H Province TV’s “Volleyball Frontline” program.
Before the match between the Hamster Club and the Beluga1 Club, Wu Di began to provide a preview for the audience.
Wu Di: “Heh, this match is quite interesting. Both teams have animal names, and they have been rivals in the Russian Super League for a long time. I remember a few years ago when the Hamster Club was at its peak, they challenged the Russian Super League title for five consecutive years, but every time they were blocked by the Beluga Club, resulting in five runner-up finishes. It’s quite a legendary tale, but also a twist of fate.”
Professor Li Laiheng adjusted his glasses: “These two teams used to have similar lineups. The Hamster Club had powerful attackers, and so did the Beluga Club. The Hamster Club had a formidable setter, and the Beluga Club had one too. However, in every aspect, the Beluga Club was more mature and well-rounded than the Hamster Club, which allowed them to dominate over the Hamster Club. It’s like the saying, ‘Once the hamster is born, so is the beluga.’”
Wu Di: “But this year, the Hamster Club introduced our country’s young talents, Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling, as foreign players, so the team’s style has undergone significant changes.”
Li Laiheng: “Yes, the Hamster Club introduced two foreign players this year to strengthen their defense, but we don’t know if our two young talents can defend against Roman. According to the data, Roman was the top main attacker in the Rio Olympics men’s volleyball competition, and he is a very formidable player. Like our Qin Chunxiao, he was already a highly regarded talent during his youth career.”
Following that, H Province TV also aired a pre-made video showing top male volleyball players from various countries helping their seniors carry bags during their rookie days.
Yes, in team sports, rookies helping their seniors carry bags is a common scene. Sometimes, the seniors even play pranks on the rookies. For example, in the NBA, there have been instances of young players carrying pink backpacks at the request of their seniors.
However, in the video full of tall, strong, and muscular players, only one Chinese player appeared, and that was Qin Chunxiao. But he wasn’t carrying any bags in the video… It was his teammate Anton standing next to him who was helping carry the bag. Some sharp-eyed fans remembered that the official Weibo account of the Hamster Club had once posted this picture, saying that Misha Qin had a shoulder muscle strain, and his teammates helped carry his bag out of friendship. It had evoked a lot of sympathy from fans for little Qin’s shoulder.
After the scene of Anton helping carry the bag passed, another scene appeared, showing another veteran player helping Roman carry his bag.
Wu Di commented: “It’s also fate. When Roman joined the Beluga Club, another player who had only won bronze medals for a long time also transferred to the Belugas, and in that year, they joined forces to win the Russian Super League championship.”
Audience: “Isn’t this the legendary move of hugging the big legs to win the championship?”
Regular viewers of sports competitions knew that some older players, if they had been longing for a certain gold medal throughout their careers, keep that in mind. When they got older and their physical condition declines, they may not hesitate to transfer to stronger teams, hoping to win the championship alongside powerful teammates.
However, the scene of Anton helping Xiaoqin carry the bag, included in this video, was juxtaposed with the scene of Roman, making it feel a bit strange.
Many viewers pondered that their Xiaoqin was indeed very talented, but he was only 16 years old, and he joined the Hamster Club just this year. His “thighs” weren’t thick enough for people to compete to hug him, right? It seemed like H Province TV was randomly editing, making it seem like Anton, the esteemed leader of the Hamsters, had to act as if he were Xiaoqin’s father.
In the eyes of Chinese fans, Anton was a rational and wise caring leader, Alexander was a steady and serious second-in-command, and Qin Chunxiao was a hardworking and passionate young rookie being taken care of by the two leaders. They were a happy family of three.
After the match started, when Qin Chunxiao was substituted on and received Roman’s serve, all the Hamster players felt a strong sense of security, as if they had found their father.
The burly men could once again embrace Misha Qin’s 25 cm Achilles tendon. With Misha present, what was there to fear from Roman?
After the collective “Ura” cheer, everyone took their positions and began the counterattack. Soso walked to the serving area, holding the volleyball.
If we were to consider which type of ball the Liberos disliked the most, float serves and strongly spinning balls would probably tie for first place. The former is difficult to judge the landing point, making it easy to miss, while the latter, even if successfully received, can fly out of the court.
To make these two types of balls even more annoying, having a powerful attacker who could also hit the ball with great force would be a good option.
Roman’s serves were strongly spinning with added power, while Soso’s float serves were difficult to judge.
Qin Chunxiao, on the other hand, was the kind of Libero that all attackers hated, as he could handle both types of balls. Regrettably, the Libero of the Beluga Club was not at his level!
Wu Di commented, “Soso serves, the Beluga Libero receives, the ball goes flying, and the Hamsters score!” It was 4:2.
Soso eagerly hoped to regain points through his serves, but the Beluga’s advantage over the Hamsters laid in their passing ability, which was a level higher.
The Hamsters scored again, making it 4:3!
However, the third serve from Soso was ultimately received by the Beluga Club, but this time, their setter received the ball. This setter, just like Anton, had excellent passing skills, and he set the ball up while Roman positioned himself, ready to attack again at the net.
At that moment, he saw the young boy in the white jersey running ahead again towards the landing point of the ball.
What a terrifying prediction ability!
If Qin Chunxiao hadn’t been standing there, Roman indeed intended to spike the ball in that direction. However, in that split second, he used his powerful hang time and strong physique to abruptly change the direction of the spike and sent the ball to the other side of the court.
The ball went over the net, and Roman landed, but in that brief moment of descent, he saw that Qin Chunxiao’s speed had not diminished in the slightest as he turned and ran towards the ball.
Roman widened his eyes and exclaimed, “Changing direction in mid-run without slowing down…”
Did he see things wrong?
Nikolai also stood up suddenly, and in the next moment, Qin Chunxiao had already received the ball and sent it to Anton above the net. Anton back-set the ball, and Alexander jumped and scored with a clever angled spike.
