Looking down at the chubby, muscular guy in front of him, he squatted down in a wide stance, made a peace sign, and stuck out his tongue. The liberated expression on his face was completely unexpected. The important thing was that he wasn't shy at all; he was shouting, "Shutter, quick, shutter!"
Everyone started shouting "shutter" one after another. Click. Lu Ke pressed the shutter, capturing this absurd and funny moment. Everyone cheered, "Hooray!" Then they all scattered like birds and beasts. The chubby guy in front of him curled up into a ball, did a front roll, and rolled out of the way... then he put his legs together and, using the momentum from the roll, stood up. The whole sequence was a single, fluid motion, leaving Lu Ke dumbfounded.
In the blink of an eye, everyone had scattered and started to get busy, laughing and greeting others. All that was left in front of Lu Ke were Julio and three other people. He held up his phone and gestured, "Guys, good afternoon, I'm Lu Ke, quarterback. Who just squeezed into my selfie? Do you have names? I can send you the photo later so you can admire everyone's goofy faces."
His self-introduction was confident and a little humorous and teasing. As a Chinese-American football player, Lu Ke had long understood that in this untouched territory where Asians had never set foot, confidence, self-reliance, and independence were the most important first steps to making friends. After that, talent was the most convincing tool.
Sure enough, the three people in front of him didn't look surprised; they all introduced themselves.
"Jonas Mouton, linebacker."
"Bruce Carter, linebacker."
"Jabara Williams, linebacker."
After each of them introduced themselves, Lu Ke and Julio exchanged a knowing look. "Wow, it looks like we've fallen into a linebacker trap," Lu Ke said, his eyes wide and a look of mischief on his face.
Julio, however, just stood there shaking his head, looking confident. "That's what makes it a challenge! Maybe we'll face off on the field soon."
Generally, linebackers were the most important people on the defense, usually the team captain or the one who called the plays. A linebacker had to have excellent tackling skills to stop the ball carrier from breaking through, and in passing plays, the linebacker also had to help their teammates cover potential receivers and break up or intercept any passes.
Compared to a quarterback, a linebacker and a wide receiver would face off more often. That's why Julio responded the way he did.
The three linebackers all laughed happily, clenched their fists, and waved them at Julio, looking like they were ready to start a fight. This created a familiar bond between the strangers who had just met.
"Are you the only Asian player at this year's rookie training camp?" Aldon didn't hide his scrutinizing gaze, but there was no malice in his eyes, just curiosity.
This wasn't the first time an Asian player had been in a rookie training camp. Every year or so, a few Asian players would show up, but unfortunately, the skill gap was always too big, and none of them had been able to make it into the league as a professional player.
However, an Asian quarterback was a first.
Lu Ke spread his hands. "If the face I saw in the bathroom mirror this morning was normal, then yes, you're looking at him." His witty and humorous words made everyone smile. "But how did you know? I thought I was a nobody."
"All the news outlets have been reporting it," Bruce said quickly. "The media never misses a huge story like this. So, did you check in? After you check in, the whole training camp will probably know soon enough. Everyone will be curious about who this Asian guy is and what he's capable of."
Lu Ke's mouth opened slightly, and he lowered his chin, a look of understanding on his face. "Just like a circus." Once again, everyone laughed.
Now Lu Ke finally understood where the special mission came from. Maybe it was his identity as a Chinese-American quarterback that attracted the media's attention. Or maybe it was the fact that he was in a training camp with so many potential future superstars that triggered the special mission. It seemed that special missions were triggered by specific situations and circumstances. But one thing was uncertain: would every special mission in the future be so... ridiculous?
The four of them laughed as they walked toward the check-in counter. This was when Lu Ke had a chance to sort out his thoughts.
"Little Seven, I have another question. How do I know who the potential future superstars are?" Lu Ke couldn't predict the future, and the system didn't give him any hints. How was he supposed to know? There were almost 300 people in the training camp; not all of them could be future superstars. "Also, what is the standard for being a superstar? Making the Pro Bowl? First-team All-American? Second-team? Or Player of the Year?"
