Chapter 1 The Night is Destined to be Unpeaceful

Yes, this night was destined to be unpeaceful…

March in Istanbul was still far from summer, but a kind of燥热 (zaore) was already spreading in the air.

Many excited Liverpool fans didn’t choose to return to their hotels immediately, but instead came to the café they had visited before.

The café was run by a Fenerbahçe fan, so even on such a frenzied night, they were safe.

Liverpool fans really wanted to drink, but Turkey is a Muslim country, and Islam forbids drinking alcohol, so they didn’t sell alcoholic beverages here. They could only drink coffee or juice.

They discussed many details of the match, but without alcohol as a condiment, it always felt a little lacking.

So everyone didn’t actually chat for too long before going back to their hotels in groups.

Phil Gibbs and his two companions were also in the crowd, along with ten other Liverpool fans who were staying at the same hotel.

On the way back, they were still excitedly discussing the match that had just ended.

Especially Chen Hero’s two goals, which they talked about the most. After all, Phil Gibbs and Tom Jackson, as well as Adam Smith, had a history with Chen Hero, so they felt particularly close when talking about him.

"Hero was fantastic! I now think it was too cheap to buy him for seventy million pounds!"

"Haha! I remember someone saying that seventy million would be better spent on him!" Tom Jackson exposed his companion's embarrassing past.

Phil Gibbs's face turned red instantly.

Just then, a group of Beşiktaş fans wearing black and white striped Beşiktaş jerseys suddenly turned out from the street corner.

The two sides met about twenty meters apart, and both sides were a little surprised. They stared at each other across the street.

The eyes of the Liverpool fans were filled with vigilance, because they saw danger in the eyes of the group of Beşiktaş fans.

After a brief moment of astonishment, the Beşiktaş fans took the lead in provoking them. They shouted at the Liverpool fans, "Damn British! Get out of Istanbul! Get out of Turkey!"

"Why haven't you bastards died yet? You even have the nerve to swagger in front of us!"

"fuCk Liverpool! fuCk Chen Hero!!"

"Chen Hero is a pile of dog shit! Liverpool is an even bigger pile of dog shit!"

Tom Jackson was a little impulsive when he heard them insulting Liverpool and his idol.

But Phil Gibbs grabbed his hand.

At this time, the timid Adam Smith had already hid in the crowd, secretly hoping that these damn Turks wouldn't rush up.

In fact, the Liverpool fans didn't know what the Turks were cursing before, because they used Turkish. They could only tell they were cursing from their tone and expression. Later, the Beşiktaş fans themselves realized this, so they switched to using the simple and easy-to-understand "universal language" to curse the Liverpool fans. The four-letter word was very useful, everyone could say it, and the other party would definitely understand it.

Phil Gibbs whispered to the other ten fan companions: "Ignore them, don't look at them, let's go!"

After speaking, he pulled Tom Jackson and walked forward quickly.

The other fans were stunned for a moment, and quickly followed. No one wanted to be left behind, being alone meant danger.

Seeing that the Liverpool fans didn't fight back, the Beşiktaş fans were a little disappointed. They began to mock the Liverpool fans as spineless cowards.

"What? You're already running away? Weren't you quite arrogant during the match?"

"Cowards! Come and eat my d**k! Hahaha!"

A gust of wind blew from the Beşiktaş fans' side, carrying over to the Liverpool fans on this side of the street.

They smelled a stench.

Many Liverpool fans couldn't help but cover their noses and mouths—the smell made them want to vomit.

They frowned, looking pained.

Seeing the expressions and actions of the Liverpool fans, the group on the opposite side suddenly became furious.

Because this was exactly what they were most upset about—yesterday they went to harass Liverpool but were splashed with feces instead. They didn't know what kind of sorcery the Liverpool players used, but the stench on their bodies couldn't be washed away no matter what. No matter how much perfume they sprayed, it was useless, it only made the stench stronger and stranger, the smell was even worse than the original…

Seeing the Liverpool fans like this, they immediately knew that the stench on their bodies had reached the other side.

It immediately aroused their very unpleasant memories of last night.

It was truly new and old hatred. Yesterday they were splashed with shit, and today they were defeated on the field. Immediately, many Beşiktaş fans were filled with anger.

Without caring about anything else, they began to attack the Liverpool fans with even more vicious means. They shouted: "Hillsborough! Hillsborough! Why did so few die! Hillsborough! Hillsborough! Ninety-six is not enough!"

