Chapter 806: A Gift
"Hello everyone, I'm Lu Ke, number 14 for the San Francisco 49ers, and I'm at Candlestick Park right now.
I just learned from Sun Tongfei, who is here for a short course, that there are no official channels to watch NFL games in China, and viewers have to watch live streams online. Despite this, a large number of fans in China are still following this game. I sincerely thank you for your enthusiastic support and hope that the game that just ended didn't disappoint you.
Also, Sun Tongfei has successfully delivered your gift to me. Although I haven't opened it yet, it's always a very happy thing to receive a gift and feel supported. Here, I sincerely thank you. I'm a little overwhelmed by the honor—is that the right phrase to use here?
Ha! It is. That's good.
Right now, watching the games online is a great first step, but the most wonderful part of competitive sports is experiencing it live. I truly hope that one day, you can come to a game to watch me play, whether it's at home or away. I will do my best to fight for a victory. If it's the Super Bowl, that would be even more wonderful.
Finally, to my fans in China, thank you for your attention and support.
Keep Fighting!"
The entire video was in Chinese, with only the last sentence in English. That was the well-known battle cry of the San Francisco 49ers, which once again brought back fond memories from before the divisional playoffs last year.
The short video was less than a minute long and ended quickly. But this small video created a continuous ripple in the WeChat group and was quickly forwarded to Weibo, spreading like a virus. Following the trip to Shanghai in March, the topic of football once again became a hot topic.
More importantly, in this video's spread, clips of the San Francisco 49ers vs. New York Giants game also began to spread widely. A single spark can start a prairie fire, and now, across the Asian continent, those scattered sparks were beginning to spread.
The brief fan meeting ended quickly. Lu Ke returned to the locker room and sat on the bench, holding up his right hand. A small, delicate keychain hung from his index finger.
It was a Bambi key charm. The adorable Bambi was in a seated position, holding a cute crown with its right front paw, its eyes wide open, as if it was peeking and looking at the person in front of it. The entire face was lifelike. It was a charm the size of a finger, but it had a lively spirit.
This was just a small gift. There were no diamonds or gold inlaid, nor any special brand logos. It looked like a custom-made trinket, but the exquisite details showed the maker's care and meticulousness. It was full of sincerity and passion, and it was likely a one-of-a-kind handmade item in the world.
Lu Ke couldn't put it down, just like the first time he saw the "King of the Bay Area" banner. The emotion and happiness in his chest were truly indescribable. He could genuinely feel the support from the fans' hearts, at all times and everywhere, walking onto the battlefield together, facing the enemy together, fighting for victory together, and walking toward the championship together.
A small charm connected a force of walking side by side.
Lu Ke opened his locker and hung the keychain on the zipper of his practice bag. From that day on, he never took the charm off. It accompanied Lu Ke throughout his entire career, like a symbol of his fans, accompanying him through countless days and nights.
Later, when more fans accidentally discovered it, it meant that Lu Ke had officially endorsed the nickname "Bambi." Gradually, "Bambi" completely replaced "Skywalker" and truly became Lu Ke's nickname, establishing a unique name for himself in the NFL.
A gift was also a sentiment.
After that, Lu Ke packed his things and went through the series of post-game procedures, such as an ice bath, a massage, rehab, and relaxation.
During the ice bath, Lu Ke habitually opened his system again to check on the progress of his mission for this game.
In fact, before this week's home game against the New York Giants, the game mission had already shown some abnormalities. Based on past experience, Lu Ke had already heightened his focus by 200% and gave his all in the game. But the game was still incredibly difficult. On one hand, the team was in a relatively fatigued state, and their performance was slightly lackluster. On the other hand, there might truly be a symbiotic relationship between the 49ers and the Giants, and every matchup was filled with sparks.
