The Reward This Time Is Actually? (Two-in-one)

BayArena fell into a brief silence.

The Wolfsburg fans in the away stand were the first to erupt in cheers.

Immediately after—

the Leverkusen fans in the home stand let out helpless sighs.

"Li Luo!"

"He scored!"

"His second of the match!"

"A beautiful goal!"

"With barely any time left, he finished it in the box and helped Wolfsburg take the lead!"

"An assist from De Bruyne."

"What an attacking spectacle."

"A goal feast between Leverkusen and Wolfsburg."

"In tonight's clash... the score has exceeded everyone's expectations. There have already been seven goals."

Li Luo climbed off Bellarabi and sprinted toward the corner flag, pumping his fist in celebration.

His Wolfsburg teammates rushed after him.

In the livestream chat.

-[Thank you, Li Luo. I finally made it out after going 7+ down. I'll never touch this stuff again.]

-[Manchester United made me lose so many Joy Beans. I won it all back in this Bundesliga match.]

-[A positional attack—did they really penetrate through like that? Li Luo and his teammates are getting more and more in sync. That's how I played on my school team too.]

-[First top-up: 6 yuan. Free genius midfielder included.]

-[Golden Legend—Li Luo!]

-[How many goals has my Luo scored in the Bundesliga now?]

-[How did De Bruyne's talent tree get specced into ground penetration? He's still in the muscle-building phase. His future path is guided strikes in open space.]

On the sidelines.

Hecking was so happy he felt dizzy.

The assistant coaches swarmed to the touchline, raising their fists high.

"We've taken the lead."

"After Li came on, we took the lead!"

From two goals down to ahead.

A thrilling end-to-end battle!

On the other side.

Schmidt muttered in disbelief, "Impossible. How could one Li change the whole match?"

Dino took a deep breath and said calmly, "There's still time. We haven't lost yet."

By the corner flag.

Li Luo stood atop the advertising board, basking in the Wolfsburg fans' frenzied applause and cheers.

[Shock Value +1!]

[Shock Value +1!]

[...]

The track at BayArena was very wide.

The photographer crouched on the ground.

He chose an extremely low angle. The lens seemed to grow out of the earth itself, pushing Li Luo's back—with his arms spread wide—to the peak of the frame.

The flags whipping in the night wind, the banners held aloft, the trembling wolf-head emblems, the excited and joyful faces, the tidal roar of the crowd... all of it seemed to be gathered into the embrace of the Chinese boy.

Malanda looked at him with worship in his eyes. "Li, that was so cool."

De Bruyne clenched his fists, his cheeks flushed. With Li here this season, how many trophies could Wolfsburg win?

Someone suddenly reminded them, "In the final minutes, stay focused. Don't make any stupid mistakes."

"That's right, especially the guys carrying cards."

Gustavo calmly offered his advice, then continued hopping around in celebration.

VIP box.

The Bayer executives looked increasingly envious.

"Why don't we have a midfielder like that?"

"We have Çalhanoğlu!"

"His temperament is different."

"Çalhanoğlu betrayed his former club. He doesn't have a good image in the public eye, and his style isn't as elegant and free-flowing as Li's."

The match restarted from the center circle.

The players from both sides took up their positions.

"Why didn't Wolfsburg celebrate a little longer? Bundesliga referees are lazy—they clock off the moment stoppage time runs out..."

"But the Bundesliga fourth officials are very rigorous. They time things precisely. If you waste time, they'll add more stoppage time later."

"Just kidding."

"Will there be another goal?"

The commentator's tone carried both anticipation and anxiety.

Both teams were nearly out of stamina.

Director Zhang was equally worried: he feared Leverkusen's players would lose control of their movements and injure Li Luo.

In the little time remaining.

Leverkusen's attacking unit did not give up on the match.

The Japanese TV station was so moved by their perseverance that it nearly cut to some childhood flashback footage.

The South Korean fans, meanwhile, were furious, constantly complaining about Son Heung-min.

The ball moved rapidly across the green pitch.

Some felt time was passing slowly.

Others felt it was passing quickly.

In the final moment of stoppage time.

Çalhanoğlu was brought down thirty meters inside Wolfsburg's half.

Beep!

The referee signaled a foul, pulled out his foam spray, and marked a "U" at the spot of the foul.

"It can't be helped. When defenders run out of stamina, their movements become distorted."

"Leverkusen's final chance."

"Çalhanoğlu."

"Based on the data from the last two seasons, his free-kick ability ranks among the top three of the younger generation."

Hecking was trembling with fear.

Schmidt looked tense, like a gambler about to reveal his hand.

Dino covered his eyes.

Leverkusen's club anthem echoed through the BayArena.

"Bayer, Bayer 04, we stand by you!"

