"Wu, hurry up! Why are you so slow?"

  Inside Beijing International Airport,

  Zhang turned around—wearing sunglasses and a backpack—to urge on a naive-looking young man with a flat-top haircut.

  "Zhang, don't rush me. I've got too much luggage."

  "You're 19 years old and still pack so much for a trip! Did your mom do it for you again?"

  "You know how my mom is—she worries about me going abroad!"

  "Hao's got everything arranged for us. You know how it is—Hao's basically a Bundesliga superstar now. He promised full reimbursement and VIP box seats!"

  "Really? Haha, that's amazing! This is my first time leaving the country since I was a kid, and I'll get to watch the Bundesliga live!"

  "It's just the Bundesliga. Play well, and maybe you'll make it to La Liga and Bar?a like Su!"

  "Come on, Zhang, don't set me up for failure. I'll be lucky to get into the CSL, let alone La Liga!"

  "What's the point of being a man without dreams? Don't look at me now—I'm going to the Premier League and my favorite Chelsea someday!"

  "If it's you, Zhang, I believe it! By the way, how did you get time off from Guangzhou Evergrande?"

  "I didn't. I sneaked out. I just joined Evergrande, and they favor local players. Those senior guys spend all day drinking—I can't stand that attitude!"

  "Hey, I've heard the CSL is complicated. I don't know..."

  "Why overthink it? We're young. As long as we stay clean and avoid their mess, that's all that matters!"

  "You're right. We're still young—we should seize every opportunity!"

  "Enough talking—hurry up! Look at this crowd. These tickets are crazy expensive anyway—Hao's footing the bill!"

  "Haha, good thing we know Hao! Make sure he introduces us to Su—Su's so handsome, my ultimate idol!!! Wait—Zhang, you brought your laptop?!"

  Wu suddenly noticed the notebook in Zhang's hand, filled with tactical analyses Zhang wrote after every match.

  This was a habit Zhang had maintained since he started playing football—he'd filled countless notebooks.

  Seeing that Zhang even brought his notes to Germany left Wu stunned.

  "Of course! This is the Bundesliga—against Bayern, no less! Such a great learning opportunity! I'll even ask Hao to introduce me to Magath for tactical advice. Magath's my idol—turning Schalke 04 into contenders and reviving classic tactics? He's a genius!"

  "No way! I need to get one too! I'm going to ask Su to check my running form. If I can train with Su, I won't settle for just being CSL's top scorer!"

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  "Can't you aim higher? Forget the CSL—start from 2. Bundesliga, then dominate the Bundesliga! Eventually become Bundesliga's top scorer and win Asia's first Premier League Golden Boot! How's that sound?"

  "Wow! Then you'll be Asia's best fullback, I'll be Asia's best striker, Su will be Asia's best midfielder, and Hao will be Asia's best winger! Hahaha! With that, winning the Asian Cup shouldn't be too much to ask, right?"

  "Enough daydreaming! Hurry up and sit down—the plane's about to take off!"

  The plane carrying their dreams slowly ascended from Beijing International Airport,

  its destination being the focal point of every Chinese football fan's attention:

  Gelsenkirchen!

  .............

  On Schalke 04's training ground,

  Baby Baumann has finally returned from injury!

  Reclaiming his rightful spot in the starting lineup, he pushed poor Peer Kluge back to the reserves.

  Magath's formation against Bayern Munich at Veltins-Arena will feature:

  Su and Hao as twin midfielders with Baby Baumann anchoring behind them!

  Klaas-Jan Huntelaar on the left, Vardy on the right, and Raul through the center.

  4-1-2-3!

  This is Magath's chosen lineup for the ultimate showdown.

  "Gaffer, isn't this too aggressive? We're facing Bayern Munich..."

  Watching the first team dominate the reserves in training, Hughes voiced his concerns.

  "No! You don't understand van Gaal! That man would rather force a draw than let us clinch the title comfortably at home!"

  "Gaffer..."

  Seeing Magath's determination, Hughes could only sigh.

  Saturday morning.

  Su arrived at the club in Hao's Passat as usual.

  Given this historic moment for Schalke 04, the club has generously increased today's win bonus to €2 million.

  A victory over Bayern means

  everyone—from players to the janitor—will receive a substantial share.

  From the moment Su entered, he could see the burning determination in everyone's eyes.

  "I heard the Bundesliga already shipped the championship plates to Gelsenkirchen! If we win, the trophy presentation will happen right after the match!"

  "What? Doesn't that usually wait until the final round?"

  "Normally, yes! But rumors say the club brass struck some behind-the-scenes deal with the football association!"

  "Bloody hell! They must have approved Schalke's transfers just to secure this!"

  "Ah, who cares? As long as we win the title, nothing else matters! Before my grandfather passed, he said if Schalke ever won the league, he'd have 'SCHALKE 04 CHAMPIONS' carved in huge letters on his tombstone!"

  "Haha, your granddad was a true Schalke diehard! Maybe I should get one carved for mine too!"

  "Wait, Hunt... wasn't your granddad a Dortmund fan?"

  "My grandma and my whole family are Schalke supporters! I can't have our rival's name in the family plot! Not just my granddad's—I'll pre-carve it on my own tombstone too! If granddad complains, he can take it up with you—this was your idea!"

  "FUCK! Hunt, you clearly wanted to do this yourself! Don't blame me! Granddad, if you're listening, Hunt's the troublemaker, not me! Amitabha Buddha!!!"

  .........

  The staff's excited chatter continued as Schalke 04 secretly pre-delivered championship commemorative shirts to the stadium.

  Across the entire city,

  the frenzy surpassed even the UCL semifinal atmosphere.

  After all, this potential century-first league title held more allure than the prestigious Champions League.

  Phoenix TV's special correspondents began live street coverage!

  Reporter Huang walked through Gelsenkirchen's streets, microphone in hand, barely containing his excitement:

  "Su's rise is the greatest miracle for long-suffering Chinese football fans this century!"

  "Could you ever imagine so many Chinese elements in a distant foreign city?"

  "It's only 11 a.m.,

  yet every shop in the city has closed—except the pubs packed with fans!"

  "And look! Those fan-filled bars even display Chinese signage:

  '50% OFF FOR CHINESE!'

  This is Gelsenkirchen's gratitude to Su!"

  "Market research shows since Su joined Schalke 04, not only has the team excelled—the local economy has boomed!"

  "With so many Chinese tourists visiting, this charming German town treats us far better than other cities that ignore us!"

  Huang spoke passionately to the camera,

  while behind him, countless Schalke 04 jersey-clad fans roared in anticipation!

  At this moment,

  less than six hours remain until the Bundesliga's ultimate showdown begins!

  ..............