"Game Mission:
Complete a passing touchdown in a regular game; Mission requirements: None; Mission reward: +1 base points for each touchdown.Control short passing in the entire game; Mission requirements: Short pass yards must be equal to or greater than fifty yards; Mission reward: +1 base points.Control medium passing in the entire game; Mission requirements: Medium pass yards must be equal to or greater than eighty yards; Mission reward: +1 base points.Control long passing in the entire game; Mission requirements: Long pass yards must be equal to or greater than one hundred and twenty yards; Mission reward: +1 base points.Complete a tactical layout in the entire game; Mission requirements: Use at least three or more on-field play changes to disrupt the opponent's defensive formation; Mission reward: +1 base points.Control the tempo in the entire game; Mission requirements: Use a play-action pass or a fake pass and then a run to gain yards at least two or more times; Mission reward: +1 base points.Win a regular game; Mission requirements: None; Mission reward: +3 base points.
After a quick look, it was clear that the missions for this game had completely changed. But before the game, just by looking at the missions, it was impossible to analyze them further. Only now could he have the hindsight to suddenly realize that—
The yardage missions for short, medium, and long passes obviously required Lu Ke to constantly switch his passing rhythm and look for different receiving targets to make gains while minimizing the team's weaknesses, as the offense was in a slump. The missions for tactical layout and tempo control required Lu Ke to adapt to the situation, read the game at all times based on the changes in his team's and the opponent's state, seize opportunities, and lay the foundation for the final victory.
This was obviously not an easy thing to do.
Because in a football game, teamwork is always the top priority, and a team cannot win just by relying on one player's brilliance. But if it had to be entrusted to one player, the quarterback would undoubtedly be the best choice.
There was no one else who could skillfully use the pieces on the board to win with limited resources by using different tactical combinations.
Suddenly, Lu Ke realized that maybe he should start studying "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu.
It wasn't just to simply revisit a classic, but to truly learn and understand the wisdom of war and strategy. Perhaps the tactics in the book were not necessarily applicable to competitive sports, but the way of thinking and logical framework were universal.
Luckily, after all the twists and turns, they finally won this game. This would also become an indispensable and important experience for future games. In a way, this was also a gift, a gift from a top-tier matchup, and it was crucial on the path to being "refined into steel."
After tallying all the missions, Lu Ke had a total of thirteen base points.
Of the six touchdowns the San Francisco 49ers had this game, five were Lu Ke's passing touchdowns, and one was Lu Ke's receiving touchdown. In the end, only the five passing touchdowns were counted in the mission.
Regrettably, Lu Ke's receiving touchdown could not be counted in the game mission. Fortunately, Lu Ke's receiving touchdown triggered a hidden mission.
A long-lost hidden mission.
"Hidden Mission: The Power of Belief.
Mission description: When facing a powerful opponent that has a symbiotic relationship with your team, what determines the outcome of the game at a crucial moment is not skill, not physical strength, nor teamwork, but belief. The swagger of a strong team, the desire for victory, and the unwavering faith. Only by steadfastly believing that you can win the game can you open the door to victory and win a glimmer of hope.
Mission requirements: Complete a crucial play with your weakest skill.
Mission reward: Double the effect of one special skill (for one use only), or +10 base points.
Failure penalty: None. This is a passive trigger mission."
Under the completed hidden mission, there was another description, "Bonus reward: The host completed a crucial play with an 18-point running route and a 40-point receiving ability. First, the host's weakest ability is the lowest-scoring item in the main skills. Second, the host's play was the most effective, as he completed a touchdown, so the reward is doubled."
So, the mission reward became, "Double the effect of one special skill (for one use only), and +10 base points."
Thanks to the additional description, the mission requirements became clear. The weaker the skill, the more difficult it was to complete a crucial play, and the more generous the mission reward would be. This meant that Lu Ke's belief in victory and his ability to execute were outstanding.
To be honest, even now, Lu Ke still couldn't believe that he completed that catch. At that moment, he was truly focused and gave his all. If there was such a thing as "God Mode," Lu Ke firmly believed that he had entered that state, throwing himself into that play with complete self-forgetfulness. With the belief that he wouldn't stop until he reached his goal, he was extremely calm and extremely steady, and he finally completed the catch.
If he had to do it again now, he would probably get butterfingers and drop the ball. He was really not cut out to be a wide receiver.
Instead of saying that Lu Ke was bold, it would be better to say that Harbaugh was crazy. In front of Harbaugh, Lu Ke himself bowed down. In the entire league, besides Harbaugh, who else would dare to gamble like that, especially with Lu Ke's terrible receiving ability?
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