Chapter Two: The Talents They Threw Away

Han smiled before he could stop himself. [Rejected player Han Zheng has formed his first positive on-court connection. Ember Points +15.] Energy flowed into Lu’s legs. He tested a lateral step; his once-heavy left knee moved cleanly. They still needed five players. Analyst Tang Guo arrived carrying an old laptop. “I screened every free agent in Northport. There’s one player with absurd shooting numbers, but no club will touch her.” On-screen, a woman with a high ponytail sank twenty-seven consecutive threes in an empty gym. Su Ji had led the National Youth Open in scoring. Women were eligible for the OBL’s open division, but two years ago she refused a ten-year exclusive contract from Stellar Matrix Management.