Chapter 1147: The Aura of a Great General
At the crucial moment, "Bullet Time!"
First Second
Outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw immediately cut into the offensive line's pocket protection from the inside. His brutal momentum directly knocked over offensive guard Anthony Davis, tearing open a gap. Then Upshaw, like a hungry tiger, lunged into the pocket, his eyes fixed on Lu Ke like a pair of copper bells. The rush was immense and instantaneous.
Lu Ke had just had time to activate his special ability when a turbulent wave of air swept past his ears. Upshaw, so close to victory, unleashed an incredible amount of energy. The air pressure was thundering against Lu Ke's eardrums, causing his nerves to tighten and his muscles to tense. His entire body was stretched to the limit.
Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Ke caught the fierce glint in Upshaw's eyes, but his movements and posture slowed down slightly under the influence of the special ability. This imperceptible slowdown allowed Lu Ke to start moving his feet in time. By the time Upshaw's hands slapped Lu Ke's shoulders, his body had already shifted sideways in the opposite direction.
The sideways movement broke free from the forward pressure. Lu Ke then moved like a rabbit, getting out of the way.
He felt the force on his left shoulder that wasn't fully connected, but his footwork maintained a steady and even rhythm. With a couple of cross-steps, Lu Ke had escaped certain death.
Upshaw was filled with disbelief. He had clearly timed his move and applied his strength perfectly, so why did he watch Lu Ke slip through his fingers? What was going on?
Second Second
Lu Ke had just taken a step to the left and hadn't even had time to exhale when he saw Ray Lewis's menacing face in his line of sight, charging toward him from the front like a high-speed train.
Lewis chose to rush forward, using the numerical advantage. He tore a gap between Mike Iupati and Jonathan Goodwin, forcing his way through with brute strength. But because the gap was too small, Lewis's massive and strong body was slightly hindered and couldn't get up to full speed.
However, this delay happened to perfectly align with Lu Ke's escape route. So, Lewis and Lu Ke faced each other head-on.
Iupati was trying to stop Lewis, but he also had another player to cover on his left. In a two-on-one situation, he had already lost his balance, but Iupati knew that if he went down easily, it would be fatal for Lu Ke and the team.
It wasn't just about a sack. The running of the game clock was the most fatal thing. The team's only remaining timeout could not be wasted.
Iupati gritted his teeth, his feet planted on the ground as if they were rooted. He used his hands to block the other player and his right shoulder to pin Lewis. Even if Lewis broke through, Iupati would not give up. He did his best to slow Lewis down.
Hold! Hold! Hold!
Iupati felt as if a bulldozer was running over him. He was on the verge of falling apart, but at that critical moment, he gritted his teeth and unleashed all the energy deep within his body. "Ah!" He let out a low roar as he involuntarily exerted too much force. Instead of retreating, he advanced, taking a tough half-step forward and bursting out with his pure physical strength.
Lewis had just gotten past Iupati when he felt a powerful force on his right shoulder, a head-on collision. It didn't stop him, but it broke his forward balance. His body twisted violently to the right, and his forward momentum was severely disrupted.
But his feet didn't notice. Lewis still charged forward recklessly. His upper and lower body's center of gravity became misaligned, and his whole body twisted as he stumbled forward.
In the midst of the chaos, Lewis stepped on an unexpected bump—it could have been a clod of dirt, a twisted ankle, or an uneven patch of ground. It was impossible to tell for sure, but the result was that his balance was once again shaken, and he fell forward.
Lewis was a determined man. He bit down so hard his teeth nearly broke and reached out his hands as hard as he could, lunging toward Lu Ke.
"Rumble," like a tall building collapsing, Lewis came crashing down with a great roar.
Lu Ke could clearly see Lewis coming down on him, but his footwork was still flawless. Cross-step, cross-step. Two consecutive sideways movements were enough to get him out of Lewis's way, narrowly avoiding Lewis's dive.
But this was still not the end.
Third Second
Lu Ke's right foot hadn't had time to lift again when Lewis's hands, flailing wildly, grabbed his ankle. He didn't just block or hit it; he truly grabbed it. Even though he couldn't get a full grip, the brutal force still messed up Lu Ke's footwork.
