American Football: King of the Bay Area

Lu Ke had no choice. He had to wear the signed helmet to practice.

Finding the culprits didn't require the detective skills of Sherlock Holmes, as they had no intention of hiding it.

Throughout practice, Parris endlessly recounted the story: how Colin had come up with the idea, how they had hidden Lu Ke's helmet, and finally, how they had used Kendall to trick him.

Parris repeatedly stressed, "We all knew that smug Ivy League kid would be super wary. If we tried to talk him into it, he wouldn't fall for it. But that idiot Kendall? He'd never suspect him. And sure enough!"

Colin, standing off to the side, flashed a rare smile, looking incredibly smug. Every so often, he would stop to break into a ridiculous dance. Other times, he'd perfectly mimic Lu Ke's stiff and awkward reaction to receiving the helmet. Or he'd provide a vivid reenactment of the morning's prank to accompany Parris's speech.

His performance was so lifelike, he looked like a strong contender for this year's Best Actor Oscar.

With every mention, all eyes shot toward Lu Ke like daggers, openly displaying a mix of emotions: jest, ridicule, scorn, contempt, and disdain.

Throughout the entire morning practice, Lu Ke felt completely naked, exposed in broad daylight for everyone to scrutinize and spectate. Worse, it was as if he had a ten-thousand-watt lightbulb on his head, beckoning the entire world to come and stare. Even the coaches couldn't help but crack a smile when their eyes accidentally fell on him.

Unable to hide and with no way to retaliate, Lu Ke could only throw himself into practice, becoming more focused, more ferocious, and more determined with every play.

During the official drills, Lu Ke didn't hold back; in fact, he intensified his efforts.

He treated every offensive down as if it were the last play of the Super Bowl, catching the Defense Team completely off guard. The players, led by Parris, were left looking disheveled and humiliated. In response, Parris and his group turned vicious. They flagrantly and recklessly charged Lu Ke three times, all clear fouls, and landed two brutal sacks. Lu Ke's slender frame was left battered and bruised amidst the onslaught.

Practice became choppy and fragmented.

It wasn't just between Lu Ke and the Defense Team; the tension between Colin and Lu Ke was also escalating.

On every offensive down, Colin watched Lu Ke like a hawk. After a bad pass, a clumsy run, or a messy tackle, Colin would rile up the other teammates, mocking and ridiculing Lu Ke with all his might. He claimed Lu Ke had never received proper training, that his grasp of the playbook was a mess, and that his weak physique made him look like a "stupid duck" on the field—his exact words.

Later, he got even bolder, openly jabbing at Lu Ke about the helmet. "What's wrong, superstar? Too busy signing your own name to remember how to backpedal?" Or after a failed pass, they would all jeer in unison, "Haha, you must love how pathetic you look right now! We're starting to love you too!"

The conflict was completely out in the open. But this was part of competitive sports—raw and bloody, like nature itself. Survival of the fittest, where the weak are prey for the strong.

Lu Ke avoided the war of words he excelled at, not only because the helmet on his head felt like a mountain weighing him down, making it impossible to stand tall, but also because he knew that conflicts on the field ultimately had to be resolved on the field. Winning an argument wouldn't shut them up.

So, the fiercer their attacks became, the sharper Lu Ke's retaliation. He had no intention of going easy.

For a rookie, Lu Ke's ability to learn was astonishing. During practice, he was as calm, composed, and steady as a twelve-year veteran reading the opposing defensive schemes. If he made a mistake once, it was nearly impossible to catch him on it again.

After a big hit, his next offensive play was even more decisive. After a sack, his next play was even more ferocious. The entire Defense Team was getting torn to shreds. Ultimately, it was just practice, and with Lu Ke going all out, the defense couldn't keep pace and was utterly humiliated.

Even more infuriating for them, if Colin completed a pass, Lu Ke would immediately follow up with an even better one. If Colin threw an incompletion, Lu Ke would calmly complete his next pass.

It was one merciless slap in the face after another. The sharper the taunts from the sidelines, the more overwhelming his retaliation on the field.

Eventually, even Kip couldn't watch anymore. During a break in practice, he pulled Lu Ke aside. "This is practice. Ease up a little. We're drilling tactics, not fighting for wins and losses. If not for them, at least be careful for your own sake. Getting injured over this isn't worth it."

Lu Ke nodded in agreement. But when practice resumed, he went right back to what he was doing.

By the end of the morning practice, the Defense Team was so thoroughly beaten they were left fuming. Two hot-headed players clenched their fists, about to charge over and teach Lu Ke a real lesson—to make the rookie truly suffer.

