"Hero chests the ball... He very easily squeezed past Rasimici who lunged at him... Long shot--!!"

"Anyukov crosses, very high... The ball goes straight to the far post... It's Hero again! He leaps high at the far post! Aleksei Berezutski and Ignashevich also jumped up at the same time... They failed! Beautiful header! Goal! Goal!!!!"

The TV was still showing highlights of the match, but the attention of everyone in the room had already shifted away from it.

Dick Advocaat pointed at the TV screen and said to Konstantin Sarsania, who was sitting across the conference table from him, "I think the club should give him a generous enough contract, the season is almost over. No one wants to let go of a center forward who can score two goals in a match against CSKA Moscow, right?"

Sarsania frowned. "But his agent is asking for too much..."

Advocaat didn't care about that; he only cared about whether the club could keep and buy the players he wanted.

"Actually, even if his agent doesn't say this, other players' agents will ask you for a raise. Think about it, Konstantin. The team has received sponsorship from Gazprom, which is the largest company in Russia, incredibly rich. What reason do you have not to give the players a raise?"

As far as Advocaat was concerned, Zenit was a wealthy nouveau riche, and he wouldn't lose anything if they bled some money. He also didn't believe that Zenit couldn't afford this small amount of money.

"And if you let Hero go because of this, even if we spend ten million euros on the transfer market, I'm afraid we won't be able to buy a center forward like him."

Advocaat wasn't exaggerating at all. Nowadays, pure center forwards like Chen Hero are becoming increasingly rare. How important is such a powerful center forward to a team? With him, the team can have a fulcrum and a bridgehead in the frontcourt attack. With him, the team's offensive methods are more diverse. With him, the team also has a way to break through when facing a tight defensive formation... In short, an excellent powerful center forward is very important to the team.

Since this center forward has appeared in St. Petersburg Zenit, Advocaat certainly doesn't want to let him go.

He also knew that Chen Hero's first contract was really too shabby. It's really difficult to keep Chen Hero with such treatment. He firmly believed that after this half-season, Chen Hero's name would be known throughout Russia. If those Russian wolves knew about Chen Hero's current contract, it would be a disaster...

"But his agent wants the highest salary in the team..." Sarsania was still unwilling to give such a high salary to an eighteen-year-old kid. What would the other players think?

"The price is negotiable." Advocaat shrugged. Anyway, he hoped that the club would use any means to keep Chen Hero.

The club brought him here not to get third or fourth place in the league, but to win the championship, and Chen Hero was an important piece of the puzzle.

An old man sitting at the head of the conference table, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly spoke: "Mr. Advocaat, how important is that Chinese guy to the team?"

Everyone in the conference room looked at the Dutch coach.

The speaker was the club's chairman, Sergei Fursenko. His words were actually a statement—as long as you, the coach, think it's okay, then we'll keep him.

Advocaat naturally knew what the club chairman meant, and he nodded without hesitation: "He is an important figure in Zenit's rise!"

Potter was stunned. Dick's evaluation of this Chinese guy was so high that he hadn't expected it. At most, he now thought Chen Hero was a player with strength and potential, but he didn't expect such a high evaluation...

A surprised discussion broke out in the conference room.

Advocaat actually gave such a high evaluation to an eighteen-year-old kid who had only been promoted to the first team for more than two months. No one had expected it...

Fursenko nodded: "Very well, then give him the contract."

While Chen Hero was practicing hard in the dungeon, he heard a cell phone ring.

Then he saw Yesenin answer the phone.

At the same time, his voice changed the moment he opened his mouth. This voice made Chen Hero stunned for a moment before he realized that it was Dracula, the vampire agent who hadn't appeared for a long time...

"Hello, Mr. Sarsania." As soon as Dracula spoke, he was completely out of sync with Yesenin's image and temperament. His voice was full of an aggressive aura, which was quite in line with his image as a vampire agent.

Chen Hero heard the name of the club's general manager and perked up his ears.

But to his disappointment, Dracula walked to a very far place by the training ground while answering the phone, and he couldn't hear anything.

Just as he was in a daze, assistant coach Potter's roar rang in his ears: "Hero! What are you doing! We're still training, don't be in a daze!"

It has to be said that this dungeon system is too realistic. Many times, Chen Hero has ignored the fact that the teammates and coaches in front of him are actually virtual...

After training for a while, Yesenin stood on the sidelines again, obviously having finished the phone call.

It wasn't until after the training that he told Chen Hero what had just happened.

"The club plans to talk to me about your new contract."

Chen Hero grinned.

He just loved hearing news about getting a raise.

In this world, how many people don't like money? Chen Hero likes it, likes it very much, likes it to the extreme!

His current money, apart from necessary expenses and remittances back home to help pay off debts, is very little. Prices in Russia are quite high.