High knees! High knees! High knees!
In the crisis, Lu Ke used a series of high-knee movements to use the strength of his legs to break Lewis's grip. Although his movements looked a bit funny, the high-knee steps clearly freed his ankle. Like a rabbit that had fallen into a trap, he unleashed his survival instinct and successfully escaped.
Lewis's body had completely lost control and he lay on the ground, still waving his hands in frustration. He had been so close, but Lu Ke had escaped. He furiously pounded the ground twice, unleashing all his rage.
Lu Ke felt his heart was in his throat, on the verge of exploding. He had completely forgotten to breathe, but his mind was empty and he entered a state of selflessness. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the third defensive end to break through the offensive line's pocket, Haloti Ngata, sprinting toward him.
Ngata hadn't completely gotten away from offensive tackle Joe Staley's entanglement, but Staley had already lost his balance and was just struggling, holding on to his last bit of strength to create an obstacle for Ngata's sack.
Ngata then accelerated, hoping to directly knock down Staley and then lunge toward Lu Ke. But this small difference in detail gave Ngata and Lu Ke a half-hand distance between them.
A half-hand, a distance as thin as a strand of hair, could create a completely different outcome.
Fourth Second
Lu Ke's upper body leaned back slightly. The flexible and tough strength in his waist allowed him to successfully avoid Ngata's tackle. The progress he had made in the entire offseason and season was now shown in his footwork, which had become messy due to Lewis's interference. Despite the chaos, he didn't lose his rhythm. He held his breath and stabilized his feet again.
"Whoosh!"
"Swish!"
Ngata's hands came down like a giant fan, but Lu Ke narrowly avoided them. Then his feet continued to move sideways to the left. As their bodies crossed, Ngata had already gotten past Staley's block and was charging toward Lu Ke with a ferocious expression.
In the nick of time, Lu Ke took a step back diagonally to the left, then took a big step sideways with a cross-step with his right foot. His body twisted into an awkward position, but he moved in an arc like a graceful dancer, barely avoiding Ngata's charge. Then he saw their bodies brush past each other.
Ngata's eyes widened as he watched Lu Ke brush past him, but he couldn't twist his body. Even though Lu Ke was so close, he could only watch him continue to accelerate and get away quickly.
Accelerate!
Accelerate again!
After breaking free in an arc, Lu Ke didn't hesitate. He pushed off with his calves, and his entire body shot out like an arrow released from a bow.
This was not a pass. It was a run! A run by the quarterback himself!
Fifth Second
Sprint! Keep sprinting!
Lu Ke pushed off with his feet. "Whoosh." He lightly shot out from beside Ngata, past the offensive line, past the defensive line, and past the line of scrimmage, then ran straight ahead.
At this moment, Lu Ke truly reminded people of his nickname "Bambi." With his long legs taking big strides, in just two or three steps, he had already run five yards and was still gaining more. His speed was nowhere near that of a wide receiver, but he had finally found his rhythm, and his running became fluid.
Yes, fluid!
By the time the Baltimore Ravens' defense realized Lu Ke's intention, the left side was already completely open. Remember? All the offensive and defensive players were concentrated on the other side. Safety Ed Reed was the fastest defensive player to notice Lu Ke's intention, but his sideways running speed was still not enough to catch up to Lu Ke.
Sprint!
Five yards!
Ten yards!
Fifteen yards!
The "Bullet Time" effect had disappeared, but Lu Ke had already escaped and opened up a path to advance. He was focused and not afraid at all.
Lu Ke's sprinting was getting faster and faster. There was none of the panic and tension of last season. Instead, there was a calmness and ease. As he continued to run, he easily got a first down for the team and was still going. He even had time and energy to observe the positions of the other defensive players.
Reed was quickly coming back to cover, sprinting to cut off Lu Ke's path. He was about to forcefully push Lu Ke out of bounds, but Lu Ke had already sensed the danger. He didn't try to gain more yards. Before Reed got to him, he cleanly ran out of bounds.
The play stopped, and the clock stopped.
In such a critical situation, Lu Ke not only ran for a first down with his own legs, but he also successfully stopped the game clock! This is the true aura of a great general!
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