American Adventure: My Uncle is Don Quixote

The false start at the beginning of the game was only the prelude to a nightmare.

On the very next play, a second down, the center who was supposed to snap the ball to Li Wei fumbled the snap! It was hard to say if he was too nervous or if the cold weather was affecting his grip.

The football flew completely out of Li Wei's reach. Though he managed to secure the live ball with agility far beyond human limits, the play was a total bust.

"Oh no! Another mistake!" Joe Buck sounded dejected. "The Giants' offense has made a basic error on two consecutive downs to start the game. Troy, this is exactly what you were worried about before the game—the guys' morale is about to collapse!"

"They're too nervous, Joe," Troy sighed. "Look at the center's hands. They're shaking."

"Perhaps we shouldn't be too hard on them," Joe Buck said, still trying to find a silver lining. "After all, this is the best they've performed in their lives. Remember, they hadn't made it to the playoffs for nearly ten straight years before this..."

After failing to convert on third down, the Giants were forced to punt. Li Wei's offensive unit came off the field, the defensive unit went on, and possession changed hands.

The Washington Commanders had come to play.

Their Quarterback was last season's number two rookie pick, a young man with exceptional athletic talent. Li Wei had completely dominated him in their previous matchup, a humiliation that had become a demon haunting him.

But today was different. He had waited an entire season for this opportunity.

After the Commanders' offense took the field, he showed an intense desire to win, tearing through the Giants' defensive zone with a precision long pass.

Two downs later, touchdown!

The Commanders took a 7-0 lead.

The deafening roar that had filled Metropolitan Stadium instantly died down, replaced by a wave of boos from the Giants' fans.

Despite the overwhelming boos from the Giants fans, the young Quarterback was clearly a big-game player. Not only was he not nervous, he even raised both arms.

"He's asking the fans to get louder, Joe," Troy said with a laugh. "I actually think this young man has a promising future."

"Let's see what Li Wei is doing," said Joe Buck. "Is he consoling the center who made the mistake? He doesn't seem worried at all."

"After all, the first quarter has just begun," Troy said. "Let's wait and see."

Throughout the first quarter, however, Li Wei played very conservatively.

His passes were still accurate, but the offensive tempo was unusually cautious. He wasn't rushing things at all.

The man at the center of it all was calm, but the fans and commentators were about to die of anxiety.

Li Wei played a flawless but unremarkable and extremely conservative game, but his teammates continued to underperform. By the end of the first quarter, the score was 10-3, with the Giants trailing by 7 points.

Although the fans in the stands hadn't lost faith, some were already getting restless.

"The second quarter is starting. Let's see if Li Wei can completely take over the game this quarter."

Joe Buck, who had always been Li Wei's biggest fan, couldn't help but sweat for him. He didn't doubt Li Wei's physical conditioning or technical talent; he just wondered if a 19-year-old could handle this much pressure.

After all, never mind the stadium, a full 45 million people were watching online.

Everyone was waiting for Li Wei to explode, but in the second quarter, he only picked up the pace slightly.

He started shifting from short passes to mid-range throws. Two accurate passes helped the Giants advance to the Commanders' 35-yard line, effectively pushing the front line forward.

But just when the fans thought he was about to unleash his full power, he suddenly pulled back again, ultimately settling for a field goal from the kicker to secure a safe 3 points.

"3 points? Just 3 points?!" Joe Buck couldn't help but turn to Troy. "Troy, do you have any idea what kind of game Li Wei is playing? Because I'm completely lost."

"Honestly, as a former Quarterback, I can understand the strategy," Troy replied with a frown. "But this is Li Wei we're talking about. I really don't get it."

Meanwhile, the Commanders were playing with growing confidence. Their young Quarterback completed another beautiful touchdown, extending their lead to 17-6.

By the time the first half ended, the Giants still hadn't managed to close the gap.

17-13, still trailing by 4 points.

As the two teams headed back to their locker rooms, the Fox broadcast camera followed Li Wei's back as usual, capturing some behind-the-scenes footage.

On screen, Li Wei walked over to the bench area, took a dark, matte-textured bottle out of his backpack, unscrewed the cap, and took a large gulp.

The bottle had no logo, no packaging, not even a label.

But judging by the color, it wasn't the officially sponsored Gatorade, so the director immediately cut to a close-up.

"Wait a second," Joe Buck said, his sharp eyes catching the shot. "Troy, did you see what Li Wei was drinking? What is that?"

"I saw it," Troy said, frowning. "That's clearly not Gatorade, nor is it any sports drink brand I recognize."

"I don't know, but the bottle looks pretty high-end," Joe Buck chuckled. "Maybe it's some kind of private formula of his? Considering his unusual performance today, perhaps that drink is his real secret weapon."

Jin Heon was also watching this scene from the players' family box.

When she saw what Li Wei was doing, she slapped her thigh.

'Incredible! Boss, you're a genius!' she screamed internally.

'The boss must be doing this on purpose. Drinking a mysterious, unlabeled beverage in front of 45 million viewers... this stage is the perfect teaser for his sports drink brand.'

Before the start of the second half, the New Jersey sky had grown as dark and heavy as a lead plate pressing down from above.

Before the third quarter began, the referee called an official timeout.

