Chapter 1 The Confidence of the Strong

Li Kang got up.

The Number 5 phantom in his vision didn't radiate any negative emotions.

Not a trace of hatred towards the aggressor.

It was an extraordinary confidence and composure.

[It's not the strong who win, but the winners who are strong.]

"Yellow card!"

"The referee believes Arsenal had already launched a complete attack, and Sanchez completed the shooting action! Pepe's foul on Li Kang won't result in a free kick, but rather a supplementary card!"

"It's still a corner kick!"

Pepe tried hard to suppress a smile, shrugging innocently.

Walcott and Bellerin surrounded the referee, gesturing excitedly about the malicious act that had just occurred.

Xhaka aggressively tried to find the instigator, but was stopped by Real Madrid players.

At the sideline.

Bould led the coaching staff in a furious complaint to the fourth official.

Wenger anxiously questioned the team doctor who was walking back off the field: The seriousness of Li Kang's injury had long surpassed the outcome of the match.

Morata, Welbeck, Mustafi, and others rushed out of the bench, protesting angrily.

In the stands, it wasn't just Arsenal fans who were angry; some of the Madrid fans who had traveled from afar also felt conflicted: A Bullfighting hero being bullied by a player from their own club?

Far away in North Rhine, at the Leverkusen cafeteria.

Dino hugged old man Topp, who was about to smash the TV.

Havertz and Brandt furiously tapped on their phone screens: the two could only denounce Pepe's foul on social media.

In the VIP box.

Beckenbauer watched the Arsenal Number 10 on the green field stand up again, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

He smiled and said:

"The confidence of the strong."

"My childhood dream was to join Munich 1860. When I was 13, and played against them, their Gnies slapped me in the face. I wasn't angry, but I knew I would never play for that club."

Li Kang walked to the corner flag area.

A ball boy quickly threw him the soccer ball.

Fans and reporters in the nearby stands raised their phones or cameras.

"There should be a lot of stoppage time in the first half."

"Li Kang has received treatment for too long in this match."

"Oh? We see Real Madrid making their first substitution!"

"Bale! Replacing Isco!"

"Zidane's substitution rhythm is off; making a substitution during a set-piece defense is a big no-no!"

"Real Madrid's formation is going to change from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3!"

Isco applauded and silently left the field from the baseline.

Bale quickly jogged onto the field, gesturing some tactical instructions to his teammates. He was a top student from the Southampton academy, and often had different opinions from the coaching staff on tactical adjustments, even arguing with Zidane at one point.

The Millennium Stadium instantly erupted in deafening cheers.

Many hoped that the Welsh superstar could lift the trophy at home!

Inside the Real Madrid penalty area, the key players on both sides were secretly competing.

Cristiano Ronaldo's defensive attitude was very proactive, taking the initiative to give Bale the position for counter-attack coordination and retreating to the penalty area himself.

It was as if he and Maguire had swapped roles.

Beep!

Li Kang looked at the goal.

Two-step run-up.

[There is a pass called the Beckenbauer pass.]

[Everyone is equal before Yashin, except Beckenbauer.]

Without any signature skills, the Soul of Unyielding brought direct attribute improvements and extraordinary confidence!

A casual kick.

The swing of his left leg was minimal.

Thump!

The soccer ball lifted off the ground and quickly rose.

"Should be passing to the near post..."

"Wow!"

The originally unremarkable trajectory.

But as it entered the penalty area, a strange shift occurred.

The hearts of tens of thousands of fans in the stadium were fiercely gripped!

Key players on both sides jumped at the same time.

Navas looked dumbfounded; the trajectory he had judged at the last moment... he was powerless.

The soccer ball brushed past the intersection of the near post and the crossbar, and plunged into Real Madrid's goal.

2:0!!!

The entire stadium erupted.

"Beautiful!"

"Goal!"

"A dazzling gem!"

"Scoring directly from a zero-degree angle corner kick! And hitting the near post!"

"Unbelievable!"

"Is it the night wind of the Millennium Stadium that isn't favoring the Galaxy Battleship?"

"Li Kang's leg swing makes it impossible to predict that this corner kick would go directly for the goal!"

"Two goals in the Champions League final!"

"His value has already exceeded two hundred million!"

The phantom of the Soul of Unyielding had not yet dissipated.

Li Kang slowly turned around and opened his arms towards the junction of the stands in front of him.

In an instant.

The audience on both sides of the stands erupted in thunderous applause, going crazy for him.

The two reporters closest to him decisively jumped over the advertising boards and lay on the grass, raising their cameras.

Flashes of magnesium lights flickered wildly.

The Arsenal Number 10, standing at the intersection of the red and white stands, was like a king!

Livestream.

