Chapter 37: Ah! A New Crisis? (Two-in-One)

Everyone’s gaze was drawn to the rippling white net, then abruptly shifted back to focus on the Chinese teenager who had delivered that miraculous long pass.

It was so stylish. It was so elegant. He was, quite simply, the soul of the team.

Milan is the fashion capital of Europe, and even the daughters of fallen aristocratic families, women of faded nobility, and glamorous, has-been actresses couldn't help but shriek and cheer. Even those who didn't understand football were electrified by the inward-curving arc of Li Luo’s pass. It was an indescribable visual experience, like admiring a work of art.

The cheers erupting from the San Siro stands cascaded down.

Li Luo kept replaying the moment of exertion in his mind: his body posture, the point of impact, the follow-through. He had never produced such a "perfect" inward-curving arc during training. His long-passing ability had been pushed to its absolute limit. Moreover, the essence of an inward-curving long pass lies in the change of trajectory after the ball drops—the way the spin only dissipated after several bounces—which perfectly played to the strengths of his 56-point passing attribute while masking its weaknesses. Of course, it also helped that his teammate’s intelligence was high enough to capitalize on it.

"Beautiful!"
"Goal!"
"Li Luo delivers a breathtaking long pass that bypasses the Inter Milan defense!"
"God’s-eye view!"
"Top-tier game reading ability!"
"A midfield genius stunning Europe!"
"The ball’s drifting trajectory..."
"The lateral deflection after the ball hits the ground puts Vieirinha through one-on-one with the goalkeeper the moment he collects it!"
"Their connection gives Wolfsburg the lead!"

The commentator’s tone was ecstatic. Coach Zhang sighed with emotion; he never expected Li Luo to break the deadlock with an inward-curving long pass.

In the live broadcast room, the big screen replayed the goal. The screen was flooded with comments.

—[Too beastly!]
—[So handsome!]
—[My husband!]
—[Awesome! Li Luo’s long pass, it just kept bouncing after hitting the ground... tearing through Inter’s defense. What is the physics behind this?]
—[The Oreo principle, the Dali Garden effect, the Orion aerodynamics.]
—[The long-passing technique is one thing, but the key is Li Luo’s vision. Does he have a god’s-eye view?]
—[What kind of role will Li Luo play in the national team? If he delivers a pass like this in a national team match, surely our strikers could easily break through the opponent’s goal, right?]

Wolfsburg teammates rushed over to hug Li Luo one after another. They absolutely adored this Chinese teenager—partly due to the emotional bond and team pride, and partly due to the win bonuses.

Vieirinha looked at him in disbelief: "That was magical, Li. Before the ball dropped, I thought you weren't passing to me."
"The perfect lead. The moment I collected it, the spin had just dissipated perfectly."
"Hey? Li, have you grown a bit? I've become the shortest guy on the team again."

Vieirinha, who stood at 172cm, had been on Portugal’s 2014 World Cup roster. Surprisingly, this guy was a substitute... yet he wore the number 10 jersey.

Li Luo retorted, "I was already taller than you."
Everyone burst into laughter. There is no height discrimination in the world of football; the two were just joking around. De Bruyne finally squeezed into the crowd to join the celebration. Looking at Li Luo’s face with excitement, he couldn't help but feel stirred: *'Li’s long passes are still a bit swerving... is that always to make it harder for the opponent to judge?'*
*'His long-passing style is different from mine.'*

On the sidelines, Hecking and his assistants hugged each other in excitement. It was pure bliss. They could see the dawn of victory in the second round of the Europa League. If they didn't have a full infirmary of injuries later on, Wolfsburg might even be able to dream of a Europa League title this season!

On the other side, Mazzarri’s hair was a mess. "Damn it. This kid Li is so talented. Wolfsburg is so lucky. If only Inter Milan had both a developing Li Luo and De Bruyne, how good would that be?"

The rest of the game returned to a dull rhythm. It is said that no matter how open a team is, once they step onto an Italian pitch, the game loses its spectacle. Inter Milan attacked very hard, but Wolfsburg excelled at "parking the bus," and their low-block defensive system had long been honed to be airtight by Hecking. Occasionally, they would launch a counterattack that sent the tens of thousands of Inter fans in the stadium into a panic.

In the 50th minute of the match, Kovacic sent a diagonal long pass. He was a household name and a midfield genius in Croatia, joining Inter Milan at 18 for an 11-million-euro transfer fee. The expectations Croatian fans had for him were equivalent to... the expectations Chinese fans had for Li Luo.

"Nagatomo, the timing of his run down the wing is critical."
"Two teammates following up, wow! A series of intricate short-range combinations."
"Can they penetrate the Wolfsburg defense?"
"Ah! Who blocked that?"
"Gustavo clears it... he’s passing to Li Luo!"
"Heh heh heh, the former Bayern player, Gustavo. He’s probably thinking: I used to play against opponents like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico, and Chelsea! You guys at Inter aren't what you used to be; I’m under no pressure here!"
"Counterattack!"
"Here it comes."