But they were stopped in their tracks by Jim's sharp rebuke. "Practice is for tuning up and finding weaknesses! Look at how you all just performed—like a goddamn stinking rag! In a real game, the team would've lost everything down to their jockstraps by now! That's nothing to be proud of. If you know what's good for you, you'll all start reflecting on your performance before I really lose my temper! What a disgrace."

That last sentence made every player's cheeks burn. A rookie quarterback, a Chinese-American quarterback, had thrashed the Defense Team so badly during practice they were left looking for their teeth? That... that was just inexcusable. What's more, that quarterback looked so frail he might fall over in a stiff breeze, and they still couldn't beat him. Humiliating. Truly humiliating.

So, despite their indignation, they all averted their gazes and slunk off the field.

"Bambi, you're the man!" Marcus trotted over, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Lu Ke. "After every successful pass, all eyes would land on your helmet. It felt like one slap after another, SLAP, SLAP, SLAP! Those old vets were getting so wrecked they didn't know which way was up."

Logan, however, just shook his head with a look of mock regret. "I think the state of this team is genuinely concerning. Look at that Defense Team—they can't even handle a tenth of Bambi's power. They're going to get slaughtered in the regular season. And that Colin, he looks more like a running back than a quarterback. His passing accuracy is terrible. Honestly, how was he a second-round pick? He's not even fit to carry Bambi's cleats."

Even Aldon came over to join in, a helpless look on his face. "Bambi, you could've at least given me a heads-up." Aldon was on the Defense Team and had truly received a rude awakening that morning.

Objectively speaking, passing drills are designed around the quarterback, so quarterbacks naturally have an advantage. Plus, the Defense Team hadn't fully ramped up, wanting to avoid peaking too early and being off their game for tomorrow's preseason match. That's why they were holding back today. The combination of one side going all out and the other holding back was what tilted the scales.

But even so, the sight of Lu Ke tearing through them at full blast was terrifying; he looked like he was seeing red. Just as Logan had said, Aldon couldn't help but wonder: between Colin and Lu Ke, who was really the second-round pick and who was the Undrafted Player? Their positions seemed to be reversed.

Looking at the two jokers in front of him—now joined by a third—Lu Ke frowned and said with a straight face, "Aldon, I never would have guessed you were that kind of person!"

Aldon's jaw dropped, his eyes wide. "What about me? Tell me, what did I do? I've been framed! This is a total injustice!" His look of absolute, 'snow in June' innocence made both Logan and Marcus start snickering.

"Hey, Lu Ke." Not far away, Kendall stood awkwardly, scratching his head in embarrassment. He looked incredibly uncomfortable. "About this morning in the locker room... I'm sorry. I really didn't know. My apologies."

Lu Ke tapped the helmet on his head with his index finger and chuckled warmly. "Trust me," he said in a friendly tone, "this is the least of my worries." 'The playbook, the playbook, the playbook... That's what's urgent right now.'

Kendall finally let out a long, relieved breath. "Honestly, they went way too far. The team needs unity most of all right now, and they're still fussing over petty things like this..." You could tell at a glance he was a genuinely good person; he couldn't even bring himself to speak harshly about others behind their backs. His voice trailed off, mumbling in his throat. It was endearingly honest.

"Lu Ke, are you sure you'll be okay after fighting back like that? They might..." Kendall asked, falling in step beside them as they walked toward the locker room, his face etched with worry.

Lu Ke took off his helmet. He was drenched in sweat, looking as if he'd just been pulled out of the water. "The first preseason game is tomorrow. The team has more important things to do than teach a rookie a lesson. Trust me, they aren't that stupid."

Those words made the group of rookies burst into laughter, and the gloom and tension from the morning completely vanished.

Just as Lu Ke said, there wasn't enough time or energy.

The preseason countdown had officially begun, and the team entered full-on preparation mode. Even if they wanted to properly haze Lu Ke and the other rookies, there would be plenty of time for that later. There was no rush.

Strictly speaking, they didn't even have time for idle chat or lunch. Morning practice ended thirty minutes earlier than usual. The players returned to the locker room, took quick showers, changed into their street clothes, and then filed onto the team bus to head to San Francisco International Airport.

That afternoon, they flew to New Orleans for the first game of the 2011 preseason, an away game against the Saints.

A few short hours later, all the players had checked into their hotel in New Orleans. They then headed to a local training facility to begin warming up. The season was officially upon them.