Chapter 517 - 517: Terror Descends — A Super Home Run!

A home run prediction?

The moment the spectators realized what Zhou Hao was doing, the entire stadium fell into stunned silence.

Even Seido's own supporters, who considered themselves familiar with their idol, wore bewildered expressions.

Although Zhou Hao always delivered incredible performances on the field...

He had never been the type to showboat.

Humility was practically part of his nature.

In that regard, he was completely different from some of his teammates.

No one could understand why he had suddenly made a home run prediction.

Did he realize what he was doing?

Seido already held a comfortable advantage.

Why provoke the opponent now?

"I had a pretty good impression of him before... I didn't think he'd be this provocative."

Some neutral spectators frowned in dissatisfaction.

"There has to be a misunderstanding."

"Mr. Zhou Hao wouldn't do something like that."

Meanwhile, Zhou Hao's fans remained unwavering in their support.

The beautiful reporter from Baseball Kingdom Magazine, Oowada Akiko, unconsciously frowned as well.

"Zhou Hao is... unusually proactive today."

She had almost described him as "aggressive," but the word simply didn't seem to fit him.

So she settled on proactive instead.

"He's not being proactive."

Beside her, Fujio adjusted the brim of his baseball cap.

"He's forcing his opponent to make a decision."

His eyes were filled with admiration as he watched Zhou Hao.

"Forcing his opponent?"

Oowada Akiko looked at him in confusion.

Fujio nodded.

"The game has reached a critical point."

"Although Seido has controlled the game so far, they're only leading by two runs."

"The longer the score remains close, the more impatient Seido's younger players will become."

He kept his eyes fixed on the batter's box.

"Zhou Hao understands that."

"So he's taking the initiative."

"He probably anticipated that Yang Shunchen would intentionally walk him."

"By making this gesture first, he's forcing Yang to respond."

Oowada blinked.

"I don't understand."

"Wouldn't Yang just walk him anyway?"

"The result might be the same."

Fujio smiled.

"But the process is completely different."

"This isn't just a battle for hits and runs."

"It's also a battle of confidence."

"Seido already has the momentum."

"If Akikawa's ace resorts to an intentional walk now, the entire team's morale will take a massive hit."

Only then did Oowada begin to understand.

She looked back toward Yang Shunchen.

Then toward Zhou Hao.

The atmosphere between the two had changed completely.

Fujio couldn't help admiring Yang Shunchen as well.

An all-around pitcher of this caliber wasn't merely among the best in West Tokyo.

He ranked among the very best in the nation.

But...

The way Fujio looked at Zhou Hao...

Was completely different.

It was the same expression one would use when watching a Major League superstar.

If not for the high school uniforms...

He could almost believe he was watching a professional game.

Pitching.

Batting.

Fielding.

Game management.

Mental warfare.

In every aspect...

Zhou Hao existed on an entirely different level.

Among high school players, Yang Shunchen was already considered exceptionally mature.

Few opponents could outthink him.

Yet in front of Zhou Hao...

Even he seemed outmatched.

Before today's game began, Fujio had honestly believed Zhou Hao would finally encounter a little resistance.

Not enough to lose.

But enough to struggle.

Instead...

The opposite had happened.

With a single gesture...

Zhou Hao had cornered Yang Shunchen.

The Akikawa ace now faced only two choices.

Walk Zhou Hao and damage his own team's confidence...

Or challenge him head-on.

Neither option was attractive.

Yang Shunchen's expression grew increasingly complicated.

"As long as I don't give up a home run..."

"Everything will still be manageable."

Truthfully...

He had intended to issue an intentional walk.

After witnessing Zhou Hao's performances firsthand, he had already reached one conclusion.

There was almost no chance of shutting him down completely.

If that was the case...

Why take unnecessary risks?

Walking him seemed like the safer option.

Yes, it would come at a cost.

But compared with the danger of facing him directly...

That cost was acceptable.

Besides...

He still had to deal with Yuki afterward.

