Although Su Feng, who had activated the "Yangyan" badge, was tempted to shout "I am Yan Emperor, Xiao Yan!", he wisely gave up on that idea to avoid being dragged off by a squad of powerful Douzongs on horseback.
At Harrisburg Capital Gymnasium, Eric Catholic High School took the offensive.
Michael Carter drained a long shot after a high pick-and-roll with his teammate—2 to 3.
Back in the division league, Carter's three-pointers had been a major headache for Lower Merion.
So after glancing at Kobe, Su Feng decided to personally take on the task of guarding Michael Carter.
After all, backing down just isn't Su Feng's style.
He lives for this.
Now it was Lower Merion's turn to attack.
The "teacher of Sprint," calm and collected, passed the ball to Su Feng, who had cut from the baseline to the wing.
Lift the leg, hang in the air, flick the wrist—
A real man shoots no matter the defense!
Swish ——!
5 to 3.
Eric Catholic's small forward, frozen as Su Feng launched the shot in his face, wore a blank expression...
Honestly, when it comes to Su Feng's playstyle, no matter the era, five words come to mind: Nima, that's outrageous.
On the court, during the retreat, Su Feng suddenly said to Kobe, "Kobe, you're the primary attacker now."
Kobe was stunned. His passing's been solid—are the scouts starting to compare him to Magic? Why shift him into the main scorer role?
Seeing Kobe's confusion, Su Feng grinned. "If I keep scoring, then your passes to me won't matter."
"But if you attract the defense, their focus shifts to you—and I'll get clean looks."
If not for the intense targeting, Su Feng wouldn't want to waste his [Yangyan] badge's hot zone shooting bonus.
He was already thinking of updating his "sewer brush data plan" after the game.
"Turns out, when you play ball—things don't go your way unless you go your way," Su Feng mused.
After more than half a season of high school league games, Su Feng felt like he'd grown immensely.
Keyboard theory is just theory—only practice writes the real story.
On the court, Kobe was clearly convinced by Su Feng.
Because Kobe isn't the stubborn type—as long as...
You know how to convince him.
Su Feng's method was simple: hit him with logic and facts.
If that failed, try a sandwich.
Still not enough? Sweet tofu pudding for backup.
Back in play, Eric Catholic went on the attack. Su Feng swapped positions with Swartz to take over guarding Carter.
And honestly, Michael Carter had a name powerful enough to bridge the gap between mortal and god.
Spotting Su Feng as his new defender, Carter brought his A-game.
By now, Su Feng's defense was a known force in Pennsylvania.
After the quarterfinals, Chester High School's star player DeMarcus even said in an interview: "I'd call him—the best defender in Pennsylvania."
Kobe frowned slightly when he heard that, imagining Su Feng skipping college draft next year to challenge Diao (Diao) in the NBA. Still, he figured—it wouldn't hurt to be a little generous.
Frankly, even Su Feng might not have realized what he triggered. When he showed up in front of Michael Carter, Carter was clearly rattled.
Despite all the big talk before the game...
Standing before him now was a legend in the making—Lower Merion's very own Megatron—
The "Little Pippen-ah!"
Thankfully, Su Feng couldn't hear Michael Carter's internal panic.
Otherwise, he would've probably shouted: "The future of labor and capital is to be a big man. Pippen? You're all Pippen!"
Yes, making it to the NBA was just step one in Su Feng's life plan.
Becoming a basketball star? Step two.
But if you're a basketball star who doesn't want to be a big-time player—who doesn't want to run the show—then what's the difference between you and a chubby fish helplessly raging behind a keyboard?
And if you're truly a fan of Kobe—how can you not want to be a boss yourself?
Still...
Su Feng, always steady-minded, knew that even if he made the NBA, he'd have to serve as water boy for a few seasons first—waiting for the moment to seize control.
After all, a rookie unwilling to challenge the throne isn't really a rookie!
Ahem, back to the action.
On the court, Michael Carter was visibly shaken while dribbling.
Spotting the perfect opportunity, Su Feng sprang into action. Oddly enough, at that moment, he felt like turning to Kobe and saying, "Look, check out these long fingers and huge hands!"
Ever since Joe Bryant lifted the mental seal Su Feng used to avoid teasing Kobe, he couldn't help showing off in front of him lately...
Steady now!
Almost lost it.
Snatch!
Carter couldn't escape Su Feng's steal.
That crushing defensive pressure was driving him off the deep end.
"This... this guy's Pennsylvania's top defender? Seriously?!" Carter muttered as Su Feng sped away.
Clang!
Su Feng stormed down the court and—360 windmill slam... or so he imagined.
Truth be told, the jump wasn't high, and the dunk was average.
Then came Kobe, groaning, "Why didn't you pass me the ball first?"
Su Feng froze.
"That's what was missing... the sewer feeling," he thought, sheepishly.
Good thing Kobe didn't take offense—Su Feng knew their bond could weather such little things.
Time passed... burned into memory.
7 to 3.
Eric Catholic attacked. Carter was still shaken.
After all, Su Feng trained under Kobe daily. Anytime he pictured Kobe dunking over him... Su Feng was just glad none of that was filmed.
No way he'd ever admit those embarrassing moments. In fact, he was already fantasizing about recording the day he finally beat Kobe.
That way, he could proudly declare, "I dunked on Kobe in high school!"
Although he knew it might be a bit shameless...
Still, why did it leave a bittersweet feeling?
Glancing at Kobe, Su Feng silently swore: "Don't worry—you'll never board that damn helicopter in your life."
Snap!
While daydreaming about dethroning Kobe, Su Feng's intense defense forced Carter to hastily dump the ball off to his teammate.
But that poor teammate didn't dare challenge Kobe.
What happened next? A savage rejection—the kind you only get from your ex.
This time, Su Feng didn't try to steal Kobe's spotlight.
In a bit of "revenge" for Su Feng skipping the first pass earlier, Kobe didn't even look his way during the fast break.
Boom!
A proper 180° dunk. The crowd erupted.
"This is talent! This is Lower Merion!" fans chanted from the stands.
"That's the kind of dunk I'm talking about," Kobe smirked as he jogged back.
Su Feng simply shook his head...
That's Kobe.
A guy you'll never fully understand.
Like Shaq once said...
He never expected Kobe to pass him—that's why he preferred grabbing offensive boards.
Snap!
Eric Catholic tried again—Carter went for a layup—but Su Feng blocked him cold.
Wingspan wins, long hands rule!
As Lower Merion's "three-headed rejection squad" pounced, Stewart saw Su Feng streaking past and quickly fed him the ball.
This time, Su Feng passed midcourt and gave Kobe a meaningful look.
Kobe?
Pretended not to see.
He shifted left with his dribble, pulled the defense, faked, broke to the right—
Sam Gold crossover!
The gym lost its mind.
As fans braced for a flashy finish—Kobe acted like he was going for a layup...
But wrapped the ball around behind his back—
No-look pass!
Su Feng never expected the dish.
And this shot?
A miss would've ruined everything.
Taking a deep breath...
Su Feng drilled the three!
Swish!
"Kobe—! Su—! Is this SHOW.TIME or what?" the live DJ shouted.
Fans went berserk.
That night in March '95, everyone in Harrisburg knew—
One day, Su Feng and Kobe would shine in the NBA.
And when that one-on-one finally came...
Smack. Smack. Smack.
Boom!
After Su Feng's bucket, he and Kobe exchanged a classic "give-me-five."
Meanwhile, Lower Merion's "three-headed wall" fought back tears of joy.
No joke—playing with those two really was something magical.