The entire offensive line and defensive line scattered, almost one-on-one. After pairing up, they wrestled with each other. The pocket was completely torn apart like clouds, scattered and revealing a clear blue sky behind them. With no obstruction, the entire field was laid out before Lu Ke's eyes, incredibly clear.
Pass, pass, pass.
This was the only thought in Lu Ke's mind. His eyes urgently scanned for a receiver, but... there was no opening, none at all.
Four defenders were against four receivers. The routes were ever-changing and dazzling. In that half-second, Lu Ke's eyes swept over two players, Michael Crabtree and Kyle Williams. The defense was airtight, and the defenders had their positions locked down. If he forced a pass, there was a high chance of an interception.
Ted Ginn!
Lu Ke caught a glimpse of an opening and raised his arm to pass. But in the next second, his peripheral vision caught Sean Lee, who was just a half-step away, lurking like a rattlesnake, waiting for an opportunity. He could even foresee that as soon as he threw the ball, Lee would rush in. In that case, Ginn would have to rely on his own ability to make a powerful catch.
"Ted Ginn versus Sean Lee"?
A thousandth of a second of hesitation flashed through his mind, and then Lu Ke realized that his hesitation had made him miss the best passing opportunity. He made a snap decision and adjusted his passing motion. He was still aiming to the right, but his gaze went past Ginn and focused on Logan Newman, who was about five yards behind him. Mike Jenkins was covering him one-on-one.
"Logan Newman versus Mike Jenkins"?
In a thousandth of a second, Lu Ke had already made his decision and was ready to pass. But as he drew his arm back, he could see the fierce and brutal figure of DeMarcus Ware rushing toward him, bringing with him a bloody storm. Every cell in Lu Ke's body sounded an alarm.
Five yards, four yards, three yards...
The offensive line and defensive line had been shattered. The entire field in front of Lu Ke was wide open, and there were no extra players who could protect him. In the blink of an eye, not even a millisecond, Ware's figure had grown larger and larger.
With the threat imminent, before he could even think, his body's instinctual reflexes took over and he started to move quickly.
But after moving, Lu Ke realized that his 71-point running ability was not enough, far from enough, against a powerful defensive blitz. Not to mention his 63-point dodging ability. He had only taken two steps when Ware's hands were already close, almost touching Lu Ke's shoulder.
DeMarcus Ware was even more powerful and crazier than J.J. Watt! The former was a six-year veteran, and the latter was a rookie. The difference was very real.
Escape! That was the only thought in Lu Ke's mind—escape.
"Bullet Time!" He was at his most tense, yet also his most calm. He found a glimmer of hope in the chaos, and Lu Ke roared.
In the next moment, the world seemed to slow down, like a slow-motion scene in a movie. But it wasn't a super slow-motion scene that was slowed down by ten times, where every movement could be seen clearly. It was more like a fast-flowing stream from a high mountain that gradually entered a plain after a steep cliff. The steep slope went from 30 degrees to 15 degrees, and the clear, rushing water gradually started to gurgle.
It seemed like the speed hadn't slowed down, but you could still feel the traces of air flowing.
The first second.
Lu Ke didn't relax at all because he knew that Bullet Time was different from Absolute Step. In Absolute Step, the skill controlled his body, and all his steps were fluid and automatic. But Bullet Time only slowed things down by a factor of 1.2. This gave him a slight advantage, but he still had to perform all the movements himself.
He took a big step, a huge step!
He moved toward the wide open lane on the left!
Lu Ke could almost feel Ware's right hand patting his shoulder. His heart contracted forcefully, and his muscles were tense to the extreme. But at that moment, in that 0.2-second interval, his peripheral vision caught the trajectory of that wide, solid hand sliding off his shoulder. Then, Lu Ke's shoulder slipped slightly, and he charged forward, following the path of the rushing wind.
He had escaped death.
The second second.
Two steps to his right, two players were tangled up, a Cowboys player and a 49ers player. In the fleeting glimpse, Lu Ke only had time to catch a white jersey breaking free from the entanglement of a red flame, charging toward him like a moth to a flame. He couldn't see the player's face or jersey number, only a blurry white trajectory.
On reflex, he twisted his waist to the side, and his feet jumped. Every part of his body was completely tense, trying his best to avoid being caught by that flowing white line. Then, he pulled in his waist and puffed out his chest, dodging the surefire tackle, and continued to drive toward the left sideline.
He missed it by a hair.
The third second.
