Where the noise did not reach

I have some thoughts on Chapter 1.

Xu Ling suddenly opened his eyes, his head throbbing. Everything around him felt like a dream: a spacious single bed, a poster of Kobe Bryant dunking on the wall, and a bulky Nokia flip phone on the table. He rubbed his eyes, trying to remember what had happened.

"Wasn't I watching videos in my dorm room? Where am I...?"

Xu Ling glanced around and suddenly noticed a card on the table besides the flip phone. He picked it up and read: Eli Xu, Texas Tech University, class of 2006.
Texas? 2006?
Holy crap!

The usually composed Xu Ling, faced with this drastic change, immediately thought that he had been pranked.

Xu Ling got out of bed, not even noticing that his vision was higher and farther than in his previous life. He just wanted to rush to the window and yank open the curtains. A blinding flood of sunlight rushed in. He squinted and was shocked to find that what lay outside the window wasn't the familiar tree-lined path of the campus, but rather a few palm trees swaying in the wind, and in the distance, rows of detached houses of vastly different styles. This was definitely not any place in China he knew!
He began to gasp for breath, his heart pounding in his chest. A prank? What friend could pull off a prank of this scale? He lunged at the only mirror in the room—a full-length mirror hanging on the wardrobe door. The figure in the mirror froze him completely. It was a completely unfamiliar face. Although it had some Asian features, the face was more defined, the hair was slightly lighter, and the figure was noticeably taller and more robust than his own.

This is not a prank, nor is it a dream.

He recalled the plots of those novels he had read online, those unbelievable "time travel" stories. A strong, chilling sense of despair instantly enveloped him. He had truly arrived in a completely unfamiliar place, a strange time, and even, in a strange body.

Afterwards, Xu Ling returned to her dormitory.

He began to recall events before his time travel. As the all-time leading scorer in CUBA history, he led his team to the national quarterfinals but was defeated by Peking University, thus ending his CUBA career. Although his talent was limited and he had little hope of playing in the NBA, participating in the CBA draft and playing professionally for a few years would have been easy. As the undisputed greatest scorer in CUBA history, he was known as the "College Curry." In fact, his style was closer to Kobe's; it was just that his shooting range increased during his college years, and because of his lack of height, he was ironically given the nickname "Curry."

What can be done about it? Players with accurate shooting are called Curry, just like those with explosive driving ability are called James, and those who like to play one-on-one are called Kobe. These are stereotypes that the basketball world cannot escape.

Xu Ling only remembered that after losing the game, he started preparing for the CBA draft, and then he was idly scrolling through videos at night when suddenly a beam of light fell on him.

Then, it's now.

He was still Xu Ling, but the original owner of this body's memories clearly told him that he had not returned to the past, but had transmigrated and become another person.

Xu Ling, who is from Hong Kong, was predicted by experts in Hong Kong, a basketball-deficient region, to be the "Hong Kong KG" due to his early development, and was locked into the inside position too early. As a result, he stopped growing taller after the age of 15, and his height eventually settled at 198 cm. Although he has a long arm of 212 cm, it is still too difficult for him to play inside.

Even Charles Barkley himself said, "There will be another Michael Jordan, there will be another Larry Bird, but you will never see another me."

Can you question him?

The fates of Larry Johnson and Zion Williamson, the “Friend of the MILF,” all prove Sir Charles right.

Xu Ling took the wrong path, but he still worked hard and dominated Hong Kong high school basketball with his talent. He eventually attracted the attention of college basketball at last year's US Invitational Tournament and successfully entered the NCAA Division I after graduating from high school.

After filtering out his past and present lives, Xu Ling believes that his skills combined with his current body may have great potential in the future.

But who can easily let go of everything from their past life?

Amidst the chaos, Xu Ling picked up his phone, flipped it open, and after fiddling with it for a short while, anxiously turned it on to look for something, only to find that the only game on the phone was Snake.

"This damn primitive society!"

Then, the dormitory door was suddenly pushed open.

"Hey, it's Roderick Craig, your roommate. Bro, what are you doing?"

A loud voice, accompanied by a gust of wind, burst in, causing Xu Ling to abruptly look up. A burly figure appeared in the doorway, nearly two meters tall, carrying a huge Nike backpack and a basketball in his hand. A warm smile graced his face, and his tanned skin looked exceptionally healthy in the sunlight.

Xu Ling wasn't unfamiliar with people who were overly friendly, but considering his past experiences, he found it difficult to remain calm.

