When the opposing point guard approached the free-throw line, Nie Chuan suddenly rushed at him, applying immense pressure. Just as expected, he passed the ball to Manning on the right side.
Nie Chuan had already anticipated this. Instead of stopping in front of the point guard, he directly charged toward Manning.
Although Nie Chuan’s defensive range wasn’t as wide as Manning’s, his agility and speed placed tremendous pressure on him. Manning made two shoulder fakes before coming to a sudden stop, preparing to dribble behind his back. But just as he switched hands, Nie Chuan took the ball away.
Without any warning, the game instantly shifted from defense to offense. UJT quickly fell back, but they couldn’t keep up with Nie Chuan’s speed. He rocketed toward the basket like a missile.
The crowd erupted, fans involuntarily shouting: “Go! Go!”
Yet, at the last moment, Nie Chuan abruptly stopped, swiftly turning to pass the ball to Ewin outside the three-point line.
Manning and Jonathan rushed to defend, but Reese and Carlo blocked them off.
Heishan and Cook were already positioned under the basket, boxing out their opponents. Ewin’s shot had a beautiful arc, and once again, it swished through the hoop.
“Oh yeah!” Ewin clenched his fist.
That was his third three-pointer.
Nie Chuan pulled up his jersey to wipe his chin, exhaling deeply.
In the audience, Owen smirked. “Once this little guy finds his rhythm, the only way to stop him is if you’re on my level.”
Thomas gave Owen a helpless look. “Your narcissism is really skyrocketing, huh?”
From then on, DK launched a full-scale counterattack. Nie Chuan charged forward with the ball, facing UJT’s shooting guard and point guard head-on.
Everyone assumed he would pass the ball to Reese, who was running alongside him, but Nie Chuan’s dribbling trajectory landed the ball right between the opposing point guard and shooting guard.
With a precise angle, the ball bounced up. The two defenders failed to react, but Nie Chuan slipped right between them, continuing his drive.
Wright covered his face, groaning in frustration. “Ahhh… it’s that damn bounce-pass dribble move again. This guy pulled that on me too!”
Nie Chuan carried the ball into the paint. Jonathan tried to step in, but Reese had him locked down, preventing him from accelerating. Annoyance was written all over Jonathan’s face.
Nie Chuan leaped high, making a move to shoot. At this distance, his accuracy would be incredibly high.
UJT’s center jumped as well, seemingly about to block the shot.
“Ha…” Owen let out a quiet chuckle. He knew perfectly well that Nie Chuan wasn’t actually going to shoot.
Sure enough, Nie Chuan pulled the ball back. The moment he landed, he made a quick fake, completely evading Cook, then passed the ball to Carlo.
At this moment, every defender was inside the three-point line—except Carlo, who, instead of taking the shot, passed the ball to Ewin outside the arc.
“Ohhh!” The crowd gasped.
The ball landed in Ewin’s hands. By the time he jumped to shoot, the opposing shooting guard was only just rushing up to contest. It was too late.
Ewin scored again. He pointed at Carlo, signaling that this was his fourth three-pointer.
Carlo didn’t say anything—just shrugged.
But at this point, UJT could no longer ignore Ewin. They assigned their shooting guard to mark him one-on-one, severely limiting his perimeter scoring. They simply couldn’t afford to let DK keep raining threes while they focused on interior defense.
“Did you notice something?” Espenson spoke up. “Those last two DK scores looked like they were all about Allen’s passing and Ewin’s shooting, but the reason this strategy works… is Reese.”
“Yeah. Because Reese has been holding down Jonathan.” Robert nodded. “Honestly, my impression of Reese Reddington has always been as an offensive weapon—a blade that strikes right at the enemy’s heart at the most unexpected moment. But in this game against UJT, he’s showing another side of himself.”
“A defense so airtight that not even a drop of water could seep through.” Engel also had high praise for Reese. “Since last year, several NBA teams have had their eyes on him. Back then, I felt like he still needed refining—too sharp, yet unable to retract his edge when necessary. A sword is at its deadliest not when it’s being swung, but in the moment it leaves its sheath. Now, I can see this young man’s growth.”
