If It Wasn't Science, It Had to Be Theology

Milan lost 1–2 at home to Messina without their key player, Huang Kaiwen.

Huang Kaiwen's injury left Ancelotti both relieved and worried.

It was a mild ankle sprain, and he'd recover in about a week.

But even after the team's two miracle doctors examined him, they still concluded that Huang Kaiwen was perfectly healthy, with no lingering issues from his previous injuries.

That left Ancelotti feeling uncertain.

If he was healthy and had no lingering problems, why did he get injured as soon as he stepped onto the pitch?

Huang Kaiwen had figured it out himself. Because of [Fragility Change], his chance of getting injured in that previous UEFA Champions League match had been practically guaranteed. He'd only escaped injury thanks to the [Injury Immunity Card]. Once the card wore off, he got injured as soon as he played again.

Four days later, Milan beat Lazio 2–1 away, and Huang Kaiwen had already begun training again.

It was only indoors, though. The Team Doctor still wasn't comfortable letting him join ball drills.

On September 29, Milan returned home and beat their second Champions League group-stage opponents, Celtic, 3–1.

After the match, Kaka made a point of visiting Huang Kaiwen at home.

"Hey, buddy, hadn't I already returned to the team?"

Huang Kaiwen took out a bottle of mineral water, tossed it across the sofa to Kaka, and asked.

"Well, I should come by and visit you. It's only polite."

Watching Kaka expertly hook up the PS2 to the TV, Huang Kaiwen felt that his friend's words weren't entirely sincere.

You came to visit me? You really came to play games with me.

Once they sat down, Huang Kaiwen immediately picked Brazil National Team, and Kaka let out another groan.

In Winning Eleven 8, few teams could beat Brazil National Team.

Most teams had one or two overpowered players, but almost every player on Brazil National Team was overpowered. Unless you brought out one of the classic teams, no one could match them.

"Kaiwen, can't you pick a team other than Brazil National Team? I'm the one who plays for them."

"I'm a Brazil National Team fan. Do you want me to defect?"

Kaka looked at Huang Kaiwen helplessly. It was a pretty airtight argument. As a Brazilian star, he couldn't exactly ask a Brazil National Team fan to support another country's team, could he?

"Fine, then let's use club teams."

Huang Kaiwen canceled his selection, quickly scrolled to AC Milan, and confirmed.

Once again, Milan faced Real Madrid.

Kaka suffered another defeat on the virtual pitch. AC Milan was just too strong.

After a few more rounds, Kaka lost far more often than he won. In the end, he went home so frustrated that he didn't even stay for dinner.

At dawn on October 1, the system shop refreshed again.

[Lucky Necklace] 50 Fate Points, [Curveball Mastery] 500 points, [Maradona Template] 10,000 points, [24-Hour Injury Immunity Card] 20 points, [24-Hour Luck Potion] 20 points.

Seeing the newly stocked items, Huang Kaiwen suddenly thought of something.

Even if his chance of getting injured was practically guaranteed, there had to be some infinitesimal chance that he wouldn't get hurt on the pitch.

If he were lucky enough, could every touch and every challenge fall within that tiny chance, allowing him to stay injury-free?

Maybe if he bought the Lucky Necklace and used the Luck Potion, he could avoid getting hurt.

No sooner had he thought of it than he acted.

He had 93.5 Fate Points left, and he spent 90 of them in one go.

Besides buying the usual [Injury Immunity Card], he also picked up the two luck-boosting items.

Looking at the designs of the [Lucky Necklace] and [24-Hour Luck Potion], Huang Kaiwen couldn't help grumbling. Weren't those a White Tiger Tooth Necklace and Blessing Oil?

Was the [24-Hour Luck Potion] meant to be rubbed on his boots?

Whatever.

The next day, Huang Kaiwen returned to the team and spent the entire morning at Milan Lab.

After carefully checking all his results, Gianni Nanni remarked, "You've completely recovered. You don't even have minor problems like cavities. I find your body very strange. You shouldn't be getting injured so easily."

Huang Kaiwen started sweating.

He knew he shouldn't be getting injured so easily, but who could he complain to?

He'd been afraid people would question this, and now his worst fear had come true. He had no way to explain it.

He had to come up with a reasonable explanation, didn't he?

"Yes, it's very strange. I almost started doubting everything I've learned. What's happening to you makes no sense scientifically," Lieven Maesschalck added.

That was it!

Hearing Lieven Maesschalck's words, Huang Kaiwen suddenly had an idea.

If it wasn't science, then it had to be theology.

Didn't they say that theology was where science ultimately led?

There had to be a reason for Huang Kaiwen's unscientific injuries.

That evening, Huang Kaiwen returned home with a heavy heart and immediately shut himself in his study to write and sketch.

Thanks to the Team Doctor's words earlier that day, Huang Kaiwen had finally found a reasonable explanation for his injuries.

Mysticism had plenty of followers in Europe.

The European football world was pretty superstitious, too.

At the 2002 World Cup, Nigeria National Team drew up a whole plan for performing witchcraft. Before the 1998 World Cup final, Jacquet had poured rooster's blood over his own head, and then Brazil National Team put in a lackluster performance.

Before Switzerland's group-stage match against England at the 2004 European Championship, several Swiss newspapers and magazines published posters of Beckham, along with instructions on how to cast a curse: Stick a poster on the wall, drive a thumbtack into Beckham's foot in the picture, and silently repeat, "May your legs fail you, may your legs fail you..."

Then there was the story Huang Kaiwen knew all too well: Bogba's revelation that Pogba had hired a witch doctor to curse Mbappe. Benfica had hired a witch doctor to help them win the title, and England manager Hoddle had asked a witch doctor to perform a ritual.

Clearly, all this supernatural nonsense had a pretty big following in Europe.

Huang Kaiwen made sure to wear gloves and write with his left hand. Then he put the "tip-off letter" in an envelope and called for his old butler, Albert.

"Albert! Find a way to get this letter to an editor at La Gazzetta dello Sport, and make sure they publish it in tomorrow's paper."

"Of course, sir."

The Mediterranean-looking butler bowed, then turned to leave.

"Wait..."

"Is there anything else, sir?"

"Think of a way to keep them from linking this to me. Just have someone deliver the letter. Once they see what's in it, they'll definitely publish it. It might even make the front page. Oh, and don't tell Barbara."

"Of course, sir. Leave it to me."

Albert turned and left.

Huang Kaiwen leaned back slightly and gazed at the ceiling.

This should do it.

He needed some explanation for always getting injured.

So Huang Kaiwen would give Milan's fans one.

The Team Doctor had already said there was nothing wrong with his body, and that his injuries left no lingering problems. None of the signs made any scientific sense.

That meant someone had hired a witch to curse him behind the scenes.

And whoever was behind it had to be one of Milan's rivals.

When it came to finding someone to pin the blame on, the first team Huang Kaiwen thought of was Inter Milan.

Milan had a genius, and Inter Milan wanted to destroy that genius. That made perfect sense, didn't it?