SSD 25. Qinghuo vs Shuanglan: The Awakening of God He

Shuanglan’s strength lay in their aggressive forwards. Because of that, Qinghuo needed a strong and stable defensive backcourt.

How could they turn this disadvantage into an advantage?

Right after Wen Qin’s soaring three-pointer, the players of Shuanglan froze where they stood. For a moment, everyone forgot to move.

A strange sense of dread crept up each of their spines.

Truth be told, there was still so much about Qinghuo they didn’t know. The strength of their newly added No. 6 small forward and No. 10 former high school MVP was one thing, but even this unfamiliar face, the shortest guy on the court, the so-called basketball noob with clumsy dribbling… He should have been the easy target, the weak link.

And yet, he exploded with shocking shooting talent, stunning everyone on the court.

Just how much strength was Qinghuo hiding?

That question, laced with fear, hung in the air as the twin brothers Gao Dong and Gao Nan finally snapped out of it. They looked at each other, matching storm clouds brewing on their faces.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this!

In the first half, Qinghuo had been thoroughly suppressed by them, the gap in the score growing wider and wider. They had clearly sensed just how suffocating the atmosphere on Qinghuo’s side had become under their pressure. Even if that short shooting guard had amazing shooting talent, what did it matter if he couldn’t touch the ball? This was still Shuanglan’s game to dominate!

Gao Nan and Gao Dong exchanged a look, then reset their stance and sprinted back onto the court with the ball in hand.

“Come on, Qinghuo,” Pan Yuan called from the sidelines, lifting her camera to snap photos, worry creasing her brow. “Hang in there!”

The game continues. The ball landed once again in Gao Nan’s hands. With Gao Dong setting the screen, he pushed past half court and was about to break into Qinghuo’s paint area for a layup, when a shadow flashed to his side. He snapped his focus back to find someone blocking his path.

It was Qinghuo’s No. 10. He Jiang.

Gao Nan was momentarily startled by He Jiang’s speed, but quickly calmed himself. He instinctively glanced toward his brother, only to see Zhu Xuyao had already planted his solid frame between Gao Dong and the play. But Gao Dong didn’t panic. Instead, he gave Gao Nan a cool look, and Gao Nan immediately understood the signal.

It was time for their signature move.

The fake pass-into-backdoor-cut. This trick had deceived countless opponents and given Shuanglan the upper hand many times. It was the brothers’ ultimate combo.

But this time, He Jiang quietly watched it all unfold. He curled his lips into a lazy smile and said lightly, “This again?”

Gao Nan’s eyes widened.

What did that mean? Did he see through them?

But he quickly collected himself.

So what if He Jiang had seen through it? Gao Nan would pass the ball to his brother, give him the cue, and then Gao Dong would break the pattern, and take the shot directly. That would catch Qinghuo completely off guard.

As long as the ball was in the brothers’ hands, the entire court belonged to them.

Gao Nan took a step back with his right foot, firmly gripping the ball as he began to lift it, making a show of preparing to shoot. It was just a feint, meant to draw the defenders’ eyes so he could sneak the ball to his brother. He was counting on He Jiang seeing through the feint and staying tight on him to guard against the cut. That was the trap. Because this time, Gao Dong wouldn’t follow the usual play. He would go off-script and take the shot himself.

Gao Nan smirked to himself, playing out the whole sequence in his mind. As the ball spun in his palm and he raised it to waist height, suddenly, a gust of wind whipped past his side—

Huh?

In a flash, the ball vanished from Gao Nan’s hand. Before he could even react, the stands erupted in thunderous gasps of astonishment.

“God! That was so fast!”

“How did he even do that? Did you see it clearly?”

Gao Nan’s pupils contracted. A surge of unease flooded his brain. He whipped his head around and saw He Jiang’s back, clutching the very ball that had been stripped from him at some unknown moment.

He had been stolen from.

When did it happen?

He had thought the players from Qinghuo were always one step behind, that they could never keep up with the twins’ offensive rhythm. But He Jiang hadn’t even bothered trying to guess which of the twins would shoot. He hadn’t wasted energy reading the play or overthinking the handoff. His eyes had been fixed on just one thing. The ball. Wherever it was, wherever it might go, none of it mattered. All that mattered was snatching it away in that very instant.

And Qinghuo’s number 10 He Jiang had just proven it.

He had the ability to take the ball whenever he wanted, no matter who held it.

Gao Nan had never imagined he could be stripped. Proud of his offensive technique, riding high in the heat of attack, he hadn’t thought it possible. But now, the ball was gone. His face darkened in frustration, and soon that cloud gave way to burning fury.

Gao Dong was stunned too. He had been ready to take the shot, but didn’t expect that before his brother could even make the pass, the ball would already be taken. He Jiang’s move had been so fast he barely saw it. But Gao Dong quickly steadied himself and sprinted back toward their own basket, hoping to block the shot.

Too late. He Jiang was already sprinting down the court at lightning speed. With smooth, confident motion, he leapt into the air, slammed the ball into the hoop, and scored.

Another swift, clean, explosive dunk.

