"Good heavens! Lu Yang has unleashed a Rising Shot! That's the perfect response to everyone who questioned his long-range shooting!"
"That shot had incredible power. What makes it especially impressive is that Lu Yang took it while carrying the opposing center back on his shoulders."
"Before today, talk had emerged in the football world of Lu Yang being the Viola Crown Prince, because he and Fiorentina's superstar striker, Carlisle, had gone through the same kind of footballing journey."
"Many people thought it was just a pointless attempt to ride the hype, because Lu Yang could never play like Carlisle."
"But... Lu Yang did it!"
"Oh, the camera has cut to Carlisle. He's waving his arms excitedly and calling out to Maniero beside him."
"Maniero is just as excited. They're cheering Lu Yang's goal like San Remo fans."
"Wait, Lu Yang isn't celebrating! He's running back to his own half. He's heading for the referee! What's he trying to do?"
The situation on the pitch changed in an instant.
Lu Yang brushed past the referee.
His expression made his meaning clear.
Borges plays like that, and you don't give him a yellow card? That tackle from behind could even have earned him a straight red!
The referee's evasive glance made it equally clear that he wasn't going to give Borges a second yellow. Don't ask why. There was a reason, that was all.
The exchange between Lu Yang and the referee lasted only a moment.
He went over to Moric. "How are you?"
Moric replied, "I might be okay, but..."
Moric opened his hand slightly, and Lu Yang saw the wound on his ankle.
The camera caught it, too.
Moric's ankle had been cut by a stud, leaving two fairly deep gashes.
Footballers, especially midfielders and forwards, put extremely demanding strain on their feet.
That was particularly true of players who needed to make powerful passes and shots.
Any injury to their ankles, even a minor one, could seriously affect their form.
"Quit pretending! You go down like a girl the second anyone touches you. Get off the pitch while you can, or I swear I'll break your leg with a tackle!" Borges sneered from nearby.
His team was actually losing!
If they lost this match, their dream of finishing in the top five would be over.
That meant the people who had bet on them would lose a lot of money.
Borges was one of them.
Potenza's chances of breaking into the top five looked slim. They would need to win every match to have a shot.
But San Remo was the only tough opponent left on their schedule. The rest were teams lower in the table and under little pressure to avoid relegation, so... this was a good opportunity.
Borges had put a huge bet on his team finishing in the top five.
He couldn't afford to lose.
But the next moment, Borges forgot all about that.
A fist slammed into his cheek.
"Go to hell!" Lu Yang punched him without hesitation.
He couldn't take it anymore.
He didn't want to hold back, either.
He had to take Borges out. Otherwise, Moric was bound to be forced off injured today!
"I'll kill you!" Borges fought back, trying to hit Lu Yang.
But Lu Yang used his hands and feet together. He drove a knee into Borges's stomach, leaving him unable to fight back, then floored him with an uppercut.
Almost at the same time, Potenza's players reacted.
Their number eight charged at Lu Yang from the side with a fist raised. He must have had a lot riding on the match, too.
But Lu Yang dodged with a sidestep, caught the other player's arm, then spun and drove an elbow into his face.
Thud!
Another one down.
"Look out!" Moric, still on the ground, saw what was behind Lu Yang, but could only shout a warning in time.
Potenza's number three launched a flying kick straight at Lu Yang's back.
A kick with the force of a footballer could have sent Lu Yang off the pitch on a stretcher if it landed.
But Lu Yang seemed to have eyes in the back of his head.
He turned and twisted aside, dodging the kick, then grabbed the other player in midair. Using his momentum, he slammed him hard into Borges, who had just gotten up and was charging at him.
Thud!
All three Potenza players were down.
"You can't beat us at football, and you're a bunch of garbage in a fight, too!" Lu Yang roared, scanning the Potenza players around him. "Come on! If you've got guts, bring it!"
Several Potenza players who had been about to charge in shrank back like startled birds.
Wherever Lu Yang looked, the Potenza players retreated.
They couldn't beat him!
There was no way they could beat him!
What the hell, he was Chinese!
Kung fu!
He knew kung fu!
The commentator was stunned. "Oh, my goodness, this..."
"This is definitely the most exciting boxing match of the Serie D season—or rather, football match."
"Lu Yang has knocked out three Potenza players in a row, including Borges, Serie D's notorious on-field thug!"