With Zhou Hao only on first base, Yang Shunchen could still gamble on escaping the inning.

But Zhou Hao's home run prediction had completely disrupted those plans.

Now...

Yang Shunchen had been forced into a corner.

At the same time...

Zhou Hao had placed pressure on himself.

If he failed to hit a home run after making such a declaration...

He would become the laughingstock of the stadium.

Not allowing Zhou Hao to get a hit...

And preventing him from hitting a home run...

Were two entirely different challenges.

Yang Shunchen had no confidence in accomplishing the first.

He understood that perfectly.

But the second...

That was still possible.

If he succeeded...

The reward would be enormous.

The scoreboard still read:

Seido 2 – Akikawa 0.

If Seido added another run now...

No matter how much Yang tried to encourage his teammates afterward...

It wouldn't matter.

The players would inevitably begin waiting for defeat.

Once that happened...

The game would effectively be over.

Even with plenty of innings remaining...

Their fate would already be sealed.

Yang Shunchen understood all of this.

Which was precisely why...

He chose to attack.

Whoosh!

The baseball screamed toward home plate.

It skimmed past Zhou Hao's knees by the narrowest of margins before settling into the catcher's mitt.

Pop!

"Ball!"

Even the home plate umpire subconsciously swallowed.

That pitch had been terrifying.

As today's home plate umpire, seeing the ball pass less than five centimeters from Zhou Hao's knees made his heart nearly leap into his throat.

Yet...

The pitcher remained completely composed.

It was as though he had known from the very beginning that the ball would never hit the batter.

How much confidence did he have in his command?

Even more astonishing...

Was the batter.

Throughout the entire pitch...

Zhou Hao never flinched.

Not even once.

His gaze remained perfectly steady as the baseball flashed past him.

It was almost as if...

He had already seen through everything.

On the mound...

Yang Shunchen's fighting spirit reached its peak.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

And he knew exactly what he had to do.

Standing before him...

Zhou Hao was like an insurmountable mountain towering into the sky.

"As expected of the nation's number one."

"Now I've seen it for myself."

"But if you think you're going to send my pitch into the stands..."

"It won't be that easy."

Yang Shunchen completed his full windup and fired the baseball.

Whoosh!

The ball screamed toward home plate.

The instant Zhou Hao saw the pitch...

His eyes narrowed.

Sharingan... activate.

Within the Sharingan's world, everything slowed to a crawl.

The blazing fastball became crystal clear.

Its spin.

Its trajectory.

Its exact destination.

Everything was laid bare before him.

In terms of command...

Yang Shunchen had already reached the pinnacle of high school baseball.

Against a pitcher like him, even Seido's cleanup hitters—including Yuki—couldn't afford the slightest carelessness.

His overall ability was unquestionably among the best in the nation.

Unfortunately...

His opponent was Zhou Hao.

And Zhou Hao had never been someone who could be judged by common sense.

Before the ball had even reached the plate...

He had already moved.

Raising the bat high over his shoulder, Zhou Hao subtly shifted his stance backward.

From the mound, Yang Shunchen caught the movement out of the corner of his eye.

His pupils contracted.

"Impossible!"

He had never imagined anyone could make such an adjustment.

His pitching motion was exceptionally compact.

From the beginning of his delivery until the ball reached the catcher's mitt...

Only an instant passed.

There simply wasn't enough time for a batter to identify the pitch, judge its path, and adjust their stance accordingly.

At least...

That was what Yang Shunchen had always believed.

Now...

Everything he thought he knew was being overturned.

Others couldn't do it.

Zhou Hao could.

Almost the moment Yang began his delivery...

Zhou Hao had already decided to change his stance.

A pitch that should have jammed him...

Had suddenly become hittable.

"What an unbelievable player..."

Yang Shunchen's understanding of the nation's top-ranked player had been completely rewritten.

Even so...

He refused to believe he had already lost.

After all...

Their wager wasn't whether Zhou Hao could get a hit.

