Chapter 429: Everyone on Their Feet

No chance. Absolutely no chance. Not even the slightest.

After the snap, Lu Ke was completely focused on finding a deep pass target, but he was cleanly sacked before he could even complete his dropback. The thought of his Special Skill only surfaced after he was already on the ground, and he realized he’d missed the window to use it.

At this moment, they had neither the time nor the energy to assign blame. A sack was a sack. What mattered most was the game clock, which was still ticking away… Twenty-six seconds, twenty-five, twenty-four…

The terrifying speed at which the clock drained was enough to make one’s heart leap into their throat. It felt like the Grim Reaper’s scythe slowly scraping across your neck, making you forget to breathe.

Scrambling to his feet, Lu Ke had no time to worry about his own condition. Even the shouts from Jim Hubble in his headset faded into the background. He entered a state of complete, selfless focus. With quick hand signals, he called the team to the line. No huddle.

Every player on the San Francisco 49ers offense methodically and rapidly found their positions, getting into formation in the shortest possible time. But the clock kept ticking. Twenty-two seconds, twenty-one…

At this critical moment, Lu Ke’s mind entered an unprecedented state of clarity. The entire field layout materialized in his mind as a crystal-clear three-dimensional image. In the span of a single inhale, before he even breathed out, he had already simulated everyone’s position on the field. His opponents were still in man-to-man defense.

The New York Giants’ Defense Team seemed to have tunneled into a singular mindset, stubbornly sticking to man-to-man coverage, refusing to budge or make any changes.

For a quarterback, this was a good thing. The last sack was just an anomaly. He had to keep trusting his Offense Line. What choice did he have? There was no time to adjust their positioning or to call an audible. He had to snap the ball. He had to pass.

There was no other choice!

With absolute calm, Lu Ke scanned his offense’s formation out of the corner of his eye. Since there had been no time to communicate the play—not even a verbal cue, just a quick hand signal—he needed to get a read on his receivers’ positioning.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he made the decisive call to snap the ball. “Hike!”

From the Shotgun Formation, Lu Ke executed a quick dropback, making sure he had ample space from the Defense Line. He lifted his chin slightly, taking in the entire thirty-yard stretch of the field before him.

On the right, Vernon Davis and Marcus Lynch were both charging straight ahead. After fifteen yards, however, Vernon cut sharply to the right, heading for the sideline as if preparing to get out of bounds immediately after a catch. This instantly drew the defenders’ attention.

On the left, Michael Crabtree, Logan Newman, and Ted Ginn Jr. were also sprinting forward, but their routes were entirely different:

After seven or eight yards, Ginn cut on a slant into the middle of the field, converging with Marcus, who was running a straight route. The two executed a crossing pattern; Marcus stopped in the middle of the field, gesturing as if to receive the ball, while Ginn continued straight down the path Marcus had just run. Their switch looked like a great spinning pinwheel.

Crabtree and Logan, meanwhile, both charged straight ahead, with no fancy footwork or tricks. Both were powerfully built, so their full-speed sprints lacked a certain finesse, projecting an air of brute force. Like greatswords, they plunged straight into the heart of the New York Giants’ territory in a merciless thrust.

‘Who is the target?’

Even Lu Ke himself didn’t know, which meant the New York Giants Defense Team had no chance of knowing. In addition to the tight man-to-man coverage, the two safeties providing support quickly reacted. One rushed toward Marcus’s position, while the other moved to cover the spot where Ginn and Vernon were about to intersect.

Thanks to the defense’s numerical advantage in the secondary, the downfield looked like a state of panicked chaos. White waves crashed over and swallowed the red tide as all the colors swirled into a chaotic mass, making it nearly impossible to tell players apart. Fortunately, this time the pocket was rock-solid, not wavering in the slightest amidst the ferocious rush, giving Lu Ke enough time to scan the field.

‘The right side.’ That was Lu Ke’s first instinct. With his quickness and agility, Ted Ginn Jr. was undoubtedly the best choice for a deep ball. But Lu Ke immediately discarded the thought. Ginn’s speed had been hampered by the lateral and crossing movements of his route; he hadn’t even reached the 10-yard line yet. Plus, three defenders were converging on his position.

‘The left side.’ Lu Ke’s eyes swept over and saw the routes and blocking develop between Logan and Crabtree. Without a hint of hesitation, he raised his right arm. In a compact, bow-drawing motion, he relied on a quick swing of his forearm and a powerful, last-second flick of his wrist. With this unconventional release, he lofted a slightly wobbly rainbow of a pass. Like a small speedboat cutting through fierce waves, the ball shot forward with speed and urgency.

