American Football: King of the Bay Area

Candlestick Park came into view, packed to the brim with a capacity crowd of seventy thousand. The stands were a solid, unbroken wall of humanity. There was only red, more red, and nothing else. Not a single other color could be seen. The pure crimson stretched into a single mass, so vast that even the cloudless azure sky seemed to reflect a shade of rose. The most brilliant sunset would pale in comparison.

Red was the color of the San Francisco 49ers’ home jersey. Gold was the accent on their home scarves and the color of their home pants. But at this moment, the red was so vivid, so magnificent, so flamboyant, that even the gold seemed to have vanished completely, dyeing the entirety of Candlestick Park in a singular, extraordinary hue.

Not a single stray color. So pure it was heartbreaking.

This was the true home of the San Francisco 49ers. Not a single Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan could be seen. Their white away jerseys had completely vanished from the stands. There were only 49ers, nothing but 49ers. Simple to the extreme, pure to the extreme, and fanatical to the extreme. Using the stadium as their canvas and their jerseys as their brush, they painted the most thrilling masterpiece in the world—so beautiful it took one’s breath away.

Standing amidst the crowd, Jonathan Baldwin’s eyes were bloodshot and brimming with hot tears, a complete mess.

It had been a long time. A very, very long time. After another of the San Francisco 49ers’ Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Steve Young, announced his retirement in 1999, the team went through the most turbulent period in its history, ushering in its bleakest era. It seemed that ever since then, he had never again seen this sea of red at Candlestick Park.

They had resisted, they had strived, they had fought, but the team’s downward spiral was ultimately unstoppable. In the twelve years after 1999, they only made the playoffs in 2001 and 2002, falling into a seemingly endless slump of darkness. And so, confidence began to wane, hope began to fade, and fans began to leave.

「Until today.」

Not because the team had won another Super Bowl, but because they had found hope again. In this young team, in this undrafted rookie quarterback, in this iron-fisted coach, they had glimpsed a sliver of hope. They latched onto it, rallied together, and rediscovered the soul and heartbeat of their city.

Jonathan Baldwin could hardly believe his eyes. In his lifetime, he was finally seeing Candlestick Park overflowing with a sea of red once more. God, he had missed this place so, so much.

Looking up, Jonathan saw Cliff Hart standing not far away. His small figure was insignificant amidst the vast stands, but his ramrod-straight posture and powerful presence were so resolute, as if he could hold up the entire sky and carve out a new world for them all.

Cliff raised the flag in his hands high. The vibrant banner unfurled, snapping sharply in the wind as he began to wave it with force.

The next moment, a quarter of the crowd in the north stands roared in unison, ”We are!”

Immediately after, the remaining three-quarters of the spectators on the other three sides bellowed back as one, ”Warriors!”

The sound was a bit uneven at first, rising and falling as seventy thousand fans searched for a common rhythm. But with each repetition, they gradually found their resonance, and the power began to build, like rolling thunder, until it exploded mightily under the clear Bay Area sky.

”We are!”

”Warriors!”

Each cry was more powerful, more forceful, more majestic than the last. An endless torrent of energy filled every cell of their bodies. Everyone roared with all their might, holding nothing back, without a moment’s hesitation. Each command of ”Warriors!” twisted the seventy thousand fans into a single, unbreakable force, erupting with enough power to pierce the clouds, shatter stone, and remake the world itself!

In the Fox Television studio, Kirk and Teddy, who were preparing for the live broadcast, both stopped what they were doing. Even their commentary trailed off for a moment. They could truly feel the shockwave from the fans shaking the entire world. The immense power was impossible to ignore. The live feed was still on the studio, not yet cut to the field. But the director noticed something unusual and immediately switched the camera. Kirk and Teddy looked down through the broadcast booth’s glass, their high vantage point giving them a full view of the stadium. The vast sea of red created a powerful visual impact that washed over them, rendering all words pale and useless.

Kirk, who had once witnessed the frenzy of support at the Rose Bowl, was also stunned. He struggled to string his words together. ”Folks, we, uh, we’re looking at a live shot of Candlestick Park right now. Um... um, I mean, it’s clear the San Francisco 49ers fans are showing their support and faith to the whole world. A scene like this... I’m not sure, Teddy. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve seen anything like it. What about you?”

”Yes. Yes.” Teddy repeated the word twice, devoid of meaning, but he finally snapped out of it. ”I think, in the entire Alliance, only the fans of the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks can compare. Honestly, I’ve never seen a sight quite like this. It reminds me of the Sea Eagle Team’s twelfth man. So for the 49ers, what now? The 50th man?”

