Generation Z Artists

Chapter 160: A chilling scene
Two major events occurred on the 22nd.

A documentary film crew directed by Wang Bin from CCTV rushed to the United States.

Jilin Provincial TV reported on Fang Xinghe's full story in the United States, which sparked a heated debate in China.

Fang Xinghe secretly set off at the end of April, and it's been almost a month now. Initially, no one in China knew anything about it. Even when he beat up five people during the trial, no media outlets reacted.

It wasn't until the American media started inquiring about Fang Xinghe that his presence in the United States was finally exposed.

But at that time, the news was so confusing and hard to distinguish between true and false that no one dared to believe it.

"What? Fang Xinghe went to the US to participate in the NBA draft?"

"Go to hell! Get lost!"

In the beginning, not only did the domestic media not believe it, but even Fang's fans and haters did not believe it.

Even after the video of the fight circulated back in China, many people still thought it was an advertisement or a movie clip.

After all, Fang Xinghe never appeared again after that, and not a single photo of him was taken.

ESPN's programming was the first direct evidence. When the sports channel finally acquired the rights to the program and translated it into Chinese for broadcast, it instantly ignited public opinion in China.

"Fang Xinghe really went to the NBA! He's scoring goals and getting into fights at the same time!"

Nationalist sentiments surged again, and with Fang Xinghe not in the country, eyes across the nation were searching for him.

The sports channel immediately dispatched an interview team led by Sun Zhengping to the United States to meet with Zhang Weiping and attempt to interview Fang Xinghe.

Uh, Fang Xinghe didn't answer.

He's a master at using scarcity marketing.

What will happen to "The Oprah Winfrey Show" now that they've accepted an interview in Chinese?
During the recording and coordination process, Fang Xinghe promised Oprah, "For this episode, Asian media will definitely buy the rights, and your influence will expand to all of Asia."

So Oprah went all out to promote him, pulling out all the stops to create a completely positive program.

Indeed, the development of events was entirely under Fang Xinghe's control.

He refused to give interviews and remained hidden like a hermit, so media outlets in China, Japan, and South Korea had to buy the rights to this episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and broadcast it in their respective countries.

The price wasn't expensive, but it effectively increased Oprah's popularity in Asia, which delighted her.

"Fang, I will provide you with all the necessary assistance before the draft!"

"We are friends, there's no need to be so polite."

Once the online troll leader has profited, he won't ask for favors anymore. Everyone here is top-notch smart people; there's no need for empty promises.

Broadcasting this English talk show would also greatly benefit Xinghe.

China, Japan, South Korea, and even the entire Southeast Asia are now all obsessed with the US, to the extremes.

The same interview content, when presented on a top American program, is far more compelling than an interview conducted domestically.

This is a disease that Generation Z looks down on, but doesn't mind turning into something useful for themselves.

Moreover, no one in the Chinese, Japanese, or South Korean media has ever touted him as the "Son of Asia," neither daring nor willing to, but after Oprah Winfrey coined the term, they happily accepted it.

Using foreign powers to enhance one's own importance is nothing more than this.

……

Fang Xinghe temporarily ignored the turmoil in Asia.

The arrival of Wang Bin's team is great news.

The previous documentary footage has already fallen into Fang Xinghe's hands. He's just waiting for the StarNet official cafe's functions to mature enough to play videos smoothly before it can be uploaded as a prized possession of the station.

With new documentary material, ESPN and The Oprah Winfrey Show each provided some, and Wang Bin would then film the follow-up, making his trip to the United States the second part of his life documentary, fully completed.

"What should we film? Where should we begin?"

Wang Bin was in high spirits and couldn't wait.

"Go to Washington." Fang Xinghe raised an eyebrow with a smile. "I'll give you a chance to film Jordan!"

……

Shooting Jordan certainly gave Wang Bin's entire team a huge boost, but it took Wang Chali a lot of effort to win over the Wizards.

"I'm sorry, the trial training is a highly confidential matter, and I cannot allow your film crew to enter."

