The whistle ending the fifth game had barely sounded when the robot War Dragon struck first.
It no longer imitated Wang Yi's moves. Instead, it stood beyond the three-point line and suddenly began alternating its arms at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow, the basketball leaving afterimages as it moved across its fingertips.
It was a new move combining Curry's rapid dribbling with Iverson's crossover. Clearly, its database had been updated in real time.
Wang Yi set his feet slightly apart, lowered his center of gravity as far as he could, and fixed his gaze on the basketball at the robot's hip.
He made no attempt to predict its movements, relying purely on muscle memory to follow the opponent's motions.
The robot suddenly burst forward, its left shoulder creating space for the drive.
Wang Yi slid his right foot sideways and shot out his right hand like lightning.
He didn't steal the ball. Instead, he lightly touched its side and used the force of the robot's dribble to redirect it.
The basketball traced a strange arc through the air, flying straight toward Wang Yi's left hand.
This change of hands, using the opponent's momentum, was completely outside the robot's algorithmic expectations.
Its sideways movement came to an abrupt halt. As a flicker of blue light flashed in its eyes and it recalibrated its target, Wang Yi had already driven toward the free-throw line with the ball.
Facing the robot's help defense and block, Wang Yi pushed off with his left foot and leaped. His body suddenly twisted 180 degrees in midair. Holding the ball in his right hand, he faked a dunk, drawing the robot into raising both arms with all its strength.
But just as the robot was about to touch the ball—
Wang Yi