Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog-Chapter 434: Shizi Dogs vs. Huolan Guardians (2)

The first quarter ended with the Huolan Guardians leading by ten points, a fact that gnawed at the Shizi Dogs as they huddled around Coach Muchen.

The court murmured about the Guardians’ improvement, while Kai couldn’t shake the feeling of impending danger. He kept glancing at Yuze, who sat at the edge of the bench.

"Yuze, I’m swapping you out," Muchen said firmly, looking at his captain’s injured leg. "You’ve done enough. Rest up now."

"No," Yuze cut in before the coach could argue further. He grabbed a water bottle and, in a quick motion, chugged a pain reliever he had tucked inside his sleeve, hiding it from everyone. "I’m staying. We need every bit of momentum we can get, and I’m not giving up yet."

"Are you still not okay?" Kun asked with furrowed eyebrows.

Yuze shook his head. "I’m fine," he said. "Coach is just overreacting."

Explore stories on novelbuddy

Muchen frowned but knew there was no point in pushing further. Yuze’s will was like iron. If he said he was staying, he was staying.

Just then, the whistle was heard, cutting their conversation short.

The second quarter began, and things didn’t look any better for the Dogs.

The Guardians were still in control, with their weaknesses unable to be seen.

As the first minute of the quarter ticked, Fang found himself matched up against Kai.

"Would you look at that!" Hailey exclaimed. "The teams’ star players are facing off at that corner."

Kevin’s eyes widened in excitement. "This is going to be good!"

The players watching in the VIP area also leaned closer to get a better look. They wondered who was better—Fang Liu or Kai Guo.

Kai squared his shoulders, ready for the challenge, but deep down, nerves twisted in his gut.

Fang.

This was the guy he had once aspired to be.

Fang smiled faintly, the kind of smile that was calm and confident. He dribbled lightly, testing the waters, but Kai knew something big was coming.

’Fangs by Fang,’ they called it.

Fang’s signature move.

In an instant, Fang darted left, his movements so fluid they seemed to happen in slow motion to everyone watching. Kai kept up with him, refusing to give ground. Fang’s footwork was flawless, using screens from his teammates to shake off defenders.

But then, Fang stopped short, leaving Kai only a breath away from over-committing.

Without hesitation, Fang flicked the ball behind his back, slipping it past two defenders in one clean motion. Kai froze, realizing he’d been baited. Fang lunged forward and gathered the ball on the other side, and in one leap, he spun mid-air, launching the ball into the hoop with a finger roll that was so smooth.

"There it is!" Hailey screamed as the crowd went wild. "Fang’s Fang everyone! He just showed it to us in real-time."

"He… he just broke through our defense like it was nothing," Kevin exclaimed before turning speechless.

"No one can do it better than him!" Hailey chimed.

Meanwhile, K ai shook his head. He had seen him pull that move only a couple of times in the past. However, being the recipient of it now felt surreal.

On the bleachers, Zheng narrowed his gaze. His face twisted in confusion. "What happened?" he muttered to himself. "The last time we played the Guardians, they weren’t this strong. Now… they’re like a complete picture. How did they fix everything?"

"The weaknesses I told Kai—they’re practically non-existent."

Meanwhile, Calvin glanced at him and shook his head. "Well, you’re awfully passionate. You’re even talking to yourself."

Kai wiped the sweat from his brow. They were still down by ten points, and no matter what they tried, the Guardians had an answer for everything. The Dogs couldn’t get a clean shot. And Fang, now in full command of the court, was becoming more dangerous with each play.

The referee’s whistle blew, signaling a time-out for the Dogs. They gathered around Muchen and Lina, who wore a hard expression.

"What’s happening out there?" Lina asked in frustration, her voice barely concealing her worry. She paced along the sideline, arms crossed. "Can you tell me what your problem is so we can fix it before it’s too late?"

Kai stared at the ground, replaying Fang’s move over and over in his head. It wasn’t just that the Guardians had improved. It felt personal like they were two steps ahead of every strategy the Dogs had put in place.

Yuze, leaning against the bench, winced as he stretched out his injured leg. "It’s like they knew we discovered their weaknesses."

As the Dogs continued to discuss what to do across the court on the Guardians’ bench, a different conversation unfolded.

New novel 𝓬hapters are published on ƒreewebɳovel.com.

Rui sat next to Fang, casually flipping through a well-worn notebook.

His cousin’s notebook.

A glimmer of satisfaction crossed his face as he reviewed the scribbled plays, tactics, and strategies within its pages.

It was no ordinary notebook—but Kaiden’s old playbook, the one Rui had found and had been secretly using to feed the Guardians the Dogs’ every move.

Rui leaned in toward the Guardians, a smug smile playing on his lips. "Alright," he said quietly, his voice just loud enough for his team to hear. "Here’s the next play. We’re going to run it against them."

Fang nodded, along with the rest of his teammates. At first, they didn’t know if they could trust Rui. This was the water boy they were talking about.

However, Fang decides to give him a listen.

In the end, Fang realized that Rui actually knew a lot about their playing styles and in which ways their team lacked. With that, he decided to make him a probationary manager of the team.

And it seemed like it was going well for them.

"How do you know our strengths so well?" Henry asked with an amused smile.

Rui shyly scratched the back of his neck. "I’ve always wanted to be a part of you, guys, but I’m not that great of a player. So, I wrote these plays instead."

Jackson smirked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Keep this up, and I’ll invite you to one of my parties."

Rui beamed.

That was exactly what he always wanted.

To fit into their circle.