Chapter One: The Man Left Behind

When the boy rose to dunk, Lu shifted half a step and knocked the ball away before it reached its apex. Bang! A cold voice sounded inside his head. [Host’s professional career has entered an irreversible low point.] [Court Dominion System successfully bound.] [Dominion is not accumulated statistics. It is changing the outcome when the game needs you most.] A translucent display appeared. Three icons—Block, Game-Winner, Adversity Comeback—were gray. Below them waited one mission. [Complete an effective block in a critical possession of an official game. Reward: Elite Weak-Side Anticipation; one Commercial Resource Box.] Lu closed and opened his eyes. The display remained. “Your hand is bleeding,” the teenager said.