falling over at the slightest touch. Get off the pitch while you can, otherwise, I guarantee I'll snap your leg!" Borges remarked with a malicious tone.

Their team was actually trailing!

If they lost this match, their dream of reaching the top five would be completely shattered.

This meant that those involved in match-fixing would lose a lot of money.

Borges himself was one of them.

It already looked very difficult for Potenza to break into the top five; they needed to win every remaining game to have a chance.

But in their schedule, only San Remo was a tough nut to crack, while the others were teams ranked lower with no relegation pressure, so... this was a golden opportunity.

Borges had placed a massive bet on his team finishing in the league's top five.

He couldn't afford to lose.

But the next moment, Borges stopped thinking about any of that.

Because a fist slammed hard into his cheek.

"Screw you!" Lu Yang threw a punch directly.

He couldn't take it anymore.

He didn't want to endure it either.

He had to take Borges out, otherwise, Moric would definitely be forced off the pitch injured today!

"I'll kill you!" Borges scrambled to his feet, trying to retaliate against Lu Yang.

But Lu Yang used both his hands and feet, driving a knee into his abdomen to strip him of his ability to resist, followed by an uppercut that sent him crashing down.

Almost simultaneously, the Potenza players reacted.

Their number eight raised his fist and charged at Lu Yang from the side; he must have placed a heavy bet as well.

But Lu Yang dodged the blow with a sidestep, reached out to clamp the opponent's arm, and pivoted to slam an elbow directly into the man's face.

Bang!

Another one down.

"Watch out!" Moric, still on the ground, saw what was behind Lu Yang, but only had time to shout a warning.

Potenza's number three launched a flying kick directly at Lu Yang's back.

With the force of a professional footballer, if that kick landed, Lu Yang would likely be carried off the pitch.

But it was as if Lu Yang had eyes in the back of his head.

He turned and dodged the foot with a sidestep, grabbed the opponent in mid-air, and used the momentum to slam him violently into Borges, who was just getting up to charge at him.

Bang!

All three Potenza players lay sprawled on the ground.

"You can't beat us at football, and you're just a bunch of trash when it comes to fighting, too!" Lu Yang shouted, sweeping his gaze across the surrounding Potenza players. "Come on, if you've got the guts, come and get me!"

Several Potenza players who had initially intended to charge forward recoiled like frightened birds, each one shrinking back.

Wherever Lu Yang's gaze landed, the Potenza players retreated.

They couldn't win!

They absolutely couldn't win!

Damn it, he was Chinese!

Kung fu!

He knew kung fu!

The commentator was stunned: "Oh my god, this..."

"This is definitely the most spectacular boxing match in Serie D this season—oh, wait, I mean football match."

"Lu Yang has single-handedly KO'd three Potenza players in a row, including the infamous Serie D pitch thug, Borges!"

"No one dares to step up and provoke Lu Yang. He isn't just the Viola Crown Prince; he is the King of San Remo! The King of the Ring!"

"Perhaps I shouldn't say this, but... sometimes, pitch brawls are just part of a football match!"

"Of course, Lu Yang's actions were highly inappropriate, but... if the referee had given Borges the punishment he deserved earlier, none of this would have happened."

"San Remo has faced extremely unfair officiating on their home turf today, and their anger is justified."

"Oh, the head referee has finally woken up from his stupor and is showing Lu Yang a straight red card!"

"We can see that Lu Yang isn't reacting emotionally at all. His eyes are incredibly calm, which suggests his actions might not have been a heat-of-the-moment impulse. A look like that reminds me of the World Cup qualifier between Italy and England ten years ago."

"In that match, Soto also received a red card for a pitch brawl because the opposing midfield thug had repeatedly targeted Maniero with malicious fouls. It's worth noting that the Italian team, playing with ten men for the remainder of that game, went on to secure the final victory!"

"Lu Yang's intervention was, for the most part, to protect the team's core, Moric."

