Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

[System Binding]

Cold.

It was very cold.

Goosebumps arose from Kaiden's skin as he felt the droplets of rain pelt against it.

"I think he's dead," an unfamiliar voice said.

"What?" another chimed. "He can't be dead. I don't want a criminal record."

"You hit him on the head with a baseball bat, Yuan. It's on you if he dies," another guy, one with a lisp, said.

"Let's just leave him here," Yuan urged, panic heard in his voice.

"We're leaving, Kai. It's on you if you really die," the first guy said.

Kaiden's eyes fluttered open, the world coming into focus as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.

The muffled sounds began to crystallize as he heard his name—Kai.

However, it was strange. It was his mother's special nickname for him, 'Kai.' A frown creased his brow; only she ever called him that.

Sniffing the air, the stench of gasoline, garbage, and metallic blood assaulted his senses.

'Did Rui not throw away the trash again?'

A sense of dread settled over Kaiden as he heard the third voice suggest callously, "Let's go."

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At that moment, a surge of adrenaline coursed through his veins, overpowering the haze that clouded his senses. Despite the pain in his body, he sat up, much to the astonishment of the three unfamiliar figures.

Kaiden's gaze scanned the scene, revealing a person with bloody knuckles and another clutching a bloodied bat.

Were these the loan sharks who shot him?

If so, then they looked very young to be in the lending industry.

Or maybe his aunt and cousin really sold him off?

He mustered the strength to croak out a single question.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice deep yet strained.

The trio stood frozen, surprise and uncertainty seen on their faces.

The seconds stretched, thick with tension, before one of them stammered.

"H—how are you awake?" he asked. "What the hell, Yuan? You said you'd finish the job."

"I made sure to hit him really hard! Look, his head is still bleeding!" Yuan defended. "It's Hui who didn't do his job well," he pointed to the guy with bloodied brass knuckles.

Kaiden assessed the situation. These boys looked very young, only around the same age as him. He couldn't fully see the face of the loan shark who shot him but he was certain he wasn't one of the three people before him.

Kaiden looked down at his body and saw bruises and cuts all over his skin. He also reached for his aching head and found it was covered in deep red blood.

"Did you do this to me?" he asked, looking up at them.

The three felt chills run down their spine. However, Yuan quickly mustered up his courage and answered.

"Don't act innocent, Kai. We wouldn't have done this if you didn't seduce Jinping's girlfriend," he spat.

The guy, who Kaiden assumed to be Jinping, glared at him with profound hatred.

Kaiden's frown deepened.

"What are you talking about?" Kaiden innocently asked.

Steal his girlfriend?

Kaiden was lucky if a girl even willingly talked to him!

"This is annoying," Jinping said. "You stole my girlfriend, humiliated me in front of my friends, and now you're acting like you didn't do anything wrong. Hand me the bat."

Yuan passed Jinping the bat, and the latter quickly aimed to hit Kaiden's body.

However, before it could land on Kaiden's shoulder, he quickly caught it with his hand.

Kaiden's eyes widened, surprised with his reflexes and strength.

"Look, I think you have the wrong guy," he calmly said. "I need to go back to my family so I can help with cleaning up."

"Since when did you care about your family?" Jinping asked. "Stop acting innocent and tell my girlfriend to come back to me."

Jinping tried to swing the bat once more, but Kaiden held on tighter, making it immovable.

Then he pulled it away from Jinping's hold, making the latter stumble.

Jinping cursed under his breath and aimed to punch Kaiden's face. However, Kaiden quickly stood to evade his attack.

Wait.

He stood up?

His eyes comically widened as he looked down at his legs. They were covered in mud, footprints, and blood, but he didn't care about that at all.

He was standing!

Kaiden stretched his legs and did a quick stationary jog. He even slapped himself with his bloody palms to determine if he was dreaming.

"It hurts. It's not a dream," he muttered, holding onto his cheek.

Then, chuckles bubbled up before they turned into full-blown laughter. He was still holding onto the bat, happily swinging it around.

The rain started falling harder, and the distant rumble of thunder and flashes of lightning accompanied his manic laughter.

The trio exchanged bewildered glances, their initial objective shattered by the scene before them.

"I'm scared," Hui said, taking a step back.

"I think we messed with the wrong guy,'" Yuan gulped, also wanting to go home.

Jinping tried to keep a brave facade as he shakily stepped forward.

"Let's—let's beat him up again," he stammered. "There's only one of him and three of us."

"We can't," Hui whispered. "He is the 'Mad Dog' after all."

Jinping pursed his lips and finally swallowed his pride.

"Fine, let's go," he said. "But this isn't over yet!" he shouted, glaring at the insane-looking guy frolicking under the rain.

They walked away from the scene. However, they broke into a sprint when the sound of police sirens pierced through the air.

"We gotta go. Now!" Jinping urged.

They scrambled like little chickens under the cold rain, leaving Kaiden alone.

Kaiden, however, was too elated to even hear the sirens.

"Hands in the air!"