Chapter 670 - 670: Not So Soon

"Damn it, how is this possible?!"

Narumiya Mei, who had swung and missed three times in a row, had an unwilling expression on his face.

"Reality is just that cruel, young man. You still need to work harder if you want to hit Han-san's pitch!"

Miyuki added fuel to the fire, provoking him.

If Narumiya Mei lost his composure because of that sentence and it ultimately affected his pitching rhythm, Miyuki wouldn't mind at all.

"Hmph…"

Narumiya Mei snorted unwillingly and returned to his dugout.

After Narumiya Mei was struck out, the young fans in the stands went completely wild.

They raised their voices to a very high pitch, even a little out of tune. Coupled with the cheers from Seido High School Baseball Team's supporters, the entire venue seemed to have become Seido High School Baseball Team's Zhang Han's personal show.

Returning to the dugout, Narumiya Mei faced the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team, all with expressions of curiosity.

Now, the time remaining in the game was very limited.

Many players on the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team might only have one more chance to face Zhang Han. To put it bluntly, they didn't have that much time to observe, experience, or get used to it…

They could only judge Zhang Han's pitch through the most direct feedback from their teammates.

"That hateful kid, he doesn't look injured at all, his Fastball is terrifyingly fast!"

Returning to his dugout and still praising Zhang Han?

Just thinking about it made Narumiya Mei feel his internal organs churning.

He was uncomfortable, very uncomfortable.

But for the sake of his teammates on the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team, no matter how uncomfortable he felt, some things had to be said.

"So, he's still maintaining his previous pitching level?"

Coach Kunimoto asked.

Narumiya Mei really wanted to belittle him, but he hadn't touched the baseball once.

If he were to belittle Zhang Han, what would that make him, a batter who hadn't touched the ball once?

In the end, Narumiya Mei could only pinch his nose and nod in acknowledgment.

"Yes, he's maintaining his previous level, and he might even have improved further."

"It's not due to an injury, yet Zhang Han wasn't allowed to pitch once before? If I'm not mistaken, Seido High School Baseball Team must have consulted professional doctors, and Zhang Han's body simply cannot handle such a fast Fastball."

Coach Kunimoto's words left the teammates of Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team completely bewildered.

What did he mean, his body couldn't handle it?

"There have been examples of this before. After the new century, there was an Ace Pitcher whose Fastball exceeded 160 kilometers, and even in his third year, he could only serve as a substitute and relief pitcher."

After hearing Coach Kunimoto's words, the players of Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team immediately formed an impression.

There was indeed such a person, who was now performing very impressively in a professional team.

Not only was his pitch excellent, but his hitting was also top-notch.

He did look somewhat similar to Zhang Han.

"How is Zhang Han as strong as him?"

Narumiya Mei stubbornly retorted.

"This isn't about strength, at least it's not perfect in high school. You are still in the stage of physical growth, and long-term pitching of such fast Fastballs can easily lead to finger or even body deformation. If such a thing really happened, injury might be a minor issue; it could even lead to disability. Since Seido High School Baseball Team is aware of this, they won't always let Zhang Han be the Ace Pitcher."

Zhang Han, for the powerhouse teams that will face Seido High School Baseball Team next, might not be an insurmountable obstacle.

After all, Seido High School has no way of letting him pitch on the pitcher's mound all the time.

After hearing these words, many of the teammates from Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Just watching Zhang Han's pitching performance, they felt a lingering fear.

However, these Inashiro Industrial players, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, did not notice what their Coach had left unsaid.

For Seido High School Baseball Team's future opponents, Zhang Han was merely someone they needed to guard against, and it was difficult for him to become a fatal key factor.

But for their Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team, if Zhang Han couldn't go to the pitcher's mound because of this reason before, then that would be too bad.

Zhang Han's body is not injured, which means that his pitch actually has no strict restrictions.

Pitching too many pitches is definitely not okay.

But with only four innings left in the game, the impact is basically negligible.

And while pitching too many pitches every day isn't good, it doesn't mean he can't last a single day.

Although it's full of uncertainty, if someone is unlucky enough to encounter it, then the Seido High School Baseball Team they face will undoubtedly be a hellish difficulty.