"Lu Yang is walking toward the sideline, where Soto is waiting for him. Will Soto angrily reprimand Lu Yang?"

"No! Soto shows no anger at all; he starts clapping in advance. What is going on here!"

"Oh! In the stands, Maniero has stood up, and he is clapping as well!"

"Carlisle has also stood up, and he is joining in the applause."

Clap, clap, clap!

The stadium erupted in thunderous applause.

At this moment, even the fans had cast the outcome of the match aside.

They only wanted to shower Lu Yang with the most fervent applause and cheers.

"Lu! Lu! Lu!"

They chanted as if honoring a hero, escorting Lu Yang as he walked into the player tunnel.

Soon, under the pressure from the San Remo players and the entire stadium of fans, the head referee finally "remembered" Borges' earlier malicious foul, so he issued a yellow card to Borges, resulting in a second yellow and a red.

Borges was also sent off the pitch.

Not only that, but the Potenza number eight and number three also received yellow cards for their malicious fouls on the pitch; although they were the ones who had been beaten, they had initiated the aggressive actions.

They were both Potenza defensive players, which meant Potenza would face immense defensive pressure for the remainder of the match.

For the rest of the game, the Potenza players no longer targeted Moric with malicious fouls.

Perhaps it was because Lu Yang remained standing at the entrance of the player tunnel, watching the pitch.

No one dared to provoke this madman again.

Just like his head coach, he was a pitch butcher!

After the full ninety minutes were played, the head referee didn't add any stoppage time; he was desperate to leave this stadium ruled by butchers.

San Remo defeated Potenza one-nil, ending Potenza's promotion hopes while simultaneously lifting themselves to fourth place in the league table!

Yet, none of this caused much of a stir.

Because after the match, the entire Italian football world was shaken by Lu Yang's 1v3 feat.

An Eastern King of the Ring had emerged!

The Viola Crown Prince and Butcher II had both appeared in the same match!

Even more terrifying was the fact that they were the same person!

<Viola Crown Prince emerges! A thunderous strike replicates Carlisle's goal against Inter Milan last season!>

<Carlisle has found his successor; he cheers and applauds for Lu Yang!>

<Pitch thug? The butcher has trained another butcher, earning a straight red for a violent foul!>

<Is this football or murder? San Remo player Lu Yang uses fists and feet, turning a football match into a boxing bout!>

<Controversial Serie D player Lu Yang: Is he the next King of the Viola or the next The Butcher?>

<Angel or devil? He helped his team win the match, yet he may very well have buried their chances of promotion!>

<Controversial move! Soto is likely to face investigation and punishment from Italian football for applauding Lu Yang!>

Various headlines occupied the front pages of every football media outlet in Italy overnight.

This time, even the news of Juventus closing in on a third consecutive league title and Napoli's 6-2 thrashing of Atalanta were pushed below the fold.

It wasn't even just Italian football anymore; this incident had gained significant influence across the entire European football landscape.

Especially among the lads of England's Fleet Street.

<Signs of an Italian football resurgence! That pair of Midfield Twins from back in the day has reappeared!>

<Once Italian football naturalizes them, the nightmare of ten years ago will strike again!>

<The new Maniero and The Butcher! This Serie D team is no simple matter!>

The power of the English media is beyond doubt.

They can turn Premier League stars into the hottest commodities on the planet, they can make an unknown person famous overnight with a single goal, and they can just as easily make even a key national team player worthless.

They are experts at creating stars and destroying them.

When there are no major international tournaments, they even have moments where they think "the grass is greener on the other side."

Take this time, for instance.

Ten years ago, the Italian team got into a massive brawl with the English team over a World Cup group stage spot, and in the end, they secured that precious place.

The English team had to play the miserable playoffs, only barely qualifying thanks to a superstar performance in the final round, nearly missing out on the World Cup entirely.

The Butcher, Soto, from that match left a deep impression on the English, especially his brawl with English players, which made him famous for a time.

And now, this player named Lu Yang, coached by Soto, is so similar to that Butcher from back then.

