Chapter 26: How Can the Battle Continue?

Thud! Thud!

At last, the two teams slowly entered the basketball court. First High School sent out their five players; among them were Fang Chenghao, Lin Hang, and of course Chen Feng. After all, with Chen Feng’s basketball skills and formidable physique, it was clear he was the core of First High’s lineup.

“What is this? Why would First High put a fat guy on the court?”

From the stands, someone voiced their displeasure.

“Exactly! Is First High really out of players? To actually send someone like him up there—he looks downright ridiculous!” echoed another spectator.

Jeers erupted from the crowd, clearly showing their lack of confidence in Chen Feng.

“Looks like First High is really scraping the bottom of the barrel this year, to let a fat pig like that onto the court!” Zhang Ke sneered. He hadn’t expected Chen Feng to actually play, let alone as a key player.

“Brothers, let’s go all out today! Let’s show First High that from now on, whenever they see us from Fourth High, they’ll have to take the long way around!” Zhang Ke chuckled darkly.

The referee’s whistle blew. Jump ball!

Zhang Ke and Fang Chenghao both bent their knees, preparing for the leap. As the tallest players on their respective teams, they were the obvious choices. Yet, Chen Feng knew in his heart that he was the best candidate for the jump—even though he was much shorter than Fang Chenghao, if he leaped, he’d easily out-jump him.

Still, Chen Feng didn’t try to steal the spotlight. After all, a jump ball wouldn’t earn him much glory.

Whoosh!

The basketball soared high. Zhang Ke and Fang Chenghao leaped. Zhang Ke, just a hair higher, smacked the ball with his right hand.

The ball flew toward one of Fourth High’s players.

Smack!

At this critical moment, a shadow flashed by. The Fourth High player barely realized what had happened before he was stunned to find the ball already in Chen Feng’s hands.

Fast break!

Chen Feng roared, charging toward Fourth High’s basket with lightning speed. The spectators gasped in unison as they watched Chen Feng tear across the court to the three-point line, moving with a speed that defied his size.

Stop, jump, shoot!

Every move flowed seamlessly into the next. With a whoosh, the ball traced a perfect arc in the air, landing cleanly in the basket.

“No way! That fat guy actually made a three-pointer? From the interception to the fast break to the jump shot—not a single wasted motion. He scored that easily? You’ve got to be kidding!” a basketball fan in the stands stared in disbelief, smacking his lips. In his experience, the smart move here was to charge into the paint, not take a three. Unless, of course, the shooter had an exceptional long-range game.

Right from the opening, Fourth High was down by three.

“This can’t be happening.” Fourth High’s players stared dumbfounded at Chen Feng, who calmly returned to his team. Zhang Ke, coldly, said, “What are you afraid of? It’s just one basket. There’s a lot of game left.”

Fourth High moved up for their offense. Chen Feng quickly positioned himself in front of Zhang Ke.

Zhang Ke sneered, “You got lucky just now, kid. Barely scored a fluke. I want to see how you plan to win again.”

But before he’d finished speaking, Chen Feng suddenly crouched low. Zhang Ke felt his right hand empty—the ball had been stolen. He instinctively turned his head only to see Chen Feng racing toward Fourth High’s basket.

“Block him! Block him!” Zhang Ke shouted. Two of Fourth High’s players rushed to intercept, arms spread wide.

But Chen Feng only smiled, spun, and passed the ball to Fang Chenghao.

Whoosh!

Fang Chenghao shot, and the ball sailed cleanly through the hoop.

“That’s five points!” Chen Feng looked at Zhang Ke with a faint smile. “No need to get anxious. Like I said, we’ll be leading by a hundred points before we’re done.”

Zhang Ke gritted his teeth. “The game’s not even a minute in. What are you so cocky about?”

Chen Feng only smiled indifferently. “Well, let’s keep playing, shall we?”

On the sidelines, Lin Hang regarded Zhang Ke with a hint of pity. No one knew better than he did just how terrifying Chen Feng’s basketball prowess was—almost flawless three-point shooting, an extraordinary physical presence, and even dunking ability.

On the surface, the chubby boy looked easy-going and harmless, but beneath that friendly appearance was a deadly force.

Fourth High inbounded again, all five players surging toward First High’s basket. Zhang Ke, now cautious, didn’t carry the ball himself but stuck close to Chen Feng, while his teammates rushed the paint.

Swish!

A Fourth High player quickly passed the ball to Zhang Ke. Seizing the chance, Zhang Ke leapt—after being stymied by Chen Feng twice already, he was determined to score this time.

The basket was within reach. Zhang Ke shot with both hands, sending the ball toward the hoop. But as he came down, he saw something terrifying—a plump hand suddenly blocked the ball’s path.

“He jumped higher than me?” Shock overtook Zhang Ke’s face. At six-foot-three, with impressive athleticism, his shots were rarely stopped. Yet Chen Feng had blocked him?

Impossible.

Every spectator wore a look of disbelief as Chen Feng’s hand slammed down on the ball with a resounding crack, knocking it hard to the floor.

Swish!

A First High player seized the ball and streaked toward Fourth High’s basket. Landing, Chen Feng exploded with speed, racing after him like lightning.

“Defense! Defense!” Zhang Ke bellowed. The player was intercepted, but then a voice called out behind him: “Pass it here!”

Without hesitation, the ball whizzed into Chen Feng’s hands.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

With two deft feints, Chen Feng dodged two defenders, reaching the basket in the blink of an eye. Then, he leapt—his body unleashing a fearsome momentum.

For an instant, everyone swore they saw not a boy but a mighty dragon taking flight.

“A dunk?”

The thought flashed through every mind. It seemed impossible—a high school student in China, let alone someone of Chen Feng’s build, rarely managed a real dunk.

Yet, in that moment of collective disbelief, Chen Feng soared over a meter high, his massive frame rising above the backboard. He slammed the ball down with overwhelming force.

Bang!

A thunderous crash echoed through the gym as Chen Feng dunked the ball, causing the whole basket to tremble as if unable to withstand the blow.

“Did that really go in?” Shock filled every face. First High’s students could barely believe it, but everyone else was downright stunned.

The sound was so fierce it seemed the rim itself might shatter.

Thud!

Chen Feng landed, his gaze sweeping over Fourth High’s players. He jogged past Zhang Ke, his voice drifting coolly into his rival’s ear: “I told you, we’ll be a hundred points ahead—at least.”

A hundred points ahead—at least!

Such a simple declaration, yet it left Zhang Ke with an unprecedented sense of helplessness and defeat welling up inside him.

How could they possibly continue?

(Thank you all for your continued support. The author hopes for a strong start to 2015 and sincerely appreciates every reader’s encouragement!)