It was whether he could hit a home run.

Changing his stance at the last second would inevitably affect his balance.

In that condition...

How could anyone possibly drive the ball over the fence?

"Even if he gets a hit..."

"I'll simply walk Yuki afterward."

Yang Shunchen wasn't completely confident about facing Seido's cleanup hitter.

But compared to Yuki...

Isashiki Jun was undoubtedly the easier opponent.

Even before this at-bat had ended...

Yang Shunchen was already thinking several moves ahead.

Like a master chess player...

He planned every possibility in advance.

Inside the batter's box...

Zhou Hao completed his adjustment.

The baseball reached him in the blink of an eye.

With the Sharingan, he could easily identify the ball's exact location.

If all he wanted was a base hit...

He could place it into any gap on the field.

Akikawa wouldn't have the slightest chance of making a play.

But...

Was that enough?

Obviously not.

At least...

Not for Zhou Hao.

He had already declared it.

He wasn't here for a single.

He was going to hit this ball into the stands.

Even against a pitcher as formidable as Yang Shunchen...

He had no intention of holding back.

Here it comes.

As the baseball entered his hitting zone...

Zhou Hao made his move.

Just before beginning his swing...

He released the Sharingan.

He didn't need perfect precision.

He only needed power.

In that instant...

His mind became completely blank.

No distractions.

No hesitation.

His eyes locked onto the baseball.

His waist rotated first.

Then his entire body flowed naturally into the swing.

He wasn't forcing it.

He simply followed the rhythm of his body.

That was enough.

BOOM!!

The swing felt effortless.

In reality...

It was unbelievably fast.

Akikawa's catcher froze.

He had never imagined that Zhou Hao—

A player better known for his pitching—

Could produce such a terrifying swing.

"Monstrous..."

Even knowing his opponent was the best player in the country...

He couldn't suppress his amazement.

What kind of monster were they facing?

Were they really playing against another high school student?

He wasn't the only one thinking it.

Countless teams that had faced Seido before had asked themselves the same question.

Whenever Zhou Hao stepped onto the field...

No matter how quiet or humble he usually appeared...

He naturally became the center of attention.

Especially now.

At this moment...

He looked less like a baseball player...

And more like an ancient war god descending onto the battlefield.

There seemed to be nothing he couldn't accomplish.

The baseball screamed toward him.

The bat followed.

BOOM!

CRACK!!

The instant the two collided...

The ball exploded off the bat.

Every player in Akikawa's dugout...

Even Coach Ogata...

Could only stare in disbelief.

"How is that possible?"

Before anyone could process what had happened...

The baseball had already traveled beyond the infield...

Then beyond the outfield...

"Outfielder!"

Only then did Yang Shunchen finally shout.

Even now...

He still believed the ball wouldn't leave the park.

Moments later...

Reality proved him wrong.

Akikawa's center fielder sprinted all the way back to the warning track.

Soon...

His back was pressed against the outfield wall.

He desperately wished the ball would finally begin to descend.

If he could catch it...

The momentum of the entire game would change.

But...

The baseball refused to come down.

It continued climbing.

Then—

It sailed cleanly over the fence.

Thump!

The ball landed in the stands before bouncing away.

The commentator instantly erupted with excitement.

"IT'S GONE!!"

"What an incredible home run from Zhou Hao!"

"He crushes Yang Shunchen's pitch deep into the stands and adds another run for Seido!"

"As always..."

"The nation's number one has delivered when it matters most!"

"The score is now 3–0!"

Akikawa's defense had been outstanding.

Their ace, Yang Shunchen, had pitched brilliantly.

But even that...

Wasn't enough to stop Seido.

The reigning national champions were simply too powerful.

Powerful enough to overwhelm even an opponent of this caliber.

The stadium exploded into deafening cheers.

For Seido's supporters...

There was no sight more exhilarating than this.

This...

Was exactly how the national champions were supposed to play.

No matter how formidable the opponent...

They crushed them head-on.