Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog-Chapter 562: His Gambling Addiction

"Well, the team is shaping up well," Kai muttered as he joined the other players of the Elite Five in the lobby.

Max heard him and nudged his shoulder. "You guys have a good roster this year?" he asked.

Kai shrugged. "Well, Lina said it was going great."

Max sighed and shook his head. "Coach Guanyu is having a dilemma."

"Why?" Kai asked.

"Two players he wanted to recruit went to Shizi High," Max said. "And they said it's because of you."

Kai's eyebrows raised in surprise. Now, that was something he didn't expect. "Why?" he repeated.

Max clicked his tongue and shook his head. "I don't know," he muttered. "But, best believe we're still going to beat you next year!"

Kai chuckled and shook his head. "Alright, let's see you try."

Max pursed his lips. "To think you were the one who wanted to play with me so desperately last year. Oh, how the tables have turned."

With that, they arrived at the gym, where the older players were already stretching. The younger players went to their bench and also did their warm-up routines, sometimes trying to strike up a conversation with them.

"Where's Jaw-Long?" Jimmy asked, looking around.

"Oh, his sister has arrived," Bam said, a shiver running down his spine. "He went and fetched her."

"And Dong?" Kai added.

"His wife scolded him for not answering his calls yesterday night. The dude fell asleep during their anniversary!" Jie added.

The younger players turned to each other in surprise.

"He bagged a wife?" Max asked before he could stop himself.

Caleb scoffed and shook his head. "You guys are way too harsh on that guy."

As they continued their warm-up, Coach Xu Wei arrived, their chatter slowly dying when they saw his serious expression.

His hands were on his hips, with his whistle dangling from his neck.

"Alright, I have an important observation," he said, capturing their attention.

"You've all improved," he started. "You're faster, sharper, and you've started talking to each other like teammates instead of rival gangs."

A few players snickered at that, but Coach Xu Wei's narrowed eyes silenced them quickly.

"However," he continued, "you're still playing like two teams, not one."

There it was.

"You don't practice with each other. You practice against each other," he said.

The younger players exchanged guilty glances. The veterans rolled their eyes like they'd heard this speech a hundred times before—which, to be fair, they probably had.

"So," Coach Xu Wei said, pacing now, "we're going to fix that. We're having a game."

"Olds versus youngs?" Max piped up with a grin.

"Hey, don't call me old," Caleb muttered, shaking his head.

Coach Xu Wei didn't dignify that with a response. He just kept pacing, his whistle bouncing against his chest.

"We're mixing teams," he said with a smirk. "Time to see how well you work with people you don't like."

The groans were immediate.

"Aw, come on!" Jimmy threw his hands up.

"This is sabotage," Marcus muttered under his breath.

"Sabotage would be me making you run suicides for every complaint," Coach Xu Wei shot back. The group collectively shut their mouths.

Once silence reigned, Coach Xu Wei started listing the teams. "Since we're missing two players, there will be no substitutions."

"Team One: Jian, Caleb, Max, Bam, and Muyang."

The named players looked at each other, nodding in approval. They seemed like a decent squad.

"Team Two: Kai, Jimmy, Marcus, Jie, and Zheng."

Jimmy's hand shot up. "I'm sorry, but why am I stuck with Kai?"

Kai, who had been quietly listening, finally looked up, his expression blank but his eyes amused.

"You have a problem with me?" Kai asked. "I thought we were friends now."

Before Jimmy could retort, Coach Xu Wei clapped his hands sharply. "Enough. Complaints will only get you more drills after this game. Do I make myself clear?"

Jimmy's mouth snapped shut, but he didn't look happy about it.

Marcus, standing beside him, opened his mouth to add something, but Coach Wu's glare shut him down before he could even start.

Kai, on the other hand, had already analyzed the situation.

Team Two was…not great.

Aside from Zheng, Kai lacked chemistry with the other players. Jimmy was still pretty wary of him. Jie—he has never played with before in a game. And Marcus? It was self-explanatory. The old man didn't like him at all.

Still, Kai's lips curled into a smirk. This was going to be interesting.

As the players split into their respective groups, Jimmy couldn't resist grumbling under his breath. "Great. Just great. We're going to lose."

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Kai, hearing him say that, turned to him, tilting his head to the side.

"Why do you say so?" Kai asked.

"Well, for one, they have more veterans on their team. There's three of us here," he said, gesturing to Zheng, who was already trying to strike up a conversation with Marcus, but to no avail.

Jie was between them like an awkward mediator.

"Isn't that just an excuse?" Kai asked, making Jimmy frown.

"What?" he asked.

"The game hasn't even started, and you're already making assumptions," Kai said. It really did seem like Jimmy was a 'winning' kind of guy. He didn't accept losses well—probably because he was conditioned like that.

Still, that was a trait that he needed to change. It was the reason why he was still wary of Kai until today.

"We have Marcus on our side," Kai said. "He's the best player among the veterans."

"Yeah, but he hates us," Jimmy retorted. "I can already tell he isn't going to pass the ball to you."

Kai shrugged, not negating his statement. For all he knew, Jimmy was right.

However, even then, Kai decided to take the gamble.

[Gamble the game?]

His pride was still hurt that he had to deduct a level from his 'Endurance' stat, and this was the perfect opportunity to bring it back!

Still, Kai should have thought about it more. They truly were at a disadvantage here, especially with two players in the team not being fond of him.

But hey, he had already accepted the gamble before he could think about it further.

Was this how gambling addictions started?

Maybe Kai needed some help.