Unfortunately, what the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team is currently facing is basically hellish difficulty.

Fortunately, they had prepared in advance.

Otherwise, it would be as hard as climbing to the heavens to score a single point against Zhang Han today.

"Don't be discouraged, everyone. Haven't I already had you hit Fastballs at 155 kilometers per hour? If Zhang Han's pitch changes, we can only surrender. But if it's just a Fastball, haven't you all hit it before?"

The Coach of Inashiro Industrial, stroking his balding head, called out confidently.

However, his appeal did not receive much recognition from the players of Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team.

They had indeed used a pitching machine to simulate a 155 km/h Fastball before.

But even then, not all batters could make contact with the ball, and those who could hit it out were even fewer.

Not to mention, Zhang Han's Fastball, though said to have no special features, was still thrown by a human.

Compared to a cold, hard machine's pitch, there was still a very significant difference.

It wouldn't be easy to hit such a pitch.

Fortunately, the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team players had some confidence in the batter who was up next.

On one hand, it was because during their previous practices, he was one of the very few who could hit a 155 km/h Fastball.

On the other hand, it was because he was also one of the star players of the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team.

Sixth batter, First Baseman, Yamaoka Riku.

Yamaoka was a man of few words, covered in taut muscles.

Zhang Han's impression of him, besides his extraordinary strength, was that he could drink an incredible amount of water.

For regular mineral water, if someone could chug a 500 ml bottle in one go, that would be considered quite a good drinker.

Yamaoka Riku was different from others; he carried a water bucket that was at least two or three times larger than others'.

Zhang Han had personally seen him chug a two-liter water bucket in one go.

That was a full two kilograms.

This scene stayed in Zhang Han's memory for a long time.

Even now, when he saw Yamaoka again, Zhang Han's impression was still very deep.

It all felt like it had just happened.

Miyuki, in the catcher position, had already given Zhang Han the signal.

The pitching state and feeling are very good, keep it up.

At the same time, Miyuki's glove shifted slightly outward.

Although with Zhang Han's Fastball, he should have a great chance of successfully dealing with the opponent in front of him, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Using an outside pitch would definitely be safer.

Zhang Han also did not raise any objections.

He took his stance, putting all the strength of his body into the two fingers that would release the ball.

"Whoosh!"

Like a flash of lightning, the white baseball whistled out.

Zhang Han's own pitch actually didn't have many special characteristics. Even his junior, Furuya Satoru, whose Fastball was a notch slower than his, pitched with much more imposing presence.

But when such a featureless pitch reaches a certain speed, it is equally astonishing.

The baseball instantly covered a distance of over ten meters, appearing above home plate.

"So fast!"

In the stands, those who supported the Seido High School Baseball Team, and the Misses who specifically cheered for Zhang Han, were all incredibly excited.

Every time Zhang Han finished a pitch, they couldn't help but look at the speed display.

"155 kilometers…"

"Smack!"

"Strike!"

On the first pitch, Yamaoka Riku, who usually swung very aggressively, didn't have time to swing.

Zhang Han, having secured a strike, completely controlled the pitching rhythm and immediately threw his second pitch.

This time, Yamaoka Riku swung decisively.

Although his judgment was off, the bat missed the baseball by five or six centimeters and failed to make contact.

"Smack!"

"Strike!"

With two strikes and no balls, Zhang Han had his opponent cornered.

The fans in the stands were excitedly dancing, as if they had already seen Zhang Han get the second out.

On the contrary, Miyuki, in the catcher position, frowned at this moment.

Something seemed to be amiss.

Just now, although Yamaoka Riku couldn't make contact with the ball, he did catch the pitching rhythm.

This was a pitch around 155 kilometers per hour; how could he catch it so easily?

The only reasonable explanation was that the players of Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team had practiced this before.

They were already accustomed to such a Fastball, which is why they could catch it.

As soon as this possibility came to Miyuki's mind, an alarm bell rang.

It's important to note that while Yamaoka Riku's swing didn't look as astonishing as Raichi Todoroki or Yuuki Tetsuya's, he habitually kept the bat behind his back, and during the swing, the bat seemed to complete a full circle.

