The website interface gave a detailed introduction to the rules of this shooting game.
To participate, you first had to pay 5 dollars as an entry fee, then begin shooting set-position three-pointers. Make two in a row and you got 2 dollars back; make four in a row and you got 5 dollars back.
That was only the beginning. Then the game took a sudden leap: make five in a row and you could get 10 dollars, six for 30 dollars, seven for 60 dollars, eight for 100 dollars... all the way up to a maximum of 1,000 dollars.
At a certain point, you could choose to stop and take the money, or keep going. But if you failed, all the money you had earned would be gone.
This was a classic trap game. First, the entry fee was not cheap. To even break even, you had to make at least four three-pointers in a row, and that was already no easy threshold.
Once you made four, you definitely would not be willing to stop. You would want to shoot one more, then make one more, because the prizes grew farther and farther apart, and your nerve would grow along with them. Then, when you finally missed, all your previous effort would be wasted.
Games like this were generally played by young guys out with girls, or confident amateur players. The organizers basically always made a profit.
"This one."
After searching around, Tang Tian set his sights on this entertainment center.
Early the next morning, Tang Tian went to the arcade alone. It was located in the suburbs of New Haven.
He had visited New Haven once before while touring Yale University, so this time he knew his way around.
The entertainment center was packed and lively. Muscular men of all shapes and sizes could be seen everywhere, along with hot, sexy women. This was a paradise for young men and women looking for fun.
Tang Tian looked around and quickly found the shooting game.
A crowd had gathered around it when he arrived, loudly egging someone on.
He walked over curiously and spotted a familiar figure.
Jimmer Fredette, the core player of Brigham Young University and one of the best perimeter shooters in the NCAA that year.
He was standing outside the three-point line, shooting.
He had already made ten three-pointers in a row and was now taking his eleventh.
Apparently, Tang Tian was not the only one with ideas. Life on campus was not easy for NCAA players.
There was a five-second time limit for each shot. Fredette took a deep breath.
He raised the ball, aimed at the rim, jumped, and flicked his wrist.
His three-point shooting form was extremely steady.
Swish!
The ball spun through the air, tracing a perfect arc.
His eleventh three-pointer dropped cleanly through the net.
He could now take home 200 dollars.
"One more! One more!" someone in the crowd shouted at that moment.
Fredette smiled and picked up the twelfth ball.
Tang Tian glanced a few more times at the people who had been egging him on.
After stirring things up, those people went back to playing on their phones, their attention completely off the court.
It was obvious they were planted shills.
They watched you make shots in a row, egged you on to continue, and waited until you finally missed.
The people running this game were quite professional.
Fredette's three-point shooting really was excellent. He made the twelfth three-pointer as well.
Egging him on, continuing, making it.
It seemed to become a cycle.
By the time he reached his fifteenth three-pointer, Fredette's prize money had accumulated to 600 dollars.
Although the shills were still urging him on, he seemed ready to leave.
But the cheers immediately turned into boos, with some people even calling him a "coward." They were really putting Fredette on the spot.
Fredette was thin-skinned. After hesitating for a moment, he continued.
Clang!
His sixteenth three-pointer finally missed the rim.
Three-pointers looked easy, but they actually consumed quite a bit of stamina. Especially with a five-second limit, the farther along you went, the more your arms ached and the worse your accuracy became.
With that miss, all of Fredette's previous efforts went down the drain.
He shook his head helplessly and stepped back into the crowd.
"What a wonderful performance! Anyone else want to give it a try?" The game operator stood on an elevated platform and shouted again.
Fredette's performance had drawn quite a crowd. The operator wanted to strike while the iron was hot; every extra dollar he could make counted.
No one stepped forward. Most people had only come to watch the excitement.
"I'll do it."
At that moment, someone walked out while chewing gum.
A wave of cheers followed behind him.
"Harrison Barnes!" several people cried out in surprise.
The super rookie from NCAA powerhouse University of North Carolina, the team's unquestioned core, a top draft pick favorite that year—the North Carolina Black Hawk, Harrison Barnes!
He was actually here too!
However, his motivation seemed different from Fredette's, because he had come out under the cheers of his teammates.
He was clearly just here to have fun.
The game operator did not recognize Barnes, but the crowd's reaction told him that another big spender had arrived. He immediately ran down to get things ready.
Barnes's three-point shooting could not compare with Fredette's, but he was still the core player of an NCAA powerhouse. His level was quite good.
He made the first two with ease, and before he knew it, he had reached his sixth straight.
"John, you lost! Come on, 10 dollars!" someone among the North Carolina teammates at the sidelines shouted excitedly. They had apparently made a private bet.
Barnes missed on his eighth shot. He smiled, shook his head, and stepped off, seemingly not caring at all.
"Not bad at all! Anyone else want to try? There are lots of spectators right now, so don't miss this opportunity!" the game operator continued calling out.
He loved players like Barnes who were simply there to have fun.
But this time, the crowd fell quiet. Fredette could not beat it, and neither could the North Carolina Black Hawk. Unless a top NBA shooter showed up, it would just be throwing money away.
But a top NBA shooter would never come to a place like this.
After shouting for a while without anyone responding, the game operator could not help feeling disappointed.
When there were lots of people around, there were also the most opportunities to make money.
Seeing that no one else was coming forward, Tang Tian did not say anything and simply walked up.
At first, his appearance did not attract much attention. But once someone recognized him, a huge wave of cheers erupted.
"Tang! Tang!"
Tang Tian had just scored 21 points by going seven for seven from three-point range against Georgetown. His popularity in Connecticut was off the charts.
Barnes had been about to go elsewhere with his teammates, but the crowd's reaction made him turn his attention toward Tang Tian as well.
"Who is he?" Barnes turned and asked his teammate John Hanson, also known as Henson.
"I don't know." Hanson shook his head. Connecticut was in the Big East Conference, while North Carolina was in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Players from different conferences rarely faced one another, so it was perfectly normal for them not to know each other—especially since Tang Tian was only a freshman and a role player.
"He's a freshman at Connecticut. He apparently used to be a ball boy, but he's playing very well now and is pretty popular in the Big East Conference," junior Tyler Zeller said from the side.
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