Chapter 227: Even AI Has a Temper!
"Ding dong."
"Please, host choose 'Training' or 'Match' mode."
"Match."
"Please, host choose field position: A Forward, B Midfielder, C Defender..."
"B."
"Detected that the host's team is currently in a predicament. Matching host with the [King of Adversity] attribute."
"The greater the pressure, the stronger the host becomes! At key moments you step forward — it has to be you."
"Please choose 'Autonomous Mode' or 'One-Click AFK Mode'."
"Friendly reminder: During AFK, the system will automatically complete various action metrics for the host."
"One-click AFK!"
"Relaxed AFK, one click to auto-complete, free your feet, and bring the host a relaxed and happy pitch experience! Match experience officially begins."
…
Uruguay lost to Costa Rica in the first round; in this match they had to go all out and secure a win.
From the opening whistle the whole team surged forward like tigers descending the mountain.
Their fans were also giving everything; from the very start the boos and jeers at the England players never stopped.
Especially whenever Xia Qi had the ball, the boos were deafening, stabbing at the eardrums.
An England with Xia Qi was a title contender; an England without Xia Qi could only be considered a team that might advance from the group. This view was openly accepted by both players on the pitch and fans in the stands. Therefore, from the opening Xia Qi was treated like a superstar.
He was not only the one most heavily insulted on the team, he was also the most tightly marked on the pitch.
To defend Xia Qi, Uruguay coach Óscar Tabárez went to great lengths, sending Nicolás Lodeiro and Ríos to shadow Xia Qi together for the entire game.
This was not a localized double-team but a full-field, tight man-marking scheme! Football is an 11-a-side sport — to use two men to mark one Xia Qi shows how important Uruguay considered him.
…
England had possession in this match. After kick-off Xia Qi received the ball in the attacking third.
As soon as he turned with the ball, he collided full-on with Lodeiro, and the ball at his feet was prodded away by Ríos on the other side.
Xia Qi fell to the ground, expecting the referee to call a foul on Lodeiro, but the referee paid no heed.
Uruguay seized the moment and launched a counterattack.
"Oh!"
"Unbelievable! Simply unbelievable! Just one minute into the match, Uruguay's first shot resulted in a goal."
"Luis Suárez's first shot since returning from injury found the net, putting Uruguay 1–0 up against England."
"This is the fastest goal of this World Cup!"
The São Paulo Athletic Stadium erupted with a roar like an avalanche; the place had become a sea of sky blue joy.
It had been only one minute since the opening whistle, and Uruguay fans were celebrating twice over.
Suárez spread his arms as if flying across the turf…
In the stands, Uruguay fans chanted, "Thank you — Xia Qi!"
This attack started from Xia Qi's losing the ball and could be warped into saying Xia Qi had assisted Suárez.
On the other side, England fans were stunned and at a loss.
They hadn't even gotten into the match yet — and suddenly they were behind!
On the touchline, England coach Roy Hodgson was furious about the goal.
First, he was displeased the referee didn't call the Lodeiro collision a foul.
Second, he was upset that his players seemed half-asleep at the start and were lax in defense.
Third, he was annoyed with goalkeeper Joe Hart. There's a football saying: if heaven has feelings it grows old — look at Hart's blind spot.
Joe Hart had not expected Suárez to shoot from that inconspicuous spot.
His understanding of long-range shots differed from that of strikers, so he often became just a backdrop for their exploits.
"Tonight the referee's whistle is fairly lenient, but how did England respond after Xia Qi lost the ball? When Suárez received it, not a single England player rushed up to press him immediately.
"The first to chase back and defend was Xia Qi himself — but by then Suárez had already completed his shot.
"With England playing like this, it's no wonder they conceded!"
"Mr. Huang, I think conceding right at the start might be a good thing. England is a team that easily gets overconfident; this will calm them down."
"Judging by the teams' strengths, England securing victory here shouldn't be difficult — of course, provided mistakes like that one don't happen again."
…
After play resumed, Xia Qi worked tirelessly to get the ball in midfield.
No matter where he ran, at least two players were marking him to prevent him from receiving and distributing comfortably.
This was a tactic Tabárez had wrung his brains over specifically to handle Xia Qi.
At first he wanted Lodeiro to man-mark Xia Qi all over the pitch, but after careful study he found Xia Qi's roaming range was simply too large.
Not only did Lodeiro lack the stamina, but even if he had it he lacked the speed, sharpness, and game-reading ability.
If he had those, Tabárez would have promoted Lodeiro rather than wasting such thought. So he combined zonal and man-marking, arranging two players to mark Xia Qi to counter his flexible movement and wide activity range, making it hard for Xia Qi to receive or pass the ball easily.
If they only double-marked, it wouldn't impact Xia Qi too much — but Uruguay's defense wasn't afraid to use hands where needed.
Under the referee's indulgence, even an "one-click AFK" Xia Qi found himself slightly disadvantaged in this situation.
Play continued.
Xia Qi made an off-the-ball run to the right, positioned himself behind Theo Walcott and received the ball.
The ball had barely come to his feet when Lodeiro shoved him from behind; the referee again didn't blow his whistle.