…

Logan and Crabtree were sprinting side by side. There was a slight difference in their speed, with Logan about half a step ahead, but neither of them was running at full tilt. The line of scrimmage was only thirty yards from the End Zone; variations in their routes were more important than sheer top speed.

As they crossed the 15-yard line, Crabtree, who had been on the outside, and Logan, who had been on the inside, switched positions with a sudden, un-telegraphed change of pace. Logan now occupied the outside lane near the sideline, while Crabtree cut to the inside.

Blackmon and Kiwanuka, the defenders in man coverage, were caught off guard, their balance momentarily thrown. But both were exceptionally talented players; after a slight stumble, they were right back on their receivers’ heels. Still, the tight coverage they’d maintained had now loosened.

As they crossed the 10-yard line, Logan picked up his pace slightly while Crabtree fell back a little. The half-step gap between them instantly widened to a full body length, making it look as though the difference in their natural speed was finally revealing itself.

But just then, Logan burst forward again, taking two huge strides to blow past the 5-yard line. Crabtree, in what looked like a clumsy “wipeout,” veered sharply to his left and slammed into Blackmon, completely knocking the defender off balance. At the same time, Crabtree dove to the ground, using his body to create a barrier between Kiwanuka and Logan.

In that spark of a moment, Logan spun around, took a step back, and leaned away—like a player taking a fadeaway jumper in basketball. He raised his hands high, and the red football, like a dancing Elf, dropped right into them.

His feet slammed onto the ground. He bent his knees and took a step back, trying to secure his balance. But Blackmon, who had just been knocked aside, was like a persistent ghost. Scrambling on all fours, he caught up and slammed his shoulder into Logan. The hit wasn’t solid, but Logan, who hadn’t yet regained his footing, lost his balance completely.

Falling backward, Logan did a somersault, rolling like a giant panda into the End Zone and knocking over the pylon. RUMBLE, RUMBLE, his adorably clumsy roll just kept going.

…

“A quick snap, a hurry-up offense! Lu Ke is giving them no time to breathe! He’s completely abandoned the huddle, relying entirely on the offense’s chemistry to make the push! The pass! Lu Ke has thrown the ball, and it’s out fast! His target is… the left side! It’s either Newman or Crabtree on the left!”

“It’s… IT’S A CATCH! THAT’S A CATCH! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! WHAT DID WE JUST WITNESS! WHAT AN INCREDIBLE PASS, WHAT AN INCREDIBLE CATCH! LOGAN NEWMAN, NUMBER EIGHTY-EIGHT FOR THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS! LOGAN NEWMAN HAS THE CATCH! DEAR GOD, IT’S A TOUCHDOWN! IT’S A TOUCHDOWN!”

Troy was roaring, completely lost in a wild frenzy. The words, flecked with spittle, just kept coming, his flushed face looking as if it might burst at any second. He even threw his hands up and clutched his hair, unable to believe what he was seeing.

“Touchdown! The referee signals touchdown! Jesus Christ! This is absolutely unbelievable! With ten… uh, sixteen seconds left in the game, the San Francisco 49ers have scored a Touchdown! They’ve scored a Touchdown to tie the game! Now, if they can just kick the extra point, they’ll win the whole thing!”

“Oh God, oh my God!”

…

“Touchdown! Aaaah, touchdown!”

Li Monian was going insane, completely losing his mind. He clenched both fists, pumping them wildly in the air, unleashing every ounce of his strength in a savage roar. He leaped into the air, as if he himself were the one who had just scored the Touchdown, turning the tide of the game with his own hands and feet!

Turning his head, Li Monian saw a vast ocean of red before him, erupting like a volcano. The entire stadium rose as one. Every fan screamed with wild abandon, their thunderous roars crashing through and instantly drowning Candlestick Park in noise. After a game of such dramatic highs and lows, every single fan had completely lost their minds in this moment.

“Unbelievable! Unbelievable!”

Kirk’s voice was almost gone. Even sitting in the broadcast booth, he had to roar at the top of his lungs, but his voice was still like a tiny boat, in danger of being capsized at any moment by the Fierce Waves of the crowd.

“This is what you call excitement! This is true excitement! A Touchdown! The San Francisco 49ers have scored a Touchdown! No words are necessary, ladies and gentlemen. Just listen to the cheers from the stadium. This city is going wild for football! It’s going wild for Lu Ke!”

“My God, this is just incredible!”

His shouts were completely swallowed by the stadium’s roar. Even the commentary booth fell into a rare silence, simply soaking in the tidal wave of sound—

At this moment, the power of an individual was so insignificant, like a single drop of water in the vast, boundless ocean.