"This is our boss's private film crew. He's already a superstar, and the crew was already filming a documentary about his life before he even started playing basketball. This is none of your business."

Wang Charlie confronted team manager Wes Unseld with a stern face and issued a serious threat.

"If you think this is inappropriate, then terminate this trial."

Wes looked very dissatisfied, but his gaze was flickering and weak.

"Does this mean Fang?"

“This is my opinion.” Wang Charlie raised his chin dismissively. “If we can’t reach a consensus, you won’t see the BOSS.”

Yes, Fang Xinghe is still in his car and has not appeared at the venue.

The Wizards are a very strange place. Jordan and even Pollin are very strange people. Fang Xinghe was invited to try out, but he did not show up immediately.

"Okay, I need to ask for instructions."

Weiss slunk upstairs, while Wang Charlie looked around the venue with a furrowed brow.

Owner Paulin, president Jordan, general manager Wes, and interim head coach Darrell Walker—only Wes showed up, which is absurd, but an undeniable fact.

Fortunately, Fang Xinghe knew in advance that the trip would not go smoothly and made a gesture of reciprocity beforehand.

A short while later, Pauline came downstairs with Billy Knight and greeted King Charlie with great enthusiasm.

"Hey! Charlie, dear Charlie! I've finally waited for you!"

After a perfunctory exchange of pleasantries, Wang Bin's film crew was allowed to begin shooting, and Fang Xinghe finally made his appearance.

"Ah! Fang, my dear Fang, I've finally waited for you!"

Bolin opened his arms wide from afar, his smile radiant.

"Our prince, come, tour and inspect your kingdom!"

That's fucking ridiculous.

Fang Xinghe remained calm and spoke frankly in front of the camera: "I still have doubts about whether I should play for you. Before all the tests are completed, I hope to see Mr. Jordan and communicate with him in person."

Pauline's smile froze for a moment.

"Of course, of course!" he promised with a smile. "Mai Kou also wants to talk to you. Believe me, he can't wait!"

It's true, because Jordan was already there.

He had warmed up in the stadium early in the morning and was now in his office on the second floor, looking down at Fang Xinghe.

Fang Xinghe is warming up now.

Around 9:30, another group of people entered the venue.

It is Doug Collins, along with his assistants and the Wizards' remaining coaching staff.

The Wizards are currently without a head coach, and the next candidate is 99% Doug Collins. The only remaining 1% uncertainty also comes from Jordan.

He wielded absolute power, but failed to pull the Wizards out of their predicament; Pollin's patience with Commissioner Jordan was rapidly waning.

But that's none of Fang Xinghe's business; he's only here to demonstrate.

Faced with even more rigorous individual trials, the prodigy's performance remained as consistent as before.

Historic speed, athletic agility, precise and unpretentious passing, lean yet fearless in physical confrontations...

In this test, Fang Xinghe finally demonstrated his strength.

I did 16 reps of the standard 84kg bench press in one go and still had energy left.

Compared to his weight of 79 kilograms, this figure is extremely astonishing, almost making Jordan's eyes pop out.

"Didn't they say that strength was his weakness? This is a weakness?!"

"What the fuck?!"

Tim Glover gripped his head tightly; he understood better than anyone what this meant.

"Given his physique and total muscle mass, his maximum bench press weight couldn't possibly exceed 100 kilograms, but now 16 standard bench presses are equivalent to one 122-kilogram bench press! Holy crap, are this guy's muscle fibers made of steel wire?!"

Fang Xinghe wasn't exactly skinny like a chopstick, but he wasn't muscular either; he just had very smooth and attractive thin skin.

Any experienced trainer or fitness expert can roughly estimate his strength limit—the bench press is up to 1.2 times his body weight, 100 kg; the squat is up to 1.6 times his body weight, 130 kg.

This is called science.

However, Fang Xinghe's actual performance with 90 points of strength was... a bench press limit of 138 kilograms.

This is called cheating.

