Hunter and Hussar

Chapter 108 The Darkest Hour
The second round match against the High School of Science and Technology was our indisputable darkest moment in junior high school, and perhaps also the darkest moment for Mi Le before his 14th birthday.It is more memorable than any loss.I also thought about whether I should write this memory into words.Perhaps parents who would have wanted their children involved in soccer or other sports would have decided to pull their children out of the house after reading it.I still remember the worries that I expressed to us on the first Mid-Autumn Festival in the first year of junior high school, and these worries that only existed in the mind turned into dripping reality, and appeared in front of us children under the age of 15 without any cover .

However, since you have made up your mind to re-examine yourself, why do you have to avoid it? "There are too many things in life that you can't pass with a laugh. It's not that you don't want to, things don't exist. We can't escape from some things because they are heavy. We think they are unhealthy and shouldn't be thought about. If you don't use your brain often, People will become stupid and indifferent." "Even if there is a misunderstanding, as long as you give sincerely, everyone will always understand. Don't hesitate because you will be misunderstood. You know, you do something, not for others Yes, because you think it is worth doing." "It may not be difficult for life and destiny to crush a person. Everyone has a moment when they can't bear it. But sometimes there is always a kind of power that can support people and make them They will not be changed." I haven't had time to forget the words of the teachers, and I still remember the consistent uprightness of those who endured this disaster.Don't give up eating because of choking.Man is born destined to die, but man is not born to die.Again, that lurking danger has nothing to do with a sport we play and love.A dark day let us know the value and greatness of light, just as Mr. Zhou said in the first game, sports taught us warmth and strength.

However...you must also always remember that you can't be curious, and you can't be moved by yourself.As traumatized as we were by this game, it wasn't us who were really suffering from that pain at all.He shouldn't be silent and lose his voice. It is Mi Le and I who really need to restrain and be quiet.No matter how hard I try to review the events of that day calmly and objectively, all I can tell is what I saw and heard.

Let's face it again.

We continued our previous start in the second round.As long as there is a tie, you can advance to the final, and a small loss with a goal is also acceptable.Like last week’s foreign school, the Polytechnic must attack, and as long as we consolidate our defenses like 54 and seize the opportunity to counterattack, I believe we can replicate the result of that game—not to mention that our number and opponents were equal at the beginning .Xuexue entered the squad this time and sat on the bench wearing a mask.But the coach also solemnly announced that his only chance to play is a penalty shootout.In the community class on Friday, the whole team practiced penalty kicks.Even if there is only a 0:1 loss, there will be a life-and-death battle of penalty kicks to determine the promotion places, but the coach still made us fully prepared.As always, even with a mask on, Xuexue's penalty kicks are still the most stable, followed by Lao Ye, and the two of them almost "must hit every point".By the way, Mu Zheng also returned to the sidelines. Although he was only doing some restorative exercises alone, he did not participate in other group training except penalty kicks.It will take time to recover to the level of being able to play games, and it will take even longer to return to the previous state of invincibility.At that time, we all thought that he would not be able to catch up with the last game, but as long as he appeared with us, it was enough to inspire.

Mu Zheng wasn't there that day, just in time for his scheduled reexamination.It was a pity for him to arrange the timing by accident, but now he thinks about it, but it is a great luck.

Our penalty kick training is about to come in handy.In the first half, we resolved several rounds of offensives from the High School of Science and Technology one by one, and continued to create threats on offense.Ye Ruiyang had a header that slipped past the goal once, and Yan Xi also went into the penalty area, but unfortunately his low shot was blocked by the No. 4 player with Cicero on his back.Things were going in our favor until the end of half-time.

"Show face, is this the Penalty Kick High School?" Lao Ye's expression can only be described as "furious".I heard that we were awarded a very controversial penalty here last season. I was not at the scene that day and cannot comment.But today the penalty was blown on my head, and the referee showed me a yellow card.The moment the whistle sounded was unbelievable, there was a roar in his head, and countless hot bugs were stinging and jumping on his back.

