September 11, 2014. Wolfsburg Training Base.
The late summer sun hung low over the practice fields, casting elongated shadows that danced with every flick of the ball. The international break was finally over, and the stars of Wolfsburg were trickling back to the city. But for Qin Ming, the break hadn't been a vacation—it had been a crucible.
As he finished a grueling three-hour dribbling session, a sharp, crystalline chime rang out in his mind. It was a sound he hadn't heard in weeks, one that made his pulse skip.
[Host template fusion degree has reached 70%!]
[New Function: Green System Mastery Interface — ACTIVATED!]
A translucent, fluorescent screen flickered into existence before his eyes, more detailed than ever before. It wasn't just a general percentage anymore; the "Maverick" was now showing him the blueprints of a legend.
•[Core Skill: Poké Ball Sense] — 75%
•[Technical Skill: Extraordinary Dribbling] — 69%
•[Mental Skill: Three-Dimensional Awareness] — 67%
•[Special Skill: Devil's Shot] — 52%
•[Maverick Points: 3]
Qin Ming stared, mesmerized. Every skill that had made Ronaldinho a "God of Football" was laid bare with a progress bar. In a world where most people wander blindly, never knowing if their efforts are yielding fruit, Qin Ming had been given a compass. He could now see exactly how much closer he was to perfection.
If people knew how close they were to the finish line, he thought, no one would ever give up.
"Kevin! You're back!"
Qin Ming spotted a familiar strawberry-blonde figure walking toward the locker rooms. He was about to invite his partner to a "welcome back" training session, but as De Bruyne got closer, Qin Ming's smile faded.
The Belgian looked like a man who had been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. His face was pale, his eyes rimmed with a tired, dark frustration. He wasn't just exhausted; he was hurting.
"Qin, I'm sorry," De Bruyne said, forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I'm... I'm a little tired today. I think I'll just head back and rest early."
"Kevin, wait." Qin Ming stepped in front of him. Having lived a full life before this "rebirth," he knew that silence was the most dangerous poison for a troubled mind. "I heard that if you keep things inside, they suffocate you. If you don't mind a 16-year-old listener, let's go to the Irish pub on Goethe Street. My treat."
De Bruyne hesitated. He wasn't one to open up, but the stress of the international break—the whispers, the faces from the past—had brought him to a breaking point. "Well... okay. Just one."
The Irish pub on the corner of Goethe Street was a sanctuary for the Wolfsburg Ultras, but on a quiet Thursday afternoon, it was nearly empty. The air smelled of polished wood and stale hops.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Scott. Two Pilsners, please," Qin Ming said to the old man behind the bar.
Scott, a man whose white beard seemed to hold the entire history of the Volkswagen factory within its follicles, placed two frothy glasses on the counter without a word. He had seen hundreds of players come and go since 1946; he knew the look of a man in need of a drink.
"Drink slow, young men," Scott grumbled, his voice a low vibration of wisdom. "Life is long. There's no hurdle you can't jump if you keep your head up."
"Thank you," De Bruyne murmured, staring into the amber liquid. On the TV mounted in the corner, a replay of the Frankfurt game was playing. The screen showed Qin Ming's Elastico—the "Samba" moment that had stunned the league.
De Bruyne took a long sip and finally spoke, his voice cracking. "I saw him during the break. Thibaut."
Qin Ming went quiet. He knew the story. He knew about the betrayal by Thibaut Courtois—the teammate who had stolen De Bruyne's girlfriend—and the subsequent "exile" by Mourinho at Chelsea.
"I thought I was over it," De Bruyne whispered, rubbing his temples. "But every time I see his face, I feel sick. Abandoned by my host family as a kid, abandoned by my girl, abandoned by Mourinho... I feel like no matter how hard I work, I'm just waiting to be thrown away again."
Qin Ming looked at the Maestro. He felt a wave of profound empathy. He, too, was a man isolated—a soul from another time trapped in a teenage body.
"Kevin, I haven't lived your life, so I won't pretend to have the answers," Qin Ming said, his voice steady and sincere. "But God only saves those who are willing to fight for themselves. I've seen you on the pitch. You aren't 'disposable.' You are pure gold. The Premier League didn't abandon you; they lost you. And their loss is our gain."
Qin Ming chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "Of course, I'm only sixteen, so what do I know about the world?"
"Wait... sixteen?"
Scott, the bartender, suddenly stood upright, nearly knocking over a tray of glasses. He squinted through his reading glasses at Qin Ming. "Did you just say you're sixteen? In Germany, it's illegal to serve anyone under seventeen!"
Qin Ming froze. He had forgotten. In his mind, he was nearly thirty. He had walked into the bar with the confidence of a veteran.
"Uh... Mr. Scott! I misspoke! I just had a birthday! I'm seventeen now!"
"Show me your ID, you little brat," Scott growled, his hand held out.
"I... I didn't bring it! But look!" Qin Ming scrambled to open the Transfermarkt website on his phone, showing his player profile.
Scott leaned in, his face inches from the screen. "You little thief! You weren't even seventeen a few days ago! Do you think because I'm old, I'm easy to fool?"
"Haha! Kevin, let's go! Training calls!"
Qin Ming slammed five euros onto the bar, grabbed a laughing (and finally smiling) De Bruyne by the arm, and bolted for the door.
As they ran down Goethe Street, the tension that had gripped De Bruyne's face for days finally shattered into a genuine laugh. The "Maverick" had done it. He hadn't just unlocked a new system function; he had unlocked his partner.
The Bundesliga was restarting in forty-eight hours. The fusion was at 70%, the Maestro was smiling, and the "Samba Elf" was ready to show the world that he was more than just a marketing gimmick.
Author's Note:
The 70% threshold is finally here! With new skills unlocked and the chemistry between Qin Ming and De Bruyne reaching a new level, the next match against Hoffenheim is going to be explosive. If you're enjoying the journey, don't forget to add to your library and drop a Power Stone!