Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog-Chapter 641: China vs. USA (3)

"Oh, this is devastating," Gina said, nearly covering her eyes. Their home team was getting murdered right in front of them! Not literally, though. "It's only halfway through the first quarter, and yet it feels like the game's already over."

David exhaled. "The US team is showing why they've been unstoppable in the Global Games until now. They aren't the reigning champions for no reason. I thought the Chinese team has improved a lot, but right now, they look completely out of sync."

On the court, Kai's chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. His body felt heavier than usual, and his mind raced with countless thoughts on how to beat the opposing team.

Across the court, Romeo King casually adjusted his headband. He wasn't even breaking a sweat!

Kai felt like he was on the receiving end of how he was during the Interhigh Nationals. Was this how Jian felt when they had beaten their team?

Five minutes in, and it already felt like an eternity.

Steven Murr had just passed through their defense again, his agility making it impossible to pin him down. He tossed the ball back to Liam Garcia, who drained another three-pointer.

Coach Xu Wei had seen enough. He called for a time-out, his voice cutting through the buzz of the arena.

The players jogged to the bench, their shoulders slumped.

"What's wrong out there?" Xu Wei demanded. His voice was sharp, but it wasn't unkind. He knew they were having a hard time.

Kai shook his head, breathing unevenly. "They're better," he admitted without any hesitation.

His teammates raised their eyebrows. "Wow, you're admitting it so early in the game," Caleb muttered.

"I can't lie," Kai said, taking a swig from his energy drink. "The FBA is an entirely different world."

Jian, sitting beside him, frowned. "I don't think so, though."

"Hmm?" Kai asked, surprised. They turned their attention to Jian now.

"Overall, yes. They're a better team. They have a bigger player pool. There's more choices," Jian continued. "But I think you're better than that guy, Julian Barker. Marcus is better than William, too. However, the others are just too much."

Kai's head snapped up, his eyebrows raised in disbelief. "No way," he said immediately.

If Kai hadn't known that Julian Barker played like Jonathan Samson, then he would have agreed. However, now that he was sure that Julian and Jonathan were essentially the same player, it was impossible.

Kai shook his head again, laughing at the notion.

"You've got to believe it," Jian said. "If you don't, we've already lost."

Xu Wei clapped his hands, pulling their attention back.

"Focus. Dong, you're out for now. Caleb, get in there and tighten the defense. Jian, take a breather. Muyang, we need your three-pointers."

Kai glanced at the scoreboard again as the time-out ended.

6-18.

His stomach churned.

The game resumed, and chaos descended once more. Caleb managed to block a shot from Romeo, but Steven swooped in to grab the rebound, passing it to Liam, who scored yet another three-pointer.

Kai tried to keep his composure, but the pressure was mounting. Muyang found a brief opening and sank a three-pointer of his own, giving China a momentary glimmer of hope.

9-21.

Julian smirked as he dribbled past Kai. He faked a shot, drawing Caleb out of position, and passed the ball to William Jones. William's calm demeanor didn't waver as he sank a jumper from the free-throw line.

9-23.

Kai felt the weight of the world on his shoulders.

He was suffocating under the expectations, and he realized that Team USA wasn't just good. They had a different league of their own.

His chest tightened as he glanced at Julian, who was smiling smugly.

"I can't keep up," Kai thought, panic creeping into his mind.

The game continued, and the Shizi Dogs struggled to find their rhythm.

Caleb managed a steal, passing the ball to Muyang, who sank another three-pointer.

12-23.

"You haven't even scored a point yet," Julian said to Kai before driving toward the basket and faking a lay-up. Then, he spun around Kai.

Kai reached out, trying to block him, but Julian let out a dramatic gasp and stumbled to the floor.

The referee's whistle cut through the noise.

"Foul!"

Kai froze, his mouth opening in protest. He didn't even touch him!

"Are you serious?" he started, but Marcus placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.

"Don't," Marcus said quietly.

Kai clenched his jaw, raising his hand reluctantly to acknowledge the foul. He stepped back, watching as Julian lined up for the free throw.

Julian's smirk was infuriating. He dribbled the ball twice, then sank the shot effortlessly.

12-25.

Kai's frustration was boiling over. His hands trembled as he wiped the sweat from his face. His teammates and the entire country were counting on him, but he felt like he was drowning.

"You're better than this," he thought, trying to steady himself. But the doubt was insidious, creeping into every corner of his mind.

He started becoming desperate. Steven managed to get another two-pointer in, and the gap showed no signs of closing.

12-27.

Kai found it hard to breathe. The noise of the crowd and the rapid movements on the court were all too much. His breaths came in shallow gasps as he tried to keep up with everything.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

If this was what being a black hole felt like, then maybe he shouldn't have finished the muffin mission.

And then it happened.

One misstep. His foot slipped, and he felt his body lurch forward.

Time seemed to slow as he reached out, trying to catch himself. The court blurred around him, and he hit the ground hard, the impact jolting through his body.

It wasn't like anyone had touched him. It was his mistake. Just his.

The arena fell silent.

Kai laid there, his chest heaving and mind racing.

"Get up," he thought, but his body didn't respond.

The scoreboard blinked in the corner of his vision. Along with that, he saw Julian prepare for another shot. With one smirk at Kai, he threw the ball.

12-29.

"Ah, it's over," he whispered.