American Football: King of the Bay Area

Lu Ke had the strange feeling that he was even busier after the game than during it.

First, he showered, then reported to the medical room. The team doctor performed another relatively comprehensive check-up and let out a sigh of relief after confirming Lu Ke had only overexerted his right arm.

Next, he reported to the physical therapy room for a twenty-five-minute ice bath, followed by another shower. Finally, he returned to the therapy room for a relaxing massage from a professional masseur, not just for his right arm, but for the muscles in his entire body.

The whole process took an hour, and it still wasn’t over.

On one hand, this could be interpreted as a quarterback’s physique not being on par with the powerful players of the Defense Team. After taking multiple hits, the team had to be extra cautious, which suggested they were still concerned about Lu Ke’s physical resilience.

But on the other hand, it also showed how much the team valued Lu Ke, giving him priority treatment. Clearly, after three consecutive victories, Lu Ke was no longer just a simple transitional backup quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.

The muscles in his right arm were still a bit sore and swollen, but it wasn’t a major problem. It mostly just required relaxation and rest. Almost every quarterback experiences something similar after an intense game, especially veterans who have been on the field for many years.

This was the whole point of the Alliance’s schedule: after a Sunday game, Monday and Tuesday were rest days, Wednesday was for light recovery practice, and formal training for the next week’s game didn’t resume until Thursday. This gave players enough time to rest and recover.

In fact, the Alliance’s Thursday night games have always been controversial. A Thursday night game means that after playing on Sunday, the team gets no rest time at all and has to start practicing the very next day to prepare. The frequency and intensity of the games are kept at an extremely high level, which easily leads to more injuries.

It wasn’t just Lu Ke, and it wasn’t just the quarterback position. Throughout the entire NFL, more than half the players were protesting and appealing this, hoping to cancel Thursday night games. After all, no matter how strong they were, they were still flesh and blood, and their bodies just couldn’t take the continuous high-intensity clashes.

But Thursday night games had the highest commercial value, even more than Sunday and Monday night games. The Alliance had always refused to cancel them, and the Players’ Union had chosen to support the Alliance. The issue of Thursday night games would not be resolved anytime soon.

However, for the San Francisco 49ers and Lu Ke, the good news was that their Week 4 regular season game was also on a Sunday.

During the massage, Lu Ke gradually relaxed. A wave of drowsiness washed over him, and lying on the massage table, he slowly drifted off to sleep. When he woke up, the locker room was still buzzing with noise, as if the victory celebration hadn’t ended yet. ”You’re awake? Pack up and get back to the hotel early. Get some good rest.”

”Lucas, thanks.” Lu Ke rubbed his eyes, sat up, and thanked the massage therapist, Lucas Berger.

Lucas nodded with a broad smile. ”Ice it again when you get back tonight, and you’ll be fine by tomorrow. Young people recover pretty quickly. You played a beautiful game today!” As the San Francisco 49ers’ team massage therapist, Lucas had been with the team for several years, and this year’s new atmosphere was certainly a long time coming.

Lu Ke chuckled, gave Lucas a thumbs-up to thank him again, then returned to his locker. He packed his things, left the locker room, and was the first one back on the team bus, where he waited for his teammates to arrive.

After the game, everything had been a whirlwind, with no time to rest. Only now did Lu Ke finally have a moment to summon the system and check his mission progress for the day.

The sound of chimes echoed in his mind. Lu Ke thought he would have gradually gotten used to the taste of victory, but the truth was, even after the third consecutive win, the joy and excitement still felt fresh and electrifying. He would never get tired of moments like this.

First up were the game missions. By Week 3 of the regular season, the game missions were gradually becoming routine, much like the daily training missions, and didn’t offer many surprises. He just wasn’t sure if this was the new normal, or if future regular season games would introduce more variety.

Touchdowns completed: three. Base points +3. Pass completion rate of at least 60%: complete. Base points +1. Win the game: complete. Base points +3.

Today, Lu Ke had completed three passing Touchdowns. There was also one rushing Touchdown, but that one was credited to Marcus Lynch, not Lu Ke. The mission was clearly counting passing Touchdowns, hence the three. In the end, Lu Ke earned seven base points, the same amount he got in the Week 2 regular season game.

Recalling today’s game, the seemingly simple game missions had actually posed a serious challenge. From the four sacks to the strategic battles, the entire game was filled with uncertainty until the fourth quarter. The demands on the quarterback were getting higher and higher, and he absolutely could not let his guard down.

