Chương 1: Chapter 1: The Sword That Silenced the European Youth Championship
July 2015.
Greece, Katerini.
The European Youth Championship, first round of the group stage.
Spain U19 vs. France U19.
Even as the game entered its final stages, the rhythm of attack and defense from both teams remained intense.
Possession of the ball exchanged hands frequently.
The frenetic attacking play ignited the passion of fans from both nations.
The LED scoreboard hanging high in the air above the pitch displayed a score of 0:0.
On the sidelines of the pitch, both teams' coaches were visibly excited, gesturing frantically at their players on the field, as if they wished they had a remote control in their hands.
This match didn't garner much attention in Asia. Mainstream video platforms showed no interest in acquiring broadcasting rights.
In the Dragon Nation's live broadcast room, an amateur streamer spoke in very non-standard Mandarin, "Brothers, the video signal is pirated from abroad and has some issues! Let's make do with it!"
In the comments section, a large group of cheerful bean players anxiously followed the game.
"A bunch of idiots, attacking so fiercely, yet not scoring! That guy from the French team, the one called Dembélé, is such a moron. He wasted two one-on-one opportunities!"
"Stupid referee! Keeps calling offside! Where was Asensio offside? It's probably a body hair offside!"
"Spain U19 isn't playing tiki-taka anymore? There are hardly any La Masia prospects in their lineup now. Real Madrid has four, Osasuna has five!"
"Barcelona is relying on MSN now! How many new talents have they promoted from La Masia in the past couple of years?"
"Gets tackled and falls to the ground again? Just bury him on the spot! Substitution? Damn! They're making a substitution at the 87th minute, what's the point!"
The 88th minute of the game.
The ball went out of play.
The head referee blew his whistle, indicating a substitution.
The camera panned over to a black-haired youth wearing the number 6 red jersey. He stood calmly on the edge of the center circle.
In the Dragon Nation's live broadcast room, fans were left dumbfounded.
How come there's an Asian in Spain U19? Is he from South Korea or Japan?
"Wait a moment, everyone. Let me check some information," the amateur streamer said.
"Lee Kang? Li Kang? Damn! This guy is of Spanish descent, from La Masia's youth academy, playing in the midfield. This is his first appearance for Spain U19!"
"According to FIFA regulations, once he represents Spain in an intercontinental match, it seems he won't be able to represent our national team anymore. But hey, our national team is garbage. Who cares which country he represents? If he can score and assist, he's our good buddy!"
The game continued.
Suddenly, the mood of the cheerful bean players in the live chat turned chilly.
On the screen, Lee Kang, the dragon-blooded youth, constantly scanned his surroundings as soon as he entered the field. He wasn't fast, but he always managed to position himself strategically at the most critical moments.
Every pass he made was precise.
With his teammates' cooperation, he gradually took control of the midfield.
The pace of the game seemed to slow down, extinguishing the enthusiasm of the fans in the stands. The entire stadium fell silent as the ball moved slowly from player to player.
In the live chat, the cheerful bean players were angry:
"Is he playing keep-away soccer?"
"These La Masia products are all the same!"
"Hypnotic soccer!"
The small streamer was also baffled.
Is this a youth team match that used to be full of goals?
Uh-oh, the gifts are going to waste.
On the sidelines of the pitch, the fourth official raised the stoppage time board.
The coach of France U19 was getting impatient.
In his eyes, his team was one of the favorites to win, with superior strength compared to the declining Spain. He couldn't accept that his team was playing so poorly.
He made a big gesture, urging the French youngsters to press forward and increase the pressure up front.
Lee Kang seemed to have insight into the change in their formation.
Looking at the loosely positioned French defense, he made a gesture.
Instantly, he accelerated the midfield's rhythm.
The ball quickly moved under his feet, easily escaping the opponent's pressure.
Spain's formation pushed forward relentlessly.
In the last minute of injury time, in the French team's half, at the 40-meter mark, Lee Kang received another pass from a teammate.
He adjusted his body, raised his left leg, and delivered a long-range through ball.
The trajectory wasn't pinpoint, and the force wasn't perfect, but it brushed against the neck of a Gallic rooster like a blunt knife.
"Brothers, here it comes! Amazing!"
"The French defense is so bad, Asensio! One-on-one!"
When Asensio broke through the French U19 defense, the Spanish fans in the stands erupted in cheers like a landslide and a tsunami.
The LED scoreboard was rewritten!
Teammates rushed to celebrate with the goal scorer.
The Spanish head coach clenched his fists and shouted loudly, ignoring his composure.
On the other side, the face of the French team's head coach looked as bad as if he had eaten something terrible:
"Darn it! How can a U19 player have such a great reading ability!"
