Chapter 6 | When the Defense Adjusts
2012 · Los Angeles · Training Facility
The change came quietly.
No announcement.
No warning.
It showed up in the details.
The very first possession of the next run, Gu Kai felt it.
The defender didn't press him anymore.
Instead, he stayed half a step back—hips lower, angle wider—inviting the drive while cutting off the middle. A second body hovered at the nail, pretending not to look at him.
Gu Kai dribbled once.
Nothing opened.
He dribbled twice.
Still nothing.
So he went anyway.
Downhill. Same line as yesterday.
The help defender slid early this time.
Not late.
Not rushed.
Perfectly timed.
Gu Kai rose through contact—but the window was gone. The ball rolled off the rim.
Miss.
No reaction from the sideline.
Just a few nods.
That's it, Gu Kai realized.
They've started adjusting.
---
Next possession.
Same look.
Sag defense. Early help. Hands high. Body first.
Gu Kai drove again, kicked out to the corner.
Miss.
The ball bounced long.
Transition the other way.
The guard he'd beaten yesterday pushed the pace, forced a switch, and hit a pull-up jumper over a late contest.
The run didn't stop.
It sped up.
---
Two minutes later, Gu Kai had only one bucket.
No easy lanes.
No clean angles.
Every drive was met with a body.
Every gather came with hands.
This was different from yesterday.
Yesterday, he was an unknown variable.
Today, he was a problem they were solving.
Gu Kai slowed his breathing.
He stopped forcing it.
On the next possession, he caught the ball higher—near the logo.
The defender stayed back.
The help stayed ready.
Gu Kai didn't attack.
He waited.
Then he swung the ball and cut.
The defense hesitated.
Half a second.
That was enough.
Gu Kai curled back, took the return pass, and drove—this time not straight, but slightly off-line.
The help slid.
Gu Kai adjusted mid-step and dropped the ball to the dunker spot.
Finish.
Points.
No celebration.
Just a quiet exchange of glances.
---
The run continued.
Gu Kai started playing between moments.
Attacking not when he wanted—
but when the defense blinked.
He drove less.
But every drive mattered more.
When the defense over-helped, he passed early.
When they hesitated, he went.
He scored twice more.
Assisted twice.
And when the defense finally collapsed hard—
He stopped short and hit a mid-range jumper.
Clean.
The defender exhaled sharply.
---
The whistle blew.
Run over.
The coach walked onto the floor, clapped his hands once.
"Good," he said.
"Now do it again tomorrow."
Then he looked directly at Gu Kai.
"You see it now?"
he asked.
Gu Kai nodded.
"Yes."
The coach didn't smile.
"Good. Because this is the part most people don't get past."
---
As Gu Kai sat down on the bench, the system interface appeared—quiet, precise.
---
[Stage Mission Update]
[Defense Adjustment Detected]
[Adaptation Response: Successful]
[Condition Met: Playmaking Under Pressure]
🟣 Purple Trait Unlock Progress: 32%
[Recommendation]
Force fewer outcomes. Create more choices.
---
Gu Kai wiped sweat from his forearms and leaned back.
His heart rate was steady.
His mind was clearer than it had ever been.
Yesterday, he had broken through an American guard.
Today, the defense had pushed back.
And for the first time—
He hadn't lost ground.
He looked up at the lights again.
This road wasn't about blowing past people forever.
It was about staying dangerous
after they knew exactly who you were.
Gu Kai stood up when the next group checked in.
The game wasn't getting easier.
It was getting real.
And that—
was exactly what he'd come for.