On the touchline Hodgson stormed up to the fourth official and vocally protested.
Lodeiro uses his hands, Ríos uses his feet! The familiar formula!
But this time Ríos met someone fierce — as soon as he "stole" the ball from Xia Qi, Steven Gerrard slid in, took out both ball and man in a tackle.
It was a ferocious tackle; in ordinary times Gerrard would have taken a yellow card. Tonight the referee only called him over and gave a stern warning.
Gerrard nodded as if "humbly accepting," then turned, changed his face and said to Xia Qi, "This is Tottenham! Xia, remember how you used to thrash those street scumbags in White Deer Lane?"
Alright then!
Treating this match like a derby!
The referee's earlier admonition wasn't wasted!
Xia Qi nodded at Gerrard.
Even AI has a temper!
…
"Only five minutes into the match and there have already been four scenes of bodies flying everywhere. If the referee keeps indulging like this, the match's integrity will be hard to maintain," commented He Wei in the broadcast, clearly moved.
In the England WAGs stands, Xia's mother anxiously asked Xia's father, "At this rate, will our kid be okay?"
Xia's father wasn't sure; he didn't know that in AI mode Xia Qi would be immune to harm.
But he did know that such relentless collisions, if too frequent, significantly increase the chance of injury.
He regretted bringing his wife to the stadium.
This kind of old-school English football really wasn't suitable for a mother who only cared about her son's health. For a mother, it was too cruel.
…
Whenever Xia Qi had the ball, he became Lodeiro's hunting target.
Unless Xia Qi immediately passed the ball, he would be defended with both hands and feet. Heel flicks, shoulder bumps, tugging shirts — these were child's play.
Sometimes Lodeiro would even cling tightly to Xia Qi; he had no shame about it — the embarrassed ones were the referee and Uruguay fans.
Patched AI also has temper!
He'll be naughty!
When Xia Qi had his back to Lodeiro and controlled the ball, he'd push Lodeiro's chest with one hand to create space to play.
When he dribbled through, the scene was spectacular, like a bulldozer plowing away every obstacle in front of him until the referee's whistle sounded.
When an opponent had the ball, Xia Qi would sweep a leg from the side to the front and take both man and ball down, or make a front tackle taking out both.
The key was to touch the ball first.
That's hard for others because opponents dodge and feint; but for an AI that excels at calculation, it's no problem.
Within a minute, Lodeiro was cleanly tackled twice by Xia Qi.
Each time Lodeiro hit the ground and writhed in pain, the referee couldn't whistle because Xia Qi's tackles were so clean — even without replays, everyone knew they were fair.
Even the Uruguay fans in the stands who had been booing Xia Qi relentlessly had to admit Xia Qi's defending had a "Maldini style."
AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini spent his career without a single red card — the cleanest defender ever, bar none!
In this match Xia Qi's defense was in Maldini's style.
After five or six minutes of that exchange, Lodeiro no longer dared to look Xia Qi in the eye. When Xia Qi dribbled, Lodeiro wouldn't go in anymore.
Tabárez, an experienced coach, immediately shouted at Álvaro González and ordered him to mark Xia Qi along with Ríos.
Lodeiro, relieved, almost cried with joy in that instant.
"Lodeiro's been psychologically scarred marking Xia Qi."
"Lodeiro is actually a big kid — he's young, only 24 — and he was tackled and hit by Xia Qi so many times he fell in agony."
"Xia Qi didn't usually play like this before; it's the referee's fault — we're seeing a match with big margins…"
"The match feels like it's for prostate patients, but the spectacle is extremely exciting."
On the pitch the newly assigned González's first encounter with Xia Qi ended with Xia Qi executing a clean tackle to retain the ball, immediately launching a counterattack.
González experienced Lodeiro's pain — he lay on the ground wailing pitifully!
Too bad for him, he met an AI. AI Xia Qi understood exactly how much force he used.
It would certainly hurt; AI has a temper!
But the pain, though intense, passed quickly.
Xia Qi ignored Uruguay players who demanded he kick the ball out of play.
He pushed on!
This again sparked sharp discontent from Uruguay fans; the boos echoed even beyond the stadium.
Xia Qi passed to Wayne Rooney, who had no intention of kicking the ball out either; he drove the ball straight toward Uruguay's goal.
González, lying on the ground, had screamed for a while and then, finding nobody cared, got up boredly.
Rooney's central drive was stopped by a foul from a Uruguay player.
As the referee's whistle sounded, Lodeiro yelled at Xia Qi, "Do you have no conscience? Didn't you see someone got hurt?"
Xia Qi moved his mouth and Lodeiro looked in the direction Xia Qi pointed. He saw González, who had earlier been rolling in pain on the turf, now running back steadily — his running posture gave no sign of injury.
"He… he… he sounded so miserable!"
"You'll be the same when you grow up," Xia Qi said.
Lodeiro snorted angrily and ran away.
Rooney's run had won England a free kick.
It was from a very promising spot, a place the taker could shoot directly on goal.
Rooney naturally picked up the ball as if to take it himself, but Xia Qi stood at the spot and beckoned him with a finger.
