Chapter Thirty: Racing Against Time

Coffey Rost withdrew his gaze and turned to ask his assistant coach, Liam Andrew, "Did you see anything?"

Andrew nodded. "McNeil seems to be using Wang as a decoy to draw our defensive attention, creating scoring opportunities for others, like Vitini or Van Ginkel."

"Hmm, exactly," Rost agreed. "The idea is sound, but it's impractical. McNeil’s understanding of Wang is likely stuck back when they played together. Wang’s threat level in front of goal has suffered a cliff-like decline. He is no longer the 'China Wang' he once was..."

After Wang Lie came on, the two had observed for five minutes.

During those five minutes, Tyne had mounted two attacks. As they reached the vicinity of the Heringham FC penalty area, Wang Lie began to make diagonal runs, helping his teammates stretch Heringham FC's defensive line to create shooting lanes.

However, his teammates failed to capitalize on either opportunity: one shot by Vitini sailed over the bar, and on the second, Van Ginkel failed to reach the ball, which was cleared by a Heringham FC defender.

Although there were only two such attacks, Rost and Andrew had both realized this was a tactic specifically designed by McNeil.

As if to prove Rost’s assessment of Wang Lie correct, shortly after he spoke, Tyne won another attacking opportunity in the final third.

This time, the ball was not passed to Vitini or Van Ginkel.

It was passed directly to Wang Lie inside the penalty area.

Wang Lie had indeed made a run toward the near post as he had before, but halfway through, he suddenly checked back, creating a half-step gap between himself and the Heringham FC defender marking him.

It was that half-step that gave Wang Lie the space to receive the ball and shoot.

Yet, despite finding the space, he failed to convert the chance.

The ball from his teammate caught him as he was retreating; he struck it into the toe of his own supporting foot, causing the ball to ricochet off and fly out past the baseline, gifting Heringham FC a goal kick.

"Wow, that shot... ha!" Connor Cowley was amused by Wang Lie’s attempt, at a loss for words.

Luo Jin, however, was desperately trying to "save face" for Wang Lie:

"Wang Lie was in the middle of a retreat when he took the shot, so he couldn't adjust his footwork; the difficulty was actually quite high... but the fact that he was able to create such a shooting opportunity through his positioning in a crowded penalty area shows that Wang Lie’s goal-scoring instinct remains world-class!"

It felt a bit like "celebrating a funeral."

It was fortunate that this was a CCTV broadcast without a live comment feed. Otherwise, one could only imagine how many gloating messages from "Wang-haters" would be flooding the screen.

At the very least, the international internet was already in stitches. Phrases like "acrobatic master," "comedian," "Down Syndrome shooting," and "left foot stepping on right foot, spiraling to heaven" filled social media with an atmosphere of hilarity.

Wang Lie himself was very dissatisfied with the result of the shot; he stomped his left foot—the very same supporting foot—hard against the ground.

Because he was retreating, his supporting foot was in front rather than behind. As he shot with his right, the ball had the misfortune of striking the toe of his protruding left foot.

It must be said that as a superstar with massive traffic, Wang Lie was the center of attention wherever he went. This had both its pros and cons.

Take his substitution just now. For any other player, it would have been a routine change. But for Wang Lie, commentators and fans acted as if they were having a climax, as if this were a moment of immense historical significance.

The downside of such high scrutiny was equally obvious.

A botched shot like that, if performed by an average player, would be a mere mistake, forgotten within two days. But happening to Wang Lie, it would become a "classic scene" to be mocked across the entire internet for a week, and he might even earn a spot in the "Electronics Factory" of meme culture.

Especially since, after Wang Lie's missed shot, the television broadcast cut to a shot of the Heringham FC bench.

Heringham FC’s head coach, Rost, and assistant coach, Andrew, couldn't help but laugh heartily.

The comedic effect was fully maxed out.

***

"...Honestly, the positioning wasn't bad, and his intuition in front of goal remains top-tier. But his physical movements are clearly stiff, lacking agility and flexibility..." Rost said to Andrew, still laughing, while complaining about Wang Lie and the club’s management. "This is what our Mr. Kyle Irosde calls a 'strategic goal'."

