Chapter 492: Marcello's Regret, the Heroic-Tier Miracle Chest

【Invincible, bro!】

【Awesome!!!】

【A 70, oh no, 80-year legacy.】

【Air Force Major, a closed-beta player on the national server, is that it?】

The fans never expected Tang Ye to have such an awesome ancestor.

A tiger's father bears no dog for a son! A general's grandfather bears no dog for a grandson!

Soon, fans dug up the video recording of Tang Tang Zhengxiong's interview with reporters from the group stage.

"To be honest, I actually look down on the Japanese and..."

What was thought to be just a simple pre-match taunt finally had its reason revealed to the fans.

gg Tang Zhengxiong truly has the qualification to say these words!

"Awesome!"

"Down with Japanese imperialism!"

Tang Tang Zhengxiong's plan to parade with a memorial portrait on the sidelines had been announced in advance on Douyin, resulting in about 500 to 600 Chinese fans present at the scene.

Adding some locals, the crowd was estimated to be nearing a thousand.

Tang Tang Zhengxiong held the picture frame with both hands, his expression serious.

Soon, reporters swarmed over.

"Mr. Tang, may I ask if you brought your ancestor's memorial portrait to the match venue to cheer for the Chinese team in the semi-finals?"

"Of course, I specifically went back to get it."

Tang Tang Zhengxiong stopped walking and started chatting with the reporters; the fans immediately surrounded them, eager to hear every word coming from Tang Tang Zhengxiong's mouth.

"So you mean... you will bring this hero's memorial portrait into the stadium on match day? This seems not to be allowed by the rules."

"I have already contacted the Football Association in advance; I will be allowed to bring it in then."

"Awesome!"

"Wow!"

With just one simple answer, the watching fans at the scene went wild.

Too awesome, gg Tang Zhengxiong, this actually works!

"Is this Tang Ye's idea, or your own thought?"

The reporter extended the microphone again.

"Hmm, it is my own thought. Because it is like this: my grandfather achieved many great accomplishments during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression; he was a true hero. Now, 80 years later, his great-grandson has once again encountered Japanese imperialism; if I were him, I would definitely hope to witness with my own eyes my great-grandson defeat the Japanese."

"This is a legacy; the descendants of heroes should be heroes themselves."

Tang Tang Zhengxiong proudly lifted his chin.

This was the first time fans had seen such imposing manner from gg Tang Zhengxiong.

"But..."

Thinking of something, the reporter extended the microphone again: "Currently, it seems the comprehensive strength of the Japanese team might be slightly stronger than that of the Chinese team; in this situation, the Chinese team cannot guarantee victory."

That was the reporter's meaning.

Tang Tang Zhengxiong seemed a bit too optimistic about the match.

Bringing out an ancestor's memorial portrait to hold the ground—wouldn't it be awkward to wrap things up if they lost in the end?

"Well... victory or defeat is possible, but I always believe in China."

"When I was young, my family would tell me stories about my grandfather. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, our China's equipment was comprehensively backward compared to Japan's, but the final result was good; we still drove the Japanese away."

"Wow!"

The fans at the scene started making noise; Tang Tang Zhengxiong continued his unfinished narration.

"So I think sometimes the gap in paper data cannot decide everything; we also have to factor in bloodline. I feel that the Chinese team playing against the Japanese should inherently have a bonus."

Clap clap clap clap!

The peak moment of Tang Tang Zhengxiong's father's career had arrived; the fans' indescribable excitement could only be expressed with applause.

The descendants of heroes should be heroes themselves; this statement made by Tang Ye's father indeed made a lot of sense.

But whether it is correct or not still awaits verification by the match.

Baidu Hot Search:

No. 1: Tang Tang Xianmin.

No. 2: Semi-finals China vs. Japan.

No. 3: Tang Ye's father arrives in the UAE carrying the memorial portrait of his heroic grandfather.

The Sun Front Page Headline—Identity Exposed: Tom's Grandfather Was a Hero in the World Anti-Fascist War; Will the Descendant of a Hero and the Descendant of an Aggressor Meet in the Asian Cup Semi-Finals?

The Guardian—Entries related to Tang Tang Xianmin have landed on Wikipedia.

The matter of the ancestral memorial portrait quickly attracted the attention of countless fans worldwide.

Now Chinese fans finally understood why the organizers were willing to let Tang Tang Zhengxiong bring such a large picture frame into the stadium.

This damn thing is all about hype!

