Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog-Chapter 635: Two Peas In A Pod

Jimmy and Max bolted upright in their beds, startled by Kai's shout.

Kai smiled sheepishly. He didn't expect his voice to come out that loud. However, he had no regrets.

Max sat up on his bed, leaning against the frame.

"Dude, it's 11 PM!" he groaned, rubbing his eyes. "Our game's at 10 tomorrow morning! Are you trying to sabotage us?"

"Wait, that can't be right," he muttered. "You're the most desperate to win out of all of us! So, let us sleep. We can't play in the finals without any sleep."

Jimmy, on the other hand, sat quietly on his bed. It seemed like he was still awake—which was understandable since the biggest game of their lives was tomorrow. Deep inside, he was thankful Kai woke them up to start a conversation. He really needed a distraction!

Kai ignored Max's complaints, his piercing gaze fixed on them. "Answer my question," he demanded.

Max shrugged, appearing sleepy and annoyed. "I don't know. I don't know much about that guy, and I don't want to. I inevitably only heard about Julian last year when he popped off."

Jimmy, on the other hand, nodded without any hesitation. "Yes," he admitted.

Max turned to him, eyebrows raised in surprise. "How?"

Jimmy sighed, leaning back against the headboard. "Because my dad tried to recruit him before he became good. He said he had potential."

"Ah," Max said, nodding like everything made sense now. "Of course. Jimmy knows all the players his dad shows interest in."

"Recruit? In the Chinese team?" Kai asked.

Jimmy shrugged. "As an import for Beijing's team, I believe. There was a time when my dad was obsessed with foreign players because he couldn't see the future of our country's basketball. However, Julian refused. A lot of them refused, actually."

"Hmm," Kai hummed, placing his fingers under his chin. "Can you tell me more?"

Jimmy pursed his lips before nodding. "Well, since I can't sleep, I might as well."

He let out a deep breath before telling his story. Well, Julian's story.

"This is what my dad said," he stated.

"Julian wasn't a standout player when he first started. He had a solid foundation—good basics, good instincts—but nothing that screamed 'star player.' That's why, when he graduated high school, he was drafted, but nobody really paid attention to him. He didn't play much at first. Not even two years ago."

Jimmy paused, glancing at Kai, who was listening to every word.

"That's when my dad tried to recruit him. Again, like I said, he refused. Said he was going to be the best in the entire world and that he couldn't do that in China."

Max snorted. "Bold claim."

Jimmy nodded. "Yeah, I thought he was bluffing, too. But he wasn't. He was right. Everything changed last year. He became drastically better—new skills, new plays. It wasn't gradual, either. It was sudden. Weirdly sudden."

Max frowned. "What do you mean by sudden?"

Jimmy hesitated, his gaze dropping to his hands. "It happened around the time his brother died."

Max's jaw dropped. "He has a brother? How much do you know about this guy?"

"I told you," Jimmy sighed. "When my dad wants something, he doesn't stop at anything to get it. He researches players like crazy."

"Weird," Max muttered. "But come on, who's his brother?"

Jimmy looked at the two of them, waiting for his answer.

Kai gulped. He had a feeling that Julian's brother wasn't ordinary.

"Jonathan," Jimmy answered, making Max click his tongue.

"There's like a million Jonathans in the world! And I don't know a Jonathan Barker," Max said.

"Samson?" Kai asked, causing the two to snap their gaze toward him.

Jimmy nodded in agreement. "Jonathan Samson."

"Wait," Max said, his voice rising in disbelief. "The Jonathan Samson? The legendary Jonathan Samson?"

Jimmy nodded. "Yep. That's him. Julian's older brother."

Kai leaned forward, his mind racing. "Jonathan Samson was in his 30s when he died. Isn't that a huge age gap? And they don't have the same last name."

"Yeah," Jimmy said, shrugging. "They had different last names because of their parents' divorce. They also weren't close, apparently. The age gap was because Jonathan was a product of teenage pregnancy. I think that's pretty well-known. He has featured his mom on several occassions and was an advocate of single-parent families."

Kai nodded, noting the advocacies of Julian Samson—one of the best players in the FBA before he unfortunately passed due to an undisclosed illness.

Max shook his head, struggling to process the information. "Jonathan Samson was a player I used to idolize. I never imagined him being related to Julian."

"But then again," he continued. "What did I expect from the son of Johnny Wang? Your family is onto some creepy shit."

"Don't say that about my family. It's just my dad," Jimmy said, glaring at Kai.

The two began to bicker. However, Kai could hear nothing of it. The pieces of the puzzle were finally there. But, he was still unsure where they would go.

Jimmy continued, ignoring Max's teases. "Anyway, after Jonathan's death, Julian changed completely. It was like he took on his brother's persona or something. Actually, scratch that. Jonathan was much kinder and humble."

Max and Kai nodded. Jonathan Samson was known to be a 'model player.' Despite his struggles, which he wasn't afraid to share, he grew up to be a really good man.

"Still," Jimmy continued. "Julian adopted his brother's playing style. He became the starting player at such a young age, and now he's one of the best."

Kai froze as the realization struck him like a lightning bolt.

Pieces of the puzzle clicked into place, forming a conclusion that sent chills down his spine.

Now, his answer was finally answered.

Julian definitely wasn't a deity. He was a normal human being like him. So, how could he have known?

There was only one plausible explanation.

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Julian Barker knew because Julian Barker could relate.

Julian Barker had a system, too.

And based on what Jimmy had divulged, it wasn't just any system.

It was his brother's.