Chapter 456: A Troubled Heart

Rage surged and boiled in his chest. Lu Ke felt like an active volcano on the verge of erupting. The churning emotion slammed against his ribs, making them ache faintly. He needed to calm down. An ice bath, a cold shower, or a fight—whatever it took, he needed to cool off, or he felt like he might just explode.

His pace quickened, growing more aggressive, building an unstoppable momentum that seemed to whip up the air around him. People on both sides of the path instinctively parted, watching with trembling hearts as Lu Ke fought to keep his emotions bottled up. The sheer tension radiating from him frightened every onlooker.

With a muffled BANG, the locker room door was slammed open. But inside, it was as if no one heard. Everyone was arguing noisily, completely lost in their own worlds.

The Defense Team was blaming the offense, and the offense was blaming the Defense Team, with the special teams caught in the crossfire. Defenders were shoving other defenders, and offensive players were cursing at other offensive players. It seemed as if everyone had an endless supply of rage to vent, lest they spontaneously combust into a pile of ash.

The incessant, chattering din hammered at his eardrums, like millions of flies buzzing right next to his ears. His irritation boiled over, and his self-control finally shattered. Lu Ke clenched his fist and smashed it against the locker room door. The collision of fist and steel produced a massive CLANG.

“Shut up! Shut up! All of you, just fucking shut up!”

Lu Ke roared with savage fury. The mighty shout instantly crushed all the noise, and the entire locker room fell silent. All eyes turned to Lu Ke, and they saw a Lu Ke transformed into the Hulk. The Lu Ke who never got angry, the Lu Ke who never lost control, was now erupting with unbelievable energy. Every single player was completely stunned.

He clenched his jaw tightly, but the anger still poured out of him ceaselessly. “Shut up! All of you, shut your goddamn mouths! Shut up!” Lu Ke roared like a lion, his deep voice erupting from his Dantian, echoing throughout the locker room. The reverberations could even be heard out in the hallway.

Rupati, Willis, and the others who arrived just after were stunned. Looking at Lu Ke’s tensed muscles, even just from his back, they could keenly feel the surging energy sweeping through destructively. It made everyone involuntarily shut their mouths, even holding their breath, terrified that the slightest sound would provoke Lu Ke and reduce them to ash.

Lu Ke strode into the locker room. The door swung unsteadily shut behind him. Rupati and the others hurried to catch up, tiptoeing into the locker room, and then carefully closed the door, blocking out any prying eyes. But then, they regretted it—

Maybe they should have stayed outside instead of going in. Too bad. It was too late now.

“What are you all doing? Acting like a bunch of high schoolers, pointing fingers and blaming everyone else, is that it? Like a bunch of sore losers! Fuck! Fuck every single one of you!”

Lu Ke stood in the center of the locker room, his fierce and brutal gaze sweeping across the room. His bloodshot eyes radiated a vicious, murderous aura. Not a single person dared to meet his gaze directly. The locker room was dead silent. Everyone looked away, trying to erase their own existence.

“If anyone should be venting their anger, it should be me, the goddamn quarterback!” Lu Ke’s rage finally broke its dam. Once it erupted, he couldn’t hold it back anymore, nor did he intend to. At this moment, he was truly, exceptionally furious. “Nine times! Fucking nine times! A full nine sacks! Were you all scuba diving in the Pacific Ocean? Where’s my Offense Line? Where’s my goddamn Offense Line?”

“Nine times! Jesus Christ! What the hell do you think I am? A public bus or an open bar, free for the taking? Huh? Anyone can just come in? Huh? Can everyone just burst in, fuck me hard, and then pull up their pants and leave? Is that it?”

“Even at an open bar, taking nine customers in one night would kill someone! Where the fuck were all of you? Fuck!” Taking a deep breath, Lu Ke still couldn’t hold it in and shouted again, “Fuck!”

Standing nearby, Logan Newman was suddenly struck by a sense of comedy. “Open bar,” “nine customers”—such a description was just too simple and crude, so… unlike Lu Ke. The absurd, unrestrained humor hit him so unexpectedly that, without meaning to, Logan let out a snort of laughter.

