Chapter Seventeen: Jealousy Like Madness

In basketball, dunking is the most thrilling move, the one that stirs the crowd’s excitement like nothing else. When Chen Feng slammed the ball through the hoop, the entire gym was shaken. The sheer explosive power at the moment the ball crashed through the rim sent a shockwave through every spectator.

It was a scene most people had only ever glimpsed on television, yet now it unfolded before their very eyes.

With a soft thud, Chen Feng released the rim and dropped back to the floor. To be honest, he’d just wanted to give it a try. In the manga “Slam Dunk,” Mitsui Hisashi, his favorite character, never managed a single dunk. But Chen Feng was brimming with confidence in himself. His physical prowess even surpassed that of Hanamichi Sakuragi, the story’s protagonist. Dunking was not some insurmountable challenge for him.

Truth be told, Chen Feng was curious to see if he could dunk from the free-throw line—he suspected it wouldn’t be difficult. Still, he decided not to showcase his full strength just yet. This display had already left everyone around him thoroughly stunned.

He silently opened the Grand Extraction System and a subtle smile flickered across his face—he’d just earned twenty more achievement points.

Last time, in the final five minutes, he had also defeated Lin Hang but had only received ten achievement points. This time, it was twenty. Similarly, when he’d solved problems in front of the teacher for the first time, he’d only earned two points, but this time he’d gotten three.

He furrowed his brow in thought. It seemed the number of achievement points depended on how surprised people were by his performance and just how great their astonishment was.

“The first time I barely managed to defeat Lin Hang, and though people were surprised, it was nothing compared to today’s overwhelming victory. Especially that final dunk—the shock it brought was on a whole different level.”

“My experience with exams was similar. The first time, I solved problems in front of the teachers using material from the second-year curriculum, but this time it was actual college entrance exam content. Their astonishment was entirely justified!”

Chen Feng had made his judgment: the more outstanding his performance, the greater the admiration, surprise, and envy he inspired in others, and the higher the achievement points he’d receive.

“It appears I need to be bold—very bold!” He glanced at Lin Hang, who was slumped on the ground, but didn’t bother to acknowledge him. Such a person, he thought, was fated to be nothing more than a stepping stone beneath his feet.

“Chen Feng! Chen Feng!” At that moment, the voice of the gym teacher, Chen Ping, snapped him out of his reverie.

“Hello, Teacher,” Chen Feng greeted Chen Ping politely.

Despite his newfound abilities, Chen Feng didn’t act arrogant. He understood well that those who flaunted themselves too brazenly rarely came to a good end. It was better to keep a low profile.

Chen Ping sized Chen Feng up and down before quickly speaking. “Chen Feng, would you like to join the school basketball team?”

“Me? Join the basketball team?” Chen Feng was momentarily taken aback.

“Yes! Actually, I was thinking about this last time. Your three-point shots are practically flawless. I just never had a chance to approach you. Now, with this opportunity, I want to ask: would you consider joining the basketball team?” Chen Ping said eagerly.

He’d rather subtly implied that a lack of opportunity had kept him from approaching Chen Feng, but the truth was, Chen Ping hadn’t thought much of him at first. Despite his flawless three-point shooting, Chen Feng’s stamina was lacking—what good was a player who could only last five minutes on the court? Besides, Chen Feng was overweight. Maybe last time was just a fluke. But today, Chen Feng’s display of strength had left Chen Ping overjoyed and amazed.

His level was absolutely outstanding. For a full ten minutes, he’d suffocated Lin Hang, not even allowing him to touch the ball. And that final dunk—it was utterly breathtaking.

There couldn’t be more than a handful of high schoolers nationwide who could dunk. If Chen Feng could achieve something remarkable, it would reflect well on him as coach. If Chen Feng could get into a prestigious university, Chen Ping’s own reputation would rise as well. Chen Feng was well aware of these little calculations—a teacher who hadn’t thought much of him before was now eager to see him join the team after witnessing his true abilities.

Join the school basketball team?

