Chapter 154: Seven-Ball System World Record

Chapter 154: The Seven-Ball World Record

"Breaking the record?"

Meng Fan had truly never considered this. Before his rebirth, he had no experience in sports competitions, and even after acquiring his supernatural hand speed and throwing precision, the thought had never crossed his mind. Subconsciously, the idea of shattering a record felt worlds away.

Yet, prompted by Da Fei, Meng Fan realized it was not far off at all.

The individual event record for the CGL Basketball Championship was... Meng Fan had checked it before but hadn't committed it to memory. He used his livestreaming assistant's internet function to look it up again: 837 points. This was the officially recognized world record for the seven-ball arcade basketball machine, set by a player from Taiwan.

There was also an officially recognized nine-ball record of 1024 points, set by another player from Taiwan, though not during a CGL event, as that tournament only utilized the seven-ball format.

837 points. Meng Fan had never hit that score; his personal best was somewhere in the 830s. While he hadn't reached it yet, the score was by no means impossible for him.

Indeed, as Da Fei suggested, if he could break this record—the world record—then media coverage would be a certainty.

Perhaps even more than that.

"Bro, you aren't actually thinking about breaking the record, are you?" Seeing Meng Fan lost in deep thought, Da Fei felt a sudden tremor of apprehension.

Meng Fan confirmed, "The record is 837, right?" Seeing Da Fei nod, he smiled and said, "Then I'll give it my best."

"Give it your best?"

Da Fei was stunned. Was this something you could just "give your best" at?

But upon reflection, he realized this guy actually had a real shot at it.

Before the competition began, Meng Fan had spent time livestreaming as he swept through the records at nearby arcades. Da Fei had watched plenty of these sessions, which was why he felt Meng Fan’s potential was bottomless; he had no idea what kind of scores this guy could actually produce.

Previously, Da Fei thought Meng Fan could hit eight hundred. Then, just moments ago, he hit 827—far stronger than he had imagined.

He had expected him to break eight hundred, maybe reach 810, but he had exceeded that by seventeen points.

While it becomes exponentially harder to improve once you hit a certain threshold—especially in a competitive environment where most people’s personal bests are achieved during casual practice—Da Fei felt that for Meng Fan, it didn't seem quite so difficult.

We shall see. Who knows what might happen!

The second round of the CGL Basketball Championship’s Hangzhou individual city qualifier began. Ten people had advanced, and the second round consisted of three rounds of play, with the two lowest-scoring players eliminated after each.

Regardless of your previous scores, only the current round mattered, demanding peak performance under pressure.

After the first round, Meng Fan once again hit a high score of 820+, though he didn't surpass his previous 827, landing at 822. It was clear that even Meng Fan could not guarantee a perfect performance every time.

Da Fei, however, was eliminated with the lowest score in that round.

Da Fei felt no frustration. To be honest, making it to the second round was lucky enough; he had barely scraped in at tenth place.

Once eliminated, Da Fei squatted on the sidelines to cheer for Meng Fan. He had never seen a record broken in person; the anticipation made him strangely excited.

That’s my bro, he thought, feeling a sense of reflected glory!

In the second round, Meng Fan hit 825.

In the third, he hit 831!

Once the second round began, the audience’s eyes were fixed almost entirely on Meng Fan. The competition had become his personal show.

"Do I have a feeling something huge is going to happen at the Hangzhou leg this year?"

The organizers were huddled together, hands clasped, faces flushed with excitement and joy.

When Meng Fan finished his third throw, the group of organizers let out a long sigh, their faces still glowing with excitement, yet tinged with a hint of disappointment.

They knew exactly what it meant for Meng Fan’s score to climb higher, and they knew how difficult the record was to break. But perhaps, like Da Fei, they inexplicably believed Meng Fan possessed the strength to challenge it.

"There's still the third round!"

The organizers grew expectant once more.

After the second round, six people were eliminated, leaving four to enter the finals.

The individual second round was followed by the second rounds of the men’s doubles and mixed doubles, which served as the championship matches for those categories. These events had fewer participants and less prestige than the individual event, which was rightfully saved for the grand finale.

Over an hour passed. The doubles champions were crowned, and like the individual event, only one spot for the provincial finals was awarded.

Determined to break the record, Meng Fan didn't wander off during the hour-long break, choosing instead to stay in the rest area to conserve his energy for the final showdown.

Four players advanced to the championship round. The format required three attempts, with the highest score counting. To take the title, the final score had to be spectacular.

Before stepping up, Meng Fan consumed an energy drink. The first two rounds had proven he had the potential to break the record, but doing so on the main stage was difficult. He needed the drink to push his competitive state to its absolute peak.

"He's out, he's finally out!"

"I must be bored out of my mind to have waited in this livestream for over an hour!"

"Even though I knew Meng Fatty would win, I still wanted to see the moment."

As he appeared on screen again, the sparse chat suddenly surged with activity.

"It's starting!"

"Do you guys notice something off about Meng Fatty?"

"Is he fatter?"

"Has his aura changed?"

"He looks more serious."

"Why do I feel like the arena should be playing background music right now?"

"The Cardcaptor Sakura 'Seal Release' theme? Hahaha!"

"Sailor Moon’s transformation music would be more fitting!"

"I was going to suggest the 'Knife Gang' overture, but looking at your choices... never mind!"

The livestream was lively, but the arena was deathly silent.

Meng Fan pressed the start button. After the energy drink, he was in peak condition—his touch exquisite, his hand speed extraordinary. He cleared the first stage with 272 points!

Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish.

Every eye in the arena was locked on Meng Fan. It was as if the sounds of the other players had been muted, leaving only the rhythmic sound of basketballs snapping through the nets.

822, 825, 828, 831, 834, 837!

As the score hit 837, the organizers’ hands were squeezed so tightly they were nearly crushed.

There were two seconds left!

Swish!

Another ball went in: 840 points!

Two seconds remained!

Hoo!

Suddenly, everyone heard Meng Fan exhale. The sound was faint, but everyone was certain they had heard it.

Then, they saw Meng Fan stop shooting, turn around, and pump his fist!

BOOM!

The scene erupted in a frenzy!

(End of this chapter)