Chapter 1: The Game "NBA2K Future"

"This has got to be a joke gone way too far..."
The midday news on the national television had long since ended, but Su Feng sat dumbfounded on the couch, utterly bewildered.
By now, he was certain this wasn’t some elaborate April Fool’s prank played at his expense; after all, a special feature broadcast on national television could not possibly be fake.
He had been selected by the Rockets in the NBA with the first overall pick, hailed as a Chinese basketball prodigy, and was about to join the team to start his professional career.
This was simply absurd.
Su Feng could not fathom how such an outrageous thing could happen. While he was an ardent basketball fan, his own skills were, to be honest, mediocre at best. He was just scraping the bottom even in his high school team—not to mention playing professionally in the NBA, he was only a benchwarmer on his own school’s squad.
The notion of being a basketball prodigy from China was out of the question.
It was as if all the rules of the NBA had been bypassed, as if someone had cheated.
"Could it be..." Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Su Feng, and his mouth fell open in astonishment as he considered a shocking possibility.
All these bizarre events had occurred after he registered for that game...
In the game called "NBA 2K Future," the identity he created was precisely "Chinese basketball prodigy," and he’d even received an invitation from the Rockets.
Could it be that the game had rewritten reality, allowing him to join the NBA as a prodigy from China?
Thinking it over, Su Feng could see no other explanation, but even so, it was all too incredible to believe.
Click!
While Su Feng was still in a daze, the door opened with a key, and his father, Old Su, burst in, visibly excited.
"You rascal, is it true? You’ve really been picked by the Rockets and are going to play in the NBA?" Old Su stared at Su Feng as soon as he entered, asking eagerly.
It had been an unbelievable day for Old Su as well. He was at work when suddenly everyone in the office started congratulating him on having such an outstanding son, saying that the Su family was about to produce an NBA superstar. Bewildered, Old Su soon saw the news himself: his son had been chosen by the Rockets as the number one pick and would soon be heading to the NBA as a rookie.
After recovering from the shock, Old Su hurriedly took leave from work and rushed home to question Su Feng.

"I..."
Faced with his father, Su Feng found himself at a loss for words. If he told the truth, his father would probably think he’d lost his mind and insist on sending him to a psychiatric hospital.
Knock, knock, knock.
Just as Su Feng was struggling to come up with an explanation, a knock sounded at the door, announcing the arrival of guests.
Old Su opened the door to find several impeccably dressed foreigners standing outside, holding documents and accompanied by an interpreter.
"Mr. Su Feng, we are managers from the Houston Rockets. We’re here to pick you up," said the blond man in the lead, smiling in fluent English as the interpreter quickly translated his words.
Su Feng and his father were instantly frozen in shock.
…
A week later, on a flight bound for Houston, USA.
Su Feng stared blankly out the airplane window at the endless blue sky and drifting clouds, his mind racing.
Everything that had happened over the past week felt like the universe was playing a prank on him. A week ago, he had inexplicably been chosen by the Rockets as the first overall pick. When the NBA managers arrived at his home with the contract, he’d been so overwhelmed by the thought of all that money—twelve million dollars over four years—that, encouraged by his father’s excitement, he’d impulsively signed.
Now he was sitting on a plane arranged by the Rockets, flying to Houston for training camp.
The news had set off a firestorm in both China and the United States. Soon, under the relentless scrutiny of the media, every detail of Su Feng’s life had been unearthed. Basketball fans everywhere were in an uproar: an eighteen-year-old high school student who had never played a professional game and was a benchwarmer even on his school team—what reason did the Rockets have to select him to play in the NBA?
Chinese basketball fans were plunged into despair, convinced this would be the ultimate national embarrassment. Once Su Feng began training in Houston, his lack of skill would be exposed, and Chinese basketball would become the laughingstock of NBA history.
If the reaction in China was intense, it was nothing compared to the uproar in the United States. From what Su Feng had gathered, American fans were already in an uproar, especially those of the Houston Rockets. They were convinced there was a massive conspiracy behind the selection and were protesting against the NBA. Furious Rockets fans had already organized several demonstrations against the team’s management.
At this very moment, the Rockets’ executives were likely at their wits’ end, not knowing what to do.
"I must have been out of my mind to sign that contract..." Su Feng now felt nothing but regret. He had never seen so much money in his life, and when the managers came with the contract, he’d been stunned by the four-year, twelve-million-dollar offer. Spurred on by his father’s encouragement, he’d thrown caution to the wind and signed his name.
Now that the excitement had faded, all that remained was a sense of dread.
When the plane landed in Houston and he arrived at the Rockets’ training facility, his true abilities would surely be revealed.

What would become of him then?
Would he really become, as the internet predicted, the greatest laughingstock in NBA history, immortalized for all the wrong reasons?
Would he be accused of fraud? Would he end up in jail?
He’d heard American law could be very strict.
"NBA 2K Future, you’re my only hope now. Since you made it possible for me to join the Rockets as a rookie in the NBA, you can save me, right? Please, show up. You have to save me."
Terrified, Su Feng placed all his hopes in the game that had made this reality possible.
[Game configuration complete.]
[Congratulations, player! You have become a Rockets player as the number one pick. Begin your legendary NBA journey.]
[Main quest unlocked: The Legend Begins Now.]
[System Training Space is now open to you.]
As Su Feng pleaded desperately, the virtual interface of NBA 2K Future suddenly appeared in his mind, and a voice from the game echoed in his head.
Immediately, Su Feng felt his consciousness pulled into a vast arena, and he found himself donned in a familiar uniform, just like a character in the game.
"Virtual reality? This is incredible!"
Staring in awe at the magnificent basketball court, Su Feng was stunned—this exceeded everything he understood about the world.
Clearly, this game system was no ordinary thing. It possessed abilities far beyond the norm; perhaps it really could make him a basketball superstar, a living NBA legend.
Immersed in the virtual arena, Su Feng was left with only a single thought in his mind.