Chapter 14: What? This Is the Reward!
More than twenty thousand Wolfsburg fans lingered long after the final whistle.
The smoke grenades left unused at kickoff now detonated one by one along the edge of the stands, billowing thick clouds of smoke.
Green team flags fluttered in the breeze.
The camera slowly pulled away, revealing fireworks bursting brilliantly along the banks of the Mittelland Canal.
The Volkswagen Arena began playing music as the DJ shouted loudly, “A brand-new season! Let’s forget the unpleasant loss to Bayern Munich in the opening round. Next up...”
Countless green confetti rained down from the stands.
Li Luo and his teammates bowed together in gratitude to the home crowd.
The assistant coach followed behind, clutching a small tactical board as he reviewed the game.
“Li, how did you know to stretch the opponent’s lines apart and then drop back to provide a receiving point for teammates from the back? You dismantled Frankfurt’s targeted strategy.”
“I saw it,” Li Luo replied innocently. “You all saw it too.”
Laughter erupted among the group.
No one realized that the Chinese youth, thanks to his ‘legendary’ spatial perception module, was seeing a geometric model controlling the entire field’s dynamic information—something others simply could not perceive.
The assistant coach raised a finger, pointing at Gylavogui. “Hmm, our solution is to sub this guy off.”
Gylavogui awkwardly scratched his black scalp. “It’s not my fault, the other side was just too cunning. Luckily, Li is smarter.”
De Bruyne smiled quietly, saying nothing. After the first Bundesliga match, he admired Li Luo’s quick thinking on the pitch even more.
...
Back in the locker room.
Li Luo showered, changed, and slung his backpack over his shoulder.
He planned to go home, finish his match summary, then quietly open his blind box.
He needed to calm down and focus on himself.
Shakespeare once said: A man’s value is determined in the instant he faces temptation.
Impossible.
Li Luo, still eighteen in both his lives, couldn’t possibly wait until he got home.
Deep blue, power up!
[Spend 100,000 Shock Points to redeem Bundesliga star blind box?]
[Redemption in progress.]
Boom!
A giant card suddenly stood upright before him!
[Opening blind box...]
Before Li Luo’s eyes, the entire locker room was engulfed in white mist.
...
On the card, a figure slowly materialized.
[Does this kid even know how to play football? How did he get into the German national team? Controls the ball three meters away, passes out of bounds, can’t dribble, awkward movements, unscientific posture. What? He won the World Cup Golden Boot?]
[Tragic opener.]
[No matter how awkward the style, he scores goals.]
[Super wingman? A non-typical finisher.]
[At Bayern Munich, you can even play football.]
Finally.
A black figure hunched in a hunting stance appeared.
[Congratulations! You have obtained: Bayern’s Thomas Müller “False Positioning” Module.]
[Shooting attribute corrected: 46 → 60!]
[Controlling rhythm, switching between offense and set defense require intelligent positioning, while positional attacks... require ‘unreasonable’ false positioning!]
Thomas Müller?
Why does he always get Bayern player modules?
Without overthinking, Li Luo felt a little excited.
His shooting attribute had been corrected to 60 points—far above the current level of the national team.
As for the effect after triggering the module?
The system didn’t specify; it would likely manifest during positional battles in matches.
One could imagine: during positional attacks, Li Luo equipped with the spatial perception module, precise passing, false positioning, plus 98 points in heading...
...
Meanwhile.
Wolfsburg’s head coach, Hei Jin, was heading to the post-match press conference hall.
In the corridor, he ran into Hans, a senior executive from Volkswagen Group, who smiled and congratulated him, “Well done, our wise coach! You’ve successfully integrated Li into Wolfsburg’s tactical system. Tonight he earned an assist and shone brilliantly!”
Hei Jin’s face flushed. “Uh... yes, yes.”
Hans frowned and continued, “The tactical system can be adjusted. The club should let Li score more goals. You should have that big striker create more chances for him.”
What?
Wolfsburg’s coach was speechless.
An amateur coaching a pro team was bound to cause trouble.
The clueless Volkswagen executive treated the Bundesliga team like a sieve. Those so-called third-tier players from other leagues barely score against Bundesliga teams in the Champions League.
“We really want to see Li score a few more goals. The young ladies from the Porsche and Piëch families adore his elegant style—commanding the whole field, one-touch passes, simply amazing.”
“Alright, Mr. Hans. The coaching and technical teams will study your suggestions.”
Hei Jin forced a smile.
Hans laughed heartily, patting Hei Jin on the shoulder, “Don’t worry, it’s just a suggestion with commercial interests. The group never interferes with club personnel decisions.”
...
Post-match press conference.
Frankfurt’s head coach, Thomas Schaaf, remained calm.
No signs of frustration after the loss.
No bitterness.
He spoke softly, “It’s my fault. I didn’t study Wolfsburg’s starting lineup thoroughly enough today.”
“Every few seasons, something like this happens—a mysterious young prodigy debuts and dominates, but gradually... every club studies and figures him out, and eventually, he becomes average.”
“Football is cruel.”
“The true genius is the one who breaks through.”
Thunderous applause filled the room.
Journalists loved a great coach who spoke philosophically even in defeat.
Many fans couldn’t stand commentators who always served up ‘Maupassant’ inspirational quotes. After all... Maupassant led a chaotic private life, suffered from syphilis, and irresponsibly spread it to others. Such ‘inspiration’ was toxic.
...
News headlines soon followed.
“Korean media: Li Luo refused to exchange jerseys with Makoto Hasebe after the match; he looks down on the Japanese.”
“Japanese media: Gave it his all but still failed? Is this the end? As underdogs, Hasebe and Inui have no right to exchange jerseys! Rising Asian star, keep shining, Li Luo!”
“Ten-thousand-word analysis: Why the match result shifted from 1-0 to 3-2 after Li Luo was subbed off.”
“Bundesliga debut as Wolfsburg’s midfield brain; frame-by-frame analysis of Li Luo’s movement and touches in 67 minutes.”
“Battle of great coaches: How Hei Jin perfectly countered Schaaf’s tactics.”
“Wolfsburg 3, Frankfurt 2—Chinese youngster Li Luo records an assist.”
Comments and shares surged nonstop.
- “Woke up and the big game is alive, haha!”
- “Li Luo’s style in the highlights is even cooler—masterly, midfield commander.”
- “Did Korean media even think before speaking? Haha, I like Li Luo even more now.”
- “Li Luo is a system player; he embodies the system.”
- “A haloed hero who boosts the team’s overall strength. Next season back in the Premier League, he’ll revive Manchester United.”
- “Can our national team build around a midfield core like Li Luo? The Asian Cup is coming.”
- “The Asian Cup is still far off. The Europa League draw is next. Hope Wolfsburg gets good luck. Let’s see if Li Luo can win a continental trophy early in his career!”