Chapter 79 - 78: Catching the Ball with Life

Chapter 79: Chapter 78: Catching the Ball with Life ... "Wow—A jump smash, so cool and flashy!" Cheers erupted from the sidelines. The jump smash is the pinnacle of badminton skills, bar none! Most amateur players might never truly master a proper jump smash, even if they play their whole lives. As the name implies, a jump smash involves leaping high into the air, suspending your body as if you’re a taut bow, and then striking with a ferocious smash! It’s the ultimate move in badminton, akin to a thunderous dunk in basketball. The coolest! The most thrilling! The most blood-pumping! The absolute peak of spectacle! "Too slow!" Yan Xiaobao sneered dismissively as he effortlessly dodged to the side. "Change serve, 5 to 1," announced the referee, awarding the point to Li Zhigang. "Hey!" Yan Xiaobao protested, "He clearly didn’t hit me—how does he get the point?" The referee: "..." Li Zhigang: "..." Ye Shanshan: "..." The onlookers: "..." Does this guy think he’s playing dodgeball? Does he think the purpose of badminton is to hit people? They had seen strange players before, but never someone this absurd. It was as if words couldn’t even describe his ridiculousness... After a thorough explanation by Ye Shanshan, Yan Xiaobao finally understood how to score in badminton—by hitting the shuttlecock into the opponent’s court. But he found this incredibly dull and still thought aiming to hit people was way more fun. Li Zhigang, leading 5 to 1, served again. This time, to avoid giving Yan Xiaobao an opportunity to smash, Li Zhigang played a drop shot. The shuttlecock skimmed over the net, barely making it before beginning to fall. In badminton strategy, a shuttlecock that drops after crossing the net is considered an offensive move. On the other hand, if the shuttlecock rises after crossing the net, it gives the opponent a chance to attack, forcing you into a defensive stance. Therefore, in high-level matches, neither player wants to give the other an easy chance to attack, so they aim for shots that drop sharply after crossing the net. Under normal circumstances, there’s no way to launch an immediate attack against such a serve from Li Zhigang. Players would either opt for a net shot duel or clear the shuttle to the opponent’s backcourt to increase their attack distance. But Yan Xiaobao was clearly no ordinary person. He smirked coldly and, like drawing a blade, abruptly swung his racket crosswise from behind his back. "BANG!" Another deafening boom rang out like a fireworks explosion. "AHHH—" Li Zhigang let out an agonized scream, clutching his stomach as he squatted down on the ground. "You think the net can stop me from hitting you? How naïve, hahaha!" Yan Xiaobao burst into triumphant laughter. The referee, Ye Shanshan, and all the spectators were so shocked that they could no longer be shocked any further... Because... just now, Yan Xiaobao’s shot had broken through the net and struck Li Zhigang! "A monster! He broke the net with his shot—oh my god!" "Scary, this is terrifying! Hitting the shuttle into the net is common enough, but... but hitting the entire thing through the net, how is that even possible...?" "Exactly! The net’s mesh is smaller than a shuttlecock—how much power does he need to make that happen? This is utterly horrifying..." "Fault... 6 to 1..." This time, without waiting for Ye Shanshan to intervene, the referee explained to Yan Xiaobao, "If the shuttle goes through the net’s eyelets or underneath it, it’s a fault. The shuttle must pass above the net." "Referee, I protest! This kid is clearly committing assault!" Li Zhigang stood up clutching his stomach, his face pale. That previous shot had hit his lower abdomen at close range. Although he was a professional athlete with well-developed abs, even he couldn’t withstand such a brutal blow from Yan Xiaobao. "Well..." The referee thought about it and dismissed Li Zhigang’s protest. "In badminton, body target shots are a common technical maneuver and not a violation—unless he uses his body or racket to intentionally attack you." Li Zhigang had no choice but to continue the match. He was still leading 6 to 1, but far from the first-game target of 21 points. Once again, Li Zhigang went for another drop shot, confident that Yan Xiaobao, now aware of the rules, would steer clear of breaking the net this time. But what he hadn’t expected was... The moment the shuttle left his racket, Yan Xiaobao had already moved. Before the shuttle even crossed the net, Yan Xiaobao had smacked it straight back. "ARGH—" Li Zhigang dropped to the ground immediately. The close-range speed of that shot made him feel like he’d been hit by a bullet. He shivered in pain, drenched in cold sweat, unable to get up for a long time. "Fault... 7 to 1..." The referee was nearly speechless. "Listen, young man, can’t you at least read the badminton rulebook before playing? When a player’s racket, body, or clothing touches the net or its supports during the match, it’s a fault. Intruding into the opponent’s court with your racket or body at any degree is also a fault. Obstructing your opponent or impeding their legal shot is yet another fault..." The referee rattled off a whole list, practically reciting the entire badminton rulebook. "Alright, I got it! I definitely won’t break the rules again." Yan Xiaobao pointed at Li Zhigang, who was still squatting on the ground, and asked, "Referee, him stubbornly staying down doesn’t count as a fault, does it?" The referee turned to Li Zhigang, "Can you continue the match? If not, it’ll be counted as a forfeit." "Wait..." Li Zhigang called for a teammate to bring him a can of Yunnan Baiyao spray, doused himself liberally to alleviate the pain, and grit his teeth to keep playing. By now, Yan Xiaobao had fully learned the rules of badminton—and had also mastered an entirely "satisfying" way to play. By "satisfying," it meant... Li Zhigang was in immense pain, while Yan Xiaobao reveled in joy... "AHH—" Li Zhigang got hit square in the head. "Ouch!" His abdomen took another direct hit. "ARGH—" Li Zhigang collapsed again... The referee and all the onlookers were utterly dumbfounded. The very concept of badminton had been obliterated. "Is this... is this even badminton by Earth standards?" "How is this guy so fast... Every shot barely clears the net, and he seals it before it even reaches the other side. Is this Nima the Flash playing badminton?" "Fast! This is insane... Look at that shuttle speed—it must’ve broken records. Even Fu Haifeng couldn’t smash at this velocity..." Among all ball sports, badminton holds the record for the fastest projectile speed. The world record for a tennis serve is held by Karlović from Croatia at 251 km/h. Meanwhile, Fu Haifeng’s record-breaking badminton smash speed was 332 km/h. Yet the way Yan Xiaobao smashed, it felt like he was pushing the limits of sound... "It’s tragic, utterly tragic... Li Zhigang, he’s... he’s putting his life on the line to return these shots..." "If this continues, is Li Zhigang going to be killed by a shuttlecock?" ... [Fu Haifeng is the most aggressive smasher in human history and one of the author’s idols. He won 18 championships for China, including two Olympic gold medals in London and Rio! A shoutout to the idol here!] ...