After the match, the home fans of Liverpool were silent, while the cheers of the small group of Hoffenheim fans in the away stands sounded particularly grating. Oliver was surrounded by his teammates, who were patting his head and back, almost piling on him. But he was still thinking about something more important: the Player Interaction System's progress bar wouldn't fill itself! Now that the match was over and the Liverpool players hadn't left yet, it was a good opportunity to interact!
While his teammates were still celebrating wildly, Oliver secretly glanced in the direction of the Liverpool players. Mohamed Salah was walking towards the sideline with his head down; his expression was a bit disappointed, but not as displeased as one might have imagined. Oliver had made up his mind; he quickly explained to his teammates and then walked briskly towards Mohamed Salah.
"Hello, Mr. Salah," Oliver called out in English, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"Can I exchange jerseys with you?"
Mohamed Salah was startled for a moment, looking up at the 17-year-old who had just turned his team's defense upside down.
Oliver quickly added, "Your runs today were incredible, I couldn't keep up with you twice, truly amazing."
This seemed to hit Mohamed Salah's funny bone; the corner of his mouth turned up slightly, and as he took off his jersey, he said, "Good kid, you couldn't keep up with me? But you scored two goals against us."
Oliver chuckled, "Just good luck, good luck."
After they exchanged jerseys, Salah suddenly turned and shouted to his teammates,
"Hey, guys, come look! This is the kid who messed up our defense today!"
The Liverpool players, who were originally walking dejectedly towards the locker room, stopped when they heard Salah's shout. Firmino was the first to walk over, sizing Oliver up and down: "You're that Oliver? Only 17?"
Oliver nodded, and before he could speak, Mane leaned in: "Oliver, your second goal was beautiful, Matip probably still hasn't figured out how you got past him."
Oliver scratched his head: "Actually, I didn't think too much at the time, I just saw his center of gravity leaning inwards, so I decided to go outside..."
"Hmm… Smart kid," Milner interjected, patting Oliver's shoulder, "But next time we meet you, we won't be so polite."
Oliver's eyes lit up, feeling like he had a chance, and continued to ask: "Then… can I take a photo with everyone?"
The Liverpool players looked at each other, clearly not expecting such a request from the opponent who had just defeated them.
Robertson couldn't help but laugh: "You're an interesting kid, you just beat us, and now you want a photo?"
When Robertson said that, Oliver was somewhat embarrassed and replied,
"I just feel honoured to compete with you, truly honoured, because such opportunities are rare."
Arnold shrugged: "Alright, the match is over anyway."
So, on the turf of Anfield, a magical scene appeared: The players from both sides, who had just experienced an intense contest, were now standing together happily taking photos, with a reporter taking their group picture. Oliver stood in the middle, with Mohamed Salah on his left, Firmino on his right, and Mane and Milner squeezed in behind him.
The photographer was a Liverpool fan, and he muttered as he took pictures: "This kid is really bold..."
After the photo, Wijnaldum asked curiously: "Kid, why do you want to take a photo with all of us?"
Oliver had already thought of a reason: "Because you are all world-class players, and in games, Liverpool players are my favorite to use."
This remark amused the Liverpool guys. Firmino shook his head with a smile: "It's over, we were defeated by an esports kid."
Salah asked: "Oliver, do you have social media? We can follow each other."
Oliver almost jumped up: "Really? I do! I do! My ID is..."
The two verbally exchanged contact information, remembering each other's IDs.
The system prompt immediately sounded in his mind:
[Ding! Interaction with Mohamed Salah +30%, interaction with other photographed players +5%.]
...
Guys, join my p/tr+-n to read 30 chapter ahead
p/tr+-n.com/Not_Thor
.....
Just then, Klopp walked out of the locker room and, seeing his players chatting and laughing with the opponents, frowned slightly. Salah quickly explained, "Boss, this kid means no harm, he just wants to take a photo with us..."
Klopp stared at Oliver for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled: "You're the young man who scored two goals? Well played."
Oliver's palms were sweating with nervousness: "Uh... Thank you, Coach, I'm very flattered."
Klopp patted Mohamed Salah's back: "Alright, don't chat too late, we still have a post-match analysis meeting."
With that, he turned and walked back into the locker room. The Liverpool players left one after another, and Mohamed Salah said to Oliver before leaving: "Keep this form, young man, I look forward to seeing you again next time, preferably in the Premier League."
Oliver waved: "Of course, see you next time, sir!"
It wasn't until the Liverpool players had walked far away that Oliver let out a long sigh of relief, looking down at Mohamed Salah's jersey in his hand, unable to help but grin.
He asked in his mind:
[System, will online interaction increase interaction points?]
[Yes, but it cannot be one-sided interaction; it must be mutual interaction, such as mutual following, mutual commenting, mutual reposting, etc. The interaction value increases by 2% each time.]