Especially their cold gazes when walking off the pitch.

"Many say Lu Yang was too impulsive, but having watched the whole match, I don't think so. He was very calm; he did it on purpose, otherwise... his teammate would likely have been injured and forced off the pitch." The evaluation of Lu Yang by famous Premier League tough guy Tesli represents the mainstream opinion of the English, "This is a form of taking responsibility; he knows his primary task on the pitch."

"Protecting the core is Lu Yang's duty, and he achieved that. For the rest of the match, no one fouled the number 23 player again. That is the deterrent power brought by those few punches from Lu Yang!"

"Although saying this shows a lack of respect for the football many have in mind, I still have to say, sometimes in a football match, it's not just about football!"

Explosive!

The name Lu Yang, along with footage from that Serie D match, spread widely across social media.

But when this public opinion returned to the Serie D scene, from the perspective of the league, someone finally criticized Lu Yang.

"There is no doubt his actions were wrong. He has sounded the horn for San Remo's failure to promote to Serie C this season ahead of time!"

"Lu Yang engaged in malicious fighting; the punishment will definitely be more than just a red card. He is very likely to face retroactive suspension from the Football Association. Without Lu Yang, it will be hard for San Remo to maintain their winning streak!"

"So far, Lu Yang has scored thirteen goals and provided nine assists for San Remo. He has decided the outcome of matches countless times, helping San Remo take home three points again and again. Without Lu Yang, it is difficult for San Remo to guarantee victory relying on Vedian alone."

"Likewise, Lu Yang's current stats as the league's interception leader and tackle leader prove his dominance in the backline. Without Lu Yang, San Remo's midfield and defense will drop at least one level in defensive quality!"

"He protected San Remo's core, but in another sense, he also buried another of San Remo's cores. Yes, Lu Yang is not the tactical core of San Remo, but in terms of data, and in the hearts of the fans and the team, he is absolutely one of San Remo's cores!"

This report sounded the horn for the crusade against Lu Yang.

Precisely because the entire Italian football world and even European football were watching this incident, the Italian Football Association had to handle everything quickly and fairly.

They decisively issued a retroactive penalty against Lu Yang.

Due to malicious physical assault, fighting on the pitch, and other reasons that caused serious negative impact, the Italian Football Association imposed a fine and an additional suspension on Lu Yang.

A fine of 10,000 Euros and a four-match suspension!

Once this news broke, Serie D was in an uproar.

The weight of the fine was not something a Serie D player's salary could cover.

And a four-match suspension meant that Lu Yang would miss the remainder of the season.

This was simply a fatal blow to San Remo.

But in all fairness, given Lu Yang's actions, this punishment was not excessive.

Under the storm, Lu Yang's season seemed to have ended early.

Three Serie C teams even sent offers for Lu Yang.

There were even rumors that Serie B teams were evaluating Lu Yang's value.

And Lu Yang had just finished tallying the gains from winning this round of the match.

"Ding! You have received praise from superstar Carlisle, obtaining a random gift pack *1."

"Ding! You have received the first red card of your professional career, obtaining a random gift pack *1."

Lu Yang opened all the packs, obtaining the player skill "Destroyer" and "Knee-Tap Lift".

The former is a positional skill; as long as Lu Yang appears in the midfield or backline, it can be activated.

This will provide a minor boost to his defensive capabilities, enhancing his speed, explosive power, balance, strength, jumping, kicking power, tackling, interception, clearance, blocking, and stamina.

However, it will also appropriately weaken his long passing, short passing, close control, curve, offensive positioning, dribbling, and ball control.

Overall, though, the pros outweigh the cons, making it a very decent skill.

Especially with Lu Yang already possessing Iron Wall, the boost from Destroyer is quite potent.

As for Knee-Tap Lift, it is a ball-lifting skill that possesses certain breakthrough attributes when used at the right moment; its function is somewhat similar to V-Pull, though it is not as commonly used and is extremely flashy.