It was 4:4, equalized!
Nikolai’s face turned dark, “Who taught that kid to change direction without slowing down? It’s too chaotic!”
He mumbled a string of Russian profanities, while Li Ling moved a small stool and sat aside, listening but not understanding, only catching the pronunciation of “Newton” in Nikolai’s words, and he could tell that he was swearing.
Most of the players on the court didn’t notice Nikolai’s anger. The Hamsters were happily celebrating in a circle, while the Belugas were adjusting their mindset.
Last year, they easily defeated the Hamsters, but this year, it seemed like the Hamsters were going to put up a real fight from the start. It looked like they were going to take today’s match more seriously.
On H Province Sports TV, Wu Di also commented, “Today, it’s the five-time champion Belugas against the five-time runners-up Hamsters. The audience watching this match is in for a treat. The way they’ve started, it’s full of fireworks. There’s a good chance we’ll see an intense and exciting battle worthy of the playoffs!”
Li Laiheng spoke solemnly, “Qin just displayed a turning move that looks like the 200-meter bend technique in track and field, but he turned even sharper and faster.”
Wu Di asked, “What do you mean, Professor Li?”
Li Laiheng replied, “It’s nothing.”
He only saw one turn through the video, and he couldn’t determine the details of this technique, so Li Laiheng decided not to say anything about it.
Fortunately, after that particular play, Qin Chunxiao didn’t showcase the turning technique without slowing down again. Instead, he relied on his extraordinary reaction speed and prediction ability to continuously block Roman’s attacks.
As he had said himself, his efficiency in receiving Roman’s spikes was not as high as before. However, many of Roman’s fans noticed that today, Roman’s scoring efficiency was also lower than usual!
The Russian sports commentators jokingly quipped, “Roman is being tangled up by the Chinese kid. It looks like the Russian Super League MVP and the Asian Championship MVP are going to have a tough time facing each other today.”
Qin Chunxiao’s long sprints to receive the ball were a tremendous exertion, but Roman’s aerial change in spiking direction also brought immense pressure to his shoulders and waist.
In the eyes of everyone in disbelief, the Belugas, who used to rely on Roman’s spikes to score points, were now dragged into a back-and-forth battle of offense and defense by the Hamsters. The scores of both teams were closely tied, and at the end of the first set, it was 27:25 in favor of the Hamsters.
Surprisingly, it was the Hamsters who won the first set!
At the end of the first set, Roman was sweating profusely. He wiped his face with his collar and spoke calmly, “As expected, the change in direction without slowing down.”
His teammates looked at him in astonishment, “Roman, what’s wrong?”
Pointing to the Hamsters’ side where Qin Chunxiao was being lifted up by his teammates, Roman said, “That number 8, in the last play of the first set, changed his running direction midway to receive my spike, but he not only didn’t slow down, he even accelerated.”
His teammate’s mouth fell open, “No slowing down? Isn’t he afraid of hurting his knees?”
Roman was certain, “I have the best dynamic vision in the whole team, and I didn’t see it wrong! He has this technique, and he knows the danger involved, so he only used it twice in the most crucial moments. In fact, there were a few more plays where he could have caught up using this technique, but he didn’t use it.”
It wasn’t just Roman who noticed this, but also Nikolai. Before the start of the second set, he dropped his amiable facade in front of Qin Chunxiao for the first time, revealing the face of a coaching tyrant.
He gritted his teeth, “Who taught you this technique?”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Uh, it was my sprint coach Wu Chiyao.”
Nikolai asked, “That Wu, Wu whatever, does he want to ruin your knees with this technique?”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “I guess he just desperately wants me to achieve results in the 200-meter race and bring him glory.”
Wu Chiyao had long been completely driven by ambition, and when he realized that Qin Chunxiao’s physical talent was enough to change direction and accelerate at the same time, he started urging Qin Chunxiao to practice this technique.
Qin Chunxiao’s talent was extraordinary, and at the age of 14, he actually figured out this technique.
Nikolai squatted down and patted Qin Chunxiao’s knee covered with a knee pad, “I once knew a genius player who changed direction without slowing down. He only played on the court for five years, and his meniscus was completely ruined. In the end, he had to undergo surgery and have an artificial joint replacement. And you, when changing direction, you’re still accelerating? This is a truly shitty skill!”
Qin Chunxiao felt quite embarrassed. He knew that using this high-risk technique was related to his injuries from his previous life, so after being reborn, he rarely used it. But just now, wasn’t he in a hurry?
The pressure brought by the max-level divine beast, Roman, was simply too immense.
However, Nikolai decisively gave an order, “I can see that you are restraining yourself from using this technique too often, and my advice is that you should stop using it altogether in the future. I know your body is in good condition, but even the best meniscus can’t withstand this kind of strain. You are still young, with plenty of untapped potential. Don’t ruin your precious joints at the age of 16.”
Mumbling to himself, Nikolai continued, “Anyway, even without using this technique, you can still catch up to Roman, albeit with slightly lower efficiency. Forget it, Two Leng, switch with Soso before the next set.”
Since Misha Qin felt that catching up to Roman was difficult, Nikolai decided to add another defense value, Two Leng, to the team. That way, he would provide double insurance for the team, right?
Soso had no objections; he just patted Li Ling’s shoulder and asked, “You can do a jump floater too, right?”
Li Ling replied modestly, “I can only do it a little bit.”
Soso immediately became happy, “When you Chinese say ‘a little bit,’ it means you’re really good at it!”
Talking about Li Ling’s jump floater reminded Qin Chunxiao of the not-so-distant past when he and You Ziyu learned the jump floater together. In a match, Li Ling hit the net with his jump floater, causing both his teammates and opponents to break out in cold sweat. It was a remarkable memory.
He twitched the corner of his mouth and pulled Li Ling over to instruct him, “Er Leng, when it’s your turn to serve, you can’t use your jump floater.”
