Volume One: Our Own League 099: One Person Saved a Team

What a beautiful long-range strike!

That was absolutely a professional-level shot!

Song Yu’s eyes lit up.

Mu Yang’s technique on that attempt was textbook perfect, and the ball’s trajectory was controlled to perfection. Anyone could tell at a glance that he had been taught and trained well.

That ball was destined to go in.

Clap, clap, clap.

Song Yu was slapped in the face almost at once.

Just as the ball was about to drop into the net, a hand reached up and blocked out the sky.

With a sharp slap, the ball was palmed over the end line.

Song Yu shot to his feet, staring in utter disbelief at Xu Donglai, who had crashed heavily inside the goal. His mouth fell open, the corners of his lips twitching uncontrollably. It looked as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, no words came.

Beside him, Principal Wang flinched, startled by Song Yu’s reaction.

He had not expected Song Yu to be so affected.

He looked at Song Yu in astonishment, eager to know what was going through his mind.

The students from Class Ten in the stands all widened their eyes, staring in disbelief at Xu Donglai inside the penalty area.

This had to be fake, right?

Xu He fixed a dead-eyed stare on Xu Donglai and muttered, “Damn it, that’s way too fake.”

He truly had not expected the goalkeeper from Class Sixteen to be this good.

Good heavens, why had this guy never made a name for himself before?

Xu He could not make sense of it.

He kept staring at Xu Donglai.

Zhuo Jun rushed up to Xu Donglai in excitement and gave him a fierce hug. “Amazing, Old Xu! You’re really, truly, unbelievably awesome!”

The players of Class Sixteen swarmed over as well, hugging and slapping Xu Donglai on the back.

Xu Donglai put on a cool expression, chin lifted high, looking every inch proud of himself.

And at this moment, he had every right to be.

That save was simply godlike.

Even Mu Yang could hardly believe his eyes. That shot had gone toward what was, in theory, an unreachable corner. And Xu Donglai had actually gotten to it? What was more, the shot had been fast, and the drop had come so suddenly. He had still saved it?

It was like a ghost had intervened.

Mu Yang shook his head in disbelief.

Zhu Ge’s mouth twitched wildly, and he forced a bitter smile. “Looks like luck isn’t on our side today.”

That was the only explanation he could come up with.

Lin Xuefeng immediately ran toward the corner flag. He would take this corner kick himself.

There was really not much time left in the match. They could not waste a single second. Every moment mattered now.

Zhu Ge shouted, “Keep going, we still have time!”

Zhuo Jun yelled at once, “Hang in there, everyone, just hold the line a little longer! We’re close to success! Look, the Class Ten team isn’t all that!”

He was rallying his teammates.

In truth, Zhuo Jun could see it too: their defense was on the verge of collapse. Their stamina and willpower had both been pushed to the edge, and some of them were barely holding on.

This was the most critical moment. He did not want his team to concede now.

“Brothers,” he shouted, “don’t let Old Xu’s effort be wasted! Come on!”

Hearing this, the players of Class Sixteen all turned to glance at Xu Donglai, who stood blazing with fighting spirit, then nodded firmly and turned back into defense.

In an instant, it seemed as though the defenders of Class Sixteen had been recharged. Each of them looked spirited and battle-ready.

Seeing this change, Song Yu was deeply shocked.

He rarely saw this kind of morale and mental strength, even among the national youth team.

So Zhuo Jun was not merely a great defender.

His leadership and sense of command were truly extraordinary. No wonder he had led such a team all the way into the final, and kept them level against such a fearsome attacking side.

Zhuo Jun was impressive.

Song Yu’s gaze fell on him once more.

Corner kick. Class Ten had earned a corner.

Lin Xuefeng looked into the box and saw Xu He lurking among the crowd, raising a hand for the ball. But there were too many defenders around Xu He; it was hard to find him cleanly. Zhang Zhen was also tightly marked, and Zhuo Jun was there as well. It was difficult.

At such a moment, Lin Xuefeng almost missed Yang Xin.

With a target like Yang Xin, a towering presence in the box, there would have been no need to hesitate: he could simply send the ball to Yang Xin’s head. Unfortunately, Yang Xin had already been substituted off, so he had to look elsewhere.

With a thump, Lin Xuefeng curled a left-footed cross into the penalty area of Class Sixteen.

The ball flew straight toward Xu He.

Xu He backed hard into his marker and drove Song Xiang back two steps. Then he leaned into the defender in front of him, planted both feet, and launched himself upward like a rocket, rising fast above everyone else to look down from on high.

Oh!

A wave of astonished cries erupted from the crowd.

My heavens, how high was he jumping? He had to be at least a meter off the ground.

Song Yu in the stands widened his eyes as well. That vertical leap was absurd. Even the most explosive jumper on the national youth team probably could not out-jump him.

Song Yu had been surprised too many times today. He had never expected so many promising young talents to appear at an ordinary middle school in Jinguan City. He was astonished. Was the student quality at Jinguan City No. Seventeen Middle School really this high, or had their methods of selection and development been horribly misguided all along?

Suddenly, he remembered a saying that internet fans often repeated:

It is not that our country lacks geniuses. It is that our country lacks eyes that can recognize them, and soil that can nurture them.

Before, Song Yu had thought that statement was flawed.

But now, he suddenly felt there was some truth in it.

