Flame-Like Fighting Spirit

With a sharp smack, he caught the ball with astonishing force.

But after he landed, Li Zirong and Zhang Bo did not close in to double-team him as he had expected. What shocked Zhang Jian was that the guy in the number one jersey actually turned around leisurely and watched him with a smile.

"Why aren't you guarding me?" Zhang Jian asked.

"Even if we let you shoot, you still won't make it!" Zhu Zhan said deliberately in a relaxed tone. In truth, cold sweat had formed on his forehead as well.

"What!" Zhang Jian was instantly enraged.

"You're actually not guarding a genius like me!" Zhang Jian roared, glaring at Zhu Zhan.

Seeing that Zhu Zhan was not defending him, Zhang Jian turned to Li Zirong and ordered, "You, come guard me!"

Li Zirong was startled by him. "Even if we don't guard you, you can't make the shot!"

"What!" Veins bulged on Zhang Jian's forehead.

"You, come here—come guard me!" Zhang Jian stretched out a hand and pointed at Zhang Bo on the other side.

"Uh..." Zhang Bo looked at him. Frightened by Zhang Jian's violent appearance, he neither spoke nor moved.

Just then—

Beep!

"Twenty-four seconds!"

The PE teacher, Zhang Jun, watched the farce on the court with mixed amusement and exasperation as he blew his whistle.

"What!?" Zhang Jian froze, his brows twitching.

"Referee, they're too shameless! They aren't defending me!" Zhang Jian immediately ran over to Zhang Jun, his face full of grievance.

"Hurry up and give the ball to the other side for the inbound. There are only three minutes left in this game!" PE teacher Zhang Jun said helplessly, shaking his head with a wry smile.

"Only three minutes left!?" Zhu Zhan and Zhang Jian were both suddenly shocked!

"There's not much time left—only one minute!" a Class 5 student standing beside the scoreboard and keeping time shouted.

At that moment, Ding Qiang from Class 5 was inbounding the ball.

Zhu Zhan, who had just let Zhang Jian score, immediately felt his heart tighten!

"Fast break!" Zhu Zhan shouted. Li Zirong, who was passing the ball, immediately hurled the basketball hard toward him. Zhang Jian reacted at once, pushing off with his feet as he raced after Zhu Zhan.

The basketball spun through the air, flying rapidly toward Zhu Zhan's frontcourt.

Zhang Jian raised his head and watched the basketball in the air. I have to take this ball!

"Ha!" Zhang Jian roared, quickening his pace as he charged after Zhu Zhan.

Zhu Zhan led the charge at the very front. He glanced back at Zhang Jian, who was rapidly catching up, and at the basketball flying overhead. His heart could not help but tremble.

"Damn it!" Zhu Zhan gritted his teeth and used the last of his strength to sprint toward the frontcourt, glancing back now and then at the ball still in the air.

"Huff, huff..." In that instant, Zhu Zhan felt as though everything around him had fallen silent. He could hear only his own labored breathing.

"Breathe. I have to learn how to breathe!" Zhu Zhan's face had turned pale. He had already been in a state of exhaustion from his recent training, and this unexpectedly difficult game against Class 6 had pushed his stamina to the brink of collapse.

His steps seemed to grow slower and slower. Zhu Zhan opened his eyes wide and watched helplessly as the basketball flew above his head.

Why... do I have no strength left? Zhu Zhan was suddenly startled. He discovered in shock that his ears were ringing, while his body had gone limp and powerless.

I... can't go on? Zhu Zhan's legs gave way, and he nearly twisted his ankle.

"No, no, I have to keep going!" A glint suddenly burst from Zhu Zhan's eyes. His face twisted fiercely as he used every ounce of strength in his body to leap high.

With a smack, he clutched the basketball tightly to his chest.

"Huff, huff..." Zhu Zhan's breathing had become extremely heavy, yet he lifted his head high. In his eyes, there was only the hoop.

"I have to make it," Zhu Zhan murmured involuntarily.

"Zhan!" At the sidelines, Li Ke, who could clearly see that something was wrong with Zhu Zhan, suddenly shot to his feet and cried out with wide eyes.

"What is it?" Wen Ting immediately stood up as well and asked in confusion.

"He... he might be out of strength!" Li Ke's eyes trembled violently, filled with worry.

His expression had turned ugly.

"Then if he can't hold on, are we..." Wen Ting suddenly asked. Then she too was shocked and immediately rose to look at Zhu Zhan.

Standing together, both of them watched with hope and worry, their gazes fixed solely on the young man dribbling the basketball into the paint.

Zhu Zhan panted heavily. He realized that he did not even have the strength to take the three steps for a layup.

Zhu Zhan bit down hard on his lip, summoned his last bit of strength, and pushed off the floor, soaring into the air.

He rose slowly, lifting the basketball in his hand bit by bit and extending it toward the hoop.

Suddenly, Zhu Zhan's pupils contracted!

A tall black shadow rose slowly through the air, blocking his path.

The tall figure had both hands raised, anger written across his face, his eyes locked tightly on the basketball in Zhu Zhan's hands.

Zhang Jian hung in the air, breathing heavily. His eyes moved slowly along with the basketball in Zhu Zhan's palm.

Fine beads of sweat covered his forehead. His eyes were wide, and in those pupils, there was only the basketball slowly growing larger before him.

I'm going to block this ball. I'm going to beat him! Zhang Jian shouted inwardly. Both of them were in the air now, and time itself seemed to slow as everyone watched their bodies.

"Ah!" Li Ke's eyes widened as he bit his lip hard.

Zhu Zhan looked at the tall figure flying before him, and his body stalled.

I... I can't give up! A brilliant glint burst from his eyes. Still in midair, Zhu Zhan began adjusting his shooting form.

His arm slowly drew back, rising above his head.

He pressed his wrist back hard, his left hand lightly supporting the ball as his fingers gave it a gentle flick. The familiar feel of the basketball passed into his hand.

Zhu Zhan had never felt this way with a basketball before. It was as though he and the ball were old friends.

Alarm flashed through Zhang Jian's eyes. He clenched his teeth tightly, and a gleam burst from his gaze!

"Don't even think about shooting!" Zhang Jian roared. He thrust upward from his waist and abdomen, his arm swinging toward the basketball in Zhu Zhan's hand like an eagle's iron claw.

"This is bad!" Li Ke's eyes, fixed tightly on their movements, suddenly trembled. He did not even notice the tissue beneath his nose fall away as he stared blankly at their figures in the air.

A tremendous smack rang out as a palm struck an arm! At that instant, everyone on the court felt their hearts shudder! Zhu Zhan's arm was struck hard by Zhang Jian, sending his body tipping straight backward in midair.

"Ah!" Although Zhang Jian had hit Zhu Zhan's arm, he was astonished to see that the flame-like light in Zhu Zhan's eyes only grew brighter, his gaze still fixed tightly in the direction of the hoop.

Looking at Zhu Zhan's arm, although the blow had thrown his body off balance and he seemed about to fall to the ground, both of his hands still maintained their shooting posture, aimed at the basket.