"No one dares to provoke Lu Yang. He's not the Viola Crown Prince at all. He's the king of San Remo! The boxing champion!"
"Perhaps I shouldn't say this, but... brawling is sometimes part of football!"
"Of course, Lu Yang's actions were completely out of line, but... if the referee had given Borges the punishment he deserved earlier, none of this would have happened."
"San Remo have suffered some horrendously unfair calls on their home pitch today. Their anger is justified."
"Oh, the referee has finally come to his senses. He's shown Lu Yang a red card!"
"We can see that Lu Yang hasn't reacted with any anger. His expression is completely calm, which suggests he didn't act on impulse. That look in his eyes reminds me of the World Cup qualifying match between Italy and England ten years ago."
"In that match, Soto also got a red card for fighting on the pitch, after the opposing midfield thug repeatedly fouled Maniero. It's worth noting that Italy, down to ten men, went on to win the match!"
"Lu Yang stepped in primarily to protect the team's key player, Moric."
"Lu Yang is heading for the touchline. Soto is waiting for him there. Will Soto angrily berate Lu Yang?"
"No! Soto isn't angry at all. He's started applauding before Lu Yang even reaches him. What's going on?"
"Oh! In the stands, Maniero has stood up and started clapping, too!"
"Carlisle has also stood up and is applauding."
The stadium erupted in thunderous applause.
At that moment, even the fans had forgotten about the result.
All they wanted was to give Lu Yang the loudest applause and cheers they could.
"Lu! Lu! Lu!"
They sent Lu Yang down the players' tunnel as if they were hailing a hero.
Soon, under pressure from San Remo's players and the crowd, the head referee "remembered" Borges's deliberate foul and showed him a yellow card. The two yellows added up to a red.
Borges was sent off, too.
What's more, Potenza's number eight and number three were both booked for deliberate fouls on the pitch. They had been on the receiving end, but they had still taken the initiative to attack.
Both were Potenza defenders, which meant the team would face a lot of pressure at the back for the rest of the match.
Potenza's players didn't deliberately foul Moric again for the rest of the game.
Perhaps it was because Lu Yang kept standing at the entrance to the players' tunnel, watching the pitch.
No one dared to provoke that lunatic again.
Just like his manager, he was a butcher on the pitch!
After the full ninety minutes, the manager didn't allow any stoppage time. He was in a hurry to leave this pitch, ruled by a butcher.
San Remo beat Potenza 1–0, ending Potenza's hopes of promotion and lifting themselves to fourth place in the league standings!
But none of that made a ripple.
After the match, the entire Italian football world was shaken by Lu Yang's incredible 1-v-3 performance.
An Eastern boxing champion had appeared out of nowhere!
The Viola Crown Prince and Butcher II had made their debuts in the same match!
And what was even more terrifying was that they were the same person!
<The Viola Crown Prince Appears! A Thunderous Shot Recreates Carlisle's Goal Against Inter Milan Last Season!>
<Carlisle Has Found His Successor—He Applauded and Cheered Lu Yang!>
<An On-Field Thug? The Butcher Has Raised Another Butcher—A Brutal Foul Earns a Straight Red!>
<Football or Murder? San Remo's Lu Yang Punches and Kicks His Way Through a Boxing Match Disguised as a Football Game!>
<Serie D's Controversial Player Lu Yang: The Next King of the Violets or the Next Butcher?>
<Angel or Devil? He Helped His Team Win, but May Have Ruined Their Chances of Promotion!>
<Controversial Gesture! Soto May Face an Italian Football Investigation and Punishment for Applauding Lu Yang!>
Overnight, headlines like these took over the front pages of every football outlet in Italy.
This time, even the news that Juventus were about to secure their third consecutive league title and that Napoli had thrashed Atalanta 6–2 was pushed down the page.
The story had spread beyond Italian football. It was making waves across Europe.
Especially among the Fleet Street crowd in England.
<A Sign of Italian Football's Revival! That Midfield Duo from Ten Years Ago Has Appeared Again!>
<If Italy Naturalizes Them, the Nightmare of Ten Years Ago Will Return!>
<The New Maniero and the Butcher! This Serie D Team Is No Joke!>
The power of the English media was beyond question.