In the dead silent locker room, that little bit of laughter was far too obvious. It was instantly noticed, and by everyone. In unison, all eyes shot toward Logan. Now, Logan knew what it felt like to be pierced by a thousand arrows. He quickly lowered his head, pretending he didn’t know what was happening.

“Logan-fucking-Newman! Fuck you! Fuck! FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK!” Lu Ke instantly noticed Logan standing beside him. Uncontrollably furious, a wave of emotion washed over him, and a string of curses burst out recklessly. The locker room once again fell into absolute silence. Logan pressed his head down even lower, trying to will himself out of existence.

“Catch the ball! Catch the damn football! I need my Offense Line, I need my Wide Receivers, I need my shameless Tight End, I need my offense to pull up their pants and show up on that goddamn field! Fuck!”

“This is just a fucking regular season game, and you all look like you’ve seen a ghost, completely spiritless, blaming each other within the team like a bunch of high school girls, crying and shifting the blame! You’re all men! Can’t you shoulder your own mistakes and just admit it? This game today was a pile of dogshit! Every single one of your performances was a goddamn pile of dogshit! Everyone!”

“Did our five-game winning streak make you all complacent? How about we try for a seven-game losing streak after that? We’re already two games in, with five more waiting for us. Jesus the Christ! Should we just hand over our playoff spot to the opponents, letting all our efforts from the past eight years be ruined in an instant? Let all our perseverance this season go to the dogs?”

“With the way we played today, even if we make the playoffs, we’ll be like a bunch of weak little girls, just lying on the floor letting our opponents have their way with us! Without even a hint of a fight! So what then? Should we just lie back and try to enjoy it? Fuck!”

“If all you want is just a taste of the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons, fuck! Then you’re a bunch of cowards! Goddamn cowards! I want to win! I want to win in the playoffs! I want to win the Super Bowl! So what if it’s the Baltimore Ravens? If they’re standing in the way of the Super Bowl, I’m going to run them the fuck over, not hide in a corner crying like a little bitch!”

“Look at yourselves! Take a piss and look at your own reflections! Those pathetic faces, completely lifeless! You lost the game and lost your pants along with it? Fuck! The guys who were on the field today were a disgrace, but compared to the guys standing in this locker room pointing fingers, those assholes were practically heroes!”

“Is this all the energy you have? Is this what you call a tough guy’s sport? Fuck off!”

“When I first joined the team, you all said I was the weakest one, didn’t you? You said I wasn’t worthy of being a starter? Heh. Now look at yourselves. Look at your own ugly faces. Who’s the real pussy now?! Get lost! All of you, get the fuck out!”

It was a cathartic release. Lu Ke vented all the anger in his chest, so much so that he was becoming incoherent. He didn’t even know what he was saying anymore, just blurting out whatever came to mind, pouring out all his negative emotions in an endless torrent. The volcano had completely lost control, just erupting, and continuing to erupt.

There wasn’t another sound in the entire locker room. Even Parris Harrisson and Colin Kaepernick, who always loved to play devil’s advocate, kept their mouths firmly shut. There wasn’t the slightest whisper of noise. Only Lu Ke’s raw and brutal voice echoed continuously through the locker room like a string of firecrackers.

After finally venting, Lu Ke strode toward the showers. But the more he thought, the angrier he got, the more unwilling he was to accept it. The losses over the past two weeks had been just too humiliating. He was angry at his teammates, and he was angry at himself. In the end, he couldn’t hold back and slammed his fist hard into a nearby locker.

One punch, then another, and another.

At the same time, he was still cursing viciously, “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Finally, with all his strength, he smashed his fist one last time against the locker door, his muscles feeling like they were about to explode. Only then did he storm into the bathroom, turn on the showerhead, and let the cold water pour down, truly letting himself cool down.

In the locker room, the only sound was the rush of water from Lu Ke’s shower. The other players all looked at each other, their eyes still flashing with disbelief. Then their gazes fell upon the thoroughly dented locker, and they couldn’t help but shudder.

Silently, the players all lowered their heads. No one said a word. They began to pack up their things in an orderly fashion. After the anger, after the rage, after the frustration, now all the negative emotions had settled. Everyone had finally, truly calmed down.

When Jim Hubble entered the locker room, he had been expecting to face a difficult situation. Instead, he was met with a scene of peace. He couldn’t help but wonder, ‘What in the world happened here?’