Chapter 1

"We've just received news that Cassano has been taken to the hospital and is undergoing preliminary examinations in the neurology department. According to the initial report, Cassano may be experiencing symptoms similar to a mild stroke, but radiological tests of blood vessels and nerves are necessary to definitively determine the cause… Antonio Cassano experienced symptoms including blurred vision, confusion, and general weakness on the plane back to Naples after playing in the Champions League match against Barcelona…"

On the television screen, the entrance of the Saint Lucia Hospital was swarming with people. Reporters with microphones, cameras, and photography equipment were all pointing their lenses at the hospital entrance. Several satellite broadcasting vans were parked in the distance. Besides the reporters, many Napoli fans had also gathered at the hospital entrance, holding up Cassano's number 99 jersey and signs with messages of support and prayers for him.

Since the fans had come, police officers were dispatched to maintain order and prevent the passionate fans from becoming overly excited.

The scene appeared somewhat chaotic and disorderly.

A blonde female reporter stood in front of the camera with a microphone in hand, using the chaotic scene as her backdrop to report the situation to television viewers.

As she was speaking, the screech of car brakes came from behind her. A white sedan stopped outside the crowd.

The reporters who were挤(ji) at the entrance turned around and focused their lenses on the car.

Some even tried to push forward, but fortunately, the security guards reacted quickly, forming a human wall to keep the reporters back and create a passage.

A woman wearing a long black trench coat, tight black jeans, and black-framed glasses, her black hair pulled back in a bun, emerged from the car. Behind her, several middle-aged men and women followed, one elderly woman being supported by others. She looked pale, her eyes were red-rimmed, and tears streaked her face.

"Ah… Cassano's girlfriend has arrived at the hospital… Followed by his mother and family…" the female reporter informed the audience about the latest developments.

At that moment, many eyes were glued to television screens, following this news.

The sudden illness of Antonio Cassano shocked all of Italy.

Cassano was a household name in Italy, a prominent soccer star.

Napoli was currently riding high this season, and Cassano was an indispensable part of the team, so his condition touched the hearts of many.

※※※

Despite Cassano's hospitalization, Napoli's afternoon training session proceeded as usual. However, there was a noticeable decrease in the number of fans and media who came to the Volturno Fort training base to watch them. Now, the Saint Lucia Hospital in downtown Naples was the focus of everyone's attention.

Similarly, the players of the team were also distracted.

Everyone had witnessed the terrifying scene on the plane.

Maggio even asked Sanchez next to him in a panic, "Is… is he going to die?"

Many were frightened by Cassano's appearance.

This was the first time they had felt death so close. A teammate who had been leading them in singing and joking around was suddenly about to pass away… The feeling was truly chilling.

Some teammates mentioned during training that they hadn't rested well at all at home because every time they closed their eyes, they would think of Cassano's eyes rolling back and his body going limp like a rag doll.

Mazzarri seemed to sense that Cassano's situation was affecting the team's morale, so even when players made frequent mistakes during training, the notoriously strict coach didn't scold or blame them.

After training, many teammates wanted to visit Cassano.

But they were stopped by the captain, Paolo Cannavaro: "Antonio's condition is still unclear, and I don't think we should disturb him too much. There are fans and media outside the hospital, as well as his family. If we all go, it will only cause him trouble and prevent him from resting."

Finally, after some discussion, they decided that it would be best not to send too many people until the situation became clearer. So they chose a few representatives to visit the hospital, while the others expressed their support and well wishes for Cassano through interviews with reporters and messages on their personal websites.

As good buddies who had pranked people together, fought together, been to the police station together, and chased girls together… no, were good friends, Chen Hero was elected by everyone to represent the team and visit Cassano.

However, Chen Hero's visit couldn't happen, because Cassano was being taken for detailed examinations, and he didn't have time to receive any visitors before that.

After receiving the phone call, Chen Hero gave up his plans to go to the hospital. He decided to go again the next day.

By then, the examination results would be out, and Cassano should be free. Visiting him then wouldn't interfere with the hospital's work or disturb his rest.

※※※

Chen Hero was very rarely刷副本(shua fu ben, grinding dungeons) on a night when he didn't go to nightclubs to pick up girls. He sat in front of the television watching a live broadcast, with Cabrilla sitting next to him.

The television was broadcasting a press conference from Saint Lucia Hospital, where the hospital's director, Bericli, was announcing the examination results to the media.

This was the issue everyone was most concerned about. Because there had already been many speculations and rumors, some saying it was ischemic stroke, others saying it was a nervous system infection caused by a viral cold… What illness Cassano had would determine how long he would need to recover, which was crucial for Napoli, who were preparing for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final match against Barcelona.

"... I've seen the speculations in the media, but what I want to say is—it's not a nervous system disturbance caused by a viral cold, nor is it an ischemic stroke…" Director Bericli adjusted his glasses and said to the reporters, "Both of these possibilities have been ruled out. After detailed examinations, we believe that Antonio most likely has… a problem with his heart!"

Chen Hero, sitting in front of the television, was stunned.

He knew all the media's speculations, and the best-case scenario was a "nervous system disturbance caused by a viral cold," which would only require a period of rest to recover.

