Chapter 625: The Twilight of a Hero

"Doctor Lin, what is wrong?" Ji Xiang asked with a smile, looking at Lin Jiuze.

"Doctor Ji Xiang, in your eyes, I don't seem to be a background character." Lin Jiuze did not answer Ji Xiang's question, but instead said something else that seemed casual, "To be honest, there aren't many people like you, and I'm really not quite used to it."

"Oh? Others always ignore you? That doesn't seem very reasonable."

"Who knows, it should be my natural constitution as a Skeleton Soldier." Lin Jiuze shrugged and smiled helplessly.

"But now that the Skeleton Soldier who could only shoot arrows has grown into a Titan, is it still like that?"

"Hmm, in almost everyone's eyes, I don't exist." Lin Jiuze smiled slightly, not denying Ji Xiang's description of him as a "Titan," "Unlike you, Doctor Ji Xiang, you are the focus wherever you go."

Ji Xiang revealed an envious look.

"What a great talent."

Lin Jiuze was startled; he scrutinized Ji Xiang, looking him up and down for a long time.

Being prominent in front of others is even one of the legendary rewards for becoming a saint; how could Ji Xiang think it is better to be a background character?

"If there were a chance, I would really like to experience the feeling of being an invisible person," Ji Xiang said.

"You must have been a focal point since you were a child, so it's no wonder."

Ji Xiang smiled and brought the topic back, "If Wembanyama wants to have surgery, you are very welcome to assist in the operating room."

Seeing that Ji Xiang was completely unmoved, Lin Jiuze suppressed his surprise and followed Ji Xiang's line of thought, "Doctor Ji Xiang, can you tell me about the surgery?"

"No problem," Ji Xiang smiled.

……

……

The Green Celtics' board of directors and front office held meetings throughout the night, arguing incessantly.

But no matter how they argued, the Green Celtics' front office and board members had one consensus—the surgery must absolutely not be performed in China.

The specific location of the surgery and the medical team were the subjects of the argument.

As for Wembanyama being in China, that was just a way to comfort the sponsors.

……

……

In the Manchester City training facility.

Neymar was doing Restorative Training.

Half a year ago, he suffered an Achilles Tendon Rupture, and his post-operative recovery did not go well; his two legs were visibly different in thickness.

Now walking was no problem, but running on the pitch with one thick leg and one thin leg not only looked a bit strange, but all his movements also lacked the style of the young Neymar of the past.

Those two legs of different thicknesses told the story of a hero in his twilight years with painful reality.

Neymar knew he had reached the twilight of his professional career; he just wanted to make up for his regrets and participate in the World Cup one more time. If he was lucky, and those energetic kids could be a bit more united and lift the World Cup, he would have no more regrets.

But he knew very well that the possibility of him being selected for the National Team roster was extremely low.

Damn injury.

"Neymar, take a break, you've done too much Restorative Training today," the fitness coach said to Neymar.

He stopped mid-sentence; Neymar knew it was because he had been too anxious to recover after his first injury, leading to a high volume of fitness training that caused the Achilles Tendon of his other leg to rupture again.

"I want to participate in the World Cup."

The fitness coach patted Neymar on the shoulder and did not try to persuade him. Although he didn't speak, Neymar knew what he meant—the possibility was close to zero.

The Brazilian National Team was full of stars, and their greatest enemy was the infighting among themselves, off the pitch rather than the opponents on the pitch.

An old star like Neymar, who was nearly "crippled," could not be selected for the National Team at all.

The closer he got to retirement, the more Neymar envied those young players, such as the yellow-skinned kid from the underdog team he encountered in the Champions League a few days ago.

He was full of energy, as if he didn't know what fatigue was at all.

He was like that when he was young, too. Neymar sighed and put down the equipment, "Anthony, I want to have surgery again."

"Kid, I don't advise you to do that," Antonio Pintus looked at Neymar with a pitying gaze, "You know my greatest job is to keep you all full of vitality on the field."

"I have seen many kids get injured, please forgive my bluntness, but any encouragement now is a hidden dagger that will deeply hurt you in the near future."

Antonio Pintus did not directly refuse, but Neymar knew what he meant.

"I still want to participate in the World Cup one more time. Anthony, you know my technique used to be a bit rough, but now, as long as I have two months of health, I will get everything."

Antonio Pintus looked at Neymar quietly; he knew the obsession in an athlete's heart.

When he was at Real Madrid, Zidane, Benzema, and Cristiano Ronaldo had all had similar thoughts.

This was a fantasy of top athletes in the twilight of their careers.

Who wouldn't want to have the experience of a 40-year-old and the physical strength of a 20-year-old? Only those who can calmly accept all of this and make changes will succeed; Antonio Pintus did not think Neymar was right.

"Anthony, I am going to have surgery again," Neymar said stubbornly.

"Please consider it carefully."

"I have already considered it; if the surgery fails again, I will leave here."

Antonio Pintus looked at Neymar, his eyes flickering. A few seconds later, he asked, "The yellow-skinned kid from the Champions League match a few days ago, you remember him, right?"

"I remember," Neymar let out a breath, "It's hard to imagine he would actually talk trash."

"Oh? You talked trash on the field?" Antonio Pintus was taken aback.

"He scored a goal, and I went to whisper in his ear, saying his shoes were fake."

"What did he say?"

"He said, if it were the great Galacticos of the past, he would indeed have to be serious. But for the current Real Madrid, wearing fake shoes is enough."

"..." Antonio Pintus was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

On the sports field, talking trash and disrupting the opponent's state of mind was very normal. He didn't expect that kid, who looked green, not only had a good physique but also had a way with trash talk.

Playing against Real Madrid, is wearing fake shoes enough?

"Neymar, what I want to say is that the kid underwent knee surgery less than 3 months ago."

"Oh. Oh? Oh!!" Neymar went from calm to puzzled to bewildered in just 2 seconds.

"It's hard to believe, but I've verified it; he did indeed have surgery. He was supposed to go to the Dortmund Youth Team at the time, but he got injured during his final trial. And he was very lucky; his post-operative recovery was excellent, and he happened to catch Borussia Dortmund's forward line suffering from a damn injury crisis, so the opportunity arose."

"Anthony, I don't care how far the damn Borussia Dortmund can go in the Champions League, did that yellow-skinned kid really undergo surgery?"

"Yes." Antonio Pintus looked calmly into Neymar's eyes.

(End of chapter)