“Scored!”
“Another one!”
“Three points!”
“Another three-pointer!”
Students gathered in the performance center watched in disbelief as Darnell scored again and again, leaving them in a mix of shock and admiration.
This was one man’s basketball game, a one-man show, and an absolute visual feast.
In less than ten minutes, Shawn and his teammates had lost all confidence, completely overwhelmed by Darnell’s relentless assault.
It was clear to them that Darnell’s skill was beyond what could be described as professional. He was a freak of nature that simply shouldn’t exist.
His speed, strength, and jumping ability could leave them scrambling, and even if Darnell didn’t go on the offensive, simply standing under the basket made it impossible for them to win.
Faced with a hopeless game, Shawn and the others had no morale left to fight back. After Darnell racked up a score of twenty to zero, they surrendered any pretense of competition and began to go through the motions.
Darnell showed no mercy, tossing the ball through the hoop one after another.
Three points!
Three points!
Another three points!
“Beep-”
Ten minutes later, the referee blew the whistle. Forty to zero. The glaring score felt like a whip, striking hard at Shawn and his team.
Lisa’s face was equally grim, her heart filled with anger as she muttered under her breath, “This isn’t right. This isn’t right at all.”
The crowd fell silent, many looking at Darnell with complex expressions. They didn’t want Darnell to win, but the reality was undeniable.
While they felt frustrated with Shawn for not performing well, they also harbored some resentment towards Darnell for not giving the University of Whiteville any face.
“Bang!”
At that moment, Darnell slammed the basketball against Shawn, causing the latter to stumble and nearly fall, only to be steadied by a few teammates.
Shawn glared at Darnell, his initial bravado replaced by indignation. Outmatched, he could only endure.
“I told you, it’s not personal, but you guys really are a bunch of trash.”
Darnell reminded him, “Don’t forget about the bet. You’re all supposed to slap yourselves four times.”
“Bastard, what did you say? Who are you calling trash?”
Shawn, refusing to slap himself, seized the opportunity to shout, “Are you humiliating us? Do you think you can do whatever you want at the University of Whiteville?”
“Brothers, let’s take him down!”
Under Shawn’s incitement, a dozen people charged at Darnell, ready to throw punches.
“Bang, bang, bang!”
Darnell didn’t even need to lift a finger. Seven or eight members of the Brigade of Light quickly stepped forward, grabbing one person on each side.
They lifted Shawn and his gang like carrying puppies, shaking them in the air. “No disturbances allowed!”
Shawn and the others struggled but were quickly overpowered, their movements restricted by the firm grip around their necks.
Darnell tilted his head, instructing, “Throw them out!”
Immediately, Shawn and his companions were tossed out of the performance center, rolling down the steps and landing on the ground, howling in pain.
As they scrambled to get back inside, the Brigade of Light blocked their way, preventing them from re-entering the performance center.
Darnell cracked his neck and took a swig from a bottle of water he had taken from Karlee’s handbag.
Seeing this, Lisa yelled, “What are you doing? Why are you hitting students? They still need to perform!”
She pointed at Darnell, scolding, “If anyone should be thrown out, it’s that jerk. Are you security blind?”
“I’ll report you to the vice principal and have all of you fired!”
Thinking the guards were from the school’s security team, she was verbally reckless. Then she pointed at Darnell, “And you, get lost.”
Karlee couldn’t hold back any longer and shot Lisa a stern look. “Lisa, stop embarrassing yourself.”
“If you keep stirring up trouble, we might as well not be friends anymore.”
Lisa was taken aback and shouted, “Karlee, I’m your best friend! How can you say that for an outsider?”
“I’ll say it again, Darnell is not an outsider. He’s my boyfriend.”
Karlee’s face showed a hint of authority. “If you’re disrespectful to him, you’re being disrespectful to me. This is my final warning.”
“If you disrespect Darnell again, I won’t care about our friendship anymore.”
A smirk crossed her face. “Don’t think I don’t know that you were the one who incited Shawn to stir up trouble.”
“Karlee, you’re wronging me-”
Lisa fumed but didn’t dare say more, fully aware of Karlee’s strong personality.
Darnell walked over to Karlee, feigning innocence. “Babe, thanks for having my back. Otherwise, I’d really be getting bullied.”
While speaking, he wrapped an arm around Karlee’s waist and glanced at Lisa, pulling out a box of condoms. “Tonight, I’ll take good care of you.”
“Let’s give this ultra-thin thing a try.”
Karlee’s expression darkened, nearly ready to explode.
Lisa was equally furious, wishing she could tear Darnell to shreds.
As Karlee broke free from Darnell’s grasp and returned to the stage, a group of well-dressed individuals appeared at the entrance, led by Alexander.
Trailing behind him was a dejected Shawn. The Brigade of Light guards attempted to block them, but Darnell shook his head. This was a university, and things couldn’t get too out of hand.
“Karlee, Lisa, what’s going on?”
Alexander completely ignored Darnell’s presence. “Why is Shawn’s face all bruised? He won’t say anything when I ask him-what a waste.”
Shawn’s mouth twitched. He ducked his head in silence.
Before Lisa could respond, Karlee spoke coldly, “He brought it on himself.”
Darnell turned to Shawn with a grin. “By the way, you still owe me four slaps. Are you coming, or should I?”
Shawn instinctively shrank back into the crowd, his eyes flickering with fear.
“It’s you. What are you doing here?”
Only then did Alexander seem to notice Darnell, his narrow eyes lighting up. “Are you here to bother Karlee again?”
“Do you have any idea how big of a mess you made last time at Vantage? Did you know you’re on the Axe’s blacklist?”
He took a step closer, whispering fiercely in Darnell’s ear, “If I hadn’t hired someone to take out Samuel, you’d have been torn apart by the Axe long ago.”
“Pfft!”
Darnell, mid-sip of water, was so shocked that he spat it all over the floor, then looked at Alexander with interest.
Alexander stood tall, exuding an air of mystery. “Why? Don’t believe me? Go ahead and ask around if Samuel is really dead.”
“I’m doing you a favor by keeping you safe and letting you enjoy fine wine and beautiful women. You’re not grateful and instead, come here to cause trouble?”
Alexander’s voice turned icy as he continued, “Don’t you think you’re being ungrateful?”
“So it was Mr. Chavez who took out Samuel!”
Darnell suddenly raised his voice, loud enough for everyone to hear. “No wonder no one is looking for trouble with me. Mr. Chavez is truly impressive.”
“You managed to deal with an important figure from the Axe. I’m impressed. This time, I’m really impressed.”
Darnell looked up at Alexander with admiration and even bowed slightly. “Thank you, Mr. Chavez, for taking out Samuel and keeping Karlee and me safe.”
All eyes in the room, including those of Lisa and Karlee, turned to Alexander.
Alexander’s smile instantly faded, realizing he had bragged a bit too much…