Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"Yuze, with that hesitation dribble, passes up the shot!" Mark Li exclaimed.

"He's reading the defense like a book tonight, folks. And to think that this team struggled to play with the Xing Stars back in the Winter Cup!"

"Renren now setting up a screen to create space. Andy is positioned at the three-point line. Is he going to shoot? He's been unstoppable tonight!"

Two guards from the Xing Stars went to Andy as he was positioned to shoot.

"Wait! It's a fake," Mark exclaimed. "He drew in the defender like magnets. It's like a chess match out there. Two defenders from the Xing Stars collapse on him, leaving a lane wide open."

"And here comes Kai, soaring from the baseline!"

The people screamed as Kai jumped just a little bit beyond the free-throw line. The lane was completely open, and the ball was already high in the air, so he slammed it down with full power. Stay updated with My Virtual Library Empire

"Wow! It's the fourth quarter, and Kai is still energetic! What a finish," Mark said, his hair ruffled from all the excitement.

"Ten seconds left on the clock! What's going to be their next move? It's time to play safe," Mark exclaimed.

However, playing safe wasn't in their dictionary for this game.

"We can still have one more play!" Kai exclaimed.

The other Dogs were getting tired due to the intense nature of the game; however, seeing Kai so fired up made them livid.

It was as if they didn't want to lose to their own teammate.

Lina shook her head in amusement, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "He really needs to calm down," she said.

Coach Muchen chuckled. "I think he is pretty calm. He's not as aggressive as the game with the Feng Foxes."

"I just think he has a lot of pent-up energy," he added.

"Well, you did tell him to sit two quarters out," Lina noted.

"The last game, his head bled, and he didn't budge. His safety is still the number one priority. It's his punishment for being so stubborn."

Coach Yixing looked particularly calm on their bench, bringing out a granola bar and munching on it without a care in the world.

One of the players held onto their coach's shoulder. "You alright, coach?" he asked.

Coach Yixing nodded. "Let's do better next year, boys."

"Six seconds!" Mark exclaimed. "Kai has the ball. Will he make the shot?"

"Zedong is not letting him pass. It's a man-to-man battle. Zedong looks exhausted, though. It looks like Kai is about to surpass him."

"And he does!" he excitedly chimed.

"They're trying to block Kai, but he's practically flying. Three seconds left on the clock. Will we still see their score go up?"

Kai, not wanting to exert too much effort, settled for a lay-up, adding another two points to their score.

The audience watched with agape mouths as Kai sunk the shot.

"W—What is this?" Kexin stammered, standing from his seat as he looked at the score.

He wasn't the only one. Multiple people stood to see if the score was factual.

Then, the buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the game.

Yet, the shock didn't dissipate.

102-73.

"They have such a big gap against the Xing Stars?" Bocheng asked in disbelief. "We've never had this big a gap against them."

"And to think that Kai only played for two quarters," Yiming added, shaking his head. "Renren's getting better the more time passes. He's the MVP of this game."

"Yet, Kai still has the most points," Chunlei said.

The boys turned to Chunlei with wide eyes. "He does?"

"I think the real question is—you've been keeping score of his shots?" Shilei asked. "It seems to me that Max isn't the only one interested in Kai."

Chunlei clicked his tongue but didn't deny the allegation.

Instead, he revealed the amount of points that Kai had garnered in the game.

"42 points," he said.

The boy's eyes comically widened.

"42 freaking points for two quarters?" Yiming exclaimed.

Kexin shook his head. "So, come to think of it, we actually did a great job against them."

"Is that the conclusion you had?" Chunlei asked.

"Yeah," Kexin smirked. "We still have to keep our pride after all. Why? What's your conclusion on that?"

"He broke Max's score," Chunlei said. "Max scored a maximum of 41 points since our first year."

The Feng Foxes turned silent as Chunlei continued.

"That means that this guy is rising quickly in the ranks," he muttered.

However, Kai, still feeling a bit upset that he wasn't allowed to play for two quarters, could barely register what had happened.

Before he knew it, he was being lifted in the air. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw Yuze holding onto him like a giant teddy bear.

But then again, Yuze was the only player who could carry Kai within their team.

The other players were also amused. They didn't expect their captain to do such a thing. However, they didn't bother to tease him since he looked way too happy.

Meanwhile, Zedong went back to their bench with a dejected sigh.

"Sorry, coach," he said. "We tried our best."

Coach Yixing pursed his lips and opened his arms to give his captain a hug.

"You did well, Zedong," he said. "You were great."

Zedong pursed his lips and leaned against his coach, suddenly feeling emotional.

"That was another legendary performance by none other than the Shizi Dogs," Mark said amidst the celebration.

"They have rewritten history once again."

"Come to think of it, the Shizi Dogs became a big factor as to why the Interhigh Preliminaries have changed. Back then, the top four schools would always be the Knights, Stars, Alligators, and the Foxes."

"However, the Dogs singlehandedly beat three of these teams," he chuckled in amusement.

Yiming's eyes narrowed. "Does he have to say that out loud?"

"So, with that, the game has now come to an end," Mark concluded.

"I'll be seeing you later for the game with the Knights and the Rams to see who will compete against the Dogs in the finals."

"And to the Dogs," he said with a proud smile.

"Congratulations on making it to the Nationals!"