The team bus slowly came to a stop. The bustling crowd had completely blocked the road. Through the windows, you could see faces, some passionate and some hostile, twisted into strange shapes from yelling and screaming. They were desperately banging on the side of the bus, trying to get the players' attention.
"Get out of here, Bambi!"
"We don't need a baby! We need a Superman!"
"Lu Ke = No, no, no!"
"Earth is too dangerous for you. ET, go home!"
"Do you even know what you're doing? Are you sure?"
...
One after another, bright and glaring signs filled every corner of their vision. There were curses and rejection everywhere. There was no sign of hope at all, just a continuous stretch of gloom that blocked any possibility of escape, leaving no room to stand.
In the distance, you could even see a small group of about a hundred people holding up a number "14" jersey with a big red "NO" next to it. They were all shouting in unison, "No! No! No!" The simple and powerful words came crashing down like a tidal wave, making it hard to breathe.
"Bambi, you okay?" Logan asked with concern, patting Lu Ke's arm.
Marcus, who was sitting behind him, also stood up and put his hands on Lu Ke's shoulders, massaging him considerately. "Don't pay attention to those clowns. They're just puppets who don't know what they're doing."
Lu Ke turned his head and smiled at his friends. "Now you know how tough my life was back then, right?" This self-deprecating comment made Logan and Marcus pause. When people talk about racial discrimination, they usually refer to Black people. But in America's immigrant society, Asians are at the bottom of the food chain.
"Don't worry, if I was afraid, I wouldn't have chosen football in the first place." A confident glint shone in Lu Ke's eyes. "The best way to deal with doubt... is to face it head-on and hit them with a good slap in the face." His words were decisive and fearless, and he even seemed eager to get started.
He turned his head and looked out the window again. "Besides, they crossed the line." His parents were Lu Ke's line.
The fans could question him, attack him, and hate him all they wanted. That was fine, because he knew he would have to face it when he chose to become a professional athlete. But they could not disrespect his parents. No one could! Never before had Lu Ke's desire to win reached such a peak!
Besides that, there was another reason why he couldn't lose tonight: the Seattle Seahawks.
Destiny was like a cycle. In the end, he and the Seahawks were once again on opposing sides.
The insults and discrimination he experienced in the rookie training camp with the Seahawks were still fresh in his mind.
Lu Ke knew that standing on a football field meant facing discrimination. It was just like when Black people first started playing. It wasn't just the Seahawks. The entire league, the media, and countless fans would all show their contempt, provocation, and disdain. Every step he took would be a heavy burden of proving himself and fighting against discrimination.
Now, Lu Ke was facing his first challenge. His very first professional game was against the Seahawks. It was a very interesting opponent and the most fitting one.
It wasn't just to prove himself, to make a name for himself, or to teach his opponents a lesson. It was also to get a victory. He wanted to use a victory to kick off his career and earn his place in the professional game!
For his parents, for himself, for his future, and for the win. Lu Ke could find a thousand, even ten thousand, reasons why he had to win this game today. Most importantly, he chose to persevere and to be a professional for his dream, not to fail.
Seattle Seahawks, here I come.
Lu Ke couldn't help but clench his fists, his body filled with fighting spirit.
Looking at Lu Ke's profile, Logan and Marcus exchanged glances and started to get ready for the game. Was this the night that "Bloody Bambi" would finally appear?
The team bus stopped in front of the stadium tunnel, and the players filed out and into the stadium. The strong wind carried with it a wave of angry chants. "Get out! Get out! Get out!"
Although they weren't calling him by name, the target was more than obvious. Seeing Lu Ke's determined back, Logan couldn't help but flip them off and curse. "Get out! Screw you! Have you guys even watched Bambi play? You don't know a damn thing!"
Logan was just a rookie and didn't have a fan base. His provocative act immediately triggered even more furious cursing. Aldon Smith, who was walking by, grabbed the impulsive Logan.
Then, Aldon yelled at the fans, "You should be ashamed! We need your support! There are enough curses from the other half of the field!" After he finished, Aldon didn't look back and just walked away with Logan.
