Chapter 608: Unbelievable
"Bullet Time." Lu Ke used the special skill at the same time the ball was snapped.
The First Second.
He moved sideways and completed the fake handoff.
The Second Second.
Lu Ke stayed close behind Marcus, moving laterally to get from the center of the field to the sideline. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see two defenders tangled up with Crabtree and Vernon, dangerously close. This forced Lu Ke to speed up, and he held the football even tighter. The more tense the situation, the calmer he became.
He could see that Marcus was drawing a lot of attention. The defenders seemed to have noticed Marcus's increasing speed. In a flash, Lu Ke made an incredibly bold decision and deliberately slowed down, as if he had just completed the handoff and was now watching the play unfold like a normal quarterback.
Whoosh, whoosh. Two figures sprinted past him, creating a gust of wind. No one noticed Lu Ke's presence.
The Third Second.
Lu Ke had reached the sideline. He could clearly see four defenders on his right side forming a circle, trying to trap Marcus. The four players were lined up in a row, like car windshield wipers, sweeping across the field in a stiff, straight line. Lu Ke instantly realized that if they formed a circle, he would be squeezed out of bounds, and the trick play would be a failure.
He had to accelerate. He pushed off the ground, his calf muscles exploding with force. He accelerated again and again, taking one step after another, like a sprinter in a 100-meter dash. He was trying to outrun the four defenders who were closing in.
The Fourth Second.
The outermost defender seemed to notice that something was wrong. He glanced to his left and saw a flash of red. He instinctively reached out to swat at it, but this reflex action gave Lu Ke a cold sweat. He had to speed up again, and he could feel the wind whistling past his ears, as if he were running on fire wheels.
Whoosh. With a sudden burst of acceleration, Lu Ke narrowly avoided the interference. He could see Marcus's back now, about five or six yards away. Faced with Roman Harper's coverage, Marcus chose to slide to the ground, protecting the football and giving up the continuous advance. Lu Ke realized that his opportunity had come.
The Fifth Second.
Lu Ke's speed had reached its maximum. He covered the short five-yard gap in the blink of an eye. He could see Harper trying to hit Marcus one last time to ensure the play was over.
The next moment, Harper saw Lu Ke rushing toward him like a red tornado. It was a professional's instinct. Harper instinctively lunged forward, but his feet instantly got tangled up with Marcus's. He fell headfirst to the ground, becoming an obstacle in front of Lu Ke.
At this point, his mind was completely blank. Lu Ke just instinctively took a step, used the momentum to jump up, and made an incredible hurdle over them. The entire world seemed to go into slow motion—even slower than the "Bullet Time" skill effect. He could clearly feel the defender who was about to lunge at him from behind, as well as Harper, who was rolling on the ground. He could also see the other 49ers players who were sprinting and waving their arms, and even the path of the wind became incredibly clear.
It was only for a moment, and then everything in his vision started playing at double and triple speed. The "Bullet Time" skill effect was gone.
His feet landed on the ground, and the force of gravity and the reaction force from the hard ground hit him head-on. Lu Ke felt his knees go weak, and he almost lost his balance. As he suspected, a hurdling run was not something any player could do. Even a physically strong running back had to be careful. Moreover, he was truly exhausted now. His feet and knees were shaking, and his muscles seemed to have reached their limit.
But at this moment, Lu Ke had no time to worry about that. He gritted his teeth, straightened his knees with force, and stumbled forward. "Bullet Time" was not a perfect skill; its duration was relatively long, but all the running still had to be done by Lu Ke himself. Running with the ball and breaking through tackles was still a tough challenge for him.
Lu Ke had completely entered a state of spiritual emptiness, and his physical senses had reached an unprecedented level. Energy surged out of him. With two big steps, he forcefully lunged forward, regaining his center of gravity. He didn't adjust his steps with small strides. He continued to gallop forward, leaving his pursuers behind and avoiding any interference, rushing forward in one go!
Watch your steps! Watch your steps! Watch your steps!
This was the only thought in his mind. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the sideline right next to him. Although he wasn't a running quarterback, he still understood the importance of controlling his steps. But he couldn't control his steps as precisely as a wide receiver or a running back. He could only do his best now.
