The moment the referee tossed the ball into the air, Uozumi Jun extended his long arm, and the ball landed steadily in Uekusa's hands.
Ryonan's first wave of offense was like a drawn blade, so fast that Joko High School's players hadn't even found their footing.
Uekusa dribbled the ball forward, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gu Jin had already cut into the paint; he flicked his wrist and passed the ball.
Kise Tatsuto was about to stick close, but Gu Jin faked a shoulder drop, throwing him off balance—the moment Gu Jin received the ball, his right foot stomped hard towards the free-throw line, his rising knee forming an arc with a wind-breaking momentum, and he launched himself off the ground like an arrow released from a bow.
"Bang!"
The thunderous sound of the one-handed dunk made the backboard hum, and as Gu Jin descended, the aftershock of the rim still vibrated on his fingertips.
Kise Tatsuto was pushed back half a step by this imposing aura, and the look in his eyes at the number 17 jersey on Gu Jin's back had changed from initial resentment to terror.
2:0.
Joko High School's offense was in disarray.
Mizusawa Yu was intercepted by Sendoh as he dribbled past half-court; Sendoh's speed on the fast break was even faster than a soccer forward's sprint, and just as he was about to lay up, he suddenly tossed the ball into the air.
Gu Jin cut in like a leopard, jumping from near the free-throw arc, his whole body stretching out in mid-air; he accurately caught the basketball with his right hand and, facing the recovering Fujita Go, slammed the ball into the hoop!
Another dunk! 4:0.
The cheers from the stands almost blew the roof off, and Taoka Moichi stroked his chin, nodding, a hint of admiration hidden in his eyes.
Joko's players started to become agitated, especially Kise Tatsuto; the look in his eyes at Gu Jin seemed to spit fire.
"Scum, still daring to show off, bullying Mikuriko; I will definitely make your life hell." Thinking of this, Kise's eyes grew even colder.
"Gu Jin, that number 10 seems to have a lot of animosity towards you," Sendoh asked casually during a break in serving the ball. "Did you have a grudge in middle school?"
"I've never seen him," Gu Jin's voice was flat. "He probably mistook me for someone else."
Sure enough, in the next offensive possession for Ryonan, Gu Jin received the ball on the right wing, crossed over, blew past Kise, and instantly drove into the paint.
Kise Tatsuto spun around sharply, his eyes bloodshot, and charged towards Gu Jin.
At this moment, Gu Jin had already jumped, holding the ball with his right hand, preparing to complete a layup.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Kise's posture, which was clearly not for defense; he was charging straight at Gu Jin's supporting leg—he wanted to cripple him!
"Despicable!"
Gu Jin's heart tightened; there was no time to adjust his posture in mid-air, but his body instinctively reacted a step sooner.
The moment Kise's shoulder collided with his left leg, causing him to lose balance, the basketball in his right hand flew out, but his left arm, like an iron pincer, sharply hooked around Kise's neck in the opposite direction, and his entire body, using the momentum of the fall, pulled back hard!
It unconsciously formed one of the most lethal moves in wrestling—the RKO!
"Whoa—!" A deafening gasp instantly erupted from the stands; everyone was stunned by the sudden scene and stood up.
"Bang!"
The moment the two forces collided, Gu Jin used the momentum to pull Kise's neck down hard.
With a muffled thud, Kise's forehead hit the floor heavily, and his entire body instantly went limp like a broken stick, not even letting out a groan before falling silent.
And Gu Jin, using the counter-force of the pull, also fell heavily, his body, which should have flown horizontally, now crashing down; however, with Kise's counter-force, much of the impact was absorbed.
Nevertheless, Gu Jin still lay on the ground, not daring to move.
Because a sharp, stabbing pain occasionally shot through his left leg, making his heart sink—the moment Kise collided with him, he even heard a slight sound from his knee.
He closed his eyes, trying to calm the dazed dizziness from the fall, and cold sweat on his forehead slid down his cheek into his collar.
He didn't dare to move his body easily, fearing that he had truly injured a bone or ligament, and rash movements would only worsen the injury.
Although that unconscious RKO had absorbed most of the impact, the landing still put considerable pressure on his body, coupled with the force of Kise's shoulder hitting his left leg hard, his entire leg was now faintly numb, as if countless needles were pricking it simultaneously.
"Hiss—" Gu Jin gasped, taking a sharp breath. He turned his head to look at Kise, who was lying motionless on the ground, his eyes cold.
That last move was entirely unconscious self-preservation; if he hadn't made that instinctive move, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"Whistle! That's a flagrant foul!" Taoka Moichi's angry roar followed immediately; he slammed his tactics board onto the ground. "He tried to cripple him!"
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
The referee's sharp whistle cut through the gymnasium's clamor; he rushed to the two players to check on their condition, then, with a pale face, pointed at Kise: "Malicious injury! Technical foul!"
Even though Gu Jin's final move was astonishing, anyone with eyes could see that Kise had initiated the malicious collision.
Moreover, Gu Jin was also lying heavily on the ground, not daring to move.
Sendoh and Uozumi rushed over immediately, crouching beside Gu Jin, their voices filled with anxiety: "How are you? Can you move?"
Sakuragi Hanamichi, like a lit firecracker, roared and charged onto the court, pointing at Kise on the ground, about to rush over, but Ikegami grabbed him.
Shimamura Yoko also rushed onto the court with red eyes, wanting to help Gu Jin up.
"Don't move him!" Ryonan's team doctor also rushed over, immediately kneeling down to examine Gu Jin's injuries. "Don't exert yourself yet, let me check the situation."
On the other side, Joko High School's team doctor frantically rushed to Kise's side, his fingers trembling as he flipped his eyelids and checked his breathing, then, with a deathly pale face, shouted: "Neck injury! He's unconscious! Call an ambulance quickly!"
This shout was like a thunderclap, instantly causing the gymnasium to erupt into chaos.
"That's so dirty! He was aiming for the person!"
"That Kise isn't dead, is he?"
"He deserved it! He was going for the injury."
"Gu Jin's reaction just now was incredible, a direct counter-kill; I've seen that move in American wrestling, I think it's called RKO!"
"What time is it, and you're still talking about wrestling? That was Gu Jin's unconscious move."
"Oh my god, is Gu Jin okay? Why is he still lying there motionless?"
The discussions, accusations, exclamations, and worries from the stands intertwined, while in Joko High School's resting area, Aino Mikuriko looked at Kise being urgently treated by the team doctor, then stared intently at Gu Jin, who was lying on the ground and hadn't gotten up, a twisted expectation flashing in her eyes.
But when she saw that Gu Jin was only pale and didn't appear to be seriously injured or about to faint, that bit of expectation instantly turned into resentment, and she suddenly cursed in her heart: "Useless! Can't even do this much!"
Taoka Moichi paced back and forth anxiously, and seeing the team doctor examining Gu Jin, he couldn't help but ask loudly: "How is he? Is Gu Jin seriously injured?"
The team doctor carefully moved Gu Jin's ankle and knee; seeing that he only frowned in pain and showed no violent resistance, he breathed a slight sigh of relief and looked up at Taoka, saying: "For now, his bones seem fine, it might be a soft tissue contusion, but the exact situation will only be known after X-rays at the hospital. He's not moving now because he's afraid of worsening the injury, which is very prudent."
Gu Jin gritted his teeth and tried to gently move his left foot's toes. Although there was still pain, he could finally feel some strength, and his heart eased slightly.
He took a deep breath, cold sweat on his forehead making his hair sticky, and said in a low voice: "I... I'll try to get up and see."