However, before the Week 4 game, Lu Ke had something more important to consider: the competition for the starting quarterback spot. To face this head-on contest of skill, he would need to focus all his attention. Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick were by no means opponents to be taken lightly.

Putting those thoughts aside for now, his attention fell on the special mission. The last special mission had appeared after halftime, but today’s had shown up during the game itself. He had only had time to scan the requirements and wasn’t sure if he had completed it.

”Special Mission: Geno Atkins’s Challenge.

Mission Description: In the Week 3 regular season game, Cincinnati Bengals Defensive Tackle Geno Atkins, spurred on by the performance of fellow rookies Andy Dalton and Lu Ke, has unlocked his potential. His performance is boosted by 150%, with a high chance of executing sacks and hits. This also elevates the condition of the Fierce Tiger Team’s Defense Team, placing greater pressure on the San Francisco 49ers.

Mission Requirements: Lead the offense to score three or more times; defeat Geno Atkins by evading his sacks three or more times; win through your own abilities, with Special Skills disabled.

Mission Reward: Point Lottery Ticket +1, Unknown Special Skill Package +1.

Failure Penalty: Locker room prestige reduced by 30%; condition in next week’s quarterback competition reduced by 30%; and being looked down on by Geno Atkins.”

He read it over once, then again. This wasn’t his first special mission, and Lu Ke thought he had gotten used to the system’s tricks. But reading this special mission today, there were just too many things to complain about that he didn’t even know where to start.

’What the hell is ”being looked down on by Geno Atkins”? Not scorn, but literally being looked down on! Atkins is almost a head shorter than me. When he stands in front of me, he’d definitely have to look up. So what does a ”downward look” as a penalty even mean? Am I supposed to get on my knees or something?’

’Also, I have basically no locker room prestige to speak of right now. If it drops by another thirty percent, how am I supposed to play next week! No, wait, even my condition for next week’s quarterback competition will drop by thirty percent! I’m not a quarterback with a clear skill advantage. In the competition against Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick, the outcome is uncertain even when I’m giving it my all. If my condition drops, then that means... there’s no future for me.’

”The penalty for failure is so severe, Qi, shouldn’t you have given me a heads-up? The mission just popped up during the game. How was I supposed to have time to read it carefully!” Lu Ke felt a surge of belated fear.

During the game, Lu Ke actually hadn’t paid much attention to the special mission because he had to observe the entire Defense Team’s formation and read their movements. He couldn’t possibly focus all his attention on Atkins; that would have meant neglecting other things and causing irreversible consequences.

The correct tactical arrangement was to have the corresponding Offense Line players focus on Atkins, while the quarterback had to control the bigger picture.

More importantly, for the requirement to ”defeat Geno Atkins by evading his sacks three or more times,” Lu Ke had absolutely no idea how he was supposed to complete it. ’Was I supposed to deliberately bait him, let Atkins break through the Offense Line, and then use my own legs to escape before he could get the sack?’

The mere thought of such a tactic was foolish enough. No quarterback would ever do that, nor should they.

So, throughout the game, Lu Ke had kept a close eye on Atkins, but he hadn’t obsessed over the special mission. Instead, he had been completely focused on the game. Now, seeing the failure penalty, he couldn’t help but think: what if I had failed the mission...

”Wait!” Lu Ke suddenly realized he hadn’t even confirmed if the special mission was completed yet. He hurriedly opened his unread messages, and only after seeing the ”Special Mission Complete” notification did he finally let out a sigh of relief.

In his mind, Qi remained silent, not answering Lu Ke’s question. Either it wasn’t necessary, or it was beneath Qi to answer.

After a moment’s pause, Qi said, ”You need to pay close attention and read special missions that appear during a game. The reason they’re ’special’ is due to their uniqueness and importance.”

Lu Ke opened his mouth but couldn’t refute it. Maybe next time a special mission appeared, he could take the time to read it carefully on the sidelines while the Defense Team was on the field. He had to avoid a situation like today’s again. Even if it was just a false alarm, he needed to be more vigilant.

Fortunately, he had completed today’s special mission, which was a good thing. Lu Ke was just about to check his mission rewards when a detail from before came to mind. ”Qi, did the mission description just say that Atkins tapped into his potential because he was spurred on by me and Dalton?”

”Yes,” Qi replied crisply this time.

Lu Ke’s jaw dropped. ”So, is this what you call... reaping what you sow?”

’Huh, that feels a bit weird. Is that phrase really appropriate here?’