—Clang—!
Before the end of the second quarter, Su Feng, motivated by Kobe's encouragement, continued pushing forward and played like a runaway train!
"Su, just because you've missed ten shots in a row doesn't mean you're off your game today. You can't let it get to you..."
At halftime, Kobe—worried about Su Feng's shaken confidence—tried to comfort him.
Su Feng, trying hard to suppress his inner delight, forced out a "gloomy" expression and said to Kobe, "Thank you."
Looking at Su Feng, who seemed weighed down by guilt over his cold shooting hand, Kobe felt uneasy.
After all, Bryant knew that the defensive specialist named Kenny was originally assigned by Ridley Middle School to guard him.
But Su Feng's eye-catching performance in the last friendly match caused the coach to switch Kenny onto Su instead.
Just as Kobe was thinking about how to help Su Feng regain his rhythm…
A system message popped into Su Feng's mind!
[Hidden Quest: Systemic Mercy]
You've bricked so many shots that the next miss will boost your Iron Rating to 10,000.
Su Feng: "!!!"
System, if you'd told me this earlier, I wouldn't have been so nervous!
Su Feng never expected to trigger a hidden quest today.
Ten thousand iron points?!
Even though the system was clearly mocking him, to Su Feng, it almost felt like encouragement.
"Is my shot so cold that even the system's checking in on me?"
"But it's not like I meant to miss—I just had an off day!"
Su Feng felt truly wronged.
On the bench, noticing Su Feng's devastated expression, Kobe gently patted him on the shoulder and said, "Su, in the third quarter, I'll have the team pass the ball to you. You're the best shooter in Pennsylvania!"
Still thinking about how to keep missing shots without raising suspicion, Su Feng was stunned—it actually worked! His stats doubled!
"I really am the one chosen by the heavens," Su Feng thought, glancing at Kobe as he moved.
"Don't stress it. Ridley's no real match for us. Just play like you did in the last two games."
Kobe was determined. Even if he had to hold back his own shots, he would help Su Feng regain his confidence.
After all, Su Feng wasn't just a good friend to him anymore.
Kobe saw him as a kindred spirit.
After all, while it's easy to find friends, true soulmates are rare—even if it all started over a sandwich...
Well...
Even if it was just to protect their friendship, Kobe knew he had to do something.
After halftime, back in the locker room, Bryant approached Coach Gregg and suggested helping Su Feng get back into rhythm.
After thinking it over, Greg nodded in agreement.
"It's just a high school league. They'll play plenty more games in the future. This is the perfect chance to strengthen their friendship. As a good high school basketball coach, it's my job to guide them on the right path," Gregg thought.
…
In the third quarter, Su Feng—now blessed with unlimited "iron rights"—felt a surprising strength in his waist as he stepped onto the court.
"Come on, you're our next primary scoring option! Don't hesitate—go with your instinct. If you feel it's your shot, take it decisively," Bryant said to Su Feng.
Su Feng nodded, looking deeply moved.
It's worth noting that, to stop himself from laughing, Su Feng had been pinching his thigh.
So when Kobe noticed tears in Su Feng's eyes, he assumed it was from being emotionally touched—when in fact…
Su Feng was in pain from the pinching.
The game went on. Although Su Feng was "cold" tonight, the frontcourt duo of him and Kobe made it tough for Ridley Middle School to break through.
On the next Ridley attack, Goodman's shot—bothered by Su Feng's close defense—missed the rim entirely.
Kobe grabbed the rebound and sprinted up the court. The score remained 36–24, with Lower Merion still leading by 12.
On offense, Bryant ran the team like a pro. His teammates moved tirelessly—setting screens and making space to draw defenders off Su Feng.
Still, this Kenny guy was like glue. Even when Su Feng created half a step of space, Kenny chased him down to the last second.
But to Kobe, that was enough separation.
Without hesitation, he passed the ball to Su Feng.
Hmm... it was the kind of pass that felt straight out of a future All-Star Skills Challenge.
Su Feng's catch was anything but smooth. To avoid Kenny's long reach, he adjusted his shot arc and posture on the fly.
He took the shot mid-drift, even leaning slightly backward.
To Su Feng, this awkward shooting form basically guaranteed a brick.
"Rebound!" he was about to shout to his teammates—
Bang... swish—!
Three-pointer!
Su Feng broke his scoring drought!
Su Feng: "..."
"Nice shot!"
Kobe sprinted over, hyped, and slapped Su Feng on the back. The rest of Lower Merion's squad, under Bryant's intense glare, also rushed over to offer support.
Though to Su Feng, this wasn't encouragement—it felt like cruel irony.
"Su, come on! You're scoring ten straight next!" said Swartz with a big grin.
Seriously? Could a "curse" sound any worse?
Ten straight? No way. Not with this brick-fest of a night.
Then Ridley committed an error, and Kobe snagged the ball again and fired it to Su Feng on the fast break.
Su Feng, channeling future Golden State Warriors vibes, launched a three to keep his percentage low—on purpose!
He hadn't even set his feet or shaped his shooting hand properly. With his rough form tonight, he fully expected Kobe to clean it up off a rebound.
Except…
Something felt... too smooth.
Swish—!
Su Feng: "..."
Nima, this is absurd.
That reckless shot actually went in?
This defies science!
