Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

The referee finally blew the whistle, and the game came to a halt.

The gymnasium was loud with calls and murmurs, but to Kai, everything felt muted. He stared at the lights on the ceiling, his chest tightening as he struggled to regulate his breathing.

Then, the lights dimmed when Jian made his way to his vision.

"You okay?" Jian asked, sounding genuinely concerned. He crouched next to Kai, trying to catch his gaze.

Kai blinked and finally sat up. However, he still appeared absent-minded.

He nodded stiffly in response, but Jian knew better than to believe he was okay.

His teammates glanced at each other. As much as they hated to admit it, Kai had become the main guy of their team—the face of Chinese basketball. Even if he was so young, his talent and courage had been their best asset throughout the tournament.

Up in the stands, Grandma Bingbing's prayers came to a halt. She opened her eyes momentarily, her frown deepening. "Is he hurt?" she asked in a weak voice.

This was the very reason why she didn't want to attend Kai's games in real life! She could prepare herself while watching the television. However, watching her grandson face-to-face was just nerve-wracking.

Aiden frowned. He was focused on the court, specifically on Kai. "I don't think he's physically hurt," he muttered.

Lina frowned beside him. She felt that what Aiden said was right. Kai wouldn't get hurt just like that.

Meanwhile, Gina and David continued their commentary, though their voices were softer than before.

"Poor kid," Gina said, shaking her head. "He still is a kid, after all. This stage must be overwhelming for him. He has reached great heights, but the country wants to see him reach something even greater."

David sighed. "It's not easy being thrust into this kind of spotlight. You can see it in his body language. The pressure is eating him alive."

Some of the medics began to move, but Marcus shook his head. He approached Kai and helped him stand. He observed his face for a second.

"Why don't you sit first, huh? I think you need some rest," he suggested.

Kai looked up at him and wordlessly nodded. There was no fire in his expression, and that was when Marcus knew something was seriously wrong.

'What the heck? Why isn't he fighting this at all?' he thought.

Coach Xu Wei pursed his lips before sighing in frustration. "He can definitely do it," he muttered. "What's stopping him?"

Of course, the coach wanted to see Kai continue playing. However, the decision had already been made. Kai pulled himself off the court and sat on the bench without saying a word.

Coach Xu Wei called for Dong to sub back in. Dong stood and nodded, glancing at Kai one last time before joining the others on the court.

Kai slumped onto the bench, sitting next to Max, who gave him a sideways glance but said nothing. The game resumed, with the scoreboard reading 12-29.

Seven minutes into the first quarter, the Shizi Dogs fought to steady themselves.

Caleb clapped his hands as they got back into position. "It's not impossible," he said. "Don't pressure Kai too much. We can hold out on our own."

Marcus nodded, trying to increase their fighting spirit. "Let's keep them from pulling too far ahead."

That seemed to do the trick. Marcus intercepted a pass from William and passed it to Jian. Then, Jian sprinted down the court and sank a smooth two-pointer.

The crowd cheered. However, it wasn't as loud as they had expected. It seemed like they were already preparing for Team USA to widen the gap once more.

14-29.

On the bench, Kai couldn't even hear the noise. It was all just a blurry mess to him. All he could hear was the sound of his breathing and heartbeat.

He rested his elbows on his knees, staring at the floor as some of his sweat dripped down.

Max nudged his shoulder suddenly, breaking his trance.

"You're so stupid," Max said bluntly.

Kai turned to him, raising his eyebrows.

"Where did that come from?" he muttered.

Max didn't respond to his question. Instead, before he could react, Max slapped the back of Kai's head loudly, drawing the attention of some of their teammates on the court.

Jimmy glanced toward them but didn't interfere. He knew Kai needed this.

Kai blinked, stunned. "What was that for?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head.

Max shook his head. "You should be annoyed by now," he said. "What happened to you? Is the lack of sleep getting to your brain?"

Kai pursed his lips and shook his head. "It's not that," he said, his eyes directing to the floor again.

"Look at me," Max said, gripping Kai's shoulders so tightly that it made Kai flinch.

"I don't want to boost your ego, but nearly everyone came here for you today," he said.

Kai frowned, his lips parting to protest, but Max cut him off.

"Your school, your old teachers, your girlfriend, your grandma," Max continued. "They're all here. They're watching you. That's what you've wanted since the very beginning, right?"

"You've been so confident in every other game. What happened now? Do you want to disappoint them?"

Kai's jaw tightened. He clenched his fists, but he stayed silent.

Max sighed, leaning back against the bench and crossing his arms in front of his chest. "You're such a good player that I can't even comprehend how you can feel like you're bad."

Kai looked away, the words hitting him harder than he expected.

"Ah, really," Max muttered, shaking his head. "If I had that kind of skill, I'd devour everyone out there. You have no idea how lucky you are."

"You've come such a long way, and now that you're near the finish line, you're suddenly stopping? What a shame," he continued, every word feeling like a stab to Kai's chest.

"Might as well just walk out of the court now."