Another white figure was lunging from the left, but his speed was affected. A red player was constantly clinging to him, hitting him with his shoulder. It was impossible to exert full force while running at high speed. But the repeated shoves disrupted both of their running rhythms.
Lu Ke could accurately catch the player's lunge. It wasn't in slow motion but in fast motion, as if the scene was speeding up. But Lu Ke's movements were a half-step faster. He changed his running direction, raising his legs high, stepping and jumping in a weird, awkward high-kick style, like the Can-Can dance, moving and jumping forward.
The white figure broke free from the red figure's grip and lunged forward, trying to tackle Lu Ke's lower legs in an attempt to trip him and stop the drive. He seemed to feel the strength of those lower legs and increased the power in his arms, preparing to lock him down tightly. But as he tackled, he only grabbed a gust of wind.
He had survived by the skin of his teeth.
The fourth second.
Lu Ke's toes could even feel the airflow from the small whirlwind. A millisecond, just a millisecond difference, and he would have been sacked. But luckily, he wasn't.
The problem was that Lu Ke wasn't a running quarterback, and running was not his forte. After his rhythm was interrupted three times during the run, his knees felt weak when his feet hit the ground. Gravity felt heavier than ever before. But Lu Ke gritted his teeth, relying on the strength in his calves, and continued to drive diagonally toward the left sideline.
His gaze shot to the right again, looking for a receiver. He wasn't a running quarterback. Passing was his weapon.
But in a flash, Lu Ke realized he was being foolish. After crossing the line of scrimmage, a quarterback couldn't throw the ball forward. This meant he had lost the opportunity to pass and could only run with the ball himself. In that split second, two more white figures rushed toward him. Large groups of red jerseys were right behind them but were a half-step slow, as if they couldn't keep up with the rhythm. It looked like a tornado descending.
There was no time or space to pass. Faster, faster, even faster. Lu Ke urged his legs, moving again toward the left sideline.
The fifth second.
The sideline was within reach. A safety on his front left was charging toward him. There was no room to dodge. In the midst of extreme tension, Lu Ke's mind became clearer. He drove quickly toward the sideline. Closer, even closer. He and the safety were like high-speed trains, about to collide head-on.
Undoubtedly, in this collision, it would be Lu Ke who got injured. There was no other possibility.
Ten yards. It seemed so close, yet so far away. Lu Ke only wished he could run faster, even faster.
Just as the head-on collision was about to happen, Lu Ke leaned his upper body forward and sprinted, successfully getting out of bounds. At the same time, the other player charged into him, but he only managed to bump Lu Ke's shoulder. In a misaligned collision, it wasn't a solid hit, and both of their centers of gravity only wobbled. They didn't completely lose their position.
Bullet Time ended.
Lu Ke used the momentum to spin around and release the force. He stood there, panting heavily. The muscles in his legs were so tense they were about to explode. But the burst of adrenaline made all the tension and pain disappear. Shouting, at this moment, Lu Ke had only one thought: to shout.
So, he did. He clenched his hands tightly and roared wildly, "Ah!"
"Lu Ke! Lu Ke! Lu Ke!" Troy's commentary began to simplify, just repeating the same name over and over again. The scene unfolding before his eyes, even using words like "dumbfounded" and "inconceivable," still couldn't accurately describe the true shock he felt.
"With the offensive and defensive lines locked up, Lu Ke chose to run himself, shaking off one tackle, avoiding a second. God! God! The third tackle was also missed! Lu Ke! Lu Ke! Lu Ke! Lu Ke completed the run! Jesus Christ, Lu Ke ran the ball for 17 yards! My God, 17 yards! What have we just witnessed!"
"Just when everyone had forgotten that in the first drive of the second half, Lu Ke ran with his own legs to create an opening and completed a 50-yard pass, completely turning the game around. Now, in the last drive of the entire game, Lu Ke has once again used his own legs to create a path! 17 yards! Lu Ke not only led the team to a first down, but they are now at the Cowboys' 27-yard line!"
Troy grabbed his hair in disbelief, pulling harder and harder. Even after witnessing it with his own eyes, he still couldn't believe it. His heart was so numb that he felt like he was having a heart attack. "What just happened! What just happened here!"
At the same time, Chris Wilson was completely speechless. His mouth was wide open, but no sound came out. His soul, however, was roaring wildly, "Ah! Aaaah! A miracle! We are witnessing a miracle! God! God!" Without a sound, Chris's mind went completely blank as he kept yelling.
The entire stadium exploded.
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