Chapter Summaries

After the Kings' playoff win, Barnes revealed that his younger brother had late-stage lung cancer, and Wang Yi and Coach Walton accompanied him to the hospital. The next morning, Wang Yi resumed training and received a system mission to complete 1,000 low-post footwork drills.

• Barnes told reporters he had played aggressively to make up for letting Wang Yi and the team down, praised Wang Yi's leadership, and said Wang Yi's 102-point return should end the MVP discussion.
• After the press conference, Barnes told Wang Yi and Coach Walton that his younger brother had been diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer.
• Wang Yi and Walton went with Barnes to Sacramento Central Hospital, where Barnes stayed overnight with his brother.
• Wang Yi said he wanted to lead the Kings to the Western Conference Finals, then completed his daily ball-handling training with Nicole beside him.
• The system assigned Wang Yi 1,000 low-post footwork drills for an elite-level reward, and he began practicing against his trainer, Will James.

Wang Yi mastered elite footwork under the basket and worked with the Kings' coaches on ways to counter the Lakers' triple-team defense. In Game 4, the Kings set a record with 31 three-pointers and crushed the Lakers, leaving both teams to prepare for Game 5.

• Wang Yi completed 1,000 repetitions of his under-the-basket footwork task and earned Elite Footwork Under the Basket.
• Wang Yi and the Kings' coaches discussed using deep threes and open teammates to counter the Lakers' defense, while Walton chose to begin with their usual passing strategy.
• Wang Yi opened Game 4 with two Logo threes, prompting the Lakers to triple-team him and let the other Kings players shoot.
• Hield and Bagley led the Kings' hot shooting, and the team made 31 three-pointers to set a new single-game record.
• The Kings beat the Lakers 137–110 as Wang Yi recorded 27 points, 10 rebounds, and a career-high 24 assists.
• The Lakers began treating the Kings as serious opponents as the teams headed into Game 5, the King of the Mountain Battle.

Wang Yi arranged an urgent appointment with Dr. Ward for Chris Barnes's younger brother, who was losing hope after being diagnosed with lung cancer. As the Kings traveled to Los Angeles, Wang Yi rallied the team to fight the Lakers in a “Battle of Hope” for him.

• Wang Yi learned that Barnes's younger brother could not wait two months for an appointment with Dr. Ward and asked Nicole to arrange one.
• Nicole secured an immediate visit from Dr. Ward, giving Barnes's younger brother hope, and Wang Yi told Barnes to stay behind to care for him.
• Barnes insisted he would join the Kings in Los Angeles, but Wang Yi urged him to show his younger brother the team's game the next night.
• Wang Yi gathered the Kings on the plane and asked them to fight together against the Lakers for Chris Barnes's younger brother.
• The Kings arrived in Los Angeles and saw a playoff advertisement portraying the Lakers as a battleship and the Kings as a trembling false king.

The Kings faced hostility in Los Angeles before their playoff game against the Lakers, but Wang Yi rallied the team around its Western Conference Finals goal. After practicing his Super Long Three-Pointer, Wang Yi arrived at Staples Center determined to answer the fans’ insults.

• The Kings’ bus passed hostile Lakers fans and anti-Wang Yi slogans, while Chinese descendant fans bravely waved his jersey; Wang Yi clenched his fists as Coach Walton watched.
• At the Lakers’ training hall, James and Thick Eyebrows watched footage of the Kings’ arrival and agreed that provoking Wang Yi could make the game difficult.
• Mitchell showed Wang Yi the NBA’s announcement that he had joined the 180 Club as its 10th member, but Wang Yi refocused the Kings on reaching the Western Conference Finals.
• The Kings practiced Wang Yi’s Super Long Three-Pointer, which succeeded more than 70 percent of the time and boosted his teammates’ confidence.
• The Kings arrived at Staples Center, where Wang Yi stared at Kobe Bryant’s statue and resolved to show the hostile fans what Mamba Mentality meant.

The Kings faced the Lakers in a decisive playoff game with Barnes sidelined, leaving Wang Yi and his teammates with a difficult path to victory. As the game began, the Kings rallied around hope, and Wang Yi received another system check-in prompt.

• Lakers fans filled Staples Center in gold and prepared to chant "Traitor" at Wang Yi throughout the game.
• The Lakers started Tucker, while Walton put rookie Danny in Barnes's place for the Kings.
• Reggie Miller and Shaquille O'Neal said the Kings had only a 3.2% chance to advance after Barnes's injury.
• Barnes and Chris Barnes watched the broadcast from the hospital, and Barnes reassured his younger brother that Wang Yi would put on a stunning performance.
• The Kings gathered before tipoff, shouted "Hope," and Wang Yi received a system prompt asking him to check in.