The game didn’t slow down. Jonathan and Manning connected for a series of quick passes.
This time, Nie Chuan switched to defending Manning. Although Manning was significantly taller, he still felt a sense of unease as Nie Chuan approached. The last time Nie Chuan stole from him was still fresh in his mind.
He stared at Nie Chuan, watching his slightly bent knees, knowing that at any moment, Nie Chuan could burst into a sprint. But he had no way of predicting which direction Nie Chuan would go.
Manning first cut to the right, wanting to pass to Jonathan, but Nie Chuan’s probing step also moved right, making the pass too risky. Left with no choice, Manning drove left instead.
Nie Chuan followed closely, sticking to him more and more tightly. Manning instinctively took a step back to create some space, but in that split second, Nie Chuan accelerated, faking with his left hand. Manning quickly changed direction—but Nie Chuan’s left hand was just a feint. His right hand was already prepared.
The moment Manning’s dribble switched hands between his legs, Nie Chuan snatched the ball away.
Nie Chuan sprinted forward, pursued by UJT’s point guard. He passed to Reese, who shook off Jonathan and exploded toward the basket.
Nie Chuan followed closely behind. This was their usual play—if Reese got blocked, he’d pass back, and Nie Chuan would find the best way to score.
At the same time, Cook and Manning both jumped up to contest. The entire audience clenched their fists, holding their breath.
Reese’s leaping ability was breathtaking, his hang time making everyone feel that it would be a waste if this shot was blocked.
But deep down, the crowd had a feeling—he was going to pass the ball back to Nie Chuan.
UJT’s point guard had already rushed over to defend Nie Chuan, but Nie Chuan simply tilted his head back, locking eyes with Reese, showing no intention of moving.
Just as he descended from midair, Reese had initially retracted the ball slightly, but in an instant, he exploded with power, squeezing the ball right through the gap between Cook and Manning’s arms.
“Oh—what a beautiful acrobatic layup!” Robert exclaimed.
Yes, in that split second, Reese’s body curled up and then unfurled, just like a butterfly breaking free from its thick cocoon—so effortlessly graceful that it seemed like he was soaring deep into the spectators’ vision.
As he landed, the entire stadium erupted into applause.
But amidst the cheers, Cook lost his balance upon landing and accidentally stepped hard on Reese’s foot.
“Ah!” Nie Chuan rushed forward in panic—Cook was a massive guy, and stepping on Reese’s foot from that height…!
“I’m sorry!” Cook barely managed to steady himself.
“Reese, are you okay?!” Nie Chuan felt his heart clench painfully. Reese’s brows had furrowed, an ominous sign.
“I’m fine.” Reese remained still, stretching his hand out to ruffle Nie Chuan’s hair.
Ewin, Heishan, and the others quickly surrounded him. With only five minutes left in the game, if something happened to Reese now, it would put immense pressure on their team.
The referee walked up to Reese and looked him straight in the eye. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine.” Reese responded.
But despite that, the referee still called over the on-site medic to check on him.
The doctor pulled down Reese’s sock, took one look, and shook his head at the referee.
Nie Chuan felt a cold wave rush through his chest, and Coach Gordon’s expression grew visibly tense.
“Peter, you’re in for Reese!”
Ewin looked completely flustered. They had just hit their best rhythm in the game, and now their top scorer had to exit due to injury? As the shooting guard, the weight on his shoulders had just doubled.
“Is it serious?” Heishan turned to the coach.
Coach Gordon’s response was curt: “Focus on winning the game. We’ll deal with the rest later!”
A wave of murmurs swept through the crowd.
“What?! Reese Reddington is injured?! Oh my god!”
“Getting stepped on by that huge guy—from that height, no less!”
Owen furrowed his brows. “If I’m not mistaken, Reese wasn’t stepped on the foot itself, but closer to the ankle.”
“What?!” Wright’s eyes widened in alarm. “If it’s an ankle injury… there’s no way he can keep playing, right?!”
As Peter prepared to enter the game, the audience continued buzzing with debate. Some even started booing, accusing Cook of injuring Reese on purpose.
