The startling news of the Tang Nation team winning a friendly match seven to zero was, of course, not something the major media outlets would easily let pass!
All sorts of tabloid reporters and media programs pounced on this story like wolves, racing against time to publish it on their platforms. In an instant, both the internet and offline magazines exploded.
Many fans had not paid much attention to this friendly match beforehand, expecting it to be another game with no discernible end, as usual. They had absolutely no idea it would turn out like this!
Had the Tang Nation team truly risen?
Upon seeing the statistics of the goals scored, and noticing Cao Baming alone accounted for four goals and two assists, not only achieving a poker but also a brace of assists, everyone instantly knew what had happened.
Although it is said that football is a team sport and one person's strength cannot change the situation, there are always exceptions!
Just like Messi in his Barcelona days, and Maradona even earlier, who could single-handedly energize the entire team. And today, another Cao Baming emerged!
The media's praise grew even more fervent. On the first day, they merely reported the match result. Later, realizing they couldn't keep up with the heat, they began to exaggerate, with increasingly outrageous headlines.
Many fans started to sigh, lamenting that Cao Baming wasn't a god, and that the media was already blowing the Tang Nation team to the heavens before the World Cup even began.
In reality, Cao Baming was already indifferent to all this.
At this very moment, he was on a direct flight to Arsenal, leisurely reading a magazine.
There were still two weeks until the official start of the new league season, and many players had already returned to the team. Over the past couple of days, Cao Baming's phone had been constantly buzzing with messages from his teammates.
Photos with Messi taken during an exhibition match, shooting competitions between Henry and Messi...
The team appeared to be quite lively.
Although the team had not only signed Messi but also made other personnel adjustments, all of them were overshadowed by the brilliance of this top star.
After several hours of flying, the plane finally landed.
Upon arriving at the club, a familiar scent wafted into his nostrils. Despite having only spent one season here, it still felt very warm.
Teammates, having received news of his arrival, rushed to greet him. Among them, Arteta was also visible.
Arteta wore a smile, just as he always did.
Generally, warm-up matches are played before the start of the season. However, the team had already played one before Cao Baming's arrival, against a mid-table team in the English League One.
With the team's strength, even without Cao Baming and Messi on the field, they formed a dominating force, ultimately winning four-nil with ease.
Henry received a bonus for his hat-trick, and the goalkeeper also got a clean sheet bonus.
While not substantial, it was, after all, just a warm-up match.
There was still one more match to go, and the opponent was not very strong, so they could play casually. Messi would likely not be playing so soon.
Cao Baming pondered, his gaze still searching through the crowd, but he couldn't spot Messi.
"Where is Messi? Isn't he here?"
Cao Baming quietly asked Vieira beside him, a little worried that he might be too short to see him.
"Messi isn't feeling well today, so he didn't come. He's resting at home."
"Oh, I see."
As expected, a star player could take leave without going through any formalities.
Just then, Arteta called everyone to the lounge, initiating the pre-season pep talk for the new season.
After the meeting, Cao Baming walked out of the room, and the system's voice chimed.
"Ding! The new season has begun. You have received a new season attribute point gift pack, and new season missions have been updated!"
The new season missions were several special tasks added for the upcoming season. If completed, they would directly award very generous prizes, and they were not in conflict with the existing system achievements.
Was it finally here?
On his first day back, he heard the system's season-opening update notification, which was quite unexpected.
Cao Baming walked slowly down the corridor, listening to the system's voice.
"Currently, there are 5 basic season missions and 10 hidden missions."
"Season Mission 1: Complete consecutive hat-tricks in the league. Completing three consecutive matches unlocks the reward of one top-tier talent skill card."
"Season Mission 2: Achieve 300 ball touches in a single match. Reward: one top-tier talent skill card."
"Season Mission 3: Complete 10 successful tackles within 10 minutes. Reward: one top-tier talent skill card."
"Season Mission 4: The team achieves a 15-game winning streak in the Premier League. Reward: one top-tier talent skill card."
"Season Mission 5: The team wins the Premier League championship. Reward: 5 million points!"
...
Listening to the system's mission updates, Cao Baming's eyes spun with stars.
All top-tier golden talent skill cards! Five million points!
Had the system secretly changed its staff? Why was it suddenly so generous this season!
Not only were there these additional missions, but there were also hidden missions. What could those hidden missions be?
"System, what does hidden mission mean?"
Cao Baming asked with immense excitement.
A moment later, the system's voice sounded again...
"Ding! Hidden missions are tasks that are triggered by achieving certain data or behaviors during a match. Only after successful completion can the specific mission details and rewards be obtained."
Oh...
Hearing this explanation, Cao Baming understood a lot more.
The rewards for hidden missions should also be substantial, right? If they could be as generous as these season missions, that would be fantastic!
Cao Baming didn't even pay much attention to the specific content of those missions. After all, he was already so strong now, what difficulty could they pose?
However, upon casual thought, he discovered the system's subtle malice.
Season Mission 1 was fine. With his current playstyle, three consecutive hat-tricks might not be difficult. With some luck and encountering three unimpressive teams, he could easily claim the reward!
But Mission 2 was a huge problem! 300 ball touches in a single match?
Cao Baming was speechless. Didn't the system know he played defense? Even if he occasionally played midfield, he wouldn't get that many chances to touch the ball!
In current matches, the player with the most ball touches could barely reach two hundred. This mission directly set a target of three hundred, which was simply outrageous.
And then there was Season Mission 3... Alright, system, so you actually knew I played defense.