American Football: King of the Bay Area

Drop back, a quick drop back. Lu Ke rapidly created distance between himself and the Offense and Defense Lines. He straightened his posture, standing tall to get a bird’s-eye view of the field, scanning for a target. Compared to their run defense, the Fierce Tiger Team’s pass defense was indeed weaker and easier to break through. But this time, on the one-yard line, things were a little different—

On the left, Michael Crabtree was tangled up with a cornerback, unable to even turn around. Ted Ginn Jr., running his route, was trapped in the coverage zone of two players, surrounded by danger. Logan Newman was constantly shifting his position, but two defenders shadowed him like ghosts. And... where was Kyle Williams? Why couldn’t he see Williams?

It was a battle of wits on the one-yard line. All twenty-two players from both teams—except for Lu Ke—were crammed into the narrow space of the End Zone. Every corner of his vision was filled with bodies, making it seem impossible to find a gap. It was like being in a ball pit, a dizzying, indistinguishable mess of color and motion.

No, that was just an illusion. Lu Ke caught a glimpse of a seam. Newman! Logan Newman had found an opening!

He raised his right arm, forearm whipping forward, ready to throw. But at that same moment, he felt a powerful force slam into him from behind. It was like a high-speed train, crashing hard and heavy into his left ribs. The ferocious impact, the brutal collision, and the crushing force of gravity all mixed together. The world spun, and in an instant, it shattered.

Lu Ke hit the ground like a sack of potatoes, all the potatoes inside tumbling and crashing against each other. The churning in his gut was drowned out by the pain of the impact, but only for a moment. Then, his entire body went numb, leaving only a stiff paralysis.

The hit was so violent it knocked his mouthguard out. His mind went blank for a moment, and a low BUZZING filled his ears. Maybe for a second, maybe for three, the world was completely silent, with only the ringing echoing in his head. Then, the seal broke. Noise, curses, and shouts flooded in, drowning him in an instant like a tidal wave.

The taste of blood began to fill his mouth again.

”Fuck! What the hell is wrong with you guys?” Logan could no longer contain his fury. He shoved Rupati and Hachar hard, his eyes wide with rage. ”Are you all dead? Four times, four fucking times! Dammit! You’re supposed to be protecting Bambi’s blindside! His blindside! What the hell are you doing?! You’ve let the opponent break through four times today! Look at Bambi! Look what happened! Fuck! You bastards!”

It wasn’t just Logan. Marcus Lynch also exploded, charging forward and bumping into Hachar. ”You like that? Huh? You like it? You’re a fucking scumbag! Are you trying to get Bambi crippled for Alex? You shameless sons of bitches!” His hands were clenched into fists, his roar completely out of control. ”Look at Bambi! Look! He’s the one leading us to victory, and this is how you treat him?”

The conflict that had been suppressed, simmering, and endured within the San Francisco 49ers for two weeks finally erupted after the fourth sack.

Sitting in the broadcast booth, Teddy immediately noticed the problem. ”What’s going on? It looks like there’s some conflict among the 49ers’ offense. Things really couldn’t get any worse. Kirk, what’s your take?” But Teddy heard no reply. He had to call out again, ”Kirk?”

Kirk was indeed in a daze. Watching Lu Ke lying on the ground, still not moving, his heart nearly stopped. Teddy’s voice slowly brought him back to his senses, but he was still stunned. ”Uh... the 49ers’ Offense Line has been terrible today. Four sacks, and the third quarter has just begun. Atkins already has 3.5 sacks for the game. A performance like that definitely deserves criticism. But right now, the more important question is, how is Lu Ke?”

Four sacks. The San Francisco 49ers’ Offense Line was facing a severe challenge today, completely unable to provide Lu Ke with effective protection. This had caused the offense to sputter, and now Lu Ke was facing the risk of injury. The situation was becoming more and more dire.

Michael Crabtree, Kyle Williams, Ted Ginn Jr., and others hurried over to pull Logan and Marcus away.

Rupati and Hachar were both hot-tempered themselves, and their own anger flared up in the face of the accusations, ready to retort. But after being pulled apart, they both felt ashamed. They turned their heads, standing awkwardly in silence, their thoughts unreadable.

Geno Atkins was in the middle of celebrating another sack, but before he could even get into the motion, he noticed something was wrong with Lu Ke. He quickly ran over. ”God, man, are you okay?” He hadn’t done it on purpose. He really hadn’t. He was just trying to play a good game, just trying to prove himself.