For a nation of over a billion people, there were surely many teenagers with exceptional talent. It was just that they were buried in years of exam drills and mock papers, rarely to be discovered. And even when someone did notice them, the crushing cost of training might scare them away.

After all, in this country, raising a young player from childhood could cost hundreds of thousands of yuan every year. That was certainly not something ordinary families could bear.

So...

Song Yu sighed and fell silent for a long while, gazing at these gifted youngsters.

On the field, Xu He leaped high, soaring over everyone else, truly giving the feeling of surveying all the mountains below.

High above the crowd and with no interference, he stared at the incoming ball, fully prepared, and headed it with all his force.

With a bang, the ball changed direction sharply and flew like lightning toward the top right corner of the goal.

It was fast, heading straight for the dead angle.

The Class Sixteen students were in despair, their faces dark.

That ball was done for.

The players of Class Ten all surged with excitement. Their eyes clung to the ball, hearts overflowing with desire. It had to go in. It absolutely had to go in.

Smack!

A huge hand mercilessly shattered all the hopes of the Class Ten players, palming the ball over the end line.

Xu Donglai. Once again, Xu Donglai.

Xu He, landing on the ground, stared at Xu Donglai in complete astonishment and could not even speak.

He had handled that chance beautifully, sending the ball toward the dead angle. In Xu He’s mind, it was a guaranteed goal.

But he still could not beat Xu Donglai’s reach.

Xu He’s confidence wavered.

Xu Donglai was unbeatable today.

The Class Ten players all stared at Xu Donglai in shock, as if asking, “Are you freaking cheating?”

The players of Class Sixteen rushed toward Xu Donglai and embraced him.

A hero. Xu Donglai was the hero of Class Sixteen.

Zhuo Jun took a deep breath and gave Xu Donglai an encouraging look. Then he shouted, “Three minutes left! Hold the line, brothers! If we hold them here, we’re one step closer to the championship!”

Yes. Only three minutes of regular time remained in this match.

The score was still nil to nil.

If the match ended that way, it would go to extra time.

That was clearly not what Class Ten wanted to see.

Throughout the match, Class Ten had been pressing Class Sixteen relentlessly. So far, they had taken twenty-six shots and put seventeen on target, with at least seven or eight clear chances that should have been goals. Yet they still had not scored.

If not for Xu Donglai, Class Ten would almost certainly have been leading by five goals or more.

There was no way they could accept being dragged into extra time.

Zhu Ge shouted loudly, “Hurry! We still have two or three attacks left. I want everyone focused. Seize your chance and strike a fatal blow!”

The atmosphere at the ground instantly reached a fever pitch, tense to the extreme.

The spectators in the stands held their breath, staring fixedly at the pitch. At that moment, they felt as if they were not watching an ordinary high school match at all, but the final of the World Cup.

So tense. Truly too tense.

Lin Xuefeng immediately looked into the box and quickly curled another cross into the area. Once again the ball flew toward Xu He, who tried to repeat the same move, but Zhuo Jun was on him. Zhuo Jun sprang high and headed the ball out of bounds.

Class Sixteen had successfully held again.

Zhuo Jun shouted, “Keep it up!”

The players of Class Sixteen stood united as one, resolved and fearless.

On the other side, Li Jie took the throw-in. After receiving the ball, Lin Xuefeng suddenly sent a diagonal long pass to the far side. Zhu Ge sprinted toward it, and just before the ball could run out of play, he hooked it back in. The ball rolled toward the edge of the penalty area.

Mu Yang charged in and unleashed a thunderous shot.

The ball screamed through the air, heading straight for goal.

With a bang, Zhuo Jun blocked it with his body and sent it out of bounds. He crashed hard onto the grass, winded and unable to get up for quite some time.

The players of Class Ten were displeased, convinced that Zhuo Jun was wasting time. They were furious.

Seeing this, the referee indicated that he was watching the clock and would give Class Ten one final attack. Only then did the Class Ten players let it go.

Another corner. This was the final chance of the match.

Lin Xuefeng glanced into the box, then sent a curling ball toward the far post. There, Zhang Zhen held off his marker and swung a leg through it.

With a bang, the ball rocketed toward the goal of Class Sixteen.

It was dangerous.

Bang.

The ball was stopped by Zhuo Jun, who threw out a leg to block it. But the shot had come too fast, and his extension was not clean. The ball did not fly out of the area as he had expected. Instead, it shot directly toward the center of the box.

Fear flashed across the faces of Zhuo Jun and the players of Class Sixteen; they went pale with terror.

Because the ball was flying straight to Xu He in the middle of the area. Xu He had muscled his marker away and had no defender in front of him.

It was the perfect chance to kill the game.

Zhuo Jun felt the hairs on his body stand on end.

Were they really going to lose like this?

Bang.

Xu He simply stuck out a leg and blocked the ball toward the gaping, empty net.

Zhuo Jun and the others from Class Sixteen shut their eyes in despair.

The players of Class Ten all raised their fists and screamed in delight. We’ve won it at the death. We’re the league champions!

Slap!

Xu Donglai, who had never given up, lunged sideways just as the ball was about to cross the line, stretching out one hand to scoop it away. The ball brushed the outside of the post and flew out of bounds.

It did not go in.

Tweet!

At the very same moment, the referee blew the whistle to end regular time!

Xu Donglai had denied Xu He at the death!

Xu Donglai had kept Class Sixteen alive and sent them into extra time in the final!