Super Doctor - Chapter 88

Early in the morning, Xu Ze still hadn’t fully recovered from yesterday’s adrenaline-fueled street racing. In the virtual space, over ten grueling hours had passed, during which the diligent Xiao Dao had used thirteen different vehicle models to train Xu Ze comprehensively.

The training covered everything—sports cars, sedans, off-road vehicles, heavy trucks, tractors, motorcycles… even military armored vehicles and amphibious transports.

What’s more, Xiao Dao shamelessly simulated over 138 potential accident scenarios, including collisions, pedestrian impacts, road collapses, falling rocks, gunfire, and even rocket attacks—all to rigorously test Xu Ze’s reflexes behind the wheel. Only when Xu Ze could react swiftly to each crisis did the training finally end.

Xu Ze’s poor nerves had endured the most brutal trial of his life. By the time he opened his eyes and woke up, he was silently grateful for his own mental resilience. With a life-threatening hazard every three minutes and a failed evasion every ten, the relentless simulation had lasted ten full hours—culminating in 68 crashes. That he emerged from the virtual space with his sanity intact was nothing short of a miracle.

Standing on the balcony, he took several deep breaths, forcing himself to readjust to reality and shed the constant tension of anticipating sudden attacks or traps.

Today was Saturday, and the second round of the group’s basketball tournament was about to begin—meaning Xu Ze would soon step onto the court.

The morning match pitted the Journalism Department against the Surveying and Mapping Department. The latter hadn’t made it to the semifinals in the past two years, but rumors suggested they had recruited a formidable newcomer this season, allowing them to defeat the traditionally strong Economics and Management team.

However, their luck in the draw had been terrible. After taking down Economics and Management, they had expected to face the Medical Department—another mid-tier team—and secure a spot in the semifinals. But to their dismay, the Medical Department had crushed the Journalism team, forcing Surveying and Mapping to confront Journalism instead.

Now, Surveying and Mapping had to defeat the desperate Journalism team to have any hope of reaching the semifinals for the first time.

Everyone anticipated an intense match. Luo Zi, the team captain, had rallied their entire squad to watch the game, planning to rest in the morning before their own match in the afternoon.

For once, Xu Ze skipped his morning jog. Clutched in his hand was a bank check for 100,000 yuan—a life-changing sum he needed to deposit immediately. Having never seen so much money before, let alone held it, he couldn’t relax until it was safely in his account.

As soon as the bank opened at 8 a.m., he pedaled his bicycle there. With the help of a polite teller, he spent over half an hour depositing the full amount. Only when he saw the dizzying string of zeros on his account balance did he finally exhale in relief.

By the time he returned to campus, it was almost 9 a.m. Right on cue, Luo Zi called, urging him to hurry to the gym for the game.

The indoor court was packed. Despite the Journalism team’s humiliating defeat to the Medical Department—and despite their star player, “Basketball Prince” Zhang Tianyu, being utterly outplayed by Xu Ze—they still had plenty of supporters. After all, they were the reigning champions, and one loss couldn’t erase their legacy. While many of Zhang Tianyu’s fans had switched allegiance to Xu Ze, a sizable crowd still cheered for him.

Without Xu Ze on the court, Zhang Tianyu remained the undisputed king of basketball.

As Xu Ze entered, Luo Zi waved him over from the stands, having secured prime seats. Murmurs and excited whispers followed Xu Ze as he walked past, with some girls gasping in delight. When he reached Luo Zi’s group, he was surprised to see Sun Lingfei—whom he hadn’t seen in days—sitting beside Luo Zi, with an empty seat clearly reserved for him.

After exchanging greetings with his envious teammates, Xu Ze took his seat. The faint, sweet fragrance from Sun Lingfei’s side teased his senses, and he turned to study her delicate, radiant face.

“Why are you here?” he asked, puzzled.

“Why can’t I be here?” Sun Lingfei pouted, her rosy lips curving in a playful pout. Without glancing at him, she kept her eyes fixed on the court and huffed, “I came to watch the handsome players.”

“Handsome players?” Xu Ze rubbed his nose and scanned the court. The only one who could possibly fit that description was Zhang Tianyu—certainly not the others, at least not by Sun Lingfei’s standards.

“Zhang Tianyu? I thought you couldn’t stand him. Besides, you’re still technically my girlfriend. Should you really be ogling another guy right in front of me?” Xu Ze teased.

Sun Lingfei’s cheeks flushed pink at his words. She turned to glare at him, her delicate nose wrinkling in irritation. “Since when do you get to tell me what to do? I’ll look at whoever I want!”

“Alright, alright, do as you please,” Xu Ze sighed, then muttered under his breath, “Though honestly, I think I’m way better-looking than him. Why waste your time on him when you could just admire me?”

Sun Lingfei burst into laughter, her icy demeanor melting instantly. The sight of her radiant smile made Xu Ze’s heart skip a beat.

“You shameless narcissist!” she giggled, raising two slender fingers. “Let me pinch those thick cheeks of yours and see just how much your ego has inflated lately.”

Xu Ze obediently leaned in, offering his face. He knew Sun Lingfei was upset—likely because he’d neglected her these past few days—and figured he’d better humor her.

She pinched his cheeks lightly, tugging a few times until he winced, then released him with a triumphant smirk. “Yep, thicker than ever. I bet you’ve been getting too much attention from your fangirls lately. Ugh, you’re not even cute anymore.”

“Not cute? How am I not cute?” Xu Ze blinked innocently, though inwardly, his heart raced. “More and more girls like me these days…” A thrilling thought struck him—Is Sun Lingfei actually jealous? Could she be thinking of turning our fake relationship into something real?

“Then go sit with your adoring fans instead of bothering me!” Sun Lingfei snapped, rising to leave.

Xu Ze quickly grabbed her wrist, coaxing her back with an apologetic grin. “Come on, I was just joking! Look, the game’s starting—there really are some handsome guys down there, see?”

After much cajoling, Sun Lingfei finally sat back down, though her pout remained firmly in place.

Their playful bickering hadn’t gone unnoticed. Luo Zi’s eyes bulged in disbelief, and after a long pause, he muttered to teammate Li Tianbao, “Who the hell said Xu Ze and Sun Lingfei were just pretending? This is straight-up lovey-dovey flirting!”

Li Tianbao nodded bitterly, jealousy written all over his face.

The game unfolded as fiercely as expected. Both teams fought tooth and nail, the score neck-and-neck.

Zhang Tianyu, though still seemingly haunted by his loss to Xu Ze, pushed through and delivered several impressive plays, eliciting squeals from his female fans. Meanwhile, Surveying and Mapping’s rumored newcomer also shone, scoring with sharp, decisive moves.

Xu Ze watched with approval. Both teams had strong players—Journalism’s captain Wu Gang and Surveying and Mapping’s Hu Xuezhou were solid anchors, and their teammates held their own. It was a well-matched battle.

By the third quarter, tensions flared. The game grew rougher, fouls multiplied, and the referee’s whistle blew incessantly.

Xu Ze frowned. This is getting too aggressive. Someone’s going to get hurt.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than disaster struck.

Surveying and Mapping’s captain, Hu Xuezhou, was undercut mid-layup. As he crashed down, his outstretched arm failed to brace his fall properly. A sharp cry escaped him as he crumpled to the floor.

Seeing Hu Xuezhou’s awkward landing and subsequent collapse, Xu Ze sighed.

“That’s it. Surveying and Mapping’s done for.”