Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The halftime whistle blew, and just before the break, the Ice Dust Team managed to score a long-range three-pointer, taking a narrow lead by one point.
Of course, this score reversal did not mean that the Ice Dust Team could relax in the second half.
As they returned to the player area, the defensive team leader brought three players back to their seats, all showing unprecedented fatigue. At least half of it stemmed from the exhaustion carried over from yesterday, while the rest was due to the oppressive defense put up by their opponents in the first half.
The Blue Poison Tyrannosaurus Team was composed of players who excelled at one-on-one plays. Even though everyone on the Ice Dust Team was reluctant to cooperate, they had to set aside their differences and work together if they wanted any chance of winning.
Long Xingchen had given everyone advice before the game started, but no one expected that even a skilled player like him would find himself locked down at times. His exquisite passing skills often led to dead ends, resulting in frequent missed shots.
Xiu's specialty was his incredible speed; he was genetically enhanced far beyond an average Gene-Enhanced Human. Despite his strength, he still appeared vulnerable in the eyes of Azure Poison Tyrannosaurus's super runners. His perfect positioning became a glaring weakness, and on the sidelines, he could only hang his head and use a towel to hide his emotions. Deep down, he refused to give in or accept defeat.
Long Xingchen's passing lanes were completely shut down. Another player known for his triangular offensive strategy, Hank, faced off against a center nicknamed Great White Shark, who often applied pressure on his knees from behind. Now, Hank's knee injury was swelling painfully as he desperately applied ice to calm it down.
Relying solely on offense against offense was already quite taxing. The triangular offensive line was equipped with Ice Dust's highest combat firepower, yet even under Blue Poison Tyrannosaurus's top defense, they could only manage two successful shots out of ten attempts.
Meanwhile, Azure Poison Tyrannosaurus seemed to be coasting through the first half, likely conserving energy for an explosive second half. Despite this strategy, they still led by one point—a slim margin that did not inspire much hope for the team.
What had started as a lead of over ten points quickly dwindled. Their offensive firepower relied heavily on Freyr's long-range shots. While these shots did not require much energy expenditure, their effectiveness diminished as they reached the backcourt. To maintain speed without losing momentum, Freyr had to exert himself beyond his muscle's ultimate capacity. By halftime, his feet were swollen and bruised.
The Ice Dust Team's player area fell into silence, as if they were in a vacuum. Each player closed their eyes while the managers busily brought ice packs and fans to cool them down. The brief fifteen-minute break could help replenish some stamina—especially when temperatures dropped—allowing for quicker recovery with proper hydration in a suitable climate.
However, for Kole, who lacked the Gene-Enhanced Human physique and felt like a fire-ridden pig sweating profusely as if in a sauna, no amount of fan breeze could alleviate his discomfort until five minutes had passed and his rapid breathing finally subsided.
Yet the Ice Dust Team needed Kole’s size and height to bolster their defensive wall. Adams, the leader of the defensive unit, couldn’t afford to leave him on the bench; only Nick could be sidelined due to severe fatigue.
Ryan, who usually sat on the bench full of energy, was brought into the defensive lineup. This was all they could do; Long Xingchen looked frustrated at the empty bench combination—only Lin and Ryan were available as substitutes.
"Find a way to help them recover their stamina as quickly as possible, and everyone, listen to me." Long Xingchen commanded Freya, his voice rising with seriousness.
Long Xingchen had been the most severely suppressed, yet he did not forget his original intention as a leader. If he completely admitted defeat, then all the previous talk about toppling the royal throne would be meaningless. He did not want his teammates to see him that way. Even if he had to acknowledge that the final outcome might be failure, he still wanted to inspire them with encouraging words to help them reach their highest competitive state and seize the opportunity for victory.
Upon hearing Long Xingchen's words, everyone opened their eyes simultaneously. He glanced at the group, feeling a slight sense of relief, secretly praising that they were not intimidated by the strength of their opponents. "Well, everyone performed well and completed your missions as I instructed, but this doesn't seem to reflect your true level. We can still reach a new height. Our defense needs to be more intimidating; we can't let the opponent's offense take control. Kole, you are the key reason for this. You performed exceptionally well in the first half; keep it up in the second half. Every defensive play relies on your solid resistance against their attacks. Everyone else needs to step up too, especially when I can't provide you with clear assistance." As they approached the end of his speech, Long Xingchen no longer specified mission standards but instead offered psychological encouragement to his teammates. Soon after, he chose to lower his head and sit silently in his chair.
