After carefully reviewing the instructions for Lead-Filled Dice once more, Lin Yu suddenly realized that he only earned USD when players whose affinity had been unlocked posted positive stats on the court.
This meant Weber and Howard were useless.
Lin Yu frowned. This was awkward. After all, they were the team's marquee stars. He couldn't just bench them to earn a few extra bucks, could he?
And even if he did bench them, he had no other players with unlocked affinity levels to replace them.
"I'll figure it out tomorrow. For now, I need to study those last two auras."
Lin Yu wasn't greedy by nature. Even if he ended up making less money, it wouldn't really affect him. As long as he could help Ben resolve the fine issue and move out of the basement to cover his daily expenses, Lin Yu would be satisfied.
The description for "Time Fracture" was quite detailed. Even without it, just from the name alone, Lin Yu could roughly guess the passive's function.
In his previous life, besides being a die-hard sports fan, Lin Yu was also well-versed in every popular game on the market.
If he remembered correctly, the last three random passives he'd obtained—Strike Aura and Focus Aura—both originated from Warcraft III. One belonged to the Moon Priestess's passive, while the other came from the Paladin's passive.
As for Unbreakable Resolve, Lin Yu was sure of its source: it definitely came from the Centaur Warlord's ultimate passive ability in DOTA.
The three random passives Lin Yu received this time were familiar to him. "Lead-Filled Dice" clearly originated from Twisted Fate in League of Legends, while "Time Warp" was the ultimate ability of the time assassin Ekko.
This passive could revert a player's condition to five years prior. According to the description, it didn't require deliberately farming affinity points—reaching just fifty points was sufficient.
Lin Yu's mind immediately jumped to Flyer.
Five years prior, during the 91-92 season, Flyer played for the Spurs as their starting point guard—a position that demanded solid skills.
But upon closer reflection, Flyer seemed weaker back then than he was now. Sending him back five years would be like taking off your pants to fart.
If Flyer were out, Regler would definitely be out of the question. Five years ago, he was just a benchwarmer for the Nuggets, unable to crack the team roster and sent down to the minor leagues.
Don't even get him started on Big Ben—five years ago, he hadn't even graduated high school yet.
Webber and Howard wouldn't work either. Even if their affinity could be unlocked and quickly boosted to 50 points, they were both NCAA players five years ago.
Lin Yu began mentally scanning the Bullets' roster. Moments later, he actually found a promising target.
General Harvey Grant!
Currently, Dwight Howard commands the highest salary on the Bullets, followed by Webber's annual salary of eight million. Ranking third is none other than Grant, the General, whose yearly salary of 4.5 million USD is over a million higher than that of the Speeder.
Logically, with such a high salary, Grant's standing within the team shouldn't be low.
Yet Grant has virtually no presence. In the previous three games, Lin Yu didn't give him a single second of playing time. Even so, Onseld showed no signs of concern, and none of the other players voiced any complaints on his behalf.
The team had abandoned him, and he seemed to have given up on himself. While he still showed up punctually for practice, he would sit on the sidelines like an older man, staring blankly into space.
He was coasting through his days.
Seeing him now, no one would believe that five years ago, Grant fully lived up to his nickname "The General," averaging 18 points and seven rebounds per game for three consecutive seasons.
His decline began in the '93 offseason when the Bullets traded him to the Trail Blazers. His performance plummeted. This season, as part of the trade involving the Bullets and Rasheed Wallace, he was sent back to the Bullets, where he's now fully tanking, averaging a mere 3 points and two rebounds per game.
If it were simply a matter of age, that might be understandable. But he entered the league alongside Rondo and Mason, both of whom are now in their prime and fighting hard. While they're competing at the highest level, Grant is coasting along, coasting toward the end of his career.
Lin Yu had already decided that his next target would be General Grant. If he could unlock Grant's favorability and then leverage the Time Fracture passive, he would be able to earn Lin Yu a significant amount of US dollars over the next week.
Additionally, the third aura passive, "Blood of the Berserker," derived from DOTA's Spirit Breaker Huskar's skill, was surprisingly well-suited for Grant. As a small forward, his combat effectiveness surged as his stamina dropped on the court—and this boost was percentage-based. Lin Yu dared not imagine how powerful Grant could become at his absolute limit.
Of course, Lin Yu's perfect plan hinged on Grant successfully unlocking his affinity. If that failed, everything would be for naught.
Tomorrow was Monday, and the Bullets had a home game against the Orlando Magic. After this home game, the Bullets would embark on a four-game road trip.
Lin Yu went to bed early, conserving his energy for tomorrow night's game.
...
Early the next morning, Lin Yu arrived at the club. Today, he would re-sign his contract with the Bullets and discuss the trade involving George Muresan for Jalen Rose with Onseld.
Onseld was already there, sipping coffee and reading the newspaper.
"Lin, come on over. Didn't have breakfast? Have some coffee and donuts."
Lin Yu shook his head with a smile. "High-sugar foods this early in the morning? Mr. Onseld, you should watch your weight."
