I was a top student in America.

"Win today's match and we'll be in the Greater Chicago Championship! Wyndham's history is in your hands!"

In the locker room, head coach Durant slammed his tactical board so hard it shook the room. "Inglewood is indeed a traditional powerhouse, but we're not here just to be runners-up!"

"As long as we fight, we have a chance! Anyone who leaves their man open on defense, get off the bench right now!"

Durant's voice was louder than usual; he was clearly nervous.

This is a do-or-die battle in the quarterfinals of the South District High School League. Winning will secure the school team's first-ever ticket to the regional championship in its fifty-year history.

But their opponents not only possessed amazing physical attributes, but their tactical awareness also far surpassed any team they had ever faced before.

Outside the sidelines of the field, the stands were gradually filling up. Li Ao didn't go to watch the excitement; he was focused on doing his last set of shuttle runs to warm up.

With the rapid, screeching sound of his sneakers rubbing against the floor, he stopped, bracing himself on his knees and panting heavily.

Just then, a pale blue system notification popped up at the edge of my field of vision:

High-intensity exercise... Agility +0.1

[Agility: 110.0]

[Unlock the keyword: Rapid Response]

[Affix Effect: Significantly enhances both nerve and muscle reaction speed; the effect increases with agility attribute.]

Li Ao stopped what he was doing, saw the new entry on the panel, and his spirits lifted.

What follows is a strange illusion.

The movements of everyone around him seemed to be stretched out. The originally fast-paced pre-match warm-up was, in his eyes, forcibly cut into a high-frame-rate video, with the trajectory of every pass and the details of every jump becoming clearly visible.

"Leo, come here." Durant waved from the sidelines.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Ao was already standing in front of him.

Almost as soon as the thought arose, the body automatically followed the command, without the usual sluggishness of exerting force to start.

This quick reaction startled Durant for a moment, but he didn't think much of it and got straight to the point:

"You're starting today. Inglewood's pressure defense is fierce, and I need you to use your three-pointers to create space on the perimeter."

Durant then called over key players like Tayshaun and Daryl: "Changing the lineup will inevitably sacrifice defense. Starting Li Ao will increase outside firepower, but that number 5 on the other side, Devin..."

He pointed to the opponent's half of the court, "That kid sounds good, he's their ace, he averages 20 points per game. If Leo goes to guard him, he'll definitely be at a disadvantage in terms of physicality and footwork."

The coach looked at the other two key players: "TyShawn, Daryl, if the perimeter defense falls apart, immediately collapse and protect the rim. Understand?"

"Leave it to me," Daryl nodded.

Tai Shon walked over, punched Li Ao on the shoulder and said, "Just try your best to stay close. Don't be afraid of getting beaten. I'm here behind you."

With the referee's whistle, the match officially began.

During the jump ball, the opposing center used his height advantage to steal the ball, and Inglewood gained possession of the ball for the first time.

As soon as Devin, the opposing team's star shooting guard, crossed half-court, he reached out for the ball.

He dribbled closer to the three-point line, sizing up Li Ao, who appeared rather thin in front of him.

"Wyndham has no one left? They're sending an Asian nerd to keep an eye on me?"

Devin slowed down his dribbling pace and started trash-talking, "Watch out, don't break your leg."

Li Ao didn't respond, but silently lowered his center of gravity and slightly spread his arms.

Frustrated at being ignored, Devin waved away the center who was about to set a screen, signaling the whole team to spread out.

They cleared out one side right from the start, clearly intending to single out Li Ao and establish their authority.

"Darryl, watch out for his breakthrough!"

Seeing this, TySean, who was near the free-throw line, yelled.

Before the words had even faded, Devon moved.

A highly deceptive triple threat feint followed by a shoulder drop and a change of direction, then a sudden, powerful attack from Li Ao's right side.

As Inglewood's ace, his first step is indeed ridiculously fast; in the blink of an eye, most of his body is about to brush past the defender.

however.

"Snapped!"

A very crisp sound of the ball being struck.

Li Ao's body reacted almost instinctively. The moment his left foot moved to block the path, his right hand precisely sliced ​​towards the basketball that Devin had just switched hands with.

Devon felt his palm suddenly go empty.

His body was still propelled forward by inertia, while the basketball that was originally in his hand was cleanly and neatly intercepted in place.