How could this be a penalty?
1 minute ago, Aniwal received Huo Yuqi's scalpel through, and successfully entered the penalty area against offside to form a single-handed goal.I naturally chose to abandon the goal and attack. Thinking about it today, I was brave enough to meet his long legs with the ball with my hands.It may be this brave and fearless aura that affected him. When Anival tried to circle me, his center of gravity was a little unsteady, and the ball was touched by my hand in the opposite direction accurately and timely.Like all strikers, Aniwal jumped up and over me after losing possession, a collision avoidance, protection for the opponent as well as himself, and sportsmanship.But his pace was a bit unsteady, and he jumped hastily. After he landed, he fell in the penalty area.My first reaction after hugging the ball was to look back to see if he was injured, but at this time the referee's finger pointed to the penalty spot.

I didn't even touch him, and Anivar stood up quickly.There were quite a few people who witnessed this scene. Three of my four defenders ran to the referee to protest, and some players from both sides even had a small altercation.And after a brief absence, I was greeted with rage all over my body.It's not that being awarded a penalty kick is unacceptable, the problem is that it shouldn't exist at all.This is not the first time we have suffered because of the referee's mistakes. Last time it was Luka, this time it was me. This obvious misjudgment has repeatedly challenged our confidence in the law enforcers.But I have to be patient. I am the captain and I already have a yellow card. Any aggressive behavior may bring new blows to the team.

"Tell me, did Ke Ke touch you! Talk! Are you dumb?"

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Mi Le so angry (mainly because I haven’t “created opportunities” much in my life). He pushed Aniwar, who was quite different in height from him, and he still had the upper hand, letting the other party choose in silence.And the more silent he was, the angrier Mi Le became, and angrily pushed him.Anival took a few steps back—if it were a "smart person", he might have screamed, and then fell to the ground more realistically, rolling around covering his face.In this way, the uninformed referee may directly show Mi Le a red card.

"It's okay, don't be in a hurry, I can rush." ​​I hugged Mi Le tightly from behind, and he was trying to break free like crazy, but in my desperation, I used my strength to lift him off the ground.Even if it was only suspended in the air for a moment, Mi Le's feet kicked up habitually, and my calf was kicked unintentionally, and I almost lost my footing.

"Kepwe, you've been like this all your life! Turn your elbows out! I'm helping you!" Seeing that he couldn't get rid of my arm, he turned his head and yelled angrily. He didn't calm down until the referee and the players from both sides came over. a little.The referee asked what happened just now, and Anival and I said it was all right.The referee didn't play any more cards, but Mi Le turned his head unhappily, and turned his back to me as if angry.

Why don't I want to protest?It's really useless, I can't do anything, it's more shameful than watching Luka lift his clothes from the sidelines last time.

"Student, did the captain of No. [-] Squadron touch you?" Huo Yuqi, who was wearing the captain's armband, walked up to Aniwar with the ball in his arms. "Tell the truth. I see it clearly myself."

Aqi's voice was not loud, and Anival also answered close to his ear.Why are you asking this?The actions of the science and technology captain interrupted my anger and anxiety, and my brain, which was a little hot and trying to control itself, got a little buffer.

Ke Ke, I'm sorry, I was too excited just now.I understand you.Don't be influenced by me, okay?We are still playing as well as before.Mi Le's dissatisfaction only lasted for a moment.Just as I was looking at the opponent I was talking to, he took the initiative to walk up to me, with a bit of embarrassment on his frowning face.He also grabbed my glove and shook it beseechingly, which reminded me of the happiness that was used as a shield that day when I was looking for a parrot.

Hearing his calm tone, those distracting thoughts in my heart disappeared.It's amazing that one person's anger and happiness can so effectively affect the emotions of others, as if being led by the nose, deep down he is still willing.The stability of Mi Le is the most effective sedative for me, and it instills confidence and strength into me.

The protest was fruitless, everyone retreated outside the restricted area, and I stood in front of the door, flapping my gloves. "Heaven and earth have righteousness, mixed with manifolds", once again, I wore it on my hand.This time I will definitely make it to the finals.Come on, so what if it's a penalty "made out of nothing"?Justice is at ease.You two are optimistic, whether it is Anival or Huo Yuqi, their shots will be blocked by me.

Huo Yuqi walked to the goal with the ball in his arms.

"It's not a penalty kick. I'll take the penalty, don't worry." He put his hand on my shoulder lightly, and then walked resolutely to the penalty spot.

