American Football: King of the Bay Area

Daily Training Missions, Game Missions, and Special Missions.

So far, the system had a total of three mission types. Lu Ke was already very familiar with Daily Training Missions and Game Missions, but a Special Mission had never appeared before. Until today.

What just happened? ’Did I trigger a Special Mission?’ Lu Ke quickly thought back but had no idea. He couldn’t find a single clue. That was the problem: he hadn’t done anything! Still, there was a simpler way to find the answer: check out the Special Mission and complete it.

”Special Mission: Hidden Future Superstar.

Mission Description: During the Rookie Training Camp, get to know future Rugby Superstars and increase your own fame. Take the first step on the road to superstardom, becoming loved by everyone and adored by flowers.

Mission Requirement: Take photos with thirty potential superstars and post them on your personal photo wall (Instagram) (0/30).

Mission Reward: Physical Fitness +1, Spiritual Quality +2, Tactical Awareness +2, Unknown Quarterback Training Skills Package +1, Unknown Special Skill Package +1.

Failure Penalty: Daily training duration doubled; looking directly into another person’s eyes triggers a three-second facial flushing state.”

”…” Stunned. That was Lu Ke’s first reaction. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. After blinking several times, he realized the words were being projected into his brain by the system. He didn’t even need his eyes; he was reading it directly. Therefore, it was impossible for him to have misread it.

’Qi, this is a prank, right?’ That was Lu Ke’s only thought.

”No. This is a system Special Mission.” Qi’s unruffled voice replied.

Lu Ke was speechless. ’Qi, be honest. Are you gloating right now?’ But Qi didn’t answer, which was expected. Lu Ke didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’What kind of Special Mission is this? What’s this about being loved by everyone and adored by flowers? And taking pictures with future superstars? Wait, what’s a photo wall? I don’t even have an account, so how am I supposed to post anything?’

After reading the entire Special Mission over and over, Lu Ke still couldn’t make heads or tails of it. The whole thing felt like a ridiculous prank. ’And the failure penalty… Doubling my daily training time, I can understand that. But what the hell is the other part? What do you mean, looking directly into someone’s eyes triggers a facial flushing state? Does that mean I’ll blush shyly? Jesus Christ, Qi, don’t you know I used to be a reporter? Making eye contact, taking the offensive—that’s my special skill! How could I possibly act shy? This isn’t a penalty, it’s a humiliation! And you’re telling me this is a Special Mission?’

’...Qi, fess up. This is a prank, right?’ It was Lu Ke’s only thought, and the only rational explanation.

His previous Daily Training Missions and Game Missions had all been so normal—gradual and systematic. Why did the style of this Special Mission change so abruptly? What was going on? The contrast was so huge that Lu Ke began to wonder if the system had malfunctioned.

”Please take note of the mission reward.” That was Qi’s response. Then, it added in a businesslike tone, ”The system does not play pranks, nor does it fool around. This is a serious mission. The trigger conditions for Special Missions are extremely strict and random. The system advises the host not to treat this as a game and miss the opportunity.”

”Lu Ke. Please call me Lu Ke. Every time you call me ’host,’ I feel like a robot,” Lu Ke said, rolling his eyes.

He glanced at the mission reward again. Just as Qi said, it was very generous.

Unlike the basic point rewards from Daily Training Missions and Game Missions, the Special Mission’s reward wasn’t in basic points. Instead, the reward categories were already specified: Physical Fitness, Spiritual Quality, and Tactical Awareness. A total of five points, which was essentially equivalent to five basic points. More importantly, there were also two unknown Skill Packages. There was no telling what surprises they might bring, but a product of the system probably wouldn’t be too bad. It was truly tantalizing.

But, why this?

’Qi, did I offend you in the past? Did I make fun of you, and now you’re getting personal revenge? Honestly, that’s it, right? It has to be.’ This was Lu Ke’s only guess. The penalty for failure was blushing? The shy kind? If, during the Rookie Training Camp, he saw some huge, muscular guy and immediately blushed, he would never be able to live it down.

If he wanted to avoid the penalty, it meant he had to complete the mission. But… Lu Ke imagined the scene: him, like a rabid little fan, eagerly trailing after other players, begging for a photo, then shamelessly posting it on social media and shyly, excitedly asking for likes?

”Ugh.” Just imagining the scene made Lu Ke shudder. He felt like he was about to see yesterday’s dinner again. Racking his brain, Lu Ke could only find one reason: Qi was getting personal revenge. It had to be!

’Qi, I won’t do it again! I’ll never tease you again, I promise!’ Lu Ke was on the verge of tears. But… Qi remained silent, with no intention of responding. This made Lu Ke’s dry sobbing feel awkward, and he could only stand there with a mournful expression.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Ke changed his strategy. ’Qi, can I forfeit the mission?’

