Chapter 436 Red Ocean

Plant, kick, score. Clean, simple, and the extra point was good.

The last-second play was a success. The comeback, complete!

In an instant, the entire stadium erupted.

Candlestick Park had descended into a complete frenzy. Even though it was just a regular season game, and even though it was already their eighth victory of the season, the home fans began to celebrate wildly. After more than four hours of shouting, their hoarse voices still erupted with unbelievable passion and excitement, pouring out in an endless torrent.

Standing on the field, David Akens watched the football sail through the uprights. His gaze was calm and sharp, as if he had been certain of the outcome all along. But now, he raised his hands high, signaling that the extra point was good. Surveying the stadium, he looked like a king ruling over his domain!

Immediately after, he heard the referee’s whistle and saw the official’s signal, confirming the successful kick.

Scott Torsin, the holder, leaped into the air, beside himself with joy. He threw his arms around Akens, shouting incoherently, “We did it! We did it!” Ecstasy washed over them in an instant, as if the entire world had suddenly brightened, bubbling and boiling in a vast sea of red.

It wasn’t just Akens and Scott; even Lu Ke had his hands raised high, his eyes fixed on the referee, awaiting the call. The moment the whistle blew, players flooded the field like a tidal wave, all of them charging toward Akens. The surging red tide pushed the celebration to its absolute peak.

Lu Ke slapped Akens hard on the back, roaring with abandon, “You’re the man! God, you’re the man!”

On this young and spirited team, special teams veteran David Akens was a stabilizing presence, a pillar of strength. His consistently outstanding performance in every game was a crucial part of the San Francisco 49ers’ comebacks. Other than a single missed field goal from over fifty yards out earlier today, he had made every single extra point and field goal, becoming the team’s most reliable anchor.

Once again, Akens had clinched the game, defeating a New York Giants team that had been playing well this season. At the same time, he extended the 49ers’ winning streak, improving their season record to eight wins and one loss.

More importantly: undefeated at home!

In the face of Lu Ke’s euphoria, Akens finally let go of the tension from the final moments, breaking into a brilliant smile. He cupped Lu Ke’s helmet with both hands and said firmly, “No, you’re the man!” Akens roared, his eyes bloodshot. As he yelled, he couldn’t stop his own eyes from welling up.

For a veteran who had entered the league as an undrafted player and knocked about for fourteen seasons, for someone who had spent the majority of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles, coming to the San Francisco 49ers had not been an easy decision.

Some had gossiped behind his back, believing he was just chasing the money. There were even die-hard Eagles fans who cursed him out, telling him to just retire already for betraying the team that had appreciated him.

Carrying all that baggage, Akens had quietly thought of himself as a mercenary. This team was probably the last stop of his career—just a temporary station with no ties and no emotions. He would just do his job diligently, and then go home to retire.

But now, he felt that passion again, felt the fire in his veins again. This team had swept away all the rot and decay, bursting forth with vibrant life. It had reignited hope—the hope of chasing the playoffs, of chasing the Super Bowl. His blood was boiling once more!

And all of it, every last bit, came from the undrafted rookie standing before him—an undrafted rookie just like he had been, a rookie shouldering the burden of racial prejudice and the weight of history. Even though the path was arduous and fraught with difficulty, this first-year player had forged ahead, unyielding, carving out a place for himself on this field.

Akens could feel his heart pounding powerfully in his chest.

And so, Akens began to shout, “Bambi!”

The moment the shout burst from his chest, it was as if a fresh green sprout had broken through the soil deep within his heart. He raised his right fist high and roared, “Bambi!”

Not only that, but Akens turned to his teammates, his gleaming eyes issuing a powerful summons. He shouted the name again, and then again.

Scott Torsin also raised his right fist high, eagerly scanning the faces around him, looking for others to join in. Then, he joined Akens, shouting the same name in unison:

The man who had led them out of desperate situations and to comeback victories, time and time again. The man who had carved out a new world with his own hands and feet, time and time again. The man who, as a rookie, had become their team captain and continued to lead them forward.

“Bambi!”

Standing amidst the surging crowd of his teammates, Lu Ke at first thought it was a joke. But gradually, they all gathered around him, each raising a right hand high, each one jumping for joy. It was like being at a rock festival, everyone just reveling in the beautiful taste of this moment, completely immersed in it.

