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Chapter 247 But what will be the price?

"Hurry up, Anderson! Why aren't you ready yet?"

Vitini frantically banged on her roommate Anderson Nova's door.

He didn't stop until Nova opened the door.

"Here they come, here they come... Why are you in such a hurry, Vitini? Can't you calm down a bit?"

He saw Vitini jumping around the room like a monkey.

“You don’t understand, Anderson, you don’t understand,” Vitini said to him. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this day!”

"What don't I understand? It's just the Champions League..."

"So you don't understand! How did I even come to Tyne? I was lured here by their Champions League goal. And now, four years later, I've only just played in the Champions League for the first time! Four years! Do you know what I've been through these four years?!"

“I know you’ve complained to me about it…”

"No! You don't understand! Even if I've told you countless times, you still can't really empathize! Before, I wanted to leave here almost every day... If the King hadn't come, I definitely wouldn't be in Tyne now."

"But the king has arrived..."

“That’s right, thank goodness the king has come! This proves once again that the king can do anything!” Vitini said this in the tone of a devout believer.

After expressing her gratitude to Wang Lie, Vitini turned to Nova and asked, "Have you packed your things? We should get going!"

"Alright, alright..." Nova went back into the house and brought out a suitcase.

"Very good, let's go!"

Vitini waved his hand vigorously, like a tour guide clearing the way.

After the two left, they put their luggage in the trunk of the car, and then Vitini opened the driver's door, got in, and prepared to drive.

However, the first thing he did after getting in the car was to turn on the music and turn up the volume.

As a burst of powerful music began to play, Vitini started shaking his head and swaying his whole body.

After Nova got into the car, he started the engine and drove onto the highway.

After driving for a while to the rhythmic music, Anderson Nova suddenly realized something was wrong. He turned to look at the street scene, then looked down at his phone to check the navigation, and said to Vitini, "Hey, Vitini, are you taking the wrong turn?"

Vitini was still swaying gently to the music: "What wrong road did I take? I drive this road every day, how could I... Oh shit!"

He realized it himself—he was driving on his way to the Northumberland Soccer City training ground!

But in reality, they don't need to go to the training base today. Instead, they go directly to the airport to assemble and then take a plane to Lille, France.

The reason they didn't go to the training base to take a bus to the airport was because the bus had already headed to Lille, France.

This is usually the case for long-distance away games; the team bus departs before the team and then waits for the players at the airport in the away city.

This way, players can fly to the airport where the away game is located and then take their own buses directly to the hotel and the game venue.

The same applies to Tyne playing in England.

For some away games, players travel directly to the away game by bus, such as to relatively close cities like Manchester and Liverpool.

Some away games require traveling by plane.

When a flight is needed, the bus will depart in advance.

It's just that Tyne had only participated in domestic events in England before, so even if he needed to travel by plane, the bus didn't need to leave too early because the distances were relatively short.

Now that they have qualified for the Champions League, with opponents spread across the European continent, the team bus naturally has to depart earlier than before.

This time it's alright, as the match is being played in France, which is separated from England by a strait. Lille is located in the northwest corner of France, and is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais region in northern France, facing England across the sea.

The entrance and exit of the Channel Tunnel on the French side are located in this region.

Once you drive out of the undersea tunnel, you'll basically be in Lille.

Therefore, Tyne's bus only needs to depart a day and a half in advance.

Afterwards, when traveling to Germany and Italy, the bus will depart even earlier.

Realizing he had really gone the wrong way, Vitini immediately turned right and made a U-turn across the solid line!
He didn't even glance at the rearview mirror...

The car's tires screeched as they rubbed against the asphalt, and the throbbing rear end caused the car to sway back and forth on the verge of going out of control.

The sudden impact startled Anderson Nova in the passenger seat, causing him to duck his legs and grab the handles above the door, screaming, "Damn it! Vitini! You've broken the rules!"

After completing the drift and U-turn, Vitini, while struggling to control the car, responded to Anderson Nova's scream: "I know!"

He knew he had broken the rules, but he couldn't care less at that moment.

Hearing the excitement still lingering in Vitini's voice, Nova complained, "Damn it, if I didn't still be waiting for my driver's license, I definitely wouldn't let you drive. You're getting a little too excited, Vitini!"

Vitini continued driving, grinning and repeating, "Yes, I know, I know, Anderson, I know... I know!"

When he said his last words, his hands were clearly gripping the steering wheel tightly.

Nova complained, "You should have had your dad come and drive, instead of having him come all the way from Brazil to Lille to wait for you... Take it easy, we're not in a hurry!"

