Chapter 2

**Slap!**

Chen Mu arrived just in time to grab another offensive rebound, and the originally noisy crowd in the arena suddenly fell silent. A few seconds later, as if they had just come to their senses, the audience began to cheer and applaud, and the arena erupted with a deafening roar.

"This Chinese kid is amazing! He's grabbed three offensive rebounds in three plays. This, this is simply unbelievable!"

"I never expected that there would be such a rebounding monster on the Chinese team's bench. Look at how he grabbed those three rebounds; he made perfect predictions and picked them up effortlessly. He's truly a master!"

"Chinese brother, I was wrong to doubt you! You're awesome! Keep grabbing those rebounds, hahaha!!!"

Americans admire strength. Anyone who can perform in a way that impresses them can win their hearts and earn their sincere admiration.

Chen Mu's three rebounds were crisp and powerful, his footwork was exquisite, and his judgment of the rebound points was almost magical. This performance, as if he were strolling through a garden, instantly won over the audience in the arena. Many people began to applaud and cheer for Chen Mu.

*Whoosh*

Passing the ball again, Chen Mu became more and more adapted to the atmosphere on the court. The cheers of the audience sounded very pleasant, lifting his spirits. He quickly moved towards the three-point line, offering a screen for Chen Jianghua.

"Great screen!"

Chen Jianghua had not yet set up the offensive strategy when he saw Chen Mu set a screen. He immediately understood Chen Mu's intention:

In theory, after grabbing an offensive rebound, the best choice is to stabilize and run another play. However, the situation was different now. This was already Chen Mu's third offensive rebound, and the Chinese team's morale was greatly boosted, while the American team seemed a bit stunned.

Now, Chen Mu suddenly set a screen, and the American team was completely caught off guard. The Chinese team, which had always run plays methodically, suddenly executed a spontaneous play. It was as if all the American players' feet were nailed to the ground, and they stared dumbfounded at Chen Mu and Chen Jianghua's cooperation, unable to react.

*Bang!*

Chen Mu set a solid screen, and Chen Jianghua accelerated, slipping past Chen Mu like a shadow, instantly breaking into the paint.

"Help defense!"

Only at this moment did the American players react, shouting and setting up their defense. All their attention was focused on Chen Jianghua, who had penetrated the key like a sharp blade. No one noticed Chen Mu's subsequent movement.

*Tap, tap, tap!*

This was exactly the opportunity Chen Mu had been waiting for!

*Tap!*

Taking a few steps back to the basket, Chen Mu saw Chen Jianghua's eyes light up with understanding amidst the waving arms of the defenders.

"Throw it up!"

Chen Mu pointed upwards, and a look of surprise flashed in Chen Jianghua's eyes. Then, a smile appeared on his face as he understood Chen Mu's intention.

*Tap, tap, tap!!*

With the path to the basket completely blocked by the tall and long-armed American players, Chen Jianghua's route to the basket was sealed off.

But Chen Jianghua had no intention of attacking the basket directly.

*Whoosh!*

In the blink of an eye, the American players seemed to see a flash of orange in the air, quickly heading towards the top of their heads.

"Too high, it won't go in!"

From the ball's trajectory, it was clear that it would soar above the rim. The American players quickly turned around, ready to grab the rebound, but what they saw was a black figure rising from the ground.

*Tap, whoosh!!*

Chen Mu's left foot pushed off the ground, and he soared like a swift, leaping high above the rim, his hands extending past the basket.

*Beep, beep, beep*

In front of him, the green circle flashed again, and this time, the circle was right next to the rim.

*Whoo... Bang!!*

An alley-oop!

Chen Mu caught the ball with both hands near the rim and slammed it through. The microphone on the rim transmitted the震撼人心的响声 to the entire arena, stunning everyone.

"This...!"

The audience's mouths were wide open in disbelief at what they had just witnessed.

*Whoosh!!*

A few seconds later, a deafening roar erupted in the arena, and everyone went wild.

A Chinese player who had never been on the court before had amazed everyone with his performance, grabbing three consecutive offensive rebounds and finishing with a spectacular alley-oop dunk, earning the Chinese team two valuable points. This incredible performance instantly made Chen Mu the center of attention!

"This Chinese kid is simply superhuman...!!!"

"Unbelievable, truly unbelievable! If this kid isn't just lucky, he might become a rebounding king in the Chinese league... no, he might even make it to the NBA and dominate!"

"The Chinese team has such a talented player besides Yao! It's truly incredible!!"

The audience, with various faces, chattered excitedly, pointing at Chen Mu on the court, as if they could see a rebounding monster emerging from the ancient and mysterious land of China.