What is he going to do?A thought slipped through my mind: to give up the shot.This is a text learned in primary school, and one of the few times football is mentioned in class, about Liverpool striker Fowler deliberately missing a misjudged penalty during the game.Such a noble behavior left a deep impression on us. Xianxian told me that if faced with a similar situation, he would learn from Fowler and take the initiative to miss the penalty that he should not have won.Therefore, for a long time, Fowler was one of my favorite players-although I can't remember the names of several players at all.

I don't know if this text is included in the current elementary school textbooks.It might be a good thing if it's gone.Because part of its description does not conform to the facts, it is just a misunderstanding caused by subjective feelings.It was Ye Ruiyang who told me about it, and I had a fight with him—children are always angry when something they believe in is suddenly completely denied, even though I can't produce any evidence except the authority of the textbook.Miller was on my side that day, too, and I guess he didn't support me out of knowing the facts either.But we both lost face in front of Ye Ruiyang, and we didn't have any temper at all: he found out the video of the game that year.The text is right, Fowler did show sportsmanship to the referee that the penalty does not exist.But only this part is right. When taking the penalty kick, Fowler obviously wanted to score—not "kicking the ball right to Seaman's chest on purpose", but to the right. A definite angle.Such a shot is not "any goalkeeper can catch it effortlessly", as long as the goalkeeper guesses the wrong direction, he will undoubtedly enter.Fowler also enthusiastically participated in the celebration after his teammates scored with a supplementary shot.More importantly, Ye Ruiyang took out the news that Fowler was interviewed many years later. The person concerned stated conclusively that he did not give up the shot on purpose, but simply failed to make a penalty.

I am very depressed.At this time, it's not that he can't accept the truth, but he just feels aggrieved by losing to his deskmate, even though it's a trivial matter.However, he did not celebrate triumphantly after "beating" me and Miller. Instead, he made some excuses for Fowler, probably to ease the atmosphere.He believes that it is his duty to make a penalty, and it is a matter of affection not to make a penalty, which is understandable.It was a very crucial game, and thousands of their own fans were looking forward to scoring a goal. If it were me, I might also choose to score the ball after some "ideological struggle".Fundamentally speaking, the ball was the referee's mistake, not the player's own flopping.hypocritical!I yelled at him unceremoniously, seeming to be very upright, but in fact, about nine points were dissatisfaction after the "defeat".How can you be wrong?Taking something that is clearly not supposed to be yours is no different from a thief!These words made Ye Ruiyang speechless. Morality is a powerful stick after all, but what I paid attention to at that time was probably not fairness and justice itself.

"I've also studied "Refused to Shot", but I really don't know that Fowler originally wanted to kick the ball in. But I was really puzzled at the time, why didn't Fowler kick the sky? If not, he would go to the goal Kicking outside. There are players who have done this, but it has not been written into the text. In short, it is easier not to score than to score, so when I was a child, I thought the text was a bit strange. Ah, Amagi, don’t look at me like this, I Not talking about you."

"It's nothing. I should scold you. Team Ke, don't learn from me in the final."

"Just a little bit. Being able to run out of opportunities is also strength."

Huo Yuqi really missed the ball.I judged the wrong direction. The ball rolled out of the baseline from the left, far away from the goal post, and there was no possibility of a follow-up shot; it was also very fast, giving no chance for anyone to catch it. "Any goalkeeper can save this 'gentle' penalty without any difficulty", this is the description in the textbook.And Huo Yuqi's shot, even without the goalkeeper, has absolutely no chance of scoring.

Ace is really good.Even if he just turned around after the penalty and walked away without saying anything, I also know what his actions mean.Maybe he was educated by his father who is a policeman since he was a child, and he will always regard honesty as the creed of life; maybe he and Mingming have been rivals for many years, and their sympathy for each other makes him always believe in defeating his rivals in a dignified way.I didn't ask him, and maybe it wasn't a problem for him, he wasn't one to take something as a passport - even though we ourselves might all think that something was justifiable.

If he really scored, I guess I wouldn't blame him too much, maybe he is the only one who can blame him.