He gripped the handle above the car door even tighter.

※※※

Liu Zhong was bumped by someone behind him, but he didn't fall down because there was someone in front of him who blocked him.

Not only were there people in front of and behind him, but also on his left and right.

Further away, as far as the eye can see, there are countless heads, layer upon layer.

At that moment, Liu Zhong truly understood what it meant to be "crowded with people" and "shoulder to shoulder".

"Damn, is it really that serious?"

He complained to Guo Xuequan beside him, "Half of Newcastle is here, isn't it?"

Guo Xuequan, also "going with the flow" in the crowded throng, shook his head and said, "That's not... exaggerated."

“I think these Tyne fans are even more outrageous! Today is a weekday, not the weekend.” Liu Zhong and Guo Xuequan openly criticized the Tyne fans in their native language, right in front of them. “It’s just a Champions League group stage match, not the final…”

Guo Xuequan, however, fully understands the Tyne fans: "But this is their first Champions League match in 165 years since the club's founding, a milestone event in Tyne's history. Didn't you see those 'Let us witness history, become history' campaigns on their local social media? These people are here to witness history, to become history."

"I did see it, but I thought at most two or three hundred people would come... Now I feel like there are probably two thousand people!" Liu Zhong muttered.

Then he looked at the area where the photojournalists and videographers were located in the distance. They had special treatment and didn't have to be stuffed into a sardine can like he was. Instead, they had a special area set up for them to set up their equipment.

Local media in Newcastle are broadcasting the event live online.

Further away in the open space, there was even a broadcast van from a local Newcastle television station and two signal support vehicles from network operators, ensuring network signal coverage even in such a large area with a high concentration of people.

To be honest, if he had seen this scene outside Lize Park Stadium, he wouldn't have been surprised—after all, there is indeed such a spectacle outside Lize Park Stadium before important matches.

However, seeing this scene outside the terminal at Newcastle International Airport is a bit "abstract".

Those who knew the situation would think these were Tyne fans seeing off their team as they headed to Europe; those who didn't would have mistaken them for a supergroup performing in Newcastle…

When the first player's car drove in from a distance, passing through this special lane and heading towards the dedicated parking lot, the fans present stirred up!

They cheered loudly, waved their arms, and pushed forward.

The police and security guards at the scene were on high alert. They held tightly to the metal fence and leaned back to block the impact from the fans behind them, keeping these enthusiastic fans on the sidewalk and ensuring that no one would break through the barriers and run onto the road.

The media broadcasting the live stream pointed their cameras at the windshields of oncoming cars and zoomed in.

"...Finally, some Tyne players have arrived! Let's see who comes first..."

※※※

"You kept urging us, and now we're too early, Vitini!"

Anderson Nova, sitting in the passenger seat, glanced at the time and then complained. Vitini said, "We're going to be first! I want to be the first to arrive!"

Hearing this, Nova rolled her eyes and silently complained.

The car drove around a bend and turned in from outside the terminal.

A dense crowd surged towards us like a vast ocean, and the highway divided this sea of ​​people in two. They were like the prophet Moses in the Bible, passing through this divided "ocean".

"my God……"

Nova was terrified by what he saw.

Vitini couldn't help but release the accelerator and slow down.

Even through the closed car windows, they could still hear the deafening shouts outside.

"...I had heard that some fans were going to come to the airport to see us off, but I didn't expect there to be so many people!"

Nova murmured.

Then he suddenly felt the cheers getting much louder, and these sounds suddenly appeared in his right ear.

Only then did he notice that Vitini, the "eye-catching guy," had rolled down the driver's window and was waving to the enthusiastic fans.

His words immediately ignited the passion of the fans in the stadium, and the cheers became even louder!

"Vitini! Vitini!!"

The stadium erupted in enthusiastic cheers from the fans.

※※※

Vitini and Nova drove to a parking lot specially designated for their trip to Europe, but the enthusiasm of the fans did not dissipate with their departure.

The atmosphere at the scene became even more enthusiastic.

The arrival of Vitini and Nova means that more Tyne players will be coming!

Everyone was eagerly anticipating and speculating about who the next Tyne player would be.

"How come I remember they were quite tolerant of the team's poor performance before? The club spent so much money, but the results didn't improve much. They neither complained about the players and coaches, nor refused to go to the games to protest. They seemed pretty unambitious and spineless... But now they're so enthusiastic about a Champions League group stage match! I thought they would always be so laid-back..."

Liu Zhong sighed as he looked at the Tyne fans around him taking selfies and photos with their phones.