Every muscle in his body was tense. His feet were like a ballerina dancing lightly on a tightrope. He was on his toes, moving quickly along the sideline, but Lu Ke's running was incredibly wobbly. From his posture to his footwork, everything seemed uncoordinated, a stark contrast to his composure in the pocket.
Fortunately, the end zone was within reach! Closer! Even closer!
"Lynch! First down! Still advancing! Harper has closed in! The San Francisco 49ers have successfully gotten a first down! Wait, wait, Jesus Christ! Unbelievable!"
"Lu Ke! It's not Lynch, it's Lu Ke! Lu Ke is running with the ball!"
"Lu Ke leaped up high! He made an incredible hurdle! My God, Lu Ke just hurdled over the fallen Lynch and Harper! Lu Ke! Lu Ke is still advancing! He's in the red zone! He's controlling his steps! 10 yards! 5 yards! End zone! Touchdown! It's a touchdown!"
"Lu Ke! Lu Ke! Lu Ke! My God! Lu Ke! Lu Ke has a rushing touchdown!"
"My God, the San Francisco 49ers have a touchdown! Lu Ke! Lu Ke ran for a touchdown with his own legs! His running was wobbly and shaky, but... unbelievable! Touchdown! Lu Ke has a touchdown! The San Francisco 49ers have come back to take the lead again! What in the world is happening on the field! What are we witnessing! What is this! Unbelievable! Oh, my God, unbelievable!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, facing a third-and-seven, the San Francisco 49ers' rookie quarterback, Lu Ke, in a desperate situation, used a double-running trick play to deceive the entire New Orleans Saints' defense and completed the most important run of his career! This is the longest run of Lu Ke's career, a 29-yard rushing touchdown!"
"Touchdown! Without a doubt! It's a touchdown!"
"I can't believe it, even though I'm witnessing it with my own eyes and saying it with my own mouth! Lu Ke, at the most crucial moment of the divisional game, completed a 29-yard rushing touchdown! We are witnessing history. How honored we are to be here and see the league writing this incredible history!"
"Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh!"
The shouts rose in a tiered, spiraling pattern, getting louder and more intense. The moment Lu Ke crossed the end zone, everyone went crazy! All reason had been completely burned away. Everyone was just screaming selflessly, screaming with all their might. That vast red ocean once again erupted with an incredible amount of energy.
"Ah!"
The moment his feet entered the end zone, Lu Ke began to roar. One roar after another. Every muscle in his body was exhausted and moaning in pain, but he gritted his teeth and completed the run of this trick play, completing this all-important touchdown.
Roaring, roaring, his eyes began to turn red. He pushed away his teammates who were rushing to celebrate with him and roared at the Saints' defense in the distance. There were no words, but the message was clear: "You want to fight? I'll fight! I'll be with you to the end! Let's see who can last until the end of this game! Believe me, I will never be the one to surrender!"
The fans went crazy, the players went crazy, and Candlestick Park and San Francisco went crazy. Even the people watching on TV went crazy.
But Jim Harbaugh still had to remain calm. He kept yelling into his headset, "Bambi! Bambi! Two points! Two-point conversion! Two points! My God! We want two points!" At the same time, Harbaugh kept making the two-point signal to the head referee, indicating that they wanted to go for a two-point conversion.
"43-38." That was the current score. The San Francisco 49ers were only leading the New Orleans Saints by five points. If they chose to go for one extra point, it wouldn't make a difference whether they made it or not, because the Saints would still only have one option: score a touchdown to come back.
But by going for a two-point conversion, if they failed, they would lose nothing. If they succeeded, their lead would be seven points, and even if the Saints scored a touchdown, it would only tie the game, which would lead to overtime. So, Harbaugh had no doubt and chose to go for the two-point conversion, trying to keep the advantage in his own hands as much as possible.
But the referee didn't start the play immediately.
"Lu Ke's run just now was incredibly close to the sideline. The biggest question now is, did Lu Ke step out of bounds? As a pocket quarterback, did he accidentally step out of bounds during his run? This is crucial to the outcome of the game, so the referees must review the video and confirm it."
Unbelievable, suffocating, and full of surprises. This incredible game was far from over!
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