Originally, China playing against Japan was already a match with maxed-out attention; with Tang Tang Zhengxiong pulling this stunt, the hype for this match is Zhi Bi Shi Jie the World Cup.

That evening, on a balcony of the hotel where the Chinese team was staying, Lippi and Madaloni stood together.

Because it was a core location, the night view was quite charming.

Lippi chewed on the chewing gum Tang Ye had given him at the victory banquet, his breathing somewhat heavy.

"Actually... actually we should have started centralized training earlier."

Lippi suddenly said, his hands stuffed in his trouser pockets.

"Actually, it's not that bad; you said that one week didn't matter."

Madaloni was relatively optimistic.

"... Hah, you misunderstood me. When I said one week didn't matter, I was referring to the matches against Thailand, Iran, and South Korea. Now that we've reached the semi-finals, it makes a huge difference."

He still spoke slowly, but Madaloni could detect the fluctuation in Lippi's tone.

In fact, he was right; had training started a week earlier, Lippi estimated he could have discovered the team's problems sooner.

The entire timeline for all tactics would have been pushed forward by one week.

Lippi would have started studying the three group-stage opponents earlier, meaning the attempt at the shadow striker tactic during the group stage would never have happened.

Instead, Tang Ye would have been deployed directly as a defensive midfielder.

If things had developed that way, the Chinese team should by now be proficient in executing the defensive midfielder core tactic, and there would have been no major issues playing against Japan.

But now?

The quarter-final match against Iran was still Tang Ye's first actual game playing as a defensive midfielder for the national team; many aspects were far from perfect, and the team's overall defensive line was riddled with flaws.

Lippi was extremely sensitive regarding the team's tactics and overall strength.

He could feel that a Chinese team like this would not be a match for Japan.

"We won't necessarily lose, though."

Madaloni placed both hands on his head.

He appeared to be in good spirits, but in reality, after Lippi finished speaking, Madaloni's confidence had already been shaken.

Turning to meet Lippi's gaze, Madaloni suddenly placed his hand on the Italian head coach's shoulder.

"Hey, it's fine!"

Madaloni comforted him.

"We've already achieved our goal by reaching the semi-finals; as for the rest... it depends on luck!"

Behind his glasses, Lippi's brows furrowed; it was unclear what he was thinking at that moment.

"Haha, see you tomorrow, Brother Lei!"

After exchanging greetings and leaving Wu Lei's room, Tang Ye returned to his own room.

【Miracle Chest (Hero Edition)】

After defeating Iran and advancing to the semi-finals, Tang Ye had received his mission reward.

A Hero Edition Miracle Chest.

It sounded incredibly awesome, but who knew what items would be inside?

【Confirm opening the Miracle Chest (Hero Edition)?】

【You have obtained the Talent Booster (Hero Edition)】

Boosting talents?

That was quite excellent.

It was just unknown how this Hero Edition would differ from the ordinary version.

【Talent Booster (Hero Edition)】

【1. Directly boost any talent by one rank.】

According to Tang Ye's memory, the system's phrase "any talent" did not include those at the Transcendent Saint level, which was no different from the ordinary version of the Talent Booster.

The only difference was that the Hero Edition had a second method of use.

【2. Power of Heroes: Designate a talent to approach your highest-ranked talent by a certain distance. The greater the gap between the designated talent and the highest talent, the more ranks the talent will improve.】

"This..."

For Tang Ye, understanding this item indeed posed some difficulty.

The greater the gap between the designated talent and the highest talent.

Tang Ye's highest talent was Vision at the Transcendent Saint level, while his lowest talent was Header at the Good-for-Nothing level.

Simply put, if using the Talent Booster via the first method, Tang Ye's Header talent could only be improved by one rank.

But if using the second method, the degree of improvement would exceed one rank.

Hmm, for Tang Ye, who often played games, he could understand this distinction after careful thought.

The first method applied to talents with a high starting point, boosting them directly by one rank without further ado.

The second method applied to more average talents; although not high, they could be boosted continuously by several ranks.

Now two paths lay before Tang Ye; first, he needed to open the talent panel to take a look.

Tang Ye (40 years old)

【Ball Control: Spotlight of the World; Passing: Unparalleled Genius】

【Shooting: Once-in-a-Lifetime; Header: Good-for-Nothing; Set Pieces: Once-in-a-Lifetime】

【Speed: One in a Hundred; Stamina: One in a Hundred; Physical Confrontation: Unparalleled Genius】

【Defense: Once-in-a-Lifetime; Vision: Transcendent Saint】

Overall Rating: Unparalleled Genius

Hiss...

