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"It looks like he needs to go to the hospital for an X-ray. The ankle swelling is quite severe, and we can't rule out joint damage."
"Damn Getafe, those pigs! Those motherf*****s!"
"Lance is our core player!!!"
"Let's carry him off first. Hey! Lance, can you hear me?"
What?
Who turned on the light? Let me sleep a bit more.
Lance felt a wave of drowsiness, as if he had travelled to another world.
There, he was not a professional player, but an ordinary working drone.
Passionate about football, but under the ravages of life, staying up late to watch games had become a luxury.
At night, he had to get up multiple times to take care of his crying child.
After mixing and feeding the formula, he glanced at the time: 3:45 AM, exactly when the Champions League started.
He suppressed the urge to watch the game, thinking about having to wake up at 7 AM, with less than 4 hours of sleep, Lance could only crawl back to bed and continue sleeping.
His wife, half-asleep, felt Lance and instinctively snuggled closer, burrowing into his arms.
They slept nestled together for a short whilst, when Lance was suddenly woken by a dazzling light.
It seemed his wife had woken up early and turned on the light.
"It's only 6 AM, why are you up so early?"
Still groggy, Lance mumbled a complaint.
"He's awake, he's awake, he's regained consciousness!"
"Lance!! Do you know who I am?"
In his daze, Lance thought his wife was snuggling up to him, but when he opened his eyes, he saw a Zhang Fei!
A chubby, bearded man wearing glasses!
What the f***?
Chengdu's must-eat list? No, don't!
Lance was startled, suddenly wide awake. He turned his head and found himself lying on a stretcher.
The surroundings were chaotic, the dense crowd in the stands and the green grass beneath him brought Lance's heart back to his chest.
"Good, it was just a strange dream. I'm a professional player…"
"Are you okay, Lance? Do you know what number this is?"
Javier, the team doctor from the medical staff, the bearded man with glasses, held up his fingers.
"3. Don't worry, I'm fine."
"That's good. You lost consciousness just now, you gave us a fright."
I was scared too, damn it.
Just as Lance was about to complain, the pain gradually coming from his ankle left him speechless.
Soon, Simeone, looking anxious, also came over.
"Lance!! Are you alright? Does your ankle hurt a lot?"
"It's okay, coach. Am I going to be substituted? I want to keep playing…"
It's probably just a minor injury, Lance had never been injured in his professional career until now, except for the help of the [Substitute Person] item.
He felt his physical condition was quite good, and the injury shouldn't be too serious.
A spray of mist should be enough for him to get back on the pitch.
"Don't be reckless. Go get it checked out first."
The core player being tackled and injured in the first half was bad news for Atlético Madrid.
Simeone was forced to make an early substitution.
Others might be expendable, but Lance absolutely could not be out. Simeone dared not take the risk.
"Don't worry about the game, just go down and rest."
Damn it!
I must save more silver coins and try to draw more [Substitute Paper Dolls] next time.
Lance had truly realised that, improving ability on the pitch was not the most important thing, the most important thing was health!
The [Substitute Paper Doll] was the real SSS-grade item!
"Number 10 Lance is being substituted off, Number 1 Correa is coming on. Number 7 Griezmann temporarily returns to his original position, taking over Lance's role…"
"This is a sight our domestic fans don't want to see. Lance is being carried off on a stretcher, his injury is currently unknown. Judging by Lance's state, it might not be too serious. We can only wish him good luck…"
Damn it!
Commentator almost couldn't help but curse in the commentary.
Everyone stayed up until 4 AM, wasn't it all for Lance?
If Lance was tackled off the pitch, what was the point of watching the game?
The defensive midfielder Rodríguez, who injured Lance, was shown a direct red card by the referee.
Atlético Madrid, playing 11 against 10, eventually easily defeated Getafe 2-0.
Griezmann provided 2 assists, and Torres scored twice.
After the match, everyone's expressions were unhappy, each person looked sombre.
Fernando Torres, he knew all too well how injuries could destroy a genius.
