Chapter 226: Two‑Hundred‑Million Mister (Skippable, Transitional Chapter)

North London, Islington Community.

Morning light penetrated the mottled window, shining on Lao Tangmu's big butt.

A few magpies hopped back and forth on the treetops.

The early worm was eaten by the bird.

Lao Tangmu unwillingly got out of bed, and the habit cultivated over the years made him instinctively walk out of the bedroom, through the corridor, and open the door.

The mailbox was stuffed full.

"The Sun"—this sort of toilet‑paper rag is best read while on the toilet.

"Forget it, better to first read the more professional paper—first take in the bad news, keep the good news to savor slowly."

In recent years, professional football papers have hardly ever reported any positive news about Arsenal.

Nothing more than how much they owe and how big their revenue pressure is.

"The Royal Bank of Scotland claims: Arsenal has paid off the last £8.2 million of short‑term debt, still owing £232 million of long‑term loans."

"The relevant survey shows: Arsenal's cash reserves are as high as €150 million… wait, I got it wrong! It's bloody pounds!"

"Paying off that short‑term debt means this £150 million can now be used!"

"The survey shows: Arsenal's total wage bill for the 2015‑16 season ranked second in the Premier League!"

Upon seeing this news,

Lao Tangmu was beside himself: "Great Mr. Arsène Wenger! Arsenal fans will always love you!"

Who would have thought?

The stadium borrowed £470 million from the bank! Wenger actually paid it all off, just by selling the captain for a few bob? Despite years of low spending, he still managed to keep a top‑four Premier League finish!

Great?

That word is insufficient to sum up Wenger's contribution to Arsenal!

This old ox bears all kinds of criticism, plowing tirelessly, giving everything for a leaky, run‑down shack.

"Wenger signed EQE from Real Madrid for £42.5 million in 2013! The player has just arrived at Paris Saint‑Germain for a medical! The transfer fee is as high as £75 million! The cash account is as high as £220 million…"

"Great Mr. Wenger, he's made Arsenal another £30 million plus!"

"Isn't that right?"

"Did Arsenal sell our Premier League assist king? Did they sell our core?"

"Damn it!"

"Damn Wenger, you miser!"

"I curse him! Arsenal's sinner!"

Lao Tangmu sat at the table, made a cup of instant coffee, and kept muttering curses at Arsenal's manager.

Squeak~

His big butt pressed down on the fragile wooden chair.

Sure enough, the high‑quality newspaper never reports Arsenal's good news.

"Only this trash, The Sun, can kick off a day's happiness!"

Lao Tangmu unfolded the newspaper.

At the sight of the front‑page headline,

The smile on his face instantly froze.

Plop!

Accompanied by the table's shaking,

The hot coffee spilled silently, flowing down the tabletop and soaking Lao Tangmu's crotch.

"Great... noble... perfect Mr. Arsène Wenger!"

Manchester United, Carrington Training Base.

Pogba was late again.

Mourinho wore a grim look.

The French genius didn't care, just went on with the keep‑away drill.

He wasn't afraid of Mourinho; he'd returned to Manchester United under the urging of the club's higher‑ups: the Hundred‑Million‑Yuan Mister, the summer‑window transfer king, the record‑breaking transfer king!

If the conflict escalated, the one Manchester United would kick out... would be Mourinho!

The atmosphere once fell into awkwardness.

Only Lingard's face bore a smile.

Pogba's mind was hit or miss; he tried to say something to ease the mood: "I heard the gatekeeper talking about EQE being sold to Ligue 1? Arsenal's so stingy, they either sell the captain or the core! Wenger even asked me about it a few years ago."

"Does he have money?"

Everyone looked at each other: "You didn't read the paper this morning?"

Pogba spread his hands: "I fucking never read the paper!"

Lingard leaned in and whispered a sentence.

The French genius froze...

A phrase kept echoing in his ears.

"The most expensive, and also the best."

The summer transfer window unfolded in full swing.

One Premier League transfer news item after another frenziedly refreshed.

Premier League powerhouses no longer held back, splashing money like dirt.

Arsenal became the protagonist.

Only he is selling people.

