In the evening, the spectators at the streetball court were already waiting for the game. Two tall guys approached Ming You and agreed to his bet.
"Two against one might not be fair against a little guy like you, but money is more important to us than some reputation. So, are we playing? We'll give you a chance to get out of here while you can," said the guy with short hair named Shi Lei, looking down at Ming You.
"I don't like rules either, so I'm in," Ming You replied with a smirk on his face.
"You really are crazy. Alright, let's get started; you can begin," said the other guy, a more muscular one named Hong Ji.
The crowd began placing bets, with everyone betting on Shi Lei and Hong Ji, but there were a few who placed small bets on Ming You, hoping that perhaps his appearance was deceptive and that he might have some hidden confidence.
Ming You stood on the court, bouncing the ball in his hands, contemplating the best approach for the game. He knew that the opponents he was about to face were not just competitors; they were gamblers willing to do anything for victory, but Ming You was not much different from them.
"Okay, two opponents is not a problem if I can outsmart them," Ming You thought to himself.
He took a step forward and began to warm up, deftly dribbling the ball from hand to hand.
"First, I need to create an illusion of weakness," he continued in his mind. "Let them think I'm not a threat. This will give me time to prepare, and they won't pay attention to the time."
Ming You noticed the two players, one tall and muscular, the other shorter and stockier, looking at him with disdain.
"Look at him," one of them said. "He really agreed to play one-on-two. This will be an easy win."
"Yeah, he has no idea who he's dealing with," Hong Ji replied with a smirk.
"Let them underestimate me," Ming You thought. "It will only help me later."
The game began. Ming You slowly moved toward the basket, pretending he was in no hurry. The thugs, confident in their strength, began to close in, preparing to attack.
"How about you guard the hoop, and I'll intimidate him," Shi Lei explained.
"Alright, you can play around with him for now; he's pretty slow, so don't sweat it," Hong Ji agreed with the plan.
Shi Lei nodded and took a defensive stance against Ming You.
"What idiots they are," Ming You smirked to himself as Shi Lei got distracted. He suddenly changed direction, slipping past the two defenders and tossing the ball into the basket.
"How did he do that?" Hong Ji whispered in shock.
"It was just luck," Shi Lei replied, but his voice sounded less confident.
"Maybe this guy has some skill; should we play a bit more seriously?" Hong Ji suggested.
"Agreed, but don't overdo it; he's still just a kid," Shi Lei and Hong Ji chuckled.
Ming You heard their conversation and smiled to himself.
"They don't understand that this is just the beginning," he thought. "The next step is to make them expend their energy."
He started playing more aggressively, forcing his opponents to chase him around the court. Every time one of them tried to stop him, he used his agility and shorter stature to slip away.
"Looks like the plan is working," Ming You whispered to himself. "Make them work hard. They'll tire soon, and then I can deliver the final blow, but for now, I can give them false confidence."
Ming You retreated to the three-point line and prepared to take a shot.
"Haha, who's underestimating whom now?" Just as Ming You jumped with the ball and shot it, Shi Lei blocked the shot and snatched the ball.
"You could have let him take the shot; he would have missed anyway," Hong Ji sneered.
"Looks like he really is hopeless," someone from the crowd said.
"Let's score a couple of dozen points before we watch him beg us to let him win so he doesn't end up in debt," Shi Lei said, bouncing the ball on the pavement in front of Ming You.
"I could have snatched the ball, but then they'd start playing seriously, and I don't really want to exert myself against idiots," Ming You thought to himself as Shi Lei bypassed him and made a dunk.
"Not bad, but let me have a little fun with him," Hong Ji exclaimed.
"Whatever you want," Shi Lei agreed without objection.
As Hong Ji took the defensive position, Ming You, with an indifferent expression, dribbled the ball on the pavement.
"Well, kid, entertain me while you can," Hong Ji laughed before Ming You threw the ball in his face and slipped past the defense.
"Asshole!" Hong Ji shouted loudly, chasing after Ming You.
"Hey, Hong Ji, don't embarrass me," Shi Lei said, stepping up to defend against Ming You.
