The air in Manchester was thick with anticipation, a cold, biting wind carrying the roar of 55,000 fans inside the Etihad Stadium. This was the fixture the world had been waiting for: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Manchester City.
The English media had framed it as the ultimate revenge plot. The Cyborg vs. The Tyrant. Erling Havard—the Premier League's golden boy—vs. Su Mang—the man who had shattered his dignity and his clean sheet on the opening day. Every camera lens was glued to the two men during the warm-up, scrutinizing their every move for signs of animosity.
Li Qingxue sat in the executive box, her hands clasped tightly. She had seen Su Mang use his brute force and strategic genius in the preceding games, guiding Wolves on an unprecedented winning streak. But City was different. City was the current champion, a finely tuned machine, and this was an away game.
"He looks too calm, doesn't he?" Tom, the chief scout, whispered nervously beside her.
"That's how tyrants prepare for war, Tom," Li Qingxue murmured, her eyes never leaving Su Mang. She wasn't worried about the defeat; she was worried about the scale of the inevitable chaos he would unleash.
THE CYBORG STRIKES BACK
The match began with a blistering pace. City, playing at home, was relentless. Havard was motivated not by three points, but by personal vendetta.
In the 14th minute, City broke through the defensive line. A beautiful through ball split the Wolves center-backs. Havard, moving like a lightning bolt, latched onto it. He didn't hesitate.
Bang! The shot rocketed past the Wolves keeper.
City 1 - Wolves 0.
The stadium erupted in blue. Havard ran to the corner flag, pounding his chest and staring directly toward the center-back position—a clear, defiant challenge to Su Mang.
The pressure mounted. For the next twenty minutes, City dominated possession, pressing the Wolves defense into their own box. Su Mang was forced to perform several desperate, last-ditch clearances, using his positional awareness to keep the deficit at one.
"He's getting frustrated," Tom worried, watching Su Mang gesture sharply at his full-backs.
Li Qingxue noticed a subtle change in his posture. Frustration, yes, but also a coiled, predatory focus.
Just before halftime, Wolves won a corner. Su Mang abandoned his defensive position and strode into the City box. The corner kick sailed high and deep. Su Mang, out-jumping City's colossal defender Rúben Dias, met the ball with a defensive center-back's force. The header was impossible—a downward smash aimed with laser precision.
GOAL! City 1 - Wolves 1.
Su Mang didn't celebrate wildly. He simply walked back, staring straight at the City fans who were howling abuse. A warning shot fired.
THE TYRANT TAKES THE MIDFIELD
The second half was a relentless back-and-forth battle. Havard, determined to assert dominance, tried to isolate Su Mang one-on-one multiple times, but the Tyrant was impenetrable, using the enhanced defensive skills granted by the system to anticipate every turn.
In the 68th minute, a crucial moment arrived. City scored again, a moment of brilliance from their winger.
City 2 - Wolves 1.
The game seemed over. Wolves' manager signaled for a defensive substitution, ready to shut up shop and accept a respectable loss. Su Mang, however, immediately waved the substitution off, pointing forward aggressively.
He didn't want a draw. He wanted the win, the spectacle, the total submission.
He charged out of the defense, driving the ball forward himself. He bypassed the midfield, using his sheer physical presence to shoulder aside three City players in a thirty-yard run. He unleashed a fierce, low drive from the edge of the box. The City keeper got a hand to it, but the power was too immense.
GOAL! City 2 - Wolves 2.
The commentary box exploded. A center-back had scored two goals against the champions in their own stadium.
THE HERCULEAN CANNON
The match clock ticked down to the 90th minute. Two minutes of added time. The tension was suffocating. Li Qingxue was now standing, gripping the railing, her business composure abandoned.
In the 92nd minute, the ball bounced loose in the midfield. Su Mang controlled it, thirty-five yards from the City goal. City's entire defense was sitting deep, forming an impenetrable blue wall. There was no space, no passing angle, no way through.
This was the moment. Su Mang's eyes narrowed, a cold light burning within them.
[ACTIVE SKILL: THE HERCULEAN CANNON — ACTIVATED!]
The world seemed to slow down for Su Mang. He felt the pure, terrifying power of Gabriel Batistuta's legend flow into his right leg. His muscles coiled, preparing to unleash force far beyond human capability.
He didn't take an extra step. He didn't look up. He simply swung.
KABOOM!
The ball was launched with the force of a cannonball, vibrating the air itself. It wasn't a shot; it was a projectile. The trajectory was a blurring line, low and perfectly straight. The City goalkeeper, anticipating a high, curling shot, reacted a split-second too late.
The ball screamed past his outstretched glove and SLAMMED into the back of the net, tearing a visible hole in the netting from the sheer velocity.
The silence that followed was heavy, complete. Then, the small section of Wolves fans erupted in absolute hysteria.
City 2 - Wolves 3.
FULL TIME WHISTLE!
AFTERMATH: THE TYRANT'S LEGEND
Su Mang stood alone in the center circle. He had scored a defensive hat-trick against the Premier League champions, culminating in a goal that defied physics. He looked like an ancient warrior, victorious and drenched in rain.
In the executive box, Li Qingxue slowly sank back into her seat. Her face was flushed, her breathing ragged. She had witnessed pure, unapologetic tyranny.
"A hat-trick… a center-back hat-trick against the league champions," Tom mumbled, shaking his head in disbelief. "They'll rename the league after him."
Li Qingxue looked down at her trembling hands. She realized that the €120 million wasn't for a player; it was the price of admission to witness the creation of a legend.
She pulled out her phone and sent a text to Su Mang:
The contract needs amending. Your bonus structure is insufficient. You are not a player. You are… the entire war machine.
Below her, Su Mang was being mobbed by his teammates. He glanced at his phone, a smirk touching his lips as he read Li Qingxue's message.
Finally, the Queen acknowledges the King's power.
He didn't reply. He had already won the negotiation. He walked toward the tunnel, leaving the City of Noise in his wake.