《EQE leaves Arsenal, joins Paris Saint-Germain, transfer fee as high as 90 million euros! 》

《Premier League assist king, ultimately no fate to renew with Arsenal! Look back at EQE's dazzling moments at Arsenal! 》

《Neville: Wenger's pathological management turned himself into Arsenal's tumor; he is the true glutton of the Premier League, a slave to capital. 》

Likes, comments, and shares surged wildly.

-【Wenger won't do, the midfield core has all been sold, how can Arsenal still fight for fourth place next season? Just wait to avoid relegation!】

-【Do elderly people somewhat have this habit of liking to hoard money? They like seeing the money in their accounts increase, completely not caring whether their son can find a wife?】

-【If we don't get relegated I'll eat shit, with EQE on or off the pitch Arsenal are completely two different teams, the overall strength gap is too huge!】

-【Manchester City started spending money, awesome!】

-【Liverpool bought Mané! So happy! The front line's attack will never go silent again!】

-【Can't figure out what the Premier League giants are thinking? Li Mingdeng's transfer market value isn't written as 1.2 billion euros? Still not taking action?】

-【If you really buy players according to the transfer market price, nobody can afford them!】

-【Those toilet paper rags still say Li Kang will join Arsenal? Eat shit! Obviously fake! I'd rather believe Arsenal wins the Champions League! Hahaha!】

Catalonia Television.

Enrique is participating in commenting on a live broadcast of the Euro U-19 Championship.

"Li is certainly the best midfielder of the younger generation, but he won't break Pogba's transfer record."

"Pogba's agent is Mino Raiola, the transfer operation process is very complicated!"

"Who is Li's agent? He has no support from an agent team behind him!"

"Barça can definitely afford him, but our midfield setup is already perfect... no no no, individual strength cannot represent the whole, the ball possession distribution between him and MSN is hard to handle."

"This is the reason Nou Camp didn't let him come back; Li's transfer market value is inflated, I estimate his transfer fee is roughly equivalent to EQE's."

"As for which team he'll go to? Of course it's Guardiola's Manchester City! Manchester City has always been imitating Barça, they will package a successor to Xavi."

This set of arguments came out.

European media outlets all expressed agreement.

Although Enrique's coaching level has been diminished under the halo of MSN, his vision is extremely sharp, especially the group of genius players he helped Barça sign in this summer window... each one has unlimited potential.

August 4, 2016.

A piece of news on Arsenal's official website shocked the world.

《Official announcement: Li Kang officially joins Arsenal. 》

The homepage's huge banner: it's the European Cup top scorer wearing the number 10 red-white jersey!

【The 200 million euro man.】

The whole British Isles seemed to emit a slight tremor.

A blockbuster transfer that ignited the globe.

Countless fans stared dumbfounded.

200 million?

Double-breaking the world transfer record at two hundred million..

Is Arsenal's official website hacked? April Fools?

Shortly after.

Leverkusen's official website released a piece of news.

《Official announcement: Li Kang officially leaves Leverkusen. 》

Fans worldwide were stunned.

Sunlight cannot penetrate the dark, heavy clouds.

Bei lai yin was shrouded in sorrow.

BayArena.

Stands on all sides had their seats removed, tens of thousands of fans surged forward.

"Lee!

!"

"Lee!

!"

"Lee!

!"

The shouting carried reluctance.

On the pitch, Leverkusen was holding the most solemn farewell ceremony in its century-long history.

German Cup champion trophy.

Bundesliga champion salad plate.

Placed on both sides of Leverkusen's number 10.

Magnesium lights flashed wildly.

Media reporters basically didn't want to let go of every moment.

Li Kang looked around, symbolically raising his hand to Leverkusen fans.

In his view, Ballack's phantom suddenly appeared.

Other legendary stars from the modules seemed infected, after appearing one by one, they remained silent.

The sorrow of parting, in an instant, eroded Li Kang's consciousness.

Accompanied by a roar from Nesta.

Li Kang suddenly recalled the scene after losing a Champions League match, when a group of fans pelted him with eggs and hurled insults.

He involuntarily began to dislike the reluctance echoing over the Bayern Arena.

The Bayern-loyal Munich Daily proclaimed:

"Bei lai yin, they have lost their king."

"Munich welcomes the dawn today."

The farewell ceremony ended quickly.

The wind was strong.

It blew into the Bayern Arena's locker room.

Tuopu Laotou helped Li Kang tie his shoelaces.

