Chapter 33: Provoking Mourning! Bolt’s Hidden Talent Skill!

After crossing over Mourning, Lin Tian’s speed exploded to its absolute limit. The Heat’s defense was not yet a cohesive system; it relied entirely on Mourning to hold the line alone. Now that Mourning had been pulled out of the painted area, their help defense was virtually non-existent.

Lin Tian charged unimpeded all the way to the rim.

However, he had no intention of ending the play just like that. Mourning’s trash talk had been a bit too much, after all. He wanted to make sure Mourning understood that some trash talk couldn't just be uttered without consequences.

"BOOM!"

Following a thunderous crash, the entire Miami American Airlines Arena was instantly filled with earth-shattering boos and insults. A torrent of profanity and abuse surged toward Lin Tian like a tidal wave. Mourning, eyes wide with rage and spewing obscenities, charged straight at him.

A dunk—even a dunk that left Mourning in the dust—would not normally provoke such fury from the home crowd or Mourning himself. What enraged them was Lin Tian’s act during the dunk.

His current leaping ability and physical conditioning were certainly not enough for him to pull off any fancy, acrobatic dunks. But while the dunk itself lacked flair, he could certainly add it elsewhere.

As Lin Tian dunked, everyone clearly saw him deliberately slow down and glance back. Not only did he look back, but he also held up a single finger toward Mourning—his pinky finger.

It was arrogant, dismissive, and utterly contemptuous.

Lin Tian hadn't rehearsed this move, nor had he planned it in his mind; it had simply come out naturally. It must have been a hidden talent from his "Bolt" skill set: slowing down to observe the enemy.

"Tweeeet! Tweeeet!"

The referees’ whistles erupted like popping beans, blowing frantically.

All three referees rushed onto the court, immediately positioning themselves between Lin Tian and Mourning.

"Let me go! Let me go! I’m going to kill this arrogant rookie!" Mourning roared, struggling and tearing at his teammates as he tried to reach Lin Tian.

Unfortunately for the Heat, there wasn't a single "tough guy" on the team besides him. P.J. Brown, "Monster" Mashburn, and even Tim Hardaway—who, though small, was known for his fierce, aggressive playing style—were nowhere to be found. The rest of the Heat players were only interested in de-escalating the situation; none of them had any intention of helping their team leader settle the score. They either stood by watching or held Mourning back to prevent him from doing something rash.

Furthermore, the Bulls had Bill Wennington, a 213-centimeter pacifist standing firmly in front of Mourning, blocking every path and demonstrating exactly why he had managed to stay in the NBA for 13 years despite a career-best season of only 7 points and 4 rebounds. When it came to breaking up fights, he was the absolute Defensive Player of the Year. Mourning couldn't get past him at all.

As for Lin Tian, surrounded by three referees who were preventing him from charging forward, he remained relentless, shouting, "Come on then!"

"Can you shut up?" one of the referees, Fox, said irritably. "Do you have any idea how hard we're working to protect you? Do you know what would happen if that human tyrannosaurus, Mourning, actually got to you?"

"I’d kill him! Seriously, Mr. Referee, I would kill him!" Lin Tian said with absolute confidence. "As long as he dares to come over, I guarantee he’ll be lying in a hospital bed for the next month!"

"Did you hear that, Alonzo? I’m saying this just for you! You coward! Why didn't you fight when Dennis was on the court, huh? Why didn't you act like a madman when Scott was playing? Because you’re afraid of them! You’re afraid! You’re a coward! A weakling!"

"Kid, do you know? If we weren't holding you back, we’d definitely be fined or suspended by the league office, and I would never stop you again!" Fox exploded. "Because now even I want to punch you! Do you dare go one-on-one with Alonzo if no one is holding you back?"

"Of course I dare. I’d even dare to go one-on-three!" Lin Tian shrugged, looking completely relaxed. Of course he dared; it was just one Mourning, not twenty. What was there to be afraid of? He wasn't afraid at all.

"Let me go! I’m going to tear this bastard apart!" Mourning was now completely hysterical, pushed to the brink by Lin Tian, and he went mad trying to break free.

But the "Defensive Player of the Year" Wennington held him back firmly. In an attempt to diffuse the situation, Wennington began to whisper words of comfort: "Calm down! Calm down, Alonzo! You can't beat him, I’m protecting you! Calm down! You are really no match for him, trust me!"

If ever there was a way to pour gasoline on a fire, that was it. Even Lin Tian felt like giving Wennington a thumbs-up. This guy was truly a great teammate! That assist was absolutely perfect.

"I’ll kill you!" Mourning let out a tiger-like roar. Just as he was about to exert his strength again, a thin, short figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Alonzo, that’s enough. Stop."

The "Wizard," Pat Riley, had arrived.

Seeing Riley, Mourning’s angry nerves instantly relaxed. Although he was still breathing heavily, he finally stopped fighting to break free.

"Let me go! Let me go, you big idiot! I’m done! I respect my coach!" Mourning barked at Wennington, then impatiently shoved him aside. He remained full of rage, glaring daggers at Lin Tian.

"Kid, I’ll remember you! We’ll see each other next time!" After firing off one last threat, Mourning quickly quelled his rage, ripped off his torn jersey, slammed it to the ground, and turned toward the bench.

As for Lin Tian, he stopped his trash talk because he had already obtained what he wanted.

Mourning had been taught a lesson, and he had secured the "equipment."

Just ten seconds earlier, the system had sent a notification:

"Alonzo Mourning’s emotional volatility has triggered a drop: One-time item: 98-99 Season Mourning Strength Experience Card (Full Game)!"

Nice!

Although it was a one-time item, the duration was for an entire game, which was much longer than the previous two experience cards. It seemed that driving someone to a mental breakdown was much more effective than team practices or random trash talk.

It was a pity the fight didn't actually happen; there were too many people in the way. Otherwise, if he hadn't beaten Mourning until he dropped two or three permanent skills, Lin Tian wouldn't have stopped.

However...

Lin Tian looked at his inventory: one Shark Strength card and one Iron Man Strength card. Both were strength-based.

What exactly was this system trying to do?