Shangguan Mingbo, who was also nearby, scoffed upon hearing this: "Brother Shen Hong, you...you shouldn't be so praising others and belittling ourselves! Our secret...our secret weapon hasn't even been deployed yet! Once it's unleashed, hehe, we'll be invincible!"
He spoke with great bravado, though he stuttered a bit.
Indeed, after that fall, his teeth had hit his tongue, and his tongue was swollen. How could he not stutter?!
Luckily, he was lucky; he rolled all the way down the stairs without breaking a bone, just ending up with a bruised and swollen face.
As he spoke, he raised a hand and slammed it down. Trying to look tough, he then let out a thud, and the kid screamed again. His hand had accidentally struck the coffee table.
The six experts sitting nearby all rolled their eyes at him.
Shangguan Jinwang glared at him fiercely, then said, "Mingbo, it's cooler over there, go over there."
Shangguan Mingbo, though aggrieved, dared not disobey.
Shangguan Jinwang glanced at the two teams outside, one resting and the other listening to their coaches explain tactics, and sighed slightly:
"Yes, this Zhuang family team's formation and teamwork are indeed commendable. However, Young Master Shen, your players are not weak either. As long as they play a few more matches against top-tier teams and further develop their strengths, even if Zhuang Sicong's net is thick, they can still pierce it! For today's match, let's make a profit first."
Shen Hong laughed heartily: "Jinwang really knows how to talk!"
Ten minutes into the second half, Longwei Football Team's teamwork improved further, toying with Yongda Football Team like monkeys. Under the powerful offensive and defensive formations, even Yongda Football Team's strong individual skills gradually crumbled. Although Yongda scored another goal, Longwei scored three more in quick succession.
Five to three!
Shen Hong still wore a smile, but inwardly he was quite bitter.
Although he was confident of victory, he knew it wouldn't be a fair win. The most satisfying outcome, of course, would be a victory won through the team's own ability. But he couldn't help it; he desperately wanted to beat Longwei.
Just like Shangguan Jinwang wanted to thoroughly humiliate Zhuang Sicong!
In Yunzhou City, the wealthy second-generation were divided into several factions, and the faction led by Shangguan Jinwang was consistently outmatched by the faction led by Zhuang Sicong. This situation had been frustrating Shangguan Jinwang for a long time.
He wanted to declare to all the wealthy second-generation in the city that Zhuang Sicong would also lose to him.
And this defeat would be devastating!
He looked at Shen Hong, licked his slightly dry lips, and said, "Young Master Shen, shouldn't we begin?"
Only then did he realize his voice was hoarse from excitement.
Shen Hong nodded, looking at the six experts who had been calmly resting with their eyes closed, and said politely, "Six teachers, I think we can begin our operation."
Shangguan Jinwang quickly smiled ingratiatingly, "Thank you for your trouble, six teachers."
The six experts simultaneously opened their eyes, their gazes flashing.
They gave a soft hum in response, then looked towards the playing field outside.
One of the older men, around sixty years old, said calmly, "We can only deal with one person at a time. As agreed before, you tell us the number, and we'll deal with that person. If you want to switch, give them their number again."
Shen Hong and Shangguan Jinwang quickly agreed, then exchanged a glance. Shangguan Jinwang said, "Young Master Shen, you know more about football. So, you go first!"
Shen Hong didn't stand on ceremony. He turned to look at the field, observed carefully, and then called out a number: "23."
Number 23 was a striker, who, with the help of his teammates, was breaking through defenses and about to take a shot.
The six experts all turned their gazes to him, their eyes suddenly becoming strange, muttering incantations, something like obscure Sanskrit.
As this chanting continued, Shangguan Jinwang and Shen Hong beside him felt a wave of dizziness, as if swept away by a flood, momentarily disoriented.
They shook their heads violently, exchanged a glance, and both saw the surprise in each other's eyes.
Shangguan Jinwang gave a thumbs-up: "Six experts, indeed impressive!"
Shen Hong said calmly, "Of course."
These six experts were clearly Xuan cultivators! And the Xuan techniques they were currently using were similar to Lu Chen's Curse God ability, capable of remotely controlling the target's movements.
However, while six people against one person represented a considerable spatial distance, it seemed their cultivation wasn't particularly deep. Xuan technique cultivation was inherently far more difficult than martial arts cultivation, which is why Xuan cultivators were so rare in modern society.
Under the combined force of the six experts, the number 23 striker's figure suddenly swayed slightly, quite unnaturally.
Then, his movements became slightly slower.
On the sidelines, Zhuang Sicong, the captain of the Longwei Football Team, who had been watching with great enthusiasm, suddenly frowned. The other players preparing for the match were also taken aback.