With a Stamina talent at the One in a Hundred level, could using Method Two boost it directly by two ranks?

The semi-final would be against Japan; if he could raise his Stamina talent to the Spotlight of the World level before then, the help would be considerable.

Or perhaps apply it to the most useless one, Header; maybe it could be boosted directly by three ranks?

Squinting in thought, Tang Ye now needed to comprehensively consider his own needs as well as the team's upcoming matches.

Suddenly, an idea surged into Tang Ye's mind.

Since it involves approaching the highest talent, does the system's restriction no longer exist?

【Do you wish to use Path Two to bring Passing (Unearthly and Extraordinary) closer to Vision (Transcending the Mortal and Entering the Sacred)?】

"..."

It seems there really is some logic to this?

Talent Boosters can be obtained frequently, but Hero-version Talent Boosters cannot be acquired so often.

Let's do it!

【Power of Heroes, Passing: Unearthly and Extraordinary → Passing: Transcending the Mortal and Entering the Sacred (Pseudo-Sacred)】

【Passing: 91 → 92】

"Holy crap!"

Tang Ye shouted it out directly.

It really f*cking worked!

With this long-overdue breakthrough in his Passing talent, Tang Ye couldn't help but marvel at his own wisdom.

Tang Ye (40 years old)

【Ball Control: The Center of Attention; Passing: Transcending the Mortal and Entering the Sacred (Pseudo-Sacred)】

【Shooting: Once-in-a-Lifetime; Heading: Good for Nothing; Set Pieces: Once-in-a-Lifetime】

【Speed: One in a Hundred; Stamina: One in a Hundred; Physical Confrontation: Unearthly and Extraordinary】

【Defense: Once-in-a-Lifetime; Vision: Transcending the Mortal and Entering the Sacred】

Overall Rating: Unearthly and Extraordinary

Transcending the Mortal and Entering the Sacred, Pseudo-Sacred?

A fake saint is still a saint!

A 92 Passing stat is just awesome!

A 92 Passing stat, plus a 10% bonus...

Tang Ye counted on his fingers, only to realize his fingers didn't seem to support such complex calculations.

"Hey Siri!"

"Hmm?"

"Open Calculator."

Both holding their phones, Tang Ye proceeded with his calculation.

92 * 10% = 9.2.

+92

=101.2.

Damn, this is too strong!

Check Dongqiu Di Match Report: FA Cup Fourth Round, Mancheng away defeats Arsenal 2:0, Rashford scores twice. (18,231 comments)

Mancheng's players are still very commendable; although they suffered an upset loss due to errors against Brighton, they still secured victory in the subsequent Big Six clash of the FA Cup.

Here is some bad news for Mancheng's local fans: because the Chinese national team has advanced to the Asian Cup semifinals, Tang Ye will miss Mancheng's Premier League Round 24 match against Burnley at the end of January.

"At present, it seems Mancheng fans aren't very lucky, as the Chinese team has advanced again. We must admit that Tom delivered a performance in the Asian Cup matches sufficient to dominate the tournament."

On Sky Sports' special program "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," host Jason expressed his views on the current situation of the Premier League.

The title race landscape for the second half of the Premier League largely depends on Mancheng's performance in matches where Tang Ye is absent.

Burnley is actually relatively easy for Mancheng to deal with, but Leicester City afterwards may not be so relaxed.

"If the Chinese team can defeat Japan to advance to the final, then Tom will also miss Mancheng's first league match in February. If I were a Mancheng fan, I would be under immense pressure right now."

Jason looked at the camera.

"Pity I'm a Mancheng fan, hehe."

【Wait, are Mancheng fans this arrogant?】

【Burnley and Leicester City should be pretty easy for Mancheng to handle. The mighty power of Saint Teng!】

【Doesn't matter, I just want to know if the Chinese national team can beat Japan.】

【Hard to say; looking at the odds, it feels like many people don't favor China.】

Match odds can well reflect the expected win rates for both teams; putting aside those fans who bet on the Chinese national team to win out of sentiment, the number of people actually favoring the Chinese team isn't large.

Don't forget that Feng Feng Xiaoting is suspended due to a red card!

On the training ground, the Chinese national team players began chatting about the matter of Tang Ye's Ceng Zufu's portrait.

"Tang Ye, can you fly a fighter jet?"

Zhang Zhang Yuning asked jokingly, and Tang Ye helplessly spread his hands.

