"The 16-year-old 'Barça discard' is on the field!"
"And he's in the starting lineup!"
The media on-site were stunned!
They raised their cameras, long and short lenses clicking away as they captured the moment at the players' tunnel.
Kai, wearing the No. 10 jersey, followed his teammates into Selhurst Park — a stadium with a crowd of thirty thousand!
A chorus of voices rang out around him!
Though he knew most of them were insults and jeers…
Kai felt nothing but excitement!
Even reporters from the China were at the match, broadcasting the scene live back home.
Instantly, the internet exploded with reactions:
> [Crystal Palace is doomed! A 500,000 bust gets the No. 10 jersey? Barça didn't even look twice at him, and they treat him like treasure!]
[Rumor has it that the incident with Kai hitting someone back home is being re-investigated! There might be a twist! National Youth Team leader Zhao Tai seems shady!]
[Tch! So what if there's a twist? In competitive sports, being bad is the original sin! The reason we hate on Kai is because he sucks and got kicked out of Barça!]
At the stadium.
In the stands, Crystal Palace fans were smashing beer bottles, venting their fury.
"Holloway, you son of a b*tch! I swear I'll burn your house down tonight!"
"If we lose this match, you and that 16-year-old kid you signed can go to hell together!"
Soon.
The pre-match ceremony concluded in the midst of all the commotion.
Both teams lined up in their formations.
The overwhelming booing made people wonder if this was even Crystal Palace's home ground.
The fans' patience had clearly run thin.
> [Ding! Side Mission Activated: Debut! The Beginning of a Legend!]
[Mission Objective: This is your professional debut! Silence the picky English hooligans starting with this match! Lead the team to its first victory!]
[Rewards: +10 Custom Attribute Points! 1x Random English Football Star Chest!]
The system released a brand-new mission!
"A random English football star chest!"
Kai was thrilled!
England has always been a cradle of football superstars!
In the past decade alone, countless legends had emerged, waving the English banner across Europe.
"First win! Assist! Goal!"
Kai's fighting spirit burned bright!
BEEP!
Selhurst Park!
Amid the deafening roars of the crowd, the referee blew the whistle to start the game!
Matchday 11 of the Championship: Crystal Palace vs. Norwich City!
A tidal wave of noise erupted throughout the stadium!
From the South Stand to the North, from North London to South, 30,000 fans stared with furious intensity!
Just an ordinary Championship match —
But also a battle of redemption under the spotlight!
The curtain was raised!
Kai stood at midfield wearing the No. 10 jersey!
Roars from all sides threatened to swallow him whole!
But right now, he felt nothing but exhilaration.
A blazing heart yearned for victory!
On the pitch—
At the center circle, Palace striker Vaughan tapped the kickoff sideways before sprinting toward the Norwich half.
Left midfielder Ambrose received and passed it back swiftly.
Decisively, he fed it to Kai!
Crystal Palace players began spreading out vertically and running into position.
After weeks of internal training, they had grown accustomed to Kai's style.
The midfield prodigy from La Masia didn't want his teammates to compress into tight formations for tiki-taka play.
What Kai wanted — was space!
Everyone ran freely by instinct!
And he — would sit at the heart of midfield and distribute the ball!
For Palace players, who were technically rough and tactically unpolished, this was a much more comfortable way to play!
And after maxing out his long-pass attribute to 100, even without using the Pirlo "Cruise Missile" Module, Kai no longer hesitated!
A maxed-out long pass stat allowed him to deliver pinpoint strikes with no blind spots!
In the opening minutes—
Norwich pressed hard.
They were known as a "yo-yo" team in the Championship but had started the season strong.
Thanks to their striker's explosive performance, they currently ranked third in the league!
On the sidelines, Norwich manager Daniel stood with his hands behind his back, squinting slightly.
His aim this season was promotion.
A relegation-battling side like Crystal Palace? Daniel didn't even take them seriously.
"A 16-year-old kid starting at No. 10? Playing the youth card again? Holloway must be insane."
Daniel scoffed.
On the field—
Urged on by the fans' howls, Norwich's midfield pressing intensified!
But Kai, fully immersed in his God's-eye view, orchestrated Crystal Palace's midfield flow.
With maxed-out long passes, he struck with precision!
With just one touch, his passes arced like rainbows across the pitch.
They curved through Palace's formation, weaving back and forth!
To everyone's surprise — Palace seized the initiative in the opening stage!
"Norwich usually starts slow, but Crystal Palace is off to a surprising start!"
"Their newly signed No. 10 is controlling the midfield!"
The commentators were shocked!
Barely ten minutes into the game, manager Daniel suddenly sensed something off.
"What's going on? That 16-year-old 'Barça reject' doesn't look like a bust at all!"
"His vision… his composure… he's playing like a midfield maestro!"
"He's linking up Crystal Palace's garbage midfield like it's nothing?!"
Daniel frowned, eyes fixed seriously on the field.
Even his assistant coach wiped his glasses and focused up.