Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"Well, well, well, look who it is," Kexin said, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he watched the group enter through the court.

The two groups walked, meeting in the middle of the court with amused expressions.

Zedong of the Xing Stars stood at the front, a friendly smile playing on his lips as he noticed the Shizi Dogs approach. Behind him were Yiming, Chunlei, and Kexin of the Feng Foxes. And finally, there was Qiang of the Huishi Alligators, appearing like he had a permanent glare in his eyes.

"What are you guys doing here?" Yuze asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Zedong was the first to speak. "The same as you, I imagine. I think we've all booked the same flight. We're delayed by a few hours, so we decided to come here."

"And your teammates?" Kai asked.

"They're around here somewhere, probably eating," Zedong responded.

"Oh," Yuze muttered, narrowing his eyes as he looked at their strange composition. "Since when were you all so close, though?" he asked, confused.

Chunlei smiled as he glanced at the other four. "These guys just can't leave me alone," he said. "I was the first one here, and they all showed up without any warning."

Qiang, who had been silent until now, snorted in disdain. "Shut up," he said. "I just didn't want to watch the swimming practice with my teammates. It's not even an official match since the girls and boys are just practicing," he said.

"Wait, there's a swimming practice going on?" Shang suddenly piped up, turning to Jet and Kun. "Let's go check it out!"

Jet and Kun also appeared excited with Shang's suggestion.

Yuze clicked his tongue and shook his head. However, the other three couldn't be stopped.

"Yeah, we'll be back soon," Jet added, already moving in the direction of the pool, not giving Yuze or Lina a chance to reply. Lina rolled her eyes, knowing there was no stopping them when they were this excited about something.

They watched as more of their teammates left to join the three idiots of their team. In the end, only six of them were left, including Lina.

"Well," Jinping muttered. "Should I go and join them, too?"

Lina turned to Jinping and narrowed her eyes. "I'm telling Eva. I told you that we'd train, right?"

Jinping stopped in his tracks and shimmied back to the group. "Right," he muttered. "Since when did you get so close to Eva?"

Lina smiled at the younger player. "Don't underestimate my connections."

With that, she glanced around, looking at the other empty courts. Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire

"Well," Lina started off. "Let's go there," she said. "We're going to train for a bit while waiting for our transportation."

She bowed to the group of five and led the Shizi Dogs out of the court.

"Dang," Kexin muttered. "They don't even get to rest, although they're already going home."@@novelbin@@

Zedong shrugged. "I don't think they mind, though," he said. "Look at how happy Kai is."

Chunlei felt a shiver run down his spine. "Well, that's why he's gotten so good. I don't think I've ever met someone who loves basketball as much as him."

The others, despite not wanting to admit it, nodded in agreement.

Just as the Shizi Dogs were about to exit the court, though, Yiming suddenly spoke, causing them to stop in their tracks.

"Hey," he said, a grin spreading across his face. "I have a great idea."

Lina turned around, followed by the others. They all looked at Yiming with curious expressions.

"There are five of you and five of us. Why don't we have a game?"

The Shizi Dogs exchanged quick glances, not expecting Yiming to make such a suggestion. They were already in their casual clothes, and their jerseys were already packed in their respective bags.

However, even then, Kai felt tempted. Despite the rigorous training they had for the past week, his hands were still itching to play.

"We're already in our casual clothes, though," Renren pointed out, his tone hesitant but not unwilling.

"Same as us," Yiming countered, gesturing to the clothes he and his teammates were wearing. "It would be fun."

"But isn't Zedong injured?" Kai asked, his brow furrowing in concern. He recalled Zedong saying he was injured, and that was why he couldn't play with their younger players.

Zedong, however, merely smirked in response. Without a word, he began to jump up and down in front of them.

The others looked at him with wide eyes.

"Hey," Chunlei said. "I know you don't have plans on going pro, but don't injure yourself just for this."

"Oh, stop being such worrywarts," Zedong smirked. "That was just an act," he admitted, not a hint of shame in his voice. "I didn't want to play with the new players, so I came up with an excuse. But now that my teammates aren't around, I see no problem with playing."

Qiang clicked his tongue in betrayal while the others couldn't help but shake their heads in amusement.

Typical Zedong—always thinking a step ahead, always with a plan up his sleeve.

"Genius move, bro," Yiming said, patting him on the back.

With that, Renren, Andy, Kai, Jinping, and Yuze turned to each other.

Then, they glanced at the players in front of them, suddenly feeling excited.

This wasn't just any pick-up game.

In front of them was a powerhouse team, players from different squads who had made names for themselves in their respective leagues. They were sure that this team was even stronger together than they were apart, and the thought of facing them was exciting.

Kai and Yuze turned to each other, nodding silently. They also glanced at Lina, who had a wide smile on their face.

Lina stepped forward and finally nodded.

"The Shizi Dogs never back down from a challenge," she boasted.

"Nice," Yiming said. "But you guys have to remember—we're not going easy on you."

"Yup," Qiang chimed in, already cracking his knuckles. "You guys are about to feel the wrath of the teams you've beaten."

That seemed to fuel the Shizi Dogs even more.

With that, they also stretched out their limbs.

"Let's do it," Yuze said.