Therefore, he could only manage a strained reply: "Uh, hello."

Craig, oblivious to his odd behavior, tossed his backpack and basketball aside and began unpacking things from the suitcase by the door, chattering as he said, "You seem a little confused, bro. Just arrived and not used to things yet? No problem, I'll get you sorted. I see you're on your phone, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with it?"

"No problem, everything is normal." Xu Ling realized what was going on and politely introduced himself, "Xu Ling. I'm from China, you can call me Eli."

Once Xu Ling replied, it was as if he had opened a floodgate of words.

Craig enthusiastically launched into a discussion of recent pop culture, mentioning the key battle for "Pirates of the Caribbean 2" and the winner of "American Idol Season 5"—up to this point, the bewildered Xu could still somewhat understand. "Pirates of the Caribbean"? That's the representative work of that American star who accused his ex-wife of defecating in his bed, right? "American Idol"? Isn't that just a talent show? —But then, the black man asked Xu Ling if he had a "MySpace" account.

"You don't have a MySpace account?" Craig's eyes widened, as if he'd heard something bizarre. "Dude, you really need to register one! It's the hottest place right now! Everyone connects, shares music, and posts photos. Want to find a band to play? MySpace! Want to see pictures of hot girls? MySpace! Bro, you deserve it!"

Xu Ling's mind was a complete blank; he couldn't keep up with Craig's pace at all. MySpace? It sounded like a combination of Tencent, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu, but could so many functions really be handled by a single social platform?
It sounds like a software that's good at everything but bad at everything.

"I'll get an account when I have time," Xu Ling said evasively, then turned the conversation to the topic that these theoretically athletic students should be discussing most: "What are your thoughts on this year's NBA Finals?"

Although Xu Ling was still young when the NBA Finals started this year, as a basketball fan, he still had some understanding of the general situation of the modern NBA.

I thought Craig, that old black guy, would be even more excited than before, but instead, he said with a sullen face, "Black! Fuck black! David Stern robbed Dallas!"

What does this have to do with Stern?
That's what Xu Ling was thinking at the time.

Then this guy revealed his fandom with one sentence: "That bastard just wants to promote D-Wade! He doesn't like Kobe! He doesn't like high school players! But let me tell you this, it's meaningless for D-Wade to win a championship like this! Even if he wins three in a row, he still can't compare to Kobe! That guy should apologize to basketball! He needs to win a real ring!"

Xu Ling nodded, now she understood.

Kobe's fans, that's not surprising.

Unfortunately, Xu Ling belongs to the "Man, what can I say" generation. Even if he doesn't know much about Kobe, he can't help but shout "Man!" when he hears "Paul Walker Farewell Song".

So he asked, knowing the answer already, "Why? Didn't D-Wade already win the championship?"

Craig said seriously, "If you let Kobe take 16 free throws every game, he would lead the Lakers to a championship!"

Xu Ling naturally knew that Wade's free throw power was amazing in this Finals, but when faced with the specific numbers, he realized that he had underestimated Wade.

Let's make a side-by-side comparison. SGA, who was heavily criticized by Thunder fans after the 2025 Finals, only made 69 free throws in seven games, while Wade made 75 in six games in the 2006 Finals. That's an incredible free throw percentage; only Elgin Baylor in 1962 made more in the Finals in NBA history.

Xu Ling then changed the subject: "Okay, you may be right, Roderick, but the result cannot be changed. Do you have anything else to do today?"

Craig paused, then asked, "Um, nothing's wrong. Do you have any plans?"

"Let's go for a walk."

Xu Ling hasn't recovered from the PTSD of being a time traveler. He hasn't fully accepted everything, but he's already suffering from the digital dopamine addiction he's developed from being bombarded with fragmented information, short videos, and various social media platforms twenty years in the future. He can no longer tolerate the fact that there's only 2G network in his dormitory.

Two freshmen who came to Texas Tech University (hereinafter referred to as TTU) because of basketball ended up in the school's gymnasium after going around in circles.

The school basketball team will officially assemble tomorrow, giving the new students some time to adjust. Currently, most of the players in the gymnasium are students.

Roderick Craig twirled the basketball between his fingers and suddenly suggested, "Hey, Eli, how about a one-on-one game? Perfect for warming up."

Xu Ling's eyes flickered slightly. In his previous life, he would most likely have declined—his height of 188 centimeters was a huge disadvantage against such a physically imposing opponent who was nearly two meters tall. Even though he was the all-time leading scorer in CUBA history, with superb skills and an accurate shooting touch, the gap in talent was truly difficult to bridge due to the difference in physical gifts.

