Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

Max took a seat and observed the first starting players of the team.

Ailun, Fabin, and their captain, Yutong, were the only starting players to be dispatched for the first quarter.

Max was itching to play, but he also knew that it wouldn't lead to any good if he showed everything he had for a practice game.

Meanwhile, on the Shizi Dogs' side was Jet, Jinping, Kun, Andy, and one of the benchwarmers.

Guanyu frowned since neither Kai nor Yuze entered the court. He predicted that at least one of them would play during the first quarter because they were the biggest players on the team.

Their current line-up lacked just that.

Guanyu looked at his son's expression, frowning deeper when he couldn't decipher what was on his mind.

The audience, despite showing support for the Shizi Dogs when they first came in, completely became biased toward their home team as soon as the game started.

Jinping, currently being the tallest and biggest in the court, took the center spot.

Fortunately, he was just the same height as Fabin, so he didn't have a hard time catching the ball.

He smirked as the ball touched his hand first before he passed it over to Jet.

"Nice," Jet said, dribbling the ball before passing it to Kun.

Fabin clicked his tongue and went to guard Jinping.

Kai smirked as he watched Jinping move around the court. Well, defense had always been Jinping's greatest feat, with shooting as his weakest skill.

However, it was amusing to see that he had improved his defense further, too.

Max crossed his arms in front of his chest as the game unfolded. He was the most curious about Kai, but aside from him, he was also curious about the two new players in their team.

Yutong moved aggressively, causing Kun to stumble. However, he quickly picked himself up and passed the ball to Andy, who was already waiting at the three-point line.

Max frowned as the lanky boy positioned himself to shoot.

"Good form," Max muttered.

"Good form," Kai smirked, almost at the same time as Max.

The ball was released from his hand. Ailun tried to stop it, but it was far too late.

The ball had reached the ring, swishing as it entered through the net.

"Yes," Andy muttered before running to the other side of the court.

3-0.

Max's eyebrows raised in surprise as he glanced at their coach.

"He's pretty good," he said.

Coach Guanyu continued watching the game with a neutral expression, ignoring Max's remark.

Fortunately, the Knights managed to get a point as Yutong shot a lay-up.

3-2.

The crowd erupted into loud cheers while those on the bench clapped for their captain.

"Nice one, Yutong!" they shouted.

"The game is intense from the very start," Grace said to Fei.

Fei smirked and crossed her arms in front of her chest, glancing at Lina, who was busily documenting the game.

"Enjoy it while it's intense," Fei smiled. "Once Max goes in, you'll get bored of the game."

Grace raised her eyebrows in surprise but nodded nonetheless.

Jinping clicked his tongue and took the ball, preparing for another play. He could tell that the Knights were still gauging Andy's playing style, so he decided to pass it to him.

Andy smiled as he received the ball from the middle of the court.

Ailun followed after him, but Andy took a step back, standing just right before the three-point line before shooting once again.

Coach Guanyu's eyebrows furrowed, and those at the bleachers held their breaths.

"Surely, there's no way," Fei muttered.

Most of them believed that the ball wouldn't make it in. It would be ridiculous for him to shoot two three-pointers in a row when the game had just begun!

Andy smirked as the ball bounced on the rim and made its way inside.

Genuine gasps of shock were heard in the audience.

6-2.

The Knights glanced at each other with worried looks.

"He's that good at shooting?" Shin muttered.

Fortunately, the Yin Yang Knights upheld their names as the strongest team in the entire city as they were able to take over the Shizi Dogs' score just as the first quarter ended.

22-24.

The buzzer sounded in the court, and the audience was finally given some time to breathe.

"What was that?" one of them exclaimed.

"That was such an exciting game!"

"Am I tripping, or is the gap really just two points?"

"I can't believe that the Shizi Dogs are that good!"

"Sorry, coach," Ailun said as they arrived at their bench.

Fabin scratched the back of his head while Yutong kept his gaze on the ground, feeling ashamed that they were only able to lead with two points.

Coach Guanyu remained silent, so the team knew that he was pretty upset.

Max cleared his throat to ease the tension.

Then, he stood from the bench. "Should I join the second quarter?" he asked.

Coach Guanyu clicked his tongue and looked into Max's eyes.

"Stick to the original plan," he coldly said.

Max gulped and nodded before sitting back down on the bench.

Meanwhile, the Shizi Dogs' bench was also filled with apologies.

"Sorry," Jinping said, scratching the back of his head. "I got tired by the end of the quarter. They're actually pretty fast."

"Don't mind," Lina smiled. "You guys did a great job—even better than I had imagined. Only two points, and Yuze still hasn't played!"

Kai nodded in agreement.

"Good job out there," he said.

Jinping clicked his tongue and looked away. "I don't need your compliment," he said with red cheeks.

"Great job, everyone," Coach Muchen said. "The next players—get ready."

He then turned to Jet, Jinping, and Kun. "You guys can still play, right?"

They nodded as they drank some water to quench their thirst.

"Alright," Muchen said before turning to Renren. "You ready?" he asked.

The blonde boy stood from the bench with a determined look.

Then, he smirked.

"I'll show them how a basketball-deprived person plays like."

Just then, the whistle sounded once again, now signaling the start of the second quarter.

The second set of five made their way to the court—Jinping, Kun, Jet, Renren, and another benchwarmer.

Max looked at the current line-up and was once again surprised.

"Interesting," he muttered.

They were still not going to utilize Kai or Yuze.

The other player had joined them this time, and Max couldn't help but think that he looked quite familiar.

"They have a foreigner in their team?" Ailun asked.

Fabin, who was exhausted from the last quarter, squinted his eyes to get a better look at the blonde boy.

Then, his eyes instantly widened when he finally realized that he had seen him before.

"Wait," he muttered.

"Isn't that Renren Zhou?"