Li Ling protested, “Why? My jump floater has improved a lot already!”
Qin Chunxiao teased, “Are you saying it improved from 10 to 30 points? That’s quite a big improvement, tripled, in fact!”
However, the usual passing grade was 60 points. So, Er Leng still needed to double his score.
Li Ling unwillingly said, “I’ve already worked hard enough… Okay, okay, stop glaring at me. I won’t use my jump floater.”
Both Er Leng and Qin Chunxiao shared a common trait—they were both receptive to advice. So, not only did Qin Chunxiao refrain from using his forbidden technique, the direction-changing acceleration, during the second set, but Li Ling also didn’t make any mistakes. They both played steadily, and along with their teammates, they lost the second set.
The Beluga Club won the second set with a score of 30:28, leveling the match at 1:1.
Wudi exclaimed and slapped his thigh, “Oh my, the Beluga played really well this set, and the Hamsters were under pressure!”
Li Laiheng commented, “When a team plays in such a hot state, we say they have momentum, and it’s very dangerous to play against a team in this kind of form.”
Wudi added, “Earlier, Coach Nikola used up all the timeouts to break the Beluga’s momentum, but they still couldn’t contain them.”
Li Laiheng agreed, “Exactly, because the Beluga’s core player, Roman, is a very stable player with delicate touch and a calm heart. Timeouts have a minimal impact on him. When you have such a player as the core of your tactical system and strengthen the team according to its needs, you can build a strong team. That’s why we call these types of players…”
Nikolai murmured, “With Roman, even a tied-up dog on the coach’s bench could win.”
With Roman in a hot shooting streak, limiting him would become even more challenging.
Before the start of the third set, Qin Chunxiao and his teammates discussed tactical details. He took the tactics board from Nikolai and pointed to the fourth position, “Danny, listen carefully. Roman has a powerful technique of making hitters hit out of bounds. If you can’t block him, don’t force it, let the ball come to me!”
For top-level libero players, a reckless blocker is the most troublesome teammate, even more so than Li Ling!
Qin Chunxiao could clearly see it from the court. Danny’s jumping ability and height were decent, but his blocking was quite poor. Describing it as “disruptive blocking” would be an understatement; it was more like “destructive blocking”! During Roman’s spike just now, Danny couldn’t block the ball because his hands were too far apart, leaving a huge gap in the middle. Roman wouldn’t even need to exploit his divine beast status to get through!
And against such hard-to-defend, obvious out-of-bounds opportunities for blocking, Danny, this rough player, didn’t even bother to move away; he insisted on reaching out with his palm. The ball’s trajectory wasn’t affected, but it was already flying out of bounds. Qin Chunxiao couldn’t understand the purpose of his blocking attempt!
In the end, Qin Chunxiao chased the ball outside the court and returned a poor pass, and Anton’s second set quality was also not good. It was challenging for the attackers to deal with such a set, so they had to push the ball back to the Beluga’s side, giving them another chance to organize an attack!
This blocker is really a liability!
Qin Chunxiao, being in the Russian Super League, couldn’t help but miss Aizamaiti and Fu Biyang’s strong builds. Although their blocking skills weren’t top-notch, they would always do their best to block or redirect the balls they couldn’t fully block, reducing the ball’s power and making it easier for Qin Chunxiao to receive.
Danny felt extremely embarrassed and said, “I’m… I’m sorry.”
As a rough player, Danny excelled in quick attacks and could quietly score multiple points at times, but his defense… his teammates didn’t have high expectations.
Li Ling joked, “Hehe, thankfully, Xiaozi’s mood is okay today, or you’d be in trouble.”
Qin Chunxiao glared at him, and Li Ling’s nerves immediately went on high alert. He stepped back a few steps and turned to whistle.
Qin Chunxiao continued, “Alexander, Oleg, both of you will be at the net this round. Roman likes to attack from positions 3 and 4. If he attacks, both of you should jump and block those two spots together, limiting his hitting routes.”
“But if he wants to hit out of bounds, get your hands out of the way!”
Alexander made an okay gesture while drinking water, and Oleg sincerely said, “That kid’s hitting point is too high; it’s easy to be tooled at the net. We have limited ways to restrict him at the net.”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “That’s okay; let him tool. If blocking doesn’t work, immediately prepare to counterattack with Anton when you land. I’ll do my best to receive his balls and send them back to you!”
The camera captured the scene where Qin Chunxiao grabbed the tactics board and briefed his teammates on the tactics.
Domestic audience: Wait, wait a minute! Aren’t players who go abroad to play at a young age usually depicted as those who struggle to adapt to a foreign environment, have difficulties with teammates, and face mental and physical challenges? Why does Xiao Qin’s storyline differ from what we imagined?
H Province Sports Channel’s audio was clear, so Qin Chunxiao’s rapid Russian speech was recorded distinctly. When everyone saw him with his round blue eyes, he surprisingly blended right in with the Russians.
Then, they saw Anton extend his hand again, and the Hamsters’ burly players stacked their hands and shouted “Ura”.
Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling’s “Ura” sounded very authentic, even with a rolled “r.”
In the third set, Qin Chunxiao didn’t show any signs of fatigue; in fact, he chased after balls even more vigorously.
Qin Chunxiao knew himself well. In his previous life, he only started playing as a libero at nearly 20 years old. After training in the Brazilian league for two years, his skills were considered top-notch, but he still fell a bit short compared to the world’s best liberos. In this second life, he had been honing his skills, but the opponents in the Russian Super League weren’t challenging enough to push him to upgrade. At best, he was maintaining his form, and his body hadn’t reached its peak state yet. With his 16-year-old arms trying to receive balls, he easily ended up with bruises.
Mars said he had the potential to become the world’s top libero, but in his previous life, he never fully realized that potential, let alone now.