Anselde glanced down at his body, now as round as a ball. "Kid, there are two things in this world you can't let down: your lover, and donuts.
"Without donuts, I wouldn't know what my purpose in life is."
"Seriously, not eating? These were bought with team funds—old Polin's money."
Lin Yizheng grinned mischievously, grabbing two donuts and biting into them. "Donuts are so delicious!"
Three minutes later, Lin Yu signed his first professional contract—with crumbs from the donuts still on it.
"Sign this for now. If we make it to the Eastern Conference Finals this season, I doubt Old Polin has the nerve to stick with just that $350k salary."
Anselde tossed the contract into his office drawer.
Lin Yu froze. Even Anselde, who'd worked for Old Polin for decades, clearly didn't fully understand his boss's nature.
Once the contract was signed, squeezing more money out of Old Paulin was more challenging than climbing Mount Everest.
"I contacted the Pacers last night. They're eager to trade Jalen Rose for the series, and I even got them to throw in Anthony Davis."
"After all, George's value far exceeds Jalen Rose's."
Having steered the Bullets for years, Onseld's efficiency was unmatched—he finalized the deal with the Pacers overnight.
The labor agreement wasn't fully developed then, so trade restrictions were far less stringent than they would become later.
Lin Yu was stunned to learn that Murray-Sang had not only acquired Jalen Rose but also Antonio Davis.
He now wondered if Onseld might be a time traveler, too.
Looking back at Onseld's draft picks over the years, it was truly remarkable. He'd selected Murray in the second round, snagged Ben Wallace as an undrafted free agent, and now, in a casual trade, the throw-in turned out to be Antonio Davis—the future All-Star starting center.
Despite Davis carrying the dubious distinction of being the NBA's most underwhelming All-Star starter in history—averaging a mere 13.7 points and 10 rebounds when selected in 2001, a feat unprecedented and unlikely to be matched—
Yet, however underwhelming, he was still a legitimate All-Star starter—and a young one at that. Acquiring him as a throw-in was a steal by any measure.
"Ding ding ding." Just as Lin Yu was about to urge the Pacers to finalize the deal quickly to avoid complications, Onseld's cell phone rang.
The call lasted at least fifteen minutes, and Onseld's smile never faded.
"Lin, there's been a change of plans!"
"Old Aderman from the Warriors somehow got wind of my trade talks with the Pacers."
"He just called and made an offer I couldn't possibly refuse."
"He's offering the Warriors' star shooting guard Latrell Sprewell in exchange for Murray and Chaney."
"That's a beast averaging 24 points, six rebounds, and six assists per game—a true tiger. Jalen Rose looks like a kitten next to him."
After hanging up, Anseld beamed with excitement.
Lin Yu was utterly baffled. Sprewell? That Madman Sprewell? The hothead who choked his own coach?
Even if Lin Yu was young and inexperienced, he knew the difference between a fierce warrior and a hothead.
Having such a character around would make Lin Yu lose sleep. Who knew what slip of the tongue might trigger the Madman's rage, leading to a chokehold-style spiritual awakening?
"Don't agree to the Warriors!"
"Latrell has a temper. If he comes, he'd have to be willing to be the third option on the team—that's the best-case scenario."
"But do you really think a shooting guard averaging 24 points per game would accept being third—or even fourth—string?"
"Then he'd start power struggles in our locker room, forming cliques and causing chaos. Internal strife is the fastest way to destroy a team—you know that better than I do."
"And Big Ben is so honest and straightforward. Even Lorenzo bullied him. What if Latrell picks on Big Ben?
Lin Yu knew precisely how much Big Ben meant to Onseld, even bringing him up as a key factor.
If Little Mason heard Lin Yu say that, he'd probably spit blood. How could a simple, honest guy break his nose?
Onseld fell deep in thought. He could ignore team conflicts, but he couldn't overlook Big Ben.
Ben held a special place in his eyes—he was the only successor in his mind. Considering Ratley's character wasn't exactly stellar, the possibility of him bullying Ben couldn't be ruled out. Anseld began to have second thoughts.
"Besides, trading Jalen Rose is about building the Michigan Fab Five—it's a money-making deal."
Lin Yu pressed on.
Anseld grumbled but was finally persuaded. "Fine, let's stick with the original plan to trade Jalen Rose."
"But be prepared—Jalen Rose is a bit unlucky!"
This left Lin Yu utterly baffled. Unlucky? Was that really the right word to describe a player?
"You might not know his history. I once discussed the Michigan Fab Five with Howard."
"Howard swore on his life that demons curse Jalen Rose. Misfortune follows him and everyone around him."
"Believe it or not, I'm kinda convinced."
Onseld's expression was pure charlatan. Beyond being rude and confrontational, Lin Yu now added "superstitious" to his mental list.
"What kind of joke is this? As a staunch materialist, would I believe that?"
"Do we have any monks, shamans, or Taoist temples around here in Washington? Better safe than sorry..."
"Only churches? We can make do with those, I suppose."
Lin Yu knew about Jalen Rose and, considering the tragic events of his entire career, decided it was better to err on the side of caution.