"Of course I can't, holy crap; I'm just a footballer," Tang Ye said, knocking the ball stopped at his feet up from the ground.

"Haha!"

Before training began, the Chinese national team players were quite happy, after all, reaching the top four was indeed something worth celebrating for them.

But after Lippi entered the field, the team's atmosphere suddenly became tense.

The Italian head coach had transmitted his emotions to the players within the team.

Reaching the semifinals is good news.

But having Japan as the semifinal opponent is not good news.

The opponent is the team with the most championship titles in Asian Cup history, and there is no other like them!

"Beep!!!"

After the warm-up ended, the players gathered before the coach; Lippi detailed Japan's strengths and weaknesses, followed by some key points for the match.

"Tom, you play as a defensive midfielder."

Lippi looked at Tang Ye, who stood in place and nodded: "Defensive midfielder from the very start of the match?"

"Yes, defensive midfielder from the very start."

It was somewhat risky, but Lippi had already made up his mind.

Pulling Tang Ye back to the defense to play a counter-attacking style should be the tactic with the highest win rate for the national team against Japan, with no other comparable option.

Tang Ye nodded, imagining the scenario of the match the day after tomorrow in his mind.

This was still his first time playing a match against Japan!

As training preparation began, Feng Feng Xiaoting's expression was hesitant, but in the end, he still stepped forward.

"Um, I'm really sorry."

"It's fine, it's fine."

Zheng Zhi and Zhang Zhang Linpeng placed their hands on Feng Feng Xiaoting's head and shoulder respectively; they could mostly guess what Feng Feng Xiaoting wanted to say.

"It's enough that you tried your best."

"... Mm."

Feng Feng Xiaoting revealed his first smile of the day: "I'll act as a training partner for you guys."

"The captain acting as a training partner?"

Zhang Zhang Yuning raised both hands upward, looking utterly flattered.

"Focus on short passes; you must release the ball within two touches!"

Madaloni emphasized this, and the players raised their hands to indicate they understood.

"Their players are short, but their frequency of ground passing is very fast!"

"Then should I practice set pieces?"

Hearing Madaloni say that Japan's players were short, Tang Ye suddenly had an idea.

"Open play is the key!"

Madaloni rejected Tang Ye's idea.

Under the current circumstances, playing the defensive midfielder position well was what Tang Ye should be doing most.

As for set pieces.

The Chinese team could not place their fate on something so ethereal and uncertain.

"Do you think it's still feasible?"

Madaloni looked at the training ground, with Lippi right beside him.

"Not very optimistic."

The Guardian – China vs. Japan: Tom's Mission Battle, What Are China's Prospects?

It was a critically important match; many British newspapers even published special Asian Cup columns, and The Guardian was one of them.

"We can understand the Chinese desire to defeat Japan, but we must also admit that Japan's fluid ground short-passing technique is something the Chinese team lacks. In an era increasingly emphasizing ball control, Japan's tactical characteristics possess the potential to become a world-class powerhouse."

The Guardian reporter claimed repeatedly that he could understand the Chinese fans' feelings about facing Japan, but judging from the article he wrote, this guy didn't understand a single bit.

January 28th was the day of the China vs. Japan match.

In the early hours of today, Check Dongqiu Di pinned a match poster to the top of its page.

On the left side of the poster, in black and white, a young man wearing a fighter pilot's flight suit exposed half of his head.

On the right side of the poster, in color, was Tang Ye wearing the Chinese national team jersey.

Although the environments they were in were completely different, both of them possessed deep, large eyes.

What they were facing was the same!

"Will you still attempt to have Tang Ye play as a defensive midfielder in today's match?"

A Chinese reporter from the audience posed the question to Lippi.

"Um... possibly, because having Tom play as a defensive midfielder is indeed part of our tactics; we need more defensive players. As for whether we will actually do so, I'm afraid I cannot disclose that."

The reporters indicated their understanding.

"Japan and Qatar are jointly the top favorites to win this Asian Cup; what do you think are China's chances of winning against Japan?"

Click-click!

"Regardless, we have already achieved our goal for this Asian Cup. Reaching the semi-finals is a good result for us; we are currently under no pressure, which can help our players perform at their best level, so before the match ends, I will not discuss who has a better chance of advancing to the final."

Repost: China Announces Starting Lineup for Semi-Final Against Japan, Tang Ye Leads the Charge, Lippi Attempts a Five-Defender Formation.

(End of Chapter)