BayArena fell into a brief silence.
The Wolfsburg fans in the away stand were the first to erupt in cheers.
Then—
The home fans of the Pharmaceutical Factory could only sigh helplessly.
"Li Luo!"
"He scored!"
"A brace!"
"What a brilliant goal!"
"With very little time left, he finished with one kick inside the box and helped Wolfsburg take the lead!"
"The assist came from De Bruyne."
"What an end-to-end spectacle."
"A goal fest between Leverkusen and Wolfsburg."
"This match tonight... the score has defied everyone's expectations. There have already been seven goals."
Li Luo climbed off Bellarabi and sprinted toward the Corner Flag Area, pumping his fist in celebration.
His Wolfsburg teammates rushed after him.
In the livestream.
-[Thank you, Li Luo. I finally made it out with 7+. I'm never touching this stuff again.]
-[Manchester United made me lose so many fun beans. I won it all back in one Bundesliga match.]
-[A positional attack—was that goal worked through them? 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. Receive a genius midfielder.]
-[Golden Legend—Li Luo!]
-[How many goals has my Luo scored in the Bundesliga now?]
-[Why did De Bruyne put points into ground penetration on his talent tree? He's in a muscle-building phase. His future path is long-range guidance 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 one goal ahead.
What a thrilling attacking battle!
On the other side.
Schmidt murmured in disbelief, "Impossible. How could one Li change the entire battle?"
Dino took a deep breath and said calmly, "There's still time. We haven't lost yet."
At the Corner Flag Area.
Li Luo stepped onto the advertising board, greeted by the wild applause and cheers of the Wolfsburg supporters.
[Shock Value +1!] [Shock Value +1!] [...]
The track at BayArena was very wide.
A photographer crouched on the ground.
He chose an extremely low upward angle. The camera seemed to grow out of the ground, pushing Li Luo's back, arms spread wide, to the peak of the frame.
The team flags rolling in the night wind, raised banners, shaking wolf-head emblems, face after face brimming with excitement and joy, and the tide-like roar of the crowd... all of it seemed to be gathered into the arms of the Chinese youngster.
Malanda looked worshipful. "Li, that was so cool."
De Bruyne clenched his fists, his cheeks flushed. With Li this season, how many trophies would Wolfsburg win?
Someone suddenly reminded them, "There are only a few minutes left. Stay focused and don't make any stupid mistakes."
"That's right, especially those of you already on a card."
Gustavo calmly offered his advice, then continued jumping around in celebration.
In the VIP box.
The Bayer executives looked increasingly envious.
"Why don't we have a midfielder like that?"
"We have Çalhanoğlu!"
"It's a different kind of presence."
"Çalhanoğlu betrayed his former club before. He doesn't leave a good impression on the public, 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 their positions.
"Why didn't Wolfsburg celebrate a little longer? Bundesliga referees are lazy—they clock off as soon as stoppage time is up..."
"Still, Bundesliga fourth officials are very precise. They time everything carefully. If you waste time, the added time they give later will be longer too."
"Just kidding."
"Will there be another goal?"
The commentator's voice carried both anticipation and anxiety.
Both teams were almost completely out of energy.
Director Zhang was equally worried. He feared the Leverkusen players' movements would become uncontrolled and cause Li Luo to get injured.
In the little time that remained.
Leverkusen's attacking players refused to give up on the match.
Japanese television was so moved by their perseverance that it nearly cut to some childhood flashback segment.
The South Korean fans, meanwhile, were furious and kept complaining about Son Heung-min.
The ball moved rapidly across the green pitch.
Some people 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, took out his foam spray, and marked a "U" at the spot of the foul.
"There's nothing they can do. When defenders run out of stamina, their movements become distorted."
"Leverkusen's final chance."
"Çalhanoğlu."
"Based on the data from the past 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 turn over his cards.
Dino covered his eyes.
Leverkusen's team song echoed around BayArena.
"Bayer, Bayer 04, we stand by you!"
Both sides braced themselves.
Wolfsburg goalkeeper Benaglio carefully directed the wall.
Li Luo was placed behind the wall... lying flat on the ground.
The purpose was to guard against a low-driven shot.
"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-piece data before the match. When Çalhanoğlu takes a free kick within thirty meters of goal, there's a ninety-percent chance he'll shoot himself rather than lay it off to a teammate."
At that moment.
Of the tens of thousands of people in the stadium, Li Luo was probably the only one who could not see how the free kick was taken.
He did not care much about it.
The night wind brushed over the grass and lightly caressed his cheeks.
His heart grew calmer and calmer.
In his field of vision.
Something black skimmed over the crossbar and flew into the stands.
Then he heard wave after wave of disappointed sighs.
Along with the cheers of his Wolfsburg teammates.
Beep! Beep-beep!
The referee blew the final whistle.
Leverkusen 3:4 Wolfsburg.
"Congratulations to Wolfsburg!"
"Two goals down at halftime, and they completed an incredible comeback!"
"What a gripping, dramatic clash."
"Most of the players from both sides fought until they were 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 commentator and Director Zhang continued reviewing the match statistics and tactical details.
The viewers immediately left the livestream and moved to football forums and video sites. The more capable fans had already started editing highlight reels.
Çalhanoğlu sat slumped on the grass, 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 can make the whole team 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 still did not know how to give polite answers. "No, no, no. The Asian Cup is different!"
