Chapter 1

"Quick, pass the ball, pass the ball!"

"Stupid, set a screen!"

"Block this shot, block him!"

At the Huaxi University basketball gym, several young men were sweating on the court, shouting loudly from time to time. They were playing a pickup game, using only half of the court.

On the other half of the court, a young man was practicing his three-point shots from beyond the arc. He bent his knees, drew in his abdomen, jumped, and flicked his wrist. The entire motion was smooth and standard, but when the basketball flew out, it hit the rim with a thud and bounced away.

On the opposite half of the court, a young man glanced over and said, "Chen Feng is really giving it his all, he's been practicing all day."

"So what?" Another person sneered, "Look at him, he can only make three or four out of ten shots, and that's without any defense. What's the point?"

"That's because he's injured, with a torn meniscus in his knee. Tsk, tsk, with an injury like that, he's probably done for," someone else added.

"He's done for, but his face is really thick. If I were him, I would have lost the face to stay on the team long ago. Isn't he just dragging us down?"

"Lower your voice, he might hear."

"What's to be afraid of? I'm just being realistic."

The young men chattered among themselves, some lowering their voices, others speaking without a care whether Chen Feng heard them or not.

On the sidelines, Huaxi University's basketball team head coach, Lu Miangyang, frowned and shouted at the young men, "All of you, shut up." Instantly, the young men fell silent.

Lu Miangyang looked at Chen Feng, who was silently shooting, and called out, "Chen Feng, come over here."

"Yes, Coach," Chen Feng jogged over to Lu Miangyang.

Looking at Chen Feng, Lu Miangyang couldn't help but think back to three months ago when Chen Feng came to Huaxi University for a tryout.

Back then, Chen Feng was full of youthful vigor and confidence, performing exceptionally well during the tryout, which earned him high praise from Lu Miangyang. In the end, Chen Feng was given one of the two basketball scholarship spots available at the school.

At that time, Lu Miangyang had high hopes for Chen Feng.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Three months ago, an accident caused Chen Feng to tear his meniscus, and he underwent surgery. Although the surgery was successful, after recovering, his knee was not the same, and his competitive form had declined significantly.

"Chen Feng, I have something to tell you," Lu Miangyang said, looking at Chen Feng. "I've already discussed your situation with the school leadership. Starting next week, you won't need to report to the team anymore."

"What do you mean, I don't need to report to the team?" Chen Feng was taken aback.

"Ah," Lu Miangyang sighed, "Your current state is no longer suitable for CUBA games, so the school has decided to remove you from the team."

Chen Feng's body trembled, and his face turned pale.

Seeing Chen Feng's reaction, Lu Miangyang shook his head and said, "You don't need to come to practice these next few days. You can go out, relax, and try to think positively."

Lu Miangyang left, and Chen Feng sat on the edge of the court, covering his head and face with a towel. His expression was hidden, but his body was visibly shaking.

At six in the evening, Chen Feng, exhausted, returned to his dormitory.

Huaxi University's dormitory conditions were relatively good, with four people per room, two bunk beds, a desk in the middle, and an independent bathroom and balcony. Chen Feng lived in room 406, and his three roommates were in the same class as him: one was named Sun Ming, another Wang Tao, and the third Zhao Zhenyong.

Sun Ming was slim and wore glasses; Wang Tao was a big, fat guy with small eyes that almost closed when he smiled; Zhao Zhenyong had a more normal build, standing at about 1.75 meters tall. While Chen Feng loved basketball, Zhao Zhenyong was passionate about soccer.

"Chen Feng, let's go eat," Sun Ming called out.

"No, I'll take a shower first; I'm all sweaty," Chen Feng shook his head. He wasn't in the mood to eat.

"Alright, I'll bring you something back later," Sun Ming said, then called out to Wang Tao and Zhao Zhenyong, and they headed to the cafeteria together.

After taking a shower, Chen Feng climbed onto his bed and lay there, still thinking about being removed from the team. The more he thought, the more he couldn't sleep, so he got up and turned on his computer.

"Ding ding"

Chen Feng's QQ was flashing. He clicked on it and saw a message from a net friend he had met in a basketball forum, whose username was "Don't Force Me to Be a Thug."

"Don't Force Me to Be a Thug" was also a basketball fan. They had known each other for a few years and often chatted about basketball and played basketball games together, even though they had never met in person or shared their real names. They had become good friends.

Don't Force Me to Be a Thug: "Hey, buddy, I have a new game to recommend. It's really great!"

Blade (Chen Feng's username): "What game? You know I only play basketball games."

Don't Force Me to Be a Thug: "Relax, I know you. The game is called 'Basketball Online.' Here's the link, just click to download. It won't disappoint you."

Chen Feng: "Alright, I'll give it a try."

Don't Force Me to Be a Thug was silent for a moment before sending a message: "Buddy, are you okay? You seem a bit off. Did you break up with someone?"

Chen Feng was surprised and laughed, "Bro, are you a girl? You have a sixth sense, can feel it through the internet?"

Don't Force Me to Be a Thug: "Really broke up? Bro, don't get me wrong, there are plenty of fish in the sea. I have a whole platoon of girls lining up to chase me. If you're really down, I can share half with you. Come on, let's play the game. They say there's a surprise at the end."

Chen Feng: "What surprise, a game pack? Don't scam me."

Don't Force Me to Be a Thug: "Get lost, don't ruin my game."

Seeing Don't Force Me to Be a Thug's QQ icon go dark, Chen Feng smiled, clicked on the link, and entered the download page for "Basketball Online." He downloaded, installed, and launched the game.

A cool interface appeared, showing LeBron James performing a powerful dunk, with a flashing box at the bottom that read "Enter Game!"

"Hmm, the character design is good, forty-nine levels, like a turn-based game, with a surprise at the end." Chen Feng quickly moved his mouse and started the game.

Chen Feng was definitely a gaming prodigy, having started helping people farm gear for money when he was thirteen or fourteen.

"Basketball Online" was indeed a good game, with realistic scenes, cool actions, and attractive character designs. However, it wasn't challenging for Chen Feng.

After more than an hour, Chen Feng finally cleared the forty-ninth level and completed the game.

"Ding!"

A window popped up with the words "Claim Reward."

"Really, there's a reward? Let's see what it is." Chen Feng smiled and clicked the window, wondering what the reward would be. Suddenly, the computer screen flickered, and a blue electric spark shot out from the mouse, traveling up his arm and into his body.

Then, Chen Feng felt a loud "boom" in his head and passed out.