At Ridley Middle School's gym, the crowd barely held in their cheers for Lower Merion—if not for team loyalty, they would've erupted.
Because in the '90s, a fast-break, step-back, transition three like that could only be described in two words: pure insanity.
Even Kobe was stunned after the shot.
"Wow! So confident! It takes real guts to attempt that. Su is on another level," Bryant thought as he looked at Su Feng, whose face remained "gloomy."
"And most people would be smug after draining that, but only Su could stay this composed."
Kobe realized Su Feng wasn't just sharp—he had qualities worth learning from.
Humble in victory, steady in adversity. In Kobe's eyes, Su Feng was rare.
Meanwhile, on Ridley's bench, Coach Fernandez was about to snap and chuck the clipboard.
Seriously... Su Feng had scored back-to-back threes—and both were ridiculous.
Fernandez was starting to suspect Gregg had made a deal with the devil.
Because from his perspective, Gregg had no strategy... no real lineup...
Okay, maybe two gods on his team.
Cursing in fluent American with a loud "F," Fernandez finally slumped back on the bench, fuming.
…
Next, Su Feng's performance left everyone stunned.
Because...
Just like Swartz's "blessing," after missing ten shots, Su Feng went on to score ten straight!
And those ten consecutive baskets? Only one word could describe them: insane.
What about those fadeaways?
Look at Su Feng pulling up and landing almost instantly—textbook precision!
What about drifting jumpers?
Check out Su Feng catching passes at full speed—honestly, even NBA shooters rarely take those!
And shooting in someone's face?
Watch Su Feng go up against Kenny's long arms—with that stretch, that elevation, that flair—pure dominance.
"Su, you're incredible! You're definitely my top shooter. I hope you keep that third-quarter magic in every game!" Stewart said, handing Su Feng a cup of water as the quarter ended.
According to Stewart, from now on, even if they're playing three-on-three and Su Feng never passes, he's done complaining.
"Thanks," Su Feng replied, forcing a smile in response to Stewart's "curse."
"Su, great job. That kind of killer instinct is exactly what a scorer needs!"
Seeing Su Feng regain his confidence and rhythm, Kobe couldn't help but feel proud.
"Thanks!" Su Feng said again, taking a deep breath.
"Su, you're on another level. I accidentally ended up with two double-doubles tonight! If you're this accurate every game, I'm sure I'll make the Pennsylvania High School All-League Team!" Swartz said excitedly.
Su Feng, trying hard to cope with the pain of losing his shot at 100,000 "Iron Points," managed to give Swartz a bitter smile.
"Man, Kobe's right—Su really is different. He never gets cocky after a good game. We all need to learn from that."
"Yeah, if I had Su's mindset, there's nothing I couldn't accomplish!"
"Su really is our pride…"
…
In the fourth quarter, thanks to Su Feng's heroic performance in the third, Lower Merion once again pushed the game into garbage time.
Subbed out early, Su Feng sat slumped on the bench, eyes blank and dazed.
"How did I even make those shots?"
This world... it's just not rational anymore!
How can reality be even more absurd than fiction?
Su Feng's mental state completely collapsed.
100,000 Iron Points!
And yet... nothing!
Su Feng fainted.
Meanwhile, up in the bleachers of Ridley Middle School's gym...
"My brother was right!
This Su is absolutely a once-in-a-lifetime basketball genius!
Such persistence, unwavering will even in the face of adversity—it's almost like Allen Iverson at Georgetown!"
Scout Jackson furiously jotted down notes in his little notebook.
Earlier, he had tagged Su Feng with traits like "Hawk" and "Sleeper"...
(Yeah... don't be too surprised. Scouting lingo in the 1990s could be pretty quirky.)
"Hawk" referred to someone with elite defensive prowess, while "Sleeper" was used for underrated talent flying under the radar.
For personality traits, Jackson added high-scoring descriptors like "never gives up," "fearless workhorse," and "clutch performer."
Because when NBA scouts evaluate players, it's not just about physical gifts or technique—personality plays a major role in a player's draft potential.
Take Zhou Qi from Su Feng's previous life, for example. Once projected as a lottery pick by NBA scouts and ranked highly on draft sites...
But after his lackluster showings in the 2016 Rio Olympics and that season in the CBA, teams concluded he lacked passion for the game and a strong work ethic. As a result, his stock tanked.
And Zhou's story isn't unique. Plenty of talented players have been overlooked due to character issues—just as many have rocketed up the rankings for having stellar personality evaluations.
In short, Jackson's take on Su Feng's character tonight was glowing.
After all...
Su Feng was still just a high school kid.
"Now I'm convinced—Su will make it to the NBA.
Players like him don't settle for mediocrity. It's the scouts who doubted him who were wrong," Jackson thought, thrilled.
He never would've flown out here from Philadelphia if it weren't for his brother Maxson's recommendation.
Now he felt like he'd struck gold.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the stands, senior NBA figure Mark's trusted associate, Spider, was also taking notes.
"This is wild. He didn't even dunk or drive this game…
So why do I feel so captivated?"
Spider wasn't a professional scout, but something about Su Feng just felt... different from the rest.
Based solely on that third-quarter explosion, Spider believed Su Feng's talent could rival or surpass many of the "elite prospects" hyped by the U.S. media.
"We need to update Mark on Su's case right away—this is a player worth betting on!"
As he wrote, Spider nodded with conviction.