Chapter Three: The Open Eight-Tenths

Zhou passed behind his back. Han caught it two meters from the rim. Everyone expected the injured center to pass. Han pushed the ball one-handed. Ten-nine. For the final point, all three Hounds packed the paint and abandoned Su. Vertigo split the rim into two. “The left one!” Zhou shouted. “He's wrong,” Han called. “Shoot between them.” Su laughed, closed her eyes, found her axis through their voices, and released. The net snapped. Eleven-nine. The board declared Wildfire—the name Han had entered at the last second—the qualifier winner. Yet only one shared attribute point appeared. “Give it to Han's knee,” Zhou said. Han shook his head. “Repair isn't a base attribute. Give Su balance.”