"Bayer, Bayer 04, we stand by you!"

Both sides braced themselves.

Wolfsburg goalkeeper Benaglio seriously directed the wall.

Li Luo had been positioned behind the wall... lying flat on the ground.

The purpose was to guard against a low-driven free kick.

"One hand over your heart."

"One hand over your crotch."

"Li, wrong direction. Your butt should face outward. Yes, like that."

"Don't worry. The boss analyzed Leverkusen's set pieces before the match. When Çalhanoğlu takes a free kick within 30 meters of goal, there's a 90% chance he'll go for goal himself rather than lay it off to a teammate."

At that moment.

Among the tens of thousands at the stadium, Li Luo was perhaps the only one unable to see how the free kick was taken.

He did not pay much attention to it.

The night breeze brushed across the grass and gently against his cheeks.

His mood grew increasingly calm.

In his field of vision.

A black object skimmed past the crossbar and flew into the stands.

Then came wave after wave of sighs.

Along with the cheers of the Wolfsburg players.

Beep! Beep-beep~

The referee blew the final whistle.

Leverkusen 3:4 Wolfsburg.

"Congratulations to Wolfsburg!"

"Two goals down at halftime, yet they completed a massive comeback in the end!"

"What a thrilling match full of twists and turns."

"Most of the players on both sides fought until they were utterly exhausted. Only Li Luo was still standing. His spirit..."

"Heh heh heh, Li Luo only came on in the second half. Of course he can still stand."

"..."

The commentators and Director Zhang continued breaking down the match statistics and tactical details.

The viewers immediately left the livestream and headed to football forums and video sites. The more technically skilled fans had already begun editing highlight reels.

Çalhanoğlu sat slumped on the grass, utterly dejected.

Why?

Why had Li overshadowed him?

Kießling comforted him. "Next time, we'll definitely win."

Not far away.

Son Heung-min was being interviewed by Bundesliga media.

"As fellow Asian players, how would you evaluate Li?"

"After Li came on, Wolfsburg improved by a whole level at both ends of the pitch. They moved the ball more smoothly. He makes the team as a whole stronger. It's like he can see everything and control everything. He's the soul of the pitch."

"The Asian Cup?"

The young Son Heung-min had not yet learned how to give polite answers. "No, no, no. The Asian Cup is different!"

"At the Asian Cup, if South Korea gets the chance to face China..."

"It's different."

The incoherent South Korean player made the reporters burst into laughter.

At the Asian Cup a few months later, many players from Europe's top five leagues would take part, including quite a few from the Bundesliga.

The post-match press conference.

Schmidt looked troubled.

"We could have won the match, but unfortunately, we missed too many chances."

"Çalhanoğlu's performance was not a major issue. It's simply that the other side had two talented midfielders like Li Luo and De Bruyne."

"Goals bring fans an unparalleled thrill. That is also the charm of football."

"Leverkusen will not deliberately change our style of play. In the matches to come, we will continue pressing and continue attacking. Tonight, we were simply a little unlucky."

A moment later.

Hecking strode into the hall with a radiant face.

Camera flashes went off continuously.

The reporters rushed to ask questions.

"Don't rush. One at a time."

"The match may have looked dangerous, but I was calm the whole time."

"Magical substitution adjustment? Oh, I just put Li on."

"No-striker formation? All I knew was that Li had to play!"

Clap clap clap.

Thunderous applause erupted.

The reporters at the scene all believed this was merely modesty from Wolfsburg's famed coach. Of course, Li Luo was outstanding enough.

BayArena gradually fell quiet.

After thanking the fans alongside his teammates, Li Luo returned to the locker room.

He ignored the reporters hounding him along the way.

He was in a hurry to draw a prize.

[Shock Value harvested: 135482]

[Consume 100,000 Shock Value to exchange for a Bundesliga Star Blind Box?]

[Exchanging...]

Rumble!

A gigantic card rose before him in that familiar fashion!

Within the card, a figure slowly emerged.

[Blind Box opening...]

[A genius boy who emerged from Oria Valley.]

[One of the protagonists of the Istanbul Miracle, sharing a world-shaking kiss with Gerrard.]

[A pillar of the Invincible Armada.]

A figure raising his arm and swinging his leg slowly appeared.

[Congratulations! You have obtained: Alonso's "Inward-Curling Arc" module.]

[Additional Attribute Increase: Passing +5! Curve +5!]

The back of Li Luo's head tingled slightly.

Countless fragments of memories surfaced in his mind...

"An inward-curling long pass can actually... tear apart the opponent's defense by sharply changing direction after it lands?"

"Absolutely breathtaking."

A god-tier skill!

Combined with Spatial Awareness, this module was undoubtedly a god-tier skill for a midfielder.

