That evening, Cao Baiming arrived at the locker room and chose the loosest clothes he could find, as most of his other clothes were practically unwearable now!
The sky outside was already beginning to darken. From his room, he could see the Ferrari parked downstairs, a car he had recently acquired.
Its red exterior perfectly matched his red jacket for the day. With sunglasses on, he doubted many people would recognize him.
He had already figured out how to explain his physical condition to his teammates.
He'd say he’d eaten too many sea cucumbers recently. Surely they wouldn't disbelieve that.
Having planned everything, Cao Baiming set off. He suddenly thought of Wu Xue, but then quickly dismissed the idea. He didn't want Wu Xue to see him like this. What if it made her forget him entirely?
No, no, it was better to avoid causing trouble!
The gathering was scheduled at a Western restaurant, but this place was also renowned for its exquisite sea cucumber and a famous, privately concocted cocktail, rumored to be an exclusive recipe.
Wealthy patrons had once offered a hundred thousand US dollars for the recipe after a few drinks, but the restaurant refused to sell.
The average cost per person at this establishment was the highest in the city, but such a small sum was a mere trifle for Cao Baiming.
Proficient in finance and all sorts of industries, he viewed making money with extreme ease, as if it were as simple as a gust of wind that appeared with a wave of his hand.
He didn't need to time travel to accurately predict the financial market. Now, he no longer begrudged advertising expenses or the team's salaries; those were minor matters.
When the navigation indicated he was less than three hundred meters from his destination, Cao Baiming turned off the GPS, parked his car in a lot, and decided to walk the rest of the way.
Messages from his good friends arrived one after another. Several of them had already secured their seats as they had made reservations. All they needed was a screenshot of their booking to enter the room.
Cao Baiming closed the car door and looked up at the sky, which had now turned a deep purple and would soon be completely dark.
A strikingly minimalist three-story building stood in the distance. The illuminated sign atop it exuded an air of sophistication, immediately identifying it as his destination.
However, the street ahead was filled with a cacophony of noise. Curious, Cao Baiming walked forward along the street and soon saw a group of young people spraying paint onto a wall with their aerosol cans.
They muttered and occasionally shouted loudly, as if determined to be heard. Although he couldn't understand their language, it was evident their words were unsavory.
Upon seeing the mural on the wall, Cao Baiming's anger flared.
The painting was none other than a handsome portrait of a Tang Guo player!
These extremists couldn't be anyone else. He also noticed that one of them was wearing a German national team jersey!
Their expressions were filled with rage.
Cao Baiming closed his eyes. After two seconds, he understood what they were saying.
"Tang Guo players don't deserve to qualify from the group stage! They don't play football!"
"These lunatics should die. Send them all to the hospital and keep them from playing!"
"Lunatics! Lunatics!"
Cao Baiming's brow furrowed.
Lunatics?
"Hahaha, are you talking about yourself, or the Tang Guo team?"
Cao Baiming called out loudly as he strode towards the group, his fists subtly bulging with veins.
The men didn't recognize Cao Baiming at first, only noting how excessively muscular he was!
"Boss, this guy is too damn strong. How about we..."
Immediately, the leader, referred to as the boss, became even more agitated and took two large strides forward.
"You're a Tang Guo person, aren't you! You're all garbage!"
The people behind him chimed in.
"If it weren't for crooked refereeing, you wouldn't even get past the first round!"
"You don't belong in the World Cup. Go back and play among yourselves, haha!"
Having learned German in ten seconds, Cao Baiming could now fully comprehend their words.
These people, emboldened by their numbers, grew audacious. No matter how skilled this man was, he appeared to be alone. Fighting seven people seemed unrealistic!
Cao Baiming sneered.
"Alright, alright, I understand what you mean. You want to fight, don't you?" Cao Baiming deliberately spoke in German.
The leader's temper flared further upon hearing this, his face turning crimson!
"What the hell are you pretending to be?"
"Looking for a beating?"
The group behind him echoed the sentiment.
Witnessing this, a hint of helplessness crossed Cao Baiming's face.
These people were as cowardly as dogs, only good at running their mouths. They even wished for their national team's victory, yet they likely had never played soccer themselves. Pitiful!
Cao Baiming said no more. Seeing the defiant look on the leader's face, he immediately threw a punch.
"Learn some respect, understand?"
The boss was sent flying two meters by the punch, his eyes squeezed shut, emitting weak groans.
The others rushed forward, but their hearts began to tremble!
Seeing this, Cao Baiming proceeded to knock them all down, one by one. When the last, scrawny man realized he was the only one still standing, he let out a pathetic wail and collapsed to the ground, writhing!
"Really putting on an act! It seems I misjudged you. You must have played soccer before!"
Without a word, Cao Baiming delivered two kicks, instantly transforming his feigned cries of pain into genuine ones, his voice rising an octave.
All the men lay on the ground, begging for mercy.
Several of them were completely incapacitated, suffering from at least three or four fractures and unbearable pain!
One had even lost consciousness.
At this point, Cao Baiming simply stated:
"Your elimination was due to bad luck, not a lack of skill."
"But you absolutely cannot go around slandering opponents. If you want to slander, do it openly. Sneaking around in the dark to do this is no different from dogs!"
The men's minds were now almost blank, their lips continuing to mutter pleas for mercy.
As Cao Baiming turned to leave, the leader suddenly noticed the wall behind him. The facial features of the mural bore a resemblance to the man standing before him!
"Could it be..."
His eyes widened in surprise, his pupils contracting!
By then, Cao Baiming had already walked away, several meters down the street, his back visible in the dim light!
His imposing silhouette was nothing like the slender man on the soccer field. Was this real?
However, it was too late for regret. They could only be thankful they were still alive!