Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog-Chapter 600: Fair and Square

The arena felt like it was on the verge of bursting.

Every seat was filled now, every cheer deafening, and every move made by Marcus and Kai drew the audience deeper into the intense game unfolding before their eyes.

On the court, the duo played as if they had been teammates for years, not rivals moments ago. For some, they even looked like a father-and-son duo with how well they read each other's minds!

Max clutched the ball and glanced at his options. His eyes darted between Caleb and Jimmy, but his instincts screamed one thing: give it to either Kai or Marcus. He knew that these two would shoot without any hesitation and would most likely make it in.

With that, he lobbed a clean pass to Marcus, who immediately drove forward with explosive speed.

"How many points is that now?" Zheng muttered from the bench, staring at the scoreboard in disbelief.

"Eighteen points," Muyang bitterly replied.

"For the two of them!" Zheng leaned back, shaking his head. "It's over. One of them's taking the crown."

"Unfortunately," Muyang muttered, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I guess I just have to do better for the next game."

Zheng smirked as he glanced at the older player. From his statement, it seemed like he was sure they were going to be playing in the quarter-finals.

Caleb, still on the court, struggled to keep up with their pace. He threw himself into screens and fast breaks, but no matter how hard he worked, the gap between him and the duo felt insurmountable.

"What the hell is with these two?" he muttered under his breath, sweat dripping down his forehead.

The scoreboard reflected the widening gap. The team now led by 11 points, and with every passing second, the South Korean team grew more desperate.

On the opposing bench, Park Jinwoo sat with his arms crossed, his sharp eyes never leaving the court. His jaw tightened as he watched Marcus and Kai dominate the game. This was not the Kai Guo he had researched and prepared for.

When Park was finally subbed back in, it was clear that his team had one goal.

To stop the duo.

But even as they doubled and tripled their defenses, Marcus and Kai moved, slipped through the cracks, and created opportunities from nothing.

The ball was in Park Jinwoo's hands, and he knew the pressure had multiplied since the time was running out.

He scanned the court. He drove past Max, feinting to the left before crossing over. A smooth pivot brought him face-to-face with Kai Guo.

Park steeled himself, locking eyes with Kai. "You're good," he admitted under his breath.

Kai didn't respond as he moved to guard him.

Park hesitated, his focus split for a fraction of a second. With fast hands, Kai stole the ball, immediately transitioning into a fast break.

"Go, go, go!" Caleb shouted, running to catch up.

Kai charged down the court, Park hot on his heels.

As Kai neared the basket, Park anticipated a layup or dunk. Instead, Kai pulled a reverse spin, completely disorienting him. For a moment, Park froze, not because of the move but because of the way Kai's expression made him look like an actor! His eyes widened.

"He's…ridiculously handsome," Park muttered before shaking his head, snapping himself out of it.

Kai soared for the layup, the ball touching the backboard before sinking through the net.

"Twenty points for Kai Guo!" Gina's voice rang out through the speakers.

Before Park could regain his composure, Marcus was already back in action. The ball was inbounded to him, and he wasted no time cutting through the defense. He didn't allow South Korea a single moment to regroup.

"Kai's doing amazing," Gina exclaimed, "but Marcus is also on fire tonight!"

Marcus launched a clean three-pointer from the wing, the ball swishing perfectly through the net. The crowd erupted.

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"That's also twenty points for Marcus! It feels like the two are competing more than the two teams!" David added with a chuckle.

Despite the lead, the South Korean team wasn't ready to roll over. Park Jinwoo pushed his team harder, forcing turnovers and narrowing the gap to eight points.

The game clock showed less than 30 seconds. Marcus had the ball, the defenders swarming him. The crowd leaned forward in their seats.

"I think Marcus is going to take the final shot," David said.

"I think so, too," Gina muttered, afraid to disrupt the moment.

A defender closed in, and Marcus' path to the basket seemed blocked.

"If he makes this in," Muyang muttered. "Then, he'll win."

"As expected," Zheng smirked. "Hats off to Marcus."

However, just as everyone expected him to force the shot, he did something unexpected—he passed.

The ball flew over the heads of the defenders and landed squarely in Kai's hands.

"What—"

The bench gasped. Kai was wide open. He had the perfect shot. But he didn't take it.

"He's not shooting?" David yelled, incredulous.

Marcus, too, found this ridiculous. He gave him a free shot!

Kai dribbled. He wanted more than an open shot—he wanted a challenge. One of the defenders rushed toward him, but Kai surpassed his efforts.

"What's he doing?" Max shouted from the other side of the court.

Caleb threw his hands in the air. "Is he crazy? Just shoot it!"

Kai didn't react. He stepped back, settling beyond the three-point line. His team watched in stunned silence.

Finally, with only a few seconds left on the clock, Kai rose for the shot. The ball left his hands and he just saw the buzzer sound.

"Twenty-three points for Kai Guo!" Gina shouted, her excitement mirrored by the roaring crowd.

Kai smirked, looking back at Marcus, whose brows were still slightly furrowed. However, they relaxed slightly as their gazes met.

The older player shook his head.

"I gave you that last shot, you know?" Marcus said, insinuating that he won Coach Xu Wei's challenge because of his help.

Kai smirked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I knew you would say that," he started off.

"That's why I did the three-pointer instead. Nice try, old man. I won this round. Fair and square."