*Tap, tap, tap*

During the transition defense, each player gave Chen Mu a grateful look. They knew that turning the game around was almost impossible, but Chen Mu's strong offensive rebounds had lifted their spirits.

If they had given up from the start, the significance of this training match would have been lost. Fortunately, Chen Mu's sudden appearance gave the Chinese team a chance to catch their breath, and everyone could muster the energy to continue the game.

"Chen Mu."

Back in their half of the court, Chen Jianghua walked a few steps to Chen Mu's side and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Great dunk."

"Great pass too," Chen Mu responded with a smile.

"Good job, good job! Defense! Show some spirit!!"

Faced with Chen Mu's performance, the Chinese team's coach had no complaints. He clapped loudly and encouraged the players.

This training trip to the United States consisted of five games, with opponents being elite high school players from the U.S. Although no true superstar high school players were present, the opportunity to compete against the best young players from the world's top basketball nation was invaluable for the Chinese U17 team.

In the first two games, the Chinese U17 team lost, but only by a small margin. Although it was clear that the American high school team's stars were not fully exerting themselves, this result still gave the U17 players some hope.

However, in today's game, the American team maintained a high-pressure approach from the start, and the Chinese team made numerous mistakes under the full-court press, leading to countless counterattacks and a widening score gap.

If this game ended here, the confidence the Chinese team had gained during the training trip would be shattered.

"Just as soon as they get serious, we're done."

This dangerous thought, if allowed to take root, could affect the Chinese team's morale and cast a shadow over the upcoming U18 Asian Junior Basketball Championship.

Fortunately, Chen Mu appeared. When the coach initially put Chen Mu on the court, he just wanted Chen Mu to experience the atmosphere of the game and not feel that the trip was in vain.

Unexpectedly, this power forward, who was often dominated by his teammates in practice and was the weakest in the team, despite his excellent physical condition, performed in a stunning manner on the court.

This made the coach reflect: Perhaps Chen Mu was always the most shining piece of jade in the team, just temporarily obscured by the rock and not yet shining.

Chen Mu, born in 1989, stands 201 cm (204 cm with shoes) and plays as a power forward.

Looking at Chen Mu's basketball career, there was nothing particularly outstanding. He showed talent from a young age, especially in height and jumping ability, which were top-notch for his age. Even compared to his peers in Europe and America, he was not inferior.

However, when he joined the regional youth team, Chen Mu's biggest problem was exposed: his basketball IQ was severely lacking.

"If he had even a little, just a little bit of basketball IQ, his skills would not be limited to this. With his physical condition, if he could develop post moves and shooting skills, plus some judgment, he would definitely be the next Yi Jianlian!"

This was the evaluation of Chen Mu by his former coach, Old Hu, from the regional youth team.

"Chen Mu, Chen Mu, how I hope you can grow quickly and become a reserve for the national team!"

The coach frowned slightly, watching Chen Mu grab one rebound after another on the court, and couldn't help but imagine the possible scenarios in the near future.

"In this U17 team, you and Chen Jianghua are the two most talented players. If you can grow together and have a breakthrough in this game, in the future, we will have a luxurious frontcourt combination like Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, and Wang Zhizhi, plus your rebounding and Chen Jianghua's penetration, and the three-point shooting of Zhu Fangyu and Wang Shipeng from the outside..."

The coach took a deep breath, a smile appearing on his lips, as if he could already see the strongest Chinese team lineup dominating the world stage.

"Perhaps... Chinese basketball is really about to rise...!"

*Beep*

At this moment, the game on the court finally ended. After Chen Mu came on, the Chinese team controlled almost all the rebounds, and they took advantage of this momentum to surge forward.

With the rebounding secured in the paint, the outside shooters also found their rhythm, and the Chinese team kept scoring. However, with little time left, they ultimately lost the game 77-92.

"Chen."

The players from both teams shook hands and the audience began to leave. Chen Mu was about to leave the court when he heard a hesitant voice from behind.

"Hmm?"

Chen Mu turned around and saw the American power forward he had been matched against extending his hand, with a somewhat helpless but hopeful expression, and said in perfect American English, "Great game, your rebounding is strong, I really admire you."

"Thank you." Chen Mu smiled and responded in broken English, "You're also great, your positioning is strong, and your jumping is excellent."

"Far from it, your judgment of the rebound points is incredible." The big black player smiled warmly, "I will definitely practice my rebounding skills when I get back, and we can compete again!"

"Deal." Chen Mu smiled.

"By the way, my name is Wright, Brandon Wright. Come to Tennessee and I'll take you out for some fun." The big black player said, "Will you go to the NBA in the future? I look forward to competing against you in the NBA!"

"NBA...?"

Chen Mu was taken aback, then looked up at his coach, who was calling him from a distance, and smiled, "Definitely...!"