The barrage of comments was like a waterfall.

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[Damn! So handsome!]

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[Excellent skill, extraordinary confidence!]

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[Let me explain to everyone, there's nothing wrong with Real Madrid's corner kick defense... it's just that Li Mingdeng is too awesome!]

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[Gunners' metaphysics: Teammates get injured, Li Mingdeng goes berserk; Li Mingdeng gets injured, goes even more berserk.]

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[What's going on? Real Madrid is two goals behind in the first half?]

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[Calm down, Zidane has made adjustments; it won't be difficult for Real Madrid to pull back two goals... throughout the first half, Modric and Kroos's offensive has greatly depleted the stamina of Arsenal's defensive players.]

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[My 4:3 is getting closer and closer.]

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[Rely on Ronaldo in adversity; Real Madrid won't lose so easily! Do you know 9248?]

In the VIP box.

Beckenbauer applauded vigorously.

"His aura on the green field..."

"Is admirable!"

"Regardless of the outcome, he has already conquered the audience at the Millennium Stadium!"

Arsenal teammates rushed excitedly towards the corner flag area.

Li Kang lowered his arms and returned to normal.

The Soul of Unyielding in his vision gradually blurred and eventually disappeared without a trace.

[Injury has been repaired]

In front of Real Madrid's goal.

Navas shook his head in frustration; he was powerless against both of Li Kang's goals.

Carvajal couldn't help but want to complain to Pepe... Complain about what? He couldn't very well say that this goal was because Pepe's foul had angered Li Kang.

Ramos raised his hand to stop his teammates from arguing, walked into the net, picked up the soccer ball, and threw it to Cristiano Ronaldo.

Modric looked somewhat bewildered: He felt both of Li Kang's goals were a bit unbelievable - completely transcending the tactical level of the game, similar to Zidane's pre-match arrangements.

The match restarted at the center circle.

Real Madrid continued to attack fiercely in the remaining time but didn't get any great scoring opportunities.

After mastering the referee's standards, the players on both sides committed fouls more and more frequently.

Soon, the five minutes of injury time ended.

Beep! Beep beep~

The referee blew the whistle to end the first half.

"After 45 minutes of fierce fighting."

"Arsenal 2:0 Real Madrid!"

"Many Gunners fans have started celebrating early!"

"But don't forget that Zidane's team is used to exerting themselves in the second half; the warriors trained by fitness maniac- Pintus have an absolute advantage in terms of physical strength!"

"Let's take a short break and go to a commercial break first..."

Wenger anxiously urged the team doctor, and a large group of Arsenal staff surrounded Li Kang.

In the tunnel.

Xhaka called out to Mustafi on the bench, and the two angrily stopped Pepe.

Players and assistant coaches from both sides quickly gathered around.

The chaos was quickly quelled by the referee team and security personnel.

In the Arsenal locker room.

Bould criticized Xhaka and Mustafi's behavior.

"We need to f*** them up on the green field! Not in the tunnel; Pepe is trying to deliberately provoke us!"

"Cherish the valuable time to recover your strength!"

"The defensive area he's responsible for is our breakthrough point in the second half! He already has a yellow card!"

"This outdated defensive trick is to make the attacking players fear him! Or impulsively retaliate against him!"

"We still have an incredibly difficult 45 minutes to get through!"

Although they were leading by two goals at halftime, the Arsenal players didn't celebrate.

Wenger breathed a sigh of relief after getting feedback from the team doctor.

He patted Li Kang on the shoulder, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Don't get injured; be careful to avoid contact, and protect your career... even if it means losing possession in the attack."

"You're still very young."

Li Kang nodded.

Wenger then moved over the tactical board and explained the tactical arrangements for the second half to the players.

In the Real Madrid locker room.

Cristiano Ronaldo loudly encouraged his teammates.

Zidane's on-the-spot adjustments were still simple:

"Don't be discouraged, Carvajal and Marcelo continue to push forward, and Casemiro takes more long shots..."

The camera silently recorded everything; if Real Madrid could reverse the situation and win the championship, this moment would be excellent material for "The Heart of Twelve Crowns".

Then he pulled Pepe aside.

The home and away locker rooms at the Millennium Stadium were very spacious.

The Real Madrid players had no idea what the two of them were talking about... In the end, Pepe's face was pale, and he silently sat back in his seat.

The fifteen-minute break quickly ended.

The players from both sides walked past the shining Big Ears trophy and returned to the green field.

The Millennium Stadium returned to its noisy atmosphere.

"Good evening, viewers, welcome back."

"We are now broadcasting the second half of the 2016/17 Champions League final for you!"

"The score is currently Arsenal 2:0 Real Madrid."

"Wenger has made his first substitution!"

