Chapter 293: North London Doesn't Believe in Tears (Daily Transition)

The match is over.

Barcelona fans worldwide probably can't accept this score.

North London doesn't believe in tears.

The once-dominant cosmic team that swept Europe endured ninety horrific minutes.

A painful defeat.

After sixteen years, Barcelona are eliminated from the Champions League group stage again!

The changing of the guard.

The old king falls, the new king ascends.

The unstoppable arsenal slaughtered the red and blue legion!

Li Kang scores four!

A godlike battle where he single-handedly held off the South American trident with ten men!

His flawless performance has etched this Champions League clash into football history!

Duan Xuan misses He Wei a little.

If that guy were here, he'd surely be grumbling for ages, stirring up Barcelona fans' emotions.

CTV5 livestream.

-【I said it ages ago: Barcelona drew this group, no way they'd qualify!】

-【Li Invincible.】

-【Tonight they put on a historic king-level performance!】

-【Barcelona's nemesis.】

-【Hope Arsenal's injury crisis ends soon, don't let little Li be so exhausted, playing both parent roles on both ends—watching this really hurts!】

-【Cazorla, Morata, Welbeck, Zaka, Cech... all teammates played brilliantly, plus handball Chamberlain and red-card Gibbs!】

-【In Arsenal's Champions League clashes, they're often just one breath short—Li Mingdeng brought the bellows!】

-【Spending money feels great—if the professor didn't fix the pitch, he'd be a wandering coach and already hoisted the big-eared cup.】

-【What's going on? How did the invincible cosmic team fall so low?】

-【Barcelona's midfield aging problem is severe—Xavi left, Yinniesta is frequently injured, Enrique can only make minor reforms, building a system led by the front line... saying thousands of words wouldn't cover it, anyway it's all dumped on Messi and Neymar for organization, progression, and finishing...】

-【The peak Dream Four team couldn't last a year before being figured out.】

-【Look at the new signings Barcelona bought for 150 million euros—they can't sustain La Masia's tiki-taka, Messi still has to play both parent roles, Neymar has to drop deep to create, Suarez is no longer the all-around godlike striker from his Liverpool days, he still needs to gain weight to be a focal point.】

-【Check out this season's La Liga—Alaves can beat Barcelona, Celta can beat Barcelona, Malaga can beat Barcelona...】

-【Tonight was an eye-opener—Barcelona slaughtered by Arsenal? Probability's about the same as China losing to Vietnam, haha!】

-【I don't like you lot of glory-hunting, knee-jerk neutral fans—reform pain is inevitable, Barcelona will rise again soon, Messi is 29 this year, he can still play many years at Barcelona.】

Emirates Stadium.

Red-and-white scarves and flags formed the most beautiful wave.

Mascot-Gunner Dragon wagged its butt, leading the cheers.

Arsenal fans chanted the hero's name.

"Lee

!"

"Lee

!"

Before the match, no one expected the depleted arsenal to hold off the 'full-strength' cosmic team...

Result: Arsenal's two-hundred-million-euro man turned the tide single-handedly, crushed their arch-rival, and made Emirates Stadium erupt completely.

What a wonderful night.

The red-and-blue demon that had hovered over North London for years was beaten and fled in disarray.

Catalan fans' hearts are heavy.

Can a 150-million-euro new lineup not overcome a 100,000-yuan installment plan?

Did the full-strength starting XI also produce a 'godlike battle'?

The opponent isn't Bayern Munich—it's Arsenal, whom we've always stepped on!

Screw it!

Miscellaneous objects flew, accompanied by various curses, wildly bombarding Barcelona's command zone.

Where's Enrique?

His cheeks flushed red, he hysterically spread his arms toward the stands, letting out an unwilling roar.

"I did nothing wrong!"

"The tactical reform direction and team-building approach have no problems whatsoever!"

"The 150 million euros bought Barcelona's future!"

"Patience!"

"You need patience!"

"Barcelona will keep increasing transfer investment, completing the blueprint's assembly..."

Saliva flew.

Innocent security guards looked disgusted, hastily wiping their faces with their hands.

Who still has the heart to listen to you talk about Barcelona's future here?

People only knew the 'full-strength' Barcelona, confidently promising a qualification miracle before the match, only to be beaten down by La Masia castoffs...

In the broadcast camera shot.

Someone was celebrating wildly.

Someone was feeling desolate.

Countless complex emotions intertwined together.

The Emirates Stadium was both heaven and hell.

Ter Stegen crouched by the goalpost, burying his head deep into his knees.

Seven goals.

Conceded seven goals in a single match.

