London, Stamford Bridge.
Lin Yuan's status in the hearts of Chelsea fans had skyrocketed after his rainy-night winner at Bournemouth in the previous round. A new giant flag had even appeared in the South Stand (South Stand)—the image depicted Lin Yuan clad in armor, stepping on a shattered opponent's crest, with the words below: THE WALL (The Wall of Sighs).
But today's opponent was definitely not on the same level as Bournemouth.
Aston Villa.
Under Emery's guidance, this team was in its prime. They possessed the most effective offside trap in the Premier League and a tough yet technical midfield triangle composed of McGinn, Douglas Luiz, and Boubacar Kamara.
Pre-match locker room.
Mourinho didn't give his usual pep talk; instead, he appeared exceptionally serious. He had filled the tactical board with complex lines.
"Lin." Mourinho turned around and tapped the whiteboard with a marker, "Emery's team is best at exploiting space. If you still rush out to snatch the ball like a mad dog today, they will exploit the gaps behind you until there's nothing left."
"Douglas Luiz is very good at recycling possession, and McGinn knows how to use that big backside of his to shield the ball. Don't let them provoke you."
Mourinho stared into Lin Yuan's eyes: "Today, I want you to be a'Silent Killer.' Fewer fouls, more anticipation. Can you do it?"
Lin Yuan nodded. At the same time, the long-awaited system notification rang out in his mind.
[System Mission Issued: Trial of the Midfield Ruler (I)]
Background: A true bully not only inflicts physical pain on opponents but also drives them to despair through tactical dominance.
Mission Requirements:
1. Total fouls < 2.
2. Pass completion rate > 88%.
3. Complete at least 1 "Scalpel Through Ball" (Key Pass).
4. Win the match.
Failure Penalty: Deduction of 500 notoriety points.
Success Reward: Unlock passive skill [Pirlo's Eagle Eye (Lv.1)]; Open B2B Midfielder evolution route... Beep—!
The match began.
Villa had indeed come prepared. From the start, they used skillful small-space coordination to try and tear Chelsea's midfield apart.
10th minute.
McGinn was receiving the ball with his back to goal, and Lin Yuan habitually wanted to go up and apply physical pressure.
But at the moment he started his move, McGinn's signature big backside jutted out, and with a smooth turn, he actually used Lin Yuan's momentum to spin past him!
"Beautiful turn!" the commentator praised. "Lin Yuan was too reckless! McGinn just taught him a lesson!"
Having lost his position, Lin Yuan had to track back, but he remembered the system's "fewer fouls" requirement and suppressed the urge to put in a sliding tackle from behind.
This attack eventually ended with Watkins firing wide.
Lin Yuan stood where he was and took a deep breath.
"I can't rush. I can't just use brute force."
He began to force himself to slow down. Not in speed, but in mindset.
In his mind, he activated [Shadow of the Special One (Tactical Vision Bonus)].
The world in his eyes seemed to turn into a bird's-eye view. He began to observe McGinn's passing habits and Douglas Luiz's positioning.
25th minute.
Villa came again. Douglas Luiz had the ball in the center circle, looking toward the left flank.
If it were the old Lin Yuan, he would have lunged directly at the ball carrier.
But this time, Lin Yuan didn't move. He keenly sensed that Luiz's shoulder orientation was a feint; his real passing lane was to Diaby, who was charging into the right half-space!
Lin Yuan moved two steps in advance, positioning himself right on that invisible passing lane.
Snap.
There wasn't even a need for a violent clash. Lin Yuan simply appeared there like a wall, and the ball obediently collided with his feet.
A perfect interception through anticipation!
A round of applause rang out at Stamford Bridge. Mourinho nodded slightly from the touchline, a smile touching the corners of his mouth.
After winning the ball, Lin Yuan didn't look for a safe pass to the defenders as he used to. He glanced at the system panel showing "Pass Completion: 100%" and decided to play for higher stakes.
At this moment, Villa's high defensive line was pushed very far forward.
Lin Yuan looked up, and in that instant, he seemed to see a red dashed line appear on the grass, leading directly behind Villa's defense.
That was the path Sterling was starting to run.
[Midfield Playmaker (Trial Version remaining time: 10 minutes) activated!]
