Kanagawa Gymnasium.
Inside the venue for the decisive Group B match.
"Shoyo! Shoyo! Shoyo!"
The Shoyo cheerleaders shouted themselves hoarse, desperately cheering for their team just as they had before.
Yet somehow, their cheers sounded weak and listless, clearly several decibels quieter than before.
On the court, every Shoyo player's eyes focused on the figure wearing the Number 9 Jersey for Shohoku.
Aside from Fujima Kenji and Hanagata Toru, the others from Shoyo had heard at least something about Qing Junce, either from the two of them or through various reports.
Takano Shoichi stared intently at Qing Junce, his expression wary as he muttered inwardly, So this is Qing Junce? He plays power forward like me. The captain and Hanagata both warned me that he wouldn't be easy to deal with.
Nagano Mitsuru also muttered inwardly, He's the rookie who's even better than Rukawa Kaede?!
Hasegawa Kazushi silently encouraged himself. It doesn't matter who's on the other side. I just need to guard my man and stick to Mitsui.
Fujima Kenji wore a solemn expression. The aura around him instantly turned sharp, and he became even more focused than usual, looking as if he were facing a formidable enemy.
Through his lenses, Hanagata Toru stared at Qing Junce with blazing intensity and sneered inwardly. No matter how strong he is, a twenty-point deficit isn't easy to overcome. We're not Tsukitake. We won't let you run wild.
On Shohoku's side.
Akagi Takenori cleanly passed the ball to Qing Junce.
Thump...
Thump...
Thump...
Qing Junce dribbled the basketball as he slowly walked forward, looking utterly relaxed, as though he were merely out for a stroll.
Yet this seemingly careless action pressed down on the hearts of the Shoyo players like an invisible mountain.
The pressure came without reason, yet it was all too real. Every one of them felt slightly short of breath.
Fujima Kenji's expression changed instantly. His heart was like a lake struck by a boulder, sending enormous waves surging across its surface.
When he had watched Qing Junce's game from the stands, he hadn't felt anything particularly special.
But now, standing on the court and facing Qing Junce directly, he inexplicably felt an oppressive sensation, as though someone were looking down at him from above.
Even when facing Maki Shinichi of Kainan, he had never felt this way.
What the hell?
They hadn't even exchanged blows yet. Where was this pressure coming from?
Fujima Kenji had already imagined Qing Junce's threat level to be extremely high, but he had never expected it to far exceed his expectations.
The other Shoyo players felt much the same.
Hanagata Toru had still been holding on to a sliver of hope, believing that a twenty-point lead meant victory was already assured.
But now, his expression had also turned uncertain.
A twenty-point lead was, under normal circumstances and against any team, practically equivalent to victory.
Yet for some reason, standing before Qing Junce, he inexplicably felt that the twenty-point gap was not quite as safe as it seemed.
Thump...
Thump...
Thump...
Qing Junce continued dribbling the ball at an unhurried pace, his eyes sweeping lazily across the Shoyo players before him like searchlights.
His posture was casual and carefree. The corner of his mouth curled upward, revealing a wild smile. "Shoyo... I hope you won't disappoint me!"
The moment he said this, the Shoyo players' expressions darkened.
Too arrogant.
Too conceited.
Too disrespectful.
He hadn't taken them seriously at all.
In an instant, a nameless fury suddenly flared in the hearts of the Shohoku players.
Takano Shoichi's face flushed red with anger. He suddenly strode forward and planted himself firmly in front of Qing Junce, roaring, "You arrogant brat! I'll take you on!"
Qing Junce raised his eyes, his gaze drifting lightly onto Takano Shoichi. His expression remained calm as he merely said, "Then let's begin!"
Thump...
Thump...
Thump...
The sound of the basketball striking the floor abruptly stopped.
The instant the sound vanished, Qing Junce shot toward the left like a black afterimage.
So fast.
Takano Shoichi's pupils contracted sharply, and panic surged through his heart.
His reaction was quick enough, however. He hurriedly took a large step to the right, attempting to block Qing Junce's driving lane.
Yet in the next second, although Qing Junce's lowered body remained angled to the left, his breakthrough suddenly changed.
He abruptly turned left. His body spun rapidly like a top, and in the blink of an eye, he slipped past Takano Shoichi's right side.
A fierce gust howled past from the left. Takano Shoichi's expression changed drastically, and he stared wide-eyed in shock. "That turn was so fast. I couldn't react at all."
His center of gravity had already shifted completely to the right, leaving him able only to watch Qing Junce's afterimage flash past from the corner of his eye.
The other Shoyo players were equally shocked, but they forcefully suppressed their astonishment and hurriedly reacted.
Fujima Kenji and Hanagata Toru quickly formed two defensive lines. One stood firmly in front of the three-point line, while the other stood before the paint.
Nagano Mitsuru and Hasegawa Kazushi were also fully focused, constantly preparing to provide defensive support and do everything they could to stop Qing Junce's fierce attack.
