Chapter 138: Li Sang, the Cherry Blossoms Have Bloomed (Deadly Toxic

Frankfurt is Germany's fifth-largest city.

It is also Germany's hub.

It is even an important commercial, financial, and transportation center in Europe.

It is one of the few cities with a skyline.

As of 2016, eight of the ten tallest buildings in Europe are in Frankfurt.

Tracing Europe's brief history.

Frankfurt was once called the "root of evil."

Because this strategic stronghold made Germany and France fight for hundreds of years.

Extending the timeline further, we need to talk about the Holy Roman Empire...

Frankfurt International Airport.

Leverkusen players walked out of the arrival hall.

Li Kang took out his phone and turned off airplane mode.

The notification bar went crazy with pop-up alerts.

All were messages from Morata, with no text content—this guy likes to share his goal highlights.

Swiping the screen, scrolling to the end.

Then I saw the message from Tori Sauce.

"Li Sang, the cherry blossoms by the Main River have bloomed."

Frankfurt's cherry blossoms bloom earlier than Tori Sauce's hometown.

The neon girl is in the rising phase of her career, becoming a darling of Asian fashion magazines in just half a year, often flying to Europe for outdoor shoots.

The two of them recently lost contact again.

Li Kang did not reply to the message, but instead turned off his phone and put it in his backpack.

No matter how strong the opponent is, at this time one should focus on the match.

Leverkusen is clearly only a two-hour drive from Frankfurt, so why take a plane?

Because during this special period, the route from Bei lai yin to Hesse is a heavily affected area of the refugee crisis.

For example: many regions in Germany have become hell... no, India.

The combined transfer value of Leverkusen players exceeds one hundred million euros, so the club dare not take this risk.

The journey went smoothly without any setbacks.

The Leverkusen team finally arrived safely at Frankfurt's home ground: the Commercial Bank Arena.

Since the match is held in the local afternoon, the pre-match press conference seems particularly rushed.

Frankfurt's head coach's nickname is "Mute," Thomas Schaff!

He led Werder Bremen to win the "double crown" in 2004!

Why is he called Mute?

He hardly speaks...

His teacher is even more famous, Rehagel!

A super super huge world-renowned coach!

The creator of the "Kaiserslautern Miracle"!

The divine messenger of "Greek Mythology"!

A legendary head coach who would only appear in novels!

His two coaching stints are as fantastical as: leading the national team into the World Cup semifinals!

Commercial Bank Arena.

Packed to the rafters, every seat taken.

Frankfurt's strength this season is weak, but fan support is immense.

The 12-year-old eagle Attila spread its wings and soared on the green field.

It is Frankfurt's mascot.

A hot air balloon printed with the Bundesliga logo slowly rose into the sky.

"CTV5! CTV5! Hello, evening viewers!"

"Welcome to the live broadcast of the 2015/16 Bundesliga Round 15 match!"

"Frankfurt home vs Leverkusen!"

"I am the commentator for this match, Duan Xuan!"

"Now let me introduce the starting lineups of both teams!"

"Frankfurt has set out in a 4-4-2 formation!"

"Goalkeeper: Hradecky!"

"Right back: Nagatomo!"

"Center backs: Zambrano, Abraham!"

"Left back: Oczipka!"

"Double pivot: Lass, Stendera!"

"Central midfielders: Egna, Husti!"

"Forwards: Seferovic, Meier!"

"Leverkusen still uses a 4-3-3 formation!"

"Goalkeeper:..."

The match kicked off.

Frankfurt had possession.

They showed no intention of defending.

No matter who the opponent is, we will attack relentlessly to the end!

"The pace of the advance is very fast!"

"Hasebe Makoto!"

"A very well-rounded Japanese overseas player who can play multiple positions on the field!"

"Although he is a full-back! We saw him like to advance along the central route!"

"Frankfurt is deeply stuck in the relegation quagmire!"

"Thomas Schaaf advocates attacking football!"

"Even when facing the Bundesliga top team, the Eagle Attila never fears!"

As the words fell!

Bellarabi intercepted Hasebe Makoto's advance!

He quickly passed the ball diagonally to the supporting Leverkusen number 10!

Li Kang touched the ball once, passing it to Bolesz who had surged forward from the flank!

The latter pulled away in a flash!

Easily breaking through the double-team of Las and Egnar!

He drove the ball into the rib area!

Bolesz struck a 45-degree cross!

The football arced in mid-air and plummeted sharply into Frankfurt's penalty area!

The landing spot was not ideal.

But Frankfurt's back line was very fragile.

