Chapter 1

Who am I?

Where am I?

What am I doing?

When Chen Qing woke up, he found himself lying on a lush green Kentucky bluegrass lawn, with two green solid balls scattered beside him.

These two solid balls were quite large, each with a diameter exceeding the waist circumference of an average adult, and each ball weighed 10 kilograms.

Chen Qing didn't know why he was so clear about the weight of these two things, perhaps it was the muscle memory transmitted by his still trembling arms.

Chen Qing felt sore and swollen all over his body. The long-sleeved sports shirt and pants he was wearing were drenched in sweat, sticking uncomfortably to his skin. Chen Qing lay sprawled on the lawn, not wanting to move at all.

Judging by the sky, it was already evening, with the sun setting. The orange-red sunlight, tinged with gold, shone obliquely, reflecting on Chen Qing's face, making it somewhat glaring.

Chen Qing subconsciously turned his head.

Then he saw, not far away, more than ten tall young men squatting in a horse stance, each holding a green solid ball under their arms.

The young men were all dressed in green and white sports long-sleeved shirts and pants, clearly undergoing concentrated training. Due to individual physical differences, the solid balls they held varied in size.

Chen Qing lifted his head and saw that the clothes he was wearing were the same as those of the young men still training.

Obviously, Chen Qing was one of them. Moreover, the two solid balls on the ground indicated that Chen Qing was likely one of the best among them.

Chen Qing noticed that, except for a black guy with explosive muscles, everyone else's solid balls were clearly at least one size smaller than his.

Indeed, the physical condition of black people is superior.

Chen Qing sighed.

Chen Qing suddenly came to his senses and hurriedly lifted his arm.

Fortunately, the skin on the back of his hand was still yellow, just a bit red from sun exposure.

Chen Qing let out a sigh of relief.

Still feeling bewildered, he continued to question his soul.

Chen Qing was thirty years old, a single, cohabiting office worker.

At the end of the year of the Earth Pig, in the spring of the Metal Rat, a great epidemic broke out.

Chen Qing clearly remembered that his health code was still red when he returned to his single apartment in the city, and he was under home quarantine with a seal on the door.

The day before, a kind aunt from the neighborhood committee, while helping to buy groceries, also brought a pack of Chen Keming mushroom-flavored instant noodles. The next day was Women's Day, which was also Chen Qing's thirtieth birthday.

After eating the instant noodles and feeling bored, Chen Qing, on a whim, rummaged in a jar and finally found a link, downloading a nostalgic football game provided by a热心老铁 (热心老铁 means "enthusiastic old friend" in Chinese, but it's better to translate it as "an enthusiastic friend").

Because he was old and nostalgic, and his computer was too old to run new games,

After downloading, Chen Qing was surprised to find that this game, modified by an all-knowing netizen, was unexpectedly considerate. It allowed character customization and came with nuclear weapons.

He spent a long time creating a sharp-featured version of himself, then used the nuclear weapons to max out his potential, edited a youth training resume, and signed a professional contract with a weekly salary of over 10,000.

He was all set to level up and cultivate his character, planning to play through the night.

But being older, his energy was not what it used to be, and Chen Qing didn't know when he had fallen asleep.

Then, when he opened his eyes, he found himself in this situation.

At that moment, a half-gray-haired white man, carrying a medical kit, ran up to Chen Qing.

The white man had a square face, wore wire-rimmed glasses, had a hooked nose, and a faint gray stubble on his chin. His nails were neatly trimmed, and he wore a white coat, clearly a doctor, though he wasn't wearing a mask.

Chen Qing was manipulated like a tool by the doctor.

After a while, the doctor finally stopped examining him.

He made some gestures at Chen Qing and started speaking rapidly, a string of words coming out of his mouth.

Chen Qing thought the man was speaking something like English, but it clearly wasn't, which annoyed him. He felt the man's words were buzzing, like a typewriter hitting tin foil and falling down the stairs.

Surprisingly, Chen Qing understood what the typewriter was saying.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, Mr. Pfaehler." Chen Qing responded instinctively, realizing his voice sounded like a typewriter hitting tin foil and rolling down the stairs.

What language is this?

What is Pfaehler?

Is this a dream?

I must be dreaming.

Chen Qing thought.

"Slap!"

"Slap!"

Despite the severe pain in his arms, Chen Qing gave himself two hard slaps.

This must be a dream. Chen Qing was certain. As a lazy, middle-aged man with a potbelly, he couldn't possibly slap himself with such force.

Chen Qing felt his eyes blur, his head buzz, and the world spin, making him feel dizzy.

This pain doesn't feel like a dream.

Before passing out, Chen Qing clenched his teeth and thought silently.

...

Gunter Pfaehler was 54 years old, a doctor, and a part-time team doctor for the Bundesliga team, VfL Wolfsburg.

From the summer of 1998 to the present, Pfaehler had been serving the team for 10 years.

Pfaehler always thought he had seen a lot, but he was still stunned by the antics of the Chinese young man in front of him.

After all, the team's rising star, Chen Qing, fainting during training was a big deal.

Although he was Chinese and not a professional from a young age, Chen Qing had transformed from a U18 newcomer to the U23 team's leading forward in less than half a year.

It was March 8th, International Women's Day and International Peace Day.

It was also Chen Qing's 18th birthday.

At 10 AM, the team's football director, Klaus Fuchs, eagerly signed a two-year professional contract with Chen Qing, with a weekly salary of 10,000 euros.

This was no small amount.

Despite being backed by a top-tier company like Volkswagen, VfL Wolfsburg was known for its well-controlled salary structure in the Bundesliga.

The team's highest-paid star, Josué Anunciado de Oliveira, who was also the team captain and a key player in Brazil's 2007 Copa America victory, had a weekly salary of 40,000 euros, which wouldn't even make the top ten in a Bundesliga powerhouse like Bayern Munich.

What kind of contracts did Bayern Munich offer their young players?

Marco Stier, a product of Werder Bremen's youth academy, joined the reserve team in 2002 and became a regular, then joined Bayern Munich for free in 2007, with a weekly salary of 1,800 euros.

Georg Niedermeier joined Bayern Munich's youth academy in 1996, moved to the reserve team in 2003, and had a weekly salary of 1,500 euros.

As for Toni Kroos, Mats Hummels, and Thomas Müller, these future stars of the football world, they were still quietly waiting for their opportunities in Bayern Munich's youth academy.

"Eliassen, come and help me." Pfaehler finally snapped out of his daze and called for his partner.

Egil Eliassen joined the team in the winter of 2005, a full-time team doctor from Norway.

The 37-year-old Norwegian looked more energetic and strong. He dragged the stretcher over by himself.

"How did the Chinese boy faint? He's usually as strong as a bull." With Pfaehler's help, the two of them struggled to lift Chen Qing onto the stretcher. The Norwegian wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked.

"Was it because he signed a professional contract today and got excited, trying to train at the first-team level, which was too much for him?" The Norwegian guessed before Pfaehler could answer.

"I don't think you can guess." Thinking of Chen Qing's slaps, Pfaehler felt his dentures might have loosened.

"What?" The Norwegian was curious.

"He slapped himself."

"What? Magath's training methods are really terrifying. Poor Chinese boy." The Norwegian was bewildered, thinking Chen Qing might have been driven mad by the intense physical training.

This was the year 2008.

Federal Republic of Germany, Lower Saxony, Wolfsburg, NLZ Youth Training Base.

Chen Qing's first day in this new world was spent on a stretcher.