"Bottom of the ninth, two outs—Koshien triumph, perfect game, countless records now all hinge on this one at-bat. Lin Guanglai, this super genius who has garnered attention all over Japan, can he achieve this unprecedented feat on the grandest stage, or will the baseball game see a desperate comeback from the Koushing Academy players starting from this bottom of the ninth, fulfilling the long-held wish of the Northeast?"

"Youth, dreams, sweat, tears... This summer is about to reach its final chapter. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm right here at Koshien Stadium, witnessing it with you!"

The commentator's voice transmitted through the broadcast signal into thousands of households across Japan, with countless Takayama and fans staring intently at the screen, afraid to blink and miss history;

In front of the televisions, supporters of Koushing Academy were already in despair, with some even turning off their TVs, unable to bear watching the opponent ascend the throne over their team's defeat. Meanwhile, many Waseda Jitsugyo fans seemed to wake from a dream, the surreal feeling made them feel like they were dreaming.

On the pitcher's mound, Lin Guanglai knew full well that countless eyes were on him, focusing on them, and even he struggled to contain the excitement and emotion surging inside him. But he also knew the more crucial the moment, the more he had to control those emotions—after all, he wasn't just aiming for victory in this match but was also being called by the goal of a perfect game!

It should be noted that in 1982, player Shin Yabu accomplished the same 26 up and 26 down achievement, only to hit a batter in the next at-bat, allowing them to reach base, missing the historical opportunity when he was just one step away from the finish line—learning from the past, Lin Guanglai didn't want to be the second in history.

Of course, being too conservative at this time also wouldn't work, the more critical the moment, the more pressure needs to be placed on the opponent: By now, the game had taken a toll on his stamina, dropping the team's speed from 145-148 km/h from the previous inning; but for victory's sake, he could push himself a little further.

The first pitch, Waseda Jitsugyo pitcher-catcher chose the most secure method, a low outside slider, designed to disrupt Akita Kyoyoshi's sight with a high-low drop.

Despite the drop in stamina, Lin Guanglai controlled this ball quite well, the pitch perfectly tuned into Uesugi Yasuyuki's wavelength, the drop point after the baseball's movement landed precisely at the catcher's target position.

Akita Kyoyoshi did not swing.

From the perspective behind home plate, that outside slider just barely touched the strike zone, it was positioned rather ambiguously, it would depend on the home plate umpire's preference whether it was a ball or a strike.

At this point, Lin Guanglai's "precise control" stereotype came into significant play:

By leveraging the umpire's subconscious trust, plus Uesugi Yasuyuki specifically chose not to pull the ball when catching it, merely holding the glove stable, the pitcher-catcher duo's double insurance truly "deceived" the umpire, leading to a judgment in favor of their team:

"Strike!"

"Ooooooooh——!!!"

Cheers erupted from the dugout at third base and from the stands, as the strike prompted cheers from Waseda Jitsugyo's players and supporters.

"Lin Guanglai! A beautiful outside slider, the ball's position is extremely precise, the control of its movement is exquisitely skilled!"

"Two more pitches!!!"

In sharp contrast, the first-base side with Koushing Academy's players and supporters wore expressions of sorrow and worry.

This ruling made an unfavorable situation for Koushing Academy even worse, further disrupting Akita Kyoyoshi's batting rhythm—clearly, he didn't swing just now because he was sure it was a ball, but who would've thought, the umpire had a different opinion.

The situation had suddenly become distressing.

Akita Kyoyoshi looked towards his own players' area on the first-base side, seeking support from teammates and supervisors; but when he cast his gaze there, he found every one of them had already hung their heads low.

With the match at this point, Koushing Academy's players and coaching staff were quite helpless—they genuinely seemed out of options—players could only hang their heads and silently pray, hoping for a sudden outburst of personal player talent as their final straw.

Under such immense pressure, Akita Kyoyoshi only felt his heart wildly pounding uncontrollably, sweat dripping steadily from his forehead, causing every muscle in his body to become rigid—it wasn't just hitting that would be an issue in this state, even swinging the bat smoothly and seamlessly seemed impossible.

With such obvious behavior from the opponent, how could Lin Guanglai not notice? Exchanging a glance with Uesugi Yasuyuki, he seized the moment before Akita Kyoyoshi adjusted back from his nerves and quickly pitched the ball.

No suspense, the baseball flew precisely into the lower inside corner of the strike zone, and Akita Kyoyoshi simply couldn't respond.

"Strike!"

0 balls, 2 strikes—the batter was already pushed into desperation.

"One more pitch!!!!!!!"

Together with the commentator's excited voice came overwhelming applause from the entire Koshien—at this moment, the stadium was like a volcano about to erupt, waiting for the birth of a new champion after the next pitch.

Feeling the thunderous cheers from all sides, Lin Guanglai's heart soared with pride—victory had never felt so close, the feeling of dreams about to come true was enough to make his nerves jump with excitement.

After taking several deep breaths, Lin Guanglai briefly suppressed his excitement, tightly gripping the baseball in his glove with his right hand and clasping onto the raised seam.

Looking towards home plate, Uesugi Yasuyuki gave him a signal, the glove that was set in place kept opening and closing as if telling him:

"Come on, don't hesitate anymore—throw your most confident pitch here for this last ball!"

On the pitcher's mound, Lin Guanglai's front foot lifted high, then took a large step towards home plate—the power stored by twisting his entire body converged completely onto the small white ball in his right hand.

The baseball whizzed past his fingertips, like an arrow released from a bowstring, instantly transforming into a blur as it shot towards the space behind home plate.

Akita Kyoyoshi watched the ball approach, seeing its path heading straight for the strike zone, steeled himself, and swung the bat with abandon.

The baseball landed in Uesugi Yasuyuki's glove.

"Boom——"

Koshien Stadium erupted.

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