The system probably never expected it would meet someone as shameless as this guy.
How could someone who was lucky enough to get a system still fixate on small cash? Where was the grand ambition?
Zhou Hang wasn't entirely without ambition.
He'd once had plenty when he was younger, but reality quickly ground those ambitions into dust shortly after graduation.
Dreams?
Ideals?
Those things were dangerous—they could leave you broke for life!
Better to just become a rich, carefree salted fish.
"Don't you dream of becoming a legendary NBA superstar, known worldwide?" the system tried again.
"If I had enough money, I'd buy an entire NBA team. Then NBA superstars would work for me!"
"What about bringing glory to your country?"
"If I date enough women from different countries, that's also bringing glory to my nation!"
Damn you, shameless jerk!
The system was so furious it almost started cursing aloud. How did it end up paired with someone so infuriatingly unambitious?
"Don't you want to go back?"
Go back?
Zhou Hang abruptly stopped walking, turning his head as if he could actually see the system floating nearby. "You're saying I can return?"
"Yes. As long as your popularity keeps increasing, you can return—bringing back wealth and abilities."
Zhou Hang paused, sat down somewhere comfortable, and pondered deeply for several seconds before finally asking, "Then explain clearly: what exactly are your crappy functions?"
After wrestling internally for a while, he realized he still genuinely wanted to return.
That world was his home, after all, filled with friends and family he loved.
He might not think about it at first, but sooner or later, he'd miss everyone dearly.
Besides, returning with vast wealth and impressive abilities to flex on everyone he knew didn't sound half bad.
Imagining the stunned faces of his parents, Zhou Hang felt satisfaction swelling in his chest, his grin impossible to suppress.
"It's as you imagined. You need to play yourself as a popular character in this world. Your actions will accumulate popularity points, which reflect your character's reception."
"Popularity points can unlock abilities or be used for a lottery draw. With your intelligence, surely that's easy to grasp?"
He understood perfectly well but couldn't shake the feeling the system was subtly insulting him.
Zhou Hang grasped the system's mechanism quickly and how to earn popularity points.
But he still needed one critical detail.
"Which anime world am I in?"
"Kuroko no Basket."
Oh, that one...
Instantly, his mind flashed with vivid images of basketball-crazy teens with their rainbow-colored hairstyles.
Zhou Hang had always loved sports anime. Captain Tsubasa, The Prince of Tennis, and Touch—he'd never missed an episode. But his absolute favorites remained Slam Dunk and Kuroko no Basket.
There wasn't any special reason. He simply hadn't played soccer, tennis, or baseball before.
But basketball? He'd been playing since elementary school.
In 2002, the NBA saw its first Chinese number-one draft pick, Yao Ming, igniting nationwide basketball fever back home.
Suddenly, everyone rushed to basketball courts, and discussing NBA stars became trendy.
If you couldn't join the conversation, you'd quickly be labeled outdated.
Back then, even elementary-school kids bragged about NBA games like seasoned analysts. Forums like Mop.com were filled with hardcore fans—not the casual kids flooding the scene nowadays.
So...
He was intimately familiar with Kuroko no Basket.
It centered around a boy with limited basketball talent teaming up with his close friends to challenge stronger opponents—basically a fantasy quest disguised as basketball.
The main characters were few: Seirin High, the protagonist's team, and the incredibly popular Generation of Miracles—who sometimes surpassed the protagonist himself in popularity.
"What's the timeline now? How old is Kuroko?" Zhou Hang asked.
"The same age as you."
"And how old am I exactly?"
"You can check your information panel—I've prepared it already."
Information?
A transparent panel appeared in front of Zhou Hang, listing his details clearly:
Tendou Kageyoshi
Gender: Male
Age: 12
Height: 174 cm
Weight: 55 kg
Only 12 years old...
At 174 cm, he was already towering for a Japanese middle schooler.
Whatever.
"From today on, I'll be Tendou Kageyoshi!"
Zhou Hang—no, now it was Tendou Kageyoshi—spent the entire morning mentally adjusting to his new identity.
When he finally reappeared in public, he was already wearing sunglasses identical to Gojo Satoru's.
Since he'd decided to act, he'd better choose a charismatic persona.
There was no need to complicate things—Gojo Satoru's persona was ready-made and hugely popular.
Handsome, arrogant, slightly unhinged—but deeply caring toward those around him, especially his students, treating them like his own children.
The only flaw was that the manga ending had completely wrecked his character, upsetting countless fans to the point they wanted to attack the author.
Well, as long as Tendou didn't screw things up, everything would be fine.
Of course, to truly embody Gojo Satoru, he needed one vital trait:
Absolute strength!
"You have some starter capital prepared, right?"
"What starter capital?"
"A beginner's gift pack!" Tendou tilted his head, staring at the system's virtual avatar—a short-tailed white cat.
The system froze briefly, then quickly chimed, "Ding! Beginner's Gift Pack delivered!"
"Malevolent Shrine: Technique 'Cleave' from the King of Curses, Sukuna!"
Do you even hear what you're giving me?!
You're giving a Sukuna technique to someone wearing Gojo's face?!
Did you completely miss how Gojo Satoru died?
Tendou clicked on the ability description.
But there was no explanation—only a single word: "Cleave."
He quickly realized this wasn't a genuine cursed technique. After all, this world was strictly basketball-themed, not a battleground.
He was here to play basketball, not become a midnight serial killer!
"Alright, time to head off to Teiko!"
Tendou stretched his neck casually, catching admiring glances from several nearby girls, and headed toward Teiko Middle School.
This system claimed to be based on popularity, but he wasn't the anime's protagonist—Kuroko was. The story revolved heavily around the Generation of Miracles, who consumed over 90% of screen time.
If Tendou wanted exposure, he'd need to insert himself among them.
"First, let's set a small goal: becoming the most popular member among the Generation of Miracles!"