Chapter Four: The Knee He Chose Not to Heal

“Before every speed change, they look at their captain. Not at the ball. At his blink.” Han could not see the future or build a model. He had simply stayed long enough to notice the present. On the next possession, they watched people instead of the ball. The captain blinked. The left side accelerated. Han shifted half a step early, Su called only the first landing point, and Zhou stole the first pass without forecasting the second. Wildfire then chose the stupidest possible offense. Han planted solid screens up high. No fakes, no elegance. Su circled one shoulder and Zhou the other, the three revolving around a fire. Pendulum tried to exhaust his knee. On screen thirty-one, Han's face turned gray. On thirty-four, he nearly knelt.