※※※

There is one thing that is the Achilles' heel and taboo of Liverpool fans, which outsiders are absolutely not allowed to touch. This is like the feelings of Manchester United fans towards the Munich air disaster.

In the Hillsborough disaster, ninety-six Liverpool fans died. So many years have passed, but they still have to endure the slander of some unscrupulous media that they are all football hooligans.

So the name "Hillsborough" is very heavy in the hearts of Liverpool fans. It is not just a place name, but also ninety-six fresh lives! It is the eternal pain in the hearts of countless Liverpool fans!

In order to commemorate the Hillsborough disaster, Liverpool still refuses to play on April 15th. If there are fixtures scheduled for them to play on this day, they will apply to the Football Association to postpone them, and the Football Association will agree.

This shows how deep the Hillsborough disaster left on Liverpool.

The Beşiktaş fans used this incident to insult the Liverpool fans, so even the most patient and cultivated Liverpool fans could not bear it.

Phil Gibbs's grip on Tom's hand loosened at that moment, and with just that moment of relaxation, Tom Jackson had already rushed out!

"Tom!" Adam Smith exclaimed in horror.

"Damn! You motherf**kers are looking for death!!" Tom roared as he charged towards the Beşiktaş fans.

The other Liverpool fans also shouted and followed.

The two sides of fans suddenly engaged in close combat and mixed together!

※※※

When the Turkish police arrived, this sudden melee had already ended. The Liverpool fans, who were at a disadvantage in terms of numbers, were outnumbered, and the Turks also had a habit of carrying knives with them…

As if they knew in advance that the police were coming, the Beşiktaş fans dispersed in a rush, and the police didn't catch a single one after they arrived.

This is really like in TV movies—the police always arrive late after everything is over.

None of the Liverpool fans ran away, they were all surrounded by the police.

But no one cared about this, they huddled in a circle, with their heads lowered and their faces gloomy. Everyone's face was injured, and their bodies were wounded. Even the most timid Adam Smith had half his face covered in nosebleeds, but he didn't bother to wipe it off, but instead rolled on the ground, his eyes were blank, and he had no focus at all.

Tom Jackson knelt in the crowd, lowered his head and murmured: "Phil, Phil… Phil…"

Phil Gibbs lay in his arms, his Liverpool jersey looking particularly red.

Beneath him was a pool of glaring blood!

※※※

The ambulance arrived quickly, Phil Gibbs was taken to the hospital, and the other Liverpool players were all taken to the police station.

Everyone was a little distraught, and didn't even resist.

The street was quickly cordoned off, guarded by special personnel, and reporters came upon hearing the news, focusing their cameras on the scattered shoes, cell phone parts, props, and mottled bloodstains.

Some eyewitnesses were being interviewed by reporters and questioned by the police.

“…The two groups of people met suddenly… then there were some arguments, and then… they started fighting… I saw it, the Liverpool fans were the first to attack!”

“I don’t know how it happened, when I came out, they were already fighting… I saw two Beşiktaş fans stabbing a Liverpool fan with knives… How many stabs? I don’t know, how could I count that…”

“Yes, everything I said is true, I swear to Allah! Those British people were drunk, they looked drunk, and they were making a lot of noise all the way! Then they insulted Beşiktaş, and then… you all saw it.”

A male reporter with a typical Turkish appearance said indignantly to the camera: “This is another typical case of English football hooligans causing trouble! Our police should crack down on such criminal activities! Expel all football hooligans from Turkish territory! Return a pure and clean sky to football!”

Next to him was a female reporter with a black veil wrapped around her head, also doing a live report.

“…Another regrettable bloody conflict occurred on the streets of Istanbul, this time the injured is an English football hooligan… The injured has been sent to the hospital, and the specific situation is not yet clear… But the frequent street fights between football hooligans should arouse the high attention of relevant departments! I think we should ban English fans from entering the country to watch football, football hooligans will seriously endanger our public security…”

“After the match between Beşiktaş’s home stadium and Liverpool, despite the police’s careful arrangements, regrettable things still happened… The behavior of football hooligans has shamed football, and the impulsive English fans have also cast a shadow over Liverpool’s promotion prospects. Will UEFA make a decision to punish Liverpool because of this? In that case, Beşiktaş has the hope of replacing Liverpool and becoming a team that advances to the top eight…”

On this night, radio waves and satellite signals shuttled over Istanbul, bringing more agitation and unease to this unpeaceful night…