Super Wingstorm

"Everyone, stay sharp! There are only five minutes left in the match."

In front of the visiting team’s dugout, Van Basten roared with all his might.

If they could just win this match, he would have accomplished the incredible feat of leading his team into the round of sixteen of the Dutch Cup. For a coach who had just started this season, it would be a dream result.

But on the pitch, Demboch clearly had no intention of going down without a fight. After a substitution by Cruyff, they launched into a frenzied assault.

For Demboch at this moment, if they couldn’t score, there was no difference between losing by one goal or losing by ten.

As soon as Cruyff made his change, Van Basten made a substitution of his own, taking off Babel for a defender.

This signaled Van Basten’s intent: bolster the defense and focus on the counter-attack.

Yang Yang, of course, remained on the pitch. He was the team’s most dangerous player up front. The kid from China was constantly improving with every match, always managing to surprise people—and today was no exception.

For over an hour, he had seemed to be in a bit of a slump. But judging by how warily Patrick Peelen defended against him, he was still incredibly dangerous. Then, after the eighty-minute mark, he capitalized on a quick turnover, storming sixty meters down the field with the ball and forcing a corner kick off a defender. He then took that same corner kick himself, assisting Vermaelen for the goal.

If the Ajax Second Team managed to get away with a win, the two biggest heroes would be Yang Yang up front and Vermaelen on the back line. One on offense, one on defense—together they had secured the victory for the Ajax Second Team.

Fred Benson was very fast, making him a greater threat on the counter-attack. Furthermore, he had better chemistry with Yang Yang, which was why Van Basten had kept him in and substituted Babel.

At that thought, Van Basten couldn’t help but glance back at the bench, where Babel was sulking. He felt a pang of regret.

He admired Babel a great deal. Whether for the sake of the Netherlands or for Ajax, he was a player who deserved to be developed. But sometimes, a head coach had to consider the bigger picture, like the interests of the entire team.

Babel was a loner and had never been one to fit in with the group—that was just his personality. And while he and Yang Yang had some interactions on the field, they still lacked real chemistry. Fred Benson, on the other hand, often actively sought to link up with Yang Yang, and the two interacted far more frequently.

If Yang Yang were still the same player he was when he first arrived, Babel would have remained Van Basten’s first choice, and the team’s tactics would have been built around him. But now, things were clearly different.

Since his arrival, Yang Yang had cemented his spot as a starter within just two matches. In the games that followed, he got better and better, his improvement strikingly obvious. This forced Van Basten to entrust him with more and more responsibility.

The Ajax Second Team needed results, and Van Basten wanted to make his mark. Yang Yang, who was in the best form and performing most explosively, was someone he had to rely on. And in today’s match, when choosing between Yang Yang and Babel, any rational person would—sentiment aside—substitute Babel.

Van Basten truly did admire Babel, but he wanted to win more. He couldn’t betray the hard work of the entire team. If he did, he would, in turn, be betrayed by them all.

...

...

The match continued.

The furiously attacking Demboch showed the strength of an Eerste Divisie leader, completely pinning the Ajax Second Team inside the final thirty meters of their own half. The reserve team of the Eredivisie giants was powerless to resist.

The home team’s goalkeeper even pushed up outside the penalty area, constantly gesturing for his teammates to press forward.

Time was running out.

A sense of urgency filled the stadium. Every thud of the ball felt like a heavy blow to the hearts of everyone present.

Everyone on the field was already playing to the point of exhaustion.

The Ajax Second Team was full of young players whose stamina couldn’t match their opponents’, but every one of them was gritting their teeth and desperately holding on. The Demboch players weren’t having an easy time either; they fought to equalize but kept making unforced errors.

The more they rushed, the more mistakes they made.

The Ajax Second Team’s counter-attacking strategy was crystal clear: whenever they got a chance, they’d boot the ball long for Fred Benson and Yang Yang to chase. If they could win it, they fought for it; if not, they still had to get the ball into the opponent’s half to relieve the pressure on their defense.

But this crude "hoof and chase" tactic was hardly a threat.

Time and again, Fred Benson and Yang Yang sprinted after the ball, and time and again, they came up empty-handed.

As the match entered stoppage time, Fred Benson’s stamina was completely drained. He had a cramp and could no longer run.

Yang Yang was also drenched in sweat, on the verge of collapsing. Whenever he stopped, his legs would tremble uncontrollably. He could only grit his teeth and keep walking, trying to recover any bit of energy he could. He was afraid that if he stopped, he wouldn’t be able to move again.

’Two more minutes. It’s almost over!’

Yang Yang glanced at the clock on the scoreboard. Ninety-two minutes had passed.

Finishing with a 1-0 scoreline and advancing smoothly—that was already an excellent result for the Ajax Second Team.

But just then, a Demboch attack was headed out of the box by Lindegren. Maduro won the loose ball and immediately hoofed it forward.

Seeing this, Yang Yang, who was lurking upfield, broke into another sprint without a moment’s hesitation.

