"Have you ever played soccer?" Zhao Lie didn't shoot immediately, but instead looked at Li Xiu with interest and said.
"No." Li Xiu shook his head. He had occasionally seen some soccer matches and knew a little bit about the basic rules, but he had never actually played soccer.
"What a poor guy, then let me teach you some basic knowledge about soccer, so you can lose convincingly and die with your eyes closed." Zhao Lie, like a cat toying with a mouse, pointed at the soccer ball in front of him and said: "Even if you don't know how to play soccer, you should have seen soccer matches. The distance between the ball and the goal here is that of a penalty kick, the easiest scoring method in a soccer match. Even the top goalkeepers don't have a high success rate in saving penalties. Facing a penalty kick involves not just technique, but also a bit of luck."
"What luck?" Li Xiu wasn't angry at Zhao Lie's teasing attitude; instead, he humbly asked for guidance.
"For a professional shooter, at this distance, if a goalkeeper waits until he sees the ball flying out before trying to save it, it's definitely too late. So before the shooter takes his shot, the goalkeeper must predict whether the shooter will aim left or right, and make a preemptive dive to either side at the moment the shooter kicks, in order to have a chance to block the penalty." Zhao Lie actually explained, seemingly not taking Li Xiu seriously at all.
Among the spectators, many didn't understand soccer, and upon hearing Zhao Lie's explanation, they had a sudden realization.
"I see, thank you for the lesson." Li Xiu nodded.
"No need to thank me, what I said applies to professional goalkeepers who have a chance like that. For an ordinary person like you, whether I shoot left or right, you won't be able to block it, you'll just have to wait for death." Zhao Lie said, suddenly starting to run, planting his left foot, lifting his right foot backward, his body tilting, twisting his waist, like a taut bowstring, his instep striking the ball fiercely.
The whole action was fluid and filled with explosive beauty.
"Will he dive left or right?" The others watched Li Xiu, waiting for his choice, even silently wondering which way they would dive if it were them.
Bang!
The soccer ball crashed heavily into Li Xiu's arms, yet Li Xiu stood there motionless, the ball seemingly flying right into his arms, leaving the onlookers stunned.
"Attacking side failed, zero points awarded, defending side succeeded, awarded one point." The synthetic electronic voice announced, and the positions of the two were switched accordingly.
"Brother, you weren't scared just now, I was just joking with you, it's best if we all survive." Zhao Lie was momentarily stunned, but immediately put on a cheerful smile, though inside he was thinking: "Damn, I overestimated this kid. He didn't react at all, had I known I wouldn't have wasted so much thought, I would have just kicked straight away, truly snubbed by my own cleverness."
Now Zhao Lie was really scared. If Li Xiu didn't shoot at all and, like the previous wife, kicked the ball elsewhere, according to the trial's rules, Zhao Lie would be doomed, with no chance at all.
"Just kidding? Weren't you just trying to guide me to choose left or right?" Li Xiu looked at Zhao Lie with a faint smile.
"How could I... Brother, don't misunderstand..." Having his thoughts revealed by Li Xiu, Zhao Lie's face turned an ugly shade as he frantically tried to explain.
At this moment, his life was truly in Li Xiu's hands, with life and death hinging on Li Xiu's decision.
"No need to explain, you may be a professional player, with decent skills, but you're definitely not the league's best shooter because you lack confidence. A true top shooter would disdain using such tactics because nothing is more reliable than their own skills." Li Xiu interrupted Zhao Lie, speaking calmly: "However, I can give you another chance."
"Brother, that's good to know, we're all people with tough lives..." Zhao Lie had completely lost his previous overbearing demeanor, his face full of ingratiating smiles as he spoke.
"You're right; we're all people with tough lives, so I'll give you a chance. I'll kick the ball to the center, just like you did, and all you have to do is stand there like I did to catch the ball." Li Xiu said.
"Alright, alright, I'll stand here to catch it, brother, take your time kicking." Zhao Lie nodded repeatedly, cursing inwardly: "What a farce, playing this game with me. You're giving me a chance just to get double rewards, right? And having me stand still, who are you kidding? Even if that's your little trick to fool me, just kicking to the center also needs skill. Do you think anyone can just kick a soccer ball wherever they want? Without professional training, it's impossible to be that precise."
Other people had similar thoughts to Zhao Lie; the fate of the previous couple was still fresh in their minds, and even a couple couldn't trust each other, let alone Li Xiu and Zhao Lie.
Li Xiu didn't say anything more, took a few steps back, and with a run-up, came up to the ball, using his left leg as support, his body leaning, his right leg swinging up, and with a sharp waist twist, his instep struck the ball hard.
The motions were done in one smooth action, without a shred of hesitation, mirroring Zhao Lie's previous moves exactly.
"Left or right?" People were guessing in their minds.
"Damn, I was tricked, this guy can play." Before Li Xiu made a shooting pose, Zhao Lie's face had already changed drastically.
Such movements aren't easily mastered to this level of perfection by someone who isn't a professional soccer player.
"Left or right? Or center?" Zhao Lie hesitated in his heart, and knowing that Li Xiu could also play soccer only made him more confused.
Earlier, thinking Li Xiu hadn't been exposed to soccer, he was afraid he'd miss, but now knowing Li Xiu was also a professional, Zhao Lie suddenly realized something, focusing intently on Li Xiu's body movements to determine where his balance was.
Having recently used this move himself, with balance already set on the left leg, to fully unleash power with such a move could only result in the ball being kicked left or center, it's impossible to aim right.
That leaves only middle and left as options, and Zhao Lie didn't believe Li Xiu would shoot the ball to the center, thinking his previous words were just meant to mislead his judgment.
In such a life-and-death duel, who would be foolish enough to give the points away?
Zhao Lie himself wouldn't, and he didn't trust that Li Xiu would either.
Moreover, by calculating probabilities, left, right, and center each hold a one-third chance; if Li Xiu intends to fix Zhao Lie's mindset on center and non-center choices, only actually choosing left or right to shoot, the odds of winning are much higher.
"Yes, it's left, it must be left." Zhao Lie's eyes suddenly brightened, and he rushed to dive left.
But as Zhao Lie was in mid-air, he horrifyingly realized the soccer ball was already whistling toward where he had just been standing, identical to the shot he had made earlier, without even differing in height by a fraction.
Suspended in mid-air, Zhao Lie could now only twist his head, watching the ball zip past him, crashing fiercely into the net, his eyes transitioning from surprise, to confusion, to regret, then from regret to fear, and finally all his fear turned into despair.
The ball and Zhao Lie almost simultaneously hit the ground, followed by the cold synthetic electronic voice resounding above.
"Attacking side succeeded, awarded one point; defending side failed, awarded zero points. Score calculation complete, distributing rewards, beginning cleanup..."
"No..."
Bang!
With an explosion, Zhao Lie's heart-wrenching, unwilling scream abruptly stopped, and blood and shattered bone blasted everywhere.
Li Xiu's wristband also lit up, emitting a faint blood glow, and Li Xiu felt a tightness where the wristband was bound, a needle-like pain as if something was being injected into his veins.