What? The Reward is This!

More than twenty thousand Wolfsburg fans lingered, unwilling to leave.

The smoke bombs left unused before kickoff detonated one after another along the edges of the stands, sending thick smoke billowing into the air.

Green flags fluttered in the wind.

The camera slowly pulled back. Fireworks bloomed brilliantly along the banks of the Mittelland Canal.

Music rang out through the Volkswagen Arena as the DJ roared, "A brand-new season! Let's forget the unpleasantness of losing to Bayern Munich in the opening round. Next up..."

Countless green confetti scraps drifted down from the stands.

Li Luo and his teammates thanked the home fans together.

The assistant coach followed behind them, holding a small tactics board as he reviewed the match.

"Li, how did you know to pull apart the gap between their two lines, then drop back to offer an outlet to the teammates bringing the ball out from the back? You neutralized Frankfurt's targeted setup."

"I saw it."

Li Luo looked utterly innocent. "You saw it too."

Everyone burst into laughter.

No one knew that what the Chinese teenager saw through his "Legendary" Spatial Awareness module was a geometric model that controlled the dynamic information across the entire pitch—completely different from what everyone else could see.

The assistant coach raised a finger and pointed at Guilavogui. "Mm-hmm. Our solution was to substitute this guy off."

Guilavogui awkwardly scratched his little black head. "It wasn't my fault. They were too cunning. Good thing Li was smarter."

De Bruyne smiled without saying anything. After the adjustment period of their first Bundesliga match, he admired Li Luo's speed of thought during games even more.

Back in the locker room.

Li Luo showered, changed clothes, and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

He had planned to go home, finish his match summary, and then quietly redeem a blind box.

He needed to calm down and focus on himself.

Shakespeare once said: A person's worth is determined in the instant they face temptation.

How was that possible?

Li Luo was eighteen in both lives—how could he possibly hold out until he got home?

Deep Blue, add points!

[Consume 100,000 Shock Points to redeem a Bundesliga Star Blind Box?]

[Redemption in progress.]

Rumble!

A massive card suddenly rose up before him!

[Blind box opening...]

As far as Li Luo could see, the entire locker room had turned a vast expanse of white.

A figure slowly emerged from within the card.

[Can this kid even play football? How did he get into the Germany National Team? His first touch bounces three meters away, his passes go out of bounds, he trips over his own feet and can't dribble past anyone, his movements and posture are unscientific—what? He won the World Cup Golden Boot?]

[Massacre opener.]

[No matter how awkward his movements look, he can always score.]

[Super sidekick? An unconventional finisher.]

[At Bayern Munich, you can even play football.]

Finally.

A black figure hunched over in a hunting stance came into view.

[Congratulations! You have obtained: Bayern Munich · Thomas Müller's "False Run" module.]

[Shooting Attribute Adjustment: 46 → 60!]

[Controlling tempo, transitioning into attack, and positional defense all require sensible runs, while positional attack... requires "unreasonable" false runs!]

Thomas Müller?

Why did he keep drawing modules from Bayern Munich players?

He did not think much of it.

Li Luo felt a little excited.

His shooting attribute had been adjusted to 60 points. How much stronger was that than the current level of the China National Football Team?

And what about the effect once the module was triggered?

The system hadn't made it clear. Perhaps he would only feel it during settled possession in a match.

One could imagine it: during a positional attack, Li Luo had the Spatial Awareness module, One-Touch Passing, False Run, and a Heading attribute of 98...

Elsewhere.

Wolfsburg head coach Hecking was on his way to the post-match press conference hall.

In the corridor, he ran into Hans, a Volkswagen Group executive. The man smiled and congratulated him. "Well done, our wise head coach! You successfully integrated Li into Wolfsburg's tactical system. He picked up an assist tonight, and he was absolutely brilliant!"

Hecking's old face reddened. "Mm... mm-hmm."

Hans frowned and continued, "The tactical system can be adjusted. The club should let Li score more goals. Tell that big center forward to create more opportunities for him."

What the hell?

The Wolfsburg manager's face darkened.

When amateurs tried to instruct professionals, trouble was bound to happen.

Did this muddleheaded Volkswagen executive think Bundesliga teams were sieves? Even those players hailed as the third-best in world football might not score against a Bundesliga side in the UEFA Champions League.

"Keep up the good work. We really want to see Li score a few more goals. The young ladies of the Porsche Family and Piëch Family really love Li's stylish playing style... controlling the whole game, one-touch football—he's incredibly cool."

"Understood, Mr. Hans. The coaching staff and technical team will study your suggestion."

Hecking's expression was strained.

Hans laughed heartily and patted the Wolfsburg manager on the shoulder. "That's right, it's merely a suggestion with commercial considerations. The Group never casually interferes with the club's personnel arrangements."

Post-match press conference.

Frankfurt head coach Thomas Schaaf remained calm.

There was none of the rage one might expect after a defeat.

Nor was there any dejection.

His tone was gentle. "It was my problem. I did not study Wolfsburg's starting lineup thoroughly enough today."

"Every few seasons, there is a phenomenon like this: a mysterious young talent makes his debut, sweeps aside all opposition, and then gradually... every club begins to study and understand him. In the end, he becomes ordinary."

"The world of football is cruel."

"Only geniuses who can break through the encirclement are true geniuses."

Clap, clap, clap.

Thunderous applause erupted throughout the room.

Reporters loved famous managers like this—after losing, they still had to say something philosophical.

As for commentary filled with philosophy, many fans couldn't stand commentators constantly using "Maupassant" to serve up inspirational drivel. After all... Maupassant had a notoriously chaotic private life, was riddled with disease, caught syphilis, and still kept sleeping around without restraint, infecting others. That kind of inspirational drivel came with syphilis.

News reports emerged one after another.

<Korean media: Li Luo refused to exchange shirts with Makoto Hasebe after the match. He looks down on Japanese people.>

<Japanese media: Did giving everything still end in failure? Is this as far as it goes? As the weaker side, Hasebe and Inui had no right to exchange shirts! Rising Asian star, please continue to shine! Li Luo!>

<In-depth analysis: Why did the score change from 1-0 to 3-2 after Li Luo was substituted?>

<His Bundesliga debut made him Wolfsburg's midfield brain—frame-by-frame analysis of Li Luo's movement and touches over 67 minutes.>

<Battle of famous managers: How Hecking perfectly neutralized Schaaf's targeting.>

<Wolfsburg 3-2 Frankfurt: Chinese youngster Li Luo recorded an assist.>

The numbers of comments and reposts continued to soar.

-[Woke up after a nap, and football is alive again, haha!]

-[Li Luo looks even cooler in the highlights. He has the air of a master, a midfield commander.]

-[Did the Korean media even use their brains before talking? Haha, I like Li Luo even more now.]

-[Li Luo is a system player. He is the system.]

-[He's a halo hero. He can raise the entire team's combat strength. When he returns to the Premier League next season, he'll definitely revive Manchester United.]

-[Could our China National Football Team build around a midfield core like Li Luo? The Asian Cup is coming soon.]

-[The Asian Cup is still a long way off. The Europa League draw is coming up soon. Hopefully Wolfsburg's luck won't be too bad. Let's see whether Li Luo can win a European trophy early in his career!]