Wang Yi used an Advanced Unsolvable Steal Experience Card to dominate the opening moments of Game 5, stealing the ball three times and scoring six points with dunks. The Lakers’ fans’ chants fell silent as Wang Yi kept taunting Westbrook and overpowering the defense.

• Wang Yi checked in and received an Advanced Unsolvable Steal Experience Card that lasted 48 minutes.
• Wang Yi intercepted the opening tip, raced downcourt, and dunked over the Lakers’ basket.
• Wang Yi stole the ball from Westbrook again and scored a second dunk less than 15 seconds into the game.
• Westbrook shielded the ball, then tried to get past Wang Yi, but Wang Yi stole it and drove toward the rim.
• Wang Yi switched hands to dunk around James’s chase-down block, giving him three steals and six points within half a minute.

Wang Yi opened the game with three steals and dunks in the first 30 seconds, forcing the Lakers to call a timeout. The Kings then let James attack rookie Danny to conserve their defense, while the Lakers repeatedly double-teamed Wang Yi; the chapter left Thick Eyebrows posting up against Wang Yi as the Lakers crowd roared.

• Wang Yi stole the ball from Westbrook three times and dunked each time, giving the Kings six straight points and forcing a Lakers timeout.
• James and the Lakers watched Westbrook as Vogel said nothing, and Westbrook promised to protect the ball after James urged him to be careful.
• Walton rallied the Kings around Wang Yi, and the team shouted, "Fight for hope!" before returning to the court.
• Wang Yi taunted Westbrook, who kept his temper in check and passed to James, who scored against rookie Danny after a Pick and Roll.
• James scored on Danny three times, while Wang Yi passed out of Lakers double-teams and Hield made a three-pointer; James then passed to Thick Eyebrows in the post against Wang Yi.

Wang Yi’s eight steals and 15 points gave the Kings a five-point lead over the Lakers after the first quarter, despite the Lakers playing well. As the Lakers prepared to protect the ball, Wang Yi decided the Kings would have to keep fighting to stay ahead.

• Wang Yi pulled the chair on Thick Eyebrows, sending him to the floor and taking the ball.
• Wang Yi finished the first quarter with eight steals, 15 points, three rebounds, and three assists as the Kings took a five-point lead.
• Wade, Reggie Miller, and Shaquille O'Neal praised Wang Yi’s performance and predicted the Lakers would adjust to his steals.
• Vogel told the Lakers to protect the ball and check Wang Yi’s position before passing.
• Walton worried that the Kings might need Bite-style Defense to hold their lead, while Wang Yi recognized how little room the Kings had for error.
• Wang Yi looked toward the Lakers’ Resting Area and resolved to fight.

The Lakers pulled away from the Kings to lead by 26 points entering the fourth quarter, while Wang Yi’s shooting faltered but his steals drove his total to 15. The commentators debated whether he could finish with a quintuple-double, though he still needed five blocks with only 12 minutes left.

• The Lakers improved their ball control and team offense in the second quarter, taking a nine-point lead as the Kings struggled to shoot.
• The Lakers outscored the Kings by 17 in the third quarter as James and Thick Eyebrows shot efficiently, while Wang Yi made one of seven three-pointers.
• Shaquille O'Neal revealed that Wang Yi had recorded 15 steals, and Dwyane Wade checked the statistics before recognizing the total was real.
• O'Neal listed Wang Yi’s line as 28 points, 15 steals, eight rebounds, seven assists, and five blocks, prompting Wade to consider the possibility of a quadruple-double.
• With the Lakers ahead by 26 and the fourth quarter remaining, Ke Fan and Director Zhang said Wang Yi’s chance at five more blocks was the main question left.

With the Kings trailing the Lakers by 26 points, Wang Yi refused to sit out the fourth quarter because he wanted Barnes’s younger brother, Chris, to see the team keep fighting. The chapter left Wang Yi and Walton aligned on a desperate comeback attempt meant to give Chris hope.