”No, they’re the 49ers. Thousands upon thousands of 49ers, united as the backbone of the entire stadium, the entire city!” Kirk couldn’t help but chuckle. ”God, this is just spectacular. I’m a little curious now what it would look like when the 12s meet the 49ers. The future games in the National League West are certainly something to look forward to.”

The Seattle Seahawks fans were famous throughout the Alliance. Because the offense and Defense Team on the field each consist of eleven players, their fans were so powerful and their home-field advantage so immense that they earned the title of the ”12th Man,” serving as the twelfth player on the field.

For every home game, the cheering of the 12s at CenturyLink Field was so massive and fiery that the powerful vibrations even caused minor earthquakes, repeatedly breaking Guinness World Records and setting new highs. Furthermore, the 12s were highly disciplined in their support, launching a noise assault when the visiting team was on offense and falling silent as a tomb when their own team had the ball, truly becoming the twelfth man in the game and often influencing its outcome.

That’s why CenturyLink Field was also known as one of the most notorious Devil’s Home Courts in the Alliance.

Besides that, the Green Bay Packers’ Lanbao Stadium, thanks to its passionate fans and extremely cold weather, was another famous Devil’s Home Court.

Now, however, they were witnessing a grand spectacle of fandom at Candlestick Park, a sound wave comparable to what the 12s created at CenturyLink Field. It was magnificent and majestic. The game hadn’t even started, yet the San Francisco 49ers had once again become the center of attention, igniting the intensity and heat of Week 5 in a completely different way.

”We are!”

”Warriors!”

Outside the players’ tunnel, the earth-shattering chant surged through the air. Inside, all the San Francisco 49ers players were crowded near the exit, waiting for their time to take the field. Surging, scalding blood coursed through their veins, fueled by a massive rush of adrenaline.

The offensive players all turned to look at Lu Ke, their eyes filled with smiles and excitement. No one knew this slogan better than they did. The familiar chant awakened their thirst for victory, making them restless and eager, just waiting for the moment to explode.

Jonathan Goodwin felt his teammates’ gazes and couldn’t help but smile. Amidst their eager anticipation, he walked up, clapped Lu Ke on the shoulder, and shouted in his ear, ”Bambi, how about you lead the cheer for the guys?”

Lu Ke blankly pulled his gaze back, confused. At a nod from Goodwin, he turned his head and saw pairs of expectant eyes looking at him. He couldn’t help but break into a cheerful laugh. Without any refusal or pleasantries, he waved his hand, gathering all his offensive teammates together.

A powerful voice erupted from deep within his Dantian. ”What are they waiting for?”

”Victory!”

”What are we striving for!”

”Victory!”

”Then our goal is the same! So right now, we’re going to walk onto that field and use our hands, use our feet, use everything we have to fight for this win. Because we are...”

”Warriors!”

”We are!”

”Warriors!”

Gradually, it wasn’t just the offensive players. All the Defense Team players, all the special teams players, every single one joined the ranks of the fans in the stands, shouting the same slogan, stomping to the same beat, aiming for the same goal. The entire group erupted! In that moment, the line between players and fans completely vanished. They had become one!

*DING.* A notification sound rang in Lu Ke’s mind.

”Game Missions:

Complete a touchdown in an official game; Requirement: None; Reward: +1 Base Point per touchdown.

Complete passing attempts in an official game; Requirement: At least thirty-five passing attempts; Reward: +1 Base Point.

Achieve passing yardage in an official game; Requirement: At least two hundred passing yards; Reward: +1 Base Point.

Complete a rushing attempt in an official game; Requirement: At least five rushing yards; Reward: +1 Base Point.

Achieve victory in an official game; Requirement: None; Reward: +3 Base Points.”

*DING.* After the game missions ended, a second notification sound immediately rang in Lu Ke’s mind.

”Special Mission: Gathering the Heart of Candlestick Park.

Mission Description: In Week 5 of the regular season, the San Francisco 49ers have welcomed their first full house at home since the 2011 season. The 49ers fans have shown unprecedented passion and are looking forward to the team displaying a brand-new look and continuing its team spirit.

Mission Requirement: Achieve a resounding and decisive victory.

Mission Reward: Unknown Special Skill Package +1; Unknown Quarterback Training Package +1.

Failure Penalty: In Week 6 of the regular season, the entire team’s condition will decline by twenty percent; for the following week, training effectiveness will decrease by ten percent.”

’Looks like there’s one more reason to win this game.’