If he increased his strength to 99 points, Fang Xinghe suspected he could push against 2.5 times his body weight, 200 kilograms. Thinking about it carefully, it really was exaggerated—to exert the ultimate strength with the most slender physique.

Li Dayin, as the world weightlifting champion in the 81kg category, has a maximum bench press weight of 120kg. This is certainly related to the fact that they do not train bench press but only dips, but it can also prove Fang Xinghe's abnormal level.

Of course, this is still highly related to implicit attributes such as coordination, flexibility, endurance, and recovery.

Any exertion of force depends on the force itself and its latent properties.

Therefore, theoretically speaking, Fang Xinghe, with professional training and muscle conditioning, is capable of challenging for the world championship in any sport.

The premise is that these Western medicine gods only play with his body, not with technology.

Let's see in 08. Nobody knows what will happen then...

Jordan licked his lips; Kwame Brown was becoming less and less appealing.

The shooting drills were intensified afterward, with 100 set mid-range shots, 100 jump shots while moving and catching the ball, and 100 three-pointers, which took a long time.

Extreme coordination brings extreme stability, but the muscle memory formed by the 89-point projection ability is not precise enough, so the three hit rates are 90%, 85%, and 80% respectively.

Jordan's eyes gleamed: "Tim, are there any three-point shooters this good in the league right now?"

"That kid named Ray Allen?" Tim thought carefully for a moment, deliberately avoiding mentioning Reggie Miller. "Ray makes 500 three-pointers every day in practice, and his shooting percentage is said to be around 85%."

Jordan hissed and gasped, "But Fang is only 16 years old and hasn't had any professional training?"

"Yes, an obvious and absolute talent."

In 2001, Fang Xinghe's accuracy and consistency were truly astonishing.

If it were during that golden age of three-pointers, Curry once made 77 consecutive three-pointers in a training video in 2016, and his spot-up shooting percentage remained around 92% for a long time. That would truly be called the greatest three-point shooting talent in history.

Or, to take it a step further, based on the Warriors' publicly available data, Klay Thompson's long-term 88% three-point shooting percentage in training is also better than that of Reggie Miller and Ray Allen at this time.

However, considering his age, training time, and the influence of the times, Fang Xinghe's talent is already astonishing enough.

"You want to choose him?"

Tim realized that Jordan was interested, but Jordan remained stubborn.

"Let's wait and see. Compared to a little bit of shooting talent, I value a player's ability to withstand pressure more."

Lu Dan chewed on his gum, his eyes shining, but his expression remained tense.

Fang Xinghe is a good helper.

'But this is my team.'

'He not only needs to prove his ability to me, but also his loyalty.'

Talent is talent, needs are needs, and the final decision rests with the god of basketball.

Coincidentally, Fang Xinghe thought the same thing.

Having dutifully completed all the tests, Fang Xinghe gripped the basketball with one hand—his hand wasn't big enough, but his finger strength was abnormally strong, so he held it very firmly.

He turned to Pauline: "Now that I have fulfilled my duty, when will Mr. Jordan arrive?"

"I'm here."

Jordan arrived on the sidelines just in time, followed only by Tim. He didn't have the ostentatious entourage, but he exuded an aura like a tiger king on patrol.

"Kid, I heard you want to fight me one-on-one?"

Fang Xinghe carefully examined the hard-boiled egg... Well, since we're on the basketball court, let's give him some respect... Fang Xinghe carefully examined this tyrant and basketball god, revealing a hint of disappointment with great respect.

"You've gotten so fat?"

Fang Xinghe casually tossed the ball he was holding; bang, it hit the backboard and bounced into the basket.

"Forget it, there's no point in winning a one-on-one fight against someone like you."

Fang Xinghe believed he was telling the truth and had no intention of provoking Danzi.

However, such disdain is enough.

"Bitch! Do you know who you're talking to?"

Jordan suddenly ripped off his tracksuit, revealing... revealing his muscular shoulders and flabby belly.

But his expression was intense enough, his brows furrowed tightly, and he launched into a barrage of trash talk at Xinghe at a rate of five words per second.