So this time, he was giving it his all to perform better than other players in the Russian Super League, but what he didn’t know was that Roman was genuinely feeling the pressure from him.
Qin Chunxiao was not the strongest libero Roman had ever encountered. The world’s number one libero was an Italian player who was currently playing for the Italian Super League, alongside Louise of Super Jeremy Volley Club. Jerry was the clever opposite hitter who created the “coach’s tactics board joke.”
But Qin Chunxiao’s talent was truly exceptional. His overflowing spirit and accurate prediction of Roman’s every ball made Roman extremely uncomfortable. To avoid getting blocked by Qin Chunxiao, Roman had to change his hitting route multiple times on the fly. As a mere mortal, this was already taking a toll on Roman’s shoulders, causing them to feel sore.
Shoulder injuries were not unique to Qin Chunxiao; Roman also had this problem. At this moment, he felt that after this game, he would have to seek the team doctor for a “shoulder therapy package.”
In addition to that, the Hamsters Club, which had always relied on Anton as the tactical core, seemed to have developed a dual-core vibe in this game. Anton led the offense, while Misha Qin led the defense. The two formations switched seamlessly and were highly flexible.
Roman was well aware that Misha Qin had only recently joined the Hamsters, so their dual-core tactics hadn’t fully clicked yet. But what if they did? Wouldn’t it become even more challenging to compete against them?
Under multiple pressures, the seemingly flawless attacker Roman finally made a mistake.
In the third set, with the score at 24-22 in favor of the Beluga, Roman desperately wanted to score one more point to end this set. However, the pain in his shoulders hindered his full power, and he hit the ball towards the baseline.
Oh no!
Seeing the ball about to drop right in front of Misha, Roman found himself praying that the other side would manage to receive it because, based on his feeling, the ball would most likely go out of bounds.
Qin Chunxiao’s gaze was fixed on the ball, and after determining its trajectory, he quickly dropped his body to the ground and yelled, “Out!”
The ball flew past his shoulder and landed about 15 centimeters from the baseline.
24-23.
The Hamsters stopped in their tracks, on the brink of defeat.
The Beluga’ setter looked at Roman with concern and tried to console him, “Don’t worry, Roman.”
Breathing heavily, Roman’s expression became solemn, “You’re really something.”
The setter didn’t hear clearly, so he asked in confusion, “What?”
Roman turned back to his position.
He thought, Misha was truly deserving of being a genius who got the MVP through defense. Under his pressure, Roman felt like he wasn’t playing in a regular Russian Super League match, but rather on an Olympic stage!
Just then, an unexpected occurrence took place.
Li Ling, who had been quietly following Qin Chunxiao all over the court, assisting him with blocking and receiving, suddenly suffered a muscle cramp in his calf.
Oleg noticed that something was wrong with him and quickly went to support him, “Two leng, are you okay?”
Li Ling held onto his calf and took a deep breath, “It’s a cramp, damn it, of all times.”
Why did his leg have to act up at this critical moment!
Qin Chunxiao immediately signaled to Nikolai, and Nikolai stood up to call for a timeout. Then, Alexander and Oleg helped Li Ling off the court, and the team doctor conducted an examination.
Nikola crossed his arms and looked at Li Ling’s calf for a while. Then he turned and made arrangements for the team, “Gran, you go in for two leng, Valerie, come over, you’ll replace Alexander.”
Alexander glared at him, “Coach, I haven’t cramped, I can still play!”
Nikolai glanced at Alexander’s knee and shook his head, “This match has already been going on for one hour and twenty minutes, Alexander. I’ve said before that in regular matches, I won’t use you for more than 70 minutes, and today you’ve already exceeded that by 10 minutes.”
Alexander held his knee, thinking about the ligament that was torn during the match. He looked unwilling but ultimately didn’t refute Nikolai.
Finally, Nikolai walked up to Misha Qin, placed his hand on his shoulder, and said seriously, “Misha, from now on, you need to put aside the outcome and closely observe Roman’s movements. By the playoffs, I need you to further limit him. Can you do that?”
Qin Misha slightly furrowed his brows, “I have never put aside the outcome in a match, but…”
Seeing Nikolai’s expression and glancing at Li Lang, he relaxed his brows.
“Well, in the upcoming matches, I will fully focus on countering Roman.”
As Nikolai withdrew Li Lang and Alexander, the Hamster Club’s efficiency in scoring immediately dropped, and Beluga seized the opportunity to win the third set.
But under the leadership of Anton and Qin Misha, the Hamsters displayed a tenacious will. Even though the coach told them to put aside the outcome, they still fought point by point against Beluga.
In the fourth set, they played until 35:33.
When Beluga finally won this set with great difficulty, achieving a 3-1 victory, the players of the Beluga Club were almost cramping from fatigue.
As the referee announced Beluga Club’s victory, the audience in the Roller Sports Center applauded, cheering for the players who offered such an exciting match.
Roman clenched his tense right shoulder; although he won the game, he didn’t feel any joy.
Misha Qin, who lost the match, also had a sour expression. When they shook hands at the net, they looked at each other. Roman realized for the first time that this young man wasn’t even 1.8 meters tall. He thought for a moment, bent his knees slightly, and faced Misha Qin at eye level, “I’ve seen your performance in the Asian Championship. Compared to being a receiver, being a libero suits you better. I look forward to facing you next time.”
Misha Qin looked at him with his bright blue eyes, feeling that Misha Qin must have a personality that hates losing, which was why he looked so unhappy.
He chuckled and good-naturedly coaxed, “Alright, alright, when I’m thirty-five, you should be able to shut me down.”
Qin Chunxiao lifted his foot, and Alexander and Anton bravely stood on either side of him, dragging him backward.
Roman reached out, “What are you guys doing? I haven’t taken a photo with Misha Qin yet!”
Antong turned back and fiercely said, “Shut up!”
What a big fool Roman was! He hadn’t even realized that they were trying to save him!
