Chapter 040: The Counterattack Begins

"Lin Feng!"

"Look, it's Lin Feng!"

"Oh my god, how did he get here? Wasn't he supposed to be unable to make it?"

The moment Lin Feng appeared on the main screen in the arena, the crowd erupted into a frenzy.

"Coach Shen, look! Lin Feng is here!"

Zhou Mingxuan, who had been drinking water, spotted the image on the big screen and exclaimed in surprise.

"It's Lin Feng! He's here!"

"Fantastic! The guy finally made it!"

"With Lin Feng, maybe we still have a chance!"

The rest of the Jiangning team members also cried out in excitement when they saw Lin Feng, and the head coach, Shen Ziqiang, immediately called for another long timeout to buy Lin Feng more time to get ready.

On the other end of the court.

Seeing the big screen, Wang Chunsheng's face fell instantly.

"Useless bunch! So many of you and you couldn't stop Lin Feng!"

Wang Chunsheng cursed impulsively, unaware that his outburst was picked up by the TV broadcast mics.

"Damn, how did he get here?"

"Wasn't he stuck on the highway?"

"So what if he's here? We're up by 22 points—no way he can catch up!"

"Did you forget how we lost Game 5?"

"Last-second miracles aren't something you can just conjure up whenever you like!"

"Anyway, nothing good ever happens when that guy shows up."

"Yeah, let's just pray he's having an off night!"

"Enough! Stop the nonsense. Focus on defense, and on offense, run down the clock as much as possible. Lin Feng's great, but he's still human, not a god! I swear, you all act like you're scared stiff of him," Wang Chunsheng barked, face dark.

...

At the Heatwave Bar.

Zhou Shouqiang had just turned off the TV. Neither he, nor the fans in the bar, nor any Jiangning supporters wanted to see Beicheng lift the championship trophy. That scene would only reopen their wounds—eight trips to the finals, eight times runners-up. Such tragic glory, such bitter sorrow; not even the toughest hearts could bear this endless torment.

"Zhou, turn the TV back on!" someone suddenly shouted.

"Turn it on yourself if you want to watch!" Zhou Shouqiang hurled the remote aside. As a former Jiangning player, he couldn't bear to witness the team’s heartbreak in the finals yet again.

"You’ll regret it if you don’t! Lin Feng’s about to play!" the man waved his phone. "It’s all over social media!"

"For real?" Zhou Shouqiang was overjoyed, snatched up the remote, and switched the TV back on.

Sure enough, Lin Feng appeared on the screen, already in the locker room, changing into his uniform.

"That’s my boy! He made it just in time!" Lin Changdong slammed the table in excitement at the sight of Lin Feng.

"It really is your kid. Old Lin, if your son brings the championship home for Jiangning, I'll cover your bar tab for life," Zhou Shouqiang declared, elated.

"Alright, I’ll remember that! Don’t go back on your word!"

"Never! I, Zhou, always keep my promises!" With that, Zhou Shouqiang waved the remote and shouted to everyone present, "Listen up, everyone! If Lin Feng hits a three-pointer, I’ll buy everyone here a beer. And if we win this game, all drinks are on the house tonight!"

...

Jiangning team locker room.

While changing, Lin Feng was being interviewed by Meng Tong, a CCTV intern reporter.

"Hello, Lin Feng, I’m Meng Tong from CCTV. You run fast! Nearly wore our cameraman out," Meng Tong joked.

"I've already been delayed long enough; I can't waste any more time," Lin Feng replied as he changed.

"Indeed, it wasn’t easy for you to make it out there. Don’t worry, though, we caught everything that happened at the arena entrance on camera. After the game, the whole country will know the truth," Meng Tong revealed, dropping a bombshell.

Instantly, viewers were full of questions.

"What does the reporter mean?"

"Is there some inside story?"

"What happened outside the arena?"

"Did someone hold Lin Feng up, causing him to be late?"

...

"If you can guarantee it’ll be aired, then after the game, let’s do an exclusive interview. There are some things I’d like to discuss," Lin Feng said as he finished changing.

"An exclusive? That’s fantastic!" Meng Tong replied excitedly. "As a journalist, it's my duty to bring the truth to the public. Don’t worry, your interview will be broadcast!"

"Alright, it’s settled." Lin Feng squatted to tighten his shoelaces. "Time for me to get out there!"

"Before you go, is there anything you’d like to say to the Jiangning fans? They’re watching," Meng Tong asked.

Lin Feng stood up, considered for a moment, then pointed to the number 11 on his jersey. "What I promised you—I will deliver!"

"Good luck!"

Lin Feng nodded, pushed open the door, and left the locker room.

In the player tunnel, Lin Feng pulled up the attribute panel for the superstar he had “kidnapped”—Stephen Curry.

Speed: 75, Stamina: 72, Two-point percentage: 59%, Three-point percentage: 67% (Open three-point percentage 88%), Free throw percentage: 93%.

After his record-shattering performance in Game 6, Lin Feng had accumulated 30 attribute points. After some thought, he allocated 23 points to three-point shooting and 7 to speed.

After the boost, Curry’s speed reached 82; his three-point accuracy soared to 90%, with open threes at a perfect 100%!

With a Curry like this, who could possibly stop him?!

Kept off the court? Resorting to dirty tricks?

Heh...

A cold smile played at the corners of Lin Feng’s mouth as, under the gaze of thousands, he walked out of the tunnel and onto the court.

"Boo!"

"Go back to your singing contest!"

"Weren’t you shacked up with Qin Ruolin? Why bother showing up here?!"

"Lin Feng, loser! Lin Feng, loser!"

The moment he appeared, jeers and curses erupted around the arena. It was, after all, an away game, and Lin Feng was already a nightmare for Beicheng fans—no surprise he was their target.

But Lin Feng merely smiled, unfazed. Soon, he’d silence them with his performance.

"Sorry, Coach Shen, sorry everyone, I’m late!" Lin Feng apologized as he reached Jiangning's bench.

"You’re here now, that’s what matters. It’s up to you," Shen Ziqiang replied, keeping it brief with the game at hand.

"Lin Feng, if we don’t turn this around, you owe the whole team a big dinner! You were late, after all. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be in this mess," Zhou Mingxuan clapped him on the shoulder.

"No problem!" Lin Feng agreed cheerfully. "But that’s not going to happen!"

Beep!

The whistle sounded; timeout was over, the game resumed.

Just like in Game 5, Lin Feng followed his teammates onto the court. But this time, the camera never left him; he was the center of attention.

Jiangning inbounded at half-court.

Zhou Mingxuan sent the ball straight to Lin Feng.

Once again, his defender was Randall. But after the massacre in the previous game, Randall no longer looked at Lin Feng with any trace of contempt—only grave determination.

Lin Feng caught the ball, dribbled twice, then glanced up at the hoop.

"Is he going for a three again?" Randall leaned forward, ready to contest.

Suddenly, Lin Feng accelerated, blowing past Randall.

He stopped on a dime, sprang up, and launched a three-pointer!

"Another three!"

"Lin Feng really is confident—taking the shot as soon as he gets on the floor!"

As the commentators exclaimed, the ball traced a perfect arc through the air.

Swish!

The net snapped.

The shot was good!

...