Unsolvable Mid-Range Shot, Terrifyingly Unstoppable

Unsolvable Mid-Range Shot, Terrifyingly Unstoppable

Wang Yi drove to the free-throw line, just as Hachimura Rui rushed toward him.

He thought to himself, Just what I was hoping for!

Then he used the Unsolvable Mid-Range Shot Experience Card he had been saving since the start of the game.

[Beginner Unsolvable Mid-Range Shot Experience Card: Mid-range shooting accuracy reaches 100%]

[Duration: 5 minutes.]

Wang Yi came to an abrupt stop.

He rose and shot.

The ball sailed past Hachimura Rui's right fingertips and toward the basket.

Unlike the two cannonball-like three-pointers he'd taken earlier,

this mid-range shot came off Wang Yi's hands with an incredibly soft touch.

When the ball dropped through the net, it was as light as a feather.

Hachimura Rui cursed inwardly. "Kuso!"

Of course, nobody paid much attention to Wang Yi's mid-range shot.

As far as they were concerned, his most dangerous weapon was his three-pointer.

It was just a mid-range shot. There was nothing to get worked up about.

At the other end, the Wizards added two more points with Westbrook's powerful drive.

The Lakers went on offense. As Wang Yi curled around a screen, Beal stuck close on his heels.

Wang Yi came around beyond the three-point line and received the ball again.

As Beal rushed at him, Wang Yi dribbled once more and got past him with ease.

Once again, he reached the free-throw line.

The Wizards' big man, Hachimura Rui, rushed at him again.

Just like before, Wang Yi rose and shot.

The ball floated softly into the net once more.

The exact same move, from the exact same spot, for the exact same result!

At the other end, Beal made a shot for the Wizards.

When the Lakers attacked, James held the ball at the top of the arc.

As Wang Yi curled around a screen toward the upper side, he suddenly darted toward the baseline.

Beal couldn't react in time, and Wang Yi found a brief opening.

James was the kind of player who'd get you the ball the moment you got open.

And that was exactly what he did.

Taking advantage of Wang Yi's momentary opening, he tossed him the ball.

Wang Yi was at the right-side mid-range, at a 45-degree angle.

After Wang Yi had made two mid-range shots in a row, Hachimura Rui had started paying attention to him.

So this time, Hachimura Rui was ready.

If Wang Yi caught the ball and then jumped to shoot, Hachimura Rui could block him.

So Wang Yi did something astonishing.

He didn't land first.

He caught the ball in midair and went straight into his shooting motion.

A flick of the wrist!

The shot was away!

Hachimura Rui rushed at him much faster than he had the last time.

But Wang Yi's shot was even quicker.

The ball flew over Hachimura Rui's head.

With another soft arc, it floated into the net.

"Oh—my God!"

"How did he do that?"

"An alley-oop mid-range shot! What a touch!"

Even the Wizards fans couldn't help crying out in amazement.

The commentators were stunned, too:

"Oh my God, that Eastern player just caught the ball in the air and hit a mid-range shot!"

"I hate to admit it, but I have to: that's the best basket of the night so far!"

The Lakers players came over to high-five Wang Yi.

They wanted to congratulate him—and, of course, get a little of that hot shooting touch for themselves.

James patted Wang Yi on the butt.

"Brother, those hands of yours are pure gold!"

Hachimura Rui wore a complicated expression.

He'd said he was going to teach this Chinese player a lesson.

But not only had the Chinese player blocked him several times tonight, now, at this crucial moment, he'd hit three straight mid-range shots over him.

And this last one was ridiculous—a mid-range shot off a pass caught in midair.

How was he supposed to answer that?

The Wizards went on offense again.

This time, the ball went to Hachimura Rui.

Hachimura Rui turned left, then turned right.

He made it to the basket.

Then he went up for a hook shot.

But his hook had barely started when—

Smack!

A huge block sent the ball flying out of his hands.

When he looked back, there was that same Eastern player.

The confidence Hachimura Rui had struggled to build up with his coach's encouragement had already been hanging by a thread.

Now Wang Yi's block had knocked away half of what little remained.

Why did this Chinese player have to keep coming after him?

It was as if every time he tried to shoot, Wang Yi would block him.

Damn it!

Damn it!

Hachimura Rui glanced at his coach.

The coach's expression was dark.

He remembered what the coach had told him earlier.

If he didn't seize this opportunity, he'd never get another one.

He looked away and clenched his fists.

His gaze toward Wang Yi grew even more vicious.

By then, Caruso had dribbled the ball into the frontcourt.

Wang Yi was already curling around a screen, ready to receive it.

Hachimura Rui hurried down the court.

Wang Yi curled around twice before getting the ball.

He was at mid-range along the left baseline.

He rose, ready to shoot.

Hachimura Rui had only just made it back.

Seeing Wang Yi about to take another mid-range shot, he roared:

"Die!"

Then he lunged at Wang Yi.

Wang Yi was in the air when Hachimura Rui slammed into him.

The instant he lost his balance, Wang Yi relied on his soft touch, flicked his wrist, and let the shot fly.

Only then did he fall out of bounds.

And he landed right in the arms of a beautiful woman sitting courtside.

The ball floated softly into the net.

Hachimura Rui also fell to the floor.

He slid more than three meters along the court.

His head even smacked into the camera on a courtside camera rig.

He winced in pain.

Seeing that even a foul couldn't stop the Chinese player from scoring, he punched the floor in frustration.

"Tweet-tweet-tweet-tweet!"

The referee's whistle rang out urgently.

The officials rushed over.

Caruso, Kuzma, and James hurried over, too.

The three of them surrounded Hachimura Rui.

They shouted at him:

"Is that basketball? You're just attacking him!"

"That was dirty! You filthy player!"

"Players like you shouldn't be on a court!"

The referee hurried in to stop things from getting worse.

Security guards rushed over as well, holding back several players who tried to join the fray.

Wang Yi got up from the woman's arms, gently patted her on the head, and gave her an apologetic smile.

She was a Wizards fan.

But when she saw Wang Yi's smile, a thought popped into her head:

This Eastern guy is pretty handsome.

At courtside, the referees reviewed the footage.

They finally announced their decision:

"Lakers No. 1, two points plus one free throw. Hachimura Rui, a flagrant one. The Lakers get another free throw!"

Wang Yi made the first free throw.

The Wizards' head coach called a timeout.

He could see that Hachimura Rui was about to lose control.

He had to call a timeout and give him a chance to calm down.

Besides, starting with those two three-pointers, Wang Yi had now made six shots in a row.

Two three-pointers and four mid-range shots.

His scoring efficiency was terrifying.

It felt as though he could never miss.

"Hachimura, you need to calm down."

"This is just one game. He's having a good night, that's all. There's no need to earn a flagrant foul over it!"

"If you want to play him again, you'll have plenty of chances. For now, just focus on what you're good at. Boxing out, rebounding, second-chance points. You don't need to get into a feud with him, understand?"

Hachimura Rui nodded mechanically.

But for some reason, the three words Wang Yi had said earlier suddenly came back to him:

"Are you even worthy?"