Thump, thump, thump!

Throughout the entire basketball court, the only sound heard was that of the basketball constantly thumping against the ground. 10 individuals battled against each other—dribbling, passing, getting past their opponents, shooting, dunking...

Each person played to their own unique abilities.

Everyone's skills were remarkable, and an international game like that was much more interesting than the average basketball game.

The audience's cheers did not stop and came in waves, with each one louder than the previous one. They resounded above the entire basketball court, but the cheers were mostly in the Stick Nation's language, with shouts of 'Oppa' heard again and again.

Just like that, the first half was about to end. Capital City Basketball Association's players were all sweating and gasping for air. Qian Sen—as the captain—had sweat rolling down his cheeks. He stared at his opponents and made an airtight defense.

They had already put on their best skills but still felt powerless when facing the Stick Nation's players. Seeing the gap in the score getting wider and wider, the powerlessness they felt from within was also increasing.

"How could Capital City Basketball Association have the dignity to invite us for a friendly match when their standard is so low?" one of Stick Nation's players sneered. He looked at Qian Sen and made that disdainful remark while dribbling the ball.

Then, his body flickered and moved to the right before turning to the left. It was a very confusing fake and he was ready to move past Qian Sen.

Qian Sen's eyes narrowed sharply. He could not help but be reminded of Ye Lingchen's fake dribble in the past. His body flickered, and he actually blocked his opponent's body!

"Eh? It wasn't easy but you could see through my movements," the player whispered. However, he still did not panic and passed the ball to his teammates.

His teammate caught the ball, turned around, then dunked it in three steps!

Thump!

The dunking sound was undoubtedly very clear, but at that moment, it sounded very unpleasant to the ears of the Chinese.

The first half was not over yet, but the score was already 38:75. The team was a full 37 points behind, and the gap was simply too obvious.

"President Zhang, is this the result of the intensive training you mentioned?" Bureau Chief Fang's face was completely gloomy. "I remember we didn't fall behind by such a big margin last year!"

Zhang He's face was bitter but he could not say a single word.

"Don't worry, Bureau Chief Fang. President Zhang said that they still have an ace? Maybe they can bring him out to turn the tide?" the other person could not help but remark, but his tone was full of sarcasm.

"Humph!" Bureau Chief Fang snorted coldly and there was disappointment in his eyes. "I'll be more realistic in the future. I won't entertain this empty talk. Incapable and completely baseless!"

Evidently, he did not believe in the so-called trump card.

He sighed and looked at the court with sadness in his eyes. When would he be able to see the rise of China's basketball team?

Apart from them, nothing more could be said of the Chinese audience in the stadium. Despite having prepared themselves mentally for the outcome, it was inevitable for them to feel distressed when they saw their own country's team being abused so badly.

"Hey, it's a waste for me to skip class so excitedly just to watch the game. I didn't expect this result."

"Such rubbish! Truly! I feel ashamed as a Chinese person. Garbage at its finest!"

"F*ck! These noobs are still gladly accepting so much allowance from the state. It's like rearing a group of pigs! It's really a service to them!"

"Even if they can't beat them, they could at least let us see their progress. Why is the gap between our country and the Stick Nation growing even bigger?"

...

As the saying went, 'the higher the expectation, the greater the disappointment'. After the initial cheering, everyone began to suffer a hard blow and hated how things were not improving.

Potato and the other two stood in the audience and were equally disappointed.

"No wonder the Stick Nation's people were so arrogant that they smashed our school's basketball hoop. Turns out, our country really doesn't have any good players!"

"I expected the group of people from the basketball association to avenge us, but I never imagined that they're five useless garbage!"

"We get excited every single time, but what we get is always disappointment."

"The next game is meaningless. It's obvious that the Chinese team's players are starting to lose their strength. Their endurance is far more lacking compared to the Stick Nation too, and the second half will only be a one-sided abuse!"

An abrupt voice attracted the attention of Little Gen and the other two. They turned their heads and were rather surprised. "Are you Zhao Ritian from Huaqing University?"

Apparently, Zhao Ritian had also skipped class to watch the game. He glanced lightly at the three of them and continued to speak for himself, "In my opinion, only the captain seems a bit more promising among the entire Chinese team. There are stark differences between the others and the Stick Nation's players. Their basketball skills are just awful!"

"Ritian, I remember the basketball association also invited you," Zhao Ritian's classmates said.

"That's right." Zhao Ritian nodded. "I'm considered a member of the basketball association now. Give me two years of special training, and I won't be weaker than any of the Stick Nation's players!"

Such pretentiousness made Potato frown instinctively. He retorted compulsively and said, "He's Zhao Ritian alright. Always pretending as though he's some super c*ck, but he still lost to our Capital University, didn't he?"

Zhao Ritian raised his eyebrows before smiling and saying, "I remember that Ye Lingchen from your school also joined the Capital City Basketball Association? That was a personal invitation by President Zhang. Why don't I see him on the bench?"

"Ye'zi feels that it's beneath his dignity to come. What's it got to do with you?"

"Hehe, it's rare to meet an opponent who has talent in basketball. I hope his basketball skills don't fall behind. I'll challenge him again in another year at most, and I'll clear my earlier reputation!" Zhao Ritian said bullishly.

Little Gen and the other two were speechless for a while.

They had no idea what to say when facing such an aggressive player. If they really had to say something, then they were obliged to curse and scold him directly.

At the end of the first half, the score stopped at 40:81 with the gap widening even more.

The basketball players left the basketball court to rest. Qian Sen and his team were ashamed and frustrated.

"President Zhang, if you don't invite the trump card, we'd have no chance at all in this game," the young man beside Bureau Chief Fang could not help but say.

Zhang He's face turned blue, then white. He hesitated for a moment before finally picking up his cell phone.

Ring-ding-ding!

Ye Lingchen looked at the caller ID and was silent for a while. In the end, he still picked up the call.

"President Zhang."

"Ye Lingchen, I apologize once again to you for what happened last time. You probably already heard news about our game against the Stick Nation today. I implore you to come and participate." President Zhang's voice was incredibly sincere.

"President Zhang, I'm not a member of your basketball association, and I'm not eligible to participate in this kind of game."

"Please don't worry about that, Ye Lingchen. We've entered your information into the system again after you left last time. We're informing you now only because we have our backs against the wall. Please don't take heart to it. You can rest assured that we'll promise not to interfere with your life. We just need you to participate in every game."

"My apologies, I refuse to participate!" ...