Chapter 3

"Ha!" Leko laughed when he saw Rong Guang fail to catch up with the football, which flew directly out of bounds, "Mr. Godo, to be honest, I don't think this is fast at all." His tone was casual, with a hint of sarcasm.

Mauro frowned beside him.

In fact, Rong Guang didn't run slowly. He was just a little short of catching the ball, but compared to what Godo described as "extremely fast," it was still far off. Such a performance naturally couldn't impress anyone.

Without a football background, starting to play football at the age of sixteen, and with athletic talent not as exaggerated as the agent claimed... he didn't understand what São Paulo needed this kid for.

Godo stared at the training field, truly stunned. He had never seen Rong Guang like this—indeed, he was slow! For Rong Guang, this speed was really nothing to mention!

But why was Rong Guang so slow?

He couldn't figure it out.

But he knew the situation was not good—the two people who would decide Rong Guang's fate, Leko and Mauro, seemed to be losing patience.

At this moment, he saw Rong Guang sitting on the ground, taking off his shoes and socks.

"It looks like your player has given up, Mr. Godo," Leko sneered.

He was just accompanying Mauro to inspect the youth training camp today. Mauro had just taken office and needed to familiarize himself with the environment. He didn't expect to encounter such a situation. Don't think he was just sitting in an office; he was actually very busy. How could he waste his time watching an unknown, mysterious agent and his Chinese kid?

"I was just thinking..."

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by a voice.

"This doesn't count! This doesn't count!" The voice was loud, with a strange accent, clearly not fluent in Portuguese. "Let's do it again! Again!"

Rong Guang, the Chinese kid, had already jumped up from the ground, waving his arms and shouting loudly.

"The shoes are too small, and my feet hurt when I run!" He shouted even louder. "I can run barefoot! Barefoot! I used to run barefoot in the mountains!"

As if afraid they wouldn't understand, he lifted his left foot, standing on one leg to show everyone his sole.

Godo immediately exaggeratedly pointed at Rong Guang, who was standing on one leg, and said to Leko and Mauro, "Look, gentlemen! His waist and leg strength is outstanding! His balance is excellent! And his big feet! Don't you think they are disproportionately large compared to his body? So big! Such big feet are naturally made for football!"

His tone was increasingly like that of a door-to-door salesman...

But Rong Guang didn't give Godo any face. He only held the pose for a few seconds before falling down, still keeping his left foot raised in the air. He fell to the ground in a split position... "Ouch!"

"Ha!" Among the young players watching, someone couldn't help but laugh.

"Is he actually a clown the coach hired to entertain us because our training is too hard?"

"What is that red-shirted guy doing? He looks like a clown..." Some fans watching also commented.

Godo was also shocked by this scene, but he quickly reacted, raising his voice even higher, "Look! What great flexibility! A difficult split! Is this physical condition not good enough? It's simply too..."

"Enough!" Leko, with veins popping on his forehead, finally couldn't hold back. "My time is not for watching your clown show..."

He was about to leave.

But Mauro didn't move, instead smiling and saying, "It doesn't matter, let him try again."

Leko looked at Mauro in surprise.

Is he really interested?

Mauro smiled at Leko, "It only takes a few seconds to run once."

Leko thought about it and agreed, then said to Godo with a bad tone, "Although I don't have much hope, please have your player take it seriously! This is São Paulo's training ground, not a park lawn!"

Godo, who was no longer concerned about Leko's rude tone, ran to Rong Guang, a rare sight for a fat man to run so fast...

He saw Rong Guang get up from the ground and squat down to rub his thigh, worried that he might have strained his ligaments.

"Are you okay, Rong?"

"Is it still not good, Godo?" Rong Guang was more concerned about this trial, as it was related to his dream.

"No, they agreed to give you one more chance, the last one, the real last one! So this time..." Godo said seriously.

Hearing there was another chance, Rong Guang looked happy and immediately jumped up from the ground, "That was a mistake last time, Godo! This time it won't happen, Godo! This time it will definitely succeed!"

"It's good that you have this confidence! Rong, think about why you came to Brazil!"

"Money!" Rong Guang's eyes lit up at the mention of money. "Big money! A lot of money!"

"Right, if you can't even join a team, you don't have the right to make money! So this time, run as fast as you can, show them your speed! Scare them!" Godo clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

"Run! Let them see how strong I, Rong Guang, am!" Rong Guang also clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

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"What are those two lunatics doing..." Leko, watching the old and young, fat and thin pair whispering and then shouting, felt even more that his decision to stay was a mistake.

Lucas Sarton, among the young players, watched Rong Guang and Godo in the training area, "He seems pretty determined..."

"Indeed, he's much better than you in that aspect, Lucas," Rico said to Lucas Sarton.

"None of your business!" Lucas Sarton rolled his eyes at Rico. "But you, they say he's very fast, maybe even faster than you!"

"That's impossible." Rico was confident in his own speed. "He can't run fast even with shoes, let alone barefoot. This is natural grass, soft and slippery. Without shoes, it's hard to get a good grip and easy to slip."