Chen Feng fell into momentary contemplation. Truthfully, he was the sort who preferred to keep a low profile. But now, the Grand Extraction System required him to stand out. Without enough achievements, he wouldn’t get any points.

“If I join, will I have to play against other schools?” Chen Feng suddenly asked.

“Of course!” Chen Ping replied quickly. “There are city-wide tournaments too. If we do well, there are scholarships as well!”

“Scholarships?” Chen Feng was surprised. “How much?”

“If the team comes first in the city, the scholarship is ten thousand. Second place gets five thousand. Third, three thousand. And if you are selected as the city’s best player, that’s thirty thousand!” Chen Ping rattled off. “So, what do you think, Chen Feng? With your skills, I’m sure you could be the best player in the city!”

Thirty thousand!

Chen Feng’s heart skipped a beat. If his family set aside all their daily expenses, they’d be lucky to save thirty thousand in a year. If he could win the best player, he’d get that amount in a single scholarship.

That was no small sum!

He licked his lips, excitement bubbling within him. With his level of basketball skill, winning city MVP didn’t seem out of reach.

There were only a handful of domestic players who ever made it to the NBA, but his abilities were already at that level.

“So, Chen Feng, will you join the school basketball team?” Chen Ping pressed.

“I can, but I have a few conditions. I hope you’ll agree to them,” Chen Feng replied after a moment’s thought.

“Alright, no problem, tell me!” Chen Ping said eagerly.

“For training, I’d like to stick to my own methods. My top priority, in fact, is to lose some of this fat first,” Chen Feng said, grabbing at his belly with a wry smile. “Don’t you think?”

“Well, that does seem to be the case,” Chen Ping chuckled. “Alright then, let’s do it this way. I’ll speak to the school and get you registered.”

When Chen Feng glanced back, Lin Hang had already disappeared. He clearly couldn’t bear to stay any longer. He’d thought he could humiliate Chen Feng, only to end up being thoroughly crushed instead.

It wasn’t that he was so bad, it was just that Chen Feng was simply… unbelievable.

*****

Gulp!

Lin Hang downed a mouthful of liquor. The blow he’d suffered had left him haggard.

“Why beat yourself up, Lin Hang? So you lost to Chen Feng—big deal! That guy really is good at basketball. Who would’ve guessed that fat slob had such skills?” A boy next to him, Zhang Kai, another basketball teammate and Lin Hang’s close friend, tried to comfort him.

Lin Hang took another swig, teeth clenched. “That damned fat pig—I never imagined he was hiding his true strength all this time!”

“The coach already told the school. That pig will be joining our team soon,” Zhang Kai said, biting his lip. “Looks like the coach wants to make him the team’s star.”

Hearing that, Lin Hang’s fists clenched, his eyes turning crimson with anger.

“That damned pig is joining the team?”

The thought of having to see Chen Feng day in and day out nearly drove Lin Hang mad.

“Lin Hang, maybe we should teach him a lesson,” Zhang Kai muttered. “I know some guys on the street. If they step in, that fatso won’t know what hit him.”

“You know people like that?” Lin Hang hesitated, his mind racing.

He really couldn’t stand the sight of that fat pig. But hiring someone to rough Chen Feng up… Lin Hang was torn. His parents both held high-paying jobs, but had always emphasized proper upbringing. Despite his jealousy and resentment of Chen Feng, he’d never seriously considered seeking outside help to retaliate.

After all, he was a student—a good student at that—who rarely had anything to do with the local riffraff. Even after losing to Chen Feng, his only thought was to beat him on the basketball court.

Besides, he knew perfectly well that once you got involved with those street thugs, they’d cling to you like leeches, impossible to shake off. The thought twirled in his mind, but in the end, he shook his head. “Let’s forget it for now.”

Seeing Lin Hang refuse, Zhang Kai didn’t press the issue. “Alright, Lin Hang. If you ever want to deal with him, just let me know.”

“I understand,” Lin Hang replied, but the idea had already taken root deep inside his mind.