Whoosh...
On the basketball court, Qing Junce transformed without warning into a dazzling red bolt of lightning. Wrapped in surging momentum, he tore toward Shoyo's half of the court at blinding speed.
For a moment, the spectators seemed to hear a crisp crack.
Immediately afterward, that striking red figure appeared like a ghost in front of Shoyo's three-point line.
Seeing this, Fujima Kenji's pupils contracted violently, and a bead of cold sweat the size of a bean quietly slid down his cheek.
Too fast.
Far too fast.
Although he had barely managed to catch Qing Junce's figure, at that crucial moment his body seemed frozen in place.
He knew this was because Qing Junce was moving so quickly that his reaction speed simply could not keep up.
Fortunately, Fujima Kenji had been keeping Qing Junce locked in his sights the entire time. That had barely bought him a little precious reaction time.
He swiftly spread his arms like a tightly drawn net, his eyes blazing as he watched Qing Junce's every move, refusing to miss the slightest detail.
At the same time, Nagano Mitsuru seized the opportunity and charged over like a whirlwind, intending to cooperate with Fujima Kenji and form a pincer around Qing Junce to restrict his movements.
Qing Junce, however, paid no attention to this. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a playful smile.
His sprint, originally as swift as an arrow loosed from a bow, suddenly came to a halt. He stopped dead in front of Fujima Kenji as if nailed to the floor.
At that moment, Fujima Kenji and Qing Junce seemed to become two statues, standing silently.
Their four eyes met. The surrounding space seemed to solidify, and time itself appeared to stop.
Fujima Kenji seized the opportunity and suddenly thrust out his palm, striking toward the basketball in Qing Junce's hand.
Yet in the next second, Qing Junce became like a supercharged engine. His speed instantly shot from zero to maximum.
He transformed into a blurred afterimage and vanished from Fujima Kenji's vision in the blink of an eye.
And the moment Qing Junce's figure disappeared, what replaced it in Fujima Kenji's eyes was Nagano Mitsuru's gradually enlarging, horrified face.
The two stared wide-eyed at each other, both wearing stunned expressions.
Thump...
Just as Fujima Kenji's mind was completely occupied by Qing Junce's ghostlike disappearance, a crisp and abrupt basketball bounce suddenly exploded behind him.
Fujima Kenji knew that Qing Junce had already broken past him.
Without thinking, he whipped around and shouted, "Hanagata..."
At the same time, his feet seemed to have springs attached. He quickly turned and rushed back on defense, trying to work with Hanagata Toru to stop Qing Junce.
In the blink of an eye, Fujima Kenji and Hanagata Toru became two solid walls, successfully trapping Qing Junce between them.
The sight drew gasp after gasp from the spectators.
After all, Fujima Kenji and Hanagata Toru had never teamed up to double-team a single player during a game before.
Qing Junce stood squarely between the three-point line and the free-throw line, like a trapped beast that felt no fear.
Feeling the pressure from Hanagata Toru in front of him and the danger brought by Fujima Kenji rapidly closing in from behind, Qing Junce was not the least bit panicked. Instead, uncontrollable excitement surged through his heart.
"This is what makes it interesting." The smile on Qing Junce's face grew brighter, and the light in his eyes instantly became sharp as an eagle's.
His feet never stopped moving, and he maintained his fierce forward momentum. Just when everyone thought he would force his way through, he flicked his wrist, sending the basketball along a strange arc behind his back and completing a beautiful behind-the-back handoff dribble.
Fujima Kenji and Hanagata Toru's eyes were drawn to the ball like magnets, and they subconsciously followed it.
Before they could react, Qing Junce slightly bent his knees and sent the basketball flying backward between his legs with another dribble, like a nimble spirit.
By sheer coincidence, Fujima Kenji arrived at that critical moment and pressed up against him.
The basketball seemed to have calculated the timing in advance, passing with a whistle between Fujima Kenji's legs.
In the blink of an eye, Qing Junce used the momentum to drive off with both feet. His body spun backward like a top, precisely circling around Fujima Kenji before coming to a steady stop behind him.
At the same time, Qing Junce reached out and snatched control of the basketball that had flown out from between Fujima Kenji's legs.
At that moment, Qing Junce used Fujima Kenji's body as a natural shield, successfully blocking Hanagata Toru's attempt to stop him.
Under the dumbfounded gazes of the entire audience, Qing Junce bent his legs, leaped straight up, raised the basketball high, and released the shot.
The basketball traced a somewhat awkward arc through the air as it followed his motion.
Whoosh...
The basketball soared over the heads of Fujima Kenji and Hanagata Toru, slammed directly into the backboard, and then, amid the crowd's tense silence, bounced into the hoop.
The numbers on the electronic scoreboard changed accordingly.
Shohoku 2–24 Shoyo.
After Qing Junce entered the game, Shohoku finally broke the curse of zero points.
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