• Fans in the Tencent NBA Live Broadcast Room discussed Wang Yi’s chances of recording a quintuple-double, while Brother Xiang loudly backed him.
• At Sacramento Central Hospital, Barnes worried as Chris watched the Kings fall behind, but Chris asked to keep watching and said he wanted to experience the game’s struggle before he died.
• Walton tried to persuade Wang Yi to rest in the fourth quarter, but Wang Yi refused to stop fighting.
• Wang Yi told Walton he had deliberately held back in the third quarter so Chris could see the Kings battle on despite overwhelming odds.
• Walton understood Wang Yi’s intention, and Wang Yi decided that continuing the fight was worthwhile even if the Kings lost.

Wang Yi revealed that he had deliberately let the Kings fall behind so they could show Chris Barnes’s younger brother how to fight through desperation, though the deficit had grown much larger than planned. After rallying his teammates, Wang Yi opened the fourth quarter’s comeback attempt with a midcourt three that cut the Lakers’ lead to 26.

• Wang Yi told the coach he had intentionally held back, and the coach asked him to lead a fourth-quarter comeback.
• Wang Yi told the stunned Kings players that he had wanted them in a desperate position so they could inspire Chris Barnes’s younger brother.
• Wang Yi urged the Kings to never abandon a teammate or give up, and the players shouted their resolve together.
• Anthony hit a three to extend the Lakers’ lead to 29 points after Vogel kept James and Thick Eyebrows on the bench.
• Wang Yi took a shot from the center circle and made a midcourt three, declaring that his shot had returned.

Wang Yi sparked a Kings comeback by stealing the ball twice and leading an all-out defensive effort, cutting the Lakers’ lead from 29 to 22. After a timeout, the Kings vowed to defend for Chris Barnes while Wang Yi took charge of the offense, but Anthony made a contested shot to restore the lead to 24.

• Wang Yi stole the ball from Westbrook, dunked hard, and kept pressuring him full court as the Kings intensified their defense.
• Wang Yi intercepted another Lakers pass, and the Kings scored on a fast break to cut the lead to 22, prompting Vogel to call timeout.
• Zhang Weiping, Ke Fan, and Guoguo discussed Wang Yi’s midcourt three-pointer during the broadcast.
• At the hospital, Barnes and Chris Barnes watched the game with renewed interest.
• Hield and the Kings promised Wang Yi they would defend for Chris Barnes, and Wang Yi agreed to handle the offense.
• Westbrook and Anthony struggled against the Kings’ defense before Anthony made a contested two-pointer to put the Lakers back up by 24.

Wang Yi hit three consecutive Logo threes and kept provoking Westbrook as the Kings cut into the Lakers’ lead. Vogel ordered the Lakers to double Wang Yi, but he beat the trap and scored a midrange jumper, leaving the Kings down by 18 with 10 minutes remaining.

• Wang Yi used Hield’s screen to hit a three, taunted Westbrook, and cut the Lakers’ lead to 21.
• After Anthony Davis scored inside, Wang Yi faked a pass to Holmes and made his third Logo three in a row, reducing the lead to 20.
• Vogel told Tucker to double Wang Yi, while Wang Yi and Mitchell used a lob to get the ball over Westbrook’s defense.
• Wang Yi kept provoking Westbrook, then beat a trap by Tucker and Westbrook and spun past Anthony to make a midrange jumper, cutting the lead to 18.

Wang Yi led the Kings' comeback against the Lakers, cutting the deficit to 16 points with a fast-break dunk after stealing a pass. The chapter left 7:40 on the clock, with James back on the court and the Kings still fighting to catch up.

• Vogel called a timeout with the Lakers' lead down to 18 points and sent James back into the game.
• Commentators and Kings fans praised Wang Yi's scoring and the fighting spirit he gave his team.
• At Sacramento Central Hospital, Barnes watched Wang Yi's comeback attempt and hoped it would reach his younger brother, Chris Barnes.
• After the timeout, Wang Yi anticipated Westbrook's pass to James, stole the ball, and raced downcourt for a free-throw-line slam dunk.
• Wang Yi's dunk cut the Lakers' lead to 16 points, and the commentators compared his leap to Michael's dunk in the Slam Dunk Contest.

Wang Yi provoked Westbrook into shoving him, sparking a confrontation that ended with Westbrook ejected and Bagley and Gallo given technicals. Wang Yi made both free throws through the Staples Center crowd’s boos, extending the Kings’ lead to 14 points.

• Wang Yi taunted Westbrook about his turnovers and statistics, then secretly pinched his waist to provoke him.
• Westbrook shoved Wang Yi to the floor, and James, the Kings players, coaches, and security guards rushed in to stop the confrontation from escalating.
• Gallo Anthony threatened Bagley and Wang Yi, while Bagley continued trying to reach Westbrook until he was restrained.
• After reviewing the incident, the referees gave Bagley and Gallo technical fouls and ejected Westbrook.
• Wang Yi made both free throws as the Staples Center fans booed and chanted “Traitor,” then cupped his hand to his ear.