Li Luo didn't hold onto the ball. He immediately laid it off to Malanda. He continued to sprint forward, raising his hand to signal for the ball to be shifted to the wing. He hadn't gone far when Malanda passed the ball back to him...

At the San Siro, sighs were incessant. The local Inter fans, having already witnessed the quality of Wolfsburg’s counterattacks, couldn't help but show expressions of terror. It was simple: Li Luo possessed top-tier vision, capable of instantly capturing gaps in Inter’s formation as they retreated to defend, ensuring the first half of the counterattack chain remained intact. De Bruyne possessed top-tier passing and running ability, especially his lethal final ball, which directly threatened the defensive line, ensuring the quality of the second half of the counterattack chain. They were a dual-core killing machine.

"Oh!"
"This through ball from Li Luo..."
"The lead is perfectly weighted!"
"De Bruyne makes a run down the right flank."
"He’s fast, touching the ball just before Juan Jesus."
"A burst of pace!"
"He shoots!"

Tonight, De Bruyne had already had two shots saved by Handanovic. This time, the Inter goalkeeper, left without protection from his defense, was helpless.

*Bang!*
The ball skimmed the grass and roared into the bottom left corner of the net.
0:2!!!
The San Siro was shrouded in sighs.

"Beautiful!"
"Another goal!"
"The Two Geniuses!"
"Li Luo connects with De Bruyne! Two midfield geniuses joining forces to dismantle the Inter Milan defense!"
"Wolfsburg extends their lead."
"Li Luo with two assists."
"A Chinese player, stunning the San Siro..."

The commentator’s tone was spirited. Coach Zhang kept chuckling.

*'Li, so this is what it feels like to be on the receiving end of a goal-scoring pass...'*
De Bruyne’s cheeks flushed as he raised his fists, jumping for joy. Li Luo and his Wolfsburg teammates... instinctively followed with the exact same celebratory gesture.

In the live broadcast room:
—[What kind of local neighborhood celebration is that?]
—[The Two Geniuses.]
—[Li Luo and his teammates are clicking better and better. Wolfsburg might actually be able to stop Bayern from winning the title this season, haha!]

Wolfsburg’s revelry gradually subsided. In the 68th minute, during a dead-ball phase, the fourth official held up the LED substitution board on the sidelines.

"Hecking is making a substitution."
"He’s taking Li Luo off."
"In a 'devil week' with four games in seven days, it’s necessary to let young players rest."
"Don't run him into the ground."

Applause erupted in the San Siro stands. Li Luo walked to the sidelines, high-fiving and hugging Arnold. Hecking opened his arms in excitement. "Wonderful, Li! Go get some rest." Assistants handed him dry towels and water.

For some reason, the moment he stepped off the pitch, Li Luo felt incredibly exhausted. However, he was in a great mood.

[Shock value harvested: 170,256]
[Do you wish to consume 100,000 shock value to redeem a Europa League All-Stars Blind Box?]
[Redeeming...]

Li Luo high-fived teammates and staff on the bench and took his seat.
*Rumble!*
A giant card suddenly loomed before him.
Come on. A Europa League blind box—it likely wouldn't contain anything useless! He needed to improve in every aspect. He was full of anticipation...

[Blind box opening...]
The card slowly revealed a phantom image of an "overhead kick."
[Europa League Golden Boot.]
[Europa League Slayer, Europa League Frontline Tyrant, Europa League Tiger.]
[When Porto qualified for the Champions League, he transferred to Atletico; when Atletico qualified for the Champions League, he transferred to Monaco; when Monaco qualified for the Champions League, he transferred to Manchester United... In the 2014/15 season, Manchester United had no European qualification, not even the Europa League.]

*Which unlucky guy is this? Is he cursed by the Champions League?*
Li Luo couldn't help but recall the collection of "football curses" he had recently read about. The Guttmann curse, the Maradona curse, the Confederations Cup winner's curse... and so on. The funniest one was the J-League’s Ryoichi Maeda, who, from 2007 to 2012, saw every team he scored his first goal of the season against get relegated from the J-League. It got so bad that J-League clubs issued orders: absolutely do not let that kid open his account!

[Congratulations on obtaining: Radamel Falcao’s "Tiger Descends the Mountain" module!]
[Awoo~]
[You can now link shooting actions more easily during a match and adjust your shooting posture.]
[Additional attribute bonus: Shooting +5]

Good stuff. With several modules stacked, his shooting attribute... had already reached 75 points! The attribute correction from Müller’s "False Run" module, plus the attribute bonuses from Matthaus’s cannon shots and Falcao’s shooting technique—with 75 shooting, who in the Europa League would dare to challenge him?

