Unconventional Center

Chapter 38: Earth-Shattering, Machine-Gun Barrage

Chu Yang brutally shoved Yama aside with sheer force. The sight of Yamana—gritting his teeth and straining with all his might—being gradually pushed back by Chu Yang’s massive, muscular frame was undeniably comical. Chu Yang headed the ball with his chest; it bounced upward briefly before falling to his feet. The defiant Yama straightened his shoulders and charged fiercely at Chu Yang, but alas, the moment their bodies made contact, he once again felt a deep sense of despair. Chu Yang leaned his upper body back slightly, using his back to brace against Yama. Yama’s fierce charge merely caused him to wobble slightly; he remained firmly planted in his position. “Chu has the ball with his back to the goal! Oh! Poor Yama—he’s like an ant repeatedly ramming into a tree. Chu hasn’t budged an inch. We can’t even begin to imagine the immense power this Chinese player possesses. Cesc and Banderas have closed in on Chu—who will he pass to?” A striker’s job is to score goals, but scoring isn’t just about having superb shooting skills. A perfect striker must possess blazing speed, a powerful physique, a keen goal-scoring instinct, and a range of technical skills—such as controlling the ball, handling it after the first touch, and turning after receiving it with his back to the goal, among others. These are all details. Chu Yang has never shown any exceptional skill in these areas, which is why the commentator would ask who Chu Yang might pass to—because Chu Yang currently has his back to the goal, with a defender right on his heels. With his poor turning ability, he has no choice but to pass. Everyone thought this way—except Chu Yang himself. Who says a number 11 can’t dribble past a defender? Chu Yang gently flicked the ball with the instep of his right foot; it bounced high into the air, tracing a parabolic arc over both his and Yama’s heads before landing behind him. As Chu Yang turned, Yama—who had been straining to push past him from behind—missed the ball entirely. Chu Yang caught up to the falling ball, planted his left foot, swung his left arm out to the side, and met the ball with his right foot in a strike of utmost fluidity. The fans in the stadium will likely never forget this moment for the rest of their lives. That figure, which looked slightly frail, first outwitted the defender marking him with an artistic backheel flick, then, like a war god, fired the ball with a defiant, unstoppable confidence. Long-range shots are probably one of the most common types of shots in soccer. Everyone in the stadium and watching on TV has seen countless long-range shots of all kinds throughout their lives, but Chu Yang’s shot left them deeply shaken—not because of his explosive form, nor because of the exquisite chip he executed before the shot, but because of the sheer momentum he displayed in that moment—that overwhelming, mountain-shattering dominance,that unyielding courage, that Earth-Shattering boldness—all of which left a deep, indelible mark on their hearts, whether they were there in person or watching on screen. They didn’t know that there once was a man who conquered an entire city and an entire generation with precisely this kind of uncompromising shooting style. His life, his passion, and his very spirit seemed to merge into each of these shots, connecting with fans on a sun-drenched afternoon or a late night spent watching the game with dark circles under their eyes—and from that moment on, becoming the love of their lives and an unwavering faith. The crowd had unconsciously risen to their feet, watching as the soccer ball seemed to shatter the very air as it flew into the far corner of the net, and a deafening roar of cheers swept over the stadium. Rayo Vallecano defender Innis, still shaken, touched his forehead. In a moment of impulse, he had charged forward without a second thought, trying to head Chu Yang’s shot away. Now, standing there speechless, he wasn’t sure whether he regretted missing the ball or was relieved it hadn’t hit him. Goalkeeper Tooni also felt a chill run down his spine—not from fear, but from a sense of helplessness. He’d seen plenty of long-range shots, but a shot this nearly unstoppable truly put a goalkeeper’s courage and luck to the test. The speed, angle, and power were all nearly perfect; the only drawback was probably that it required too much time to set up, making it easy to be disrupted before the shot could be taken. “Goal! Number 9! The player from China, Chu! First, he shook off his defender with a magnificent dribble, then fired a powerful strike into the net. He completed a masterpiece like an artist, only to then, like a butcher, hysterically smash his own work of art to smithereens! This devastating goal reminded me of countless superstar legends famous for their long-range shots; at this moment, Chu Yang seemed to be one of them, shining brightly above the Vallecas Stadium.” Chu Yang charged wildly toward the sideline, raised both hands in a gun-firing gesture, and began wildly “spraying” the stands with imaginary gunfire. The fans went wild, shouting, screaming, and jumping up and down. “Oh! That crazy Chinese guy! First he pierced the Rayo Vallecano net with a long-range shot, then he raised a ‘machine gun’ to sweep fire at his own fans—it’s absolutely wild! He’s a tyrant, a tyrant on the field!” “Oh! He’s so cool—I’ve never seen a celebration like that!” “Damn, I’m in love with him. Who can tell me when Valencia’s next game is?” “His pose is so cool! Kneeling on the ground and screaming like that is so lame—a celebration like this is what really gets you going!” “That’s exactly how you celebrate a goal like that! What on earth is going on in that guy from China’s head?” “Oh my God, whoever said people from China can only play table tennis—send them straight to Satan.” The camera panned across the frenzied crowd, finally zeroing in on a little kid standing closest to Chu Yang. As Chu Yang’s “machine-gun” barrage came his way, the kid rolled his eyes, pretended to be shot dead, and fell straight backward. His dad, standing behind him, quickly caught him and hoisted him high into the air. “Hahaha! Great teamwork, kid!” Chu Yang rushed forward, held out his hand, and gave the “revived” child a hard high-five, sparking another wave of wild cheers from the crowd. In the 62nd minute of the match, with the score at 2–0, Rayo Vallecano’s head coach was shouting frantically from the sidelines, while the players on the field looked utterly bewildered. Should they attack? Of course they should—how else could they tie the game? Defend? Of course they had to defend—if they let the other team score another goal, it would all be over. So some attacked, some defended, and some did both—yet it was all to no avail. In the 69th minute, Valencia was awarded a free kick 29 meters from the goal. Chu Yang took the kick, sending the ball on a dramatic arc that sadly sailed just wide of the post, and he was then substituted off to the applause of the entire stadium. With nine goals in four matches, Chu Yang had surpassed Adrian to become the team’s top scorer this season and had also climbed to twelfth place on the Segunda División scoring chart. The score remained 2–0 until the final whistle. News from other matches indicated that Numancia and Caliado had both defeated their opponents and continued to lead the standings, while Valencia, with a record of 20 wins, 3 losses, and 2 draws, sat in third place with 62 points. They are still on the chase.