Chapter 13: The Shock Factor Continues to Rise! (Part Two)
On the stands, scouts were furiously jotting down notes. Each organization had its own criteria, yet all awarded the young prodigy from China the highest marks. Representatives from various prestigious clubs and agencies alike were showering Li Luo with waves of astonishment points.
“He doesn’t rely solely on physical prowess and footwork to showcase his talent; he possesses the mind of a commander.”
“If my agency could sign Li... I’d surely propel him into the ranks of elite clubs!”
“Hmm? What nonsense? He’s already a genius from a top-tier academy.”
“Is Manchester United still considered elite? They didn’t even make the Champions League this season, while Wolfsburg are playing in the Europa League.”
“Hey, watch your tongue! I’m a United fan here.”
Laughter echoed among them.
That said, many agencies gradually abandoned their hopes of acquiring Li Luo. The cornerstone of Manchester United’s resurgence was not for sale.
***
During a dead-ball phase, Li Luo turned to Bender and said, “When I drop back to our half, you push forward to hold their last defensive line.”
The Arsenal star nodded. “Got it. When you retreat, I’ll press up front, stretching Frankfurt’s two defensive lines vertically.”
Li Luo smiled. “Exactly.”
Though he wasn’t entirely versed in tactics, his spatial awareness module had constructed a constantly shifting geometric model in his mind. Watching it, like solving a math problem, he discerned how to resolve the team’s predicament.
***
On the sidelines, Wolfsburg’s coach and staff huddled in discussion.
“Damn it, the strategic issues are unsolvable; the opponents have studied us thoroughly.”
“De Bruyne is tightly marked.”
“No worries. As always, our overall strength far surpasses theirs. If the players perform well, a flash of brilliance will solve the problems.”
“Like Li just now—he almost orchestrated a goal.”
“Bender wasted that chance. We need to reconsider our frontline for the next match.”
Coach Black Gold was very satisfied with Li Luo’s performance—far beyond expectations.
Nearby, Frankfurt’s head coach, Old Sha, remained composed, rarely showing exaggerated expressions caught by the media. When he led Bremen to the Bundesliga double crown years ago, he calmly walked away, silently watching the celebrating crowd.
“Unless Wolfsburg has a young version of Beckenbauer on the pitch, there’s no strategic solution.”
Decades ago, as a schoolboy, Old Sha witnessed the 1974 World Cup final: Beckenbauer, with a bandaged arm, identified the weaknesses of the total football system. Commanding the defense, filling gaps, and initiating attacks, he led the German team to crush the Dutch tulip army.
***
The match resumed.
“Frankfurt’s offense is fierce!”
“The midfielders and forwards are flowing smoothly, widening the attacking front.”
“Oh no, Takashi Inui is too frail; the ball’s stolen by Grillitsch!”
“Can Wolfsburg launch a counterattack?”
“Hm? Grillitsch still passes back to the center-backs... letting them build from the back.”
“Hehe, Frankfurt immediately counter-presses!”
“What chaos.”
Grillitsch didn’t think he’d made a mistake. Trained at Saint-Étienne’s academy, regarded as a prodigy with superior physique and skills, all his coaches told him: the future tactical trend would see the build-up points progressively retreat—from defensive midfield to defenders, then to the goalkeeper.
This theory was sound.
But after joining the Whites, he suffered a heavy blow.
Before being loaned to Wolfsburg, Atlético Madrid’s coach Simeone earnestly advised him, “You’re talented; don’t fear mistakes or responsibility. Don’t be rigid. You’ll become an excellent midfielder.”
The ball swiftly passed among the green jerseys and returned to Grillitsch’s feet.
He noticed the Chinese youngster dropping back, signaling for the ball.
Without overthinking, he flicked the ball forward.
***
“Li Luo’s timing of dropping back is excellent.”
“In the animated series Captain Tsubasa, dropping back solves all problems—a high-level play. But reality is different; without a teammate pressing the front line, random dropping back is useless. For example, Götze occasionally makes this mistake.”
“A light touch.”
“One pass.”
“Elegant.”
Hasebe and Inui attempted to press but missed.
What?
The two Japanese players quickly repositioned, alarmed to see that after Li Luo passed, he didn’t freeze in place but continued running.
At the moment De Bruyne received the ball, he saw that the vertical distance between Frankfurt’s two defensive lines had been stretched by Bender and Li Luo.
Snap.
Breaking free from the Frankfurt players’ clutches, the Belgian midfielder passed the ball back to the Chinese prodigy.
