Chapter 102 Rule Violation

"But now, you're up against actual people in this match... so play with a bit more freedom!"

"A bit more freedom—how much is 'a bit' exactly?" Geng Haoshi asked.

At first glance, Geng Haoshi's question might seem a little foolish, but it's much like the phrase "a pinch of MSG" in cooking—how much is a pinch? Clearly, it depends on the person. So just how much is "a bit more freedom"? That's just as hard to gauge.

Yu Manman pondered for a moment before saying, "In the remaining three minutes of the first quarter, I want each of you to commit a foul. If anyone manages to score, you can skip your turn. Be a little rougher than usual—just don’t get called for a technical foul."

"Alright, let's leave it at that for now."

Leave it at that? Each person needs to foul, and it has to be a rough one? The players exchanged bewildered glances, none of them understanding what the beautiful coach was aiming for.

The whistle blew, and the five starting players for Tiancheng Polytechnic’s basketball team had no choice but to grit their teeth and get to it.

Geng Haoshi dribbled up the court, thinking to himself: Is the coach telling us to go down with the sinking ship?

Whatever, a foul's a foul! Bracing himself, he sprinted straight at the opposing team's number 1.

As the distance between Geng Haoshi and the other number 1 shrank, it was clear he had no intention of slowing down.

The opposing number 1 thought, What’s this guy up to? He’s not really about to run straight into me, is he?

Swallowing nervously, he planted his feet, determined to absorb Geng Haoshi’s reckless charge. Surely the referee would call him for a technical foul.

Meanwhile, the referee’s eyes widened in surprise. No way, is this guy really about to just crash right into him? That’s way over the line! Let’s see if I don’t catch him red-handed!

On the court, the other four starting players for Tiancheng Polytechnic stared in disbelief. Seriously? Little Two is already carrying out the coach’s “foul” plan? …Impressive!

On the sideline, Yu Manman’s heart skipped a beat. If he really crashes into him, there’s no way he won’t get slapped with a technical! Damn it, Little Two, use your head—even if you’re going to foul!

She almost wanted to run onto the court and pull Geng Haoshi out of harm's way.

Yet Geng Haoshi, dribbling forward, charged ahead fearlessly. Just as he was about to collide head-on with number 1, in a split second, he slammed on the brakes and stopped dead in his tracks.

Then, with a sudden leap, he rose from where he stood, eyes locked on the basket. Supporting the ball with his left hand, he pushed it upward with his right—the ball traced a beautiful arc through the air… and dropped through the hoop!

The opposing players stood frozen in shock.

He actually made the shot? Even Geng Haoshi was surprised at his own success.

He turned and sidled up to Zhu Di, nudging him with his elbow and whispering, "Brother Zhu, why were you just standing there? I was about to pass you the ball."

It turned out Geng Haoshi had planned to pass to Zhu Di, then cut back into the lane to finish the alley-oop dunk he’d missed earlier.

"You could’ve said so sooner! I thought you were carrying out the coach’s 'crash-into-him' mission!"

"You think I’m stupid? If I’d really crashed into him, I’d have gotten a technical for sure!"

Zhu Di stared at Geng Haoshi, at a loss for words. He had genuinely believed Geng Haoshi might be reckless enough to go through with it.

And not just Zhu Di—the other players and even the coach had thought the same.

Geng Haoshi didn’t dwell on it, but leaned in and whispered something else to Zhu Di.

Zhu Di nodded repeatedly, then both of them relayed the message to the other players.

The game continued, with the opposing team's number 2 bringing up the ball.

Before he even crossed into Tiancheng Polytechnic’s half, Sun Peng was already in his face, arms waving furiously.

Sun Peng played intense defense, so the opposing number 2 wasted no time and passed the ball to number 5.

Number 5 was their tallest and strongest player, so only Meng Lang from Tiancheng Polytechnic could match up with him.

As soon as number 5 caught the ball, Meng Lang pressed in, hands waving constantly, giving him no room to breathe.

Unable to break free, number 5 lobbed the ball to number 3.

Number 3 was their second tallest, so Zhu Di, the second tallest on Tiancheng’s squad, took over guarding him.

Zhu Di didn’t slack off either, arms waving nonstop.

On the sideline, Yu Manman thought, These guys—I haven’t even told them to switch to full-court man-to-man defense, and they’re already doing it on their own.

Full-court man-to-man defense is great for disrupting the opponent’s offensive rhythm, but its weakness is obvious: it burns through stamina quickly, making it hard to sustain. Against a tall, fast, and accurate team, though, it’s the best choice. Yu Manman hadn’t ordered it from the start, afraid her starters would burn out early, forcing her to play the substitutes.

And right now, the gap between the substitutes and the starters was still significant. Against the top team in the Eastern Conference, if she fielded only substitutes, they’d likely lose badly.

The reason Yu Manman had given her players the odd assignment of "at least one foul each" was that she’d noticed how her team had been forced to play at the opponent’s tempo, their attacking instincts dulled. She hoped that by encouraging them to foul boldly, she could reignite their fighting spirit.

The whistle sounded.

Under the suffocating defense of Tiancheng Polytechnic’s five starters, Wanlong Transportation University committed a 24-second violation.

Geng Haoshi brought the ball up again. This time, he once more charged straight at the opposing number 1.

As Geng Haoshi drew closer—Damn! He’s pulling that move again? Watch my big block!—the opposing number 1 leapt high.

But just as number 1 jumped, Geng Haoshi whipped the ball to Zhu Di, who was cutting in from the left.

Without stopping, Geng Haoshi continued driving toward the basket.

Number 5 stepped into his path, standing like a mountain.

Geng Haoshi was more than twenty centimeters shorter, so he had to rely on speed. Catching number 5 off guard, he darted behind him and then leapt up.

Seeing Geng Haoshi take off, Zhu Di immediately lobbed the ball into the air, placing it right where Geng Haoshi’s right hand could snatch it...