H Province TV’s “Volleyball Frontline” program.
Before the match between the Hamster Club and the Beluga1 Club, Wu Di began to provide a preview for the audience.
Wu Di: “Heh, this match is quite interesting. Both teams have animal names, and they have been rivals in the Russian Super League for a long time. I remember a few years ago when the Hamster Club was at its peak, they challenged the Russian Super League title for five consecutive years, but every time they were blocked by the Beluga Club, resulting in five runner-up finishes. It’s quite a legendary tale, but also a twist of fate.”
Professor Li Laiheng adjusted his glasses: “These two teams used to have similar lineups. The Hamster Club had powerful attackers, and so did the Beluga Club. The Hamster Club had a formidable setter, and the Beluga Club had one too. However, in every aspect, the Beluga Club was more mature and well-rounded than the Hamster Club, which allowed them to dominate over the Hamster Club. It’s like the saying, ‘Once the hamster is born, so is the beluga.’”
Wu Di: “But this year, the Hamster Club introduced our country’s young talents, Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling, as foreign players, so the team’s style has undergone significant changes.”
Li Laiheng: “Yes, the Hamster Club introduced two foreign players this year to strengthen their defense, but we don’t know if our two young talents can defend against Roman. According to the data, Roman was the top main attacker in the Rio Olympics men’s volleyball competition, and he is a very formidable player. Like our Qin Chunxiao, he was already a highly regarded talent during his youth career.”
Following that, H Province TV also aired a pre-made video showing top male volleyball players from various countries helping their seniors carry bags during their rookie days.
Yes, in team sports, rookies helping their seniors carry bags is a common scene. Sometimes, the seniors even play pranks on the rookies. For example, in the NBA, there have been instances of young players carrying pink backpacks at the request of their seniors.
However, in the video full of tall, strong, and muscular players, only one Chinese player appeared, and that was Qin Chunxiao. But he wasn’t carrying any bags in the video… It was his teammate Anton standing next to him who was helping carry the bag. Some sharp-eyed fans remembered that the official Weibo account of the Hamster Club had once posted this picture, saying that Misha Qin had a shoulder muscle strain, and his teammates helped carry his bag out of friendship. It had evoked a lot of sympathy from fans for little Qin’s shoulder.
After the scene of Anton helping carry the bag passed, another scene appeared, showing another veteran player helping Roman carry his bag.
Wu Di commented: “It’s also fate. When Roman joined the Beluga Club, another player who had only won bronze medals for a long time also transferred to the Belugas, and in that year, they joined forces to win the Russian Super League championship.”
Audience: “Isn’t this the legendary move of hugging the big legs to win the championship?”
Regular viewers of sports competitions knew that some older players, if they had been longing for a certain gold medal throughout their careers, keep that in mind. When they got older and their physical condition declines, they may not hesitate to transfer to stronger teams, hoping to win the championship alongside powerful teammates.
However, the scene of Anton helping Xiaoqin carry the bag, included in this video, was juxtaposed with the scene of Roman, making it feel a bit strange.
Many viewers pondered that their Xiaoqin was indeed very talented, but he was only 16 years old, and he joined the Hamster Club just this year. His “thighs” weren’t thick enough for people to compete to hug him, right? It seemed like H Province TV was randomly editing, making it seem like Anton, the esteemed leader of the Hamsters, had to act as if he were Xiaoqin’s father.
In the eyes of Chinese fans, Anton was a rational and wise caring leader, Alexander was a steady and serious second-in-command, and Qin Chunxiao was a hardworking and passionate young rookie being taken care of by the two leaders. They were a happy family of three.
After the match started, when Qin Chunxiao was substituted on and received Roman’s serve, all the Hamster players felt a strong sense of security, as if they had found their father.
The burly men could once again embrace Misha Qin’s 25 cm Achilles tendon. With Misha present, what was there to fear from Roman?
After the collective “Ura” cheer, everyone took their positions and began the counterattack. Soso walked to the serving area, holding the volleyball.
If we were to consider which type of ball the Liberos disliked the most, float serves and strongly spinning balls would probably tie for first place. The former is difficult to judge the landing point, making it easy to miss, while the latter, even if successfully received, can fly out of the court.
To make these two types of balls even more annoying, having a powerful attacker who could also hit the ball with great force would be a good option.
Roman’s serves were strongly spinning with added power, while Soso’s float serves were difficult to judge.
Qin Chunxiao, on the other hand, was the kind of Libero that all attackers hated, as he could handle both types of balls. Regrettably, the Libero of the Beluga Club was not at his level!
Wu Di commented, “Soso serves, the Beluga Libero receives, the ball goes flying, and the Hamsters score!” It was 4:2.
Soso eagerly hoped to regain points through his serves, but the Beluga’s advantage over the Hamsters laid in their passing ability, which was a level higher.
The Hamsters scored again, making it 4:3!
However, the third serve from Soso was ultimately received by the Beluga Club, but this time, their setter received the ball. This setter, just like Anton, had excellent passing skills, and he set the ball up while Roman positioned himself, ready to attack again at the net.
At that moment, he saw the young boy in the white jersey running ahead again towards the landing point of the ball.
What a terrifying prediction ability!
If Qin Chunxiao hadn’t been standing there, Roman indeed intended to spike the ball in that direction. However, in that split second, he used his powerful hang time and strong physique to abruptly change the direction of the spike and sent the ball to the other side of the court.
The ball went over the net, and Roman landed, but in that brief moment of descent, he saw that Qin Chunxiao’s speed had not diminished in the slightest as he turned and ran towards the ball.
Roman widened his eyes and exclaimed, “Changing direction in mid-run without slowing down…”
Did he see things wrong?
Nikolai also stood up suddenly, and in the next moment, Qin Chunxiao had already received the ball and sent it to Anton above the net. Anton back-set the ball, and Alexander jumped and scored with a clever angled spike.
