70: The FA Cup Showdown Begins!

Kai had now raised his season goal tally to 30—

Breaking the all-time Championship single-season scoring record!

His teammate Vaughan was on cloud nine.

His former club Everton kept calling him.

Even clubs from the Bundesliga and Serie A had started showing interest.

Vaughan was both happy and nervous.

"Without Kai commanding the midfield next season…

Will I just go back to being ordinary?"

He even briefly thought of convincing Kai to join him at Everton.

But then he laughed at himself.

"Everton? A team not even in the Premier League top six?"

Nowhere near good enough for someone of Kai's worth.

After all, the clubs fighting over Kai were all Premier League giants.

Everton didn't even have a seat at the table.

Meanwhile, Kai's own record was even more terrifying.

He now had 47 assists—

Smashing the all-time single-season assist record across all of Europe's top leagues!

And the season wasn't even over yet.

47 assists at the Championship level? That was unheard of.

Before this, the Premier League's single-season assist record was just 20—

Held by none other than Thierry Henry, the King of Highbury.

Now, Kai had more than doubled it!

Nearly three assists per match—

A miracle, pure and simple.

The news took all of Europe by storm.

Wenger came forward again, publicly praising him:

"If Arsenal can sign Kai, I won't say ridiculous things like 'he's the next Henry.'

He is his own legend—an unprecedented king.

And if he chooses Arsenal, the Emirates will welcome its next great Gunner!"

Not to be outdone, Sir Alex Ferguson responded:

"If Kai agrees to come to Manchester United,

we'll cast a statue in his honor outside Old Trafford!"

London was in an uproar once again.

The two Premier League clubs closest to Kai were now openly at war.

The winter transfer window was creeping closer,

and no one wanted their rivals to land the talent of the decade.

Manchester United raised their offer—

£75 million!

An astronomical figure.

Even Palace fans were stunned:

"Wait… We've got a £75 million superstar in our squad??

My God!"

Even Ronaldo and Messi were only just surpassing the £100M mark.

United wanted to end the race early.

But Abramovich? Completely unfazed.

"Afraid of Manchester United? I'm not even scared of Man City's oil money."

He was waiting—

Waiting to see the FA Cup quarterfinal between Chelsea and Crystal Palace

before making his next move.

But just as things heated up, another contender entered the race—

Arsenal's majority shareholder, Stan Kroenke.

Out of nowhere, he personally injected a massive sum into the Gunners' transfer budget—

£78 million,

multiple luxury properties across London,

and even a post-retirement contract in North America!

If Kai agreed, he'd get a $500 million golf resort to manage after retirement!

The entire football world exploded.

"What kind of offer is this??"

Even when Cristiano Ronaldo transferred from Manchester United,

things hadn't been this insane.

When even a traditionally thrifty club like Arsenal started splashing cash—

You knew this wasn't a normal transfer saga.

This summer's transfer window would rock the entire football world.

Media everywhere began predicting:

Kai is likely to become the youngest billionaire in football history.

March arrived.

The English football season entered its final sprint.

League titles were on the line.

Cup competitions had reached knockout stages.

For Crystal Palace, March opened with a bang—

The FA Cup quarterfinal against Chelsea!

This matchup had been hyped for a full month,

and now the excitement was unimaginable.

With Kai's value skyrocketing,

he had become a walking headline generator.

Wherever Kai went, the spotlight followed.

Two days before the Chelsea match,

Crystal Palace gave the players a short break.

On one of those days, Kai, accompanied by Mendes, shot a commercial.

The client?

A world-famous lingerie brand.

His co-stars?

A team of Victoria's Secret Angels.

After the shoot, the supermodels reluctantly left him their numbers,

asking for a second meeting.

That's when Mendes shared a shocking idea:

"You shouldn't waste a face and body like that.

Every muscle, every line—it's all worth real money."

Kai blinked. "What kind of idea?"

Mendes' eyes gleamed:

"Your fame has reached new heights across England and Europe.

It's time to build your own commercial empire."

"Start your own brand—your own fashion label.

Even outside of football, there's potential."

"Take the lingerie brand you just modeled for.

You could launch your own label."

"I already have a name: K10."

Mendes laid out his grand vision.

Kai's eyes lit up—it was brilliant.

After all, in his previous life, CR7 had built the most successful player brand in football.

Many tried to copy him, but they all failed.

CR7 had launched in 2013—

But it was only 2011 now.

Kai made a decision:

He would get ahead of the game

and own the commercial playing field too!

Two days later…

FA Cup Quarterfinal Day.

All of London was buzzing.

Crystal Palace vs Chelsea!

This was the match fans had been dying to see.

Ancelotti had boldly declared pre-match:

"Chelsea will play with their full-strength squad."

"Kai vs Lampard: An Epic Midfield Showdown!"

"With Drogba and Torres up front, Palace's defense faces collapse!"

"Ancelotti's a master of counterattacks—how will Palace respond?"

"Abramovich to watch from the stands: Chelsea's owner to witness the genius firsthand!"

News flew across the capital.

That night, West London became a deep-blue ocean.

Stamford Bridge pulsed with life.

Chelsea fans sang with all their hearts—

dreaming that Kai would wear blue next season.

But tonight?

They wanted to defend their home turf.

They wanted to stop this once-in-a-century prodigy… right at the gates of the FA Cup semifinals!

Half an hour before kickoff—

Amid thunderous cheers from the crowd,

under the floodlit night sky of Stamford Bridge...

Kai, wearing the captain's armband, led his team out of the tunnel.

Alongside him was Chelsea captain John Terry,

leading the star-studded Blues.

The stadium erupted in a volcanic roar.

All eyes turned toward the center of the pitch—

The FA Cup quarterfinal was about to begin!

~~----------------------

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