Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog-Chapter 646: China vs. USA (8)

Kai felt his heart race as his system interface flashed before him.

[Black Hole: 24]

His eyebrows raised in surprise. He had a number now? What could it possibly mean?

When he reached this level, he knew the progression system would change. It looked like he still had a lot to navigate with his system.

He shook his head, clearing the thoughts. Now wasn't the time to dwell on it. The game demanded his focus, and the ball was in his hands.

Julian was watching him intently, his jaw set in frustration.

Kai shifted, feinting to his left. Julian reacted, sliding to block him, but Kai pulled back and whipped a pass to Jian, who was cutting toward the basket.

Jian caught it in stride and laid it up with ease.

35-45.

The gap was just ten points now.

The Shizi Dogs, seated on the bleachers, exploded into cheers. Shang and Jet clapped loudly, their smiles wide. Andy pumped his fist into the air.

"Finally," Shang said, leaning back. "This is more like him."

Jet nodded. "I told you. Kai's never out of it."

The newer players began murmuring to each other.

"Was he always like that?" one muttered.

Mingze shook his head. "If you guys only knew," he said. "Kai worked harder than anyone else to get to where he is in such a short amount of time. If you had seen him before, you would not dare say he doesn't deserve it."

Not everyone was thrilled, of course. Caishen, seated farther down the bleachers, felt a sour taste rise in his throat.

"They weren't lying," he muttered. He folded his arms tightly, glaring at the court. "He's actually this good."

On the U.S. side, Julian stood frozen, his fists clenched. His mind raced, trying to make sense of what was happening.

Why is he this good? How is he this good?

Kai was supposed to be a rookie, an upstart who didn't belong on this stage. Julian didn't have any natural talent, and he slacked off, too. Then, his brother had given him the system. It became his ticket to the top!

"Black Hole: 25," Julian muttered under his breath.

It was supposed to mean I'm the best.

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But now, Julian found himself questioning everything. Was the system flawed? Did his brother give him a failed system as revenge for not acknowledging him all these years?

"Fuck him," he said before he could stop himself.

"Julian," Marcus called. "Snap out of it."

Romeo stepped in as well, sensing Steven's distress. "Stop it, Julian. You're messing up the team's spirit."

Their words entered one ear and exited another. Julian's pride wouldn't let him.

How could someone like Kai, who was still in high school, be better than him? Steven and Romeo were veterans. They had been doing this for such a long time, so it was expected that they would be better than him.

But this kid? No way.

Julian ignored Steven and Romeo and charged forward on the next possession, trying to force his way past Dong and Caleb.

It was a mess. His moves lacked coordination, and his teammates hesitated to support him, unsure of what he was trying to do.

The play fizzled, and Kai easily intercepted Julian's sloppy pass, dribbling back up the court.

Kai kept his eyes on Caleb as he moved forward. Julian was trailing him, desperate to recover, but Kai kept his cool. He drew the defenders in and then, with perfect timing, passed to Caleb at the three-point line.

Caleb caught it, set his feet, and released the shot.

Swish.

38-45.

The Shizi Dogs roared again, their cheers drowning out the U.S. supporters. Hope bloomed in the hearts of their countrymen when they realized that this wasn't an impossible game.

Julian pursed his lips, smoke practically coming out of his ears. He glared at Romeo, who was gesturing for him to calm down. Steven stepped closer and held his arm.

"Julian, stop forcing it. You're hurting the team," he spat.

Julian's head whipped toward him, but he didn't respond. He couldn't. His pride was choking him, rendering him deaf to Steven's words.

Back on offense, Kai received the ball. Julian was guarding him again, his mind racing with the words 'I'm the best' as he tried to steal the ball.

Kai drove toward the basket, faked a pass, and then pulled up for a mid-range jumper.

The ball sailed cleanly through the net.

40-45.

The U.S. bench stirred uneasily. The five-point gap was now too close for comfort.

On the sidelines, Lina and Aiden watched with wide eyes.

"What the heck," Lina said in disbelief. "I have never seen him play this well before."

"Dang," Aiden muttered, leaning forward. He had improved drastically since the game with Team Germany. And it has only been a day since then!

"It's a good thing he has my body now," he proudly said.

"What?" Lina asked, whipping her head toward him.

Aiden quickly shook his head, his lips twitching into a smirk. "Nothing," he said with a nervous chuckle.

Then, louder, he said, "Love him. Go Kai!"

Back on the court, the buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the first half.

The scoreboard read 40-45.

"It's a five-point gap after the first half," Gina noted. "I didn't think this could happen in the span of less than a quarter."

"Kai is playing an integral role once again," David added. "I hope they can keep up with this kind of energy until the end of the game."

Kai walked toward the bench, his breathing steady despite the sweat dripping on his temples.

He caught Julian's gaze for a brief moment and saw the emotions in his eyes. It was the first time he had seen such emotions since the game had started.

Kai didn't smirk or taunt him. Instead, he simply sat down, grabbed a towel, and wiped his face, his focus already on the next half.

His teammates clapped him on the back, their spirits lifted.

"Five points," Caleb said, grinning. "We can do this."