As two small white human figures began to circulate online, the atmosphere of this year's World Cup became palpable for the first time!
Looking at the so-called mascot, Cao Baiming felt a peculiar sensation; it was undeniably the same one he had seen before.
He couldn't quite recall if he'd seen it in a hallucination, but this was its real appearance, with every detail matching exactly!
So much time had passed; even if it was a prediction of the future, it seemed unlikely to span such a long period!
This was too uncanny!
Time flew by as major teams intensified their training and prepared for the first round of group matches.
The final carnival before the tournament!
Fans from all over the world had already gathered around the event's host city, with less than three days remaining until the matches.
At this very moment, the entire world had thoroughly entered a state of festivity!
Three full days of passion, as if humans didn't need rest; the fervor in the fans' hearts was an overwhelming flood.
Suddenly, major platforms and media outlets began their pre-match commentary and hype.
The odds for the Tang Guo team had also seen a slight increase.
Everyone had been training diligently during this period, and the results were good.
In the blink of an eye, it was the day before the match, and the players still felt a degree of nervousness!
They had already embarked on their journey to the destination; the expedition had begun!
Fans from Tang Guo enthusiastically bid farewell to the team, with a mixed feeling of excitement and tension, much like sending a child off to the imperial examinations.
Looking at the group stage situation, the first match of the first round would be kicked off by the host nation, and Tang Guo's first match was directly up against a formidable opponent: the De Guo team!
No offense, no De Guo! They were known for their incredibly sharp and dazzling offense. In previous World Cup tournaments, De Guo was the team that consistently secured victories with significant score margins!
Could the Tang Guo team truly withstand such an intensely strong team?
Despite this, the entire team, from top to bottom, was filled with confidence. Li Gang's coaching staff had thoroughly researched their opponents.
A strong team? A sharp offense? Even the most formidable teams have weaknesses!
And he had meticulously dissected the opponent's weaknesses. As the saying goes, he had a foolproof plan!
The players, too, now possessed a fierce spirit, ready to face any challenge, to fight any wolf or tiger. What of De Guo? No team could stop them!
These dozen or so individuals were simply too strong!
Following the grand opening ceremony, accompanied by some unique atmospheric performances, the World Cup, which had been awaited for four long years, finally officially began!
Fans shed tears of excitement! They had finally waited for it!
How they had endured this period was no longer important!
On this very field, they were about to witness clashes between legendary lineups they had never dared to imagine in their dreams!
"Zidane! Zizou!"
"Ronaldo! I'm here!!"
Li Gang sat with the entire team. In these final moments, training was no longer the most crucial aspect; now, mentality played a far greater role than technical skill!
Most importantly, the players had to believe that in the past few weeks of training, their chemistry and the strength of their tactical system had reached a very mature level.
Moreover, this was simply a fact.
He stated a fact.
Cao Baiming's eyes flickered. The closer it got to the match, the more he felt the various benefits brought by the system.
Compared to the last league match, he was now more than just a little stronger; the blood flowing through his veins seemed to have been completely activated!
The biggest improvement was naturally in speed, a trait that had almost driven his teammates insane.
Previously, only after activating the "Flying Bird" skill could he maintain a speed roughly parallel to Mbappé.
But now? Mbappé? Even Mbappé Nine would be no match for him. Outrunning him with speed would be as effortless as beating a turtle!
Even if the peak-form Bale of the "Great Sage Equal to Heaven" were to appear, he wouldn't be able to compete with him in speed!
And this fact, aside from his national teammates, remained unknown to the outside world!
Most foreign teams were still quite arrogant towards Tang Guo, disdaining to spend too much time analyzing them. However, no one dared to underestimate Cao Baiming.
Some teams were still trying to find Cao Baiming's weaknesses. After careful consideration, they might conclude that only speed wasn't a particularly outstanding area for him!
However, they were about to pay the price for their self-inflicted downfall, because truly intelligent teams had long given up on finding weaknesses in Cao Baiming and had started looking for breakthroughs elsewhere.
Guardiola certainly had something to say about this matter!
That night, the first World Cup group stage match took place!
The host nation suffered a crushing defeat with a score of zero to two, setting a good tone for the entire World Cup tournament!
However, the pressure now shifted to Tang Guo.
Facing tomorrow's match, Li Gang had implemented a four-tiered contingency strategy. If any one strategy failed, there would be backup plans to compensate. Although the subsequent backup plans might lead to some reduction in effectiveness, they would not be too far off compared to the initial primary plan.
Most importantly, such a plan instilled sufficient confidence in him!
That night, everyone slept early.
They could never have imagined that the De Guo team's training room was still in session at this very moment!
Did they truly not take the Tang Guo team seriously? In fact, it was the complete opposite!
De Guo's head coach, Flick, was a resourceful individual. He was smarter than anyone else and had started taking this underdog Tang Guo team seriously long ago.
In the eyes of the public, this match held little suspense, with odds as high as one to seven, a ridiculous figure. But in his view, it was far from being as easy as people said!
The Tang Guo team, with Cao Baiming, was absolutely different from previous iterations; they could not be underestimated, or they would suffer a devastating defeat!
He had also done his homework, and while it was slightly less than Li Gang's, it was still commendable.
All night long, the players patiently listened to him speak about the opponents, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses.
They were originally full of confidence, but on the eve of the match, their coach poured a bucket of cold water on them.
However, this was by no means a bad thing for them!
They were dismissed very late at night, with the players having listened the entire time, barely touching a ball.
...
The next morning.
Before the alarm clock could even ring, Cao Baiming's eyes fluttered open.
A not-so-familiar chandelier hung from the white ceiling of the new room he had just moved into last night...
Soon, he became more awake.
Faint noises drifted in from outside the window. He got up, walked over, and gently pushed the window open, only to find that fans were everywhere, and the air was filled with celebratory decorations and the sounds of gongs and drums!
Processions weaved through the streets and alleys. Looking down from the 24th floor, the streets were painted in vibrant colors!