And that wasn’t all.

…

Sitting in his wheelchair, Ryan Baldwin was still reeling, his chest tight with emotion—not just because of the victory, but because of the way they had won it. The miraculous, stunning final drive replayed over and over in his mind. The roller coaster of the last two minutes of the game had felt as long as two centuries, which only made the victory all the sweeter and more blissful.

Amidst the thunderous cheers from the stands, the unified chant from the players on the field drifted over, faint but clear. It instantly caught his ear, and his whole world seemed to light up. Ryan couldn’t help but start shouting along. He was so overcome with emotion that his upper body leaned forward, wanting only to be closer, just a little closer.

“Bambi!” As he shouted, Ryan started crying again. He knew he was like a five-year-old child, his emotions having completely burst their dams today, but he didn’t care in the slightest. He simply let the tears flow freely.

For him, starting today, this was a new beginning.

Jonathan heard his brother’s shouts, then saw Ryan weeping uncontrollably. Jonathan, who was always so strong and stubborn, felt his own eyes redden. It had been so long, so very long, since he had seen his brother like this.

The old Ryan had been the most energetic one in the family, a whirlwind of yelling and jumping on every San Francisco 49ers game day. Even when the team was in its darkest slump, when all the other fans had lost faith, Ryan had never given up—just like Chris Wilson.

A sudden illness had stolen all that vitality away. Until now. He could finally feel it again!

Involuntarily, Jonathan also began to nod, an intense emotion surging through his chest so powerfully it ached. He looked up and saw the group of Asian fans nearby. An Asian woman wearing a number fourteen jersey had eyes brimming with tears, yet a smile bloomed on her lips. Their gazes met.

Even though they didn’t know each other, had never exchanged a single word, in that moment, a single look was enough. At the same time, they both shouted the same name, “Bambi!”

One voice after another, they began to merge, becoming a single, overwhelming wave of sound that cascaded down, filling Candlestick Park to the very brim.

The thunderous roar pounded against the players’ eardrums. They all looked up, huge smiles breaking out on their faces, and began to jump even more joyfully, to shout with even greater abandon. The omnipresent chant spurred the sea of red into unimaginable waves. The sky, the stadium, the city, the ocean… everything was dyed a single color.

Red.

In that moment, it was San Francisco’s color.

The surging red seemed to boil and overflow, dyeing every 49ers fan in the city. Not just in Candlestick Park, but in every bar in every corner of the city, and in front of every single television, all the fans stopped what they were doing to celebrate and cheer for this victory.

Red hearts, red blood, red passion—it all gradually converged into a river, winding its way through every nook and cranny of the city, as if the very land had been imbued with vitality, springing to life.

“Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!”

Caught off guard, Lu Ke felt his chest tighten, so full of emotion he could barely breathe. He stood at the center of the world; all he had to do was open his arms to embrace it all. The shouts, the passion, the joy—it was all his. ‘God,’ he thought, ‘I absolutely love moments like this.’

In the frenzied atmosphere, his eardrums began to pound, his heart thumping in unison. Lu Ke broke into a brilliant smile, cast aside his reserve and humility, and joined his teammates, jumping and shouting along with them, “Bambi!”

As he shouted, Lu Ke himself couldn’t help but burst out laughing. The atmosphere instantly became a full-blown party—unrestrained cheering, unrestrained jumping, an unrestrained release of emotion. Only now did the reality of victory finally sink into his heart, heavy and solid. It felt as if this wasn’t just a regular season game, but like they had just won the Super Bowl.

Wading through the cheering, jumping throng, Lu Ke caught sight of the New York Giants huddled together out of the corner of his eye. Their blue jerseys seemed to be completely swallowed by the ocean of red, looking lonely and dejected.

Lu Ke patted a nearby teammate on the shoulder and stepped away from the crowd. That’s when he saw the New York Giants’ number ten player standing on the outskirts: Eli Manning.

The party raged on behind him, completely unaffected by Lu Ke’s departure. The “Bambi” chants still thundered in his ears, yet the man of the hour was already standing on the sidelines. The scene was rather comical. Lu Ke and Eli exchanged a glance and, as if on cue, both burst out laughing.