Kießling took a short run-up and leapt high! He outjumped Zambrano and Abraham, heading the ball powerfully toward goal!

0:1!

!

In the Champions League, timid and hesitant; in the Bundesliga, fierce and punchy!

"Frankfurt paid the price for their madness!"

"The gap in strength is quite large!"

After scoring, Kießling rushed to the corner flag area in front of the camera, excitedly slapping his forehead.

He is 32 years old this year, has played for Leverkusen for ten years, won the Bundesliga Golden Boot, and is nicknamed the "budget version of Yimb."

He was only selected for the 2010 South Africa World Cup squad, and his total substitute appearance time for the German national team adds up to less than 45 minutes.

His professional career is tightly linked to Leverkusen: he has never won a championship!

The match proceeded without any twists.

Frankfurt fundamentally could not rely on their midfield numerical advantage to strangle the game.

Li Kang steadily controlled the match's rhythm, gradually helping Leverkusen fully dominate field advantage.

The intense attacking situation quickly disappeared.

Frankfurt was pressed in the penalty area and wildly rubbed.

How can we still attack?

We can't even win the ball back!

"Phenomenal dominance!"

"Li Kang is the most consistently performing midfielder in the Bundesliga this season!"

"As of this season! His average pass success rate per match reaches as high as 86%! Approaching the peak of Xavi and Pirlo!"

"Of course, this statistic is somewhat one-sided; it still needs to be compared according to league intensity to be meaningful!"

Minute 38 of the match.

Li Kang delivered a precise through pass!

Son Heung-min shook off Ochipka.

Like a loach, he darted into Frankfurt's most tender and dangerous zone!

After receiving the ball, he made a slight adjustment, then unleashed a powerful shot!

Frankfurt's net was ripped open again!

0:2!

!

Son Heung-min excitedly turned back and ran to Li Kang's face, bumping fists in celebration!

"Asian connection!"

"Once, we also had a player who played for Frankfurt! He contributed many wonderful goals!"

On the sideline.

Tuopu Laotou suppressed his urge to celebrate.

After all, he once was the meritorious head coach of the Eagle Legion.

Dino called out to the players on the bench to hurry up and warm up.

The two staff members of the coaching staff quietly prepared the tactical analysis for the Champions League quarter-final knockout stage.

On the other side.

Thomas Schaff's expression remained calm, still gently gesturing to the players on the field.

His style fits Frankfurt perfectly: attack! Still attack!

68th minute of the match!

Bellarabi received Li Kang's lofted pass and kicked it wide!

The ball rolled softly into the arms of goalkeeper Hradecky.

He has a signature skill: super-powered throw-in.

Deeply loved by players in the game!

The ball screamed toward the vicinity of the center circle!

Mel, who had been lurking for a long time, suddenly activated!

This player is strange—other abilities are mediocre, but his luck is exceptionally good, having scored many bizarre goals!

Unfortunately, he hadn't taken a few steps before being blocked by a tall, burly figure.

Van Dijk!

Mel felt despair.

The Dutch center-back's ability is not only shown in retreating.

Against slightly weaker opponents.

Van Dijk displayed terrifying frontal interception ability!

With a slap!

Leverkusen regained possession again.

This showdown completely lost its suspense.

Leverkusen dominated both attack and defense, utterly crushing the opponent.

92nd minute of the match, injury time.

Li Kang was 35 meters from the goal and unleashed a world-class strike!

Frankfurt's goalkeeper stood frozen like a wooden chicken!

0:3!

!

"Beautiful!"

"This goal went in!"

"The referee blew the whistle to end the match at this moment!"

"Congratulations, Leverkusen!"

"After the winter break, they came back with three thrilling victories!"

"Champion's demeanor!"

"In five days, Leverkusen will host at Beimingyin, facing Premier League giants—Chelsea!"

"Let's wait and see!"

Live broadcast room.

-【Leverkusen held back, made massive rotations—clearly could have massacred Frankfurt!】

-【In a few days, it's the Champions League quarter-finals! Understandable—keeping Li Mingdeng on is already good!】

-【Leverkusen probably won't get past Chelsea... Hazard has blown past Van Dijk several times in the Premier League.】

-【Not necessarily—Li Mingdeng is invincible at home!】

-【Who knows? Football is round!】

Business Competition Stadium.

Security personnel were evacuating spectators from all sides of the stands.

Players from both sides had no time to exchange jerseys or thank fans.

Special period.

After merely shaking hands with the refereeing crew.

They hurried back to their respective locker rooms, preparing to leave.

Post-match press conference.

Media reporters asked questions enthusiastically.

Thomas Schaff remained silent.

