I Take the Chinese National Team by Storm at the World Cup

Reborn as the manager of a China League One team fighting to avoid relegation, he activates the System: feline neural implants.

At first, only two players get them: a winger and a defensive midfielder, with the reflexes, changes of direction, and short bursts of a tabby cat.

While the opposition still plays at a normal tempo, passing and controlling possession, our team is already cutting through midfield with one-touch passes.

Win once, and three players are unlocked. Win again, and the whole team reaches housecat level. Win again, and the upgrades advance through wildcat, snow leopard, and cheetah.

A China League One side gets knocked out without scoring. A Super League champion's attacking trio manages just nineteen touches all match. The Japanese champions in the AFC Champions League fail to put a single shot on target in the box. The fitness-testing equipment at a European giant crashes on the spot.

Mbappe doesn't touch the ball once in the first half. Ronaldo waits all night for a cross that never reaches his head. At his final World Cup, Messi shakes his hand and says the style of play isn't against the rules, but there's no way to learn it.

They can't change our bodies, so they change the rules.

We can't change the rules, so we upgrade another level.

Starting with two players, we rewire the frame rate of the entire football world.

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.