Chapter 26

"Thud, thud... Huh!"

In the fear chamber, a figure not as tall as Chen Mu was repeatedly performing the backward jump shot under the illumination of several spotlights.

"Swish"

Every time he shot, the man's movements were so graceful, like a work of art, with every detail flawless, as precise as data calculated by a computer.

And every basketball he shot went through the hoop without touching the rim.

"JORDAN"

On the back of this man's classic black training suit, these words were printed. Chen Mu took a deep breath at the sight, feeling an extreme sense of awe and reverence, as if he had encountered a deity.

"Mi... Michael Jordan...?!!"

Chen Mu could hardly believe what he was seeing. The person in the training room, performing perfect backward jump shots in front of him, was none other than the greatest player in NBA history, or perhaps the world of basketball, the man known as "The God" — Michael Jordan!

"Thud, thud, thud... Huh!"

Another jump shot, and Chen Mu felt as if he were admiring a painting by Leonardo da Vinci up close, feeling immense pleasure.

Though he was not an art connoisseur, at that moment, Chen Mu seemed to have a faint realization:

When anything is done to perfection, it can be called art.

Even on a field of blood and sweat, even with an orange ball, it can be manipulated to create such a magnificent beauty.

"Hey, Mike."

Chen Mu, of course, knew that the person in front of him could not be the real Jordan. Not only was Jordan a middle-aged man in reality, no longer possessing such a perfect physique, but his shooting could not be as precise as a machine.

Moreover, in the fear chamber, Chen Mu entered as a system user, and Jordan could not possibly be a system user, let alone suddenly travel here to accompany a rookie like Chen Mu, who had yet to achieve anything, in shooting practice.

This so-called Jordan must be a virtual image provided by the system, Chen Mu concluded.

But even so, the opportunity to play basketball so close to his idol still made Chen Mu extremely excited. He couldn't help but step forward, watching Jordan's every move from a distance, absorbing every detail like a sponge.

Even as a virtual image, Jordan's presence was entirely different.

During the previous match against the Lakers, Chen Mu had already witnessed the immense presence of the most powerful shooting guard of the time, and arguably the best player of the season, Kobe Bryant.

At that time, Chen Mu felt a slight tremor in his body just by seeing Kobe.

Actually, not only Chen Mu, but even the experienced players of the Suns felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy, as if just a glance at Kobe would result in a score over their heads.

But today, in the fear chamber, seeing Jordan, even though it was just a virtual image, Chen Mu truly felt what it meant to be dominant.

"Swish"

The basketball went through the hoop, bouncing on the floor. Jordan took a few steps forward, picked up the ball with one hand, and resumed his shooting practice.

Even though it was just the most basic shooting practice, the powerful aura Jordan exuded still made Chen Mu feel suffocated.

At that moment, he began to understand why, when watching old footage, Jordan, despite not performing any particularly flashy moves, would always cause the opposing team's defense, and even the entire team's defensive system, to be greatly affected. Everyone's attention was drawn to this man, and every step, every gesture, instilled fear.

"The greatest player in history, the God of Basketball, is truly like this...!"

Watching closely, Chen Mu could clearly see that although Jordan's every shot was very simple, it was evident that it had been refined countless times. Every detail was perfect, with no flaws.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh"

Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew through the fear chamber, and all the spotlights seemed to sense Chen Mu's presence, turning towards him. A blinding white light was projected onto Chen Mu, causing him to instinctively raise his hand to shield his eyes.

"Challenger: Chen Mu"

"Training Program: Unerring Shot"

"Difficulty: Hell Level"

"Challenge Begins"

Without any rule prompts, a notification bar appeared in the air, and after these lines of text flashed, all the spotlights returned to their original positions, illuminating the court brightly.

"What... How am I supposed to train??"

Before Chen Mu could figure it out, he suddenly heard a whistling sound.

"Whoosh!"

"Thud!"

Chen Mu vaguely saw a orange shadow quickly flash from behind the basket. He instinctively reached out and firmly caught the object, which turned out to be a basketball.

"Thud"

On the other side, Jordan also caught a basketball. Unlike Chen Mu's hesitation, Jordan did not hesitate and immediately shot the ball upon catching it.

"Whoosh"

The basketball drew a beautiful arc and then steadily fell into the hoop.

"Jordan: 1/1"

"Chen Mu: 0/0"

The text reappeared in the air, and Chen Mu instantly understood the true meaning of the fear chamber.