Rooney hugged the ball, shook his head at Xia Qi and was about to speak when Xia Qi's expression hardened into an icy look.
For a moment words that had been piling up in his heart were stuck in his throat.
He took small shuffling steps and trotted forward, handing the ball to Xia Qi, muttering, "I've been cursed for eight lifetimes — we lose a Cristiano and get someone tougher…"
Icy Xia Qi ignored the little sulker Rooney. He took a deep breath and stared resolutely toward the Uruguay goal.
Other teammates came over, slapped his hand for encouragement. Captain Steven Gerrard discussed some tactical setup with him.
Compared with Rooney, the team naturally trusted the European Golden Boot candidate Xia Qi more.
Xia Qi lightly pressed his foot on the turf to feel its spring, adjusted his rhythm, counted his steps backward.
Then he quietly waited for Uruguay to set the wall; Gerrard placed three of his own men in the wall per Xia Qi's request.
Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera was anxious behind the wall. He had seen Xia Qi's free-kick videos and knew Xia Qi had a falling-leaf shot.
The best way to defend that was to prevent the ball from hitting the goal frame area.
But no matter how they arranged the wall, they couldn't fully cover the goal; the more they arranged, the more holes they felt, the less confident they became.
Finally, under the referee's urging, they randomly picked a formation as if praying to God with their eyes closed.
The referee's whistle blew.
Xia Qi started his run-up.
His stride was steady and powerful, every step full of strength and determination.
As he neared the ball his left foot planted firmly and his body leaned left; his right foot struck the ball hard with the outside of his boot.
A vicious outside-of-the-foot curl!
The ball flew like lightning, tracing a strange curve, bending around the wall. Just as it seemed about to fly wide, it curved back and darted toward the Uruguay goal.
Muslera saw the ball drifting wide and exhaled, only to watch it come back.
Shit!
Wasn't that a falling-leaf shot? How did it turn into a wicked outside curl?
He leapt to save with all his might, but the ball was too fast and the angle too tricky; he could only watch it go by.
The ball, like a precision-guided missile, adjusted its flight path repeatedly until it nestled into the corner of the net.
"Goal!"
"That's an S-ball! A goal that would make Newton crawl out of his coffin — anti-physics."
"Xia Qi has scored England's first goal of the match to make it 1–1."
When Xia Qi's thunderous shot found the net, the whole stadium seemed to ignite!
There was a momentary silence in the stands, followed by an eruption of cheers like a volcanic blast.
Some England fans jumped for joy, hands raised high; some hugged tightly, faces glowing with uncontrollable excitement; others shouted Xia Qi's name, cheering him with the loudest voices.
The cheers crashed over the stadium like waves.
England supporters' passion was fully ignited; they celebrated the brilliant goal and their love for Xia Qi in every way.
English flags waved in the air, forming a sea of white; drums and horns alternated, composing a stirring anthem of victory.
For that moment the entire stadium was immersed in joy; every England supporter was moved by the thrilling moment.
Xia Qi's name was on everyone's lips; he became the hero of the match. This anti-physics free-kick would live forever in people's memories.
When that earth-shattering free-kick ripped the net, the CCTV-5 broadcast exploded with excitement.
Huang Jianxiang's voice shot up an octave as if to pierce the broadcast straight into viewers' hearts:
"My God! That was a dreamlike free-kick! Such technique belongs only in webnovels' pages — fiction become reality.
"Xia Qi's foot is like a master artist's brush, turning the ball into a lethal weapon that pierced the Uruguay goal's corner!"
He Wei's voice matched the passion and praise; at that moment both commentators were ardent fans of Xia Qi.
"This goal will undoubtedly be a classic moment of this game and a shining point in Xia Qi's career! Let's all applaud this genius!"
In the livestream chat the barrage was full:
[This free-kick is reminiscent of Roberto Carlos at the France invitational, and it's a goal that would make old Newton's coffin lid pop open.]
[The match had been dragging for 12 minutes and I was nodding off; finally spring has come — for this goal, staying up all night is worth it!]
[How could anyone fall asleep during such an exciting game? Although the plot lacks smoothness, the scenes are thrilling: Lodeiro's tears of joy at not defending Xia Qi, González's "golden broom" painful rolls… I find those entertaining too!]
[Brothers, you missed the point. This match drains booze — only 12 minutes in and a crate of beer is gone. I gotta order takeout again.]
[Man, have some decency! Delivery guys want to watch the match too.]
After sending that crucial S-ball into the Uruguay net, Xia Qi's passion was ignited as if by volcanic eruption.
He quickly redeemed a "Drogba celebration card" and sprinted across the turf at lightning speed, then launched into an exuberant sliding-knee celebration.
He shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, his knees skimming the grass, and the three white trails behind him looked like marks of his victory, declaring his glory and pride.
His eyes sparkled with excitement; his face beamed with uncontainable joy and pride.
He raised both arms to the sky and shouted, pouring out his passion and jubilation.
The whole stadium was infected by his energy; the fans' cheers thundered as if to split the sky.
In that moment Xia Qi was the center of attention; his goal and sliding-knee celebration became the most unforgettable moment of the match.
(END CHAPTER)
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