Such a swing possesses immense power.

What if he happened to make contact with the ball? The consequences could be unimaginable.

In the dugout of Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team, Narumiya Mei also noticed this.

"He's already caught up to the pitching speed, hit the ball next time!"

Although he himself was struck out, which was a bit embarrassing, as long as other players from the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team could hit the ball, Narumiya Mei still felt great.

A feeling of sweet revenge.

Driven by this satisfaction, Narumiya Mei voluntarily stood up to cheer for Yamaoka Riku.

The other players of Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team, led by their Ace, also stood up and began to shout together.

"Hit it out!"

"Send it out!"

"Hit a home run!"

"Hit a home run!"

The shouts of a dozen people stirred up tens of thousands of fans in the stands.

The entire stands were filled with deafening shouts.

How could the supporters of Seido High School Baseball Team, especially Zhang Han's fans, tolerate such treatment?

These guys from Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team were too shameless, actually mobilizing everyone to put pressure on their Zhang Han?

This was unbearable.

The supporters of Seido High School Baseball Team also started shouting along.

"Strike out! Strike out!"

Their chant was very simple, just two words.

But it was these two words that completely seized the initiative of the entire baseball field.

When the supporters of Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team were shouting, they actually lacked confidence.

Although they hoped Yamaoka Riku could hit the ball out in one go, they weren't professional personnel of the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team, so they couldn't see things that clearly.

Therefore, deep down, they weren't as confident as their chants made them out to be.

And because they lacked confidence, their cheers were gradually suppressed by the supporters of Seido High School Baseball Team.

Fortunately, Yamaoka Riku was a very simple person and would not be affected by these things. Otherwise, the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team would have shot themselves in the foot.

Amidst such a roar, Zhang Han took a deep breath and threw the baseball from his hand.

He lifted his leg, stepped forward, and, using the inertia of his body's movement, focused all his strength onto the two fingers releasing the pitch.

Hit whatever you aim for.

This was also one of the reasons for Zhang Han's obsession with control.

It's just that his talent in this area, compared to his Fastball, was completely incomparable.

Fortunately, when the feeling is right, the unique characteristic emerges.

"Whoosh!"

The white baseball, like a dazzling white light, flashed across above home plate.

Yamaoka, who had already prepared for hitting, accurately aimed at the incoming baseball and swung his bat decisively.

Players from both teams, including tens of thousands of fans in the stands, all focused their gaze here.

Although with their eyesight, most people couldn't clearly see the truth of the confrontation, they still instinctively focused their gaze here, waiting for a result.

Then.

"Smack!"

People heard the sound of the baseball hitting the glove hard.

"Strike!"

"Strike out!"

In the stands, the fans who cheered for Zhang Han were all incredibly excited.

They excitedly waved everything they could wave, making it seem as if they couldn't wait to rush onto the field.

The cheers in the stands seemed no longer enough to satisfy their emotions.

On the other side, the spectators cheering for the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team suddenly fell silent, not a single sound.

They weren't the most desperate; at this moment, the most desperate people on the field were the players in the dugout of the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team.

Their eyes were wide open, staring in disbelief at everything that was happening before them.

Their eyes were filled with great doubt and incomprehension.

Why?

Hadn't Yamaoka Riku already caught Zhang Han's Fastball?

Why was his swing so far behind?

This doesn't make sense.

Unfortunately, at this moment, no one could give the players of Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team a reasonable explanation.

They could only discover it themselves.

"Look!"

Fortunately, the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team players were very sharp.

They quickly discovered where the problem lay.

When people's eyes saw the huge numbers on the electronic display, they already understood what had happened.

"159 km!"

This speed was just a step away from the man who set the Fastball legend after the new century.

Considering that Zhang Han is currently only a second-year player, there is a high possibility that he can make further progress in the future.

The players and supporters of Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team almost simultaneously felt a deep sense of despair.

Some say that being in the same division as the players of Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team is simply torture.

Now, the players of Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team found themselves feeling exactly the same way.

Being born in the same era as a monster like Zhang Han, and in the same division.

They were probably just supporting characters chosen by fate.

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