It was 4:4, equalized!
Nikolai’s face turned dark, “Who taught that kid to change direction without slowing down? It’s too chaotic!”
He mumbled a string of Russian profanities, while Li Ling moved a small stool and sat aside, listening but not understanding, only catching the pronunciation of “Newton” in Nikolai’s words, and he could tell that he was swearing.
Most of the players on the court didn’t notice Nikolai’s anger. The Hamsters were happily celebrating in a circle, while the Belugas were adjusting their mindset.
Last year, they easily defeated the Hamsters, but this year, it seemed like the Hamsters were going to put up a real fight from the start. It looked like they were going to take today’s match more seriously.
On H Province Sports TV, Wu Di also commented, “Today, it’s the five-time champion Belugas against the five-time runners-up Hamsters. The audience watching this match is in for a treat. The way they’ve started, it’s full of fireworks. There’s a good chance we’ll see an intense and exciting battle worthy of the playoffs!”
Li Laiheng spoke solemnly, “Qin just displayed a turning move that looks like the 200-meter bend technique in track and field, but he turned even sharper and faster.”
Wu Di asked, “What do you mean, Professor Li?”
Li Laiheng replied, “It’s nothing.”
He only saw one turn through the video, and he couldn’t determine the details of this technique, so Li Laiheng decided not to say anything about it.
Fortunately, after that particular play, Qin Chunxiao didn’t showcase the turning technique without slowing down again. Instead, he relied on his extraordinary reaction speed and prediction ability to continuously block Roman’s attacks.
As he had said himself, his efficiency in receiving Roman’s spikes was not as high as before. However, many of Roman’s fans noticed that today, Roman’s scoring efficiency was also lower than usual!
The Russian sports commentators jokingly quipped, “Roman is being tangled up by the Chinese kid. It looks like the Russian Super League MVP and the Asian Championship MVP are going to have a tough time facing each other today.”
Qin Chunxiao’s long sprints to receive the ball were a tremendous exertion, but Roman’s aerial change in spiking direction also brought immense pressure to his shoulders and waist.
In the eyes of everyone in disbelief, the Belugas, who used to rely on Roman’s spikes to score points, were now dragged into a back-and-forth battle of offense and defense by the Hamsters. The scores of both teams were closely tied, and at the end of the first set, it was 27:25 in favor of the Hamsters.
Surprisingly, it was the Hamsters who won the first set!
At the end of the first set, Roman was sweating profusely. He wiped his face with his collar and spoke calmly, “As expected, the change in direction without slowing down.”
His teammates looked at him in astonishment, “Roman, what’s wrong?”
Pointing to the Hamsters’ side where Qin Chunxiao was being lifted up by his teammates, Roman said, “That number 8, in the last play of the first set, changed his running direction midway to receive my spike, but he not only didn’t slow down, he even accelerated.”
His teammate’s mouth fell open, “No slowing down? Isn’t he afraid of hurting his knees?”
Roman was certain, “I have the best dynamic vision in the whole team, and I didn’t see it wrong! He has this technique, and he knows the danger involved, so he only used it twice in the most crucial moments. In fact, there were a few more plays where he could have caught up using this technique, but he didn’t use it.”
It wasn’t just Roman who noticed this, but also Nikolai. Before the start of the second set, he dropped his amiable facade in front of Qin Chunxiao for the first time, revealing the face of a coaching tyrant.
He gritted his teeth, “Who taught you this technique?”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Uh, it was my sprint coach Wu Chiyao.”
Nikolai asked, “That Wu, Wu whatever, does he want to ruin your knees with this technique?”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “I guess he just desperately wants me to achieve results in the 200-meter race and bring him glory.”
Wu Chiyao had long been completely driven by ambition, and when he realized that Qin Chunxiao’s physical talent was enough to change direction and accelerate at the same time, he started urging Qin Chunxiao to practice this technique.
Qin Chunxiao’s talent was extraordinary, and at the age of 14, he actually figured out this technique.
Nikolai squatted down and patted Qin Chunxiao’s knee covered with a knee pad, “I once knew a genius player who changed direction without slowing down. He only played on the court for five years, and his meniscus was completely ruined. In the end, he had to undergo surgery and have an artificial joint replacement. And you, when changing direction, you’re still accelerating? This is a truly shitty skill!”
Qin Chunxiao felt quite embarrassed. He knew that using this high-risk technique was related to his injuries from his previous life, so after being reborn, he rarely used it. But just now, wasn’t he in a hurry?
The pressure brought by the max-level divine beast, Roman, was simply too immense.
However, Nikolai decisively gave an order, “I can see that you are restraining yourself from using this technique too often, and my advice is that you should stop using it altogether in the future. I know your body is in good condition, but even the best meniscus can’t withstand this kind of strain. You are still young, with plenty of untapped potential. Don’t ruin your precious joints at the age of 16.”
Mumbling to himself, Nikolai continued, “Anyway, even without using this technique, you can still catch up to Roman, albeit with slightly lower efficiency. Forget it, Two Leng, switch with Soso before the next set.”
Since Misha Qin felt that catching up to Roman was difficult, Nikolai decided to add another defense value, Two Leng, to the team. That way, he would provide double insurance for the team, right?
Soso had no objections; he just patted Li Ling’s shoulder and asked, “You can do a jump floater too, right?”
Li Ling replied modestly, “I can only do it a little bit.”
Soso immediately became happy, “When you Chinese say ‘a little bit,’ it means you’re really good at it!”
Talking about Li Ling’s jump floater reminded Qin Chunxiao of the not-so-distant past when he and You Ziyu learned the jump floater together. In a match, Li Ling hit the net with his jump floater, causing both his teammates and opponents to break out in cold sweat. It was a remarkable memory.
He twitched the corner of his mouth and pulled Li Ling over to instruct him, “Er Leng, when it’s your turn to serve, you can’t use your jump floater.”