There were two ways to end the game: score another goal, or defend until the final whistle.

Yang Yang’s job was the former; his teammates were working hard to achieve the latter.

So, when the ball came his way, no matter how tired or sore he was, he had to keep charging forward.

Yang Yang could feel it clearly. This would be his last sprint of the match—perhaps even his last run—because he could feel his stamina was completely gone.

With every step, he felt like he could lose his balance and collapse at any moment, but each time, he gritted his teeth and pushed on.

Maduro’s kick had been primarily a clearance, not an attempt to start a counter-attack. The opposing goalkeeper had rushed out to the thirty-meter line, intending to quickly pass the ball back upfield and give his teammates one last chance to attack. He never expected Yang Yang to suddenly charge at him.

Outside the penalty box, a goalkeeper can’t use his hands.

The Demboch goalkeeper had already judged the ball’s landing spot, but just as he was about to control it, he saw the opposing young player in the number 21 jersey rapidly charging toward him. Incredibly, the kid even managed to accelerate.

’My God, it’s past the ninetieth minute, and he still has the energy to accelerate?’

Seeing Yang Yang close in on him so quickly, the Demboch goalkeeper’s face paled. He instinctively tried to boot the ball away, to get rid of this hot potato, but he hadn’t expected Yang Yang to lunge with his own foot just as quickly.

A loud THUD echoed across the field. The Demboch goalkeeper had tried to kick it toward the Ajax Second Team’s goal, but the ball crashed into Yang Yang’s outstretched leg and ricocheted back toward Demboch’s own net.

The sudden turn of events left everyone, both on and off the pitch, stunned into silence. Many fans couldn’t help but gasp in shock.

Yang Yang let out a guttural roar and immediately gave chase to the ball again.

The Demboch goalkeeper instantly spun around to chase the ball as well, simultaneously reaching out to grab Yang Yang.

He knew perfectly well that if the Ajax Second Team scored another goal now, all hope would be lost for Demboch.

But he had clearly underestimated Yang Yang’s determination. After that roar, Yang Yang visibly summoned every last ounce of his strength, chasing the ball at the fastest speed he could muster. The goalkeeper’s outstretched hand grasped at empty air. Not only that, but the keeper himself stumbled and nearly fell.

At this moment, Yang Yang couldn’t think about anything else. He had completely forgotten his opponents, his teammates, everyone on the sidelines. He had even forgotten where he was or what his name was; everything was thrown to the back of his mind.

The only thought in his mind was to catch up to the ball and put it in the net.

Everyone watched him run, his expression revealing the battle he was waging against his own physical limits. Sheer, unyielding will and determination were all that kept him going.

Behind him, the Demboch goalkeeper and defenders were in hot pursuit, but they could no longer stop Yang Yang.

The only one who could stop him now was himself.

"Go! Go!! GO!!!" Van Basten roared from the sidelines, waving his arms frantically, his teeth clenched.

Beside him, the entire coaching staff was on their feet. The players on the bench had all moved to the edge of the pitch. Even Babel wore an expression of disbelief.

On the pitch, every one of Yang Yang’s steps looked fragile, as if he could collapse at any second.

He was only sixteen, still a student, and had never undergone any formal stamina conditioning. Yet he had become the one player on the Ajax Second Team who fought to the very last second, refusing to give up no matter what.

Finally, he caught up to the rolling ball and kicked it forward with all his might.

This ordinarily simple action made him stumble, nearly sending him sprawling to the ground.

The once-light ball now felt incredibly heavy.

His stumble made everyone’s hearts leap into their throats.

But Yang Yang quickly regained his balance and resumed his pursuit of the ball.

Behind him, the pursuing Demboch defenders were getting closer and closer, but Yang Yang remained resolute, dribbling the ball straight toward the goal.

He had a chance to shoot, but he wasn’t confident in how much power he could generate. So, he chose the clumsiest but also the safest method: he dribbled the ball directly into the penalty area.

"He’s not going to make it, they’re catching up!"

"Shoot! Shoot now!"

The shouts from the sidelines didn’t affect Yang Yang in the slightest. He was using his [God’s Vision] to observe both sides, clearly judging the distance between them all.

Strangely enough, the more critical the moment became, the clearer his mind felt. Everything became exceptionally sharp and distinct.

Finally, just as the Demboch defender was about to catch him, Yang Yang took his shot from near the penalty spot.

The kick wasn’t powerful, but it caused Yang Yang to lose his balance completely, and he tumbled into the penalty area.

The Demboch defender sprinted after the ball and launched into a slide tackle, but in the end, he and the ball tumbled over the goal line together. At that very moment, the referee’s sharp whistle blew, signaling a valid goal.

Yang Yang lay on the grass, his chest heaving violently, his body devoid of strength. Only the sound of roaring cheers reached his ears, bringing a knowing smile to his face.

’So this is what it feels like to be a hero,’ he thought. ’It’s a wonderful feeling.’