American Football: King of the Bay Area

In just a few long strides, Lu Ke reached the floor-to-ceiling window and stood beside the tall, sturdy Black man. The problem was, his mind was a complete blank. He had no idea how to start the mission.

The two of them stood in silence before the floor-to-ceiling window. The other man didn’t seem to have noticed Lu Ke’s presence, and Lu Ke didn’t know how to start the conversation. After a moment, he cut into the quiet. ”This city is so boring.”

As expected, the man chuckled. ”That’s because you’ve never been to Greenwood.”

”Where?” Lu Ke asked reflexively.

The young man let out a hearty laugh. ”That’s my point. A place no one’s ever heard of. You know, there are countless places like that in Mississippi. To me, Indianapolis is a spectacular city.”

”Come on. Even if you haven’t been to other cities, you should at least know that this kind of background music is completely out of place, right?” Lu Ke spread his hands, a look of disdain on his face.

They fell quiet for a moment, and the hotel lobby’s background music became more distinct. It was—unbelievably—Justin Bieber’s ”Baby.” Such musical taste left one speechless. What’s more, this was the Midwest. Even if the Cowboys were at their worst, they could have picked country or rock. There were countless classics; it was hard to even go wrong.

Indianapolis and Justin Bieber. This was definitely the strangest combination Lu Ke had ever encountered, especially at a Rookie Training Camp for football—a sport known for its tough guys!

The other guy caught on to the joke right away, the corners of his mouth turning up again. ”Back home, jazz and soul, now that’s real beauty. I’m sure the manager of this hotel’s lobby should pay a visit to Greenwood. Maybe his taste in music would change.”

”See? That’s what I’m talking about! Indianapolis is a completely boring city.” Lu Ke repeated his point. The other man raised an eyebrow and said meaningfully, ”But Greenwood... you’ve never even heard of it, and I promise you, you don’t want to.”

His words made Lu Ke laugh. He couldn’t help but shrug and tease, ”Now I’m starting to wonder what would happen if the New York Giants picked you.” New York, the Capital of the World, was the most colorful city in the entire United States.

”Phew, I hope I could handle it.” The man chuckled softly but said nothing more. The topic died, and silence began to spread again.

This conversational rhythm was facepalm-worthy. Lu Ke was wondering if he should pull out his trump card when he heard the other man speak up. ”Are you hitting on me?”

”…” Lu Ke was completely bewildered. He blinked, staring blankly at the other man. ”What on earth gave you that impression?” Then, Lu Ke waved his hand. ”What on earth gave you that kind of confidence?”

Two similar sentences, yet they expressed completely different meanings. The other man burst out laughing and shrugged. ”I don’t know. Maybe because you came over to talk to me? Talked to me about music? And even brought up New York? You know, back home, New York is the trendiest pickup line.”

”Haha!” This time, Lu Ke laughed for real. He’d thought the guy had no sense of humor, but now it was clear he’d misjudged him. ”The right way to start would’ve been for me to walk over with two beers and ask you what you’re doing here, and if you’ve killed two people today. That way there’d be no misunderstanding.”

The Midwest has always been a strong supporter of the legal ownership of firearms, and its people were known for being tough—just like what they had encountered in the bar earlier. Lu Ke was making a joke about it.

Sure enough, the man got the joke instantly, a smile spreading across his face. ”But there’s no beer and no guns right now, so what should we do?”

Lu Ke could see the mischievous glint in the man’s eyes. An idea flashed in his mind. He threw his hands up, then abruptly dropped into a low horse stance, arching his back, twisting his shoulders, and sticking out his waist, as if imitating a Maori war dance. The downward momentum was so fierce and intimidating that the other man visibly froze, the playful look in his eyes turning to shock and fright—

A prankster should always be ready for a counter-prank.

The next second, Lu Ke started STOMP STOMP STOMPING like a Maori dancer, advancing with intimidating energy. He began to circle the other man, letting out ”ROAR ROAR ROAR” sounds from his mouth.

The other rookies around them immediately noticed the commotion. They couldn’t help but turn their heads, watching the scene with curiosity and confusion, their faces showing utter bewilderment.

The man stared blankly at Lu Ke, then realized he had become the center of attention. He was dumbfounded. Looking down, he caught Lu Ke’s triumphant gaze and understood it was also a prank. He couldn’t help but laugh. But he wasn’t one to be outdone. He started to follow Lu Ke’s moves, clumsily imitating the dance—

The two of them actually started having an awkward dance-off, face to face. The main point was, the dance didn’t match the hotel lobby’s background music at all! The beat was completely off, the steps were a total mess, and the clashing rhythm was enough to make anyone’s skin crawl. It was truly a bizarre spectacle! Especially with ”Baby” playing in the background, it was enough to make countless players facepalm. They hadn’t noticed before, but now they finally realized something was very wrong.