But he hadn't imagined that Cassano would have a heart problem…

Heart disease was a topic that people avoided talking about, especially for professional athletes who required even more from their hearts.

Once you were labeled with "heart disease," it almost certainly meant that your career would end prematurely.

"Hey, there must be a mistake…" he muttered to himself, looking at the television.

Cabrilla, who was sitting next to him, turned her head to look at Chen Hero. This was the first time she had seen her boss like this—he looked as if he was terrified.

Not only was Chen Hero frightened, but the media in the television were also stunned.

After a brief silence caused by shock, the press conference exploded.

The reporters no longer bothered with the order of questions and shouted out their questions loudly.

"Is this true, Mr. Bericli?"

"Heart disease? Is this your hospital's speculation or a fact?"

"Is there a possibility of misdiagnosis?"

"Will this type of heart disease endanger his life?"

"Will Cassano retire because of this?"

The last question was particularly loud, perhaps because it was the question that everyone wanted the answer to. After the question was asked, the scene suddenly fell into an eerie silence.

Director Bericli, facing countless expectant eyes, replied in a very calm tone: "I don't know."

※※※

"Christine," Chen Hero said suddenly while watching television.

"I'm here, Mr. Chen," Cabrilla responded from next to him.

"Get ready, we're going to the hospital."

"Okay." Cabrilla didn't show any surprise or make any unnecessary remarks. She immediately got up from the sofa and walked towards the side door, which led directly to the garage where Chen Hero's Land Rover SUV was parked.

And Chen Hero? He got up and walked to his bedroom upstairs. He had to prepare himself. He couldn't just go like that…

When Chen Hero climbed into the car, which had already been started, Cabrilla was stunned when she saw him in the rearview mirror.

Because Chen Hero in her eyes was different from before…

"Stop daydreaming, Christine. We're going to save someone, hurry up!"

Chen Hero lowered the brim of his hat and tapped the back of the driver's seat with his hand, which was covered in a black glove.

Cabrilla then averted her gaze, stepped on the gas, and the car let out a sharp screech as the tires rubbed against the ground and sped out of the garage.

※※※

It was past nine o'clock in the evening, still far from bedtime, so there were still many people gathered outside the hospital. The fans hadn't dispersed yet, and the reporters were determined to stay up all night.

People kept running out of the hospital quickly. They looked like reporters who had just attended the press conference and were rushing back to file their stories.

Many other reporters held microphones and did live broadcasts in front of their respective cameras, with the chaotic hospital entrance as the background.

Chen Hero's black Land Rover SUV, under such circumstances, sped along wildly, rushing into the crowd of reporters who were broadcasting live in a dangerous and unreasonable manner, and appeared on the screens of all television stations.

Cabrilla almost drifted the car directly into the parking space. Her driving style matched Chen Hero's style on the field…

Such a cool entrance naturally attracted everyone's attention. The reporters and fans quickly recognized it as Chen Hero's car.

In addition to being a black Land Rover, Chen Hero had also flamboyantly painted a roaring giant bear on the entire car. The rear of the car and the hood were printed with warnings in English, Italian, Russian, and Chinese: "Beware of the Bear."

This car was unique. Although it had license plates from another city, everyone recognized Chen Hero's ride as soon as they saw the eye-catching paint job. So, in Naples, a city known for its chaotic security, this car hadn't become a target for common thieves, but it also worried Cabrilla. Because if someone really wanted to target Chen Hero, this car was like a mobile target… Of course, Chen Hero, for the sake of being flamboyant, didn't care about the potential dangers that Cabrilla mentioned.

Chen Hero's arrival caused a commotion and drew the attention of everyone present.

None of the Napoli players had come in the afternoon. Outside the training base, everyone explained that it was because Cassano was having tests and didn't have time, so they had agreed to choose another time to come.

Who would have thought that Chen Hero would rush over late at night?

"He really is Cassano's good friend…" Seeing Chen Hero's car appear at the hospital entrance, and him coming to visit Cassano so late, some people were moved by the friendship between the two.

When the driver, Cabrilla, opened the back door of the car, a foot wearing a black leather boot stepped out of the car. Then, under everyone's gaze, a tall figure wearing a black coat stepped out of the car. He wore tight black leather pants that reflected a faint light under the lamplight.

In addition, the person wore a black fedora on his head and a pair of black gloves on his hands. Underneath the black coat was a black shirt… In short, from head to toe, from inside to out, everything was black!

When he got out of the car completely, a black cloak fluttered in the evening breeze that happened to blow by. The scene suddenly reminded people of the classic scene in John Woo's film *Face/Off*, when Nicolas Cage gets out of the car at the airport.

靠 (kao)…

If the reporters knew Chinese, perhaps only this word could best express their feelings at this moment.

"This…"

"My God, what is this?"

"Who is he?"

The brim of the black fedora was pulled down low, and no one recognized him.

"Hey, did you get the wrong set?"

A commotion and a buzz of discussion arose from the crowd.

The strange man who suddenly appeared in all black ignored the commotion he had created and walked into the hospital under the close protection of Cabrilla…

It was only after he went inside that some people felt that the tall figure looked a little familiar.

"That… could it be Hero?"