Li Ling protested, “Why? My jump floater has improved a lot already!”
Qin Chunxiao teased, “Are you saying it improved from 10 to 30 points? That’s quite a big improvement, tripled, in fact!”
However, the usual passing grade was 60 points. So, Er Leng still needed to double his score.
Li Ling unwillingly said, “I’ve already worked hard enough… Okay, okay, stop glaring at me. I won’t use my jump floater.”
Both Er Leng and Qin Chunxiao shared a common trait—they were both receptive to advice. So, not only did Qin Chunxiao refrain from using his forbidden technique, the direction-changing acceleration, during the second set, but Li Ling also didn’t make any mistakes. They both played steadily, and along with their teammates, they lost the second set.
The Beluga Club won the second set with a score of 30:28, leveling the match at 1:1.
Wudi exclaimed and slapped his thigh, “Oh my, the Beluga played really well this set, and the Hamsters were under pressure!”
Li Laiheng commented, “When a team plays in such a hot state, we say they have momentum, and it’s very dangerous to play against a team in this kind of form.”
Wudi added, “Earlier, Coach Nikola used up all the timeouts to break the Beluga’s momentum, but they still couldn’t contain them.”
Li Laiheng agreed, “Exactly, because the Beluga’s core player, Roman, is a very stable player with delicate touch and a calm heart. Timeouts have a minimal impact on him. When you have such a player as the core of your tactical system and strengthen the team according to its needs, you can build a strong team. That’s why we call these types of players…”
Nikolai murmured, “With Roman, even a tied-up dog on the coach’s bench could win.”
With Roman in a hot shooting streak, limiting him would become even more challenging.
Before the start of the third set, Qin Chunxiao and his teammates discussed tactical details. He took the tactics board from Nikolai and pointed to the fourth position, “Danny, listen carefully. Roman has a powerful technique of making hitters hit out of bounds. If you can’t block him, don’t force it, let the ball come to me!”
For top-level libero players, a reckless blocker is the most troublesome teammate, even more so than Li Ling!
Qin Chunxiao could clearly see it from the court. Danny’s jumping ability and height were decent, but his blocking was quite poor. Describing it as “disruptive blocking” would be an understatement; it was more like “destructive blocking”! During Roman’s spike just now, Danny couldn’t block the ball because his hands were too far apart, leaving a huge gap in the middle. Roman wouldn’t even need to exploit his divine beast status to get through!
And against such hard-to-defend, obvious out-of-bounds opportunities for blocking, Danny, this rough player, didn’t even bother to move away; he insisted on reaching out with his palm. The ball’s trajectory wasn’t affected, but it was already flying out of bounds. Qin Chunxiao couldn’t understand the purpose of his blocking attempt!
In the end, Qin Chunxiao chased the ball outside the court and returned a poor pass, and Anton’s second set quality was also not good. It was challenging for the attackers to deal with such a set, so they had to push the ball back to the Beluga’s side, giving them another chance to organize an attack!
This blocker is really a liability!
Qin Chunxiao, being in the Russian Super League, couldn’t help but miss Aizamaiti and Fu Biyang’s strong builds. Although their blocking skills weren’t top-notch, they would always do their best to block or redirect the balls they couldn’t fully block, reducing the ball’s power and making it easier for Qin Chunxiao to receive.
Danny felt extremely embarrassed and said, “I’m… I’m sorry.”
As a rough player, Danny excelled in quick attacks and could quietly score multiple points at times, but his defense… his teammates didn’t have high expectations.
Li Ling joked, “Hehe, thankfully, Xiaozi’s mood is okay today, or you’d be in trouble.”
Qin Chunxiao glared at him, and Li Ling’s nerves immediately went on high alert. He stepped back a few steps and turned to whistle.
Qin Chunxiao continued, “Alexander, Oleg, both of you will be at the net this round. Roman likes to attack from positions 3 and 4. If he attacks, both of you should jump and block those two spots together, limiting his hitting routes.”
“But if he wants to hit out of bounds, get your hands out of the way!”
Alexander made an okay gesture while drinking water, and Oleg sincerely said, “That kid’s hitting point is too high; it’s easy to be tooled at the net. We have limited ways to restrict him at the net.”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “That’s okay; let him tool. If blocking doesn’t work, immediately prepare to counterattack with Anton when you land. I’ll do my best to receive his balls and send them back to you!”
The camera captured the scene where Qin Chunxiao grabbed the tactics board and briefed his teammates on the tactics.
Domestic audience: Wait, wait a minute! Aren’t players who go abroad to play at a young age usually depicted as those who struggle to adapt to a foreign environment, have difficulties with teammates, and face mental and physical challenges? Why does Xiao Qin’s storyline differ from what we imagined?
H Province Sports Channel’s audio was clear, so Qin Chunxiao’s rapid Russian speech was recorded distinctly. When everyone saw him with his round blue eyes, he surprisingly blended right in with the Russians.
Then, they saw Anton extend his hand again, and the Hamsters’ burly players stacked their hands and shouted “Ura”.
Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling’s “Ura” sounded very authentic, even with a rolled “r.”
In the third set, Qin Chunxiao didn’t show any signs of fatigue; in fact, he chased after balls even more vigorously.
Qin Chunxiao knew himself well. In his previous life, he only started playing as a libero at nearly 20 years old. After training in the Brazilian league for two years, his skills were considered top-notch, but he still fell a bit short compared to the world’s best liberos. In this second life, he had been honing his skills, but the opponents in the Russian Super League weren’t challenging enough to push him to upgrade. At best, he was maintaining his form, and his body hadn’t reached its peak state yet. With his 16-year-old arms trying to receive balls, he easily ended up with bruises.
Mars said he had the potential to become the world’s top libero, but in his previous life, he never fully realized that potential, let alone now.