With six minutes left, Wang Yi cut the Lakers’ lead with consecutive threes before driving into the paint and completing a midair switch-hand dunk over James. The chapter ended with the dunk’s thunderous impact echoing through Staples Center.

• James opened the stretch by making a three, and Wang Yi answered with a quick three after taking a handoff from Hield.
• James made a turnaround jumper, but Wang Yi beat a trap by James and Horton Tucker with another three.
• After Thick Eyebrows missed, Wang Yi grabbed the rebound and drove toward the basket as James and Horton Tucker retreated to defend.
• Tucker collided with Wang Yi in midair, but Wang Yi kept rising, switched the ball from his right hand to his left, and dunked around James’s raised arm.

Wang Yi dunked over James, cutting the Kings’ deficit to 11 and inspiring stunned players and viewers with his refusal to give up. He made the ensuing free throw to bring the score within 10 with five minutes left, leaving the Kings with a chance to rally.

• Wang Yi switched hands in midair and dunked over James, drawing a foul and cutting the Kings’ deficit to 11.
• The Kings, courtside commentators, and fans watched in stunned silence as Wang Yi’s determination moved them.
• At Sacramento Central Hospital, Barnes hoped Wang Yi’s fight would inspire his younger brother Chris, but Chris remained unresponsive.
• Pelinka regretted not keeping Wang Yi, while Jenny Bass admitted to Vanessa and Koko that trading him had been a mistake she could not undo.
• Wang Yi made the free throw, reducing the Lakers’ lead to 10 with five minutes remaining.

Wang Yi led the Kings back from a 29-point deficit to within three, but LeBron and Thick Eyebrows took over in the final minutes and restored the Lakers’ 10-point lead. With 10 seconds remaining, the Kings’ comeback appeared over, while Barnes feared his brother Chris had lost all hope.

• Wang Yi scored efficiently and brought the Kings within three points with a minute and a half left.
• Ke Fan and Zhang Weiping praised Wang Yi’s fourth-quarter performance as the Kings’ fans began to believe in a comeback.
• James scored a three-pointer and a midrange jumper, then assisted Thick Eyebrows on a dunk as the Kings went scoreless.
• With 10 seconds left and the Lakers ahead by 10, the broadcast commentators accepted that Wang Yi and the Kings had likely lost.
• Barnes watched Chris in the hospital and feared his brother no longer cared whether the Kings won or lost.
• The Staples Center crowd celebrated as the Lakers appeared to secure the victory.

With 10 seconds left and the Kings down by 10, Walton kept his starters on the court and drew up a quick play for Wang Yi. The Kings cut the deficit to four with a Wang Yi three-pointer and a Danny steal-assisted three, leaving 5.7 seconds as Vogel called the Lakers' final timeout.

• Walton kept the Kings' starters in the game and told them to score quickly, then pressure the Lakers and foul if they could not steal the ball.
• The Kings rallied around the message that they would never give up, while Barnes understood they were doing it for Chris Barnes.
• Wang Yi escaped a double screen, waited for Anthony to pass, and made a three-pointer to cut the deficit to seven with 7.9 seconds remaining.
• Wang Yi intercepted the Lakers' inbound pass to Thick Eyebrows and threw the ball back to Danny before going out of bounds.
• Danny made a three-pointer to bring the Kings within four with 5.7 seconds left, prompting Vogel to call the Lakers' final timeout.

With 5.7 seconds left, Wang Yi and the Kings fought back against the Lakers, whose lead dwindled to two. Wang Yi stole the Lakers' inbound pass with the game on the line.

• Vogel sent James in to receive the Lakers' inbound, and Hield fouled him; James missed his first free throw after Wang Yi taunted him, then made the second to put the Lakers up by five.
• Walton designed the Kings' final inbound play for Wang Yi, but the Lakers double-teamed him and forced the pass to Holmes.
• Holmes hit a three-pointer despite going 0-for-4 from beyond the arc, cutting the Lakers' lead to two with 1.1 seconds remaining.
• The Lakers struggled to inbound from the backcourt as the Kings covered their players, and James screened to get Thick Eyebrows open.
• Gallo faked a lob to make Wang Yi jump, then threw a bounce pass that Thick Eyebrows jumped over; Wang Yi dove and stole the ball.