Andrew laughed too. "Maybe Mr. Irosde just wanted him here to help sell more jerseys?"

Speaking ill of leadership in private is a universal workplace culture.

Of course, during the live broadcast, to avoid being caught by lip-readers, both men covered their mouths with their hands while discussing their superiors behind their backs.

With his hand shielding his sneering mouth, Rost said, "Heringham isn't a giant club; how many more jerseys could he really sell?"

Andrew asked, "It's fortunate he didn't actually come to our team in the end... Did Irosde tell you why he didn't join?"

Rost shook his head. "He didn't tell me. I suspect Wang himself realized that if the head coach didn't welcome him, there was no point in coming. Honestly, even though the outside world says he chose Tyne to cash in one last time before retiring, I think he still believed that at Tyne, having a coach like McNeil supporting him made it about more than just money."

He continued, "If this is the effect Wang has after coming on, then I think we can appropriately press forward, just as we did before the goal, and continue to put pressure on Tyne’s backline."

Assistant coach Andrew agreed. Previously, out of respect for the former superstar Wang Lie, they had slowed the pace of the game, prioritizing defensive stability and waiting to see how Tyne would play after he came on.

Now, Wang Lie had been on for nearly ten minutes, and while Tyne’s offense had improved slightly, it was far from the result they had feared... In short, Tyne’s performance had indeed improved after Wang Lie entered, but not entirely.

Since that was the case, there was nothing to worry about.

Press up and attack!

Strive to score another goal and completely crush this "mercenary" squad!

Replicate the result from their previous encounter!

***

Wang Lie ran past the halfway line, into his own half, and looked toward the Tyne penalty area.

Heringham FC was attacking, having pushed up to the edge of the Tyne box.

However, Wang Lie did not sprint back to participate in the defense.

At his current speed, if he tracked back, he wouldn't be able to get back up for the attack immediately.

He had to make a choice.

He had to leave the defending to his teammates and act as an attacking bridgehead himself.

Although his speed had declined, he still had jumping ability and heading prowess.

His headers could not only score goals but also create opportunities for his teammates.

However, to outsiders, this scene would likely be evidence of "strolling in midfield" and "not participating in defense."

If Tyne failed to defend and conceded a goal, Wang Lie, standing and watching at the front, would surely be blamed as the "culprit."

Fortunately, Tyne’s backline didn't make a mistake this time; Katic beat the Heringham FC forward, Kutari, to the ball and cleared it with a long kick.

Seeing the ball flying forward, Wang Lie immediately ran to the landing spot—this was where he finally had a role to play.

Relying on his keen and precise judgment of the ball’s trajectory, he blocked the space, jumped, and headed the ball into the path of the oncoming Vitini.

The young Brazilian didn't need to slow down at all; he put on the afterburners, leaned forward to head the bouncing ball, and accelerated to chase it down!

"Tyne’s counterattack!"

"Wang Lie with the header flick! Beautiful!"

After completing the header, Wang Lie landed and also turned to sprint forward.

His speed, however, was a far cry from his peak, and he found the chase extremely strenuous.

Even so, he didn't slow down, instead clenching his teeth and pouring all his strength into his legs.

Forward!

Must get closer to the goal!

After Vitini caught up to the ball, he dribbled forward for a few steps before looking up to observe the situation ahead.

Then, he realized Wang Lie wasn't in front...

In Heringham FC’s defensive third, there were only the opposing defenders reforming their formation and the Heringham FC right-back, Asery Konismagi, closing in on him.

The latter, seeing him look up, prepared to move in for a tackle.

Vitini caught a glimpse of Konismagi’s movement out of the corner of his eye, reflexively flicked the ball to his left with his right foot, and simultaneously used the inside of his left foot to push the ball forward, bypassing his opponent!

Having bypassed Konismagi, Vitini looked up again. This time, Wang Lie had emerged from outside his line of sight, but he hadn't yet entered the penalty area.