So this time, he was giving it his all to perform better than other players in the Russian Super League, but what he didn’t know was that Roman was genuinely feeling the pressure from him.
Qin Chunxiao was not the strongest libero Roman had ever encountered. The world’s number one libero was an Italian player who was currently playing for the Italian Super League, alongside Louise of Super Jeremy Volley Club. Jerry was the clever opposite hitter who created the “coach’s tactics board joke.”
But Qin Chunxiao’s talent was truly exceptional. His overflowing spirit and accurate prediction of Roman’s every ball made Roman extremely uncomfortable. To avoid getting blocked by Qin Chunxiao, Roman had to change his hitting route multiple times on the fly. As a mere mortal, this was already taking a toll on Roman’s shoulders, causing them to feel sore.
Shoulder injuries were not unique to Qin Chunxiao; Roman also had this problem. At this moment, he felt that after this game, he would have to seek the team doctor for a “shoulder therapy package.”
In addition to that, the Hamsters Club, which had always relied on Anton as the tactical core, seemed to have developed a dual-core vibe in this game. Anton led the offense, while Misha Qin led the defense. The two formations switched seamlessly and were highly flexible.
Roman was well aware that Misha Qin had only recently joined the Hamsters, so their dual-core tactics hadn’t fully clicked yet. But what if they did? Wouldn’t it become even more challenging to compete against them?
Under multiple pressures, the seemingly flawless attacker Roman finally made a mistake.
In the third set, with the score at 24-22 in favor of the Beluga, Roman desperately wanted to score one more point to end this set. However, the pain in his shoulders hindered his full power, and he hit the ball towards the baseline.
Oh no!
Seeing the ball about to drop right in front of Misha, Roman found himself praying that the other side would manage to receive it because, based on his feeling, the ball would most likely go out of bounds.
Qin Chunxiao’s gaze was fixed on the ball, and after determining its trajectory, he quickly dropped his body to the ground and yelled, “Out!”
The ball flew past his shoulder and landed about 15 centimeters from the baseline.
24-23.
The Hamsters stopped in their tracks, on the brink of defeat.
The Beluga’ setter looked at Roman with concern and tried to console him, “Don’t worry, Roman.”
Breathing heavily, Roman’s expression became solemn, “You’re really something.”
The setter didn’t hear clearly, so he asked in confusion, “What?”
Roman turned back to his position.
He thought, Misha was truly deserving of being a genius who got the MVP through defense. Under his pressure, Roman felt like he wasn’t playing in a regular Russian Super League match, but rather on an Olympic stage!
Just then, an unexpected occurrence took place.
Li Ling, who had been quietly following Qin Chunxiao all over the court, assisting him with blocking and receiving, suddenly suffered a muscle cramp in his calf.
Oleg noticed that something was wrong with him and quickly went to support him, “Two leng, are you okay?”
Li Ling held onto his calf and took a deep breath, “It’s a cramp, damn it, of all times.”
Why did his leg have to act up at this critical moment!
Qin Chunxiao immediately signaled to Nikolai, and Nikolai stood up to call for a timeout. Then, Alexander and Oleg helped Li Ling off the court, and the team doctor conducted an examination.
Nikola crossed his arms and looked at Li Ling’s calf for a while. Then he turned and made arrangements for the team, “Gran, you go in for two leng, Valerie, come over, you’ll replace Alexander.”
Alexander glared at him, “Coach, I haven’t cramped, I can still play!”
Nikolai glanced at Alexander’s knee and shook his head, “This match has already been going on for one hour and twenty minutes, Alexander. I’ve said before that in regular matches, I won’t use you for more than 70 minutes, and today you’ve already exceeded that by 10 minutes.”
Alexander held his knee, thinking about the ligament that was torn during the match. He looked unwilling but ultimately didn’t refute Nikolai.
Finally, Nikolai walked up to Misha Qin, placed his hand on his shoulder, and said seriously, “Misha, from now on, you need to put aside the outcome and closely observe Roman’s movements. By the playoffs, I need you to further limit him. Can you do that?”
Qin Misha slightly furrowed his brows, “I have never put aside the outcome in a match, but…”
Seeing Nikolai’s expression and glancing at Li Lang, he relaxed his brows.
“Well, in the upcoming matches, I will fully focus on countering Roman.”
As Nikolai withdrew Li Lang and Alexander, the Hamster Club’s efficiency in scoring immediately dropped, and Beluga seized the opportunity to win the third set.
But under the leadership of Anton and Qin Misha, the Hamsters displayed a tenacious will. Even though the coach told them to put aside the outcome, they still fought point by point against Beluga.
In the fourth set, they played until 35:33.
When Beluga finally won this set with great difficulty, achieving a 3-1 victory, the players of the Beluga Club were almost cramping from fatigue.
As the referee announced Beluga Club’s victory, the audience in the Roller Sports Center applauded, cheering for the players who offered such an exciting match.
Roman clenched his tense right shoulder; although he won the game, he didn’t feel any joy.
Misha Qin, who lost the match, also had a sour expression. When they shook hands at the net, they looked at each other. Roman realized for the first time that this young man wasn’t even 1.8 meters tall. He thought for a moment, bent his knees slightly, and faced Misha Qin at eye level, “I’ve seen your performance in the Asian Championship. Compared to being a receiver, being a libero suits you better. I look forward to facing you next time.”
Misha Qin looked at him with his bright blue eyes, feeling that Misha Qin must have a personality that hates losing, which was why he looked so unhappy.
He chuckled and good-naturedly coaxed, “Alright, alright, when I’m thirty-five, you should be able to shut me down.”
Qin Chunxiao lifted his foot, and Alexander and Anton bravely stood on either side of him, dragging him backward.
Roman reached out, “What are you guys doing? I haven’t taken a photo with Misha Qin yet!”
Antong turned back and fiercely said, “Shut up!”
What a big fool Roman was! He hadn’t even realized that they were trying to save him!