They could turn Premier League stars into the most talked-about players in the world. They could make an unknown player famous with a single goal, and just as easily make even an important national team player seem worthless.
They knew how to create stars and destroy them.
When there were no major national team matches, they could even have their moments of thinking that the grass was greener on the other side.
Like this time.
Ten years ago, Italy had fought England for a place in the World Cup group stage and won the precious spot.
England, meanwhile, had been sent to the miserable playoffs. They only scraped through in the final round thanks to a superstar's performance, coming close to missing the World Cup altogether.
Soto, the butcher in that match, had left a deep impression on the English. His brawl with the English players in particular had made him famous overnight.
And now, this player named Lu Yang, coached by Soto, looked so much like the Butcher back then.
Especially the cold look in their eyes as they left the pitch.
"Many people say Lu Yang was too impulsive, but after watching the whole match, I disagree. He was perfectly calm. He did it on purpose; otherwise... his teammate might well have been forced off injured," said the famous Premier League hard man Tesli, echoing the mainstream opinion in England. "It was a sacrifice. He knew what his main job on the pitch was."
"Protecting the key player was Lu Yang's responsibility, and he did exactly that. No one fouled number 23 again for the rest of the match. That's the deterrent his punches created!"
"I know what I'm about to say shows a lack of respect for what many people believe football should be, but I have to say it anyway: sometimes there's more to football than just football!"
The story went viral!
Lu Yang's name and footage from that Serie D match spread all over social media.
But when the buzz reached the Serie D scene, people finally began criticizing Lu Yang from the perspective of the league.
"There's no doubt his actions were wrong. He's sounded the death knell for San Remo's promotion campaign this season!"
"Lu Yang's violent conduct will bring him more than just a red card. The Italian Football Federation may hand him an additional suspension. Without Lu Yang, San Remo will struggle to keep their winning streak going!"
"So far, Lu Yang has scored thirteen goals for San Remo and provided nine assists. He has decided the outcome time and time again, helping San Remo take three points after three points. Without Lu Yang, it will be difficult for San Remo to win with only Vedian to rely on."
"Lu Yang's league-leading numbers for interceptions and tackles also prove how dominant he is in defense. Without him, San Remo's midfield and back line would be at least a full level weaker!"
"He protected San Remo's key player, but in another sense, he also sacrificed one of the club's other key players. Yes, Lu Yang isn't the tactical center of San Remo, but in terms of the stats, and in the hearts of the fans and the team, he is absolutely one of San Remo's key players!"
This report sounded the call to arms against Lu Yang.
With the whole of Italian football—and even European football—watching, the Italian Football Federation had to deal with the matter quickly and fairly.
They promptly issued their decision on Lu Yang.
For violent conduct, fighting on the pitch, and causing serious negative publicity, the Italian Football Federation fined Lu Yang and handed him an additional suspension.
A €10,000 fine and a four-match suspension!
The news caused an uproar in Serie D.
The fine was far beyond what a Serie D player could afford.
And the four-match suspension meant Lu Yang would miss the rest of the season.
It was nothing less than a devastating blow to San Remo.
But to be fair, given Lu Yang's actions, the punishment wasn't excessive.
In the aftermath, Lu Yang's season seemed to be over early.
Three Serie C clubs had already made offers for him.
There were even rumors that a Serie B club was evaluating his potential.
Meanwhile, Lu Yang had just finished tallying up the rewards from the team's win that round.
"Ding! You received praise from superstar Carlisle. Random Pack ×1." "Ding! You received the first red card of your career. Random Pack ×1."
Lu Yang opened all the packs and received the player skills "Destroyer" and "Knee-Tap Lift."
The former was a position skill. As long as Lu Yang was in midfield or defense, it would activate.
This would slightly improve his defensive ability, along with his speed, explosiveness, balance, strength, jumping, foot strength, tackling, interceptions, clearances, blocks, stamina, and other attributes.
But it would also somewhat weaken his long passing, short passing, close control, curve, attacking runs, dribbling, ball control, and other attributes.
Overall, though, the drawbacks outweighed the benefits. It was a very good skill.
Especially with Lu Yang already having Iron Wall, the boost from Destroyer was substantial.
As for Knee-Tap Lift, it was a skill for lifting the ball. It offered some ability to beat an opponent at the right moment and served a purpose somewhat similar to V-Pull, but it was less commonly used and very flashy.