He himself was ruined by injuries, playing with an injury for the 2010 World Cup, resulting in several consecutive seasons of decline, losing all form at Chelsea, becoming the "Iron Guard Torres" ridiculed across the internet.
He slunk away from the Premier League, only after returning to Atlético Madrid did Torres regain his former form, but his golden period of his professional career had been wasted, Torres's career was on the decline, which was a lifelong regret for him.
Having suffered such a huge blow himself, he did not want this young genius, Lance, to follow in his footsteps.
In the post-match interview, Torres absentmindedly answered questions, and rushed back to the changing room at the first opportunity.
"Lance, are you alright…"
Pushing open the door, Torres felt somewhat relieved.
Lance was leaning on crutches, chatting and laughing with his teammates, everyone was gathered around Lance, concerned about his injury.
Lance seemed to be in good spirits.
"Don't worry, I'm not dying."
"Is it serious? Is there any problem with the joint?"
"I'll need to go to the hospital for an X-ray later, but it shouldn't be a big problem."
"We're playing Real Madrid soon, you better not be out."
"Yeah, we're all counting on you to take care of Real Madrid, the Real Madrid nemesis."
"He's Cristiano Ronaldo's nemesis, that arrogant guy, always falling into his hands."
"Then I can't miss the derby match!"
Lance laughed heartily with everyone.
But Torres could see a hint of worry in his eyes.
After the others dispersed, Lance was about to change clothes and go for another check-up with the team doctor.
Torres came over.
"Honestly, Lance, how serious is the injury?"
"Good news, the team doctor said it shouldn't have affected the joint."
"And the bad news?"
"It's probably a soft tissue contusion, which will require at least 2 weeks of recovery before I can engage in intense physical activity."
"This…"
Doesn't that mean he'll miss the Madrid Derby?
"Brother…"
"Don't worry, Fernando, I'll definitely appear in time like a superhero."
Torres originally wanted to comfort Lance, but he didn't expect this guy to be more optimistic than himself, and instead, he ended up comforting Torres…
...
"Atlético Madrid's Core Player Injured and Leaves Field, May Miss Madrid Derby?"
"Before the Crucial Madrid Battle, Atlético Madrid Loses a Key Player, Good News for Real Madrid!"
"Atlético Madrid 2-0 Getafe, Won the Match, Lost the Key Player"
"Real Madrid's Win Probability Soars! Florentino Vows to Defeat Atlético Madrid!"
Upon hearing the news of Lance's injury, Real Madrid fans were, of course, the happiest.
Marca and AS celebrated like it was New Year's, heavily promoting Real Madrid's impending victory and securing the top spot in La Liga.
Real Madrid's current manager, Benítez, also personally admitted:
"Lance is indeed the most threatening opponent. We designed many defensive tactics against him. Without him on the pitch, Atlético Madrid's attacking level will drop significantly, and Real Madrid is confident of winning away."
Suddenly, Atlético Madrid fans hadn't rejoiced for long before a dark cloud loomed over them.
Sure enough, the next day Marca once again announced news!
"Lance's Hospital Check-up Results Revealed: Ankle Contusion, Out for More Than 2 Weeks, Will Miss Madrid Derby!"
Oh no, the sky has fallen!
Whilst half of Madrid was worrying about Lance's injury, who would have thought, Lance was soaking in his private jacuzzi, leisurely enjoying himself.
"Mr Lance, you have a friend at the door. Should I let her in?"
"Hmm? Alright, let her in."
His private maid, Juana Sánchez, announced through the intercom.
She used the feminine word "amiga," specifically referring to a female friend.
Lance's first reaction was his PR manager, Miss Hanna Mouller.
It was likely about managing media responses based on his injury, Lance didn't think much of it and told the maid to bring her to the jacuzzi to chat.
It wasn't the first time, anyway.
As Lance was closing his eyes to rest, he heard the rapid click-clack of high heels, followed by a familiar soft voice:
"Lance? Are you alright?"
"Eh? Chloe, why are you here?"
An unexpected person!
Wasn't this girl studying in Berlin? Why was she in Madrid already?
Translate that, what a surprise!