Inside the tactical meeting room at the Rayo Vallecano training base, the air conditioning hummed.
On the giant projection screen, an image of Carranza Stadium was clearly displayed.
In the video, frenzied Cádiz fans waved yellow and blue scarves, and deafening shouts came through the speakers.
Paco Jémez held the remote control, his expression serious.
The screen froze on a fierce physical collision—a Cádiz defender elbowed an opposing striker, but the referee turned a blind eye.
"Although it's a closed-door match now, don't expect that to change anything." Paco's voice was low, "Cádiz players are beasts to the core; no audience will only make them more reckless."
Álvaro García swallowed. He had been left with a bloody head at Carranza Stadium once and still felt a lingering fear.
Trejo leaned back in his chair, shaking his head with a bitter smile: "I've played there three times, and I've never come out unscathed."
Paco pressed the pause button, and the screen stopped on a bearded middle-aged man. The camera zoomed in, and the defiance and ferocity in his eyes almost spilled out of the screen.
"Juan Cala." Paco's tone became even more solemn, "34 years old, Cádiz's defensive core. He's a butcher and an actor."
Suárez sneered: "That guy's acting is more realistic than Real Madrid's actors."
"He will use every means to provoke you." Paco continued playing the video,
"Look here, he said something in his opponent's ear, and then that striker exploded, directly pushing him.
What was the result? Cala fell and rolled, and the striker was sent off."
On the screen, Cala gave a cold smirk to the sent-off opponent, a smile that, in Lu Chuan's opinion, was worse than any foul.
"Lu, especially you." Paco turned his gaze to Lu Chuan, "He loves to bully young players, especially talented ones.
He will try every trick to provoke you, make you lose your cool, and then defeat you in the close combat he excels at."
Comesaña frowned: "Then how do we respond?"
Paco walked to the tactics board, picked up a marker, and drew the formation.
"Avoid direct confrontation with him! Lu, use your positioning to attack the spaces around him, use changes in speed and rhythm to deal with him. Absolutely do not get into a brawl with him."
Lu Chuan nodded in understanding. His fingers unconsciously tapped the table, and he had already begun to plan his counter-strategy.
"Remember, his weaknesses are slow turning speed and crude left-foot technique." Paco marked key areas on the tactics board, "Exploit these weaknesses, but never go head-to-head."
After the meeting, Lu Chuan went to his dorm alone. He locked the door and silently chanted in his mind: "System, activate the training space."
A virtual green field instantly appeared before his eyes. Lu Chuan took a deep breath and began to set the training parameters.
"Simulate opponent: Juan Cala Enhanced Version."
A burly virtual player appeared in front of him.
That face was identical to Cala's in the video, even the ferocity in his eyes was perfectly replicated.
"Start simulation."
The virtual Cala immediately showed his repulsive side.
He lightly pushed Lu Chuan from behind, bumped him with his knee, and even deliberately stepped on him. Even worse, his mouth never stopped.
"chinese kid, go back to your country!"
"Does your mom know you're embarrassing yourself here?"
"Yellow-skinned monkey, who do you think you are?"
Initially, this trash talk infuriated Lu Chuan. Several times he wanted to retaliate, but the virtual Cala seized the opportunity to counter him.
By the tenth simulation, Lu Chuan began to learn to control his emotions. He focused on his technical movements, ignoring the provocations.
By the twentieth simulation, he was already able to complete basic passes and receptions under Cala's interference.
By the fiftieth simulation, that trash talk had become background noise to him.
"Very good." Lu Chuan wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Continue."
He set the training intensity to the highest, simulating various extreme situations.
Sometimes it was Cala's malicious fouls, sometimes the referee's biased whistle, sometimes his teammates' misunderstanding.
In the hundredth simulation, Lu Chuan finally found the perfect way to respond.
He completely outplayed the virtual Cala with speed and skill, scoring a goal amidst the opponent's angry roars.
After exiting the training space, Lu Chuan felt an unprecedented confidence.
The trash talk that could have once destroyed his psychological defense now sounded more like a clown's performance.
He opened the system panel and checked the Legendary Store. His balance of 820 LP gave him more options.
Iron Body lay quietly in the product list, priced at 2500 LP.
This skill could greatly enhance physical confrontation ability, making it a sharp weapon against Cala.
But Lu Chuan's gaze lingered more on another skill—Powerful Ball Control, priced at 400 LP.
Although its effect was not as good as Iron Body, it was enough for tomorrow's match.
His finger hovered over the virtual button for a long time. Reason told him that now was not the time for impulsive spending. The focus of the next match was to avoid confrontation, not to go head-to-head.
