NBA: Basketball Legend.

Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Lakers’ Public Enemy, Chemistry Reaction BUFF!

Chapter 86: Lakers’ Public Enemy, Chemistry Reaction BUFF!

When the jumbotron at Staples Center showed a close-up of Taylor Swift, a wave of boos erupted from the crowd.

Clearly, her appearance had stirred the wrath of Lakers Nation.

Looking a little overwhelmed by the sudden hostility, Taylor didn’t know how to react—until Chen Yan strolled over to the scorer’s table.

With a calm smile, he raised his hand to his ear, motioning to the crowd as if to say, ”Bring it. Boo me instead.”

The gesture was smooth as hell.

Taylor Swift was instantly won over by Chen Yan’s confidence and charisma—her favorability shot through the roof.

Lakers fans, meanwhile, were completely thrown off.

”What kind of psycho asks to be booed?” someone muttered.

Still, they gladly obliged. A thunderous roar of boos poured down on Chen Yan like a tidal wave.

But Chen didn’t flinch. In fact, he looked like he was enjoying it.

His performance tonight had been nothing short of brilliant—but that only made Lakers fans hate him more. He’d beefed with their players, clowned their crowd, and nailed a soul-crushing buzzer-beater to steal the win.

He’d just walked into Staples for the first time and left as the arena’s most hated villain.

Chen Yan: Public Enemy No. 1.

As he walked into the tunnel, he was all smiles. To him, the difference between home cheers and away boos was just white noise—he fed off both.

”Man, that game felt like a damn Hollywood blockbuster,” Barkley said postgame, eyes wide with excitement. ”It all went down at Staples Center—Chen Yan was the star, Nash and Stoudemire were the co-stars, and Kobe played the villain!”

”Not just Kobe,” Kenny Smith added with a grin. ”We got another villain right here in the studio.” He nudged Barkley.

Earlier, Barkley had made a bet—Kobe would outscore Chen tonight.

Big mistake.

Chen had dropped a savage 51 points. Kobe had balled out too, finishing with 46—but a loss was a loss.

”C’mon, Chuck. Time to pay up.” Kenny leaned forward, smirking. ”Whole country’s watching.”

Barkley glanced nervously at Reggie Miller. ”Man, can I just kiss a donkey’s ass instead?”

”Nope. Stop stalling.”

”This is nasty as hell...”

”You’ve done nastier. Let’s go.” Kenny gave Barkley a hard pat on the back.

Groaning like a man headed for the gallows, Barkley walked over to Reggie’s seat.

”Yo, stay back!” Reggie leaned away, eyes wide.

But for the sake of good TV—and his own stubborn pride—Barkley went all in. He grabbed Reggie’s neck and planted a big ol’ kiss right on him.

No dodging. No camera tricks. Straight up.

The studio exploded in laughter.

---

Visiting Team Locker Room – Showers

While scrubbing off the sweat of battle, Chen Yan heard the familiar chime of the system.

Ding! Congratulations to the host for scoring his first career 50+ point game and becoming the youngest player in history to do so!

Reward: +15 Honor Points!

Ding! First career buzzer-beater completed!

Reward: +10 Honor Points!

Ding! Helped team achieve a 6-game win streak!

Reward: +4 Honor Points!

Ding! Scored 30+ in six straight games!

Reward: +5 Honor Points!

Ding! Team Chemistry Reaction Activated!

+2 Team Chemistry Points!

Ding! Fan Chemistry Reaction Activated!

+3 Fan Chemistry Points!

Hell of a haul.

In total, Chen picked up 34 honor points tonight—stacking up like crazy.

That halftime [Status Upgrade Card] he used? Totally worth it.

But what really caught his eye was something new—Team Chemistry and Fan Chemistry. He hadn’t seen that before.

”Yo, System,” Chen asked, toweling off. ”What the hell is team chemistry?”

”Team Chemistry reflects the synergy between the host and his teammates,” the system replied.

”It’s influenced by lineup changes, on-court cooperation, win streaks, and other variables. When Team Chemistry hits 80, a group-wide passive buff is unlocked. At 100, it upgrades to an elite-level team skill.”

Damn. That was no small reward. Free skills just for playing well with others?

”What kind of skill are we talking?”

”Specific skills are only revealed upon activation,” the system responded.

”Effects vary based on your team’s playstyle and dynamics.”

Alright, fair enough.

”So how do I boost team chemistry?”

”Win games. Improve coordination with teammates. And say nice things in media interviews to build rapport.”

Heh. So even the system knew—this league ain’t just about talent. It’s about relationships.

”Okay, what about fan chemistry?”

”Fan Chemistry reflects public support for the host,” the system explained.

”At 80, the host gains 5% stamina regen in the final five minutes of a home game. At 100, it increases to 8%. Activation requires louder cheers from home fans than the opponent’s during crunch time.”

So it was basically a clutch-time buff—but only at home.

Unless, one day, Chen could dominate so hard, he’d make away games feel like home. Like Kobe once did.

”Fan Chemistry increases through wins, highlight plays, and likable postgame interviews.”

”Cool, where am I at right now?”

Team Chemistry: 36 (+2)

Fan Chemistry: 41 (+3)

Still a long grind before those buffs kick in—but he was on the right path.

The rewards tonight had him hyped. Stepping out of the shower, upper body bare, he forgot something kind of important...

The hallway outside was already swarming with reporters.

”Hey, Chen, forgot your shirt again?” someone joked.

”Dude’s just trying to flex those abs! He’s hot on the court and off it!”

Stoudemire was cracking up, and so was everyone else.

No use fighting it—Chen gave in and did the interviews half-naked again.

Once that was wrapped, he didn’t even take a break. He grabbed his stuff and headed straight to the press conference.

Busy night. But damn, what a night.

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