Chapter 42: Provocation?

“Michael Wu!”
In the Amway Center, the DJ’s voice rang out at full volume.

On the court, Wu Rui took a deep breath, then exhaled forcefully as he landed, his heart pounding violently in his chest. He knew this feeling well—last lifetime, every round of chemotherapy would make his heart race the same way, driven by an uncontrollable, bone-deep terror.

That was a feeling Wu Rui never wished to relive. Yet now, as his heart thundered in his chest once more, his mindset was utterly transformed.

“So this is what it feels like to dunk…”

His thoughts tumbled as Wu Rui instinctively glanced down at his slightly trembling legs. The exhilaration of those consecutive leaps had surged from these legs through his entire body, making him feel as if he’d been injected with adrenaline—unstoppable.

Meanwhile, after a brief stunned silence, the Amway Center erupted in chaos.

“Oh, my God! What did I just see? What did I just see!”
On the sidelines, a fan in a Magic jersey leaped from his seat, wrapping his arms around a fellow Magic loyalist. “Hey, buddy, did you see that? Did you see what Michael Wu just did?”

“Of course I saw it! Michael took off like Apollo 17!”

All around the arena, Magic fans sprang to their feet, the air shaking with thunderous applause as they honored what had just occurred.

“Michael Wu just threw down a top-five poster dunk on Cole Aldrich!”
At the commentary table, the announcer, finally regaining his composure, tried to find the words. “I never imagined he could jump that high—on a second effort, no less!”

“He grabbed the rebound, bent his knees, and then snuffed out Cole Aldrich’s basketball dreams!” The commentator, at a loss for further description, could only repeat himself. “Unbelievable! Unbelievable! Unbelievable!”

“And what’s more, he’s earned an and-one opportunity—this is murder for the defender!”

Wu Rui’s astonishing dunk had electrified the stadium, but the game had to go on. The head referee gestured several times to the dazed Wu Rui, signaling him to step to the free-throw line for his bonus shot.

Shaking off his momentary stupor, Wu Rui raised his head, strode to the line, and, amid the cheers of the home crowd, took his place at the stripe.

“Wow, Michael’s dunk was insane—that’s got to be tonight’s top play!”
On the Magic bench, even the starting players whom Coach Vogel had benched for disciplinary reasons were fired up. Regardless of being punished, this play was simply too spectacular.

“But… can Michael shoot free throws?”
Seeing Wu Rui at the line for his first career free throw, his closest friend, Bismack Biyombo, couldn’t help but worry. “This is his first ever!”

“Relax, Bismack. The kid’s got this.”
Before Biyombo finished, Frank Vogel himself had already gotten to his feet, eyes shining as he watched Wu Rui accept the ball from the referee.

Bounce. Bounce. Bounce…

On the line, Wu Rui dribbled a few times, gradually calming his racing heart. He set himself in the shooting form he’d practiced countless times. With no defender and the noise of the arena fading to the background, his technique was untouched.

Swish.

Just as Coach Vogel had predicted, Wu Rui released calmly, sending the ball cleanly through the net.

“Two plus one! Michael has no intention of quitting this game!”
“To be honest, that last play took my breath away—I still feel like I’m dreaming!”

“Then keep dreaming a little longer, buddy!”

The Magic fans were beginning to come alive. Those who had only intended to pass time watching the team’s second-unit lineup in the second quarter now straightened in their seats, captivated by Wu Rui’s play.

Of course, the impact of Wu Rui’s poster dunk went far beyond this.

Cole Aldrich, the rotation big man, was clearly shaken. Wu Rui’s dunk over him replayed in his mind on endless loop. Back on offense, Aldrich was hesitant and timid, afraid of becoming a mere background figure once again.

As a result, the Timberwolves’ offense stalled. After a few passes, they ended up giving the ball to Zach LaVine for an isolation play.

LaVine was unsettled as well. Glancing at Wu Rui, matched up against him, he recalled the strange words his opponent had spoken earlier.

“Kid, you’ve got some hops yourself.”

LaVine gritted his teeth, thoroughly annoyed. In his eyes, Wu Rui’s ability to leap for consecutive dunks was at least equal to his own. In hindsight, Wu Rui’s earlier compliment now seemed laced with provocation.

“No, man—my coach says my leaping isn’t anything special.”
But Wu Rui replied earnestly, “Trust me, you can jump higher than I can!”

“Are you mocking me?”

Wu Rui’s words sounded sincere, but given what had just transpired, it was blatant provocation—directed at the very thing LaVine took the most pride in: his explosive jumping ability.

With that, LaVine stopped talking. He called for a screen, slipped past Wu Rui with ease, and took two long strides into the paint, gathering the ball as he prepared to launch into the air.

“Michael’s performance just now has clearly fired up the reigning Dunk Contest champion—Zach LaVine will definitely not—”

Before the commentator could finish, LaVine had already soared within the paint. Sensing his determination, Magic big man Damjan Rudez, who’d been guarding the rim, stepped aside—he had no desire to become background for another poster.

But just as LaVine was about to thunder the ball through the hoop, a pair of long arms appeared from behind, reaching even higher than LaVine himself.

Bang!

The basketball met the rim with a loud clang, LaVine’s dunk attempt crashing off the iron. The rebound fell perfectly into the hands of Rudez, who had just moved away. Startled, he quickly looked for a teammate and hurled the ball ahead to Mario Hezonja sprinting upcourt.

Meanwhile, LaVine landed, spun around angrily, and searched for the player who had barely managed to graze the ball from behind.

If not for those arms suddenly reaching in, his dunk would never have failed.

But as LaVine turned, the young man who had disrupted him was already running full tilt toward the other end.