Chapter Five: The Blockade That Failed

Beicheng Steel defended deep. After forty minutes, the score remained nil–nil, Lu Ye trapped between three defenders. "Their right back's sprint recovery is seventeen percent below training data," Qinghe said. "Possibly injured." "Not injured," Chenzhou replied. "He looks at his bench during every stoppage." Qin ordered repeated attacks down that side. In the forty-fourth minute, the right back was beaten again and pulled his opponent down. Second yellow. Red. Blaze scored three after halftime. The second followed three consecutive counterattacks stopped by Tang Xiao, the amateur Chenzhou had signed for 120,000. Touchline turned those anticipations into a fifteen-second clip: *Some players never score. They decide who gets to.*