So, instead of continuing to dribble along the flank, Vitini simply tucked the ball diagonally toward the box.

Wang Lie turned his head to see Vitini dribbling diagonally into the box, but he continued his direct run into the center of the penalty area.

However, at the top of the penalty arc, he suddenly cut diagonally to the left.

It was a perfect cross-over swap with the dribbling Vitini!

While swapping, Wang Lie didn't forget to look at Vitini.

He wanted to signal him with his eyes.

Unfortunately, Vitini was buried in his dribble and didn't notice the look from his idol.

Actually, that wasn't a big deal; as long as Wang Lie could draw away the defender blocking the middle, he could create a scoring opportunity for Vitini.

But Heringham FC goalkeeper Valdimar Adalsteinsson roared, "Ignore him! Defend Vitini!"

His shout successfully dissuaded the Heringham FC center-back, Joey Burgess, who had been preparing to retreat with Wang Lie, and instead had him shift to block Vitini.

Vitini looked up at this moment; he saw two Heringham FC defenders rushing at him and the flickering goal in the distance...

He didn't have time to think about anything else, firing a shot almost by instinct!

At the same time, Joey Burgess stretched out a leg to block.

He felt the ball clearly hit his shin guard, then pop high into the air and deflect out past the baseline...

On the Tyne bench, Sonny Dean saw this and let out a cold snort in his heart:

"You call that a shot?! You don't pass to Wang and you dare call yourself his fan?! Damn fake fan!"

***

As Vitini dribbled and completed the cross-over with Wang Lie, commentator Luo Jin shouted, "Pass! Pass the ball!"

He wanted Vitini to pass to Wang Lie.

But Vitini chose to shoot directly, and Luo Jin let out a long sigh: "Sigh! That choice... Vitini’s old problem; his decision-making in the final third isn't very rational. Sometimes he can pull off a wonder-goal or a brilliant assist, but other times, like now, he wastes a great opportunity..."

In the footage, Vitini held his head in his hands, looking very regretful.

Then he turned and made an apologetic gesture toward Wang Lie.

***

Seeing that Vitini chose to shoot instead of passing, Wang Lie admitted he was indeed dissatisfied for a moment—such a good opportunity, the defender didn't follow me, there was a huge gap in front, if he had just passed it, I would have been one-on-one...

And yet, you kid shot it yourself!

He had even been afraid of being offside, so after sprinting past, he came to a sudden halt, waiting for the pass.

One had to know that such a sprint followed by a sudden stop and restart was a massive test of explosive power and stamina...

However, seeing Vitini’s apologetic gesture, Wang Lie suppressed his unhappiness, walked over, patted Vitini on the shoulder, and said to him, "Go take the corner."

Then he turned and waved, calling his teammates up: "Corner kick attack—!"

***

Tyne’s corner was taken by Vitini again; he wanted to find Wang Lie’s head directly.

But unfortunately, after the ball was sent in, it was headed away by Heringham FC’s center-back, Charlie Billington.

Heringham FC took the opportunity to launch a counterattack.

"Breslin! He sends a long diagonal pass for Kutari!"

Mohamed Kutari received the long ball from his midfield teammate Joel Breslin on the wing and drove toward the Tyne penalty area.

At this moment, both of Tyne’s center-backs were in the front court for the corner and hadn't had time to retreat.

Blocking Kutari was Tyne’s right-back, Jacob Barnabas.

He didn't dare to commit to a tackle easily, fearing he would be bypassed—the Moroccan international was not lacking in speed, and in this situation, he didn't need any fancy dribbling skills; he just needed to push the ball forward and chase it...

Barnabas tried to retreat while fighting, stalling for time to allow his teammates to recover.

Kutari was unwilling to fall into his rhythm, so after trying a feint, he suddenly knocked the ball hard forward and accelerated to chase!

Barnabas turned at the same time, and the two began a thirty-meter sprint down the wing.

In the end, Kutari, who held the initiative, won, forcing Barnabas behind him and dribbling diagonally into the penalty area!