He is Germany's famous "mute master coach," and he dislikes speaking to the media just as much.

Tuopu Laotou looked in high spirits, talking nonstop:

"Frankfurt is very tenacious—they didn't give up attacking until the final moments of the match!"

"Attacking football will not be drowned by the tide of time!"

"Forget the score! Judging by the flow of play, Frankfurt was not defeated!"

"Refugee riot incident? I only want to talk about football now."

Thunderous applause erupted throughout the stadium!

Local Frankfurt reporters, many of whom are also home fans.

They haven't forgotten Tuopu Laotou's great contributions to this club in the last century!

Half an hour later.

The entire Leverkusen squad returned to their hotel.

Son Heung-min and Kramer, among others, dared not go out to experience local customs—Bafaskek Street, lined with colorful neon lights... is a goblin disaster zone.

Fortunately, the hotel's specifications were slightly higher, and there were many supporting leisure facilities.

Tuopu Laotou rented a small meeting room, and the coaching staff quickly immersed themselves in tense tactical deployment.

Li Kang returned to his room alone; his teammates understood his habits and would not deliberately disturb him.

Pulling open the curtains, the tranquil banks of the Main River came into view.

The system notification sounded softly.

【Ding! Congratulations on completing the Bundesliga Random Treasure Chest Weekly Task!】

【Task Reward: Frankfurt Legendary·Golden Treasure Chest.】

【The treasure chest is opening...】

【Congratulations on obtaining: Yang Chen "Pathfinder" Module!】

【Starting out being benched, I actually joined Frankfurt!】

The module furnace suddenly stood before him.

Black mist filled the entire room!

Three low-level modules, glowing with white light, floated above the furnace!

【Modules are fusing...】

【Congratulations, Host, on obtaining: Ronaldinho "Devil's Arc" Module (Special)!】

【He not only possesses the steps of an elf, but can also summon devilish arcs!】

【Additional attribute increase: Arc 85→95!】

【Additional effect: You will immerse yourself in the match, enjoying the joy of football.】

In a flash.

All things around Li Kang underwent drastic changes.

2002 World Cup.

Brazil vs England.

22-year-old Ronaldinho, with a youthful smile.

One battle sealed his godhood.

The river of time flowed anew.

Li Kang came to his senses.

The pleasant emotion gradually faded.

From the shattered memory fragments of the illusion, he realized the "Devil's Arc" was not a passive module, nor did it only apply to set pieces, but to all ball distributions... and shots!

He picked up his phone and found only three minutes had passed.

Several messages popped up in the notification bar.

Still Feiniaojiang.

It turned out she was transferring in Frankfurt and would stay overnight.

The neon girl was in the rising phase of her career; in just a few months she had become the most beloved model of Asian fashion magazines, often flying to Europe for outdoor shoots.

Li Kang declined the invitation.

He did not want to go out to see Frankfurt's cherry blossoms.

Every corner of this city harbored restless refugees.

Five days later would be the Champions League quarter-finals, with Chelsea still as the opponent.

One hour later.

Feiniaojiang arrived at the hotel room.

"Li San, I brought you a gift."

She had styled her bangs; when not speaking, she wore a cold expression.

The two walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the desolate banks of the Main River.

On the riverbank, the treetops of the plane trees had sprouted tender buds.

After a long silence.

The atmosphere was somewhat subtle.

Feiniaojiang's cheeks flushed red, appearing somewhat restrained; she spoke nervously: "Li San, I..."

Li Kang smiled slightly.

The neon girl blinked, then also smiled shyly.

They met in humble circumstances.

At that time, Leverkusen's number 10 had not yet shaken off the "mascot" title, making his first appearance for the Spanish national team in Japan.

At that time, Feiniaojiang's career had just begun to improve.

In a flash.

Feiniaojiang recalled the yellowish streetlights of Ginza Avenue, the plane trees on Rambla Boulevard, and the wind along the Thames embankment.

She smiled even more intoxicatedly.

Only then did Li Kang have the chance to closely observe her.

Long eyelashes.

Her skin was very white, like snow, like Hokkaido's snow.

The cold reality would ultimately shatter the beautiful.

"Li San, I cannot give up my career."

"You will surely meet a better girl."

"Sorry..."

Tori-chan mustered up great courage, closed her eyes, and stood on tiptoe...

After a long while.

She furrowed her brows and opened her eyes.

Where did Li Sang go?

Where did that sweet first love go?

Li Sang went to the room next door, where Havertz and Brandt were, and slept on the floor.

What sweet first love?

He never kissed Tori-chan at all.

Be self-disciplined.