After quickly glancing over the game tasks, which were nothing new and had the same familiar feel, Lu Ke was about to close the system and focus on preparing for the game. But then, a red dot in the corner of his eye on the inbox caught his attention, indicating an unread message.
What was going on? He had already read all the game tasks, so why was there an unread message?
He opened the inbox and saw that it was a special task! The kind he hadn't seen since the rookie training camp! What kind of special task was it this time? Did some special event trigger the task system?
"Special Task: Contempt from Pete Carroll and provocation from Richard Sherman.
Task Description: In the first official game of your professional career, you must strongly fight back against all the doubts, prove your presence, take a firm first step in the league's fierce competition, and begin your journey as a football superstar.
Task Requirements: Win the game; get at least three touchdowns (0/3); defeat Richard Sherman and complete two passes in the area he is defending (0/2).
Reward: Two unknown quarterback training skill packages, two unknown special skill packages, and unlock one hidden attribute.
Penalty for Failure: In the second game, your overall passing accuracy will drop by fifteen percent; during media interviews, your rebuttal skills will be on a fifteen-minute cooldown."
Lu Ke blinked. Even though he had already completed two special tasks and had the system for over a year, every time he saw a special task, he still thought Little Seven was playing a prank.
He could understand that the special task was directly related to the Seattle Seahawks. The clash in the rookie training camp was now extending into the regular season. He could also understand that the negative effects in the penalty for failure, like the drop in overall passing accuracy, were to be expected.
But a fifteen-minute cooldown on rebuttal skills during interviews? What the hell was that? Did it mean he had to stand or sit there like an idiot and let reporters bombard him with questions for fifteen minutes without being able to talk back?
That was a form of torture!
"Little Seven!" Lu Ke's mindset was calm when facing the fans and reporters outside the stadium, but now he couldn't help but clench his fists and grit his teeth. But Lu Ke also knew that Little Seven wouldn't respond, so in the end, he could only let out a long breath and force himself to calm down. "I just have to complete the task. I'm going to complete it no matter what!"
Thinking this, he immediately felt much better.
More importantly, "unlock a hidden attribute"? What kind of reward was that? Lu Ke's curiosity was getting the better of him. Every time, completing a special task came with a surprise, so what about this time?
First the game tasks, then the special task. The first game of his professional career was truly special. What's more, the opponent was the Seahawks. The first stage of his career was set against such a special opponent. Fate was so strange sometimes.
"Everyone, huddle up!" Jim Harbaugh's voice came through, and Lu Ke snapped back to reality and joined his teammates. They all gathered in a circle, with their arms on each other's shoulders, forming a tight huddle.
Jim was completely surrounded by them, with only his voice echoing out. "I don't need to say anything more! Victory is our only option. Everyone outside is waiting to boo us and waiting to laugh at us. But we're not here to be a disgrace! We've trained harder than anyone, and our determination is stronger than anyone's!"
"So, I don't care what issues and problems you have with each other. I want you to set them aside and go on the field to win this game!" Jim's eyes landed on each player, and finally on Lu Ke. "Quarterback, do you have anything to say?"
In an instant, all eyes were on Lu Ke. He raised his right hand high. "Let's get some touchdowns!"
"Roar, roar, roar," all the players roared. "Ah, ah, ah," all the spectators roared.
Candlestick Park was ready!
The screams and cheers were endless, deafening, and overwhelming. The entire Candlestick Park stadium was like a canoe in the vast ocean, swaying and bobbing, dangerously close to capsizing at any moment. You could even faintly hear the roar of the waves from the coast.
With a capacity of seventy thousand people, Candlestick Park was not on the same level as the Rose Bowl, which could hold one hundred thousand.
But at this moment, the thunderous cheers easily overpowered the Rose Bowl on January 1st. The ferocious cheers made the Rose Bowl look like a children's game, while this was a bloody fight in the adult world, like a gladiatorial arena—brutal and bloody, yet full of passion.
Lu Ke looked up and around. The boiling, churning, and noisy crowd looked like gurgling volcanic magma, menacing and powerful. The scene was so blurry yet so clear. He tightened his grip, clenched his fists, put on his helmet, and jogged onto the field with his teammates.
