Bora: "I admit that Cristiano Ronaldo may have been kept in the dark. Hugo was merely used. The real mastermind behind the match-fixing group turned out to be Kai!"
"How terrifying! He's only thirteen years old! He's practically a devil!"
"Some people may ask, what can a thirteen-year-old child do? But please don't forget—he's a genius prodigy who completed Portugal's twelve-year compulsory education in just three years!"
"He is the first person with an exceptionally high IQ to be admitted to the University of Lisbon under special circumstances and receive a scholarship!"
"By exploiting close ethnic ties and moral pressure within the Chinese community, he built an airtight global betting network. Truly terrifying intelligence."
"Fortunately, the Ronaldo match-fixing own-goal incident broke out early, allowing us to discover this criminal organization in its infancy. Otherwise, who knows how much wealth he would have siphoned out of Europe!"
"Yellow people are truly disgusting!"
Bora's rhythm was aggressive and relentless.
But this time, no one dared to speak for Kai.
Even Jiang Yunzhu's articles were all rejected by the editor-in-chief of Record.
Because this time, the situation was serious.
There is a fundamental difference between controlling an organized match-fixing syndicate and players being involved in small-scale illegal betting.
Once the evidence is confirmed, it doesn't matter whether Kai is thirteen or three years old—he will go to prison, and life inside will not be easy.
What?
Juvenile Protection Act?
Human rights?
Don't joke.
In Europe and America, special laws ultimately protect capital.
If you have money, it's hard to go to prison.
If you still go to prison despite being rich, it only means someone richer wants you there.
That's all.
Private contact with football players is serious within football, but has little impact on European society as a whole.
Very few people are actually sentenced.
At worst, it's suspension or expulsion from a local league.
Lifetime bans are rare.
But once it involves large-scale, organized, disciplined, and purposeful crime, the nature changes completely.
That becomes a serious economic crime.
Even if you flee Europe, people will still hunt you down.
Does Interpol exist for decoration?
…
"Kai, what exactly is going on?"
"I'm under enormous pressure. I may not be able to hold on much longer. You need to be prepared."
"The club has temporarily suspended me. I'm sorry."
Looking at the messages sent by Trigueira, Kai thought this man was still reliable.
But unfortunately, there were forces above Trigueira.
In a matter this big, Trigueira had no room to maneuver.
Fine.
"Sister Yunzhu, I need to ask you for help…" Kai dialed Jiang Yunzhu's number.
After listening to Kai, Jiang Yunzhu's palms were drenched in sweat.
"Are you sure you can do this, Kai?"
Kai said calmly,
"Sister, if you listen to what I just told you, you should already know—there is absolutely nothing wrong with me."
"I know this puts you in a difficult position. But be honest—do you really think they're just targeting someone suspected of match-fixing?"
"No. They're targeting a Chinese person."
"My name. My blood. My skin. My hair."
"If it weren't for these things, public opinion wouldn't look like this, and the handling of the case wouldn't look like this either. You know that better than I do."
"Also, think about it, sister. You're famous in Europe now—but what about back home?"
"If you don't do something earth-shattering, will the country truly recognize you?"
"In ten years, will you really be satisfied just being the editor-in-chief of one section?"
"Believe me—once this incident is resolved, you'll have the confidence to compete for editor-in-chief in the future."
"This helps me, yes—but it also helps you."
"And haven't you always wanted to introduce Chinese players playing in Europe to domestic fans?"
"I don't think we need to wait anymore."
"Now is the time."
After a long silence, Jiang Yunzhu finally spoke:
"Alright. Since you've decided, I'll go with you this time."
She immediately corrected herself:
"I mean—I'll accompany you to meet these Portuguese capital forces."
The next day, Portuguese media outlets across the board received invitations from the Chinese outlet Sports Weekly.
A press conference would be held at 12 noon.
It would give a direct response to the accusation that Chinese-Portuguese player Kai was involved in match-fixing.
The notice emphasized that this was a major incident related to bilateral friendship, and urged the Portuguese side to handle it with caution.
Major European football newspapers and magazines also received the invitation.
Choosing unknown media would have been pointless—Portuguese media wouldn't care.
Because someone had already warned them not to speak for Kai.
An invisible force had drained Portuguese media of its vitality.
That was why, after Kai was labeled the mastermind, everything felt like a foregone conclusion.
But media outside Portugal were interested.
On one hand, the story itself was explosive—a thirteen-year-old alleged football syndicate boss?
That alone could sell newspapers.
On the other hand, this was a rare tough stance from Chinese media:
"I have something to say about something big. Don't shut me up. Come and listen."
Soon, reporters from major outlets swarmed toward Lisbon.
Those who couldn't fly in time hired local partners or freelancers to secure exclusive footage.
Sporting Lisbon publicly stated that the matter had nothing to do with the club, and forbade team members from attending.
But that day, Trigueira still showed up, representing himself.
Ronaldo also made repeated requests and was eventually allowed to attend to support Kai.
At the center of the press table sat Jiang Yunzhu and Kai.
"Hello everyone. My name is Jiang Yunzhu, a reporter from the Chinese football outlet Sports Weekly in Portugal."
As she began speaking, her phone was already exploding with calls.
The headquarters of Sports Weekly had no idea this press conference was happening.
They had just heard from colleagues that their Portugal office had summoned nearly all European football media.
A Korean reporter mocked bitterly on the phone:
"Wow, Sports Weekly is incredible now. Summoning all of Europe—what are you announcing? Is Chinese capital acquiring Sporting Lisbon? Or are you setting up a new Ball King Award to replace the Ballon d'Or?"
The editor-in-chief nearly had a heart attack.
If this went wrong, not only would their European connections collapse, it could even affect diplomatic strategy.
"Jiang Yunzhu, you eternal sinner—"
But from Kai's perspective?
To be honest, Sports Weekly's European connections were shit.
You treat people like friends, they treat you like their son.
Ask them to help send one or two young players abroad—can't do it.
Bullshit.
When people make money through you, they're your friends.
When you need help, suddenly no one knows you.
That's what you call friendship?
As for affecting official strategy—sometimes blind politeness doesn't earn respect.
Sometimes, you need to flex a little muscle.
After Jiang Yunzhu finished the introduction, all eyes turned to Kai.
Under countless flashing cameras, he spoke slowly:
"I am aware that the Portuguese Anti-Gambling Authority believes I organized match-fixing."
"Before addressing that, I want to tell you something."
"More than 90% of the members of the Portuguese Anti-Gambling Authority have close economic ties with major gambling institutions in Portugal, Spain, and across Europe."
"Many members' relatives—and even the members themselves—serve as senior executives in gambling companies."
Boom.
The entire venue exploded.
What the fuck?
Everyone knew there were connections—but saying it out loud was another matter.
Doing something quietly is one thing.
Saying it publicly forces everyone to think.
And once people start thinking, these things don't hold up under scrutiny.
Because there really is a problem.
And since Kai dared to say it—
It meant he was ready to go all in.
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