Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

With Chunlei's call for a substitution, the crowd became almost delirious. Students from Feng Arts stood from their seats as Chunlei walked to the court.

He looked Junfeng in the eye and didn't even have to say anything for the latter to run to their bench, his heart beating inside his chest. At that moment, it seemed like he wasn't the brutal fouler in the past quarter, but was a baby chick in the midst of Chunlei instead.

The other starting players looked down at the ground, including Yiming. Although some of them were older than him, Chunlei was undoubtedly the most talented player in the team.

He was their secret weapon—only being utilized at the most crucial times.

He was almost like a black hole, continuously improving when you least expect him to. Moreover, his happy-go-lucky personality made other people take him not too seriously.

The only reason why he wasn't a part of the Elite Five just yet was because he played in fewer games compared to Max Zhou. However, when you compare their skills, they seem very similar.

He hadn't played during the Winter Cup since he felt that it was an off-season league. He was planning on going all out at the Interhigh Preliminaries and, most definitely, the Nationals.

Nonetheless, he had set his mind on playing in the Finals with the Yin Yang Knights. However, it seemed like his plans just went down the drain.

"Chunlei's playing? What the heck?"

"They're really going all out in this game, huh?"

"I can't believe that the Shizi Dogs will be the reason that Chunlei would be playing."

"There's only seven minutes left, but he can definitely turn the tides of the game!"

Meanwhile, Yiming went over to Chunlei and gave him a look—silently asking if this was alright.

Chunlei nodded before cracking his neck and knuckles.

Maybe it was due time.

"I missed playing," he smirked, taking his position in front of Yuze.

"You take the first-year," he said to Yiming.

Yiming pursed his lips in disappointment as he went in front of Kai.

Meanwhile, Kai couldn't keep his gaze away from Chunlei. He seemed like an entirely different person on the court, with a bright aura surrounding him.

Kai was curious—utterly curious about how Chunlei played.

"Chunlei is finally playing after all of the games in the Winter Cup!" Mark Li exclaimed; his default position now being standing. This was the game that made him the most excited, and he couldn't believe that it was a game with the Shizi Dogs!

"Let's see. It's been a while since we've seen Chunlei play. After their devastating loss against the Yin Yang Knights last Interhigh Preliminaries, the team didn't play in any off-season leagues. This is possibly the first game that we're seeing Chunlei participate in after a few months!"

Chunlei waved at the audience, causing his supporters to squeal in delight.

Justin Liang frowned as he nudged Junior once again.

"Now, who's that? Why is he more popular than the last guy?"

Junior clicked his tongue and shook his head in disappointment. "You really don't know anything about other sports."

Justin shrugged. "Why would I care about basketball when I'm one of the best in football?"

Junior sighed as he answered his question. "Anyway, you're aware of Max Zhou, right?"

Justin nodded. "Everybody's aware of Max Zhou. You're not from Jilin if you don't know him. Even some national teams are already observing him."

"Well, if Yiming's rival is Yuze, then that guy's rival is Max Zhou," Junior said, smirking when he saw Justin's reaction.

Justin placed his hand under his chin and narrowed his eyes at Chunlei.

"Then, he must be pretty good," he muttered.

"He has a good build, too," he observed before turning to Junior.

"Do you think he'll want to join our team, too?"

Junior facepalmed and clicked his tongue. "You're really hopeless."

The referee blew the whistle, signaling the resumption of the game.

Yuze tried to remain calm, but the fact that he was playing against Chunlei was enough to make him feel nervous.

They had played together a decent amount of times when Yuze was still in Yin Yang. However, after that, they rarely crossed paths at all.

Chunlei was already a great player then, so Yuze could only imagine how much he had improved.

Chunlei appeared more serious than ever, not a hint of amusement in his face. He must have assessed that they were going to lose if the game continued without him. So, for that, Yuze felt flattered.

They actually made Chunlei play.

The game started with Yuze's possession, dribbling more carefully than usual since he was placed with one of the best high school players in the city.

Yuze moved to the left, and Chunlei calmly followed.

Yuze felt that it didn't matter if he would fake to the right. He somewhat knew that Chunlei would immediately find out about his plan.

However, he still continued to do so, and his theory was proven right when Chunlei managed to steal the ball in the blink of an eye.

Kai's eyes widened in surprise. Nobody had done that to Yuze before. So, the fact that Chunlei was able to do it meant that he was considerably better than Yuze.

Kai's point was proven further when Chunlei went past them effortlessly, shooting a lay-up and landing lightly on the ground.

73-71

Kai frowned as Chunlei went to their side for defense. He was seemingly lost in his own world, and he outstretched his hands, planning to stop Yuze at all costs.

The other Shizi Dogs were already terrified, glancing at each other, unsure of what to do.

Meanwhile, the Feng Foxes felt like a heavy weight was lifted off their shoulders.

As much as the other starting players' pride was hurt because they couldn't manage to win against the Shizi Dogs without their star player, they were also relieved to be in the presence of such a great teammate like Chunlei.

Zeren received the ball from Yuze since the latter wasn't able to get past Chunlei.

Zeren's hands shook as he dribbled toward the three-point line.

He attempted to shoot, wanting to get the lead back.

However, before the ball could even leave his hands, Chunlei had already stolen it, moving from one player to another.

Then, he moved to their side for a fast break, the Shizi Dogs not even having enough time to react.

Afterward, he landed a mid-range shot, which sent the court into a frenzy once more.

Lina's breath got caught in the back of her throat.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"We're in trouble."