Fang Ruihan and Zhu Xuyao looked at each other. A small flame began to burn in their chests, growing into a brilliant, blazing galaxy.

This was the first time in the match that Shuanglan’s offense had been broken through.

Xu Fanming stood frozen on the spot.

His impression of Wen Qin had always been limited to the labels “newcomer” and “weak fundamentals.” The last time they had practiced together, they could barely sync up, struggling with both coordination and resistance. He never expected that Wen Qin would have this kind of shooting talent, able to hit from such long range, and with such accuracy.

As for He Jiang… he had always known He Jiang was formidable. But in the earlier match, He Jiang had seemed indifferent, half-hearted, like he couldn’t be bothered. Even in the first half today, he seemed to be holding something back, strangely restrained. But now, it looked like he was finally letting go.

Xu Fanming suddenly recalled the scene from that day when he and He Jiang had eaten at that dingy little eatery. He had said his family never supported him playing basketball. He Jiang reached out, patted his head, took a deep breath, and said, “Alright. This time, I’ll bring you the win.”

Xu Fanming slowly began to realize that, from this moment on, they were going all in.

And he was right. For the rest of the third quarter, He Jiang began to attack with full force, no longer holding back.

With Wen Qin’s reversal and He Jiang’s assault, Qinghuo gradually clawed their way back into the game. The scoreboard locked at 66:66.

Fang Ruihan smiled. What a lucky number. He glanced at the game clock. Two minutes left in the quarter.

On the other side, Shuanglan was clearly feeling the pressure. Their defense grew tighter and tighter.

This round, the ball was back in He Jiang’s hands. Gao Nan came forward to block his path. Humiliated by the earlier steal, he was now determined to get his revenge.

But He Jiang didn’t care in the slightest.

Gao Nan stood squarely in front of him, cutting off every possible route. Qinghuo’s other players tried to step in to help, but Gao Dong quickly intercepted them. Yet He Jiang remained calm, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as he asked, “Guess what I’ll do?”

Ball in hand, there were only three options. What would he choose? Gao Nan held his breath, his eyes locked onto He Jiang, trying to read every subtle glance and movement.

At that moment, He Jiang suddenly drove power through his waist and legs, throwing his shoulder sharply in one direction. The sudden movement threw off Gao Nan’s vision, and he instinctively shifted in that direction.

Damn it! Gao Nan quickly realized his mistake. He had reacted too hastily.

In the next second, He Jiang pulled back and broke through in the opposite direction. Gao Nan’s balance was already off. Red with frustration, he still refused to give up and stretched out his arm, trying to block the ball’s path.

His long arm cut off the space in front of He Jiang. But He Jiang reacted faster. With his fingertips, he nudged the ball to the ground, right beneath Gao Nan’s arm, where it bounced up. In the same instant, he stepped past him, reached out his other hand, caught the ball cleanly and continuing his drive forward.

The move was subtle. It was similar to the method Xu Fanming had used during their one-on-one match, throwing the ball forward to the ground and letting it bounce over an obstacle. The tricky part lay in judging the angle. Too high, and the ball would hit the defender. Too low, and the ball would bounce too far to recover, risking a double dribble violation. He Jiang had fully grasped the technique Xu Fanming had shown him and had flawlessly put it into action.

Pan Yuan’s shutter clicked nonstop. “Wow, God He is incredible!”

Spectators: “That dribble was insane!” “Who’s that number 10?” “His reaction time is crazy. There’s no way that big guy could keep up!”

Xu Fanming watched someone else show off using a move he taught: “…”

But the momentum didn’t last long. Just as He Jiang jumped for another dunk, he suddenly felt a wave of pressure behind him. Gao Dong had rushed over to help on defense.

From behind, Gao Dong launched himself upward, his shadow casting a wall over He Jiang. He narrowed his eyes and reached out toward the ball, trying to block the shot. He Jiang felt the ball shift in his grip, and a jolt of force struck from behind.

It was the same setup as earlier in the game, only this time, the roles were reversed. And this time, He Jiang was smiling.

He didn’t pull back. Instead, he drove forward. His large hands clamped tight around the ball as he powered through Gao Dong’s still-unstable defense and dunked the ball straight into the hoop.

The backboard shook. As He Jiang dropped back down, the ball fell cleanly through the net.

The scoreboard changed: 66 to 68.

The crowd let out a collective gasp.

They remembered what had happened in the first quarter, when Xu Fanming, Qinghuo’s number 6, had tried to dunk but got blocked by Gao Nan. Now the tables had turned.

This time, Gao Dong failed to block, and He Jiang slammed the ball through.

It was as if he had delivered payback for his teammate with the exact same move. A direct and forceful response, like a slap to the face.

He Jiang had always preferred dunking. It was the most satisfying way to score.

And when he wanted to show off in front of Xu Fanming, no one could stop him.

He smiled and turned to look in Xu Fanming’s direction. But a moment later, he stopped.

To his surprise, Xu Fanming stood still, silent and stone-faced.

The little raptor who usually bristled with energy had suddenly gone quiet.