Hidden among the scouts from various clubs in the stands, many of them buried their heads and fingers flew, recording something.
In the Dragon Nation's live chat room, the barrage of comments filled the screen.
"Lee Kang! What an assist! A lifelong fan!"
"Thanks to Lee Kang for saving my life! His vision and awareness are amazing!"
"Good buddy!"
Lee Kang's expression remained calm.
When the head referee blew the final whistle of the match, he slowly walked off the pitch.
A mechanical electronic synthesized voice echoed in his mind.
"Ding, congratulations to the host for completing the mission: National Team Debut!"
"Personal rating: S"
"Mission rewards are being distributed. Congratulations to the host for obtaining the 'Ruiz Costa's Superb Through Ball' module (incomplete)!"
"Passing: 70-81!"
Barcelona.
La Masia Youth Academy.
The sports director, Robert, angrily tossed aside the remote control.
"Those idiots from the national team! Do they know how much money Barcelona will lose with Lee Kang playing? How can I sell him back to the Chinese Super League?"
In this parallel universe, with the rise of the Chinese Super League's footballing prowess in recent years, the transfer fees for Dragon Nation players had caused clubs in Europe and South America to stir with interest.
Thus, more and more Dragon Nation youngsters, packaged by their agents, joined overseas powerhouse clubs.
They would wait until the media hype reached a certain level.
Then they would play another game of export and domestic resale.
Raul, the head of the youth academy, carefully watched the replay of the goal and said, "Isn't it better to keep Lee Kang at La Masia? He was praised by Guardiola and Vilanova in his youth."
Robert interrupted him, saying :
"He's a mute!" scoffed Robert, the Barcelona sports director.
Raul shook his head and corrected him with a smile. "He has aphasia, Mr. Robert."
The Barcelona director waved it off. "Lee Kang's statistics are very average. I need to get rid of him as soon as possible. I asked Enrique for his opinion, and he showed no interest in Lee Kang either!"
Raul sighed. "You might regret it later. Lee Kang's ball control has the potential to make him Xavi's successor if he improves his technical skills."
But Robert wasn't swayed. "He's just not good enough. We need to get rid of him quickly. I once asked Enrique, and he expressed no interest in Lee Kang!"
Raul couldn't help but shake his head and smile. "Then don't visit the youth academy's cafeteria anymore, Mr. Robert. Lee Kang's foster mother might add something special to your escargot."
Robert shuddered at the thought. "I just remembered that Sofia, the old lady, had an affair with the coach of Spain U19 when she was younger. No wonder Lee Kang got a few minutes of playing time."
A week later, the European Youth Championship came to an end.
Spain U19 ultimately claimed the championship!
Asensio was recognized as the European Youth Championship's Best MVP.
In the subsequent games, Lee Kang didn't get another chance to play.
And he didn't make any waves in the media reports.
Even in the celebratory group photo after winning the championship, he stood at the back, on the far edge.
For Lee Kang, the experience with the national team was just average, earning him a small medal.
He didn't engage in much personal interaction with his teammates off the field, but he felt a strange gaze from the head coach.
July in Barcelona was scorching hot.
Lee Kang's "home" was at the old La Masia Youth Academy.
Inside the cafeteria, a middle-aged woman with Castilian heritage looked at her watch. Lunchtime was over, and she furrowed her brows, walking over to the young players.
"Paes, why do you have so much food left? Isn't Xavi your idol? Young Xavi used to clean his plate every time!"
"And you, Ansu, don't run away!"
Sofia, the mother figure, was about to say something else when she was interrupted.
"Sofia, look, Lee is back!"
"Don't try this trick on me again."
But when Lee Kang's figure appeared at the doorway, the young players used this opportunity to disperse quickly.
Sofia turned around, and her face was filled with restrained joy. She wiped her hands on her apron and walked over to Lee Kang.
He smiled and took out a bank card from his backpack, handing it to her.
It was his U19 national team salary, not much, even with the assist bonus.
Sofia put the bank card back in his backpack. "I have nowhere to spend money. Those foolish national team coaches. You're so excellent, yet you only got a few minutes of playing time."
Lee Kang had crossed into this parallel universe more than a decade ago, living a very modest life.
Sofia, this Castilian lady, had for some reason faced exclusion in the Catalonia region.
Working in the La Masia cafeteria ensured that Lee Kang had food and drink.
Four years ago, Lee Kang had suddenly awakened the Green Star System, gaining a god's perspective. This had given him the opportunity to participate in La Masia's trials.
So, his amazing reading ability came at a cost, a trade-off with his language ability.
Sofia's words continued to echo in the cafeteria.
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