Lucas Sarton didn't argue with Rico because he also thought Rico was right... football cleats have studs to increase traction and prevent slipping on natural grass, especially after watering...

※※※

Rong Guang stood next to the youth coach Waldemar again.

Even Waldemar couldn't help but look at Rong Guang.

His gaze naturally fell on Rong Guang's feet.

They were really big feet... his ten toes moved like octopus tentacles, spreading out and then clenching together.

These feet... might really be suitable for football...

Waldemar thought to himself.

Rong Guang's knees were slowly pressing down, then slowly lifting, but his feet didn't leave the ground. He was feeling the texture of the grass and the feedback of his strength.

"It's about to start," Waldemar whispered to Rong Guang.

Then he heard a deep breath from beside him.

He ignored it and blew the whistle, signaling the other players to start the test.

He then kicked the ball forward and passed it to the player on the left.

When Waldemar saw the ball pass, Rong Guang slowly exhaled the deep breath he had taken.

Then he leaned slightly forward, shifting his center of gravity to the left foot, with the right leg slightly bent and the right foot touching the ground, the right arm in front and the left arm behind.

Run!

Run as fast as you can!

Let them see how strong I, Rong Guang, am!

Rong Guang's left toes clung tightly to the grass, the muscles in his left thigh suddenly tensed, and then instantly released the stored energy!

At the same time, he twisted his waist to the right, swung his left arm forward, and threw his right arm back, driving his right leg forward and lifting his right foot. Rong Guang was like a bullet, instantly shot out!

At this moment, the ball had already reached the second player.

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Waldemar, who had just passed the ball, felt a blur in front of him! A red figure flashed by!

Then grass and dirt were thrown onto his body, even onto his face!

He opened his mouth wide, staring in disbelief at the red-shirted Chinese teenager who had instantly moved away... He ran towards the sideline, where the second player had left a gap after moving to the center. Rong Guang would run there and then turn inward, drawing an arc on the left side of the training area, charging towards the space behind the opponent's defense...

At this moment, the wind blew, lifting the bangs on his forehead.

※※※

"My God..." The fans waiting to see Rong Guang's failure had the same expression as Waldemar.

They stared at the training area with disbelieving eyes, focusing on the red figure!

It was like a red lightning bolt, streaking across the sky of the Bragança training base!

"Such strong explosive power!" Some of the young players also exclaimed, but then fell silent.

Everyone was stunned by the speed Rong Guang displayed in an instant.

It was as if a powerful pressure blocked their mouths, making them unable to speak!

Lucas Sarton's eyes widened, and his fists were unconsciously clenched.

And the Rico beside him was completely stunned.

※※※

The second player moved to the center and passed the ball to the third player.

The third player, facing Rong Guang's direction, saw Rong Guang already behind the second player, only his forehead hair visible.

So he passed the ball diagonally.

Oops, the pass was a bit too strong and the timing was a bit early...

He realized his mistake as soon as he passed.

But it doesn't matter, no one expects the red-shirted guy to really catch the ball...

He quickly consoled himself.

※※※

"The pass was early." Mauro, who had been watching, couldn't help but frown.

Damn, the pass was early!

Godo, hands on his head, cursed in his heart.

An early pass is even harder to catch! Damn, that kid did it on purpose!

The silver ball flew over the green grass, moving fast without the friction of the grass. From the air, it looked like a silver streak cutting through the green earth.

Is it really that hard to catch such a fast pass?

No... no!

What is this?

"Huh?" Mauro let out a slight exclamation.

Godo, who had been holding his head, stopped pulling his hair and stared at the training area.

※※※

Rong Guang's bare feet, when they landed, clung to the grass like a plow, tightly gripping the surface. When his legs swung back, his toes spread, and the grass and soil he had grabbed were flipped up!

His legs moved quickly, and with each movement, grass and soil were continuously flipped up, like a high-speed tank.

He had to catch the ball!

He had to pass the trial!

He had to make money in Brazil!

If I don't succeed, I won't go back!

But... huh?

Where is the ball?

Rong Guang suddenly realized he had been running without seeing the ball!

Where is the ball?

Rong Guang ran and looked back, seeing the silver ball pass behind him and disappear from his sight...

He turned to look at the other side, and the ball had just flown out of bounds.

What... what's going on?

Why is the ball behind me?

He realized he hadn't caught the ball and finally stopped.

He spread his hands and asked Godo from a distance, "Did I run too fast, Godo?" His tone was confused and slightly nervous.

But Godo didn't answer him, and no one else responded.

The training field and the sidelines suddenly fell silent.

The training ball, which had been stepped on, rolled to the side; the cards and pens held in hands, waiting for the end of training to get signatures from favorite players, had fallen to the ground, covered in dust; the whistle in Waldemar's mouth fell from his open mouth to his chest, no longer swinging, clearly having been hanging for some time...

Lucas Sarton, Rico, and the other young players, the dozens of fans watching the training, Coach Waldemar, the new youth training director Mauro, São Paulo's football director Leko, and agent Godo... all had the same expression at this moment: they were stunned, as if they had seen a ghost!

"Uh... what's wrong with you?" Rong Guang, who had never seen such a scene, was frightened.

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Godo was the first to