svetikya Chapter 1 God Lend Me 58 Seconds
Chapter 1 God Lend Me 58 Seconds
April 8, 2008, San Antonio, Texas.
The Alamo Dome Stadium.
The air was filled with a scent called "despair".
For Memphis Tigers fans, it was a long, agonizing ordeal. With 58 seconds left in the NCAA Championship game, the red numbers on the scoreboard were glaringly obvious, like dripping blood—Memphis 63:75 Kansas.
Trailing by 12 points.
This was no ordinary match; it was the final battle of March Madness. But at this moment, the suspense seemed to have already ended prematurely.
On the sidelines, Memphis manager John Calipari's usually passionate Italian face looked incredibly grim.
His ace, the Chicago prodigy Derrick Rose, was kneeling on his hands and knees, panting heavily. Sweat dripped from his chin onto the floor, and each breath was accompanied by the violent heaving of his chest.
Rose did his best. He finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, relentlessly attacking Kansas's solid defense like a beast. But his poor free throw shooting exploded tonight. Coupled with Kansas coach Bill Self's "Hack-a-Man" strategy, this young team, which hadn't even learned how to win games at this level, completely collapsed.
"It's over, Kenny."
In the commentary booth, Jim Nantz's voice carried a hint of regret: "The Kansas City Hawks displayed championship-level discipline. These exceptionally talented kids from Memphis ultimately lost to fundamentals."
Billy Parker, standing nearby, was organizing his notes, preparing to recite Kansas' championship eulogy: "Yes, a 12-point difference, in less than a minute. Unless God himself puts on his jersey and comes off the court, I don't see any chance of a comeback."
……
At the very end of the Memphis bench.
Li Xiangbei was bending down to tie his shoelaces.
Actually, he didn't need to tie his shoelaces because he didn't think he'd get to play tonight. As a freshman and a yellow-skinned guard, his position on Calipari's rotation was probably only slightly higher than a water boy—roughly equivalent to a "senior towel manager."
But just now, a mechanical voice suddenly exploded in his mind, clearer than the cacophony of 40,000 people at the scene.
[Ding! Host detected to be in an S-level critical situation.]
The system is now activated.
[Currently loaded template: Absolute Ballistics.]
[Guaranteed Hit Rate: 5/5 (Regardless of shooting stance, defense, or distance, every shot will hit).]
Li Xiangbei's fingers paused for a moment, then he tightened the shoelaces and tied a neat knot.
It was a strange feeling. One second he felt like a spectator just waving a towel, the next he felt like the main character.
He stood up and, without the slightest hesitation, walked straight to the ashen-faced Calipari.
At this moment, Calipari was in a state of mental paralysis. He looked at Rose, who was almost cramping up on the court, and even forgot to call a timeout.
"coach."
Li Xiangbei reached out and tugged at the hem of the famous coach's expensive suit.
Kalipari turned his head blankly, looking at the usually taciturn Chinese boy.
"Derek's almost done for, he needs a rest." Li Xiangbei's voice was calm, completely unlike that of a freshman surrounded by tens of thousands of people. "Let me go up and throw a few."
"You?" Calipari asked instinctively.
"We're going to lose anyway, aren't we?" Li Xiangbei pointed to the scoreboard, his tone even tinged with a hint of mockery. "Why not let us lose... in a more dramatic way? Or, what if God wants to see a magic trick?"
Perhaps it was the composure in Li Xiangbei's eyes that infected Calipari, or perhaps it was desperation and a last-ditch effort, but the famous coach inexplicably called a timeout to the referee.
"Substitution! Lee, you're in! Replace Derek!"
……
58 seconds. Score: 63:75.
When Li Xiangbei stepped onto the court, there were no cheers, but rather a buzz of confusion.
"Who is that?"
"That Asian kid who can only wave towels?"
"Has Memphis given up? Are they bringing in fringe players to experience the Finals atmosphere?"
Kansas guard Mario Chalmers was high-fiving his teammates in celebration, and when he saw Li Xiangbei coming up, he didn't even bother to glance at him. In his mind, the game had already entered garbage time.
The referee blows the whistle. Memphis inbounds the ball from their own court.
Li Xiangbei received the ball.
There were no tactics, no screens, and he didn't even look at his teammates. He dribbled the ball up the court at a slow pace, looking like he was taking a stroll in a park.
