"Whistle!" The whistle blew.
The New York Giants, who were on offense, had successfully scored a touchdown!
The score was 14-0.
...
"Whistle!"
The New England Patriots' offensive drive failed!
The score remained 21-0.
...
Score: 27-0
...
Score: 34-0
...
...
When the first two quarters ended and the halftime whistle sounded, the score between the two teams was 34-0.
This result left every spectator in the stadium completely silent.
Every time the New York Giants were on offense, their strategy was always the same: Luke, with cover from his teammates, would carry the ball and run forward.
If the defense had three or more players covering him, he would find an opening to pass the ball, helping a teammate score a touchdown.
But if there were fewer than three defenders, Luke would use his incredibly powerful physique to smash his way into the end zone and score himself.
This simple, obvious play was laid right out in front of the New England Patriots—an open secret—yet they couldn't stop it. Tom Brady could only watch helplessly as his opponent scored easily, widening the gap repeatedly.
When the New York Giants were on defense, the strategy was just as simple.
Luke, playing as a left outside linebacker (or Left Edge Rusher), completely locked down a roughly 7-meter (about 23-foot) radius around himself.
At first, the New England Patriots were stubborn, but after their offense was thwarted by Luke ten times in a row, they finally admitted they were up against an impenetrable "Wailing Wall." Any pass or run within 7 meters of Luke was a no-go; they had no choice but to go around him.
But the entire field is only 53 yards wide, or about 46 meters. This meant Luke alone was shutting down nearly one-third of the field, leaving his teammates to only worry about defending the remaining two-thirds. This concentrated defensive layout naturally made the Patriots' offense fruitless, time and time again.
The moment for halftime arrived, but the atmosphere in the stadium was dead silent. Nobody could believe the score was so lopsided. The hot cheerleaders on the field tried their best to break the awkward tension with their routines, but it was barely working. Even they seemed to lose their energy, and their moves became sluggish.
"Dude, do you think I just kissed half a year's salary goodbye?"
"You're asking that now? Honestly, if the Patriots can just avoid getting shut out today, that'll be a win."
"Why is Luke so ridiculously good? Is it like, Superman?"
"Could Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Arnold Schwarzenegger, or Sylvester Stallone do this? No, right? So, I guess it's just Luke who's the beast."
Fans were whispering about the rest of the game; the outcome was pretty much a foregone conclusion. The only real question was just how bad the final loss would be.
### A Decision to Keep the Peace
Meanwhile, in the New York Giants' locker room, the Head Coach enthusiastically slung an arm around Luke's shoulder. "Luke, seriously, you have to sign with the Giants for a full season! Help us win a Super Bowl!"
The way he looked at Luke was like a miser admiring his most prized treasure.
Luke just smiled and shook his head.
"We'll forget about the initial sponsorship fee, and we can offer you a huge salary on top of that—name your price! Just help us out!" the coach pleaded.
"Nah, I'm really just filling in as a player occasionally. My main gig is acting; I've got movies lined up waiting for me," Luke replied, turning him down.
"Are you sure there's no way? We want a championship so badly; it's been years."
"If I were to actually join the NFL, would that really be a good thing for football?" Luke asked him in return.
The Giants' coach thought for a moment. "It might destroy the sport, or at the very least, they'd have to completely rewrite the rulebook because of you. Either way, the league's commercial value would definitely take a nosedive."
Luke was right. The appeal of any sporting event is the exciting competition. Frankly, today's game had zero entertainment value. It was just the same thing over and over, and it was boring. If Luke joined the NFL, he would completely ruin the commercial value of America's national sport—it would essentially be taking food off everyone's table.
That kind of move would invite endless trouble, and Luke didn't want to deal with daily "accidents" and constant death threats.
He didn't need the NFL's glory. He already had the fame he wanted, and doing anything more would just cause headaches. Luke figured he was done with football. He'd done enough by leaving a legend on this field.
"I'm not playing in the second half," Luke announced.
"Huh?"
"That score is too embarrassing. We should give them a little respect so we can all get along later," Luke said, starting to remove his pads and gear.
Seeing Luke's firm attitude, the coach didn't argue further. He knew Luke was right. Still, seeing such a massive talent show absolutely no interest in football, he couldn't help but sigh in disappointment.
### The Tide Turns (A Little)
...
...
When halftime was over, Tom Brady, steeling himself, headed back onto the field—only to notice that Luke was nowhere to be found among the opposing defense.
Wait, what? The terrifying monster is gone?
He double-checked the group of Giants players, and sure enough, Luke wasn't there.
In that moment, Tom Brady felt a huge wave of relief, like a giant boulder had been lifted off his chest. He felt light and free. He genuinely didn't want to face Luke again; that feeling was pure desperation. No matter how hard he tried, it felt like throwing an egg at a wall.
Now, though, he finally had a chance to really give it his all.
Once they confirmed Luke was out for the game, the previously deflated New England Patriots suddenly erupted with renewed spirit.
"Let's go! The big devil is gone! We can turn this around!"
"Come on! I've been so ticked off; now I'm gonna go kick their butts!"
"I feel like I've got unlimited energy now!"
Faced with the Patriots' sudden burst of energy, the Giants started to feel a little uneasy: What's the deal? You guys weren't like this a minute ago...
It wasn't just the players. The fans immediately noticed that Luke was missing, too!
"Luke's gone! He's not playing the second half?"
"Good news! Does that mean my six months of salary might be safe after all?"
"I wouldn't get your hopes up. That lead is too big to close. At best, they'll just make the final score less embarrassing."
"Ugh, Luke hit my wallet hard, but why can't I hate him? It's certainly not because he played great—honestly, watching him play wasn't entertaining at all!"
...
...
"Whistle!"
The final whistle blew.
The score between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots was ultimately locked at 49-24.
Looking at the number on the scoreboard, Tom Brady couldn't help but feel grateful. Thank goodness Luke showed some mercy and gave us a little face; otherwise, we would have been permanently stuck on the pillar of shame!