At this point, it wasn’t just DK feeling the pressure—Cook looked incredibly guilty as well. “Old Sparrow” was beside him, trying to console him and get him to focus on the game.
But Nie Chuan felt completely drained, like all the energy had been sucked out of him. The situation felt unreal.
His eyes stayed glued to Reese, who sat on the bench while the medic applied an ice pack to his injury.
Heishan walked over and patted Nie Chuan’s shoulder, but Nie Chuan couldn’t even move his feet.
And then, Reese stood up.
The doctor gestured for him to sit back down, but Reese quietly said something before walking toward Nie Chuan.
Watching him walk, it was painfully clear—his left foot couldn’t bear his full weight. Nie Chuan’s vision blurred for a second.
He felt so useless.
Reese neither hugged Nie Chuan nor ruffled his hair. Instead, he asked in a calm voice, “Are you someone who can’t accomplish anything without me?”
“No.” Nie Chuan understood what Reese meant, but he still felt miserable.
“If I entrust you with my most important role, can you do it for me?” Reese asked.
“I will give it my all.” Nie Chuan replied.
Even though he knew Cook hadn’t done it on purpose, he still had an overwhelming urge to beat him up.
“I don’t want you to ‘give it your all.’ I just want you to win. Because I know you can. If you don’t win, don’t tell me you gave it your all.”
Nie Chuan’s eyes stung even more, but at the same time, his resolve grew stronger.
He knew he couldn’t keep relying on Reese—not in skill, not in mentality.
All this time, Reese had been the one giving him a sense of security.
Now, it was his turn to give that security to Reese.
The game resumed. Nie Chuan turned back to the court. He had to push aside all his emotions and finish what Reese couldn’t.
Nie Chuan received the ball, feeling a surge of energy crashing through his veins, aching to be unleashed.
His speed was astonishing. With a sharp stop, he blew past the opposing point guard. Then, with two rapid shoulder feints, he bypassed their shooting guard and charged into the paint.
Carlo and Ewin were positioned to support him. Ever since Reese’s injury, Heishan had tightened his defense on Cook, completely locking him out from stepping forward.
Nie Chuan took off under the basket. Jonathan broke past Peter’s defense and came up to stop him. But instead of forcing the shot, Nie Chuan pulled the ball back.
Everyone thought he would pass to Carlo.
But instead, Nie Chuan took a step to the side and released a quick shot.
Heishan and Cook had already prepared to fight for the rebound—but Nie Chuan had already turned back on defense. He was completely confident in this shot.
Swish!
The ball sank through the net, and the crowd erupted.
“Damn, that kid is smooth!” Robert exclaimed.
Owen narrowed his eyes. “I used to think he needed to pair with Reese to be effective, but… this kid has grown. He can be a real offensive threat on his own under the right conditions.”
“A top-tier point guard isn’t just about handling the ball,” Wright muttered, feeling uneasy. “Many of them have small forward-level scoring ability… If we go up against DK, they might just run a dual-wing, dual-guard strategy.” He looked visibly concerned.
Jonathan and Cook executed a perfect play, cutting straight into the paint.
Jonathan feinted past Ewin, and Cook blocked off Peter, clearing the way for Jonathan to reach the basket.
Just as he went up for a shot, a shadow suddenly soared up beside him.
It was Nie Chuan!
Jonathan’s eyes widened in shock—he never expected this kid to have such explosive bounce.
“Holy sh*t!” The crowd gasped.
Nie Chuan’s leap was powerful and his expression was laser-focused—it looked like he was about to smack Jonathan’s head off.
Just as Nie Chuan’s fingertips grazed the ball, Jonathan panicked. At the last moment, he pulled the ball back and passed it to Cook, who had just arrived.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever seen Allen go up for a block in the paint… I didn’t think he had it in him!”
Cook went straight for a dunk. The crowd tensed again.
“Don’t get cocky!” A loud roar echoed.
Heishan leaped up.
His entire body radiated pure brute force, and he slammed down Cook’s dunk.
“OHHH——”
The stadium went wild.
DK’s back-to-back rejections left the three commentators completely stunned.