Teacher Belenta reminded him that even going to London he must not neglect his studies.

Dino anxiously stuffed local specialties into his suitcase.

Havertz and Brandt were glum.

Wo Le Er rubbed the corner of his eyes and smiled, saying, "Li, Lewokusen will always be your home."

Li Kang smiled and took the initiative to grasp the old man's white-haired hands.

Time seemed to return to the afternoon at Düsseldorf Airport.

In the journey of growth, farewells are never lacking.

Just like elementary school, middle school, high school, college... every stage of the journey, you always lose something.

Time is like sand, gradually wearing away the most precious things once held in the heart.

Bid farewell to the past, embrace a brand‑new future.

On the plane.

Morata flipped through the newspaper, displeased, saying:

"I joined Arsenal for 50 million euros, yet they give me only a tiny slot of coverage?"

"If it weren't for my agent Lopes urging me... nonsense, do I still need his urging?"

"Li, we are finally teammates at the same club!"

"Don't be nervous; the Premier League's competition isn't as fierce as we imagined—I'll protect you!"

Just like the first encounter when we once campaigned in Japan.

The two are a few years apart in age.

Morata subconsciously still tends to utter cheesy lines about "protecting and caring."

Li Kang nodded seriously.

He had no time to sigh.

The tablet computer he held had already been downloaded with several gigabytes of high‑definition uncensored video.

Naturally, they were match recordings of the Premier League's top teams.

"Li joined Arsenal?"

"There's also a La Masia‑trained right‑back, Bellerín, in Arsenal's squad... I remember that kid!"

Etihad Stadium.

Guardiola listened as the assistant coach read out the newspaper's information.

He was stunned.

Exactly.

Full‑back...

La Masia's number‑four position plus La Masia's full‑back...

Will Arsenal give birth to the ultimate answer of a tactical revolution?

Manchester City's coaching staff completely failed to notice: their own head coach had again fallen into madness.

Meanwhile.

Stamford Bridge.

Abramovich slammed his forehead.

"Morata also joined Arsenal?"

"Damn it, I moved Spain's national team midfield and attack to Chelsea—wouldn't that be enough?"

"We already have Fabregas and Diego Costa."

"Why didn't you remind me?"

His tough tone gradually weakened, turning into sorrow.

"Li..."

Outskirts of Madrid.

Real Madrid training base.

Modric couldn't help but laugh when he saw the transfer news.

In the Champions League versus European Championship showdown, the two each found themselves in vastly unequal overall strength.

Their encounter next season... who knows what sparks it will strike.

Kroos recalled Li Kang from the European Championship and suddenly felt like leaving work early—not from fear, but because meeting that kid was too exhausting.

Bale received a pass from a teammate and complained, "What's the boss up to? Is it really necessary to start training so early? My vacation..."

Varane quickly covered his mouth: "Shh, the Asia tour is coming up—don't keep arguing with the boss!"

In the distance.

Zidane smiled and shook his head.

The assistant coach reminded: 'Boss, have you noticed C Luo's changes lately?'

Real Madrid's head coach followed the assistant coach's gaze.

C Luo was training alone on the pitch.

Zidane frowned and said:

"Look forward to it, next season we'll see a brand-new him!"

"We may encounter opponents we haven't faced in a long time on the Champions League stage."

Barcelona's whole team arrived in Dubai.

The stars walked out of the arrival gate, a sea of people.

The MSN trio's poster was held high!

Enrique was absent-minded.

He was being fiercely bombarded by the Catalan media, and with a single 'poisoned milk' remark, he even became the darling of major European radio stations...

The 200-million-euro man...

Top Premier League wages...

He could no longer keep a straight face.

Pique dragged his suitcase, muttering: 'We always get Arsenal in the Champions League round of sixteen... I don't want to draw Li next season either!'

Yinniesita shook his head and said: 'There aren't that many coincidences.'

In a vague moment.

Everyone couldn't help but recall the rainy match at Camp Nou back then.

Busquets took a deep breath and said: 'Arsenal's high points... aren't many, we don't easily run into them...'

"I hope to meet Li."

Messi interrupted.

August 12, 2016.

Under the world's gaze.

The Emirates Stadium, roaring with crowds.

Arsenal welcomed their dawn.