Seeing Kutari about to enter the box, Barnabas ignored everything else and slid in from the side and behind!

He tackled Kutari, taking both man and ball to the ground!

A shrill whistle sounded.

"Barnabas committed a foul! Oh, that challenge is likely going to earn a card!"

Sure enough, the referee ran over with a yellow card in his hand.

The stands at Lizer Park Stadium were filled with boos, all directed at the referee.

"A yellow card... That's fortunate, very fortunate. It's a good thing this was on the wing; if it had been in the center, he might have been sent off with a red!" Luo Jin felt lingering fear. "Heringham’s counterattack was so decisive; two passes and they were in Tyne’s half. Must be careful; Heringham’s morale is high after equalizing. Tyne must be careful not to repeat their mistakes!"

Tyne fans were very dissatisfied with the referee’s decision, thinking the yellow card was too harsh. Coincidentally, Heringham FC’s coach, Rost, was also unhappy, rushing to the sidelines to roar at the fourth official: "That should be a red card!"

The fourth official ignored him.

He didn't continue to protest—he had only come over to show his stance, so the officiating team wouldn't think the visiting side was easy to bully.

Although Barnabas wasn't sent off, picking up a yellow card would be a liability for the rest of the game.

Perhaps this yellow card would be the beginning of the collapse for this "mercenary" squad.

***

Heringham FC’s free-kick from the corner of the Tyne box was like a short corner, but the quality of their delivery was poor.

The midfielder taking the kick, Breslin, chose to shoot directly, but the ball flew high over the crossbar and into the stands behind the Tyne goal.

Although it was a pity not to score, head coach Rost still applauded his players on the sidelines, encouraging them to keep playing this way and continue putting pressure on Tyne.

Meanwhile, Tyne’s coach, McNeil, was also on the sidelines, but he wasn't dancing with excitement; he stood with his arms crossed, his expression somewhat heavy.

The effect after Wang came on wasn't as good as he had imagined. Was he too impatient? Should he not have played Wang in this match?

After all, he had only trained with the team for less than ten days, and his physical condition wasn't at its best...

Perhaps he should have given Wang Lie and the team more time?

***

Although the free-kick didn't threaten Tyne’s goal, just as Rost had thought, Heringham FC clearly had the upper hand after that.

Under Rost’s tactical command, they focused their attacks on the Tyne right flank where Barnabas was positioned—their left side.

Forward Kutari and left-back Soule Kasonga took turns charging at Barnabas’s defense.

This forced Tyne to shift their defensive focus to that side.

Then, they suddenly sent a long diagonal ball to the weak side, threatening the goal guarded by Götz!

During this period, Tyne’s goal was under constant threat, and Wang Lie even tracked back to the edge of the box to participate in a defense.

"Another switch! Konismagi! Heringham’s right-back has pushed all the way into Tyne’s penalty area, be careful!"

As Luo Jin exclaimed, Asery Konismagi stopped the incoming ball, then feinted a cross, tricking the Tyne left-back Charlie Cohen into jumping to block, before pulling the ball back to his right foot and curling a shot toward the far corner!

Fortunately, Tyne’s attacking midfielder Mathis Van Ginkel tracked back in time to interfere, and the quality of the shot wasn't high.

The curled ball didn't escape the grasp of Tyne keeper Götz, who plucked it straight out of the air.

After landing, Götz didn't stay down; he quickly rose and threw the ball to the forward Vitini, who had pulled to the left!

He had seen clearly that Konismagi had pushed up, so Heringham FC’s defensive side must be weak!

They had to counterattack! Only by threatening Heringham FC’s goal could their relentless offensive be stopped; otherwise, being pressed like this, they would concede eventually!

Wang Lie, who had been near the halfway line, saw the ball thrown to Vitini and didn't turn to sprint immediately; instead, he dropped back two steps, moving toward Vitini.

Because along with the ball, Heringham FC’s defensive midfielder Daniel White was also rushing toward Vitini.

To keep Vitini from getting bogged down in a duel with White, he had to help out.