"Not exchanging for now." Lu Chuan made his decision, "I'll save the LP for a chance to permanentize Penalty Box Finisher."
He checked the system status again:
Host: Lu Chuan
Current LP balance: 820
Activated Skills: Full Field Vision (Permanent), Big Heart (Permanent), Direction Change Acceleration Master (Beginner Level)
Physical Attributes: Fully enhanced after special training during the pandemic, with particularly outstanding explosiveness and stamina.
The data was satisfactory, but Lu Chuan knew the real test was yet to come.
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Suárez's voice came from outside.
"Lu Chuan, can we talk?"
Lu Chuan opened the door, and the veteran's face was filled with worry.
Suárez walked into the room and sat on the bed. "Kid, I know you're talented, but tomorrow you're facing Cala. That guy isn't an ordinary defender."
"I know how formidable he is." Lu Chuan sat on a chair, "Paco has already shown us the video."
"The video only shows the surface." Suárez shook his head, "I've faced that bastard many times. His most terrifying aspect isn't his technique; it's his psychological warfare."
The veteran's expression became serious: "He'll torment you where the referee can't see.
Stepping on your foot, pulling your shirt, even spitting. Then, when you're angry, he'll immediately fall and roll."
Lu Chuan nodded in understanding.
"Remember, no matter what he calls you, don't fall for it." Suárez patted Lu Chuan's shoulder,
"Responding with goals is the best way. When you kick the ball into the net behind him, all his trash talk will become a joke."
After Suárez left, Lu Chuan's phone vibrated. Esther sent a long message.
"Honey, I looked up Juan Cala online.
Oh my god, this person is a devil! 12 red cards in his career, suspended for over half a year in total. He even once bit an opponent's ear!"
Lu Chuan replied with a wry smile: "Don't worry, I have a way to deal with him."
"You must protect yourself." Esther's worry came through the screen,
"I don't want to see you get hurt. If that bastard dares to hurt you, I swear I'll make him pay!"
He repeatedly read Esther's message; those worried words made him feel much more at ease. He wanted to win, not just for the team, but also so she wouldn't worry.
It was late, but Lu Chuan was wide awake. He walked to the window, gazing at the distant lights.
Tomorrow, he would embark on the journey to Cádiz.
His phone rang again; this time it was a news push. The headline read: "Cala speaks before the match: I don't know who Lu Chuan is."
Lu Chuan clicked on the news; in the video, Cala was smirking at the camera.
"I don't know who Lu Chuan is, but at Carranza Stadium, any striker has to put away his arrogance."
Cala's tone was full of disdain, "The media has hyped him up to the heavens, but to me, he's just another overhyped kid."
The reporter asked: "How do you rate his recent performance?"
Cala waved his hand dismissively: "Scoring a few goals and thinking he's Messi?
The Segunda División and real football are two different concepts. Tomorrow I'll make him understand what reality is."
Lu Chuan turned off his phone, Cala's contemptuous face still lingering in his mind. He let out a soft scoff, good.
"Is that so?" He murmured to himself, "Then let's see tomorrow."
Madrid outside the window was already asleep. Lu Chuan closed his eyes, with only one thing on his mind: putting the ball into Cádiz's net.
Cala's provocation not only didn't anger him but ignited the fighting spirit deep within him.
He remembered Suárez's words: "Respond with goals."
Yes, goals were the best response. Not angry shoves, not pointless arguments, but tangible goals.
Lu Chuan reopened the system panel and checked his consecutive scoring record: 8 / 12.
There were four more matches until the task was complete, and tomorrow's battle against Cádiz would be the biggest test.
His gaze shifted to the skill list. Penalty Box Finisher was not yet permanent,
Iron Body and Powerful Ball Control waited quietly in the store. Every choice could affect tomorrow's outcome.
But Lu Chuan was no longer conflicted. The system had given him a golden finger, but the real battle still had to be fought by himself.
The special training during the pandemic had transformed him, and the combination of Direction Change Acceleration Master and Big Heart was enough to meet any challenge.
Most importantly, he had a perfect strategy to deal with Cala.
A hundred virtual matches had made him completely accustomed to that harsh environment.
In tomorrow's match, he not only had to score but also make all of Cala's tricks a joke.
The night wind blew across the windowsill, bringing a touch of coolness. Lu Chuan took a deep breath, savoring the fresh scent in the air.
Tomorrow, Carranza Stadium awaited him. There, not only were there strong opponents, but also a villain who wanted to humiliate him.
He was ready.
What he had to do was not roll around in the mud with Cala, but make Cala turn around again and again, picking the ball out of the net.
"Juan Cala." Lu Chuan softly spoke the name, "Tomorrow you will know who the real monster is."