North Rhine was drunk in the night.

Fireworks and salutes went off together.

Leverkusen, a small city with a population of only 200,000, was caught in a frenzy.

People in bars, squares, and even May Ninth Park were shouting Leverkusen's slogan.

"Leverkusenallez!!!"

...

Post-match press conference.

Flashes of magnesium lights went crazy.

Reporters scrambled to raise their hands to ask questions.

Wenger recovered his usual demeanor and smiled, "The two-legged match was arduous. Lee is an incredible player. He changed the course of the game, not only in the attack, but tonight he also blocked two certain goals for us..."

He didn't continue.

The question shifted to Leverkusen's coach.

Old man Toppmöller replied, "Arsenal played beautifully. They gave me a good lesson more than a decade ago."

"Leverkusen still has many challenges to face in the future."

"Before the winter break, we need to fight another Battle of North Rhine to defend against Bayern Munich!"

.....

Son Heung-min came to the locker room with crutches.

His left leg was in a heavy cast.

No way around it.

During this period, he was being heavily exploited by the Korean Football Association, who wanted him to return to the national team to play against the Philippines and Brunei.

Last year's compulsory national team training involved cross-country running, poison gas, and weighted training... which even caused him to contract a lung disease.

"Son, your current injury makes it impossible to go..."

"This level of difficulty is nothing. I've called my dad!"

Bender and Kramer carried him out of the locker room, one on each side.

Brandt was pressing his calculator, looking excited, and whispered, "Lee, with the promotion bonus, I'll be able to afford a house soon!"

Havertz collapsed on a bench.

This was the first time he had played such an intense game.

The worries of his youth always appeared inexplicably: "Lee, will you leave during the winter break?"

Lee Kang thought for a moment and shook his head firmly.

.....

Back at the first team dormitory.

The system prompt sounded quietly.

[Ding! "Champions League Quarterfinals" team achievement unlocked!]

[Reward distribution in progress...]

[Congratulations on obtaining: Intermediate Attribute Points *2!]

[Intermediate Attribute Points: Can be used for a single attribute value in the range of 80-90!]

Lee Kang thought about it.

He reached out and poked the system panel.

[Passing: 85 → 87!]

The system prompt didn't end.

["North Rhine" achievement progress triggered!]

At the very bottom of the system attribute panel, there was an additional green bar.

After defeating Arsenal, the progress soared to one-half.

What comes after Conqueror of North Rhine?

Is the ultimate achievement King of North Rhine?

Accompanied by a series of mechanical electronic synthesized sounds.

[Champions League Treasure Chest completed.]

[Congratulations on obtaining: Platinum Treasure Chest!]

He glanced roughly at the prize pool.

It was all dense with random items.

I'll open it tomorrow.

......

The next day.

Manchester City's sporting director, Txiki Begiristain, arrived at the Leverkusen club.

As a player, he was a member of Barça's Dream Team and a favorite of Cruyff.

It is worth mentioning that he and Barça's sporting director, Robert, helped Barça win the European Cup Winners' Cup together in the late 1980s.

It seems that the European giants of this period cannot escape the influence of the "Total Football" faction.

...

Völler handed him a cigar.

"We've finished discussing the Leverkusen side of things..."

Begiristain skillfully lit the match and said, "I almost forgot, you are FIFA's designated guardian for Lee! But he will be eighteen years old next summer, and we can talk about the rest then."

Völler shook his head: "I respect his own wishes!"

Begiristain said: "Manchester City can meet all his needs, Mr. Guardian!"

"We have David Silva, De Bruyne, Yaya Touré, they are top midfielders, and they have long careers ahead of them!"

"As for the coaching staff... we will bring Europe a big surprise then!"

"Including the portrait rights, whatever percentage Leverkusen takes, Manchester City will only take that percentage!"

"We don't lack money, we lack championships!"

Old Begiristain couldn't help but start painting a picture for Völler:

How strong was David Silva during this period?

An indispensable and important member of the peak Spanish Dynasty.

A midfielder who won the European Cup in 2008, the World Cup in 2010, and the European Cup in 2012.

He has many nicknames. He is called "Slow Messi" and also "a fusion model of 1/2 Xavi + 1/2 Iniesta."

The most resounding title is still: "The man who plays the ribs the best."

De Bruyne, needless to say.

Last season, the shock he brought to Europe at Wolfsburg was no less than Lee Kang's at this time.

Yaya Touré?

A member of the peak Dream Team.

His competitor is Busquets.

His individual combat ability completely explodes the latter.

During this period, he was defined as the "number one offensive midfielder in Europe."

There is also Agüero on the front line.

Standing on the defense line is Kompany.

With such a golden lineup.

They are only two breaths away from the Champions League title!

....

Völler listened with some excitement.

He had the same expression as a child watching Ultraman.

Of course, he hoped that Lee's career would get better and better!

......

On the other side.

A restaurant outside the Leverkusen Art Museum.

The little assistant brought Lee Kang to meet Ms. Skaia.

"Lee, I brought Abramovich's sincerity. I'm sorry, he can't step into Germany for the time being."

The TV was showing the second leg of the match between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.

"He admires you very much, just like Shevchenko back then."

Ms. Skaia handed over a contract, which was very thin, only a few pages.

The little assistant tentatively looked at Lee Kang.

Then he cautiously opened the contract.

He couldn't help but shrink his pupils and tremble his fingers.

"Heart-stopping numbers..."

.....

Lee Kang didn't quite understand.

If he were standing from the perspective of the Leverkusen club, Völler would not have sent the little assistant to bring himself to secretly meet with Chelsea's representative.

It felt too early to be talking about a transfer now.

"It's not early at all."

"If we wait until before the summer transfer window opens, then everything will be too late!"

"Chelsea will rebuild the team next season!"

Hearing this sentence.

The little assistant was stunned: "Chelsea were the Premier League champions last season... Why are they rebuilding the team? Currently, the value of your overall lineup has reached fourth in Europe!"

"A well-deserved and undisputed Premier League champion, leading the second place by 10 points!"

"And you have Fàbregas!"

"Could it be because of... Mourinho?"

Ms. Skaia kept a smile on her face and did not answer the question directly.

"Stamford Bridge welcomes your arrival."

"You will gain a group of very friendly teammates who have a high spirit of competitive sports."

....

Suddenly, a scream came from the TV!

The three looked at the big screen at the same time.

Diego Costa brought down Cavani.

Ibrahimović rushed to the scene of the foul at the first time!

The scene fell into chaos.

The players pushed each other.

Fàbregas secretly kicked Di Maria.

Mourinho complained wildly.