Sure enough, as Vitini waited for the ball to arrive, he saw Wang Lie and understood what his eyes were trying to express.

So, without stopping the ball, he raised his foot and flicked the ball directly to Wang Lie, then turned to sprint forward himself!

White saw the ball passed away and hurriedly stopped, turning to chase Wang Lie.

Wang Lie stepped up, feinting to receive the ball, but instead jumped and used his right heel to flick the ball hard toward the left flank, right where Vitini was sprinting!

"Wow! What a beautiful heel pass!"

"Wang Lie! Great ball!"

Accompanying the growing cheers at Lizer Park Stadium, the ball flew forward, and Vitini chased it.

After completing the pass, Wang Lie landed and immediately turned, bowing his head to sprint forward.

"Tyne’s counterattack is on again!"

***

As Vitini chased the ball, Heringham FC players were frantically tracking back.

The closest ones, of course, were the two center-backs.

Joey Burgess pointed at Vitini and shouted to the nearest man, Billington: "Go wrap him up!"

He himself remained in the center.

His teammates were retreating rapidly; as long as Billington could successfully stall Vitini, Tyne’s counterattack would be dead.

When Vitini caught up to the ball, Billington also moved in.

Just like Barnabas defending Kutari earlier, Billington retreated while engaging, maintaining a reasonable distance to prevent Vitini from getting up to speed.

Facing Billington, Vitini tried to use feints and trickery to create space, but the experienced Billington wasn't buying it.

Helpless, Vitini had to slow down.

At this moment, he looked up again, and Wang Lie had stormed up.

***

Although it was a bit difficult, Wang Lie finally arrived.

He looked up and saw Vitini slow down, casting a glance toward him.

After their eyes met in mid-air, Wang Lie didn't stop his feet, charging straight toward the Heringham FC center-back Joey Burgess in the middle of the defensive line.

At the same time, Vitini feinted to accelerate in a straight line, luring Charlie Billington into taking a step back, before he suddenly used his left heel to flick the ball hard to his right and performed a sudden stop-and-turn!

Cutting inside!

Wang Lie, hitting Burgess, acted as if he were setting a screen for Vitini, blocking in front of Burgess to cover Vitini’s movement.

Burgess panicked; he raised his hand to push Wang Lie aside, while simultaneously circling around to pounce on Vitini.

At this moment, Heringham FC’s left-back Soule Kasonga had already sprinted back from the front court, forcing his way toward the center from the flank.

Billington, who had just been shaken off by Vitini, also pounced back.

The three of them vowed to trap Vitini in a heavy encirclement!

Just as they focused all their attention on the dribbling Vitini, Wang Lie, having been pushed aside by Burgess, took the momentum to pull horizontally, placing himself exactly in the blind spot of the three defensive players.

Seeing this from the bench, Sonny Dean suddenly became nervous:

"Vitini, you fake fan, pass the ball!"

***

Vitini did want to pass, but he had nudged the ball a bit too far on that last step, and he had to kick toward the ball before Burgess and Kasonga could reach it.

This meant he couldn't precisely control the power and accuracy of the pass...

The ball was indeed passed from Burgess’s side toward the left rib, but the speed was clearly too fast!

Seeing this, Dean’s eyes widened, and a thousand profanities wanted to burst out of his heart.

"Damn kid, do you even know how to play?! How is Wang supposed to chase a pass like that?!"

"Do you think he’s still thirty-one years old, back when he won the 'Seven Crowns'?!"

"F***!"

***

Wang Lie had been watching Vitini the whole time, but he couldn't start early, or he would be offside.

However, he didn't stand still waiting for the pass; he continued to pull horizontally—he could anticipate that Vitini would pass the ball diagonally in front of him. With his current speed, starting and chasing the ball was clearly less reliable than pulling away from a distance, using distance to gain time, which gave him a better chance to receive it...

But he only had time to pull away two steps before the ball was sent over by Vitini!

It was indeed a diagonal pass, but the power was a bit much!

Wang Lie didn't care anymore; the chance wasn't great, but it was still a chance!

