“What was that?” Wang Zhelin stumbled back, staring wide-eyed at the empty air above the hoop.
“Great.
Now I’m hearing voices.” He shook his head violently, taking a deep breath to steady his pulse.
There’s no way this place is haunted.
We’re in the 21st century!
Then again…
I just transmigrated into a 2.10-meter future MVP.
If that can happen, anything is possible.
“Veteran Inheritance System binding complete.
Would the host like to initialize?” The monotone, electronic prompt resonated directly inside his head.
Wang Zhelin froze.
“Who’s there?
Show yourself!” “Veteran Inheritance System binding complete.
Would the host like to initialize?” The repetition was completely flat, lacking any human inflection.
Wang Zhelin’s anger flared, then immediately evaporated into sheer disbelief.
A system?
He swallowed hard, forcing his heart rate down.
In his past life, he had written nearly a million words of web fiction.
He knew the tropes inside and out.
“Initialize!” he said aloud, his voice trembling slightly.
“Command received.
System initialization complete.
Scanning host physical profile and skill attributes…” A translucent interface resembling a video game attribute menu expanded across his field of vision.
PLAYER PROFILE Name: Wang Zhelin (Lin Bei) Age: 17 Position: Center Height: 210 cm (~6’10.5″) Weight: 105 kg (~231 lbs) Wingspan: 214 cm (~7’0.25″) PHYSICAL & HIDDEN ATTRIBUTES Lower Body Strength: 60 Upper Body Strength: 49 Agility: 51 Vertical Leap: 45 Stamina: 47 Durability / Injury Resistance: 45 OFFENSIVE SKILLS Close Shot: 36 Layups: 58 Mid-Range Shooting: 44 Three-Point Shooting: 25 Dunking: 51 Passing Vision & Accuracy: 32 Ball Handling: 45 Free Throw: 55 DEFENSIVE SKILLS Perimeter Defense: 25 Interior Defense: 31 Rebounding: 51 Block: 38 Steal: 25 OVERALL RATING: 43 (Scale: 25–99) “Holy…” Wang Zhelin stared at the numerical breakdown.
He knew cheat codes were standard issue for transmigrators, but looking at his actual attributes, his excitement quickly turned into a cold reality check.
His highest attribute was Lower Body Strength at a 60—barely functional for a high-level interior player.
For an elite center playing against international or NBA-caliber big men, that was nowhere near sufficient.
His vertical leap, agility, and upper body strength were all strictly average for a teenager his size.
No wonder the original Wang Zhelin struggled to make the leap to the NBA, he realized.
Standing 2.10 meters with a 214cm wingspan is great for domestic competition, but in the NBA, a wingspan that barely exceeds your height puts you at a physical disadvantage against athletic interior defenders.
His eyes scrolled down to the bottom.
Perimeter defense, steal, and three-point shooting were all sitting at 25—the bare minimum rating on the scale.
“System Note: The host’s true baseline for steals, perimeter mobility, and deep shooting fell below the absolute system floor of 25.
Values have been adjusted upward to 25 to meet baseline standards.” Wang Zhelin’s jaw dropped.
You’re telling me my real rating was lower than the minimum?
Are you charity-scaling me?
“The system communicates directly with the host’s conscious mind,” the voice replied inside his head.
“You may communicate verbally or via thought.” Fine, Wang Zhelin thought back.
Can I mute you when I don’t need you?
“Yes.” Good.
Now, where did this system come from?
Did you pull me into this world?
Can I go back?
“Query unauthorized.
Information unavailable.” “Query unauthorized.
Information unavailable.” Wang Zhelin winced at the repetitive monotone.
Great, a budget UI.
Let’s try something practical: what does this system actually do?
How does it help me improve?
“The system operates two primary functions: Personal Profile and Legacy Draw.
Please review the interface specifications.” Wang Zhelin focused his mind on the second tab, reading through the mechanics.
The Legacy Draw allowed him to pull player cards to inherit specific skills, attributes, and physical traits from past and present basketball icons.
Draws were categorized into five tiers based on cost: Bronze Tier (10,000 Fan Points): Max attribute cap of 60.
Select 1 specific attribute to inherit.
Black Iron Tier (100,000 Fan Points): Max attribute cap of 70.
Select 3 specific attributes to inherit.
Silver Tier (1,000,000 Fan Points): Max attribute cap of 80.
Select 6 specific attributes to inherit.
Gold Tier (10,000,000 Fan Points): Max attribute cap of 90.
Select 12 specific attributes plus 1 physical trait.
Purple Diamond Tier (100,000,000 Fan Points): Full inheritance of all attributes, tendencies, and physical traits from the target card.
The numbers made Wang Zhelin’s throat feel dry.
One hundred million points for a full inheritance?
That’s astronomical!
He quickly analyzed the point generation mechanics.
According to the system, points were accumulated based on public awareness and engagement.
Wait, Wang Zhelin mentally posited.
Does negative attention count?
If critics, trolls, or rival fans post about me, do their interactions still generate points?
Controversy generates attention, right?
Silence stretched across his mind for several seconds.
The interface flickered briefly.
“Rule adjustment in progress…
Check complete.
Fan Point mechanics updated: Points are generated exclusively through positive engagement, respect, and fan devotion.
Hater engagement, negative criticism, and hostile attention will generate zero points.” Wang Zhelin stared at the floating text, feeling an urge to facepalm.
I just closed my own loophole, he thought bitterly.
Why did I have to open my mouth?
Before he could process his mistake, the interface pulsed again.
“System anomaly detected.
Host logic query identified a structural oversight in point generation.
Recalibrating system protocol…
System update initiated.
Estimated time: 3 minutes.
Please wait.
Compensation package will be awarded upon restart.” The translucent screen dissolved into thin air, leaving Wang Zhelin standing alone on his sunny backyard court with a basketball at his feet.