The night breeze of the San Siro gradually dried his sweat. His pores felt like they were breathing. Li Luo felt refreshed and relaxed. His psychological pressure had vanished. In a balanced and unified Bundesliga team like Wolfsburg, he could "hide and level up," steadily improving. Next season, riding on clouds of seven colors...

*'Dream Theatre, your genius has returned!'*
*'Oh my, why does our Manchester United crown prince seem to have made little progress?'*

Finally, the whistle blew.
*Beep! Beep-beep!*
The San Siro echoed with the whistle that broke the hearts of Inter fans.
Inter Milan 1:3 Wolfsburg.
Hecking punched the air in excitement. Wolfsburg fans were overjoyed. Another Europa League win, and the dawn of advancing to the knockout stages grew ever brighter.

The Chinese teenager stood under the advertising boards on the sidelines, accepting interviews from the Italian media. Long and short microphones were thrust toward him. The camera flashes never stopped. A chubby reporter asked, "Li, your performance tonight was magnificent, but perhaps many Apennine fans are not familiar with you. Could you introduce yourself?"

"My name is Li Luo, I’m 18 years old, from China."
"Will you come to play in Serie A?"

Serie A? He was returning to Manchester United next season; it was impossible to join any other club. Li Luo subconsciously shook his head, but then realized that might be impolite.

"Serie A has a glorious history, with countless stars who have left legendary moments on the Apennine Peninsula..."
*Clap, clap, clap.*
Thunderous applause. The Italian media was very satisfied with this answer.

Suddenly, the chubby reporter asked another question: "In the international match window in half a month, will you play for the Chinese team? Completing your national team debut? As far as I know, the opponent is the Japan B-team."
"A warm-up before the Asian Cup!"
"I believe many Chinese fans hope you can wash away the shame of the Chinese team’s 1:5 thrashing by the Thai B-team."
"You carry the expectations of countless Chinese fans on your shoulders!"

Li Luo was stunned. With the club playing four games a week recently, there was no time to care about outside news.
*What? International match window? An official A-level international match, representing the national team, against the Japan B-team?*
*That would expose so many of his weaknesses!*
The quality... the style of his national team teammates was different from the Wolfsburg squad. Hecking’s tactical system and the abilities of his Wolfsburg teammates largely covered up many of his own shortcomings.

*The national team? Wash away the 1:5 shame? A warm-up before the Asian Cup?*
Li Luo suddenly felt the pressure mounting. *Others are still leveling up in the beginner village with high-level players, and now I’m being asked to challenge an elite monster wearing starter gear?*

In truth, Chinese fans weren't that harsh. Previously, when the national team lost 0:8 to Brazil, the fans were very tolerant and understanding, voicing encouragement online. But the 1:5 loss to the Thai B-team... that score was truly unacceptable.

A moment later, the interview concluded. Li Luo calmed his mind. No matter what, he had to face it bravely. There was still half a month until the A-level international match. There was still one Bundesliga game left to redeem a blind box. There was still an opportunity to improve.

A mechanical, cold, synthesized electronic voice rang out quietly.

[Task Triggered: Chinese National Team Debut.]
[Task Brief: Regardless of the match result, you will receive a gift.]
[Task Reward: Dark Gold Treasure Chest.]

*Not a blind box redeemed with shock value? A treasure chest that gives a direct reward?*
Good stuff. His "Spatial Perception" module had come from a treasure chest!

News headlines hit the trending lists on the Chinese internet.
《The Inward-Curving Arc that Pierced the San Siro Night Sky.》
《Li Luo Pulls the Strings, Two Assist Masterclasses Crush Inter Milan.》
《The Rising Europa League Star.》
《The Strategy of Master Coach Hecking: Li Luo and De Bruyne Forge a Super Dual-Core Midfield.》
《Japanese Media: A High-Stakes A-Level International Match, J-League and Overseas Elites Assemble to Face the Genius Li Luo!》
《Chinese Football Association: Will Li Luo play? We need to hold a meeting to discuss.》
《The Sun: Li Luo May Secretly Meet an Oriental Girl During the International Break.》

The number of comments, likes, and shares skyrocketed.

—[What? Li Luo is going to beat up the Japanese team?]
—[This is a good thing!]
—[The Japanese media’s headline makes me feel like it’s a line from "Captain Tsubasa"...]
—[Football is a team sport, everyone please don't put too much pressure on Li Luo. He has no time to integrate with the national team while in the Bundesliga. We must be tolerant and understanding; he’s the only college student in the whole village! Don't criticize or abuse him.]
—[Yeah, regardless of the score, we must encourage Li Luo. He is still very young and playing so well in the Bundesliga. Don't let him carry those heavy expectations of the national team.]
—[A single genius can't save the national team, but we must support Li Luo to the end!]
—[Two assists against Inter Milan in the Europa League, who dares to doubt my Luo’s strength?]
—[That long pass by Li Luo... it’s simply a work of art.]