"Actually, the penalty kick you scored in the first year of junior high school was a bit far-fetched. But I was a little scared. After all, the seniors were in a hurry, and the captain appointed me to take the penalty. I dare not miss it. But now I'm captain, and much braver."

This is what Aceh told me afterwards.Mr. Lu Xun once raised a question in that article: I don't want to lie, and I don't want to be beaten, so what should I do?

Be brave, be brave.

"Huo Yuqi, are you fucking sick? Are you pretending to be your mother?" A member of the science and technology team rushed up and bumped into his captain unexpectedly, muttering something to the effect that what the hell are you thinking you are? What about the innocent little angel, great good man, are you such a saint? Don’t you know that we are lagging behind? Are you still playing handsome here?Aqi didn't return it, he just let his teammates scold him.Anival and Li Tiancheng firmly kept the captain behind, while the other students kept persuading their companions.From the look of his eyes, it seems that there is more than one person who is dissatisfied with the captain.As for us, apart from helping to fight, it is not good to express too much gratitude to Aqi's behavior-this is likely to intensify the conflict on the field, even if the conflict occurs between opponents.Fortunately, we don't have any "smart people" here, and we didn't use "magical calculations" to repay Aceh's openness.

"I wanted to tell the referee that it wasn't a penalty, you didn't touch me. But... I just didn't do it. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize, I understand."

The referee didn't draw the card in the end.It is estimated that it is rare to see teammates infighting directly on the court.After hastily blowing the whistle to end the first half, we all returned to the locker room with our own thoughts.The coach of science and technology nodded to him when he saw Aqi coming, perhaps he was affirmed by his behavior.Seeing this scene, I let go of my hanging heart a little.

What if such a thing befalls us?What if my teammates still insist on this kind of moral bottom line that is considered to be "lower" when the total score is behind?will i be angryI don't know, only when it happens can I know what to do.Dodging the question, everyone sat quietly in the locker room until the bell rang for us to return to the game. After 30 minutes, the ownership of the second final ticket will be decided.You must be united, focus on nothing, and win the game with dignity.This is the last belief before playing, we are getting closer and closer to making history.

However, when he returned to the locker room again, nearly an hour had passed.Then the dressing room will be filled with murmurs of silence that are far more terrifying than half-time.

No one uses meanness as a passport, but why is nobleness still the epitaph of the noble?
In the second half of the game, Aceh showed an absolutely wonderful personal performance. "It was probably the best half I played in junior high, even though it was less than 15 minutes. I want to win, I want to make it to the final, and I know every teammate thinks so. In a way, you're angry That's right, I'm making my own decisions, and I'm making my own as the captain. No apologies, really. I understand you. So I'll try to give my best performance to help everyone win the game. We didn't achieve at halftime Is it consistent? The coach also told us. Oh, Keke, you did a good job with those few saves. If you ask me, you are the best goalkeeper in the entire Mayor's Cup. However, you guy also Pretty lucky."

Archie was right.His two round shots in the second half were close to perfect. One was thrown by me and hit the goal post, and the other was directly spun and flew into the dead corner, but was ruled invalid because of a teammate's foul.Li Tiancheng also shot from close range, the angle was actually very tricky, his shooting skills were fine, I blocked it with my instinctive reaction.Our defense has achieved the ultimate, but it is gradually unsustainable under the overwhelming offense of the Polytechnic.Yan Xi fell into invisibility in the frontcourt, and we could hardly control the ball, and there was no way to send him shells.Under the situation of continuous oppression, the straw on the camel's back is getting more and more, and the smell of "badness" can gradually be smelled by everyone.

But who would have thought that something far more terrifying than conceding a goal or even being eliminated would happen first?

It all started with a long pass from the back, and Aniwal got the ball and pushed it to Aziz on the wing.The ball was flying in the air, and it was Mi Le who was competing with the captain of the science and engineering team.There was still some gap in height. During the take-off process, Aqi's hand accidentally hit Mi Le in the face.The referee didn't blow.The ball fell behind the two, and they went on to grab it.Mi Le, who suffered a disadvantage, poked the ball with his foot from behind. There should be some movements in his hands, but I didn't see it clearly. Really, Mi Le himself said that there was.Not very big, at least not with much force.The ball missed, Aceh lost his center of gravity a bit, he fell forward, and Mi Le, who tripped him behind, also lost his balance.

