NOVEL WEB Chapter 94: 94
At that moment, Gu Ran didn't cut inside toward the center, nor did he drift wide along the touchline—both options would have trapped him in a dead-end with no passing options.
Instead, he charged straight at the two midfielders closing in on him at full speed.
His adrenaline surged through his veins, pushing his sprint to an entirely new level.
The two defensive midfielders immediately panicked.
Neither had expected Gu Ran to go straight through them!
And his speed was terrifying!
After sprinting more than 50 meters from his own half to the final third, he was still accelerating!
The two midfielders scrambled to close the gap between them, hoping to use their bodies to physically stop him.
But they were too slow.
Gu Ran saw his chance, tapped the ball forward with a long touch, and burst through the narrow half-meter gap between them.
The two midfielders, unwilling to let him pass so easily, reacted desperately—one reached out to pull his jersey, while the other swung a leg to trip his heel.
Neither touched him.
Gu Ran shot between them like a supercar roaring past, leaving them completely in the dust.
A second later—
BAM!
The two midfielders crashed into each other and collapsed onto the grass!
On the sideline, the Wild Boar Dukes' head coach stood there, utterly stunned.
What the hell…
Where the f* did that fishmonger find this Chinese kid?!**
The coach clutched his head with both hands, speechless.
At that moment, Gu Ran had space and time to make his next move.
In the penalty area, Pretty Boy and Glider were making decoy runs, drawing defenders away.
Meanwhile, Shuimen, the real No. 9½, had expertly slipped into position at the far post—completely unmarked.
Gu Ran controlled the ball, adjusted his steps with small touches, locked onto his target, and swung his right foot.
Golden Right Foot: Precision Long Pass!
Here it comes!
The ball sliced through the air with a razor-sharp outside-foot curve, soaring over the densely packed defense on the left side of the penalty area—dropping perfectly into the six-yard box, just 10 meters from the goal!
Absolute perfection.
The entire stadium held its breath.
This pass… was flawless.
The vision, execution, and precision behind it were at a world-class level.
The entire sequence—sprinting, dribbling, breaking through, creating passing space, and then delivering a pinpoint assist—
That was pure football IQ.
At the far post, Shuimen barely had to think.
With an instinctive step forward, he swung his leg—
The Wild Boar Dukes' goalkeeper rushed out to cut off the shot!
But Shuimen delicately flicked the ball past him with the tip of his boot.
The goal was wide open!
A gentle side-foot push—
The ball rolled into the net.
GOAL!!!
The referee blew the whistle and pointed decisively to the center circle.
The scoreboard updated:
Wild Boar Dukes 0 - 1 Bucks Ironhorns!
Gu Ran had his first official assist!
The Bucks Ironhorns' bench exploded with cheers.
On the other hand, the home crowd at Tunbridge High School sat in stunned silence, clutching their heads in disbelief.
On their home turf, against what they had assumed was a bottom-tier "fishmonger team,"
They were losing???
What kind of script was this?!
"Bucks Ironhorns! Hi! Hi! Unstoppable!"
The team's drummer banged the jazz war drum with everything he had, his voice hoarse from screaming.
The entire bench jumped up, fists clenched, roaring in celebration.
On the sideline, Coach Carter jumped like a little kid.
"Motherf***er! That was sick as hell! Hahahaha! YES! That's exactly how we do it! My dear Gu Ran! That's exactly how you play!!!"
There were only three words to describe that assist—
Absolutely legendary.
Carter had expected Gu Ran to impress him, but even he hadn't imagined it would be this spectacular.
The Wild Boar Dukes' supposedly impenetrable defense had just been shredded apart like tissue paper by Gu Ran's devastating sprint and pass.
Their entire right flank was in ruins.
Up in the stands, Maria covered her trembling lips.
"Gu Ran… is this strong?"
Meanwhile, in the VIP section, Old Rice remained seated, unmoving.
However—
From that moment onward, his gaze was locked onto Gu Ran.
On the field, Gu Ran felt the uncontrollable surge of dopamine and adrenaline rushing through his body.
This…
Was f*ing incredible.**
A solo wing play, completely breaking through the defense!
His first-ever official assist in a non-amateur match.
His hands trembled from the overwhelming rush of dopamine and adrenaline.
I need… MORE.
"Hahaha! Gu! Gu! Gu!!!"
Shuimen, after scoring, ignored all the teammates running toward him to celebrate.
Instead, he spread his arms wide and sprinted straight for Gu Ran!
Gu Ran, however, wasn't running toward him.
He was sprinting toward the left flank.
That was where Belvard had dropped a blue skill bubble!
Sure, he could collect bubbles remotely with his mind—but from too far away, he couldn't see what skill it contained.
And so, a bizarre scene unfolded on the pitch:
The Bucks Ironhorns players chased after Shuimen.
Shuimen chased after Gu Ran.
And Gu Ran sprinted toward a blue bubble only he could see.
The entire Wild Boar Dukes team was dumbfounded.
What the hell was this fishmonger team doing? Were they mocking them on purpose?!
Gu Ran reached the touchline, locked his focus, and examined the blue bubble.
High-Speed Dribbling +1.
Holy sh!
This was a great one!
High-speed dribbling meant maintaining ball control at full sprint.
It sounded simple but required tremendous technical refinement.
The best high-speed dribblers in history?
Bale, Kaka, Robben.
They had both elite sprinting ability and masterful dribbling control—even at full speed.
Raw speed didn't guarantee good ball control.
And great ball control didn't guarantee high-speed dribbling.
This skill required both.
Moreover, in real matches, high-speed dribbling often involved defenders trying to cut you off—forcing adjustments in stride length and ball control.
If the ball was too close, it slowed the sprint.
If it was too far, it risked losing possession.
The key was knowing when to touch the ball every three, five, or seven steps based on the situation.
That decision-making skill was what defined elite high-speed dribblers.
At lower levels, this skill might not seem game-breaking.
But once maxed out, it would become an unstoppable breakthrough weapon.
This was a must-have.
Gu Ran mentally activated the collection.
"High-Speed Dribbling +1" acquired.
Just as he finished, Shuimen tackled him from behind!
The next second—
The entire Bucks Ironhorns team piled on top of him in a massive celebratory dogpile.
Gu Ran was completely buried under a mountain of sweaty teammates.
The home crowd booed and cursed furiously.
Coach Carter, on the sideline, yelled for everyone to get off Gu Ran before they crushed him.
Finally, gasping for air, Gu Ran crawled out from the heap.
Holy sh…
These idiots.
He sat on the grass, gulping in fresh air.
The Bucks Ironhorns, leading by one goal, confidently returned to position.
Shuimen, ever the troublemaker, mocked the Wild Boar Dukes with exaggerated faces.
The home team was on the verge of mental collapse.
Fairly speaking, they had played well for 31 minutes.
They had minor mistakes but remained dominant.
And yet…
One single counterattack had ripped their defense apart.
For a top-tier contender team, getting scored on at home by a supposed bottom-tier squad was an unforgivable disgrace.
Whistle.
The game resumed.
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