***
“Beautiful!”
“Li Luo once again demonstrates exceptional football intelligence. Through movement and a single pass, he formed two triangles linking himself, Grillitsch, and De Bruyne.”
“The first triangle is a right triangle.”
“The second is an acute triangle.”
“The shape depends entirely on Li Luo’s runs and passes.”
“A brilliantly gifted young midfielder.”
Commentators and Coach Zhang were so excited they stumbled over their words.
On screen, Li Luo slipped into the wide space between Frankfurt’s two lines.
De Bruyne’s pass was a masterpiece.
***
The Frankfurt defensive line began to distort and warp in his vision.
The instant Li Luo touched the ball, he delivered another pass—this time a lobbed through ball.
Without looking back, the ball floated above heads, tracing a delicate arc in the air.
Bender powerfully shrugged off the opposing defender; while Premier League defenders could overwhelm him, the Frankfurt defenders of this era were no match.
“One-on-one!”
The Volksparkstadion erupted in successive waves of cheers.
***
The ball landed near the 14-yard box.
Frankfurt’s goalkeeper rushed out swiftly.
However, the drifting ball bounced irregularly upon landing...
The keeper was baffled: ‘What’s this? Such a top-tier pass concept from a Manchester United prodigy, yet the quality is so poor?’
A misjudgment ensued.
The consequences were painful.
Bender, arriving moments later, stopped the ball, took a step to the side, swung his arm and leg—
Smack.
The ball rolled along the grass into the net.
1-0!!!
The entire stadium surged with excitement.
***
Li Luo felt a strange mix of emotions.
Spotlights shone upon him.
The riverside breeze gently caressed his sweat-soaked jersey and hair.
The swelling cheers couldn’t drown the fresh scent of the turf.
‘I assisted.’
‘It wasn’t just luck.’
‘I’m playing right.’
Snapping back to reality, he turned to his approaching teammates, smiling with arms wide open.
Grillitsch exclaimed excitedly, “I knew you’d drop back to link the play!”
De Bruyne flicked some grass from the Chinese youngster’s shoulder, his voice tinged with emotion: “Li, well done.”
From afar, Bender ended his celebration, pulled up his shorts, and ran back eagerly. “Li, you’re too smart. From now on, we’ll split the goal bonuses!”
[Shock Points Earned: 84,697]
[Shock Points +1]
[Shock Points +1]
The numbers soared.
Li Luo realized that over thirty thousand spectators were contributing so many shock points.
Was it because of his earlier performances?
Indeed, Wolfsburg’s fans didn’t know their own player and kept piling on the shock points.
Could he accumulate 100,000 points by the end of the match to redeem a star player blind box?
***
“The ball’s in!”
“Bender didn’t disappoint Li Luo’s lobbed pass—he scored immediately, breaking the deadlock.”
“Perfect connection.”
“Wolfsburg takes the lead.”
“The young Chinese talent Li Luo provides an assist in his Bundesliga debut.”
“Not only that, he cleverly linked midfield and attack, orchestrating the offense and tearing apart Frankfurt’s defense.”
“I firmly believe Li Luo will establish himself in the Bundesliga and become the pride of Chinese football.”
The commentator was deeply moved.
Coach Zhang muttered continuously about vertical spacing, shifting triangles, positional blurring, changing build-up points to break high press—interspersed with praise for Li Luo’s intelligence.
***
In the live broadcast chatroom:
- “Wolfsburg’s transition from press break to counterattack to goal, Li Luo only touched the ball twice.”
- “Breaking the deadlock at crunch time, controlling everything, simplifying complexity... Li Luo isn’t a technician; he’s a designer!”
- “This style... was he trained at Manchester United? I feel it’s more like the La Masia or Arsenal academy styles.”
- “Don’t say that—Li Luo probably hasn’t fully shown his style yet.”
- “When he dropped back, he gestured to Bender to press forward and also signaled to the Wolfsburg midfielders for the ball. The opposing Japanese defensive midfielder followed, and Inui pressed too... a continuous pass, football is truly a spatial game.”
- “De Bruyne’s great—selfless play.”
- “Bender’s shooting is mostly reliable, as long as he doesn’t meet formidable center-backs.”
***
In the coaching area, Black Gold raised both fists excitedly.
The assistant coaches embraced in excitement.
“One-goal lead—that’s manageable. Their overall strength isn’t our match.”
“They’ll become passive.”
“Boss, let Li drop back to assist the buildup, help the defense establish the attack.”
