After I was reborn into the World Cup training camp locker room, the first thing I did was not train harder, but quietly watch the head coach running around the room with his phone in hand.

"TactiGenie says it pulls from the world's largest database! If we follow the Invincible Spiral tactic it generates, we'll definitely win this World Cup! We'll win every match by a huge margin!"

In my previous life, I had objected, saying, "TactiGenie doesn't understand football at all."

The captain immediately slapped me across the face. "Don't talk nonsense. Do you think you know more than TactiGenie? Or more than the coaching staff?"

In that life, Team Libertas conceded a total of 16 goals across three group-stage matches.

The head coach cried in front of the cameras and said, "If it weren't for Christian's words before the match shaking the team's morale, we would never have ended up like this."

After a public vote of 30 million people, I was named the person most responsible for the national team's elimination.

I received 50 million hateful messages, and in the end, I couldn't take it anymore and jumped from the 23rd floor.

This time, when the coach pulled out the TactiGenie tactics board with its AI watermark and win-probability curve, I just smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Coach Hudson, this tactic is amazing. I'd really love to play."

Then I lowered my head and sent a message to the team doctor. "Theodore, my old Achilles injury is acting up again. Please help me get a medical certificate."

"Please come to the medical office this afternoon. I need to prepare an examination report for you."

After reading the message Theodore Cadogan sent me, I deleted the chat immediately, locked my phone, and put it away.

The locker room door at the end of the hallway was left open, so the voices inside drifted out through the gaps between the metal lockers.

"The forwards need quick movement and sharp finishes! The midfield controls the whole game! The defenders must stay balanced and make the defense airtight!"

Captain Tim Caligiuri's booming voice drowned out all the noise around him, and more than 20 players shouted along with him.

I slowly walked over and leaned against the doorframe.

Head coach Mauricio Hudson stood in the middle of the room, holding up a phone connected to the projector. The tactical diagram projected on the wall was packed with messy arrows crossing over each other.

Tim had recommended this app in the beginning. Mauricio was easily persuaded, and at the time the National Soccer Federation was promoting the idea of building a high-tech powerhouse team. The two quickly reached an agreement.

"Everyone, pay attention!"

Mauricio pointed at three red dots arranged in a triangle on the screen.

"The three forwards must stay in these positions. No wandering around.

"The five midfielders must rotate counterclockwise around the center circle."

He looked at the national team players, who were all stunned.

"This is the optimal solution calculated by AI. Do you know how valuable this is?"

In my previous life, it was this so-called Invincible Spiral that let the opposing striker cut right through our rotating midfield in the opening group match and score five goals before halftime.

At two in the afternoon, I went to the medical office.

Theodore pressed his fingers against the Achilles tendon on my right ankle and whispered, "Mauricio said yesterday that everyone at this training camp has to pass the physical. No exceptions."

He picked up a pen and asked, "Are you sure you want to make trouble at a time like this?"

I rolled up my pant leg and revealed the old scar on my Achilles tendon.

"Then I'll write that your old injury has flared up and you can't participate in intense matches." Theodore sighed and started filling out the report.

Less than an hour after the report was submitted, the door was kicked open from the outside.

Tim stormed in, reeking of sweat. He grabbed my collar and yanked me off the chair.

"The whole team is practicing the new formation. Why are you the only one refusing to cooperate?"

He shouted so angrily that spit sprayed onto my face.

"Did you think your spot on the World Cup roster was meant for you to recover from injuries?"

I didn't fight back. Instead, I looked at the substitutes peeking in from outside the door.

"Tim, if my Achilles tendon snaps, my career is over," I said calmly.

Tim sneered and shoved me. I staggered backward several steps, and my waist slammed into a metal shelf.

"Coach Hudson will talk to you personally tomorrow."

He pointed at my nose and continued, "Do you think pretending to be sick will let you escape?"

Then he slammed the door shut.

I leaned against the bed and touched my left cheek.

In my previous life, Tim had slapped me right here.

During dinner, backup goalkeeper Matt Stewart carried his tray over to me. After looking around carefully, he lowered his voice.

