American Football: King of the Bay Area

Thirteen basic points, all spent once again. After another loss this week, the urge to rapidly improve his skills grew more pressing. The game was unpredictable and victory was never guaranteed, but at the very least, Lu Ke could focus on doing his part—the first step toward winning.

So, Lu Ke didn’t go to sleep right away. Instead, he entered the tactical room, studied how to use the beginner-level plugin, and pulled up the game tape from today’s match against the Philadelphia Eagles.

For professional players and teams, studying one’s victories is crucial. You have to understand your winning formula to create variations and replicate success. But studying one’s failures is even more critical. Only by understanding your own flaws and shortcomings can you continuously improve and avoid making the same mistake twice.

He then selected the games from the previous three weeks of the regular season and finished configuring the settings. Only then did he exit the system, close his eyes, and groggily drift into a deep sleep.

Right now, the San Francisco 49ers were busy building a new stadium, so funds were relatively limited. Moreover, there were no top-tier superstars on the team’s roster—

The most famous was Patrick Willis. Since entering the Alliance in 2007, the outside linebacker had been selected for the Pro Bowl four years in a row, including his rookie season, making him without a doubt the team’s most recognizable player. But even Willis didn’t get special treatment. And so, the entire team flew economy back to San Francisco.

The economy class seats couldn’t recline, and the space was too narrow to stretch out. Lu Ke had to curl his legs into an awkward position. Combined with the turbulence, his sleep was fitful. He was still in a daze, half-asleep, when the plane slowly touched down in San Francisco.

Bobby Engram went row by row, waking up the sleeping players, and the cabin gradually grew lively.

Through the plane’s small window, he could see the deep blue sky rolling gently over the horizon. A creamy yellow halo traced the city’s skyline, radiating the warmth and serenity of home, its arms open to welcome them back. The sound of chattering voices filled his ears; it seemed the team was slowly starting to recover from the loss.

Lu Ke gave a huge stretch, stood up, and shook out his legs, needing to get the blood flowing in his calves again after they’d been folded for hours. At the same time, he pulled up the beginner-level plugin in his mind. The countdown clock at the door of the tactical room was at zero; he figured it wouldn’t start again until after midnight.

The compiled summary was right there. It wasn’t a list or a set of notes like he’d imagined, but a small orange box that looked a bit like a Rubik’s Cube. It emanated a soft glow, like a flickering bonfire on a cold winter’s day during a heavy snowstorm, making him want to reach out and touch it.

But Lu Ke never got the chance to touch it. A mere thought was all it took. The orange box burst like a firework. Specks of orange light drifted down like snowflakes before vanishing into thin air. He then felt something being stuffed into his brain, followed by a faint, swelling pressure.

But the feeling only lasted for a moment before it subsided.

Lu Ke closed his eyes, falling silent. The sensation was incredible. It was as if he had just personally watched four hours of game tape. A massive amount of information flooded his mind all at once. He couldn’t process the details immediately, yet it was all there, perfectly organized and crystal clear.

’What a strange, fascinating feeling.’

The only shame was that the beginner-level plugin only worked for four hours. ’If I could, I’d leave it running twenty-four hours a day. Would the massive explosion of information make me choke and pass out?’

’The thought alone was kind of exciting.’

”Lu Ke! Lu Ke!” Just as Lu Ke was about to start sorting through the data from the four hours of game tape—’Digesting and analyzing it will take time, otherwise it’s just cramming,’ he thought—a voice nearby shattered his concentration. He turned to see Aldon Smith.

Aldon was waving his arms wildly to get Lu Ke’s attention. Once he had it, he chuckled teasingly. ”Zoning out like that... thinking about Sophie? She’s in the back, you know. Or do you two need some private space?” The other teammates immediately started hooting.

Lu Ke’s expression remained neutral. ”Well, if you know that, why don’t you all hurry up and clear out? Give us some private time. You should know, there’s an old saying in China: ’He who ruins another’s romance won’t be able to get it up for the next ten years.’” Lu Ke’s talent for spouting utter nonsense with a straight face left Aldon stunned, frozen in place and completely baffled.

Logan and Marcus, who were standing nearby, tried their best to hold it in but failed. After a loud ”PFFT,” they took one look at Aldon’s utterly confused face and couldn’t contain themselves any longer, bursting into hysterical, belly-aching laughter.

Aldon scratched his head. ”So, is there really a saying like that in China?”

