After several hours of flight, the plane had entered Tang country.
Just as everyone was sound asleep, a strange sound suddenly came from the side.
"Warning, please note, you have entered Tang country airspace!"
The airborne broadcast was exceptionally clear, and at this moment, two military fighter jets appeared on either side of the passenger plane, startling everyone.
"What's going on, hijackers??"
Following closely behind, everyone woke up. At this time, a senior official walked over with a smile, signaling everyone to relax.
"Don't worry, it's our own country's planes! They're here to pick us up!"
Peering out the window, it turned out to be not just two fighter jets on the left and right, but an entire air force unit surrounding the plane. They arranged themselves in a V formation, maintaining the exact same speed as the plane!
Through the window, the pilot in the cockpit actually made a gesture!
"Military escort? Such great honor?"
"Damn, this is too powerful, this feeling is so sudden!"
"I just had a dream, but compared to now, it seems insignificant."
In an instant, the cabin became lively, and everyone discussed excitedly, joking, with no trace of sleepiness left.
At this moment, a sense of honor was born, making everyone realize how important they were.
You must know that in Tang country, only leaders traveling received such treatment, and even then, it wasn't guaranteed, only occasional!
"We came in second in the World Cup, so we shouldn't be too disappointed. Achieving this result is already much better than expected!"
"Exactly! I don't even remember when we last reached the World Cup. Some players might not have been born then!"
"In the past, the quarterfinals were our best result. This time, it's the runner-up! We were even just one step away from the championship!"
Thinking of this, their worries seemed to lessen slightly.
The reaction of Tang country's fans was still unclear. After all, looking at the internet, some people were still expressing dissatisfaction, and even curses existed.
"But, perhaps there are more supporters, don't you think!"
"They worked so hard, they won't curse, will they."
...
The plane continued to fly, and at this moment, the fans below the clouds had already filled the streets, both horizontally and vertically. They could already see the flying formation in the sky.
They knew in their hearts that these were the returning warriors, the heroes. The fans had waited for this moment for a long time.
The streets were bustling with noise, never before had there been such a crazy scene. Looking down from the tall buildings, not a sliver of the road was visible, because it was completely packed with people. They waved their clothes, cheering sticks, and other items.
They wore Tang country's red jerseys, with the most common being Cao Baming's number 10 jersey, like a sea of red, with occasional splashes of waves.
It seemed like the atmosphere in the finals stadium wasn't even this passionate!
This was an unprecedented grand carnival in Tang country. Since it was for football, no one would stop it, because the entire nation was utterly overjoyed.
One of Tang country's biggest shortcomings, football, had finally held its head high!
It conveyed a very direct and crucial message to the world, which was that nothing was impossible for Tang country, and any temporary slump was just that. 138 Reading Net
The awakening and rise of the Eastern Lion took only a few seconds, leaving you no time to react.
Although they didn't win the World Cup trophy, only the runner-up, the Tang country team's performance in the World Cup silenced many who had doubted them beforehand. The most satisfying part was that some people were slapped in the face, while others had their wallets slapped.
Since they chose to believe, this reward was well-deserved!
Those on the plane naturally couldn't see all this yet; they were still unaware.
For hundreds of kilometers along the flight path, almost every inch of land was in this state at this moment.
The plane's destination was Beijing, and the carnival's climax would be there!
The fans had already prepared everything in advance. They knew that the plane would eventually land there, and even if they couldn't have close contact the moment the plane landed, the plane would descend from the stratosphere, and the people on the plane could clearly see the scenery below during this part of the journey.
The fans unfurled massive portraits, some reaching hundreds of meters in length, held aloft by thousands of fans.
There were hundreds, even thousands, of such portraits of various sizes, most of them featuring portraits of Cao Baming. Now, Cao Baming had truly earned the title of Tang country's hero.
Or rather, the title had already been earned; today, it was his status as a god that was solidified.
Even though they didn't lift the World Cup trophy, almost everyone had acknowledged his path to godhood. Now, Cao Baming had become a god.
The plane continued to fly for another ten minutes before finally beginning to descend slowly.
Gradually, through the last thin layer of clouds, the miniature scenes of streets and buildings below could be faintly seen.
Soon, the dense crowds below became clearly visible, and expressions of surprise appeared on everyone's faces.
They quickly crowded around the windows, looking down. Those not by the windows leaned on their teammates to get a look.
They hadn't expected such enthusiasm from the fans.
There wasn't a single word of criticism; all that was present was celebration for achieving a good result. Everyone's face was lit up with brilliant smiles!
In an instant, their lingering regrets seemed to temporarily dissipate.
That's right, these people had witnessed the entire journey. There wasn't a single person who hadn't watched every minute of every match.
They had witnessed the twists and turns of the matches and the final narrow defeat. At this moment, focusing on the good things and looking at everything optimistically, what was the problem?
"Brothers, are you ready to celebrate?"
A loud voice echoed in the cabin.
...
The plane flew lower and lower. After another ten minutes, it finally landed on the ground. After taxiing forward for a while, the captain slowly applied the brakes.
"We've arrived! Get ready to disembark!"
"The fans outside are eager to see everyone; you need to be prepared. They will see you as heroes!"
Cao Baming felt a surge of emotion. As everyone was ready, they lined up to exit the cabin.
A foldable ladder was slowly lowered. First came some senior officials, followed by the team members in succession.