Otherwise, why would he be in the dungeon system all day long? In addition to wanting to level up as soon as possible, it's also because he's short on money and can't afford to go out and play—he can't always let the leader and deputy leader treat him, can he?

Chen Hero is not such a stingy person.

"The decisive factor was those two goals you scored against CSKA Moscow. And in addition to headers, you also demonstrated your long-range shooting ability. I think you successfully impressed Advocaat, otherwise the club wouldn't have agreed to restart new contract negotiations with us. Actually, it's nothing. You're already a little famous throughout Russia now. I think even if Zenit doesn't want you, there will be many teams vying for you. In short, you don't have to worry about money."

Chen Hero smiled even more brilliantly.

"Also, I want to ask you, how many years do you plan to sign this time? Three years? Four years? Or five years?"

"Only a moron would sign for so many years. The Russian league is still a second-rate league. I still want to go to the top European leagues!" Chen Hero clenched his fists and said. "Don't sign for too long."

Yesenin nodded: "I understand, let's sign for two years."

The next day, Yesenin transformed into Dracula and went to the club to discuss the contract.

Zenit agreed to the salary and bonus requirements proposed by Dracula, but proposed a minimum of four years.

"Are you kidding me? The contract will expire in 2010, this is absolutely impossible!" Chen Hero refused outright.

Dracula proposed signing for two years, but the club also disagreed.

"Two years? How is that possible? Is there any need to sign a two-year contract? Hero is eighteen years old this year, not thirty-eight years old. How could he sign a two-year contract?" Sarsania from the club felt incredible about the conditions proposed by Dracula—he had never seen such a shameless agent who could even say a two-year contract term.

The two sides were deadlocked again.

What to do?

Chen Hero and Yesenin's response was very simple, very direct... and very effective.

On November 8th, Zenit challenged FC Torpedo Moscow away, and Zenit won a complete victory with a score of 4:2. Chen Hero scored another goal in the match.

On November 18th, the twenty-eighth round of the league. With three rounds left before the end of the league, Zenit ranked fourth, and FC Spartak Nalchik, which ranked fifth, was already very close to them. This was a must-win game. Because from fourth to ninth place in the league, the scores were very close. If Zenit was not careful, they might fall short at the last moment of the league and lose the opportunity to advance to Europe next season.

Under such circumstances, Chen Hero once again helped the team win 2:0 with a goal. Their opponent was the traditional powerhouse of Russian football, Dynamo Moscow—of course, today's Dynamo has fallen to fifteenth place in the league... considered a fallen powerhouse.

With two rounds left in the league, Chen Hero scored his ninth goal of the season. Considering that he only started playing in the first team in late September, such a goal rate is really amazing...

The theme of the St. Petersburg media every weekend was "Hero scored!" "Hero scored again!" "Hero heads the ball into the goal!" "Hero shoots powerfully and pierces the opponent's goal!" ... and so on.

Chen Hero's idea is very simple—if you don't sign with me, I'll score goals, keep scoring goals. Either you sign with me, or... I'll go to other teams! With so many goals, are you still afraid of not finding a more lucrative contract?

The St. Petersburg media had long been Chen Hero's world. Almost every week, there were large reports about Chen Hero, describing how he scored in the game, how he scored, and the celebration after scoring... His arrogant and unruly personality has become the best hype gimmick in the eyes of the media. The fans in St. Petersburg also fell in love with this guy who can score goals like crazy and is ruthless to his enemies. Russia is a country with serious racial discrimination, but in St. Petersburg, no one discriminates against this yellow-skinned Chinese guy.

When the Moscow media began to pay attention to Chen Hero, St. Petersburg Zenit Club finally couldn't hold on anymore...

Because a Moscow media outlet revealed that CSKA Moscow was very interested in Chen Hero!

Now, Zenit has met all the conditions proposed by Dracula.

Two-year contract term! 40,000 euros per week! 4,000 euros per appearance! 4,000 euros per goal! 10,000 euros winning bonus!

In addition, Dracula also asked the club for a house in a high-end residential area in St. Petersburg, and a Land Rover Discovery 3. When Chen Hero saw these additional things, he was stunned.

"I can't drive..." he said.

"Learn." Yesenin's answer was concise.

When Chen Hero signed his name on the contract, Sarsania shook his hand with a smile, but his smile was very unnatural.

"Congratulations, Hero. Now you are the highest-paid player in Zenit!"

Chen Hero replied very wildly: "Manager, I will make this money worth your while!"

Sarsania forced a smile: "Ha, ha, ha..."

Advocaat patted Chen Hero on the shoulder, then stretched out his hand to him: "Welcome to become an important member of St. Petersburg Zenit, Hero!"

Chen Hero shook the coach's hand.

The 2006 season is coming to an end. He joined halfway and went from an unknown person to a little famous. In the 2007 season, he will create his own era. He will make everyone remember his name, and they won't be able to forget it even if they want to!

You are only allowed not to like me, but you are not allowed not to know me!