Lu Shen smiled but didn't say anything.
The ball was in his hands again, but this time the defenders closed in tighter. The primary defender pressed up against him, trying to block his view and deny him any room to maneuver. However, Lu Shen wasn't in a hurry. A slight lean of his torso to the left, a sharp shift of his weight to the right—and the defender, biting on the fake, lunged in the wrong direction. That moment was enough: Lu Shen surged towards the hoop, leaving the first defender behind.
The other defenders rushed to help, but it was too late. The center tried to intercept, but Lu Shen, without slowing down, softly spun the ball off the backboard—a precise bank shot, and the net swished again.
"Yeah babe!" Lu Shen raised his arms, looking towards his team.
The Yoshido team:
"…"
The newcomers didn't give up and kept attacking. Their persistence paid off—a fast break and an accurate shot allowed them to tie the score. The game became even tougher: the defenders guarded Lu Shen tightly, but he kept his cool, waiting for a counter-attack opportunity.
When Lu Shen got the ball again, he was immediately surrounded. He went into a sharp dribble, alternating crossovers and fake shots, trying to break out of the defensive ring. However, one of the opponents, taller than him, miscalculated his movement and hit him hard in the face with an elbow, sending Lu Shen to the asphalt. The referee, despite his love for rough play, immediately whistled for a foul.
"Foul, you loser!" Lu Shen grumbled, getting up and wiping blood from his nose. "Let's see how you handle this."
"Don't get cocky, idiot!" Mei Yu immediately snapped back, throwing a contemptuous look at him.
Lu Shen confidently stepped to the free-throw line, made a couple of familiar bounces, then, gathering himself, executed the shot with polished technique. The ball flew through the hoop in a perfect trajectory, not even touching the rim. Turning to Mei Yu, Lu Shen smirked and asked:
"How do you like my free throws?"
Mei Yu, gritting his teeth in frustration, passed the ball to the nearest teammate. That player, without wasting a second, charged forward, trying to beat the defenders with sharp fakes. But Lu Shen, as if predicting his every move, reacted lightning-fast—his long arm snatched the ball again during an uncertain dribble.
Without stopping for even an instant, Lu Shen turned and sprinted towards the opponent's hoop, leaving bewildered opponents behind. Under the basket, he slowed down sharply, making a deceptive shoulder fake, and when the defender bit on it, he softly tossed the ball up. The ball seemed to spin lazily on the rim before dropping through the net again.
The newcomer team players exchanged glances—something was wrong. They clearly remembered making more of their own accurate shots, but the scoreboard stubbornly showed otherwise.
"What the..." Mei Yu sharply looked up, his gaze glued to the numbers.
"We clearly scored more baskets!" one of his partners shouted, clenching his fists. "What the hell is this!?"
"16:12!" Lu Shen raised his arms, celebrating his success, his voice sounding mocking. "Who's the dumb one now?"
The newcomers froze, looking at each other. Their eyes showed not only irritation but also a slow dawning realization. The rules. They had missed the key rule of the match: the opponent's points were doubled. Lu Shen, holding that position, had methodically built an advantage while the other players focused on secondary moves.
"You're cheating!" one of the newcomers exploded, stepping forward.
Lu Shen just smirked, slowly spinning the ball on his finger.
"It's not cheating. Those are the rules. You just didn't know."
Mei Yu and his team burned with rage, but their anger was useless. Every attempt to steal the ball ended in failure—Lu Shen moved with cold calculation, as if predicting their every step. They threw themselves into desperate slides, tried to use physical pressure, but he just dodged, leaving them in the dust.
When the final whistle sounded, the score on the board was merciless—21:14 in Lu Shen's favor. The newcomers stood there, breathing heavily, unable to comprehend what had happened. Their confidence had crumbled like a house of cards.
…
A few dozen meters from the streetball court where Lu Shen had just won, the atmosphere was tense. The sun was setting, casting long shadows from the tall trees.
On a bench, slightly cracked with age, five people were sitting. Their postures were relaxed, but a wariness could be read in their eyes. One of them stood out in particular—a massive man with a short haircut, speckled with gray at the temples. A massive gold cross glinted on his neck, and his gaze, cold and calculating, was fixed in the direction of the court.
"This guy continues to surprise me more and more," Tae Hwan said with a smirk, slowly running his hand over his chin.
Closest to him was a long-haired man with tattoos covering his sleeves and a sly smirk on his face. It was Tae Sagi, who added:
"He really is interesting, heh."
"Even you, nephew, are surprised, huh?"
"You bet, Uncle Hwan."
Around them sat their underlings—two sturdy guys with stony faces and another one, younger but taller than the rest.
"Considering how well he brings in money for us, I completely agree with you," one of them nodded, adjusting his black leather jacket. Tae Hwan chuckled, but something sinister flashed in his eyes, as if a sense of rivalry had been awakened within him:
"He's making the most money for himself, actually. He took a risk by investing in these five games, and if all five games are successfully held with the same scale of bets as the first one, he could become even richer than me."
"How is that possible?" the young underling frowned. "We also take a percentage of the bets, so how could he become richer than you?"
Tae Hwan sighed, as if explaining something obvious.
"The thing is, by covering the debts of the other players on his team, the debts will be repaid to him first, and only then to us. So, if we don't sell these kids into slavery—and we can only do that if Ming You himself agrees to it—then I'll be dead from old age by the time these newcomers can pay off all their debts. That way, Ming You will profit from this more than I will."
"The little bastard really is clever," Tae Sagi smirked. "Do you think I should throw a wrench in his works?"
"Hahaha, don't go too hard, nephew. Better spend that energy on the Thais. Unlike Ming You, they are capable of killing."
"Are you sure?" he asked perceptively. Tae Hwan, with a slight smirk, continued:
"At least for now, it's pointless for you to waste your strength on him, although I understand your desire to have some fun with him, heh-heh."
"You always read my mind, Uncle Hwan."
The brief silence was suddenly broken by a mocking voice:
"You're talking about me, aren't you?"
Everyone turned sharply. Ming You was approaching from behind them, his face impassive, but a sly smirk played at the corners of his lips. He was wearing slightly worn black basketball gear with red trim, and he was lazily spinning a basketball in his hand.
"What do you want?" asked Tae Hwan, clearly not expecting this visit.
"The question is what do you want, not me." Ming You leaned forward slightly, and the ball stopped moving in his hand, his empty eyes glinting with greed. "The thing is, these newcomers, dissatisfied with the rules of this game, will most likely leave. It would be worse if they even file a complaint. So, I have a proposal for you."
His face, which had been expressionless until now, was suddenly twisted into a fake, sly smirk.
"You're an interesting person, Ming You," remarked Tae Sagi. "So quick to throw your own teammates to the wolves... quite commendable."
Tae Hwan laughed, but his laughter was dry, devoid of joy.
"Unlike Taek Joon, and the others, I'm starting to get used to your shamelessness, heh-heh. Well, go on, lay out your proposal."
Ming You was in no hurry. He shifted his gaze to each of the men in leather jackets, as if assessing their reaction, then slowly said:
"All you need to do is threaten these newcomers. I'll provide all the information about them: their addresses, parents, and so on."
His eyes burned with cruelty, but his face remained impassive, as if he were talking about something completely mundane. Tae Hwan thought for a second, then spread his arms along the back of the bench, adopting a relaxed posture.
"A very useful and profitable proposal. I'm all ears."