Yueye Hongming drove the ball forward at top speed and, in the blink of an eye, charged into the freshmen's half. The moment he reached the three-point line, the freshmen's shooting guard stopped him.
Yueye Hongming's eyes flickered. He saw that Yu Zhu had already cut into the paint, while Xiangtian Yanyi, who was defending him, had no power to stop him at all.
This was a good passing opportunity. Without the slightest hesitation, he raised his arm and sent the basketball flying toward the air above the paint.
However, the very next second after the ball left his hand, a large hand suddenly appeared and firmly intercepted it.
What?
Yueye Hongming's eyes widened as he stared at the stolen ball in disbelief.
Chi Tong had somehow appeared right in front of him, and the basketball was already firmly under Chi Tong's control.
Before Yueye Hongming could react, Chi Tong immediately turned after getting the ball, slipped past Yueye Hongming, and sprinted toward the upperclassmen's half.
Damn it!
Yueye Hongming immediately spun around to chase him, desperately pursuing Chi Tong from behind as the distance between them rapidly shrank.
Yueye Hongming was delighted, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. So he's only this good.
However, when he finally caught up to Chi Tong, he froze. There was no sign of the basketball in Chi Tong's hands at all.
Where was the ball?
Just as Yueye Hongming stood there confused and dumbfounded, a dull thud of a basketball hitting the floor suddenly rang out nearby. He instinctively looked toward the source of the sound, where Xiangtian Yanyi stood.
Xiangtian Yanyi's face was filled with confusion. She had no idea how the basketball had suddenly appeared in her hands, and she was now dribbling almost entirely on instinct.
The upperclassmen were equally dumbfounded. No one could figure out how the basketball had silently gone from Chi Tong's hands to Xiangtian Yanyi's. At this moment, Xiangtian Yanyi was completely unguarded. She realized this was the best chance to attack, gritted her teeth, drove toward the basket, and completed a three-step layup. The ball went in. Freshmen 13, upperclassmen 22. At the sideline, Tiangang Maoyi watched Chi Tong's two brilliant assists and nodded slightly, a trace of approval flashing through his eyes. His timing on defense and passing was excellent, and his ball control was very steady.
But soon, his brows furrowed slightly again.
But if this was all he could do...
At that moment, another crisp steal rang out on the court. Chi Tong once again successfully stole the ball from Uekusa Tomoyuki. Just when everyone thought he would advance with the ball like before, he flicked his wrist and slapped it directly through Uekusa Tomoyuki's legs.
The basketball struck the floor!
It bounced up and flew steadily behind Uekusa.
That was where the freshmen's power forward stood!
The freshmen's power forward caught the ball with a stunned look, still completely bewildered.
At that moment, his mind was blank, as though it had crashed.
Great chance!
Shoot it!
Xiangtian Yanyi immediately shouted a reminder.
Hearing her shout, the freshmen's power forward finally snapped out of his daze. He hurriedly drove the ball toward the upperclassmen's basket, jumped!
Release!
The basketball went in!
Freshmen 15, upperclassmen 22!
For the next stretch of time, the entire gymnasium seemed to fall into an inexplicable, bizarre atmosphere. These sounds seemed to have been set on repeat, echoing continuously around the court.
Everyone's eyes were wide as they stared blankly at the scene unfolding before them, hardly daring to believe what they were seeing.
Chi Tong stole the ball!
Chi Tong passed the ball!
The basketball went in!
Uekusa, who was matched up against Chi Tong, now wore nothing but confusion and dullness on his face. His mind seemed to have completely crashed. He had been stripped so many times that he was starting to question his life.
Every time he tried to break through with the ball, not once did he escape Chi Tong's interception. Like a donkey turning a millstone, no matter how he circled, he could never leave that ring.
Uekusa was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. The way he looked at Chi Tong was already filled with apprehension and unease.
When everyone finally recovered from the shocking sight before them, they suddenly realized that, at some point, the score had actually been tied!
Freshmen 36, upperclassmen 36!
At that moment, everyone in the gymnasium seemed to be pulled by an invisible thread, their gazes all focusing on the crimson figure on the court.
The air seemed to freeze. The upperclassmen who had looked down on them coldly and scoffed before the game were now all silent.
There was no longer a trace of contempt in their eyes. In its place was deep respect and gravity.
No one could say when the score had been tied, but everyone knew that this young man had single-handedly changed the entire flow of the game.
At the sideline, Tiangang Maoyi stared fixedly at Chi Tong on the court, golden light flashing in his eyes as though flames were about to burst forth.
Even his excited fingers trembled. This kid really was born to be a point guard. If he was properly developed, he might truly become a player on par with Teng Zhen or A Mu.
What he did not know was that Chi Tong had not gone all out at all. All he had done was defend, pass, defend again, and pass again.
Sento stood at the sideline, his gaze slightly lowered but sharp as a blade.
He stared at the scoreboard, his brows unconsciously knitting together. Then he turned to Chi Tong, his tone carrying a trace of teasing mixed with a hint of seriousness.
"You really are taking it easy, leaving all the offense to everyone else."
Chi Tong merely smiled lightly, his tone calm to the point of indifference, as though all of this was perfectly ordinary. "This is already enough, isn't it?"
Sento let out a low laugh, a helpless curve rising at the corner of his lips.
Just like you!
As he spoke, he rolled his shoulders and lightly twisted his neck from side to side, producing soft cracking sounds. His eyes, however, gradually sharpened.
"Looks like I can't hold back anymore."
Their seemingly casual exchange was like a spark that instantly ignited everyone's nerves at the sideline.
Only then did everyone suddenly realize that Chi Tong had done almost nothing since the game began. He had only been stealing the ball and passing it. That was all.
At this realization, many people at the sideline sucked in a cold breath. Their voices rang out almost at once, like a chill running down their spines.
"This is way too insane!" The upperclassmen's expressions completely changed.
In an ordinary practice game, Chi Tong's performance might have seemed merely decent. But in today's intra-squad match, it meant something entirely different.
That was because Chi Tong's teammates were all first-year freshmen who had only just enrolled and were weak in skill. Their techniques were crude, their coordination unpolished, and their shooting inaccurate. Yet under Chi Tong's passing, this group of players kept scoring again and again, as if they had been granted some unimaginable power. His control of tempo, his anticipation of open spaces, and his precise awareness of his teammates' positions had reached a level so meticulous that it sent chills down people's spines.
Chi Tong seemed not to notice the stunned looks around him. His gaze merely rested quietly on Sendoh.
And at that moment, Sendoh's eyes finally turned serious.
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