Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Brawl

Eleven rooms, eleven players, all of them charging into the battle zone with the ball almost simultaneously, marking the start of a new match.

As soon as the players entered the battle zone, the robots in each of the eleven rooms immediately rushed towards them!

Previously, when they played against the robots in “Normal” mode, the robots would initially defend near the three-point line at the start of the match, only moving to block once the players approached the three-point line. But these “Super” level robots moved with incredible speed and defended with such intensity—it was as if they were NBA superstars!

All eleven players were stopped outside the three-point line, unable to advance a single step! Then, with a flurry of “thwack, thwack, thwack,” the balls in the hands of all eleven players were snatched away once again! And it had been less than five seconds since the match began!

“Wow! Truly worthy of the name ‘Super’!” Geng Haoshi exclaimed in awe… Just then, the door to the Boss’s room swung open!

Geng Haoshi’s heart skipped a beat: Oh no! The beautiful coach is back!

He quickly sprang to his feet and hastily pressed the “Normal” button.

“Coach, you’re back so soon,” Geng Haoshi said with a roguish grin, looking at Yu Manman.

“What, you didn’t want me back so soon?” Yu Manman eyed him suspiciously, as if she’d seen through his little scheme.

“No… Not at all… ha ha ha…” Geng Haoshi chuckled nervously.

Yu Manman settled into the massage chair, eyes fixed on the giant screen of the monitoring computer. She asked, “How’s your analysis of their offensive strategies coming along?”

“I have a general idea,” he replied.

Yu Manman picked up a wine glass filled with red wine and took a delicate sip. “Then tell me your general impression.”

She really wants me to say something! Geng Haoshi had been busy teasing the others and hadn’t analyzed any offensive strategies at all!

Seeing him stand there dumbfounded, Yu Manman looked at him and asked, “Why so quiet?”

“…Oh, let me organize my thoughts.” Looks like I’ll have to make something up based on memory! Geng Haoshi gritted his teeth and began, “Let’s start with Meng Lang.”

“Meng Lang plays center, stands at 191 centimeters. Though he’s a bit clumsy, his offensive speed is decent. He likes to drive in from the right wing, usually backing into the basket for a post-up move before spinning for the shot.”

As he spoke, Geng Haoshi kept glancing at Yu Manman to gauge her reaction.

After hearing his analysis of Meng Lang’s offensive style, Yu Manman thought to herself: Not comprehensive, but this guy Xiao Er is pretty observant and analytical.

“Go on,” she urged.

Geng Haoshi continued, “Sun Peng, power forward, 183 centimeters tall, strong build, usually attacks from the middle, often takes shots near the free-throw line.”

“Zhu Di, small forward, 186 centimeters, prefers to attack from the right wing, mostly shoots near the three-point line.”

“Xu Gaofeng, shooting guard, 181 centimeters, usually comes in from the left, quick release, generally shoots from outside.”

“Zhou Xiaoshan, point guard, 176 centimeters, likes to attack from the right, quick ball handling, mostly finishes inside.”

After analyzing the main players’ offensive styles, Geng Haoshi went on to describe those of the six substitute players… Whew, finally finished. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Yu Manman thought: Eleven players battling in eleven rooms at once, could Xiao Er really watch all of them?

“Not bad… though a bit superficial,” she said, eyeing Geng Haoshi. “Now, analyze yourself.”

“Me?” Geng Haoshi scratched his head, grinning sheepishly. “I’m not sure how to put it.”

It’s always easier to see others clearly than oneself.

Yu Manman took another sip of wine, swirled the glass, and said, “Then let me give you my analysis.”

“Geng Haoshi, substitute player, no fixed position, 170 centimeters tall, sometimes attacks from the left, sometimes from the right, sometimes down the middle, fairly quick, shoots at will.”

“Heh, Coach, are you complimenting me or making fun of me?”

Yu Manman’s lips lifted in a subtle smile as she shot Geng Haoshi a sidelong glance, but she didn’t answer his question. “Everyone’s finished with their assessments… Go join the others outside.”

As she spoke, Yu Manman stood and pressed a green button at the bottom left of the massive monitor. From the side of the table, the printer began to whir and click…

The players lined up on the basketball court as Yu Manman handed each of them an A4-sized sheet.

“These are your scores for this round. Take a look for yourselves.”

So that’s what the printer was printing just now.

Geng Haoshi looked at his own sheet. It read: Number of matches (1000), matches with successful shots (366), shooting percentage (36.6%), left-side attempts (331), left-side makes (136), left-side shooting percentage (41.1%), right-side attempts (353), right-side makes (112), right-side shooting percentage (31.7%), center attempts (316), center makes (118), center shooting percentage (37.3%).

How detailed! Geng Haoshi thought in amazement.

“Coach, my left-side shooting percentage is the highest. Does that mean I should focus on attacking from the left from now on?” he was the first to ask.

“Not necessarily. You need a lot of data before drawing a reliable conclusion.”

“But I don’t want you to be limited by these numbers. On the court, you’ll face all kinds of obstacles. If your offensive approach is too predictable, your opponents will see right through you and defend accordingly. So I want your offensive strategies to be more varied.”

Yu Manman then pointed out specific issues with each player and offered some advice.

Having said all she needed to, she added, “Oh, by the way, there was a period just now when I wasn’t in the control room, and only Xiao Er was there.” She mentioned it casually, thinking: Xiao Er, I don’t know what you told them, but knowing you, it can’t have been anything good… I’m not taking the blame.

At her words, all the teammates turned to stare at Geng Haoshi, their eyes glinting with mischief.

“Make sure you get right back to training after dinner!” Yu Manman called out as she turned and left the Chen Zhi Gymnasium.

As soon as she left, sounds of cracking knuckles and eager anticipation filled the gym. Geng Haoshi suddenly felt a chill down his spine, and then found himself completely surrounded by his teammates…