"Could it be... that I have to compete with Jordan in the number of shots and the accuracy of catch-and-shoot? This... How could I possibly win?!!"

Chen Mu felt a deep sense of despair. As he was thinking, Jordan completed his second shot, and the ball went through the hoop with a "swish." The task bar showed Jordan's data as "2/2."

"Damn, I need to hurry up!"

Chen Mu dared not delay any longer. There seemed to be a strange pressure in the chamber, forcing him to focus, even when facing Jordan, he had to give it his all.

"Whoosh," "Clank"

Chen Mu attempted a mid-range shot, and the basketball predictably hit the rim. The data on the notification bar changed to "0/1."

"Remaining time for this challenge: 29 minutes 30 seconds."

New text appeared on the notification bar, and Chen Mu, like facing a formidable enemy, saw basketballs continuously flying towards him and Jordan from behind the basket, as if several automatic ball-throwing machines were working together. Each ball came from a different direction, route, angle, spin, and speed.

"Thud"

Receiving the basketball again, Chen Mu gradually became familiar with the rhythm and immediately shot. However, he knew the moment the ball left his hand that it would not go in.

"Beep, beep, beep"

A green ring appeared in front of Chen Mu, indicating the rebound's landing point. Chen Mu felt a bit disappointed and wondered: If he grabbed the rebound and scored under the basket, would it count as a point?

Without hesitation, Chen Mu moved towards the basket, heading straight for the familiar green ring. But as he approached the three-second area, he suddenly felt as if he had hit an invisible wall, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground.

"Damn... That hurts..."

Chen Mu rubbed his sore body, circling the three-second area, touching here and there, and finally confirmed that there was indeed an invisible wall outside the three-second area, preventing him from entering.

Circling the three-point line, Chen Mu also discovered that there was a wall along the three-point line. These two walls were seamlessly connected at the baseline, forming a shape similar to a horseshoe.

"In other words, both Jordan and I are trapped in this mid-range shooting area, and we cannot leave until the challenge ends...?"

"Remaining time for this challenge: 27 minutes 50 seconds."

"Swish"

On the other side, Jordan had already made dozens of consecutive mid-range shots, while Chen Mu had yet to score.

"What will happen when the time is up? How can I succeed in this challenge? What rewards will I get?"

Chen Mu was very curious, taking occasional shots while carefully observing the remaining time.

After a long while.

"Alarm, alarm"

A line of bright red text appeared on the notification bar. Chen Mu glanced over and saw that the challenge time was down to less than a minute.

"What will happen? What if I fail?"

Chen Mu waited quietly as the time finally reached the end.

"Beep...!!"

A sound similar to a cruise ship's horn echoed, and all the basketballs flying from behind the basket disappeared. Jordan stopped his movements, and Chen Mu remained in place, waiting for the challenge results.

"Challenge Goal: Hell Level: Reach 60% of Jordan's mid-range shots made and 60% of his shooting accuracy."

"Damn, such a simple rule, why didn't you say it at the beginning?!"

Chen Mu was somewhat dissatisfied with the system's mysterious ways, muttering in frustration while thinking about the immense effort he would need to reach 60% of Jordan's mid-range shooting level. At that moment, the spotlights all turned towards him.

"Challenge Failed, Chen Mu, receive punishment."

"Whoosh...!"

Suddenly, Chen Mu felt as if his entire body was engulfed in a fierce fire. An intense heat surged from within, causing indescribable pain to his flesh and soul, making him instantly feel a sense of impending death.

"Aaaaaah...!!"

Chen Mu screamed in agony, unable to stand, and fell to the ground. The flames inside him continued to burn, and tongues of fire burst from his chest, covering his entire body in just a few seconds.

The flames were extremely hot, instantly incinerating Chen Mu's body. He felt as if he were in hell, with no part of his skin or muscles left intact. The fire continued to burn until Chen Mu's spirit completely broke down, and his body turned to ashes. In Chen Mu's perception, those few minutes felt like an eternity.

"Aaaaaah...!"

The screams continued, and Chen Mu could see nothing but a sea of fire. He did not know how long he was burned in the deathly flames, but eventually, everything calmed down.

"Whoosh... Whoosh... Whoosh... Whoosh..."

Chen Mu opened his eyes and found himself kneeling on the ground, facing a smooth floor. His sweat continuously dripped, forming small circular marks on the floor.

"Welcome to the fear chamber, challenge begins."

"Thud, thud, thud," "Swish"

Chen Mu looked up and saw the same court, the same spotlights, and the same person, continuously making jump shots.