"You little brat, I'll shove a basketball between your legs and dunk with your left testicle. I'll still beat you to a pulp when I'm sixty..."

He walked forward while cursing, and when he had finished hurling his insults, he had reached Fang Xinghe. He lowered his head, pressed his forehead against Fang Xinghe's face, and stared into the boy's eyes as if he wanted to kill him.

This is a common tactic used by the basketball god who has not yet retired—or perhaps it shouldn't be described as a tactic, but rather that he is simply used to putting pressure on people in this way, sometimes opponents, sometimes teammates.

During his two three-peats, no one dared to confront Jordan like that, because he would truly tear people apart on the court.

but now……

Fang Xinghe not only raised his head without backing down, but also retorted coldly.

"OK, let's play ball first, then fight."

The boy raised his hand and shoved the tyrant aside, adding casually, "Also, stay away from me, your mouth stinks like hell."

Grass!
Danzi staggered half a step before regaining her balance and angrily cursed—oh, she didn't utter the curse aloud, just mouthed the word "F".

Then, under everyone's gaze, he suddenly changed his mind.

"Just play basketball, don't fight. Don't bring your bad habits onto the court. I'm your future boss!"

Pauline and Billy Knight exchanged a glance.

Doug and Tim exchanged a glance.

Wang Bin and Wang Chali exchanged another glance...

Everyone had a smile in their eyes.

Jordan has lost games and been beaten, but he has never verbally backed down. Now, he's backed down.

Fang Xinghe was indeed very good at controlling Danzi. He hooked a basketball and slammed it at Danzi: "Shut up, you fatso, start the game."

Jordan was furious; he was shaking all over, shaking violently.

But all he dared to mutter was, "You're dead, you're dead..."

The insults that used to flow freely from his lips were all kept inside him, not a single one could be uttered.

Fang Xinghe's authority in the fight is establishing absolute prestige in the NBA, thanks to the repeated replays of that video.

Danzi is a very proud person and definitely doesn't want to be carried out of the stadium.

So he slammed the ball back: "You go first!"

I'll go first.

Before taking down the opponent, Fang Xinghe wanted to assess the level of the prodigy Dan—he was rumored to be a superstar, and the stats seemed to match, making him a worthy opponent to be defeated.

Pass the ball, feint, crossover.

Danzi was incredibly experienced. He didn't move around much, but just shifted his front foot slightly, changing from a sideways position to a parallel one, and then spread his arms wide.

The extra-long wingspan brought an extra-large coverage area, but when Fang Xinghe used an extra-large shift of his center of gravity to pull the basketball to his left hand, he had to follow up to make up for that half-step gap.

'He can't keep up; we need to give him a chance to compete.'

With that thought in mind, Danzi tensed his Achilles tendon, preparing to move laterally to find a point of contact.

Then, in the instant the center of gravity shifted, Fang Xinghe pulled back a second time with lightning speed, sweeping past him on the other side.

boom!
Just as Danzi turned his head, Fang Xinghe had already completed a powerful dunk.

"Holy crap! This is faster than AI!"

Danzi was dumbfounded when he truly witnessed Fang Xinghe's speed of movement, speed of play, and speed of variation.

How long does it take to turn around and change direction after being pinned down?
In that short time, Fang Xinghe had already completed a drive to the basket.

There's a vast galaxy between watching a video and experiencing it firsthand.

"it's your turn."

Fang Xinghe casually tossed the basketball to Da Dan and walked straight past him.

Jordan's face darkened abruptly: "My rule for one-on-one matches is that if I score, the game continues."

"You're not qualified to talk to me about rules right now." Fang Xinghe looked at Da Dan calmly. "If we hadn't changed the serve, the score would have been 11-0."

For a moment, the air seemed to freeze.

Jordan and Fang Xinghe stood on either side of the top of the arc, their bodies forming a V-shape, each turning their heads, their eyes meeting as if sparks were flying.

Wang Bin, behind the camera, suddenly clutched his head, genuinely trembling at the sight.

(End of this chapter)