Chapter 43: Yellow Ruler
"Zhao Dong, ABC's Cook has given you a new nickname: 'Yellow Ruler,' or 'Yellow Rain Man.' Do you like it?" a reporter shouted.
"'Yellow Ruler,' huh?" Zhao Dong automatically ignored the "Yellow Rain Man" part, nodded, and said, "It's fine."
"Yellow Ruler, why were you so aggressive on the court tonight? Was it because of the Rain Man?" another reporter asked.
"Yes. He's one of the strongest opponents I've ever faced. The stronger the enemy, the stronger I become. Beating him is essential for my growth," Zhao Dong replied.
"We noticed you played more on the perimeter during the third quarter while Larry Johnson took over in the post. Was that a tactical adjustment?" another reporter inquired.
"Yes, I'm trying to expand my range and activity on the court. I believe I have the ability to contribute more on both ends by covering a larger area," Zhao Dong explained.
"I heard your player template is Charles Barkley?" a reporter asked with a grin.
"Yes, that fat pig was my template. Honestly, I regret it a bit—I should've modeled myself after Magic Johnson instead," Zhao Dong said with a playful tone.
The reporters burst into laughter.
After answering a few more brief questions, the interview concluded, and Zhao Dong returned to the locker room. After a shower, he and Ewing joined Coach Van Gundy at the post-game press conference.
Meanwhile, Alan Houston sat quietly, feeling left out. Back in Detroit, he had been the core of the Pistons during his rookie years. Now, with the Knicks, he didn't even get invited to the press conference.
He couldn't forget the moment during the third quarter when Zhao Dong dunked on the Rain Man. The commentator's declaration—"Zhao Dong is the next ruler of the Knicks!"—and the crowd's thunderous cheers had stuck with him. The praise for Zhao Dong was a blow to his confidence.
"The season is far from over, Zhao Dong. Nothing is decided yet," Houston thought, clenching his fists as he tried to motivate himself.
On the team bus, Zhao Dong put on his headphones and pretended to listen to music. In reality, he activated his system.
"Let's see!" He could barely contain his excitement. Tonight's game had been a goldmine for him.
The system notification appeared: "Congratulations! You've completed all the options for the team sniper mission and earned a grand prize: a blank gold medal skill template!"
"Haha!" Zhao Dong suppressed his thrill, laughing to himself.
This mission had seemed daunting at first, with eight different objectives to accomplish. Yet, by overpowering the Rain Man, Zhao Dong had conquered it all. Initially, he hadn't even prioritized this task, but victory had brought him an unexpected windfall.
Chapter 43: Yellow Ruler (Continued)
The second system notification read:
"The host failed to complete the Super-Giant Sniper mission to snipe Gary Payton. The mission has been canceled."
Zhao Dong sighed. He had only managed to guard Payton once, but the Supersonics guard was too alert, rarely venturing near the paint where Zhao Dong could capitalize. Completing that task had been impossible.
The third notification was far more exciting:
"Rain Man was defeated by the host, and the sniper mission is automatically completed. Congratulations to the host, you have obtained the jumping talent of Rain Man Sean Kemp. Please choose whether to override it."
Reading this, Zhao Dong couldn't help but laugh. Despite Rain Man leaving the game early and Zhao Dong failing to post a 20+10 stat line directly against him, the system still awarded him the mission completion.
Once his initial excitement settled, Zhao Dong began to deliberate. Should he override Kobe Bryant's jumping talent with Sean Kemp's? Rain Man's vertical jump of 104 cm and incredible jumping speed were among the best in basketball history. If he chose Kemp's talent, his athleticism would rise to an even higher level.
But Zhao Dong hesitated. "My wingspan combined with Kobe's bounce is already sufficient," he thought. Then he remembered his first lottery experience and couldn't resist the urge to try his luck again.
"System, can I see the lottery prizes before I draw?" he asked.
"No. All prizes are generated randomly," the system replied.
Zhao Dong frowned. "What if I end up with something terrible? Rain Man's talent is legendary. I could lose out big time." However, the thought of what he might win tempted him.
Finally, he gritted his teeth. "Let's do it!"
"The lottery begins. All prizes will be randomly generated."
A blue light flashed, and a massive turntable appeared before him. The wheel had twelve sections, each displaying a prize.
The first grid caught his attention immediately: Curry's Shooting Touch.
"Holy crap! This is on par with Rain Man's jumping talent!" Zhao Dong muttered, his excitement skyrocketing.
But his enthusiasm quickly deflated when he saw the second prize: McGrady's Old Back.
"What?! Is this a joke? If I get that, I'll retire on the spot!" Zhao Dong nearly choked on his frustration.
The next few prizes weren't much better: Shaquille O'Neal's Three-Point Accuracy and Rasheed Wallace's Roaring Skills.
"System, are you kidding me? These prizes are absurd! I want to file a complaint," Zhao Dong grumbled.
"Apologies, this system does not have a complaint hotline," the system replied stoically.
Zhao Dong composed himself and examined the remaining options. Starting from the fifth slot, the prizes were more practical: Five Quality Points, Hamilton's Running Skills, Ten Skill Points, Yao Ming's Big Feet, LeBron James' Crab Steps, Kobe's Core Strength, and Marbury's Leg Skills.
However, some of the prizes, like Yao Ming's Big Feet and "Smoke Once", left him speechless.
"System, you're really testing my patience. Alright, let's spin."
The wheel began to turn. Zhao Dong clenched his fists, praying for luck.
Chapter 43: Yellow Ruler (Continued)
"The draw begins."
Zhao Dong watched the pointer spin, his heart pounding as it began to slow down. He didn't dare blink for a second.
"It's over... it's over..."
The pointer moved slowly, creeping past the first section with a sense of impending doom. His anxiety grew as it slid past a series of possible pitfalls, including a three-in-a-row of bad prizes.
"Good! Good! Good! Keep going, just a little more..."
The pointer fought against the momentum, barely managing to avoid the worst options, and Zhao Dong released a breath of relief. Five quality points and Hamilton's running skills weren't terrible, but ten skill points—now that was better. As for Kobe's core strength? That was out of reach, the gap far too wide.
The pointer continued its slow, agonizing crawl. It crept past Hamilton's skills like a snail, each fraction of movement stretching his patience. Then, at last, it stopped on the ten skill points section.
Zhao Dong sighed in relief but quickly groaned, "What a shame. The best jumping talent in history, and I only got ten skill points. System, you owe me big time! Seriously."
He couldn't hide his frustration. If he had chosen to cover Kobe's jumping talent with Rain Man's, he might have reached Level 100 directly. But now, with only ten skill points, the upgrade process would be much slower. He could only use quality points to improve his jump, but each level above 95 would cost him three quality points per level. Ten skill points would only give him three levels—far less than what he had hoped for.
The disappointment lingered, but Zhao Dong accepted the outcome. He knew he had to make the best of it.
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