Ming You dribbled the ball through his right and left legs a couple of times before suddenly slipping past Shi Lei.
"Haha, you fell for it, motherfucker!" Hong Ji shouted, positioning himself at the basket to block any shot, but Ming You jumped behind the backboard.
"This idiot jumped behind the hoop; how arrogant can he be?" Shi Lei smirked, and then so did Hong Ji, just before Ming You tossed the ball and scored.
"What?!" everyone on the court exclaimed.
"This time, let's take him seriously," Shi Lei suggested, to which Hong Ji silently nodded and took the ball in his hands.
Meanwhile, Shi Lei moved a little closer to the hoop, ready for a pass if needed.
"You're quite lucky," Hong Ji sneered, faking a move as if he was going to throw the ball in Ming You's face.
But Ming You, knowing that the first attempt in the next round would be a regular fake, already had the confidence to snatch the ball.
The hit.
The ball flew out of Hong Ji's hand and landed in Ming You's.
"Great, looks like I have to do everything myself again, Hong Ji, let's head to the hoop," Shi Lei shouted.
Hong Ji gritted his teeth and silently walked toward the hoop. Shi Lei, for his part, began to play seriously, blocking any chance to pass or shoot.
"Here's the moment," Ming You told himself as Hong Ji approached the hoop and Shi Lei took a serious defensive stance. "Time for the final maneuver."
Shi Lei and Ming You stared at each other for a couple of seconds; the defender was full of confidence, but after a couple more seconds, he was overtaken by shock.
"What the fu..." Shi Lei whispered to himself.
"A monster on the court!" one of the spectators shouted.
On the court, thanks to his speed, agility, distracting maneuvers, and quick dribbling, Ming You created the illusion of eight arms, four balls, and four heads. The movements were fast, and Shi Lei couldn't tell if he would be outmaneuvered or scored on, but when it seemed to him that Ming You was about to throw the ball, he jumped, trying to block the shot, but Ming You slipped past him like a child.
"What the...?" Shi Lei said in disbelief.
Hong Ji was already at the hoop, and Ming You pretended to shoot, while Hong Ji jumped, trying to block the shot.
"Don't underestimate us, brat!" Hong Ji yelled.
But Ming You took two steps back and quickly threw the ball into the basket.
"No way! He's unstoppable!" one of the spectators screamed. "He's just invincible!"
"Time's up, the score is 3-2, Ming You wins," the referee announced.
"What? How? What do you mean time?" Hong Ji exclaimed.
"Idiot, he made us underestimate him," Shi Lei interrupted.
After the intense game, as Ming You emerged victorious, his opponents looked at him in bewilderment. They hadn't just lost—they had been annihilated.
"You're not just a player," one of the thugs said, rubbing the back of his head. "You're a mad player."
Ming You merely smirked in response and collected his winnings.
"So your strategy was to distract us from the time?" Shi Lei asked.
"Looks like you're not such an idiot after all, unlike your buddy," Ming You smirked.
"Hey, faggot, watch your mouth; now that the game is over, the rules don't apply," Hong Ji scoffed, swinging at Ming You.
"Calm down," Shi Lei grabbed Hong Ji's arm and continued, "We just underestimated you, but if you want to play again, come back." Hong Ji gritted his teeth while Ming You began to gather his things.
Once ready, he left the court with a sense of triumph. The thugs, spectators, and players were in shock, and Ming You knew that his strategic approach had made him not just a winner, but a threat.
After that, Ming You decided to transfer to another school and join the Yoshido basketball club. He understood that his skills and ambitions required a new level of competition. In the new team, he hoped to find real rivals who could challenge him.
The next day, at school in the middle of the day, Ming You headed toward the door of the basketball club.
"Hi, I'm Ming You," he introduced himself as he entered the Yoshido club hall. "I'm here to play."
"Welcome," replied the team captain, studying the new player. "I'm Jung Ho, captain of the Yoshido team; I hope you're ready for some real challenges."
Ming You nodded, determined to show everyone what he was capable of while also plotting intrigues against his own team.