As the team's first-round draft pick this year, Aldon still had a lot of supporters. His words made the fans pause, and the cursing slowly died down.
Walking through the stadium tunnel, the reporters on both sides shoved their microphones forward, scrambling to ask questions. "Lu Ke, as the first starting Chinese American quarterback, how do you feel?" "Lu Ke, do you feel confident about tonight's game?" "With all the doubts, do you have anything you want to say in response?"...
The reporters were so overwhelming that the players' pace was involuntarily affected. Amidst the chaos of questions, one question caught Lu Ke's attention:
"Seattle Seahawks' head coach Pete Carroll said that he had no memory of you from the rookie training camp and that there were many other better players in this year's rookie class. What do you have to say about that?"
According to league rules, players were not required to do pre-game interviews to avoid affecting their performance, but post-game interviews were mandatory.
But Lu Ke stopped in his tracks and looked back, searching for the source of the voice in the crowd. He then smiled. "Maybe you can remind Mr. Carroll that the keyword 'Chinese American player' should be enough to jog his memory. I think he's already made his stance clear on Chinese American players, so at the very least, he shouldn't forget about it."
Although he didn't say it directly, the subtext was more than obvious: Pete Carroll knew Lu Ke, and there were some unpleasant memories from Lu Ke's "Chinese American" background.
The entire league was questioning the ability of a "Chinese American" quarterback. Pete was clearly not alone in this. But now, when Lu Ke brought it up so directly, under the guidance of political correctness, the reporters couldn't say much. However, they were definitely going to stir the pot later.
If the Seahawks won the game today, they might be able to create some big news in the post-game press conference.
"So, do you have anything you want to say about today's game?" the reporter asked again.
Lu Ke gave a big smile. "I hope they found the quarterback they needed."
There was no point in saying more. The truth would be revealed on the field. The winner takes all, and the loser gets nothing. The world of competitive sports was that simple and that brutal.
Then, another question came from the side, and Lu Ke looked in that direction. "Excuse me, in this afternoon's game, will you be throwing in the direction of Richard Sherman?"
Lu Ke's steps paused for a moment, an amused expression on his face.
Richard Sherman? The ghost of Richard Sherman? Why was he talking about him again? Lu Ke almost wondered if the guy had a crush on him. They had no interaction and no conflict, yet he kept bringing him up. What was going on?
Lu Ke was about to respond, not with anger, but with a sense of absurdity, even a little amusement. But Kip walked up from behind and patted Lu Ke on the shoulder. "Get in the locker room. You can do interviews after the game." Before a game, it was best to avoid facing reporters, especially for inexperienced rookies who could easily be provoked and have their performance affected.
So, Lu Ke had to swallow his words and follow his teammates into the locker room.
"Ding," amidst the noisy discussion, the sound in his mind was still so clear and precise. It cut through all the noise and rang out directly in the depths of his mind, like a lit torch.
"Game Tasks." After a long time, the game tasks, in addition to his daily training tasks, had reappeared.
As a starting quarterback who was about to play in his first professional game, the reality of it all was clearer than ever before. It was interesting that this was also Lu Ke's first official starting game since college. He had skipped the NCAA and was going straight to the NFL. This was a very special starting point.
"Complete your first pass in an official game."Requirements: None.Reward: Base Point +1.
"Complete your first touchdown in an official game."Requirements: None.Reward: Base Point +1.
"Complete a touchdown in an official game."Requirements: None.Reward: Base Point +1 for each touchdown.
"Complete passing yards in an official game."Requirements: Complete at least 150 passing yards.Reward: Base Point +1.
"Improve your pass completion rate in an official game."Requirements: At least 55% completion rate.Reward: Base Point +1.
"Avoid interceptions in an official game."Requirements: Two or fewer interceptions.Reward: Base Point +1.
"Achieve your first victory in an official game."Requirements: None.Reward: Base Points +5.
This was Lu Ke's first professional game. The tasks were still numerous, and the challenges were still serious. Fortunately, there were still no penalties for failure, but for Lu Ke, winning was his only choice, and he would do everything he could to get it.
Just as he was about to close the system, he saw a red dot on the inbox. There was an unread message?
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