"Morata replaces Walcott!"

"A bit difficult to understand; could it be that Arsenal's formation will change to 4-4-2, and Sanchez will withdraw from the front line to the midfield, reducing the defensive pressure on the flanks?"

"Morata never holds back when facing his old club; he scored in both legs of the Champions League semi-final in the 14/15 season, killing his former club Real Madrid."

"Real Madrid has not used their second substitution yet!"

The second half of the match officially began.

Arsenal possession.

Morata kicked off and passed back to Li Kang.

Li Kang passed to Cazorla with one touch.

Then he started running forward.

The soccer ball was quickly passed among the red and white jerseys.

Facing Real Madrid's pressing in the frontcourt.

Giroud passed the ball back to Sanchez.

The latter also touched the ball with one touch, instinctively pushing the ball diagonally forward.

Li Kang happened to appear on the passing line.

Modric quickly intercepted.

Bang!

Li Kang still touched the ball with one touch, passing it to Morata, who retreated to support.

Monreal, who cut in from the wing, bypassed Bale.

Arsenal started to speed up their advance!

"Too fierce."

"Counting the retreating Morata and the advancing Monreal... Arsenal has twice as many midfielders as Real Madrid."

"Swift passing and movement!"

"Closing the gaps!"

"Breakthrough!"

As if possessing God's perspective, Li Kang could always appear in the most suitable place.

Perfect passing routes.

Exquisite passing strength.

Reasonable positioning.

Open vision.

He turned Arsenal into an incredibly precise cutting instrument.

"This Gunners team is too well-coordinated."

"Versatile player Morata."

"Super wingman Cazorla."

"Breakthrough spark Sanchez."

Modric was very calm; he was constantly sprinting laterally, making up for the flaws in the defense.

Isco's substitution made it difficult for the midfield trio to maintain their holding rotation under such high pressure.

Casemiro and Kroos could only stay in front of the defense.

The Real Madrid defense was trying to maintain its contracted formation.

Zidane gesticulated wildly on the sidelines: He couldn't let Arsenal flatten his defense.

The two sides engaged in a fierce battle in the thirty-meter area of Real Madrid's half.

In the 52nd minute of the match.

Li Kang received Cazorla's pass in the left half-space.

A phantom of the Number 9 from the mattress appeared in his vision.

Atletico Madrid - Torres.

Peak start.

The hatred of the city derby quickly spread.

His feet stomped hard on the grass.

It was as if a gust of wind swept through the Millennium Stadium.

"Wow!"

"The starting speed is too fast!"

"He's like a sword, piercing Real Madrid's left flank!"

"Carvajal doesn't have time to adjust his position!"

"It's up to Pepe!"

Pepe had been seeing red during this period since the second half started: He had been blown past by Sanchez twice; if it weren't for Modric and Casemiro's defensive support, he would have already become the culprit for conceding a goal.

Adjusting his defensive stance in small steps.

Facing the oncoming Arsenal Number 10, the Real Madrid center-back stomped hard on the grass.

To stay in the Galaxy Battleship, Pepe relied not only on force but also on top-notch defensive anticipation.

The distance between the two was getting closer and closer.

The audience suddenly had an ominous premonition.

Outside the front line of the penalty box.

A shocking scene was about to be born.

The Real Madrid center-back crashed into the Arsenal Number 10.

Couldn't knock him down!

Couldn't stop him!

The moment Li Kang completed his escape.

Pepe's arms wrapped around his right arm!

Twisting hard!

Crack!

The close-up sound equipment transmitted a terrifying sound!

During the process of the two falling to the ground.

Pepe still didn't let go, trying to press Li Kang's dislocated right arm with his chest.

Wenger's expression on the sidelines was dull, as if he couldn't believe the facts before his eyes.

There was another crisp sound.

But it was the Real Madrid center-back who screamed.

Everyone was stunned.

When they came back to their senses.

Li Kang's knee had heavily pressed on Pepe's left ribs!

Beep!

The referee blew the whistle, and the first thing he did wasn't pull out a card, but frantically waved his hand to call for the team doctor!

The Millennium Stadium welcomed a brief silence.

The red and white Number 10 jersey was soaked with cold sweat.

What followed the intense pain was numbness.

The increasingly blurred consciousness was awakened by a cold, mechanical synthesized voice.

[Injury immunity physique has been triggered]

[The injury to the right arm is serious, and the estimated repair time is long]

[ . ]

Li Kang used all his strength to open his eyes.

The Torres phantom gradually blurred while spitting on Pepe.

All the attributes in the system panel became question marks.

The German team's Number 5 phantom reappeared.

No longer flashing a faint white light but emitting a dazzling golden light.

The true Soul of Unyielding!

(End of this chapter)