「The snow had arrived.」

A sudden flurry of large, heavy flakes.

The dense snowflakes looked like a swarm of fireflies dancing in the stadium lights. In less than two minutes, the entire turf was covered in a thin layer of white.

"My goodness," said Joe Buck. "The blizzard arrived at least an hour earlier than the forecast predicted! Troy, this is going to have a huge impact on the game!"

"You're absolutely right, Joe, absolutely right," Troy said, his tone grave. "The surface of the ball will get slick in the snow, and the wind will be harder to predict. For the Giants, who are already at a disadvantage, this just makes a bad situation worse."

A chill ran through the fans in the stands. The Giants were already down by 4 points with the team's morale at a low. Was God himself playing a cruel joke on them now?

Some fans had already clasped their hands in prayer; others buried their faces in their hands.

A few extremely pessimistic fans were already starting to accept the reality that their dream of a 17-game winning streak was about to be shattered in the blizzard.

However, at that very moment, the Giants' offense stepped back onto the field.

The broadcast camera zoomed in, and every viewer saw the faint smile on Li Wei's face.

"Hut! Hut!"

The sound of the snap count cut through the wind and snow.

This time, the ball snapped securely into Li Wei's hands. He took a three-step drop, scanning the entire defensive formation in less than a second.

"Something's changed, Troy!" Joe Buck shouted to his partner, his eyes glued to Li Wei. "The look in Li Wei's eyes is different! He's waking up! He's about to make his move!"

Li Wei scanned the field and then spotted it: under the cover of the swirling snow, the Commanders' safety was a few tenths of a second slow to react due to the slick turf.

[Predetermined Trajectory] materialized before his eyes. A clear parabola shot out from the ball, marking the endpoint of the wide receiver's full-sprint route.

Li Wei planted his foot, his torso coiling like a bow, and his arm whipped forward!

The football shot through the snowstorm like a cannonball—spinning, a projectile, a meteor cutting through the blizzard.

55 yards!

The wide receiver barely had to adjust as the football settled right into his arms!

Touchdown!

"My God!" Joe Buck leaped to his feet, shouting in excitement. "55 yards! In a blizzard! That was a pass thrown by God himself!"

After a full half of suppression and anxiety, Metropolitan Stadium finally erupted!

All 82,500 people jumped from their seats at once, their roars nearly tearing the roof off the stadium!

They've taken the lead!

20-17!

「But this was only the beginning.」

For the remainder of the third quarter, Li Wei stopped holding back. His performance in the snow didn't just not decline; it became even more terrifying.

On a crucial third-down play, a defensive end from the Commanders broke through the offensive line's protection and charged straight for Li Wei.

But the moment the pocket collapsed, Li Wei took two sharp lateral steps on the slick turf and, without even looking, flung the ball out with a flick of his wrist!

The ball flew 30 yards through the snowstorm and landed securely in the wide receiver's arms once again!

"How did he do that?!" Joe Buck could already see 45,000 USD waving at him. "Everyone else is slipping on the turf, but Li Wei's core strength is so insane that he can move like he's on dry land in these conditions?!"

"I'm starting to believe that stuff he was drinking is really something special," Troy added jokingly. "Hand over the formula, Li Wei, I want to buy a bottle!"

As Li Wei led the comeback, a cheerful atmosphere gradually filled the broadcast booth.

The third quarter ended with the score at 27-24, the Giants leading by 3.

When the fourth quarter began, the Commanders, with their backs against the wall, unleashed a final burst of fighting spirit.

The Commanders' running back tied the score again with a stunning 45-yard touchdown run. 31-31!

4 minutes and 12 seconds remained on the clock.

Li Wei stood on his own 25-yard line, snowflakes swirling in front of his facemask.

He looked around.

The fear and tension from the start of the game were gone from his teammates' eyes, replaced by an almost fanatical trust.

They were all looking at him.

"What's there to be nervous about?" Li Wei said with a smile. "Let me lead you to make history."

That's what he said.

And then, with one down after another, he drove the ball 75 yards down the field from their own 25-yard line.

The roar from the fans grew louder with every play.

"Li Wei! Giants!"

"Li Wei! King!"

Despite the Commanders' final, powerful counterattack—an all-out blitz that broke through the Giants' pocket and swarmed toward Li Wei—

Li Wei, with a look of ease and a smile on his face, quickly threw the ball to the corner of the end zone.

As he threw, he even glanced at the Commanders' Quarterback, whose face was now ashen as he watched, all traces of his earlier arrogance gone.

The ball traced a beautiful arc through the air. The wide receiver leaped, jumping high!

The ball! It landed securely in his arms!

Touchdown!

"Touchdown! Touchdown! Touchdown!" Joe Buck shouted, jumping to his feet. "Li Wei did it! He did it in a blizzard! The Giants lead 38 to 31! With only 31 seconds left! They're going to win!!! A 17-game winning streak!! 17-0! It was impossible! But he did it!"

"Applaud," Troy Aikman said, already on his feet and clapping vigorously. "Applaud for Li Wei! Joe! You won your damn 1,000 USD bet!"

"To hell with the 1,000 USD!" Joe Buck roared, his voice breaking with emotion. "This moment is worth a million USD!"