Just one step past the halfway line.
Kansas' defense was loose, with everyone huddled inside the three-point line, waiting for the clock to run out on this possession.
Li Xiangbei stopped in his tracks.
[Guaranteed winning amount: 1/5]
He didn't even bend his knees to gather strength; as if he were warming up for a shot, he casually pushed the ball out from nine meters away from the basket.
"What is he doing? That's a logo shot? At this time?!" commentator Jim Nantz exclaimed. "Is this some kind of reckless, desperate shot?!"
He hadn't finished speaking.
The basketball traced a perfect parabola in the air, its spin appearing almost perfectly calculated.
"brush!"
It was an extremely crisp sound of swishing a net.
66:75.
"Good shot." Li Xiangbei turned around expressionlessly.
Kansas was momentarily stunned, but didn't pay much attention. A nine-point difference, with over 40 seconds left—it was just a lucky shot.
Kansas inbounds the ball from the baseline. Chalmers receives the ball and dribbles slowly, preparing to run down the clock.
However, a red figure suddenly appeared from the side!
It's Li Xiangbei!
All the players had been playing for almost 40 minutes and their stamina had long been at its limit, except for Li Xiangbei, whose stamina bar was full!
That explosive power seemed out of place at that moment. Before Chalmers could react, he poked the basketball away, then leaped and retrieved it from the floor!
"Damn it!" Bill Self cursed from the sidelines.
Li Xiangbei got up and dribbled towards the three-point line.
Kansas' defense reacted quickly, with Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur closing in like two walls, blocking all shooting angles.
Pass the ball?
No.
Li Xiangbei jumped between the two men, his body leaning back sharply. In order to avoid being blocked, he even twisted his waist in mid-air, losing his balance.
That's not a shooting form at all, that's just juggling!
[Guaranteed winning amount: 2/5]
Li Xiangbei's eyes remained indifferent as he gently flicked his wrist.
The basketball flew past their fingertips, spinning sharply, as if pulled by an invisible thread.
"brush!"
Another hollow entry into the network!
69:75.
In just 18 seconds, the score difference was instantly narrowed to 6 points!
The atmosphere in the Alamo Dome changed. Spectators who were about to leave stopped in their tracks. Kansas City coach Bill Self frowned, but after glancing at the time—30 seconds left and a lead—he resisted the urge to call a timeout. He couldn't believe such a difficult goal could be scored a third time.
"This is impossible..." Ross straightened up from the bench, his towel slipping off his shoulder. "When did this kid's shooting range become so far?"
……
30 seconds. Kansas attack.
This time, the entire Memphis team seemed to have received a shot of adrenaline, pressing relentlessly. Kansas's hasty shot missed, and Li Xiangbei, taking advantage of his full stamina, forcefully grabbed the rebound amidst a forest of tall players in the paint, passing it to his teammate Roberts.
As Roberts dribbled past half-court, the entire Kansas team swarmed towards Li Xiangbei like madmen.
"Double him up! Don't let him receive the ball!" Self finally yelled from the sidelines.
The two men clung tightly to Li Xiangbei's side. Li Xiangbei ran frantically to the corner, a dead end, a place of utter despair.
The ball was passed over, but it was passed a bit too far.
To receive the ball, Li Xiangbei had already sprinted out of bounds. Just as his body was about to fly out of bounds, he caught the ball with one hand, turned in mid-air, and faced the backboard from a negative angle—
This is a physically impossible angle to score from, because the backboard is right behind and to his side.
But Li Xiangbei saw the red trajectory shown by the system. It was an extremely strange arc.
[Guaranteed winning amount: 3/5]
"Go on."
He tossed the ball high into the air, and the basketball flew over the top edge of the backboard, hitting the top of the small white rim on the front of the backboard before bouncing up and falling straight into the net!
"beep--!"
Goal stands!
72:75.
"My God!! Tell me this isn't real! He threw the ball in from behind the backboard?!" Jim Nantz's voice trembled, his hand gripping the microphone shaking. "Is this Harry Potter's magic?!"
12 second left.
This time, Kansas completely panicked. They served wrong, and Dorsey intercepted the serve!
The ball returned to Li Xiangbei's hands.
He didn't shoot directly, but dribbled to the top of the key. That's Rose's favorite spot.
Kansas defender Sheron Collins, his eyes red, lunged forward, desperate to foul and stop Li Xiangbei from shooting.
