Unplayable Without Nerfs

Then, Jiang Yunlu spent ten minutes picking up shuttlecocks.

Her tall, fair figure darted back and forth across the court, her cheeks now tinged with a faint flush.

"So? Had enough exercise for today?"

Lin Mo held his racket and asked indifferently.

If Jiang Yunlu hadn’t kept smashing the shuttlecock, he wouldn’t have made her chase after it so much.

Every time, Lin Mo would loft the shuttlecock high, giving her an easy shot—but Jiang Yunlu, stubborn as she was, insisted on smashing it instead.

In the end, she could only admit defeat at Lin Mo’s hands.

This made Jiang Yunlu start questioning whether her first-place ranking had been bought through bribed opponents.

Her smashes were supposed to be powerful, her speed unmatched—by all logic, she should’ve crushed Lin Mo.

How had it come to this?!

Their badminton match had drawn quite the audience.

Boys and girls alike stood watching from the sidelines.

Seeing Jiang Yunlu constantly retrieving the shuttlecock, one of the boys couldn’t help but call out:

"Lin Mo, go easy on Jiang Yunlu. Look how much she’s had to pick up!"

The remark didn’t bother Lin Mo—but it infuriated Jiang Yunlu.

What kind of nonsense was that?!

As if she wasn’t good enough?!

Of course, it wasn’t that Jiang Yunlu lacked skill—it was just that Lin Mo’s physical enhancements had sharpened his reflexes to an inhuman degree.

Even the current world champion, no matter how technically flawless, would be utterly outmatched by Lin Mo’s stamina and precision.

And Lin Mo? He rather enjoyed the feeling of dominating his opponents.

So he glanced back at the boy who’d spoken and shrugged.

"Then why don’t you give it a try?"

He handed his racket over without hesitation.

Li Chuan’s heart leapt—he hadn’t expected Lin Mo to actually pass it to him.

Brushing off nonexistent dust from his clothes, he strode forward, saying,

"Girls should be treated gently. You can’t play like this."

With that, he took the racket and turned to Jiang Yunlu.

"Let me play against you!"

Fresh off her crushing defeat, Jiang Yunlu felt her confidence surge back at the sight of a new opponent.

She needed to regain her rhythm—and a short break wouldn’t hurt either.

So she served with a forehand, testing Li Chuan’s skill.

Watching the shuttlecock sail high into the air, Li Chuan relaxed.

Jiang Yunlu’s skill really wasn’t anything special.

He didn’t need to win—just keep the rally going, feed her some easy shots.

He caught the high loft and returned it with another gentle toss.

But Jiang Yunlu took two quick steps, leapt, and—smash!

Li Chuan didn’t even have time to react before the shuttlecock landed at his feet.

Applause broke out from the sidelines.

"Nice, nice. Feeding her confidence right back," Lin Mo remarked, sitting beside Chu Miaomiao as he clapped lazily.

"Just a fluke! Won’t scare me!"

Li Chuan picked up the shuttlecock and served carefully with a backhand.

He had some skill, but against Jiang Yunlu, it wasn’t nearly enough.

After losing seven or eight points in a row, Jiang Yunlu finally set down her racket.

"That’s enough. I’m tired."

Lin Mo took the racket from her and looked at Li Chuan.

"Your turn?"

Li Chuan felt like his losses hadn’t been real—but since he’d claimed he was being gentle with Jiang Yunlu, he could use that as an excuse to back out.

But against Lin Mo? Could he win?

Jiang Yunlu had been reduced to fetching shuttlecocks against him.

Still, having only played a few points, Li Chuan couldn’t just surrender.

So he nodded.

Li Chuan served, testing the waters with a backhand.

Lin Mo, as usual, played along casually.

After a few exchanges, Li Chuan started thinking Lin Mo wasn’t that strong after all.

In that case—why not try a smash?

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than he leapt up, swinging down with all his might.

The shuttlecock hurtled toward Lin Mo—only to be effortlessly blocked by what felt like an iron racket.

A light flick, and it was already over the net, landing right in front of Li Chuan before he’d even touched the ground.

For the next ten minutes, Li Chuan became the new shuttlecock fetcher, just like Jiang Yunlu before him.

Defeated and exhausted, he finally stepped off the court.

He had to face the truth: he couldn’t beat Jiang Yunlu, and he definitely couldn’t beat Lin Mo.

What humiliation.

"No! I’m going to train hard in badminton! I’ll make them see me in a new light!"

Li Chuan clenched his fists in silent resolve.

Meanwhile, Lin Mo declared he was taking a break and sat down.

Not a single drop of sweat on him.

Jiang Yunlu and Wang Qin sandwiched Chu Miaomiao between them, so Lin Mo settled beside Jiang Yunlu.

A quick glance at the time—only ten minutes left before class ended.

Most students were already winding down, ready to bolt for the cafeteria or off-campus eateries the moment the bell rang.

But as the class’s sports committee member, Lin Mo had to pack up the equipment first.

Starting ten minutes early? Perfectly reasonable.

Apart from the basketball players still going at it, the rest of the gear was quickly collected.

Lin Mo timed it perfectly, walking over to the court just as the game heated up.

"Class is almost over. Time to return the equipment."

"Hey, Lin Mo! Let us play a little longer—just a few more minutes!"

This was always the tricky part.

Lin Mo had seen it before—sports committee members getting into arguments with the basketball addicts.

No one wanted to waste time, but the players always dragged their feet.

Conflict was inevitable.

After a moment’s thought, Lin Mo eyed them.

"Pick your best player for a one-on-one. One shot decides it. Win, and you keep playing. Lose, and you return the gear."

The group erupted in excitement.

One-on-one—sudden death.

Su Mingzhao loved basketball, but at the sight of Lin Mo, he hesitated and took a step back.

Instead, the tallest boy in class stepped forward—Ma Li, the former sports committee member.

Well, well. The dragon-slayer had become the dragon.

Ma Li hadn’t earned his position just because of his height—he was a sports scholarship student.

But with Lin Mo around, he’d lost the title.

Not that Ma Li cared much.

"Basketball isn’t a fight. Safety first," Ma Li rumbled.

Lin Mo knew Ma Li wasn’t just a brute—he was sharp. So he nodded.

"No objections? Then let’s begin."

He tossed the ball to Ma Li, letting him take the first offense—a clear advantage.

Ma Li scratched his head. "Lin Mo, you want to go first? I’m pretty good at this."

"No need. Start when you’re ready."

The moment the game began, Ma Li got serious.

He crouched slightly, dribbling carefully.

Tall players had their perks, but their height also made them vulnerable to steals.

Most lowered their stance to compensate.

But the instant Ma Li took his first step—the ball vanished from his hands.

The next second, Lin Mo was already beyond the three-point line.

He leapt—swish!

Nothing but net.

"What the—?!"

"How is that even possible?!"

"Broken! Nerf this!"

Ma Li only realized what had happened when he heard the net snap.

By the time he turned, the ball was already on the ground.

"Alright. Equipment return. Time for lunch."

Lin Mo casually patted Ma Li on the shoulder, signaling for him to snap out of his daze.