Wolfsburg’s head coach frowned. “Nonsense. Let Li play according to his own ideas!”
On the other side, Frankfurt’s coach Old Sha remained calm despite inner turmoil. Over decades in football, he had seen countless talents, but most excelled in physicality and technique.
Talents like Li Luo, with exceptional awareness, game reading, vision, flexible positioning, macro strategy, and problem-solving skills, were rare.
Each pass and run seemed the optimal choice calculated by a computer.
***
In the VIP suite, Volkswagen Group executives were overjoyed.
Luck had smiled upon them.
Manchester United loaning Li Luo to Wolfsburg was a godsend.
“Draft a supplementary agreement to increase Li’s bonuses.”
“A tiered bonus system.”
“Deploy more security around his home—no harassment.”
“His style of play is so captivating.”
“Too bad he can’t stay at Wolfsburg; the loan ends, and he must return to Manchester United.”
***
The match restarted at midfield.
Frankfurt’s players were undeterred, their morale soaring rather than diminished by the deficit.
“Keep pushing.”
“Last season, Frankfurt ranked sixth from bottom in the Bundesliga, scoring 40 and conceding 57 in 34 matches. They must strive harder this season, or risk relegation.”
“Years ago, we had a Chinese player at this club who performed brilliantly!”
“Wolfsburg are steady. After taking the lead, they’ve begun low defensive blocks.”
“Li Luo is involved in deep defending.”
“So confident, even occasionally raising his hand to remind teammates...”
“Many Asian players in Europe’s top leagues lack this confidence due to cultural differences.”
***
Frankfurt’s coach Old Sha made several tactical adjustments but faced a wall.
Their players’ overall quality was inferior; trailing by one and on the back foot, no tactical changes could break through.
Even restricting build-up points in defense was futile.
Because Frankfurt was on the attack, Wolfsburg chose to sit back and counter.
Gradually, Frankfurt’s staff frowned, studying Li Luo’s positioning. “This guy has such strong defensive awareness. His vision is terrifying—as if he can oversee the entire pitch.”
***
Time ticked by.
Wolfsburg remained resilient.
Like an armored wolf, quietly guarding the goal, occasionally lifting his head to snap at opponents.
During the low block phase, most Wolfsburg players had few touches.
Everyone was equal in this.
Li Luo, aided by his spatial awareness module, actively covered defensively. Though his defensive and tackling stats were only 40, he provided crucial support.
Shock points continued accumulating, though the rate slowed.
[Shock Points Earned: 94,697]
Just over five thousand short.
***
On CTV5’s live broadcast, Bundesliga’s real-time data amazed commentators and Coach Zhang.
“Li Luo’s running distance is impressive, the highest in Wolfsburg!”
“Such stamina.”
“Good physique, moderate size, conserving energy.”
“His defensive running proportion is high, comparable to some Eastern European midfielders, like Real Madrid’s Modrić or Sevilla’s Rakitić...”
***
In the 67th minute, the fourth official raised the LED substitution board at the midfield line.
“Wolfsburg use their second substitution.”
“Youth academy prince Arnold replaces Li Luo.”
“Black Gold’s adjustment is reasonable—not overusing young players to prevent burnout. Wolfsburg face multiple competitions this season: German Cup, Europa League, Bundesliga.”
The LED screens replayed Li Luo’s brilliant moments.
The stadium stands filled with Wolfsburg fans rising in unison.
Volksparkstadion was instantly drowned in thunderous applause.
Many shouted the Chinese youngster’s name excitedly.
“Li Luo!!!”
“Li Luo!!!”
“Li Luo!!!”
Though on loan, many believed Li Luo could help Wolfsburg achieve better results this season.
***
[Shock Points +1]
[Shock Points +1]
[Shock Points +1]
[...]
The numbers surged wildly; shock points kept climbing!
Is this even possible?
Li Luo and Arnold exchanged a simple embrace, approached the sideline to hug Black Gold, were affectionately tousled by the assistant coaches, then exchanged high-fives with teammates.
He sat back on the bench, took water and towel from the staff.
Feeling fatigued, he silently reflected: too much energy wasted on defense; next match, manage stamina better.
Glancing at his system panel, he was astonished to see: [Shock Points Earned: 112,648]
An enormous leap—enough to redeem a star player blind box!
***
On the green field, as time passed, most players’ stamina waned; the match entered the phase fans affectionately called the “fun time.”
Finally—
Beep! Beep beep~
The referee blew the final whistle.
Wolfsburg 3:2 Frankfurt.