Chapter Two: The Closer to Defeat, the Stronger I Become

His stomach tightened. As the score grew closer, his power weakened. The system did not reward success. It fed on desperation. Hall no longer underestimated him. Before the snap, he crowded Lin and struck his chest plate with hands like iron clamps. Lin lost half a step and came late out of his break. Eli had to throw the ball away. “Miracle over?” Hall murmured beside his ear. On second down, Lin ran a go route. Hall held the inside position all the way. Lin jumped for the descending pass and touched it with his fingertips but failed to control it. Third and six. Grant called timeout. The play on his board was a quick screen designed for Duke, who was now sitting in the medical room. “Let Lin run an option route,” Eli said.