"I was slapped on the face. It hurts. I was slapped before, and it was also on the face. It was much more ruthless. I didn't fight back. This time, maybe because you are a classmate, I am very annoyed." .I know now that you didn't mean it, but I was in a hurry, and we were under too much pressure. I'm not making excuses, I really don't. I know I was wrong, and I can't do it again. But I really, really Not trying to be mean, I never want anything to happen to anyone. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'd rather have this happen to me than to have it happen to you."

Miller is my best friend, this cannot be denied, everyone can think that I am speaking for him: I don't think it was a flagrant foul, the yellow card is not enough, there are more than a dozen such fouls in every game.If only there had been video, we'd be able to judge the nature of Miller's actions as much as Fowler's real intentions.But thankfully there was no video, and no one had the courage to watch what happened seconds later.

It happened to be a mediocre foul that brought catastrophic results, but it cannot be excused just because there is no malice.Just when Aqi fell forward, the polytechnic player who had quarreled with him in the first half came to help him fight for the ball.It was too late to stop, and they bumped into each other.

Heart-piercing screams.It was hard to believe that someone as gentle and gentle as Aceh could make such a creepy sound.The referee hurriedly blew to stop the game, and everyone was frozen in place by the terrible voice.After getting up, Aqi's teammates waved their hands like crazy survivors who saw the ship in a shipwreck to call everyone.After Mi Le got up, he just glanced at it, and like a frightened little animal, he knelt on the ground with his head in his arms and howled loudly.

I have known each other for two years, and Mi Le has cried several times in front of me, but I have never seen him collapse, and it is such a completely destroyed collapse.I myself have almost forgotten that people can fall into such despair, even though a similar situation has happened to me.That day I locked myself tightly in the room, shrinking into a hedgehog in the shadow of the lower bunk.My sister was outside the door, probably kneeling on the ground, knocking on the door while crying, begging me endlessly to let her in, until the end her voice became hoarse, as if a few tons of sand had been poured in, and all her dignity was squeezed out a little. Not left.I thought I escaped from this dark haze in junior high school, but after I spent more than half of the three years, it came again like a ghost, appearing on my best friend.

But it was Aqi who was injured.More than one person cried, heard in a trance.But the only one who was suffering physically was him.How can I describe that pain?I don't know, I've never felt the taste of a broken bone, and a dislocation is enough to break me.I don't even know how to describe this horrific twist.Mr. Huang said that Mr. Fujino changed Lu Xun's human anatomy diagram.Mr. Fujino said that the painting looks good, but the real thing is not like this.And what I saw must be less human body than the pictures drawn by Mr. Lu Xun.Being injured like this is completely beyond the boundaries of junior high school students' imagination.

Although there were stretchers and school doctors on the sidelines, the ambulance had to wait.Everyone stopped on the runway of the stadium, almost all supporting each other, like a group of seagulls standing on the reef and waiting stupidly, the sun willfully and chaotically wrapped us all up and kneaded.Mi Le fell into my arms. After standing for less than a minute, he became unstable. He gradually changed to squat down, and finally fell to the ground uncontrollably, covering his red eyes with his elbows.And the ambulance still won't come, and each of us is ordering ourselves not to look at it or think about it, but our eyes and hearts can't escape.Damn it, it's absurd that Aceh is lying like this waiting for the ambulance.As for me, I can't do anything, I can't help Aqi, and I can't help Mi Le, I just cover him with my body funny, like an eagle catching chickens, and I'm afraid of him I am afraid that my opponent will retaliate when I see it again.Come on me.I won't fight back, I won't fight back.I thought so.

But it was Aqi who was injured, and he was also lying on the stretcher waiting for the ambulance.

"No. 3 in one hit, violent foul, red card."

After Aqi was picked up, the referee resumed the game. The first thing he did was to take out the card symbolizing the death sentence to Mi Le who was still lying on the ground.it's all over.Even if I advance to the final, it is impossible for Mi Le to appear by my side and fight side by side with me.But I didn't think of this at the time, and I still replay that horrible moment in my brain from time to time.

(End of this chapter)