Oliver breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that in the future, not only would he have to be a 'natural networker' with a thick skin, but he would also have to frequently surf the internet and interact with these stars online when he had nothing to do.
Just then, teammate Gnabry walked over: "Hey, what are you doing, kid? Everyone's waiting for you in the locker room to celebrate!"
Oliver replied: "Coming, coming!"
Gnabry caught sight of Mohamed Salah's jersey in his hand and raised an eyebrow: "Oh, you even got a souvenir?"
Oliver tucked Mohamed Salah's jersey into his arms and said, feigning pride: "If you want one, go ask for it yourself. This one is mine, match-worn jerseys are very precious."
Gnabry put his arm around Oliver's neck:
"Oh, you, I was just about to ask if I could have it... I'm so impressed with you, Oliver, you're such a natural."
"I'm just handsome and have good connections, that's all."
Gnabry and Oliver, with arms around each other's shoulders, chatted and laughed as they followed their teammates back to the locker room.
...
The moment the match ended, Speed's phone exploded. He was originally sprawled in his gaming chair, gnawing on a chicken nugget while watching the live stream. When the referee blew the final whistle, the half-eaten nugget in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud."
"Holy crap? Hoffenheim really won? And that kid scored the winning goal????" He stared wide-eyed at the score on the screen, Liverpool 2:4 Hoffenheim. This score left him stunned for a long time.
You see, before the match, he had said on his live stream: "Liverpool will definitely win at home. For a small team like Hoffenheim, scoring a goal would be a miracle!"
And the result? Hoffenheim not only won, but they won quite beautifully, and even advanced.
"Oh no, oh no, I've messed up this time..." Speed scratched his head, but soon, his professional instinct made him calm down.
The internet, right? It's not scary to mess up; what's scary is not knowing how to fix it!
So, he quickly opened his phone and started furiously editing a new video. Tens of minutes later, a freshly baked "Post-Match Analysis" video was born.
"Hoffenheim Upset Liverpool, Champions League Newcomer Advances!"
In the video, Speed had a serious expression, as if he had anticipated all of this: "Chat, the result of this match was indeed unexpected, but upon careful analysis, Hoffenheim's win actually had traces to follow!"
He counted on his fingers, analyzing earnestly: "First, Liverpool's recent schedule has been dense, and their physical reserves are insufficient; second, Hoffenheim's defensive counter-attack tactics were executed very resolutely; third, Liverpool's defense was indeed not in good form today..."
At the end, he suddenly showed a mysterious smile: "Of course, the most important reason is that I predicted Liverpool would win before the match. As everyone knows, my predictions always acts like jinxes. Liverpool was jinxed by me, which is why Hoffenheim could win."
As soon as the video was released, the comment section instantly exploded.
"Speed, you were born to work in the internet industry."
"There's a sense of a good harvest."
"If he predicts correctly, he says his analysis is sound. If he predicts wrong, he says it's a jinx. He is always right, no matter what."
"You are the most abstract person in football, and the most knowledgeable about football in the abstract world."
"Thank you, Speed, every time I bet against your predictions, now I've already earned a down payment for a house."
Speed looked at these comments, and shout at the screen: "Chat understand me, being able to jinx someone is also a kind of strength!"
Speed had indeed brought abstraction into the football world. Soon, his comment section turned into a large-scale teasing session.
Someone posted a screenshot: "Speed, I bought against your prediction, and now I'm financially free. When are you treating me to dinner?"
"Speed, predict the next Champions League match too, so I can place my bets in advance."
Speed replied: "Just remember to follow me, chat."
Even funnier, some netizens directly edited his previous prediction videos into a compilation, with the caption: "Speed's jinx: whoever he says will win, will definitely lose."
This video quickly went viral shortly after, and the comment section was filled with joy.
"Suggest FIFA hire Speed as an official analyst."
"Speed, why don't you predict the A-share market, I guarantee I'll do the opposite of your operations."
IShowSpeed looked at these comments, smiling from ear to ear. He even started interactive sessions directly in his live stream:
"Chat, who do you think I should predict to win next? Real Madrid or Bayern? So you can plan ahead."
The Live chat instantly flooded the screen:
"Predict Real Madrid! I'm going all in on Bayern!"
"Speed, predict Manchester City to win, so I can go all in on their opponent."
...
And so, a match prediction that could have made him crash and burn was cleverly turned into an internet carnival. Many netizens even started spontaneously creating compilations of Speed's predictions, with various humorous edits, spreading them wildly across major platforms.
And Speed? Not only did he not lose followers, but he gained tens of thousands of new fans because of this reverse operation.
During his live stream that evening, a fan asked him: "Speed, your predictions are so inaccurate, why are you still so popular?"
Speed chuckled: "Because the essence of the internet isn't about right or wrong, it's about happiness. If you're happy, I'm happy. As for whether the predictions are accurate? That's not important! SUUIII"
Speed truly belongs in the internet industry.