"The Asian Cup, if the South Korea National Team gets a chance to face the China National Team..."
"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 melancholy.
"We could have won this match, but unfortunately, we missed too many chances."
"Çalhanoğlu's performance was not a major problem. It was simply that the other side had two genius midfielders like Li Luo and De Bruyne."
"Goals bring fans unparalleled pleasure. That is also the charm of football."
"Leverkusen will not deliberately change our style. We will continue pressing and attacking in future matches. We were only a little unlucky tonight."
A moment later.
Hecking entered the hall with a glowing face, Striding Like a Meteor.
Camera flashes went off without pause.
The reporters rushed to ask questions.
"Don't rush. One at a time."
"The match looked dangerous, but I was calm the whole time."
"A magical substitution? Oh, I merely sent Li on."
"Strikerless 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 renowned manager. Of course, Li Luo was good enough.
BayArena gradually quieted down.
After Li Luo thanked the fans with his teammates, he 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 collected: 135482]
[Spend 100,000 Shock Value to exchange for a Bundesliga Stars Blind Box?]
[Exchanging...]
Rumble!
A giant card rose before him in that familiar fashion!
A figure slowly emerged from within the card.
[Blind box opening...]
[A gifted young man who emerged from Oria Valley.]
[One of the protagonists of the Istanbul Miracle, sharing a world-shaking kiss with Gerrard.]
[The backbone of the Invincible Armada.]
A figure raising an arm and swinging a leg slowly appeared.
[Congratulations, you have obtained: Alonso's "Inward-Curling Arc" module.]
[Additional attribute increases: Passing +5! Curve +5!]
The back of Li Luo's head tingled slightly.
Countless fragments of memory surfaced in his mind...
"An inward-curling long pass could actually... tear apart the opponent's defensive line by changing direction after landing?"
"Absolutely breathtaking."
A divine skill!
Combined with Spatial Awareness, this module was definitely a divine skill for a midfielder.
It was highly entertaining too. It would definitely bring in plenty of Shock Value.
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 could not influence his emotions.
Li Luo did not like being overly intimate with men.
He pulled his phone from his backpack and pressed the power button. Beep beep beep... a barrage of notifications sounded.
Looking closely.
They were all congratulatory messages from Lauren and Lei.
He had to stay disciplined.
He could not 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 when we meet."
They did not linger in Leverkusen for long.
The entire Wolfsburg squad took the bus back to Lower Saxony overnight.
Their spirited team song echoed along the quiet country road.
Malanda suddenly said, "Li, being your teammate is too wonderful. I get win bonuses too. I once thought I would never become a regular at the club, and I haven't even made it into the Belgium National Team."
It was a long story. The Belgium National Team had lingering historical issues, stemming from the north-south divide that had existed since 1830.
A few months ago, during the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Belgium had also suffered internal conflict. The reason was that some players believed the head coach was biased toward a particular faction.
Li Luo had casually browsed related news recently, 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 think I'm from the south, while the Walloons think I'm from the north..."
"I'm Black. My ancestors immigrated to Belgium long ago. Those African teammates of Congolese descent don't like talking to me because I don't eat African food."
"..."
Li Luo thought for a moment and said, "Look at it another way—you can fit into any faction!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Even De Bruyne could not help laughing. "Li, you're right. I really like Malanda."
Arnold said, "At this moment, it feels like something's missing."
"That boastful Arsenal Emperor is missing!"
"If that guy were here, he'd definitely say we only won because of him, haha."
Great Britain.
Wolfsburg director Allofs had finally bailed Bendtner out.
The fierce wind swept up fallen leaves.
A newspaper lifted off the ground, tumbled through the air a few times, then slapped tightly against a utility pole.
Bleary-eyed, Bendtner yawned. "Without me, the team definitely lost."
"That Dost guy 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 even have scored."
"..."
Allofs and the staff looked at the Arsenal Emperor as though he were an idiot.
"We scored four goals."
"We won?"
"We won."
Cheshire.
Inside a quiet restaurant in Hale Village.
The fireplace gave off a faint red glow.
After watching the entire match, Ferguson nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad."
"Bundesliga teams have developed a very distinct style in recent years. It's suitable for young players' growth..."
Jack hurriedly agreed. "Right. Carvajal and Kroos both developed at Leverkusen and put up good 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 fortunate.
They woke up on weekend mornings, watched Li Luo's brilliant match highlights, and welcomed a beautiful day.
<Two goals in one half, Chinese youngster shines in North Rhine.>
Elegant Dragonfly Skimming.
Super Marseille Turn.
<Hecking's godly move, bringing on Li Luo to turn the tide.>
<Leverkusen director Völler: Li Luo has set a benchmark in Europe's top five leagues. I will 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 amid adversity! Demon King Li Luo came off the bench to dominate the match, his sword pointed at the throne! Where will Wolfsburg's journey end? The ambitions of the peerless manager Hecking!>
The number of comments, likes, and shares kept soaring.
-[Those consecutive escapes were so handsome!]
-[Elegant.]
-[Li Luo's Marseille Turn perfectly calculated the defenders' positional distance... He was just a little short of being dispossessed. That was the absolute limit. His level is so high.]
-[Leverkusen were seriously strong. They nearly forced Luo to use his full strength.]
-[Wolfsburg shirts have completely 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?]
Before you continue