But the next second, a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Okay."

He agreed almost without hesitation.

Craig passed the ball to Xu Ling, who met it with his right hand, his fingers clamping together to firmly grip the ball. The basketball seemed smaller in his hand, and his control felt more solid than ever before.

Craig raised an eyebrow and exclaimed, "Wow, Eli, your hand... doesn't look like a center's hand!"

Xu Ling didn't answer, but lowered his center of gravity slightly, his gaze sweeping past Craig's shoulder and looking at the basketball hoop in the distance.

"Eli, what position do you play in China?"

"Center forward."

Craig couldn't help but feel sorry for his opponent. Although the two hadn't faced off yet, just by looking at their physical attributes, it was clear that Xu Ling was a rare talent among forwards and guards.

At the same time, he felt he was destined to win the bullfight.

Although they are the same size, he is a small forward.

A one-on-one match between a small forward and a center of similar stature would be a one-sided massacre.

Do you know the rules?

"What rules?"

"Fine, whatever, do as you please." Craig, with the good intention of not taking advantage of foreigners, gave Xu Ling the starting possession.

Xu Ling didn't mince words and even asked, "How many points does a three-pointer count?"

"2 points."

"Has it started yet?"

At that time, Xu Ling was standing a little over a meter outside the three-point line.

Craig, unsuspecting, opened his arms wide and smiled brightly, "Let's begin!"

Xu Ling made no preparations and threw the ball.

The moment he released the ball, he could confirm that his muscle memory was still there, and he still retained that shooter's instinct that came with every shot. However, his wingspan and height had changed, making this shot a bit awkward. The power seemed a little too much, but the arc was correct.

Craig looked at the ball and yelled, "Dude, even if you can't dribble, you don't have to do this!"

"Bang!!"

Before Craig could finish speaking, the ball hit the backboard and bounced into the basket.

"What great luck!" Craig exclaimed in disbelief.

Xu Ling said sincerely, "I have a little bit of experience in shooting."

"Alright, I won't hold back anymore!" Craig decided to stop giving Xu Ling shooting opportunities.

Xu Ling got the ball again, and Craig's defense was about to close in, but Xu Ling used a standard ball-handling probing step to force his defense back, while looking to the right, confusing Craig's judgment.

Just a moment!
Xu Ling took a step to the left, stopped abruptly, and jumped to shoot.

"Whoosh!!!"

Craig started to sense something was wrong and asked, "Aren't you a center?"

Xu Ling had a strange feeling in her heart.

If it were my past self, even if my shot was incredibly threatening and my technique was perfect, and I managed to shake off my opponent, they only needed one step to catch up to my two steps. Coupled with the difference in height and wingspan, it's no exaggeration to say that even if I created a one-body-length gap, I would still be at risk of being blocked.

But now, he clearly felt that Craig was a step slower than him, and his explosiveness was even greater than his opponent's. Not to mention that the two were roughly the same height, and his wingspan was even better.

In response to Craig's question, Xu Ling humbly replied, "Yes, I know my talent isn't outstanding in the US, so I trained specifically for face-up offense during the summer. What do you think?"

Craig felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly.

But they still have to be stubborn.

"Really? Then I really won't hold back this time!"

They played two games, each game scored 15 points.

The first game was still somewhat suspenseful. Xu Ling was initially adjusting to his unfamiliar body, and his several fancy dribbling attempts almost resulted in turnovers, allowing Craig to close the gap to 8-10. But when he abandoned his flashy moves and started using his most instinctive jump shot and simple drives, the situation instantly turned around.

The rest of the game became a one-sided massacre. Xu Ling's pull-up jump shot was almost unstoppable, and his explosive first step made him impossible for Craig to defend. The second game was an even more devastating defeat; Craig's prized physical strength proved clumsy and futile against Xu Ling's rhythm and technique.

That night, Xu Ling returned to his dorm after showering. The water washed away the sweat, but it couldn't wash away the turbulent thoughts in his mind. He lay on his bed, staring at the blurry shadows on the ceiling. This was the first time since his transmigration that he hadn't prayed that 'this is all just a dream.'

The touch of the basketball seemed to linger on his fingertips, and his muscles recalled the unfamiliar stretch and power of his jump shot. A completely different kind of desire, like the undercurrent beneath a dormant volcano, awakened within him.

At this moment, this thought, burning hot, was growing wildly within him.

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(End of this chapter)