His entire career was thoroughly nailed to the pillar of shame!

Zakaria excitedly fished the ball out of Barcelona's net, intending to deliver it to Li Kang... Arsenal's number 10 completed a haul, qualifying to take the match ball home as a keepsake!

He patted the Barcelona goalkeeper's shoulder along the way.

Suddenly he felt this scene was somewhat familiar.

Yes!

Back then Germany 3:5 Switzerland.

The goalkeeper was indeed Ter Stegen!

"You damn well aren't conceding that many goals for the first time, what are you crying for, fart!"

"I heard lower-table La Liga teams could still concede you three or four goals... or even eight?"

Words of comfort went unspoken.

Zakaria withdrew his hand, trotting happily toward the celebrating crowd.

Mascherano stood with hands on hips, expression dazed.

Fragments of his clashes with Li Kang played in reverse in his mind... suddenly he felt himself growing old.

Unconsciously he recalled the summoning of his enlightenment mentor, Pellegrini.

He had visited the Great Wall once, and was deeply attracted by that land's culture and history, often expressing his longing for Eastern nations on social media, and even sending New Year blessings in Chinese every Spring Festival.

Chinese Super League.

Perhaps it was the destination of his career.

Neymar collapsed from exhaustion.

Bent over, hands on his knees, gasping heavily.

Bewildered.

He was very bewildered.

During Messi's injury absence, the Samba genius repeatedly turned the tide in La Liga, salvaging Barcelona's dignity.

Yet upon arriving at the Emirates Stadium, he ultimately failed to fulfill his pre-match vow of scoring two goals.

Does staying at Barcelona still hold any meaning for me?

His thoughts were interrupted.

Suarez put an arm around his shoulder, struggled to squeeze out a smile, and said: "It's no big deal, just losing a match? Next year we start over, Barcelona is a club full of human warmth... we'll fight side by side for many more years!"

Busquets' mood was very complex.

Other Barcelona players might not realize the importance of the number 4 position from La Masia, but he deeply understood it.

Playing midfield alongside Li felt easier than partnering with Xavi.

If not for being picked up by Leverkusen for 1 million euros... the best Li, meeting the best MSN... well, plus the best version of myself! That scene would simply be too beautiful.

The broadcast camera suddenly cut to a close-up of Barcelona's midfielder.

No one knew what he was laughing about...

In the past, only Arsenal player Sanchez had the example of foolishly grinning after a loss!

Rakitic quickly adjusted his emotions, he embraced Li Kang again and exchanged jerseys.

Gomes asked puzzledly: "Don't you already have Li's jersey?"

The super engineer shook his head: "No different, last time was Arsenal's away jersey, this time is the home jersey, what if it gets discontinued!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed his teammates' dejected expressions, dazed for a moment, then added: "Cheer up, losing to Li isn't disgraceful, he's a historical-level midfielder!"

And Messi?

Barcelona's number 10 silently walked toward the tunnel, his silhouette desolate.

【Ding, "Perpetual Motion Heart" has failed.】

【Detected teammate injuries gradually recovering, "Salvage the Situation" module bonus significantly reduced.】

Li Kang felt his strength utterly drained.

He hadn't even had time to lie down yet.

Welbeck and Morata rushed over, one on each side supporting his shoulders.

Xiao Heidan said innocently: "Li, let me carry you! You still have to attend the Champions League draw ceremony tomorrow! Hope we don't get a troublesome opponent."

In the Champions League knockout stage, playing well matters less than drawing well.

Arsenal's draw luck... has always been poor.

Morata laughed: "Don't worry, we're group winners, we'll only draw runners-up from other groups."

Zakaria shoved the match ball into Li Kang's embrace, saying: "Other groups' runners-up are all quite troublesome..."

Arsenal players did not fall into wild celebration after the match.

During the continuous goal celebrations in the second half, all emotions had already been vented.

Maguire bit his pencil tip, held his notebook, frowned and said: "Comparing the two legs, Barcelona's 150 million euro investment in new signings, the tactical thinking they built... all damn well just diverting Messi and Neymar's ball possession?"

Post-match press conference.

Enrique's face flushed red as he argued vehemently.

"The Emirates Stadium is wider."

"Their sprinkler system might have a problem, making the pitch too wet."

"One match proves nothing!"

"Barcelona still has dominance in Europe, but there were too many upsets in the group stage, our injuries are severe, and now we can focus more on La Liga!"

A feeble gesture left the reporters uninterested in continuing their barrage.

Barcelona has not only declined but also lost the dignity of a strong team.

Even when they were massacred by Bayern back then, the head coach at the time never sought any excuse.

