58: Golden Boy, Golden Finish

Faced with increasingly ear-piercing boos,

Mancini no longer hesitated.

He subbed in Džeko for Balotelli.

And the moment Balotelli walked off the pitch,

He wasn't greeted by the deafening cheers and applause he had received before the match—

Instead, what awaited him was a storm of angry curses and jeers from Manchester City fans!

Balotelli disappeared into the depths of the players' tunnel.

In the stands, his agent Raiola cursed and stormed down from his seat.

Veteran Vieira was also subbed off for De Jong.

Watching on their TVs, fans from China instantly felt a pang of dread:

> "South Pepe, North De Jong! Mancini actually sent De Jong onto the field!"

"In last year's World Cup, this lunatic cracked Xabi Alonso's ribs with a kick!"

"Is Manchester City planning to let De Jong do the same to Kai?!"

In reality, the fans were overthinking it.

De Jong was no longer the monster he once was—

This was the twilight of his career.

On the sideline, Mancini's face was grim as iron.

He had exhausted all his tactical options.

The City manager had no answer—no countermeasure—

For that Crystal Palace No.10.

At this point, Mancini wasn't thinking about helping Balotelli win that damn Golden Boy Award anymore.

He had just one goal left:

Win this match. At all costs.

This FA Cup was Manchester City's last hope this season.

They had already lost the Premier League race, crashed out of the League Cup and Europa League.

Only the FA Cup remained!

With hundreds of millions spent in the transfer window, Man City couldn't afford to end the season empty-handed!

But in the minutes that followed,

Mancini could only pray to God.

The match had already spiraled completely beyond his control.

Yet— The hammer blows to Mancini and City weren't done yet!

On the field—

86th minute!

City's front line, battered by Kai's relentless sweeping pressure, had gone completely silent!

They were gasping for air,

Their stamina completely spent.

Manchester City's star-studded midfield and attack were in shock!

That black-haired figure on the pitch,

Everywhere at once,

Like a tireless perpetual motion machine,

Had single-handedly snuffed out all of City's second-half momentum!

One man holding back an entire team!

How was this even possible?!

Finally, fear appeared in the eyes of City's players.

What kind of monster were they even playing against?

They weren't facing Arsenal, Chelsea, or United…

Just a Championship side!

Their normally aggressive, elegant attacks had completely stalled.

They couldn't even manage a single threatening pass.

But the worst was still to come.

As the match neared the 90th minute—

Just as Kai's "God-Level Interception" card was about to expire,

He suddenly spotted a golden path open up ahead!

From his God's-Eye View,

Kai saw a fleeting window—

A chance that lasted only a split second!

Vaughan, who hadn't seen any chances all match,

Made an excellent run at just the right moment!

Under the stunned or hopeful gazes of tens of thousands,

Kai once again stole the ball from a City player's feet—

Then whipped out an unexpected long pass!

A devastating, lightning-quick ball straight from the backline

That cut through City's entire high-press back line!

It soared over the Etihad!

Tearing through the night sky!

The entire crowd of 60,000 fell dead silent in an instant.

All eyes were on the ball's trajectory.

At the receiving end,

Vaughan, just like in thousands of training drills,

Softly controlled the perfect pass from Kai.

The Crystal Palace striker charged into the City box!

The stands exploded into deafening screams!

Vaughan faced down Joe Hart—

And calmly slotted the ball low into the far corner!

It slipped just past Hart's fingertips and rolled into the goal!

BOOM!

The Etihad erupted!

The massive scoreboard overhead lit up—

2:1!!

In this widely anticipated showdown,

Crystal Palace had overtaken Manchester City!

And with barely any time left on the clock!

Vaughan ran straight back toward the backfield—

Lifted Kai on his shoulders—

And roared with him beneath the away fans section!

They were met with thunderous, throat-tearing cheers!

All the Crystal Palace players came flooding over.

The entire team was celebrating like mad!

In the stands, even Arsène Wenger stood up:

> "Unbelievable! That long pass…

Only the forward who received it knows how terrifying it was.

It looked like an impossible opportunity—

And yet he pulled it off with ease!"

The professor couldn't help but applaud Kai's assist.

Under the away stands,

Vaughan celebrated with wild, tearful joy:

> "I scored against Manchester City!"

"I've scored against a Premier League team again!!"

The fans clapped for him.

Everyone was celebrating.

At this point in English football,

Who still remembered James Vaughan?

The youngest goal-scorer in Premier League history?

Vaughan had fallen from the heavens long ago.

But this season,

With Kai's help,

He was step by step climbing back to his former peak.

Tears streamed down Vaughan's face in Kai's arms.

How could he possibly thank the man who had completely changed his life?

Suddenly—

He wasn't so sure about going back to Everton.

Everton might be the top team outside the Big Six.

But Everton…

Didn't have Kai.

Next season,

Without Kai,

Vaughan couldn't imagine how miserable playing would feel.

Under the night sky of the Etihad,

Crystal Palace fans wrapped their players in the warmest cheers.

The entire stadium was in an uproar.

After falling behind, the City dugout was in chaos.

They had been pushed to the edge by a Championship club!

Mancini had no choice but to throw on more attackers.

But on the pitch—

Even as City desperately fought for a last stand,

They still couldn't solve that century-old riddle:

Even with more forwards,

The Blue Moon still couldn't break through Kai's divine interceptions!

Kai squeezed every last second out of his God-Level Interception Card,

Combining it with his God's-Eye View.

No Manchester City attack could make it past him!

The fans started to despair.

The seconds were ticking down!

Finally—

As the clock ticked past 90 minutes,

The fourth official held up the board—

Just 1 minute of stoppage time!

Only one minute left for Manchester City!

Fans held their heads in their hands, praying in grief.

Would there be a miracle?

And then—

Kai stole the ball one last time.

The moment his God-Level Interception expired—

He suddenly charged forward with the ball!

In the despairing stares of City fans,

He surged from the No.4 spot to the No.10 position—

Back to his most comfortable role:

The central midfield playmaker!

Vaughan instantly understood and darted forward!

In the final minute—

After spending most of the second half holding back,

Crystal Palace suddenly surged forward!

Kai had no intention of giving the ball back to City.

He wanted to launch one last attack!

On the sidelines, Mancini was frozen.

He had no idea what Kai would do next.

Kai carried the ball forward!

Thanks to earlier use of his Unlimited Dribble card,

His dribbling and control had leveled up slightly!

He drove the ball into City's vulnerable backline!

Their defense, now out of balance, had huge gaps!

Under the Etihad's night lights,

Kai chipped the ball over the defense!

Vaughan, with his back to goal, flicked it with his forehead—

Kai exploded forward,

Charging toward the side of City's penalty area!

Without stopping the ball—

He unleashed a thunderous volley!!

Gerrard's Super Cannon Module—ACTIVATED!

The ball tore through the sky—

A rocket shell screaming toward the goal!

Crystal Palace fans held their breath—

BOOM!!!

The ball smashed the underside of the crossbar

And bounced into the net!

Joe Hart was beaten once again!

3:1!!

The Etihad erupted in absolute madness!

In the dying seconds,

Kai's thunderbolt sealed the outcome of this epic battle!