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Gu Ran roared in triumph, his veins surging with adrenaline.
Goal!!!
0-2!!!
The ball had rocketed into the net after smashing off the underside of the crossbar. The goal frame was still shaking from the sheer force of the shot!
For a split second, the entire stadium fell into stunned silence.
Then— BOOM!
The away fans erupted! The Bucks' bench exploded! Wild cheers, pounding drums, and deafening screams filled the air!
Gu Ran had done it again!
A solo charge down the left, a devastating cut inside, and then—BOOM!—an unstoppable Piercing Arrow strike into the top corner!
On the away stands, Anne lost it completely.
She leapt out of her seat, her entire face flushed red under her sun hat, her voice trembling with excitement.
"GU!!! YOU'RE AMAZING! YOU'RE SO FAST! YOU'RE THE FASTEST MAN I'VE EVER SEEN!!!"
Her scream was so high-pitched that it was instantly captured on Coach Carter's DV cam, along with all the wild celebrations.
Good thing Gu Ran couldn't hear it on the pitch—he was too busy losing his mind in pure euphoria.
Gu Ran turned to the dumbstruck Eddie, the Triangle River goalkeeper who had just been utterly humiliated.
His eyes were blazing with savage energy as he roared at the stunned keeper:
"CALL ME DADDY!!!"
Eddie stood frozen, completely shell-shocked.
His brain still hadn't processed how that shot had just ripped through his goal.
That shot...
That power...
That trajectory...
It wasn't just fast—it was unstoppable.
The ball had gone from the ground to the top corner in a blink.
There was nothing he could have done.
Even if he had reacted immediately, even if he had sprung into a perfect dive—he still wouldn't have reached it.
This wasn't a shot from an amateur.
This was a professional-level goal.
Eddie stared blankly at Gu Ran, his lips trembling.
For the first time in his career—he was genuinely terrified of a single player.
Ding!
A massive blue skill bubble popped out from Eddie!
Gu Ran barely spared it a glance—he had no time for that now!
His entire team was rushing toward him, ready to pile on him in celebration.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines—
Frank Lampard was speechless.
His brain had completely short-circuited.
This was no longer just a bad start.
This was a crisis.
This was a full-blown nightmare.
His team had been controlling the game for the last 20 minutes, pressing high, dominating possession, cutting off passing lanes—
And then, in the blink of an eye…
Gu Ran had destroyed them.
Again.
And this time, it wasn't just speed.
It was raw power.
A Piercing Arrow blast, fired with the accuracy of a sniper and the force of a cannonball.
Lampard clutched his forehead, trying to comprehend what just happened.
This kid…
This Chinese kid…
WHO THE HELL IS HE?!
What academy produced a monster like this?
Which professional team had trained him?
This level of talent—he could be playing in Europe right now!
This wasn't just some random high school player.
This was a generational talent.
And worst of all…
Lampard had NO IDEA how to stop him.
Back on the pitch—
Gu Ran was buried under a mountain of teammates.
His squad had tackled him to the ground, celebrating like madmen.
Watergate, Bread, and the others were shouting in his face, shaking his shoulders, screaming his name.
"GU RAN!!!"
"HOLY F*! WHAT A GOAL!**"
"THAT WAS A GODDAMN ROCKET LAUNCHER!!!"
Even Carter, their coach, was hugging the assistant coach like a lunatic, screaming at the top of his lungs.
On the Bucks' bench, the substitutes banged on the metal railing, chanting Gu Ran's name.
And in the away stands—
Anne was jumping up and down, spinning in circles, her body shaking uncontrollably.
She didn't understand the tactics. She didn't understand formations.
But she understood one thing—
Gu Ran was a goddamn monster.
And watching him tear apart an entire defense was the most thrilling thing she had ever seen in her life.
Triangle River's players?
They were mentally collapsing.
They had thrown everything at the Bucks for the past 20 minutes.
They had played textbook possession football.
They had completely dominated the midfield.
And yet—
In just TWO counterattacks, Gu Ran had wrecked their entire defense and put two goals past them.
They were losing 0-2.
To a team they had expected to crush.
How?
HOW?!
Triangle River's captain, Butler, was trembling with rage.
He had chased Gu Ran down twice—
And twice, he had been completely outplayed.
First, he was left eating dust in a sprint duel.
Then, he was completely bamboozled by Gu Ran's inside cut.
This kid was a nightmare.
A literal nightmare.
Butler clenched his fists so hard, his nails dug into his palms.
HE REFUSED TO LET THIS CONTINUE!
He was the captain.
He was Triangle River's defensive anchor.
He wouldn't let this Chinese kid humiliate them again.
No matter what it took, he was going to stop Gu Ran.
Even if it meant playing dirty.
On the sidelines, Lampard took a deep breath.
Enough.
Enough being stunned.
Enough being impressed.
He was Frank Lampard, dammit.
He wasn't going to just sit back and watch his team get torn apart.
He turned to his bench, his voice sharp and commanding.
"SUBSTITUTIONS. NOW."
"TIGHTEN MARKING ON GU RAN!"
"DOUBLE-TEAM HIM. TRIPLE-TEAM HIM."
"I DON'T CARE WHAT IT TAKES—HE DOESN'T GET ANOTHER GOAL."
Triangle River's formation shifted instantly.
They weren't playing possession football anymore.
Now?
Now they were playing WAR.
Their mission wasn't to win.
Their mission wasn't to play beautiful football.
Their mission was simple—
SHUT GU RAN DOWN.
By any means necessary.
But on the pitch—
Gu Ran stood tall, grinning like a demon.
He could feel it.
The entire Triangle River squad was now focused on him.
Every single one of them.
Good.
That's exactly what he wanted.
Because if they were all focused on him—
Then his teammates were going to have a field day.
This game was far from over.
And Gu Ran wasn't done yet.
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