"Christian, do you think that Invincible Spiral is actually reliable?"

He frowned, took a bite of food, and continued, "TactiGenie even says goalkeepers should catch the ball with both hands behind their backs so they can use the opponent's force against them. Are we playing soccer or practicing martial arts?"

I picked up some food and answered, "If the coaching staff approves it, then it must be right."

Matt froze, his hand holding the fork suspended in midair.

I kept eating and ignored him.

In my previous life, Matt was the only person on the team who spoke up for me.

But later, hundreds of thousands of hateful comments flooded his social media. Even his family became targets of online harassment.

In the end, he had no choice but to retire at 24.

So in this life, I don't want to drag anyone else down with me.

I put down my utensils, wiped my mouth, and carried my tray to the return station.

Behind me, the TV was tuned to the sports channel.

The host spoke excitedly, "According to sources, the national team has introduced the world's leading innovative tactical system. Team Libertas will enter the World Cup with a completely new identity."

I placed my tray into the plastic bin and let out a quiet laugh. "That's right. A completely new identity."

Soon enough, the whole world would witness a joke so big that no one would ever forget it.

The next morning, Mauricio set up a projector beside the practice field.

The screen played TactiGenie's 3D animation of the Invincible Spiral on repeat.

The faceless virtual players in the video glided across the field. Before every pass, they spun in place a full 360 degrees.

"Everyone, watch carefully!"

Mauricio shouted through a megaphone.

"The spin before the pass is meant to confuse the opponent and ruin their defensive judgment!"

He slapped the tactics board as he continued, "This is the optimal solution calculated by AI. The human brain could never come up with this!"

Mauricio needed a miracle more than anyone.

He had coached for over a decade, yet his results had always been disappointing.

TactiGenie had given him a chance to turn his career around.

At the back of the team stood assistant coach Miguel Wolff, his brows tightly furrowed. Finally, he couldn't hold back anymore and raised his hand.

"Coach Hudson, this spinning pass won't work in a real match. Just turning around takes at least a second. The other team's defensive midfielder isn't going to stand there doing nothing. They'll steal the ball long before the pass is made."

Mauricio's face darkened. He turned around and slammed the tactics board onto the table.

"Who knows more, you or AI?" he snapped. "Have you analyzed 30 million matches? Can your two years coaching a local club compare to the world's most advanced AI?"

Miguel's face turned bright red.

He wanted to argue back, but the words wouldn't come out.

Tim stepped forward.

"Miguel, if you're going to keep opposing us, then pack your things and leave.

"We don't need negative people like you."

The whole field fell silent.

More than 20 national team players lowered their heads.

Not a single person spoke up for Miguel.

Miguel slowly lowered his hand.

From that day on, he never spoke again during any tactical meeting.

That afternoon, I stood at the edge of the field with a crutch during the scrimmage.

Right winger Brenden Wynalda received a long pass from the backfield.

After trapping the ball, he began spinning in place awkwardly.

Before he could even finish half a turn, the defender rushed over and poked the ball away.

Brenden panicked and tried to shield the ball.

Instead, he lost his balance and crashed onto the grass.

He grabbed his right ankle and rolled around in pain.

Mauricio immediately raised his megaphone and roared. "Brenden, you're spinning too slowly! TactiGenie says players must complete the rotation within 0.3 seconds!"

Tim ran over and pulled Brenden to his feet.

"Your technique isn't good enough," he said loudly. "Starting today, everyone has to do extra spinning drills!"

Then he pulled out his phone on the spot.

"TactiGenie, how can a player complete a full spin in 0.3 seconds?"

The phone answered in a mechanical female voice.

"I recommend players perform 300 spinning exercises every day and apply petroleum jelly to the soles of their cleats to reduce friction."

Tim's eyes lit up.

He turned around and shouted at the equipment staff.

"Go buy 20 large jars of petroleum jelly right now!"

At eight that night, I was called to the head coach's office.

The room was thick with cigarette smoke.

Mauricio sat behind his desk, tapping the words "old Achilles injury" on my medical report with his finger.

"The team doctor says you can still play if we give you painkiller injections."

He blew out a ring of smoke and stared at me.