Only when Wenger appeared on camera did the press conference atmosphere return to normal.

"Does this victory have little impact on Arsenal's qualification prospects?"

"I don't think so."

"In this match, Li led the team to display an unprecedented momentum, greatly boosting the confidence of the club and fans!"

"Tonight's Emirates Stadium belongs to him alone!"

"Who would you most like to face in the Champions League round of sixteen?"

"Arsenal's goal is to win the Champions League!"

That night.

Li Kang returned home.

The system notification sounded softly.

【Ding, congratulations on completing the task: If Miracles Had Color.】

【Task receipt: A difficult match... well, you made everyone a witness to history!】

【Congratulations on receiving the task reward: Messi's Platinum Treasure Chest!】

A blinding white flash.

The treasure chest floating in mid-air bore a cartoon avatar of Messi.

Li Kang glanced at the reward pool.

Yes.

Messi's "armory" is so rich it could fill the reward pool!

【Messi "Inside Foot Arc" Module!】

【Messi "Qi Piercing the Long Rainbow" Module!】

【Messi "Making the Heavy Light" Module!】

【Messi "Four Taels Move a Thousand Jin" Module!】

【Messi "Little Flea" Module!】

【Messi "Ultimate Angle" Module!】

【...】

Dazzling and varied.

Too many to count.

One can roughly tell from the module suffixes what stage of Messi this is... simply absurdly strong.

【The treasure chest is opening, congratulations on obtaining: Messi "Lightning Step" Module (Damaged)!】

【Come at me all together!】

A strange, indescribable pain shot through the back of Li Kang's head.

The platinum treasure chest oozed rolling black smoke.

It frenziedly seeped into his body.

In his memory, flashes of devastating, continuous dribbling sequences appeared...

Cloud-like flowing changes of direction, nutmegs, shifts, sudden stops, explosive accelerations.

Invincible tiny steps, terrifying step frequency, center-of-gravity deception, arbitrary rhythm shifts...

Half an hour later.

Li Kang struggled up from the ground.

Drenched in cold sweat.

The stronger the module, the greater the physical burden required.

This is still the damaged version of the Lightning Step...

After collecting his thoughts.

He realized that if he wanted to perfectly execute this ultimate skill, it would be extremely, extremely difficult.

Why?

Too tall.

Objective physiological problems cannot be solved.

Messi's 1.69-meter height produces the most perfect and coordinated movement speed, center-of-gravity control, and step frequency adjustment...

If Messi were 1.8 meters tall, would he still be that strong?

Yes.

But his on-field performance would take a different form.

For example, Ronaldinho...

As for the "Lightning Wave Microsteps" technique? Due to a larger build and higher center of gravity, it's definitely difficult to execute.

That night.

The Champions League group stage has all concluded.

The list of the round of sixteen has been released!

Major media outlets began competing to report:

Group A: Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain;

Group B: Napoli, Benfica;

Group C: Arsenal, Monaco;

Group D: Atletico Madrid, Lyon;

Group E: Tottenham Hotspur, Lewokusen;

Group F: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund;

Group G: Leicester City, Bayern Munich;

Group H: Juventus, Borussia Monchengladbach;

The comment section exploded.

-【A strange thing slipped into second place.】

-【How shameless is Bayern? Sneaking into second place in the group and advancing! How much pressure does that put on the group winners of other groups!】

-【Bayern didn't do it on purpose; early-season injuries were too many, and they had to integrate Ancelotti's new system... After half a season of integration, they're now almost fully fit!】

-【No need to guess the round of sixteen matchups! Arsenal vs Bayern Munich has already been locked in!】

-【Five years of Bayern, three years of Barcelona!】

-【Five years of college entrance exams, three years of mock exams? What meme is this?】

-【Let me explain: Although Arsenal always manages to reach the Champions League round of sixteen, their draw luck is terrible—every time they get paired with superpowerhouses like Bayern or Barcelona, and they always get eliminated, often in massacres, so fans frequently tease them about it.】

-【Don't panic this season, Li Monchengladbach! Arsenal Gladbach! Giant killer!】

-【If you say that, Arsenal's chance of facing Paris Saint-Germain isn't low either.】

-【Borussia Dortmund has also been very strong this season; Tuchel's three-center-back system is too extreme—other group winners probably don't want to draw them!】

-【What's going on with this year's Champions League? Why do the group runners-up all seem so tough to handle?】

-【Lewokusen got lucky—just a little short of advancing, Balotelli had a one-on-one and pondered life, and Tuopu Laotou was so angry he had a heart attack.】