Chapter 45: Triple Kill! Shocking the League with the Very First Outing!

At this moment, Lin Tian finally made his move!

He abruptly met Kemp head-on, launching his left hand first! Kemp looked like a veteran with extensive street-fighting experience, and his reaction was lightning fast. In a fraction of a second, he managed to stop his momentum and lean backward, clearly intending to dodge the punch.

Yet, who would have thought that Lin Tian's initial strike was merely a feint? The punch carrying his true strength was the right one hidden by his side!

"Thud!"

A muffled impact echoed as Lin Tian's fist landed squarely on Kemp's face. Following that, Lin Tian unleashed two rapid, alternating punches to the left and right, both slamming solidly into Kemp's stomach!

Before those three punches could completely render Kemp a wreck, Lin Tian instantly spun around to face Johnson squarely. He gave the big man no chance to react at all; the very moment he completed his pivot, he whipped out a fierce horizontal elbow that smashed brutally straight into Johnson's stomach!

Johnson didn't even manage to utter a single groan. Clutching his abdomen, he collapsed straight onto the floor!

If Lin Tian hadn't shown mercy by holding back from striking his temple or the carotid artery in his neck, Johnson wouldn't just be suffering from a simple stomachache—he would have been knocked unconscious on the spot!

From the moment Lin Tian pivoted to dodge Payton's initial straight punch to the moment he effortlessly neutralized Johnson with a single elbow strike, a maximum of just ten seconds had elapsed!

Inside the United Center at this moment... absolute silence!

More than half of the spectators on the scene hadn't even processed what had just happened. A few who happened to be yawning right at that second finished their yawns only to find three people sprawled out on the floor.

At this time, Kerr hadn't even walked from beneath the basket to the sideline, missing the chance to high-five and celebrate with Jordan. Pippen and Kukoc had just sprinted down to the frontcourt and hadn't even had time to run back yet.

Baseline referee Fox stared in utter disbelief, his eyes wide, completely unable to process the scene unfolding before him!

Right now, the most awkward person in the arena was undoubtedly Rodman!

Upon seeing his young brother get physical and start a fight, Rodman had just leaped onto a chair, preparing to charge onto the court in the heat of the moment, only to discover that the fight was already over!

For a moment, standing atop his chair, he became the most conspicuous figure on the bench. Sitting back down felt wrong, and rushing over to deliver a finishing blow felt equally inappropriate.

Caught in this profound awkwardness, Rodman could only raise one arm and shout, "Let's... let's go?"

"Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep!"

Only then did the referees finally snap back to reality.

Blasting their whistles frantically, they rushed over and pulled Lin Tian away from the scene to prevent the brawl from escalating further.

In truth, the referees' concerns were entirely redundant. The three toughest guys on the SuperSonics were already flat on the floor; who else among them would dare challenge Lin Tian? Unless they had a death wish!

As for Lin Tian, he simply stood calmly amidst the three men groaning in agony on the floor, as though he had merely sneezed a few times just now.

His world-disdaining aura and peerless arrogance were instantly captured in a frenzy by the courtside photographers, the camera flashes instantly merging into a blinding sea of light!

Only at this moment did the live audience finally register what had just transpired!

Lin Tian had KO'd three SuperSonics players in under ten seconds!

And not just any players—the three toughest and most capable fighters on the team!

It was so exaggerated that even witnessing it with their own eyes felt entirely surreal to the spectators.

Fox finally remembered his duty as a game official at this juncture.

He blew his whistle sharply and stepped directly in front of Lin Tian.

"Fox, I wasn't bluffing, was I? Three Mournings—I'm not scared of them at all. To me, the only difference is which three guys end up lying on the floor!" Fully aware of the consequences he would face after this flurry of iron fists, Lin Tian bantered with Fox with utter ease.

"I have a whole new level of respect for you now," Fox admitted candidly. "I originally thought you were just a loudmouthed braggart full of trash talk, someone who only used his tongue to enrage opponents and wasn't worthy of any respect at all. But now I'm certain—you actually have the real ability to back up every word you say."

Faced with Fox's frankness, Lin Tian couldn't help but feel a twinge of concern for him: "You aren't about to praise my fighting skills, are you?"

"From the perspective of a combat sports fan, you fought brilliantly! There's no denying that. However, I am a referee!" With that, Fox crossed his hands swiftly, blew his whistle to slap Lin Tian with a flagrant foul, and announced toward the scorer's table, "Lin Tian, flagrant foul, ejected from the game!"

Then, looking directly at Lin Tian, Fox continued:

"Appreciating your combat skills is my personal hobby; tossing you out is my job! Just wait for the suspension notice and the fine."

Lin Tian smiled and shrugged. Like Fox, he was beginning to find the other man rather amusing!

By now, the fans in attendance and the Bulls players had fully grasped what had just happened.

Consequently, thunderous cheers, roaring shouts, and continuous, tidal waves of applause swept across the entire United Center! After his one-versus-three feat, Lin Tian received a hero's welcome!

And the ones treating him like a hero were clearly not just the Bulls fans!

After all, while the Bulls players knew Lin Tian could quickly take on three opponents and pull off a no-damage KO, what caliber of fighters were Randy Brown and Jason Haley?

And what tier were Kemp, Payton, and Johnson?

Not to mention that the last time, they only knew Lin Tian had thrashed three men, yet they hadn't witnessed how he pulled it off—after all, there weren't any surveillance cameras in the locker room, right?

Yet this time, everyone had clearly and distinctly witnessed Lin Tian's shockingly swift footwork and striking technique!

The three SuperSonics players hadn't even touched the hem of his garment before they all crashed to the ground!

A sweep! An absolute, instantaneous sweep!

Looking completely relaxed, Lin Tian strode briskly toward the player tunnel.

Rodman was the first to bound over, slapping Lin Tian on the back as he exclaimed, "Great job, Lin! Was that Chinese Kung Fu? I've never seen such dazzling fists in my life!"

"Chinese Kung Fu my foot! That's boxing! Besides, Lin's combo could definitely go compete for a world boxing title! Totally professional!" Hubie on the side immediately flashed Lin Tian a thumbs-up!

Following that, the other Bulls players crowded around, shouting all sorts of things, but every single one of them was singing Lin Tian's praises and calling him a beast!

The only one who didn't approach Lin Tian was Jordan! At that moment, Jordan was standing alone in front of the scorer's table with a somewhat awkward expression, looking as though he were deep in thought.

The moment Lin Tian laid eyes on Jordan's expression, he knew the guy wanted to swagger over and boast a bit, but his pride and arrogance held him back from taking the initiative to speak.

Since you're not coming over, I'll go to you!

"Michael, you don't have to be scared. During our practices from now on, just play however you usually play. Unless I really can't help it, I'll never lay a hand on my own brother!" Lin Tian smiled, patted Jordan on the shoulder, and flashed a genial expression.

This kid... is this supposed to be a threat to me?