Lin Yuan swung his leg, appearing as if he were going for a long clearance, but instead, he flicked his ankle to send a highly penetrative lofted long ball!
The ball carried heavy backspin, accurately clearing Konsa's head and landing in the open space three meters in front of Sterling.
Furthermore, because of the spin, the ball slowed down significantly upon landing, allowing Sterling to take it comfortably without having to break his stride.
"Oh my God! What kind of pass was that?!"
The entire stadium gasped.
Sterling was through on goal! Facing Dibu Martínez, this time the "Happy Boy" didn't mess around, calmly slotting a shot into the far corner!
1-0!
Chelsea took the lead!
After the goal, Sterling pointed frantically at Lin Yuan and rushed over to give him a bear hug: "Mate! That pass was god-like! It's like Fabregas is still in the team!"
Lin Yuan patted Sterling's back, his face remaining calm.
This feeling of playing with his brain... seemed to provide a greater sense of control than the thrill of knocking people over.
For the rest of the match, Lin Yuan changed completely.
He was no longer the bull charging everywhere, but had become the "Tyrant Metronome" of the midfield.
In the 60th minute, McGinn tried to repeat his old trick, attempting to post up Lin Yuan again.
This time, Lin Yuan didn't rashly challenge for the ball. Instead, he blocked the only path for McGinn's turn and used his strong chest to firmly hold his ground, leaving McGinn with nowhere to go.
McGinn grew frustrated and began pushing with his hands.
Beep!
The referee blew the whistle, calling an offensive foul on McGinn.
Lin Yuan looked coldly at the exasperated McGinn, shrugged his shoulders, and walked away without saying a word.
This silent mockery caused McGinn's composure to completely shatter.
75th minute.
Villa had a one-man advantage (Gusto was sent off with a red card; although it was Chelsea who were a man down, Lin Yuan's coverage in midfield single-handedly filled the gap).
Yes, a plot twist occurred: in the 70th minute, Gusto was sent off for a reckless tackle. Chelsea were down to ten men.
But this was exactly the situation Lin Yuan excelled at—counter-attacking football.
In the remaining 20 minutes, Lin Yuan transformed into an iron gate.
He stopped caring about possession; as long as Villa passed the ball into the 30-meter zone, they would inevitably encounter Lin Yuan's thunderous intervention.
88th minute, Zaniolo tried to force a breakthrough with the ball.
Lin Yuan timed it perfectly with a clean sliding tackle, keeping the ball while his physical momentum brought Zaniolo down.
Clean!
The referee signaled play on.
[notoriety points +200 (Defensive play that drives the opponent to despair)]
In the end, the 1-0 scoreline held until the final whistle.
Post-match statistics:
Lin Yuan (No. 44)
Pass Completion: 91%
Key Passes: 2
Assists: 1
Interceptions: 6
Fouls: 1 (Mission perfectly accomplished)
Mixed Zone.
Villa manager Emery had a complex expression during his interview:
"We studied Lin for a long time. We thought he was a beast, so we prepared shotguns. But today... he performed like a surgeon. Chelsea has the prototype of a world-class B2B Midfielder, and that's terrifying."
When a reporter asked Lin Yuan why his style had changed so drastically today,
Lin Yuan wiped his sweat and gave that signature, inscrutable smile to the camera:
"Because Mourinho told me... killing can occasionally be done in a bloodless way."
[System Settlement:]
[Congratulations to the host for completing the mission "Trial of the Midfield Ruler (I)"]
[Reward Obtained: Skill "Pirlo's Eagle Eye (Lv.1)"]
[Skill Effect: Mid-range passing accuracy +15%, ability to see potential through ball lanes.]
[Evolution Progress: B2B All-around Midfielder (15%)]
Just as Lin Yuan was preparing to leave the stadium, his phone rang.
It was an unknown UK number.
"Hello, Lin. This is David Beckham."
"Would you be interested in coming to my private party for a drink this weekend? I'd like to chat with you... about commercial endorsements and some interesting things."
Lin Yuan held the phone and raised an eyebrow.
It seemed his reputation in the British Isles had finally upgraded from "thug" to the "celebrity" class.
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