Watching such a goofy moment, laughter began to ring out. Some of the players watching from the side couldn’t hold back either and started to twist around clumsily, triggering wave after wave of boisterous laughter. The entire hotel lobby’s atmosphere came alive.

Panting, Lu Ke stopped and let out a light laugh. ”I think that dance used up more energy than an entire game.” He was panting, laughing, and talking all at once, and accidentally choked on his own spit. He started coughing, but he just laughed even harder.

At that moment, the sense of utter embarrassment finally hit him. Lu Ke couldn’t help but cover his face. ’What did I just do? It’s all for the mission! Everything is for the mission!’

”You’re an interesting guy. I mean, the Asians I’ve met seem to lack a sense of humor. They’re way too uptight.” The man paused for a moment, then added, ”At least, that’s how it is in Greenwood. You know, it’s a very, very small town.”

”What’s more surprising to me is that Greenwood actually has Asian immigrants?” Lu Ke’s angle was quite peculiar. The two of them looked at each other and smiled.

”Aldon Smith. Linebacker.”

”Linebacker?” Lu Ke couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows. This was the fourth linebacker he’d met since starting the special mission this afternoon. ’Have I really stumbled into a linebacker trap today?’ Seeing Aldon’s confused smile, Lu Ke laughed cheerfully and introduced himself. ”Lu Ke, quarterback.” After speaking, Lu Ke casually took out his phone. ”So, how about it? Willing to take a picture with me?”

”A picture?” Aldon looked surprised. ”You mean, like high school girls?”

Lu Ke opened his mouth and laughed again. ”Yes, like high school girls.”

Aldon thought about it seriously for a moment, then nodded. ”Alright, no problem!”

CLICK! Picture taken! It wasn’t as difficult as he had imagined. On the contrary, Lu Ke had actually made a friend. This Aldon was a truly interesting guy, and Aldon thought the same of Lu Ke. ’It seems there might be some logic to the system’s special missions after all.’

After saying goodbye to Aldon, Lu Ke became a bit more proactive. He walked over to a nearby group of rookies and put his journalistic talents to full use, joining their conversation. He actively chatted about the training camp, about Indianapolis, and about the recently concluded Super Bowl… Things were going much more smoothly than he’d expected.

If it were just about chatting or interviewing, today would have been an incredibly pleasant day. However, at the end of every conversation, Lu Ke would ask for a picture—a rather strange request, like something a schoolgirl would ask. But after the baptism of that goofy dance earlier, people weren’t really surprised anymore.

’My skin’s definitely gotten a little thicker,’ Lu Ke thought.

”Hey, young man.” Lu Ke was about to move on when a voice called out to him. Following the sound, he saw a group of about four or five people by the elevator. One of them, a short, chubby man with a white beard and a San Francisco 49ers hat on his head, raised his right hand in a wave and joked, ”Are you collecting player cards for your little sister, or gathering info on players for groupies?”

A skinny guy standing next to him in a Seattle Seahawks jersey chimed in, ”Or are you just getting a souvenir to prove you were here?”

If the first man’s words were purely a lighthearted joke, the skinny guy’s comment carried a slight hint of racial prejudice. The tone of his voice was quite uncomfortable.

This group of people all looked middle-aged, their figures slightly out of shape. They were clearly not rookies. They looked more like team staff, or maybe coaches and their assistants. At the Rookie Training Camp, these were the people who held the power of life and death. Before a rookie became a superstar, it was best not to offend them.

Lu Ke had no intention of starting a conflict, but he wasn’t going to just take it lying down either. He raised his voice and called back, ”Have you guys never heard of a yearbook? Or are high school and college so far in the past that you can’t even remember?”

Lu Ke explained his fanboy-like behavior as making a ”yearbook” to remember all his peers from the same Rookie Training Camp, which was indeed a very commemorative idea. At the same time, he retorted by mocking their age and education, casually completing his counterattack.

The surrounding rookies and other staff members all burst out laughing. The short, chubby man also roared with laughter, clutching his stomach. But the skinny guy’s expression soured. He shot Lu Ke a dirty look, then turned around, giving Lu Ke the cold shoulder.