Of course, not everyone noticed the abnormality in number 23; it was simply too subtle.
On the seventh floor, Zhuang Keluo was also oblivious to the trick, but she watched with great interest, clapping and cheering, "Brother Chen, look, number 23 is about to score! Wow!"
Lu Chen, however, suddenly frowned. He said, "It probably won't go in."
He had also figured it out. He saw number 23's figure, which had clearly lunged forward, suddenly seem to be pulled back as if by a dream, causing him to pause.
A strange expression appeared on his face.
Lu Chen saw roughly the same amount as Zhuang Sicong, but his thoughts went a little deeper.
While Zhuang Sicong was still confused, Lu Chen had already thought of two words: cheating.
Someone was controlling number 23's body!
Realizing this, Lu Chen quickly unleashed his divine power, receiving a prompt reply. Yes, several faint streams of mystical energy were controlling number 23.
Inside this football center, there were actually cultivators, and not just one or two.
Lu Chen sensed at least six cultivators here.
However, their cultivation levels seemed rather low; six of them were controlling one person simultaneously.
Damn! That's too despicable!
No wonder Shangguan Mingbo always had that "I'll definitely win, you'll definitely lose" look on his face. Even if he trusted Yongda Football Team, he shouldn't be this confident, right? Longwei Football Team is definitely not a weak team either.
So, there's something fishy going on here.
"How is that possible? He's so good, he'll definitely score!"
After Lu Chen responded with that sentence, Zhuang Keluo immediately shouted with fighting spirit. She didn't believe Lu Chen at all now. Really, that brave number 23 had already scored two goals, how could he miss now?
However, what happened on the field next made Zhuang Keluo's eyes widen in disbelief.
Number 23's body seemed to stiffen slightly before recovering. He was now extremely close to the opponent's goal. His teammate, evading an opponent's interception, volleyed the ball to him.
The angle was perfect; with Number 23's skill, a powerful shot should have easily put the ball in the net.
However, just as Number 23 gracefully twisted his body, leaning at a 40-50 degree angle, and kicked the oncoming ball with his left foot, his body faltered slightly!
Then, his previously powerful kick suddenly became weak and limp, striking the ball with almost no force. The ball then flew weakly towards the goal.
It didn't travel far before landing on the grass and rolling away.
The goalkeeper, who had initially looked terrified, was stunned, a look of bewildered amusement crossing his face.
Of course, he wouldn't miss the opportunity. He unleashed a powerful kick, and the spinning ball flew across the grass, even venturing out of the halfway line.
Number 23 wore an extremely bewildered and embarrassed expression.
His teammates also looked at him with bewildered and exasperated expressions. In their minds, Number 23 was practically a red-card player for the Longwei Football Team. How could such a blunder have happened?
Number 23, meanwhile, shrugged and spread his hands, looking utterly dejected, as if he were about to cry.
Seven floors up, Zhuang Keluo turned around in utter astonishment, staring at Lu Chen as if he were a ghost:
"Brother Chen, you...you're really the 365th generation descendant of Guiguzi?"
Lu Chen had just said that Shangguan Mingbo would take a nasty fall, and he actually did. Okay, let's just consider it a coincidence. But now, the ball, which should have gone in so easily, suddenly seemed to have contracted polio, going limp.
It didn't go in!
This left Zhuang Keluo utterly astonished.
While she was surprised, Lu Chen remained calm, saying casually, "Silly girl, of course I was just kidding. Besides, you weren't even watching the game properly, didn't you see that number 23 had a problem just now?"
He recounted what had happened.
Zhuang Keluo was dumbfounded: "How could this be? Could it be... could it be that number 23 threw the game? Was he bribed by Shangguan Jinwang and his gang? Bastards!"
With that, she slammed her hand on the armrest and jumped to her feet.
Looking like she was sharpening her knife, she was about to go and settle scores with number 23.
Lu Chen said in a deep voice, "Sit down. I don't think things are that simple. That number 23 was also very surprised; he had no idea such a thing happened. I reckon he was manipulated."
"Manipulated?" Zhuang Keluo was even more stunned. "What do you mean by manipulated? It can't be... it can't be some kind of magician who somehow made him suddenly lose his strength, can it?"
Lu Chen looked at Zhuang Keluo approvingly. "Hmm, smart!"
"Huh?" Zhuang Keluo was even more surprised. "I... I was just making that up. It's true?"
Off the field, the situation was truly dramatic.
Longwei, who had almost completely controlled Yongda Football Team through their formation and coordination, was now facing a relentless attack from Yongda because some of their players were exhibiting the same behavior as number 23—suddenly slowing down or losing strength.
In just ten minutes, damn it! The score was reversed, 5-7.
Yongda had even taken a two-goal lead!