Li Xiangbei looked at Collins rushing towards him, a barely perceptible smile curving his lips.
This is the moment he's been waiting for.
Jump, throw, physical contact.
"beep!"
As the referee blew the whistle, Li Xiangbei, having lost his balance in the air, casually tossed the ball with one hand.
That's not a shot, that's just throwing it around randomly!
but……
[Guaranteed winning amount: 4/5]
The basketball seemed to have GPS navigation installed; it spun around the rim twice, then reluctantly... rolled in.
3+1!
75:75!
The stadium erupted! On the Memphis bench, everyone jumped up, waving towels wildly. Calipari held his head in his hands, his mouth agape enough to fit a hamburger.
58 seconds ago they were down by 12 points, now it's a tie!
Li Xiangbei stepped up to the free throw line.
At this point, there were 3 seconds left in the game.
If they make the free throw, Memphis will lead by 1 point, and Kansas will have another timeout and a chance to win the game.
Li Xiangbei patted the ball and took a deep breath.
"Hey kid, are your hands shaking?" Chalmers trash-talked him in the ear, trying to distract him.
Li Xiangbei glanced at him, with the look of someone looking at someone mentally challenged.
"Watch closely, I'm going to hit the ball at the front edge," Li Xiangbei said calmly, his voice loud enough for everyone around to hear.
Chalmers was taken aback: "What?"
Li Xiangbei flicked his wrist.
"when!"
The basketball slammed heavily against the front edge of the rim and bounced high into the air.
That force is outrageously strong; it was clearly intentional!
The two teams were still battling for position inside, but no one expected the ball to bounce so far—it bounced directly towards the free-throw line.
There, Li Xiangbei, who had just finished his free throw, seemed to have anticipated the landing point. He took a step forward, leaped high, and grabbed the offensive rebound over everyone's heads!
[Guaranteed winning amount: 5/5]
The last 3 seconds.
Li Xiangbei landed, but he did not shoot from the spot.
To everyone's astonishment, he dribbled backwards. One step, two steps, three steps... he retreated all the way to the center circle logo!
Why did you retreat when you could have scored with a layup under the basket?
The Kansas players went crazy; they rushed over to try and block the shot.
But in that instant, time seemed to slow down.
Li Xiangbei stood on the huge logo in the center circle, raised his left index finger to his lips, and made a "shush" gesture towards the deathly silent stands of Kansas.
At this moment, he is the king of this stadium.
Then, he calmly jumped and, from that extremely long distance, fired his last bullet of the night.
The red light is on.
"Buzz—"
The basketball seemed to fly through the air for what felt like an eternity. All eyes in the 40,000 spectators in the arena, plus hundreds of millions of fans watching on television, were fixed on that orange-red ball.
You absolutely have to get in...
No, I'm sure I'll get in.
"brush!"
White waves surged.
78:75.
competition is over.
After experiencing that one second of vacuum, the entire Alamo Dome stadium erupted with a tremendous roar that was enough to rip the roof off!
"A game-winning shot!! This is the greatest 58 seconds in NCAA history!! Li Xiangbei!! Remember this name!! He murdered Kansas! He was a cold-blooded killer!!"
Jim Nantz was incoherent, yelling and tearing at his tie.
His teammates charged at him like mad dogs, trying to pin Li Xiangbei down in celebration. Ross limped ahead, his face contorted with unbelievable elation, snot bubbles practically bubbling from his nose.
"Lee! My God! Are you God?!" Ross opened his arms to give him a bear hug.
However, Li Xiangbei, who was at the center of the storm, frowned and nimbly dodged Ross's sweat- and snot-covered hug by sidestepping.
He even had the leisure to fix his hair before pushing away his teammate Dorsey, who was surging up behind him, with disdain.
"Hey! Hey! Calm down, everyone!"
Li Xiangbei glanced down at his still-dry jersey, then shrugged in an extremely pretentious manner at the camera:
"Don't wipe your snot on me. This jersey... is going to be auctioned off at Sotheby's after tonight."
[Post-match data panel]
Li Xiangbei (University of Memphis):
Appearance time: 58 seconds
Score: 15 points
Rebounds: 1
Steals: 2
投篮： 5/5（三分球4/4，3+1一次）
Free throw: 0/1 (intentional)
Status: Investiture of the Gods.