Guo Xuequan laughed: "If they had a choice, who would want to be unambitious? They just need someone to ignite a fire in their hearts."

As soon as he finished speaking, the fans in the stadium cheered again.

And this time the cheers were noticeably louder than before, much louder.

The two turned their heads and saw an SUV that shone blue in the sunlight but turned pitch black in the shadows under the overpass as it drove around the bend in the road. The square front of the car was imposing, and the two bright headlights blinked as the angle of the front of the car changed, as if they were winking at them.

The person who lit the fire has arrived.

※※※

"...Ah! The first Tyne players to arrive at the airport are Vitini and Anderson Nova...Vitini is waving to the fans."

In the video footage, Vitini is seen waving to fans outside the car while driving.

His response was a tremendous roar.

The photographer had to shout at the top of his lungs just so he could hear what he was saying.

The scene then shifts to Wang Lie's signature dark blue SUV.

The cheers in this video were even louder.

So much so that the person filming the video had to shout even louder when narrating, which resulted in them damaging their own voice...

"King! It's the King!! Ahhhhhh—cough cough! The King!"

Clearly, the photographer was no longer as calm and rational when he saw Wang Lie as he had been when he saw Vitini and Nova earlier...

The heart-wrenching screams made Lawrence Dadomo's heart uncomfortable, so he turned off the video.

Then he reposted it on his social media accounts with the caption:

"I thought this was Tyne's triumphant return after winning the Champions League... But I have to say, Wang will definitely like it [smile][smile][smile]"

After he posted this update, people quickly started commenting and creating team-building messages in the comments section:
[Laughing and crying emojis]

"That's what happens when you're naive and haven't seen the world."

"Honestly, I seriously doubt whether Tyne's players will feel motivated by seeing this kind of lineup. If it were me, I'd probably be so embarrassed I'd be clenching my toes."

"Hilarious, it's just a Champions League group stage match..."

"I just watched the game and don't really understand it. Do all teams see scenes like this at the airport when they go to play away games in the Champions League?"

"I think the pressure on Tyne's players must be about to explode just thinking about how they'll face so many heartbroken and disappointed fans if they lose on the road! Haha!"

Datomo smiled and liked the comment.

After Wang Lie made those remarks at the signing ceremony, the emotions of Tyne's fans were stirred up. Little did they know that their expectations and support would, in turn, put enormous pressure on the team.

But what did the fans do wrong? They simply believed in the rosy future that Wang Lie painted...

Honestly, it's really exhilarating to raise your arms and shout in front of tens of thousands of people and enjoy the thunderous cheers.

But what's the cost?

You've tied everyone—fans, clubs, players, coaches—to the chariot of your own selfishness and greed, hurtling headlong towards the abyss. The extreme speed and weightlessness create an adrenaline rush, a feeling of euphoria, a wonderful sensation. It convinces the ignorant that they can truly defeat opponents far stronger than themselves…

But what's the price, King?

What's the cost?

※※※

"Haha! I witnessed history! And I became history!"

Inside the airport terminal, Robbie Dixie excitedly said that his phone had many videos he had just filmed, capturing every moment of Tyne's players arriving at the airport.

Although he didn't manage to get tickets and couldn't go to the game, he felt less disappointed to be in such a spectacular scene.

Beside him, bar owner Theo Collins was instructing his son, "Old Berg is getting old, you must take good care of him..."

Harry nodded: "Don't worry, Dad."

Jon Berg was displeased: "Don't make me sound like I'm about to die... I still want to travel all over Europe with Tyne!"

After saying that, he said to Harry Collins, "Let's go, let's go through security."

The two then said goodbye to their companions who had come to see them off and turned to walk towards the security checkpoint.

The others stood watching their retreating figures, seeing the two of them off.

At this moment, the terminal at Newcastle International Airport is bustling with people as usual.

But it was different from usual, because there were many more people wearing blue Tyne jerseys or Tyne scarves.

Some of them were Tyne fans like Jon Berger and Harry Collins, who were heading to Lille to watch the game, while others were Tyne fans like Robbie Dixie and Theo Collins, who came to see them off.

So looking around, the blue figures moving about in the terminal resembled a surging sea.

Among them, the combination of an old man with white hair and a young man is not particularly eye-catching, because there are both old fans with white hair like Jon Berg and young fans like Harry Collins. They blend into the crowd like a drop of water into the ocean.

After he could no longer distinguish the two from the crowd, Theo Collins said to his companions who had come to see him off:
"Alright, let's go home, guys. See you on the live stream."

(End of this chapter)