And right now, he couldn't afford to waste a single one!

To exert better force, Wang Lie gritted his teeth, but his lungs craved massive amounts of air. He could only suck air frantically through the gaps in his teeth, like an aging, naturally aspirated engine, roaring and burning, but the output power was far less than before.

Every step he took, both knees let out a teeth-grinding scream, reminding him:

"You are thirty-seven years old!"

"You are about to be thirty-eight!"

"Sorry, Wang Lie, we are old and can no longer support your ambitions..."

"Stop chasing! You can't catch that ball!"

"Why torture yourself?"

"That’s enough, you don't need to prove yourself! You’re really great!"

"Please, just stop! Stop..."

Wang Lie turned a deaf ear, burying all the groans of pain from his body into his heavy, ragged breathing.

He gritted his teeth and charged toward the ball, veins popping on his neck and forehead, even his eyeballs bulging!

So much effort, and yet so difficult, as if he weren't chasing this ball, but racing against time...

***

Heringham FC goalkeeper Adalsteinsson initially thought Vitini’s pass was too long and that Wang Lie wouldn't be able to catch it.

But he quickly realized something was wrong and hurriedly abandoned his goal to rush out!

Because he discovered that Wang Lie was very likely to catch the ball at a tight angle on the far side!

Although it was a tight angle, he didn't dare to gamble!

In that instant, the golden brand of "Active Top Scorer in Football" flashed in his mind.

"Vitini passes!"

"A bit too long!"

"Wang Lie!"

"Adalsteinsson rushes out!"

Running, Wang Lie was constantly calculating the relative distance between himself and the ball, seeing if he could squeeze out a shot.

He didn't know how many goals he had to score to become one year younger...

But regardless of how many were needed, there had to be a start, right?

There had to be a goal!

Goal!

Goal!

Score a damn goal first!

In the final "window" of his calculation, Wang Lie finally caught up to the ball. He bent his right leg to support his body, swung his left leg, and lashed toward the ball that was about to roll out of shooting range!

But... it seemed it was still missing a little!

Wang Lie’s body tilted to the left, while his right leg pushed off with force, simply throwing his entire center of gravity away!

Using the force of his twisting waist to drive his left leg, he reached out just that little bit further!

Then, he struck the ball!

"Wang Lie!"

"Wang Lie!"

"Wang Lie shoots—!!"

The Heringham FC goalkeeper Adalsteinsson, who had rushed out halfway, saw a flash of white light charging toward his face. He reflexively waved his hand upward, but hit nothing, and his face touched nothing...

It was just a gust of wind blowing over his head, leaving his scalp tingling and his heart cold.

He turned to look back, his peripheral vision catching that flash of white light coming to an abrupt halt in the upper corner of the goal behind him...

Hit the crossbar?

No!

It hit the net!

The next second, Adalsteinsson felt as if he had instantly been placed in the center of a thunderstorm; the cheers at Lizer Park Stadium made his ears almost deaf, and besides the rumbling roar, he couldn't hear anything else...

"Ball... ball! The ball is in!! The ball is in!! Ahhhhhhh! The ball is in!!! Wang Lie! Wang Lie scored!!"

"Wang—!!! Ohhhhhhh! Simply unbelievable!! Unbelievable! He scored! In his debut for Tyne, he scored!"

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!! Wang! Wang!! Wang—Lie!! GOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!"

***

They say I am dead.

Those who crave the new, those who cling to the old, those who speak nonsense with a straight face.

Those who linger in survival, those who are rotting, those who dare not start and dare not end.

Those who feign compliance, those who act hypocritically, those who whitewash tomorrow and tamper with yesterday.

Those whose origins and destinations are all vague.

They are willing to hear that I am dead.

Are they, including you?

(Note 1)

***

Note 1: This passage is excerpted from the promotional text of the 2017 animated film "Monkey King: Hero is Back," author unknown. I liked it very much when I saw it, so I copied it down, and now it has finally been used for Wang Lie’s story. In addition, taking this opportunity, I would like to ask everyone for monthly tickets and subscriptions!