Chapter 133 An Exciting and Thrilling Game

Chapter 133: An Exhilarating and Unforgettable Game

"I never imagined that after so many years away from the court, I'd still encounter such perfectly matched rivals."

"Likewise, my blood is boiling! This match is destined to be a god-tier game, unforgettable for a lifetime!"

On the basketball court under the red moon, the faces of both teams glowed with excited smiles. In that moment, everyone seemed to have forgotten their age, identity, and even their current time and place. They were simply pouring their hearts out on the court, their bodies and minds seemingly transported back to a high school afternoon. They could almost hear cheers and applause for their brilliant passes and shots.

If they had to describe this match in one word, it would undoubtedly be—

Exhilarating!

"What a thrill! I never thought your third-place finish in the high school three-on-three basketball tournament was actually so legitimate. It’s been years since I’ve met such worthy opponents!" Mr. Axe held the basketball, panting as he looked up with an almost reverent expression.

"Likewise," Zhou Qingshou wiped the sweat from his face. "I thought you were just talking big, but you really are an equally skilled opponent."

"You old-timers still have it in you!" Zhang Pan panted heavily, his face equally excited. "Now that our match has reached its climax, the 'Basketball Court Ghost' should appear soon."

"I’m not the same as I used to be," even the usually cautious Mr. Dajian showed a menacing grin as he passed the ball to Mr. Axe. "Anyone who dares interrupt our game—even a ghost—will have their legs and arms broken by me!"

"……"

Outside the court, Su Bai, who had been recording with his phone, sighed helplessly at the footage. Under the red moon, the camera barely captured the six players’ stiff, zombie-like movements as they dribbled. After the third-place high school team fumbled the ball, the player group also struggled with clumsy, uncoordinated dribbling.

From the perspective of the phone’s recording, the six figures moving so bizarrely under the red moon... were actually stranger and more eerie than the "Basketball Court Ghost" itself.

Just how perfectly matched in their terrible basketball skills must they be for both sides to consider this match evenly matched and exhilarating?

To be fair, Su Bai’s basketball skills were also poor, so he wasn’t in a position to judge the six players’ techniques. But seeing the sweat and smiles on their faces, he knew it was truly a great game.

Judging a match solely on skill isn’t comprehensive. In Su Bai’s view, as long as both sides were immersed in the game, enjoying the happiness it brought, and feeling satisfied, then it was a thrilling and good match.

So Su Bai continued recording this unusual game with a smile.

It wasn’t until Zhang Pan started running out of stamina that the match began to wind down. Although the student group was younger, the players didn’t seem like novices. Their bodies had likely been tempered by the red moon, perhaps even mutated, allowing them to bridge the gap between "old-timers" and youths despite being out of breath.

"I can’t go on. How long have we been playing?" Zhang Pan leaned against the basketball hoop, gasping for air, almost ready to lie down on the court. "Wasn’t the 'Basketball Court Ghost' supposed to appear when the match was at its most intense? Why... haven’t we seen anything?"

"I’m done too," Zhou Qingshou was so exhausted he could barely lift his arms, and the basketball in his hand dropped to the ground with a thud.

"Though it was exhilarating, it feels like we’ve wasted a lot of time," Mr. Flashlight was perhaps the only one who, aside from feeling tired, also felt a touch of regret. "We have a mission to complete. We’re not worry-free students anymore."

"Students aren’t worry-free either," Ai Xiaojia was also on the verge of collapse from exhaustion. "Do adults forget how hard it is to be a student once they grow up?"

"That’s because you don’t know how hard it is to be an adult," Mr. Dajian sighed as well.

In the blink of an eye, the exhilarating basketball match was about to turn into an endless debate between adults and kids.

"Actually..." Su Bai couldn’t help interrupting the student and player groups, who for some reason had started getting sentimental after the intense exercise. When everyone turned to look at him, he gestured with the phone in his right hand. "The 'Basketball Court Ghost' has already appeared."

Everyone immediately looked around but saw nothing except the empty schoolyard and the reflection of the red moon. Forgetting their fatigue, they crowded around Su Bai, peering at the small screen of his phone.

Su Bai replayed the saved recording of the match.

This was the first time anyone besides Su Bai saw their own stiff, awkward movements from a spectator’s perspective—their clumsy dribbling, futile attempts to block, and their remarkable inability to make a single shot.

"When I made that move... I thought I looked pretty cool."

Zhou Qingshou and the others blushed as they watched, though their embarrassed expressions were well hidden by the weak light of the red moon and the darkness.

But Su Bai’s intention wasn’t to make them relive the match. Right after the game footage, he shifted the phone’s camera to focus on a specific direction across the court.

In the recording, a black shadow stood on the other side of the basketball court, holding a round, shadowy object. Though it was just another shadow, everyone could sense that this one was different from the shadow in the restroom mirror. The shadow holding the round object had to be the "Basketball Court Ghost"!

Once everyone had noticed the shadow in the recording, Su Bai lowered his phone.

The moment he did, the same shadow from the recording appeared in their actual field of vision, standing in the exact same spot on the opposite side of the court.

No one had noticed the shadow before watching the recording, but after seeing it on video, it became visible to them. This was something Su Bai had discovered while recording.

Mr. Flashlight immediately took out his film camera and snapped a photo of the shadow holding the round object.

"Wait, if the 'Basketball Court Ghost' has already appeared, why didn’t it attack us?" Ai Xiaojia suddenly felt puzzled. Seeing Zhou Qingshou and Zhang Pan about to speak, she raised a hand to silence them. "Don’t tell me even the ghost was moved by your 'brilliant' game. As much as I enjoyed it, after seeing that recording... could you really say that?"

"......" Everyone fell silent.

*Sigh.*

Just as everyone was confused, the "Basketball Court Ghost," which had been standing motionless outside the court, suddenly sighed. Shaking its head in disappointment, it said—

"Basketball in this world... has no future."

With that, the shadow turned and left.

"Is it... looking down on us?" Mr. Axe gritted his teeth in anger, grabbed his axe, and chased after it.

Mr. Flashlight and the others stopped the student group from following. Blocking Ai Xiaojia and the others’ view, he explained, "That ghost... has hurt people before. Let Axe handle it. We need to decide on our next destination!"