Lin Xian looked around and found a middle-aged man kicking a soccer ball with his child.

The man was wearing soccer shoes and a team uniform, so he should be a soccer fan. Lin Xian decided to try his luck.

"Hi."

Lin Xian walked up and greeted him in a friendly manner, "Hey there, do you know much about soccer events, especially the World Cup?"

The man grinned and pointed to the jersey he was wearing, "You've come to the right person! I've been watching soccer since I was a kid. Since I was old enough to understand, I haven't missed a single World Cup game!"

"Ask away, young man! Anything you want to know! Whether you're asking about players, games, or gossip, I can tell you!"

Not bad.

Reliable.

An enthusiastic soccer fan.

Lin Xian nodded and asked, "Thank you, do you know who won the 2022 Qatar World Cup? Was it Argentina?"

The middle-aged man was instantly stunned and glared unfriendlily at Lin Xian, "Are you messing with me, young man! How could I know something from hundreds of years ago? You can't even search for something so far back online!"

"Don't get excited," Lin Xian politely soothed. "I'm writing a paper on this topic, so I need to know about some of the matches from that year. If I wanted to find relevant records, where should I go?"

The middle-aged man shook his head, "That stuff would be too hard to find, a game from over 600 years ago… If you really want to find it, try the library."

With that, the middle-aged man left with his child.

The library…

Lin Xian looked up at the bright moon in the sky.

The library definitely wouldn't be open at this hour. But maybe he could try his luck at a bookstore?

Since the dream was set in 2624, he'd have to look through history books to find the results of a soccer match from 600 years ago.

"Bookstore…"

Lin Xian closed his eyes and recalled.

He had explored most of the city in the past twenty years. He naturally knew where the bookstores were, and he even knew the locations of many.

But at this time of night, most bookstores would already be closed. He'd have to find one of those 24-hour convenience bookstores.

Scratching his head, he said, "There seems to be one in Tianjie. I used to pass by it at night, and it was still open very late."

After confirming his target, Lin Xian ran towards the bus stop—

Bang!

"Ouch!"

Lin Xian, who was jogging, collided with a fat man.

"Watch where you're going!" the man said, wearing a Rhine cat mask and glaring fiercely at Lin Xian.

"Got it," Lin Xian replied casually.

Turning his head, he realized it was indeed a familiar face.

He smiled and patted Big Face Cat on the shoulder, "You should also watch your back more often, so you don't get headshot every time."

"Gah!?"

Big Face Cat exclaimed! He looked back in a panic! His right hand went to his waist!

However… there was nothing behind him.

"Who the hell are you!"

Big Face Cat turned his head, only to find that Lin Xian had already run far away.

He rubbed his sore head, his fleshy face crumpled together as he looked around, "Where is this password expert hiding? I can't find him…"

…

Lin Xian rarely took the bus in his dreams.

In the past, when he went to faraway places, he would just steal a car and play *Wild Speed*.

But that would basically start "escape mode," and police cars would quickly come after him. In the end, he'd either be caught or get shot for hitting too many people.

Today, he had serious business to attend to and didn't want to cause trouble.

The bookstore was indeed quite far. It took a full hour and a half on the bus to reach his destination.

Lin Xian walked into the bookstore.

The clerk glanced at him and continued playing with his phone.

It didn't take long for Lin Xian to find several books about sports and soccer.

But most of them were news and information, and he couldn't find any information about the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

"I can't find anything…"

He searched for a long time and even flipped through history books. But trying to find a record of a soccer match from hundreds of years ago was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, the name of a book on the shelf in front of him caught Lin Xian's attention—

*Fun Soccer Facts 7: The History of the World Cup*

Lin Xian pulled out the book.

It was a children's book that used simple language and pictures to introduce the sport of soccer.

Flipping to the end, there was an appendix table with a *List of World Cup Champions*:

"It's true that just when you think you've reached the end of the road, you find something without even trying."

The list of champions was arranged in reverse chronological order.

Lin Xian flipped directly to the back, and quickly found the 2022 Qatar World Cup entry.

There was only a short sentence—

[Argentina defeated France in a penalty shootout to win the championship!]

"Penalty shootout? What does that mean?"

Lin Xian didn't understand soccer and didn't know what a penalty shootout meant, but there was no doubt that Argentina was the champion.

"Since the final champion was Argentina… then it goes without saying that Argentina must have won the semi-final against Croatia."

Closing the book, Lin Xian put the children's book back on the shelf.

Looking up at the clock on the wall, it read exactly 00:42.

Boom!!!!!!

Boom!!!!!!

Boom!!!!!!

The familiar white light arrived on schedule, incinerating everything in the world.

…

…

Buzz…

Lin Xian opened his eyes.

There was a faint sound of the television coming from outside the bedroom door, and flickering lights shone through the crack, indicating that Gao Yang was still watching TV in the living room.

Lin Xian rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed. Then he put on a thick bathrobe and opened the bedroom door.

"Well? Did you find it?"

Gao Yang looked up from the coffee table.

It was covered with takeout food like beer, duck necks, and fried chicken.

"I think… Argentina probably won," Lin Xian yawned.

"Don't 'probably'! What was the score?"

"I don't know. I just know that the final was between Argentina and France, and Argentina won the World Cup."

Hmm…

Gao Yang closed his eyes and thought for a moment.

"Okay."

He got up and put on the jacket on the sofa.

"I'm going downstairs to buy more lottery tickets."

"Didn't you already buy a ticket for Argentina to win?"

"I only bought 100! You dreamed that Argentina won, so shouldn't I buy more?"

"What about 'small bets are fun'?"

"Take a gamble! You might as well get a motorcycle from a bicycle!"

Gao Yang zipped up his jacket, unlocked the door, and walked outside.

"Hey! Where are you going to buy them so late? Aren't lottery shops closed?"

Lin Xian stopped Gao Yang.

"Lottery shops have definitely stopped selling for the day. But some owners will print extra tickets in advance to sell when the games start; and some people specialize in this kind of business, printing lots of tickets in advance and then selling them to you at a higher price right before the game starts."

"Don't buy too many, it might not be reliable. Take it easy."

"I know, I know!"

Bang!

The door slammed shut.

…

Soon after, Gao Yang returned panting, holding a stack of lottery tickets.

"5000 yuan! I've put my whole month's salary in! If I win, I'll have a nice time at a club, if I lose, I'll go work as a lifeguard!"

Lin Xian smiled helplessly.

"Didn't you evolve too fast from 'small bets are fun' to 'take a gamble' to 'put it all in'?"

Gao Yang sat down and turned on the TV with the remote control.

"Go, hot babes! Messi's counting on you!"