The game officially began. The two team captains guessed the coin flip. The 49ers won and chose to receive the ball first.
The Seahawks' kickoff signaled the official start of the regular season. Their first kickoff didn't give the 49ers' special teams any opportunities, flying directly out of the end zone. This meant the 49ers would start their offense on their own twenty-yard line on the right side of the field. Lu Ke and the offense took the field.
Standing on the twenty-yard line, he bent down and touched the grass on the ground. His fingertips could even feel the dew left over from the morning. With just this simple action, his pounding heart slowly calmed down and returned to a normal rhythm. The noise and excitement from all directions made his adrenaline rush.
This was his stage. He wasn't nervous; he was excited. He wasn't timid; he was pumped. He wasn't panicked; he was eager.
"Guys!" Without any hesitation or second thoughts, Lu Ke called all his offensive teammates to huddle up. They formed a circle, and Lu Ke knelt in the middle, looking at each face around him.
The team only had ten days to prepare for the first game of the regular season after the preseason ended. But in those ten days, they were comrades in arms and the only people they could trust.
The eleven players on the field for the 49ers were, first, quarterback Lu Ke.
Then, there were the five offensive linemen: center Jonathan Goodwin, left guard Mike Iupati, left tackle Chilo Rachal, right guard Anthony Davis, and right tackle Joe Staley.
Finally, there were the receiving players: running back Anthony Dixon, tight end Logan Newman, and wide receivers Michael Crabtree, Kyle Williams, and Ted Ginn Jr..
This offensive lineup was not fixed. The receiving players had many different combinations, and so did the offensive line. Aside from the quarterback and center, which were fixed, the team had multiple starting lineups depending on the play calls.
The most direct proof of this was that the team's starting tight end should have been Vernon Davis, who made the Pro Bowl in 2009 and had exceptional receiving and running ability.
But in the last ten days of training camp, Lu Ke and Logan's chemistry was much better, so for the first offensive play, Jim chose Logan instead of Vernon. Likewise, wide receiver Braylon Edwards wasn't given a chance to play.
Jim Harbaugh's voice came through the helmet's headset, giving the play call. After confirming he had received the information, Lu Ke started to give the play call. The complex plays were already second nature to him. With just a simple command, everyone understood. Finally, Lu Ke extended his right hand, and everyone put their hands on top of his.
"Game on!"
The offense lined up, and the Seahawks' defense lined up as well.
Lu Ke didn't snap the ball right away. Instead, he started to read the defense like an experienced hunter. But it was clear that the opposing defense didn't take Lu Ke seriously at all.
"Waaaaah, did you forget to bring something with you? Where's your pacifier?"
"Aww, don't be so mean. You'll scare the baby. There's no nanny here to take care of him. Are you going to change his diaper then?"
"A baby ran onto the field. Where are his parents?"
...
The jeering and laughter were endless. The most ridiculous part was that they had all lined up, their eyes fixed on Lu Ke like hungry jackals, but they never stopped with the trash talk. This absurd contrast created even more laughter, and everyone was laughing.
"Shut up! You pieces of trash!" Mike Iupati stood up and yelled.
Then, another Seahawks player stood up and shouted before any of the 49ers players could say anything. "Hey, you guys, this is a game, an official game! Can't you show some respect?" This temporarily calmed the noise down. Then, he turned to Lu Ke, gave him a friendly smile, and said in a softer tone, "Hey, buddy, remember, this isn't soccer. Remember to throw the ball with your hands!"
"Hahaha." The laughter exploded again. All the 49ers' offensive linemen stood up with furious glares. The game hadn't even started, but the tension was already high.
"Ready to hike! Ready to hike!" Lu Ke shouted, stopping his teammates. "You hotheads, calm down!" If they had to use a timeout before the first play even started to avoid a delay of game penalty, that would truly be a joke.
The five offensive linemen exchanged glances and slowly went back to their positions. Since Lu Ke, the person being targeted, didn't care, why should they get involved? They still didn't have enough respect for this quarterback; they were just following the team's orders. The bond between comrades had to be built on the battlefield!
The Seahawks' trash talk didn't affect Lu Ke at all, because all of his attention was on the opposing team's defensive formation.
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