Chapter Sixty-Six: One Against Three

Then, Manman Yu lost her temper: “You three, beat him up!”

At her command, the three towering robots lumbered menacingly toward Geng Haoshi...

Watching the hulking machines draw closer, Geng Haoshi cursed inwardly: Damn it! The beautiful coach is actually serious about this!

Just as the three robots were about to swing their iron fists, Geng Haoshi, terrified, bolted for the door.

At first, when the robots saw Geng Haoshi running, they chased after him as well... But as soon as he crossed the outermost yellow line, the three robots halted instantly, frozen in mid-stride.

“Could it be…” Geng Haoshi seemed to have realized something.

To test his theory, he stepped back into the yellow line zone... Instantly, the once motionless robots resumed their pursuit, charging straight at him. Geng Haoshi quickly hopped back out of the yellow line, and the robots froze once more.

Geng Haoshi circled to the other side of the robots and stepped into the yellow zone again. As expected, they came to life, each one turning to chase after him. Geng Haoshi nimbly stepped back out, and the trio became statues again.

With his back to the three robots, who remained poised mid-run, Geng Haoshi gleefully patted his rear and glanced back at them. “Ha! You three idiots, why aren’t you chasing me now?”

Damn! He figured out the system’s setting so quickly (PS: This setting is designed to prevent injuries—if a robot malfunctions, anyone inside the yellow zone can avoid harm by stepping outside). Manman Yu bit her lower lip and shouted, “Hey, Number Two, are you done messing around yet?!”

“I’ve reset their status to default… Now pick up the ball and start the shot accuracy training!”

“If you waste any more time and your shooting percentage doesn’t meet the standard, just wait to be castrated!”

So that’s how they’re calculating shooting accuracy—by playing against robots! 9527 was right; the beautiful coach would never let us practice shooting so easily!

“She’s threatening me with castration again,” Geng Haoshi muttered. “Fine, bring it on—who’s afraid?”

Looks like I’ll have to take on all three… Geng Haoshi grabbed the ball, took a deep breath, and stepped into the yellow zone. Instantly, the three robots sprang to life, stretching out their arms into defensive stances.

“Not bad, they even look the part,” Geng Haoshi remarked, dribbling the ball as he approached the hoop.

“Beep—traveling!” The robotic voice echoed through the room.

PS: Traveling means moving more than two steps with the ball in hand without dribbling.

A brief silence fell. Then Manman Yu’s furious shout pierced the air: “Are you an idiot? This is a game! What the hell are you doing walking around with the ball like that? Do you have a death wish?!”

“I forgot, I forgot.” Geng Haoshi scratched his head apologetically.

He picked up the ball, stepped out of the yellow zone, then returned to start a new round.

Dribbling, Geng Haoshi weaved past the three robots, drove to the basket, and made an easy layup—score!

PS: A layup is a fundamental basketball move, a high-percentage shot where the player jumps close to the hoop and lays the ball in with one hand, sometimes using the backboard.

“Ha! It’s not so hard after all,” Geng Haoshi boasted.

Inside the room designated ‘Boss,’ Manman Yu sneered, thinking: Number Two, enjoy yourself while you can. Soon, you’ll see what they’re really capable of!

In the next round, Geng Haoshi easily slipped past the three robots again, went for another layup, and scored.

He thought: As long as I keep laying it up, my field goal percentage will stay high. Ha! If I just make sure my layups go in, hitting the 45% target should be a breeze.

After two straight makes, Geng Haoshi grew excited and started a new round.

Just as he dodged past the two robots labeled “1” and “2,” the one marked “3” suddenly appeared in front of him, arms outstretched, reaching for the ball.

Though momentarily caught off guard, Geng Haoshi focused, bounced the ball between “3’s” legs, darted behind him to retrieve it, and drove to the basket for yet another layup—score!

“Coach, that’s three for three—100% shooting!” Geng Haoshi cheered, pumping his fist.

“So far, your shooting percentage is 75%,” came the response.

“But didn’t I make all my shots?” Geng Haoshi was puzzled.

“You traveled in the first round, so out of four rounds, you’ve won three.”

“That counts too?” Geng Haoshi thought. So, fouls and missed shots both count as losing a round.

Fine, then just don’t commit fouls. If I can get past these three blockheads, using layups will guarantee my shooting percentage. Nothing to worry about, he calculated.

The fifth round began. Robot “2” moved in to block him, but Geng Haoshi dribbled past easily. This time, just as he passed “2,” robots “1” and “3” appeared in front of him, arms outstretched, blocking his way on both sides.

“Damn! They’re all arms and legs!” Geng Haoshi cursed. Guess I’ll have to use that trick again.

He bounced the ball between “1’s” legs and sprinted to the left. But “bang!”—robot “2,” just passed, suddenly appeared at “1’s” left side and stopped dead. Geng Haoshi couldn’t halt in time and crashed right into “2.”

“Beep—charging foul!”

PS: When a player with the ball must anticipate defensive moves, and if a defender establishes legal position in front, the ball handler must stop or change direction to avoid contact. If contact occurs and results in a foul, it’s the ball handler’s responsibility—this is called a charging foul.

Damn it! When did that guy get there? Geng Haoshi picked up the ball and stepped outside the yellow zone.

He took a deep breath, then quickly dribbled back into the yellow area, once again facing robot “2” as his first obstacle...