July 14th.

One day until the World Cup final.

Li Kang and his teammates watched the third-place match, Brazil vs. Croatia, at their hotel in Moscow.

The sun shone brightly over Saint Petersburg Stadium.

The match took an unexpected turn.

Led by Modrić, the weary Croatian squad somehow held their own against the star-studded Brazilian team.

The commentators were a bit dumbfounded.

After all, Brazil's attacking trident consisted of Willian, Jesus, and Neymar.

Of course.

Brazil's midfield wasn't up to par.

Aside from Coutinho, the remaining two were workhorse players from Chinese Super League clubs.

"In the third-place match, neither side has any pressure, so they're going all-out!"

"The Brazilian midfield still can't contain Modrić."

"Modrić's fighting spirit is truly admirable."

"Croatia is frequently having two of their center-backs alternate forward runs, with Lovren's diagonal passes!"

"Alisson's timely intervention defuses the danger."

"..."

"Neymar!"

"Using minimal force to deflect maximum impact."

In the end.

The Brazilian stars dejectedly collapsed onto the grass.

The Croatian female president enthusiastically hugged Modrić and kissed him repeatedly.

A calling card.

Football is the calling card this small country of only four million people presents to the world.

Croatia had prepared a ceremony to welcome the team home:

Fighter jet escort.

Aerial display with colored smoke.

A national holiday, with 550,000 fans gathering in Zagreb to witness the heroes' return.

Moscow hotel.

Li Kang and his teammates finished watching the third-place match.

No one discussed the final tomorrow; the most important thing for them now was to get plenty of rest and completely relax.

Iniesta said softly, "Li, don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Cazorla, David Silva, Busquets, Ramos, Carvajal, and other injured players echoed his sentiment.

Complex emotions quietly spread through the group.

The dim lights, green tablecloth, and red chairs made the hotel conference room look like a poignant art film filled with regret.

Li Kang nodded earnestly.

System notifications rang out frantically.

[Clutch Master module triggered.]

[Teammate Iniesta injured, gaining buff: Cliff Walker.]

[Teammate Ramos injured, gaining buff: 9248.]

[Teammate Carvajal injured, gaining buff: Winger Nemesis.]

[Teammate Cazorla injured, gaining buff: Ambidextrous MAX.]

[Teammate David Silva injured, gaining buff: King of the Half-Space.]

[Teammate Busquets injured, gaining buff: Simplification.]

[.]

[Overall bonus: Environment Adaptation S Module (Legendary)]

Buffing attributes sounded impressive, but with Li Kang's current abilities, the increase wouldn't be as significant as it was during his Arsenal days.

As for the S-level Environment Adaptation module? It was good, but… would it rain during the World Cup final?

That night.

The French team's hotel.

The young black players didn't go out for fast food.

They were full of energy and confidence.

Pogba was unusually calm, spending the entire day studying Spain's match footage on his computer.

As he watched, he muttered to himself, "What Li can do, I can do too!"

Kanté couldn't help but smile; it wasn't the first time he'd seen this.

As Li Kang's Chelsea teammate and Pogba's French teammate.

Kanté believed that, purely in terms of physical attributes, both young midfielders possessed historical-level control radius, flexibility, ankle strength… and other abnormal characteristics.

However, the battle of midfield maestros was about more than just physicality.

Regaining his focus.

Kanté was still full of confidence for the final.

He prepared to go next door to check on the youngest player, Mbappé, and tell him not to feel too much pressure.

But he saw Matuidi open the door and immediately put a finger to his lips, gesturing for silence.

"Shhh! Kylian's asleep."

"..."

"That kid's a monster; he's not nervous at all."

The French coaching staff held their final tactical meeting.

They didn't deploy any complex attacking sequences.

Complex tactics weren't a good thing in national team tournaments.

Everything was ready.

But Deschamps felt like something was missing.

July 15th.

Moscow, Luzhniki Stadium.

More than eighty thousand spectators from all over the world filled the stands.

"Ctv5! Ctv5! Good evening, viewers."

"We are now broadcasting the closing ceremony of the 2018 Russia World Cup."

"In twenty minutes, the final showdown of this World Cup will take place here."

A blue carpet covered the green pitch.

Performers sang and danced.

Accompanied by cheerful melodies, they gathered together, each raising a LED panel above their heads.

A magical scene unfolded.

The 'pieced-together' LED screens began playing highlights of the most exciting goals of this World Cup.

When Li Kang's figure appeared on the screen, the entire stadium erupted.

For most fans, this match was an epic battle of the football emperor's reign in Moscow!

Immediately afterward.

The blue carpet rippled.

Ronaldinho swayed his hips, beating on a small drum.

American and Albanian singers sang the World Cup theme song, "Live it up."

Dance performances full of Russian cultural colors followed one after another.

The atmosphere gradually escalated.

German legend Lahm and Russian supermodel Vodianova carried the World Cup trophy out of the tunnel.

"This World Cup, from the opening match on June 14th to the closing ceremony on July 15th, lasted thirty-two days and was held in twelve stadiums across Russia!"

"The finale."

"Is also the climax!"

"We are about to witness the final showdown of the 2018 World Cup!"

"Spain versus France."

"Whichever side wins, they will create history and engrave their mark on the World Cup trophy once again!"

Pre-match press conference.

Del Bosque and Deschamps shook hands and embraced.

The two were on good terms.

During the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, they had supported each other from afar.

Faced with questions from the media.

Del Bosque's smile remained kind, like a friendly old man chatting with you.

"Most of our main players are absent from the match, but the rotated players are also excellent, and I believe they can create history with Li!"

"I feel even calmer now than before the South Africa World Cup final."

There was one sentence he didn't say.

This was the last match of his coaching career.

Recalling his trip to Japan that year, when Li Kang first displayed his talent in the national team, Del Bosque felt like he was in a dream.

On the other side.

Deschamps was asked about the European Cup two years ago.

He smiled.

"France is stronger than it was two years ago."

"Li too."

"I even found his earliest official match footage; the opponent was France U18."

"This World Cup final brings together a group of the most talented young players in the world."

(End of chapter)