It was highly entertaining to watch, too. The Shock Value it could earn definitely wouldn't be low.

Wait a second.

What was that world-shaking kiss?

Among the memory fragments, Li Luo saw two grown men passionately embracing on the pitch, and then...

Thankfully.

The module couldn't influence his emotions.

Li Luo did not like overly intimate contact with men.

He took his phone from his backpack and pressed the power button. Beep beep beep... a dense barrage of notifications sounded.

Looking closely, he found they were all congratulatory messages from Lauren and Lei.

He had to stay disciplined.

He couldn't get addicted to chatting with girls.

Li Luo silently typed, then copied and pasted: "I don't like texting. If there's anything, let's talk in person."

They did not linger in Leverkusen for long.

The entire Wolfsburg squad took the bus back to Lower Saxony overnight.

The rousing team anthem echoed along the quiet country roads.

Malanda suddenly said, "Li, it's such a blessing to be your teammate. I get win bonuses too. I once thought I'd never become a regular starter at the club, and I still haven't made it into the Belgium National Team."

It was a long story. The Belgium National Team had historical issues left over from the north-south divide that had existed since 1830.

At the 2014 FIFA World Cup a few months ago, Belgium had even suffered internal conflict. The reason was that some players believed the head coach was playing favorites and favoring a certain faction.

Li Luo had casually browsed some related news lately, so he asked curiously, "If you made the Belgium National Team, which faction would you choose?"

Malanda scratched his head. "I can't choose. I was born in Brussels—the Flemish faction thinks I'm from the south, while the Walloon faction thinks I'm from the north..."

"I'm Black. My ancestors immigrated to Belgium long ago. Those African teammates of Congolese descent don't really talk to me because I don't eat African food."

"..."

Li Luo thought for a moment and said, "From another perspective, you can fit into any faction!"

Everyone burst out laughing.

De Bruyne could not help laughing as well. "Li, you're right. I really like Malanda."

Arnold said, "At this moment, it feels like something's missing."

"We're missing that boastful Arsenal Emperor!"

"If that guy were here, he'd definitely say we only won because of him. Hahaha."

Great Britain.

Wolfsburg sporting director Allofs had finally bailed Bendtner out.

A fierce wind swept up the fallen leaves.

A newspaper lifted from the ground, fluttered through the air several times, then slapped tightly against a utility pole.

Bendtner, still bleary-eyed, yawned. "Without me, the team definitely would've lost."

"Dost may be a better finisher than me, but he has no chemistry with Li in training."

"Sigh."

"I have to take responsibility for this. Without me, the team might not have even scored."

"..."

Allofs and the staff stared at the Arsenal Emperor as if he were an idiot.

"We scored four goals."

"We won?"

"We won."

Cheshire.

A quiet restaurant in Hale Village.

The fireplace glowed faintly red.

After watching the entire match, Ferguson nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad."

"Bundesliga teams have had a very distinct style in recent years, one that suits young players' development..."

Jack hurriedly agreed. "Right. Carvajal and Kroos both developed at Leverkusen and put up some impressive numbers."

"The Wolfsburg players all have plenty of potential."

"They read the game very well. They always... pass the ball to Li."

"I'm looking forward to Li's return more and more."

Chinese fans were happy.

They woke up on weekend mornings, watched Li Luo's brilliant match highlights, and welcomed another beautiful day.

<Two goals in one half, Chinese youngster shines in North Rhine.>

Elegant Dragonfly Skimming.

Super Marseille Turn.

<Hecking's divine substitution, bringing on Li Luo to turn the tide.>

<Leverkusen sporting director Völler: Li Luo has set a benchmark in Europe's top five leagues. I'll pay more attention to outstanding Chinese players like him.>

<Korean media: Son Heung-min and Li Luo are equally outstanding. Statistics cannot represent everything; different teams have different tactical priorities.>

<Japanese media: Fighting spirit blazing fiercely in adversity! The Great Demon King Li Luo came off the bench and dominated the match, his blade pointed at the throne! Where will Wolfsburg's journey end? The ambitions of the peerless master coach Hecking!>

The number of comments, likes, and shares kept skyrocketing.

-[That sequence of dribbles to escape pressure was so handsome!]

-[Elegant.]

-[Li Luo's Marseille Turn perfectly calculated the defenders' positioning and distance... He was almost dispossessed. That was right on the limit—his level is so high.]

-[Leverkusen are insanely strong. They nearly forced Luo to use his full strength.]

-[Wolfsburg jerseys have sold out... Incredible.]

-[I've noticed a pattern: whenever Li Luo plays, there are always plenty of goals.]

-[In the upcoming Europa League, will they beat up Inter Milan too?]