Both the offensive and passing players were exhausted; Long Xingchen had expended the most energy. This was entirely due to the physical drain brought on by Gene Chain's explosive performance in the middle stages of the game. He had intended to conserve energy but found himself reaching peak athletic instinct in the first half, allowing their opponents many opportunities on offense.
The ability focus was primarily on Ultimate speed physique, characterized by maintaining an ordinary person's Ultimate pace for extended periods. However, this pace showed signs of slowing down every ten minutes, placing a certain oppressive burden on the body.
The triangular offensive line had completely broken free from their restraints. After a selective silence and without any further task directives issued, ten minutes later, the Ice Dust Team trudged back onto the field in fatigue. Meanwhile, the Blue Poison Tyrannosaurus Team retained their lineup from the first half, with only a change at the Command Tower where a man with two different colored eyes—one yellow and one blue—had replaced Tian Tong, who had previously blocked like a playful monkey.
Long Xingchen hesitated as he looked towards the opposing Command Tower. The strange man with heterochromia smiled slightly at him. He quickly reminded everyone around him, "Everyone needs to bring their best state now; if we don't push hard, we'll soon lose all suspense in this match."
The second half of the match continued with Aow from the Blue Poison Tyrannosaurus Team holding the ball again as he faced off against Long Xingchen. He kept a close eye on the ball while Aow sneered at him. Suddenly, he sensed something different—the entire team's rhythm had been disrupted, and their intricate passing routes were locked down.
It wasn't just his individual skills that were impressive; even forcing through Long Xingchen came at a cost. On the other side, Center Beast and Kino found themselves caught in a relentless stalemate. In a hurry, he passed the ball to Kino on his side.
He always believed in Kino's speed; Azure Poison Tyrannosaurus would always be number one in positioning. Confident in this belief, he quickly passed the ball to Kino. Kino received it and executed a beautiful butterfly crossover step, slipping past Long Xingchen's tight defense that was nearly flawless.
With speed elevated once more, Kino rushed forward rapidly; Kole's defensive wall could not withstand such velocity. If this were a battlefield scenario, such a meat shield would bear countless scars and serve merely as practice fodder. Kino did not waste any time; his desire to score surged like molten lava.
"Attack!"
Just shouting wasn't enough to quell that roaring declaration of offense. With a beautiful butterfly step akin to an arrow piercing through heart and soul, Kino maneuvered past Kole's legs with the ball and dashed towards the other end.
At that moment, the ball passed through the legs of Kole, completely tearing apart his defense. As he broke through the defensive line, the offensive players became aimless like blind flies. With the ball, they might be able to set up cross screens, but without it, they would just swarm in like a bunch of insects.
Kino paid no attention to these flies. With a butterfly step, he swiftly maneuvered past each attacking player, creating a gap between the defense and offense. In just a few seconds, he cut into the penalty area.
Freyr moved up to cover, but he couldn't even see Kino's feint. Kino provocatively threw the ball at his face, then suddenly pulled back at a critical moment. Freyr lost his balance and fell backward, while Nemo's defensive response was even worse. He threw the ball high over Freyr's head without realizing what was happening. Kino caught the ball mid-air and flipped into the end zone.
The next moment, the whistle blew in the penalty area—touchdown! Seven points scored.
The lost points were regained as Kino scored directly, beautifully erasing the humiliating deficit from the electronic Virtual Screen.
Rexas was so scared that he fell on his backside. Even though he was still some distance from the goalpost, as the last line of defense for the Command Tower, he not only failed to do his job but also shrank back at a critical moment.
"Hahaha, interesting! I will continue my attack; this is the easiest game I've ever played. I could easily score a hundred points in ten rounds."
Kino turned and ran back toward his team's side, occasionally letting out sharp laughter.
Long Xingchen returned to his original receiving position, holding the ball on the offensive side. He took a deep breath and thought to himself, "This is bad; everyone is intimidated by this kind of offense. We must score; only scoring can save our face. I have to unleash all my abilities and not conserve energy. If I do that, even if we win this time, I can't hesitate in tomorrow's game. I must do this; there's no other way." When he looked up at the front line, he noticed that Xiu had given him a knowing nod in his direction. At that moment when their intense gazes met, it was as if they understood something profound and shared a bittersweet smile.
"Yes, this is how it should be done. Don't think about the next game; this match isn't over yet."
Comment 0 Comment Count