Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog-Chapter 545 : Whoever Wins, Stays

Well, the atmosphere was definitely hotter than before.

And not the romantic type of hot. The competitive one.

After hearing what the veteran players had to say about them yesterday, the boys were more fired up than ever—or at least most of them. Kai, in particular, looked like he was about to explode.

As they entered the gym, he merely bowed at the older players, not even bothering to greet them. Marcus frowned, but Kai kept his gaze forward.

The others glanced at him nervously. Max, placing his bag on the bench, gave Kai a wary look.

"What's with him? Did he, like, eat ghost peppers for breakfast or something?"

"Wait, or maybe it's just jet lag," Max finally concluded, his tone as serious as ever.

Jimmy frowned. "Jet lag? We're in the same country, genius."

Max shrugged, his expression unbothered. "Then it's emotional jet lag."

Jimmy stared at him. "What does that even mean?"

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Before Max could elaborate on his newfound pseudoscience, Kai burst into a sprint, zipping through a series of agility ladders like a possessed man.

His body seemed unaffected by the grueling pace of the training regimen. By the time he reached the end, he hadn't even broken a sweat.

Zheng, hunched over and catching his breath, gestured vaguely at Kai. "What...what did he eat? I want that."

Max, already sprawled out on the floor and looking like he was moments away from a nap, groaned. "He's not human. I've been saying this for months."

The truth was that Kai didn't feel superhuman.

His legs burned, and his chest ached from the pace.

But his mind was stronger than ever.

Lina's insane training regimen had done more than toughen him up physically—it had sharpened his mental resilience. If he could endure her endless drills and impossible standards, then Xu Wei's routine was child's play.

"Keep moving!" Xu Wei barked as he re-entered the gym, clipboard in hand and a bemused smirk on his face. His sharp eyes swept across the boys, who immediately straightened up. "Don't stop just because I walked in. You think the court cares about who's watching? Keep going."

Kai didn't say a word. He threw himself back into the exercises with the same intensity.. Xu Wei's eyes lingered on him for a moment, the corner of his mouth quirking up in amusement.

The other boys, meanwhile, were struggling to keep up. Jimmy tripped over a cone during a lateral drill, earning a laugh from Max. Zheng was trying to pace himself but kept sneaking glances at Kai, who looked like he was flying through the drills.

"I swear, he's not even sweating," Zheng muttered, wiping his own drenched face with his sleeve.

Max jogged over to the water cooler, pointing at Kai as he passed. "Kai, blink twice if you've been replaced by an alien clone."

Kai ignored him. The memory of the older players talking about them resurfaced in his mind.

We'll show you.

Nah, I'll show you.

The session dragged on, and the exhaustion began to show on everyone—except Kai, who continued to power through the drills like a man with a mission. By the end of the hour, the others were sprawled out across the court.

Zheng threw an arm over his face, groaning dramatically. "This is it. This is how I die. On a gym floor, surrounded by Max's bad jokes."

"Hey, my jokes are top-tier," Max shot back, sitting cross-legged next to him and sipping water. "You're just too tired to appreciate the nuance."

"Nuance, my—" Jimmy started, but the sound of Xu Wei's whistle cut him off.

Xu Wei strode to the center of the court, his hands clasped behind his back. His expression was unreadable as he looked over the exhausted group, his gaze lingering on Kai, who was still standing tall.

"Well, at least you guys are better than before," Xu Wei said bluntly.

Marcus also glanced at the younger players. After exerting to his fullest capacity yesterday, Marcus could feel the strain on his body. He wasn't getting any younger, and at 35, there were really some limitations he had to accept.

However, this kid looked like he just had a walk in the park!

Jaw-Long, too, took note of Kai's stamina. He didn't show it the day before, so he reckoned that the kid still had something up his sleeve.

Meanwhile, Caleb seemed unamused. He, too, wasn't that tired. With his young age and powerful spirit, he knew he was better than Kai.

Coach Xu Wei clicked his tongue, looking over the entire group.

"I'll be honest with you," Xu Wei said, pacing slowly. "I kept watching you during practice, and I can't help but notice that you don't jive well with each other."

"Not only within your group," he said to the younger men, "but also against these veterans," he continued.

He stopped pacing, turning to face them fully. "So, I'm going to propose something."

The boys exchanged wary glances. Kai's eyes narrowed slightly, his focus now entirely on Xu Wei.

"We're having a game tomorrow," Xu Wei announced. "Five-on-five. Real stakes. No half-hearted plays. Whoever wins stays."

The gym fell into stunned silence. Even Kai raised an eyebrow at that.

"Wait, what do you mean, 'whoever wins stays'?" Jimmy asked, sitting up.

"I mean exactly what I said," Xu Wei replied. "If you can't prove yourself on the court, then you don't belong here. Simple as that."

"But..." Zheng started, but Xu Wei cut him off with a raised hand.

"Don't misunderstand me. I'm not here to coddle you. I don't care what the committee has to say. I am the coach of this team. I'm not being paid to coach two separate teams. Now, if we had more time, then that would be the case. However, we are short of it.

Kai's jaw tightened.

Xu Wei's gaze swept across the group, landing on Kai for a moment longer than the others. "Get some rest. You'll need it."

With that, Xu Wei turned and left the gym, leaving the boys to process his challenge.

Max flopped back onto the floor, staring at the ceiling. "This old man is ruthless."

Zheng sighed. "Why do I feel like tomorrow's game is going to be the end of me?"

Max nudged Kai with his foot. "So, fearless one, what's the plan?"

Kai didn't respond immediately. His mind was already racing, and honestly, there was nothing left for them to do.

They just had to…win.