But now, the situation seemed to have spiraled out of his control.

Atkins was terrified. He thought about patting Lu Ke, but he was afraid his touch might cause a chain reaction. The first rule of the football field is that when a player is down, other players should not move them. You have to wait for the team doctor, or you could cause a catastrophe.

”Man?” Atkins’s eyes were wide, at a complete loss. ”Sorry, sorry, I’m really sorry.”

The next moment, a shove from the side sent Atkins stumbling back a couple of steps. He turned his head and saw Logan’s enraged face. ”Get lost! We don’t need your fake concern! Fuck!”

Seeing Atkins get manhandled, players from the Fierce Tiger Team’s Defense Team started to gather, and a conflict was about to ignite. But Atkins quickly got to his feet, held back his teammates, and backed away, shouting, ”I’m fine, I’m fine! Calm down, everyone calm down.” Right now, the most important thing was that Lu Ke was okay.

On the sideline, the coaching staff was stunned. Although the game had been a bit rocky, everything had been under control. The San Francisco 49ers still had the upper hand in both score and momentum. But now, the domino effect from this one sack was completely unpredictable.

More importantly, their undrafted rookie quarterback, who had been playing perfectly so far this season, had his physique as his only weakness. Were they now going to suffer the bitter consequences of that one shortcoming? This... this was just too unfair!

Jim Hubble was consumed by fury. He viciously kicked over a water cooler on the sideline, but it did nothing to vent his emotions. He unleashed his anger on Kip Kester, shouting, ”What are you standing around for? Get Alex warmed up! Fuck! FUCK!”

”Oh God!” Jeff was frozen in place, at a complete loss. He couldn’t even process his grief or anger, just stood there numbly, staring at the motionless Lu Ke on the ground. Time seemed to stop at that moment.

Could it be? Was the magical journey of the undrafted quarterback over just like that?

It wasn’t just Jeff. Nate, Danny, Chris, and everyone else beside him were all stunned. The incident had been so sudden that it caught everyone off guard. They were frozen in place, all reactions suspended. The entire section of the stands fell into a dead silence.

In the pin-drop silence, Noah Parker, who had been watching the game politely the whole time, stood up. He raised his right hand high and began to chant, ”Bambi!” One call, then another. ”Bambi!” His voice wasn’t loud, just steady and firm. ”Bambi!” Again and again, he conveyed his heartfelt passion and support.

Noah, who looked like a gentle scholar, showed a rare and remarkable wisdom. Then, Cliff finally snapped out of it and joined Noah’s call, waving the flag in his hands again. ”Bambi!” This call was a cheer, an article of faith, and above all, a beacon of hope!

Gradually, the people in the stands came back to their senses. The chant for ”Bambi,” somber and heavy, yet resolute and magnificent, joined together into a single, mighty roar that poured down from the stands. Under Cincinnati’s crisp autumn sky, accompanied by the flapping flag, it painted a soul-stirring scene that echoed through the heavens.

Faintly, the thunderous chant reached Lu Ke’s ears. The tightness in his chest suddenly cleared, and he began to gasp for air. Dry, restless oxygen filled his lungs, feeling cool, and he started to cough. Slowly, very slowly, he sat up.

Logan’s boisterous voice rang out. ”Bambi! Jesus Christ! Bambi, are you okay?” The slight tremor in his voice betrayed his mixture of fear and excitement, a jumble of emotions that made his fingertips tremble.

Lu Ke chuckled softly. ”I was fine, but seeing you look so pathetic, now I’m not. You’d better stay away from me.” The sarcastic joke didn’t make anyone laugh. Opening his eyes, Lu Ke saw all his teammates’ gazes fixed on him, blazing and intent.

”What are you little girls going to do? Is anyone going to help me up? If I remember correctly, we still have a game to finish.” Lu Ke shook his head in mock exasperation, his tone half-complaint and half-joke. He then held out his hands. Logan and Marcus were the first to rush forward, grabbing his hands and pulling. With a slight effort, Lu Ke was on his feet.

”Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!” Jeff’s voice began to crack. He was so excited he couldn’t stop himself from jumping up and down, on the verge of screaming his lungs out. He managed to suppress the urge and instead continued to shout, louder and more passionately, as if he could transfer his energy to Lu Ke through his voice alone.

Five thousand away fans—a drop in the bucket, an insignificant number. But at this moment, they were united, shouting in one voice, ”Bambi!” Each cheer was more urgent, more passionate than the last, setting off the dazzling flag that whipped and snapped in the wind!