Justin Smith, standing beside him, bumped Aldon on the shoulder. ”Idiot. This is the United States. Even if they have that saying in China, it doesn’t apply to you. Besides, couldn’t you tell? Lu Ke was messing with you.”

It finally dawned on Aldon. He clenched his teeth and shook a fist. ”Bambi! You’re dead meat!” But his threat was useless; everyone else just jeered louder. Aldon’s bravado instantly deflated. He gave Lu Ke a helpless look, thought about it for a second, and then couldn’t help but burst out laughing himself. ”Anyway, the vets said they’re going out for drinks tonight. You know this is our only night to really cut loose. What do you say? You in?”

Monday was a regular day off, so they could drink tonight, sleep in tomorrow, and properly slack off and relax. Starting from Tuesday, they would probably start watching game tape and enter another game preparation cycle. So, Sunday was the only window.

Lu Ke, however, was a freakish exception. He trained at full speed seven days a week with perfect attendance, never slacking off, not even on Mondays. He had never joined the team’s previous Sunday gatherings—of course, he had never been invited, either. The only ”gatherings” Lu Ke attended were study sessions with the other rookies, where they’d get together to watch game tape and go over the playbook.

”Tonight?” It had been two months since he joined the team, and this was the first time Lu Ke had received such an invitation.

Previously, Colin Kaepernick had already become one of the guys. He had invited the entire team out for drinks several times to build camaraderie. But Lu Ke was never on the list.

Aldon smiled. ”Yeah, tonight. Honestly, you don’t need to be so wound up all the time. Relaxing for a night and then getting back to it might make your training even more effective.”

”Bambi!” A deep voice called out from the left. It was Patrick Willis. ”You should come with us tonight. I heard Aldon say you can really hold your liquor. How about it? Wanna compete tonight?”

”Yeah, come and show us what you’ve got tonight!”

”We can go head-to-head. Whiskey or tequila?”

”Pfft, with your tolerance, two beers and you’ll be puking out the back door. Even a little girl can drink more than you.”

...

The other players all started chiming in with rowdy jokes, and the atmosphere grew electric. Clearly, with Willis’s endorsement, everyone was on board. This was the first time Lu Ke had been welcomed into the veterans’ circle, the first time he was truly becoming one of the 49ers.

”Of course, no problem,” Lu Ke said with a grin. ”My only worry is that you guys can’t handle your liquor!” Seeing that they were all about to fire back, Lu Ke held up a hand to stop them and added, ”Erguotou! I’ll bring a few bottles. I guarantee I’ll drink all of you under the table! Anyone who doesn’t believe me is welcome to try!”

Baijiu, a spirit from China, has always been an ultimate challenge for alcohol enthusiasts. Some love it, some hate it, but its incredibly high proof is an undeniable test for any serious drinker. And among all baijiu, Erguotou was particularly famous.

”Ooooh, Bambi’s throwing down the gauntlet!” Logan and Marcus, ever the instigators, immediately started hyping it up. In an instant, all the players erupted in a clamor. With a group of fired-up guys like this, a party could break out at any moment.

Fortunately, while the team hadn’t chartered a private jet and was on a commercial flight, their sheer numbers meant the plane was filled almost exclusively with San Francisco 49ers players. This was the only thing that prevented them from becoming a disaster for any regular passengers.

”Ladies and gentlemen, we are now beginning our final descent. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts...” The flight attendant’s announcement over the intercom cut the premature party short.

Looking back at the boisterous, hyped-up players, Kip Kester let out a helpless laugh. He turned back to see Jim Hubble looking completely unfazed. ”What, you’re not going to say anything? They’re about to go on a group drinking binge. That could mean a group brawl.”

But Jim just shrugged, unconcerned. ”The team atmosphere is finally starting to change for the better. That’s a good thing. Weren’t you the one who said it’s good to let the players blow off some steam?” He was acting like a completely hands-off manager, not worried in the slightest. This left Kip at a loss.

After the plane landed, it was a little after ten o’clock local time—just when the bars were starting to get wild. The San Francisco 49ers players were all excitedly debating which bar would be the most fun, or which neighborhood had a good strip of them to hit.

A party was clearly a much more appealing topic than game plans and tactics. Nearly everyone was chattering away with their own opinions. The talk continued as they collected their luggage and left the airport. But as they walked out of the arrivals hall, the players all stopped in their tracks.