"Luck." Little Seven's answer made Lu Ke speechless, but after thinking about it, he couldn't argue. It seemed that relying on luck was the only way. The goal of 30 future superstars was not going to be easy. However, if the special mission were that simple, the rewards wouldn't be so generous.
After checking in, Lu Ke didn't rush to his room upstairs. Instead, he sat down to the side and started thinking about how to complete the mission. Before he officially started, he downloaded the Instagram app onto his phone, registered an account, and then uploaded the group photo he had just taken.
After the upload was complete, he opened the mission list again and noticed the progress had updated to "4/30."
This meant he had just met four potential future superstars? Who were they? Lu Ke looked at the photo carefully. There were a total of eleven people in it. Wait, twelve. In the corner of the photo, there was a guy with wide eyes and an open mouth, laughing and making a peace sign.
Four potential future superstars out of twelve people? That was incredible!
Even though every rookie training camp brought together all the best young football players, it wasn't easy to get a foothold in the professional league. Even the number one draft pick could be a bust, let alone other rookies. In a weak draft year, it would be a huge accomplishment to have ten or fifteen future superstars.
Now, Lu Ke took a group photo with twelve people and managed to catch four potential superstars? Did this mean that this year was a strong draft year? Thinking about it more, the system's mission required 30 potential superstars, which also indirectly confirmed Lu Ke's guess. There were indeed a lot of players in this year's rookie class who had the potential to become superstars.
At the same time, this also meant that it would be even harder for Lu Ke to stand out.
So, the special mission needed to be completed even more. Whether it was the points he would get or the unknown skill packs, these were all important things for Lu Ke to improve his skills. For the first time, Lu Ke started to think seriously about how to complete the special mission.
Twelve players, four potential superstars. The ratio was one in three. So, for 30 potential superstars, he would need to take photos with at least 90 players!
Ninety was not a small number. It was almost a third of the rookie training camp. In reality, it might even be more. Lu Ke put his hand on his forehead again. He wasn't sure if he would be "beloved by everyone, and admired by all" after today, but he was sure that after today, everyone would know that there was a fanboy at the rookie training camp.
He let out a long sigh. For the points, for the skill packs, he was going to go all out!
Standing up, Lu Ke started to think seriously about how to complete the mission.
Should he act like a crazy fan, his eyes shining, rushing up to someone and saying, "XXX, I really admire you! You're the electricity, you're the light, you're my idol. Can I take a picture with you?"
Or should he be like a ghost, sneaking up behind a player, like a ghost, quietly popping out, secretly taking a photo, and completing the mission without anyone knowing, all with a weird smile on his face?
Or should he act like he was at a party, actively calling players over to gather for a big group photo, imitating the first photo he took, and including thirty or forty players in one go, ticking them off his list and completing the mission? But without a selfie stick, his arm couldn't fit that many people in the shot. What about a tripod? Would that work?
Or maybe he should do it like a roundtable discussion, getting everyone to form a circle, like a bonfire party, and then he would stand in the middle and spin around, getting everyone in the photo in one go. But the problem was, what reason could he give to get everyone to gather so they wouldn't think he was crazy?
Haha, he was definitely overthinking it. On the first day of the rookie training camp, he was already acting like a little girl, taking intimate photos with players everywhere. Without any more words, he was just crazy. What if he just let loose? In a crazy style, he would just ignore everything and shout "Cheese," and take a photo with everyone he met, like a tornado, coming and going with a gust of wind.
If this were a party, a party with alcohol, the mission would be much easier. But this was the rookie training camp, which made it difficult. He couldn't stop thinking about it, and then out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a figure not far away.
In the hotel lobby, almost everyone was gathered in small groups, chatting and hanging out. It would be rude and difficult to just go up to them and join in. However, there was a tall, muscular Black man standing all by himself in front of him, staring out the window, lost in thought. This was the perfect entry point!
He had already completed the photo mission with 30 players in his mind, but in real life, Lu Ke had to start the mission. So, without any hesitation, Lu Ke walked straight toward him.
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