Chapter 35: I Am Invincible in the 2D World!

"This kid..."

Even Wenger was stunned. A hat-trick! A genuine hat-trick!

What does a hat-trick even mean? Many strikers go their entire careers without ever recording one! Yet Li Mo, in his very first start, had accomplished the feat. It was truly astonishing. The entire Emirates Stadium was momentarily struck dumb by Li Mo’s performance, but the Arsenal fans quickly recovered, leaping to their feet in unison.

"LI!"

The roar from the stands formed a whirlwind that swept through the Emirates, creating a tremor that felt almost like a minor earthquake.

"He is an absolute star now!" Andy Gray shouted. "The youngest hat-trick hero in Premier League history! Who else? Who else could do this? He has shattered Michael Owen’s record!"

Gary Neville looked equally animated. "Yes, I must admit it—he is a genius! I owe him an apology. He isn’t some replacement for Van Persie; he is Li Mo! He has whipped up his own personal storm in the Premier League!"

Although Neville’s commentary was often abstract, he was, after all, a former professional footballer. He knew the weight of a hat-trick better than anyone—especially one scored by a seventeen-year-old, just 115 days past his birthday, in the intensely competitive Premier League.

"I have to admit, I am completely won over by him," Neville remarked with emotion.

In the stands, the Inzaghi brothers were locked in an embrace. Simone Inzaghi shouted, "He’s definitely going to be better than you ever were!"

"Naturally! Naturally! Absolutely!" Filippo Inzaghi replied, beaming. "He is a genius, a pure genius! He will be the hope of Italy!"

The families were celebrating as well. Li Shengli hugged his wife and daughter. The path to becoming a professional player is treacherous; at any step, you risk being discarded. But now, it was clear: Li Mo had succeeded. He was a professional player capable of establishing himself in the Premier League—given the vastness of the world’s football pyramid, anyone who could make it in the Premier League was already at the very pinnacle.

Amid the deafening cheers, the Arsenal players initially planned to rush over to celebrate with him. However, they noticed Li Mo clutching his groin, wincing, and hopping about. They suddenly remembered: he had scored that goal with that very area! Being men, they all knew exactly how painful a blow to that region could be.

"Are you alright? Is everything okay?" Giroud hurried over to ask, and the rest of the Arsenal squad gathered around in concern.

Li Mo bounced a little, feeling the sharpest pain subside, and gave a slight nod. "I think I’m okay."

"Thank goodness for that," his teammates sighed in relief. The female fans in the stands breathed a sigh of relief as well. Because of the incident, the fervor of the celebration dampened slightly, turning into simple high-fives and hugs.

On the sideline, Podolski was ready to come on.

"Arsenal are set to substitute their goal-scoring hero, Li Mo. In reality, this is his first professional league start, and for a seventeen-year-old, his stamina was essentially at its limit by the sixty-fifth minute," Andy Gray noted.

The cameras stayed locked on Li Mo as he walked from the Southampton penalty area toward the touchline. The score was 5-0; Southampton’s spirit was broken. Their players didn’t demand that Li Mo exit the field at the nearest point. The referee knew that Li Mo was the protagonist of the day, and he deserved to soak in the cheers and applause of the entire stadium—the reward for a seventeen-year-old scoring a Premier League hat-trick. Thus, the referee didn't rush him.

The entire stadium stood, applauding. The thunderous sound of clapping became the pulse of the arena, everyone saluting the boy walking off the pitch. Even many of the visiting fans stood to applaud; they had been soundly beaten, and they were willing to admit it.

Li Mo clapped as he walked to the sideline, high-fiving Podolski.

"Fantastic performance, Li," the German praised.

"Thank you," Li Mo replied with a smile.

Wenger was waiting for him, pulling him into an embrace. "Outstanding. I believe today will be known as your legendary day."

Wenger’s eyes were filled with nothing but Li Mo. He was certain that the boy in front of him was better than Van Persie. He had talent—of course, Van Persie had talent too—but beyond that, his work ethic in training was among the best Wenger had ever seen. Even more precious was the fact that he was only seventeen. To have the discipline to simplify his life down to nothing but training and matches... for a guy like that, success was inevitable.

When Li Mo returned to the bench, the substitutes all stood up to high-five him. At that moment, the actual match on the pitch seemed almost secondary. The television broadcast kept cutting back to Li Mo.

However, Li Mo’s expression wasn't entirely cheerful.

"It seems the little guy isn't quite finished yet, even after being subbed off," Andy Gray laughed.

"That's natural. If it were me, I’d be a bit annoyed to be taken off at a time like this too," Martin Keown commented.

But in truth, Li Mo knew his own situation. His stamina was completely drained. Even if he had stayed on the pitch, he would have been reduced to walking. Being subbed off wasn't the issue. What he was worried about was... his '2D' equipment.

*Did I break my privates with that hit?* Li Mo thought, looking down with genuine concern.

After the match ended, Li Mo hurried back to the locker room. This left the reporters—who were planning to chase him for an interview and hand him the match ball—completely bewildered. In the end, team captain Vermaelen had to bring the match ball back for him.

"Our little genius perhaps lacks experience. He forgot he could take the match ball as a souvenir," Vermaelen explained to the referee.

Everyone found it odd. When they returned to the locker room, Li Mo was nowhere to be found. Everyone wanted to celebrate, but with the protagonist missing, the mood just wasn't the same. Even after Wenger returned from the post-match press conference, Li Mo was still missing.

"Where is Li? Where did he go?" Wenger asked with a frown.

Just then, the door to the locker room bathroom swung open. Li Mo stepped out and suddenly let out a wild laugh.

"Ha! Hahahahahaha!!!"

The Arsenal players were left staring, completely bewildered.

"Has this guy gone crazy from happiness?" Koscielny muttered.

"Li?" someone called out.

Li Mo finally snapped out of it. He looked at his teammates.

"My 2D is still invincible!"

The Arsenal players all went speechless. *You rushed back to the locker room just to verify the state of your privates?!*