"You must make the roster and follow the tactics exactly. Otherwise, leave the team. And from now on, forget about ever playing for the national team again."

I stood in front of the desk and answered, "Coach Hudson, I'm willing to do as you say. But before I join the roster, I have one condition."

Mauricio frowned.

"You still dare to make demands?"

I pointed at my right leg.

"The medical staff must monitor my injury the entire time. If my condition gets worse before the match and I can't play, you can't accuse me of backing out at the last minute."

Mauricio stared at me for a few seconds.

He probably thought I had finally given in.

A cold smile appeared on his face.

"Fine."

As I turned and walked out of the room, the chilly wind in the hallway blew against my back.

Only then did I realize my shirt was already soaked with cold sweat.

On the day of the send-off ceremony, everyone in the plaza except me believed our team would win.

The square was packed with fans waving flags, and the giant screen kept playing a promotional video for Team Libertas created by TactiGenie.

The video was filled with flashy effects and stirring music.

At the end, a line of AI-generated words appeared on the screen. "We will win this World Cup."

Mauricio, dressed in a suit, stood on the stage with his arms spread wide, soaking in the cheers from the fans.

At the press conference that followed, a reporter asked, "Coach Hudson, we've heard that one of your key players is injured. Will that affect the strength of your starting lineup?"

Mauricio picked up the microphone and sneered.

"Are you talking about Christian Reyna?"

He paused on purpose so the cameras could focus on him.

"He has an old Achilles injury, but it's nothing serious."

He leaned back in his chair and continued arrogantly, "Our new tactical system is perfect. It doesn't rely on any single player.

"To be honest, if we have one less negative person who refuses to cooperate, the atmosphere in the team might actually improve."

The room instantly burst into laughter.

That night, sports forums were filled with criticism aimed at me.

People called me a coward.

They accused me of faking my injury to avoid the World Cup.

Some even suggested the national team should kick me out.

The trending topics were almost all about me.

Tim also posted on social media.

The photo showed a close-up of the team's cleats on the training field. Their soles were coated with petroleum jelly, glistening under the sunlight.

The caption read. "Hard work pays off. Team Libertas will win for sure. Some people choose to run away, while others choose to move forward. See you in June."

Before our flight took off, I spotted Miguel sitting alone in a corner of the departure lounge.

The coaching staff had already pushed him aside.

Now he was nothing more than an observer traveling with the team.

He sat quietly in a row of chairs with a canvas bag beside him.

I walked over and sat across from him.

Miguel looked like he wanted to say something.

But in the end, he stayed silent.

I knew what he wanted to ask.

I simply turned my head and looked out through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the airplanes parked on the runway.

In my previous life, the people who tried to warn others out of kindness had only ended up hurting themselves.

That same afternoon after we landed, Mauricio submitted the final 23-man roster to the tournament committee.

My name was on the list.

My position was listed as midfielder.

After dinner, team doctor Theodore pulled me into a corner of the hallway.

"I haven't submitted your Achilles evaluation report yet."

He glanced around before continuing, "But I showed your MRI scans to the other two doctors on the medical staff. The three of us reached the same conclusion. If you continue playing in high-intensity matches, the risk of tearing your Achilles tendon is extremely high."

He patted me on the shoulder.

"If your condition gets worse before the first match, the three of us will jointly recommend that the coaching staff replace you. That's purely a medical opinion. But I won't be able to help you during the second or third match. The people above are watching very closely."

I nodded. "Thank you, Theodore. Helping me with the first match is enough."

That night, the entire team gathered in the hotel restaurant for dinner.

The other 22 players sat around the long table, laughing and chatting.

Only I was assigned an extra seat in the corner.

Tim stood up and raised his glass of red wine.

"To our Invincible Spiral!"

"To Coach Hudson!"

"TactiGenie is amazing!"

Everyone stood up and clinked their glasses.

Red wine spilled onto the white tablecloth, staining it crimson.

I sat quietly in the corner, holding a glass of plain water.

Not a single person came over to toast with me.

And tomorrow, they would walk onto the World Cup stage carrying that ridiculous formation with them.