Chapter Ninety: Under Generous Rewards
Geng Haoshi gazed up at the basketball hoop, took a deep breath, and sprinted toward it. As he neared the base of the hoop, he pushed off hard with his toes and leaped—“Clang!” The sharp sound of his middle finger striking the rim echoed through the court.
“Yes!” Geng Haoshi pumped his fists in excitement. “Did you see that?”
“Master, you still have nine more tries. Don’t overdo it,” 9527 cautioned, sweat beading on its virtual brow.
For every intermediate task, a minimum of ten sets had to be completed on the day of the examination for it to count as a pass. Since Geng Haoshi was attempting a cross-level challenge, failure would result in double the usual electric shock punishment.
He’d never experienced a double electric shock before. A single dose was enough to leave him foaming at the mouth and convulsing all over; double the current, if he was lucky, might kill him outright—if he was unlucky, it could leave him paralyzed.
No matter what, Geng Haoshi had no intention of discovering firsthand what double punishment felt like.
He steadied himself and returned to his starting spot, eyes fixed on the rim. Gathering his strength, he charged forward once more!
“Clang!”
“Clang!”
He managed two more jumps, each time just barely brushing the rim. But in the dozens of attempts that followed, he couldn’t touch the rim again.
“Is three my limit?” Geng Haoshi stared up, gasping for air. It seemed the remaining seven attempts would have to be spread throughout the day.
To ensure he cleared the final intermediate test, he’d woken an hour earlier than usual. At this early hour, the other team members were still snoring in their bunks.
He plopped down onto the empty court, thinking back to nearly half a year ago—back when he was a two-hundred-and-fifty-one-pound giant, spending most of his time holed up in the dorm watching videos and playing games, showing no hint of athletic talent. But after months of training, not only did he have a strong physique, but relying solely on his own ability, he could now, at a height of only 1.7 meters, touch the 3.05-meter basketball rim! In the past, he would never have believed it possible.
“One day, I’ll dunk with my own strength!” he declared—not just to himself, but to Geng Haoshi 2.0 as well. After all, every dunk he’d made before was with the “power boost” from 9527, summoning the enhanced Geng Haoshi 2.0.
As for that arrogant Geng Haoshi 2.0—though he was a part of himself—Geng Haoshi was determined not to lose to that guy!
...
After morning training, Geng Haoshi wanted to use the time before lunch to complete a few more jumps. Not a single one succeeded.
...
Afternoon practice ended as usual. He tried again before dinner, aiming for the required 80-centimeter leap. Still, no success.
It was over. Seven attempts left unfinished... Would he truly face double punishment this time?
He stared blankly at the hoop, overcome by melancholy. He’d just started making some money... He hadn’t yet brought his mother to live in the city... He’d never been in love... He hadn’t confessed to his goddess, Mimi...
He picked listlessly at his dinner. Zhu Di, sitting nearby, teased, “Little Two, you’re not worried about Coach Tony’s assessment tonight, are you?”
Just before dinner, Manman had informed the team that tonight would be Tony’s first review of their boxing training.
Boxing assessment meant, of course, a boxing match.
But in the hour before dinner, Geng Haoshi had been so preoccupied with the looming threat of punishment that he hadn’t heard a word of Manman’s announcement. Seeing his dejected look, Zhu Di assumed he was nervous about the boxing test.
Geng Haoshi didn’t respond, just stared down at his rice—thinking he might die young today, he had no appetite at all.
...
At 7 p.m., Tony appeared before the team, right on time.
“Tonight, I’ll be conducting your first assessment, to evaluate these four months of training,” he announced. “Based on your results, I’ll create individual training plans for each of you.”
“For tonight’s assessment, you’ll all take turns sparring with me, one-on-one. Two points for a hit to the head, one point each for a hit to the chest or abdomen.”
“You can challenge me as many times as you want. Your highest score will count as your final result for this test.”
“The top scorer will receive a double bonus from Lee Group and Feizhi Group—totaling 20,000 yuan.”
It turned out that to motivate the university’s basketball team to train harder, Lee Group and Feizhi Group had decided to reward the first-place finisher in each assessment.
Of course, the real reason for the sponsorship was to help the university shed its reputation as “the bottom team.” After all, if word got out that they were sponsoring the worst college basketball team in the nation—and after sponsorship, it was still dead last—it would reflect poorly on their brand.
As the saying goes, “Generous rewards produce brave warriors.” That was why the companies chose this most direct method to spur the team to action.
Tony smiled as he spoke, sweeping his gaze over the players. “And don’t expect me to go easy on you.”
Twenty thousand yuan?! When Geng Haoshi heard the number, he momentarily forgot all about the looming threat of punishment.
Despite Tony’s stern warning, every player looked eager and ready to go.
“Get yourselves ready, and we’ll begin,” Tony called out.
The players donned their gloves and protective gear. After some discussion, they decided the order would be by height, with the 1.91-meter-tall captain, Meng Lang, going first.
Meng Lang was not only the tallest but also the most powerfully built among them. Standing before the 1.75-meter Tony—with all Tony’s muscle—Meng Lang looked like a giant Buddha looming over a mortal.