”Forfeiting is equivalent to failure. Special Missions are unique. They cannot be replaced, forfeited, or repeated.” Qi didn’t remain silent this time, explaining conscientiously. But no matter how he heard it, Lu Ke felt that calm tone was dripping with schadenfreude.

But what could he do? He couldn’t forfeit, and he absolutely couldn’t fail. That left only one path. Lu Ke wiped away his imaginary tears. Why did he feel like this Special Mission was a trap?

He let out a long breath and finally managed to calm down. Lu Ke read the mission description and rewards again, then noticed some details in the description. ’Qi, are you saying this mission is meant to raise my profile?’

”Yes. Loved by everyone, adored by flowers.” Qi’s cool, detached voice reciting such a ridiculous and funny phrase amplified the comedy. It was so absurd that Lu Ke couldn’t help but facepalm and start chuckling.

”What’s up, man? You not feeling well?” a teasing voice sounded in his ear. The tone was lighthearted, but the concern was friendly.

Temporarily breaking away from his thoughts, Lu Ke lowered the right hand that was rubbing his temple and looked toward the voice. Standing before him was a tall, well-built young Black man. The warm smile on his lips and the high arch of his eyebrows made it look like he was pulling a face, an exaggerated expression that was hard not to laugh at.

”No, I’m fine.” The usually sharp-tongued Lu Ke was, for once, at a loss for words. Thinking again about the Special Mission in his head, he chuckled. ”I was just… uh, just thinking about making some new friends here. But now it seems like a stupid idea.”

”Why?” The man in front of him seemed restless, constantly shifting his feet from side to side, his shoulders and arms swaying. ”Is it because we’re going to be battling it out to the death on the field in the future? So we can’t be friends? What about ’enemies on the field, friends off the field’? Julio Jones, Wide Receiver.”

As he spoke, Julio extended his right hand, clasped Lu Ke’s, then pulled him in for a quick shoulder bump to show his friendliness.

”Lu Ke, quarterback,” Lu Ke replied with a smile, introducing himself.

”Whoa, man. This is a tough year to be one.” Julio said meaningfully. A quarterback, and an Asian one at that—this year, that was like pouring salt on the wound. Everyone considered this a great year for quarterbacks, meaning the competition was incredibly fierce, leaving very little room for someone like Lu Ke to survive.

Lu Ke shrugged. ”Trust me, it’s incredibly tough for me no matter where I am. It’d be the same in any other year.” Lu Ke gestured to himself. A professional football player of Chinese Descent—it was an uphill battle in any year, at any position.

This self-deprecating attitude earned Julio’s strong approval. He raised his fist and held it out. Lu Ke paused for a second, then raised his own, and the two bumped fists. Julio spoke up, ”That’s the kind of spirit football needs. I’ve got a good feeling about you! Maybe one day, I’ll be on the receiving end of one of your passes.”

Such goodwill was truly rare, especially here in Indianapolis, especially after the little conflict at the bar, and especially during the Rookie Training Camp. After just a few simple sentences, Lu Ke had made his judgment: this was a friend worth making.

In the world of sports, there are two kinds of people: those on your team, and those on the opposing team. It’s that simple. But sometimes, there’s a third kind: people who can still be friends even if they’re enemies on the field. Because they are rivals, they become kindred spirits who admire each other. This third kind is the rarest, but also the most precious.

Looking at Julio, Lu Ke smiled with natural ease. ”First, I need to make it onto the draft list.” This self-deprecating joke made Julio chuckle and shake his head. Lu Ke then took the opportunity to say, ”Can we get a picture together? I’m going to post it on my photo wall later, just to prove I exist. Who knows, maybe a little bit of fame will come in handy during the rest of the camp.”

”Of course, no problem!” Julio proactively jumped next to Lu Ke and threw up a classic peace sign—the only problem was, Lu Ke hadn’t even taken out his phone yet. His enthusiastic pose made Lu Ke laugh. Julio, on the other hand, started rushing him, ”Bro, you’re too slow! Your release is taking too long, the defenders are about to rush you.”

Making a football joke with such ease, Lu Ke couldn’t help but laugh heartily.

He pulled out his phone and raised it high, getting ready to take a selfie. But the next second, he noticed that his photo with Julio seemed to have acquired a few extra figures. Like meerkats in a nature documentary, they had quietly popped up behind the ”humans,” paws obediently raised. And there was more than one.

One, two, three… Each one was pulling their own ridiculous face, one more exaggerated than the last, letting out strange ”RAWR RAWR RAWR” sounds. The photo of two instantly became a massive group photo. And that wasn’t the end of it; more and more people started crowding in to join the fun. The situation seemed to be getting a little out of hand.

Lu Ke: A picture of pure confusion.