Li Ao picked up the ball and immediately launched a fast break.

After his agility reached 110, his speed also increased significantly.

When Devin realized he had lost the ball and turned to chase after it, he found himself far behind and unable to catch up.

Li Ao sprinted all the way to the frontcourt, and when he reached the three-point line, he made a sudden stop.

Jump and shoot.

With the steady exertion of muscle memory, the basketball drew a high arc in the air.

"Whoosh."

Hollow-core netting.

They started the game with a three-pointer, taking the lead!

The sudden steal and three-pointer silenced the arena for half a second before being filled with cheers from the Wyndham bench, with towels flying everywhere on the sidelines.

Daryl roared and rushed over to give Li Ao a big high-five, while Ty Shawn in the backcourt also gave a thumbs-up from afar.

No one expected that the Wyndham Eagles, who were not favored before the game, would give their opponents a shock right from the start.

Head coach Durant pumped his fist on the sidelines.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Inglewood's head coach had rushed to the sideline, yelling at the players on the field:

"Devin! Are you sleepwalking? Wake up right now!"

The game continues.

Inglewood reorganized the attack, and Devin called for the ball again in the attacking third.

He was dispossessed at the start of the game, and his mocking expression disappeared, replaced by a serious look in his eyes.

He frowned, gestured to refuse his teammate's screen, and was determined to get revenge on Li Ao.

Devon made two extremely realistic three-threat probing steps in succession, trying to shift Li Ao's center of gravity.

But Li Ao remained motionless, as if he were rooted to the wooden floor.

[Rapid Response] not only improves the reaction rate, but is also like a physical cheat code, directly eliminating the margin for error in prediction.

The ball never left his hand, and he never left the ground. No matter how Devin dribbled, Li Ao didn't retreat even half a step.

After completing a series of moves, the defender found no openings, and Devin's dribbling rhythm was clearly disrupted.

He stood still, dribbling the ball between his legs repeatedly, which brought the team's offense to a standstill.

"What are you doing! If you can't score, pass the ball!"

The opposing coach was furious on the sidelines.

With the shot clock ticking down, Devin grew impatient and hastily attempted to bounce the ball to the center in position inside.

The intention is too obvious.

Li Ao stretched out his long arm, his fingertips precisely disrupting the basketball's trajectory, and then scooped it away.

Another steal!

Wyndham launched a counterattack on the spot.

Inglewood's defensive retreat was timely; the opposing point guard was already positioned near the free-throw line, ready to draw an offensive foul from Li Ao.

Li Ao sprinted at full speed, and just as he was about to collide with the defender, he suddenly stopped abruptly.

Without looking at anyone, he flicked his wrist sharply backward, and the basketball grazed his side as it flew backward.

Taishan received the behind-the-back pass perfectly, took a long stride into the penalty area, leaped into the air, and slammed the ball into the basket!

"Bang!"

The entire stadium erupted in cheers!

Wyndham students stomped their feet and shouted from the stands, making the roof vibrate.

The remainder of the first half of the game became a complete nightmare for Devin.

No matter how he tried to attack, Li Ao stuck to him like a piece of chewing gum.

He can't break through defenses, and he can't find his shooting rhythm.

The spectators in the stands and the teammates on the field were all stunned.

Is this still the same Leo who shines on offense but relies entirely on his eyes on defense?

Today he seemed like a completely different person, his defensive pressure was ridiculously strong.

However, Inglewood is a strong team after all, with its bench depth and overall strength.

After their star player went cold, the others quickly filled the gap, keeping the score very close.

The two sides traded blows, with Wyndham managing to maintain a five- or six-point lead through tenacious tackling.

Until the halftime whistle blew.

Li Ao walked to the sidelines, plopped down on a bench, his chest heaving violently, feeling like his lungs were about to explode.

He kept a close watch on the opponent's key player throughout the first half, frequently triggering extreme reaction speeds, which drained his energy far beyond what he usually did.

He casually grabbed a clean white towel from the side, covered his head with it, and leaned back in his chair.

In just three to five seconds, his heavy breathing subsided, and he entered a deep sleep.

Just as Jaylen and Jamal were about to hand over water, they saw this and exchanged a glance, then shrugged as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

Daryl carefully stepped over Li Ao's outstretched leg to get the sports drink.

It's nothing unusual. Let him sleep; he was really exhausted after this half of the game.

……