Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

Kai couldn't shake off his excitement.

Yuze narrowed his eyes at him.

"Don't be too excited now," he warned, pointing his index finger at him.

Kai shook his head as he tried to bring the corners of his lips down. However, it was obvious that he was still happy about Yuze's choice.

The team captain shook his head and sighed.

"You're going to need a lot of luck," Yuze said. "I'm the only one who has played with the Xing Stars before, and they're really a force to be reckoned with."

Kai frowned on confusion. "How come?" he asked.

Yuze pursed his lips. "Let's just say that they're unlike any of the teams we've played with before."

With that, Yuze walked away from him, leaving Kai to ponder upon his words.

The referee finally arrived, signaling the start of the game. The side of the Xing Stars erupted into cheers. However, it wasn't the usual screams that could be heard from a typical audience.

Instead, they cheered through an organized chant.

"Xing, Xing. Shining Xing," they repeated in an almost-nonchalant tone, their hands moving their flags and banners in a synchronized manner.

Kun felt a shiver run down his spine as he gazed at their side.

"Goodness. It feels like we're battling against a cult or something."

Jet nodded in agreement before stretching his legs. Then, he turned his attention to their side, which comprised of bored people and the excited hooligans that Kai was friends with.

"You should tell your friends to keep quiet," Zeren said, covering his ears as the Angs continued to cheer like gorillas.

Kai scratched the back of his head. "I don't know them," he said in an ashamed tone.

Meanwhile, Zedong sharply glanced at their side before shaking his head.

"We're playing against troublemakers again, captain," one of his teammates said.

"Let's not be swayed," Zedong said to his teammates. "We shall follow through with what the coach has planned. Stick to the system. Stick to the narrative. We'll be able to win that way."

The others nodded in determination, the movement of their heads even appearing synchronized.

The game finally started, with Yuze and the Stars' center fighting for the ball.

As expected, Yuze was still able to get it, having one of the tallest heights paired with the highest jumps in the entire league.

However, even then, the Xing Stars gave them a tough time passing the ball to their side of the court.

The students from Xing Stars continued to cheer like robots, firing up their team even more.

Yixing, the coach of Xing Stars, strode to the professional scorer's table while his eyes continued to scan the court.

He exchanged nods and greetings with his past colleagues. However, he didn't stray his eyes away from his boys, calculating their every move.

With a quick glance at the scoreboard, he asked, "Are the Dogs any good this season?"

The scorer, a veteran of many seasons, shrugged.

"Hard to say, Yixing. This is their first game on the main court, so this is also my first time seeing them play this year."

Another scorer nodded. "They were able to beat the Daxue Dolphins last time, though, which is new for them."

Yixing nodded, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"I did hear. I'm not going to lie, but that threw our team off the loop. I was already strategizing a plan against the Dolphins, yet now, I had to strategize against the Dogs—who we hadn't played before."

His past friend patted his shoulder. "I think your team already got this. Didn't you beat your last opponent by more than fifty points?"

Yixing shrugged, a small smirk playing against his lips.

"They weren't prepared enough," he confidently said.

Then, he glanced at the Shizi Dogs' bench, where he saw a few players cheering for their team and a young woman writing diligently in her notebook.

"It seems like their coach is still non-existent this year."

They nodded in agreement. "Poor kids, honestly. It seems they have a lot of new players this year. I believe they still might be lacking guidance."

Yixing nodded. However, he wasn't really concerned about that aspect. All he needed was to strategize against their team and win so they could move on to their greatest rivals—Feng Arts High.

He stayed next to the professional scorer's table as he watched the game.

His eyebrows raised in surprise when he saw a tall guy playing among the Shizi Dogs. For quite some time, Yuze was the only 'tall' player in Shizi. Moreover, the new kid also seemed to have a muscular body, which would be advantageous for their team.

Kai received the ball from Kun, and he dribbled it down the court. His eyes scanned the defense, and he was met by a defender from the Xing Stars.

'This dude again,' he thought.

This guy had been hounding him relentlessly since the game started, forcing him to work for every inch.

The Xing Stars' defense was tight, playing a suffocating man-to-man coverage. Kai tried to shake his defender, but he stuck to him like glue, moving in perfect synchronization with the other defenders.

"They're even synchronized here, too?" he muttered, thinking about the amount of time they've placed into their training to be able to do such a thing.

Frustration crept into Kai's mind as he searched for an opening.

It felt like he was trapped in a simulation with no way out.

Every pass was met with a wall of defenders, and the shot clock was ticking down fast.

With no other option, Kai made a split-second decision.

He didn't know what came over him as he raised his hand above his head, holding onto the ball with one hand in a power grip.

Then, he launched the ball toward the hoop, aiming for the net.

Zeren's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he watched the trajectory of the ball, almost straight and moving at a very high speed.

Then, he glanced back at Kai, who appeared to be as confused as he was.

"This guy," Zeren scoffed.

"Is he playing dodgeball or something?"