Chapter 939: Not Holding Back

Lu Ke took a deep breath, and then another, but his emotions were still out of control like a wild horse.

In the past few weeks, Lu Ke had been under a lot of pressure, and he had been trying to relieve it. But in the end, he was only a young man under 23, a second-year quarterback. He still lacked enough experience and had to be careful to lead by example, hoping to lead the team to victory.

But today, everything just exploded, as if a spring that had been compressed to its limit suddenly released all its force.

"Randy Moss! Logan Newman! Michael Crabtree! Vernon Davis! Do you remember what happened two weeks ago? Do you remember that golden sea? Do you remember how we got here today? Do you remember how the Faithful have supported us?"

"Think about it, we were standing side by side with Ryan Baldwin! Think about it, it wasn’t that long ago. It was just two weeks ago! If you’ve already forgotten, then let me remind you! Not long ago, we were showing a unity that this team has never had before! We were showing the spirit that this team is built on, and we were reawakening the passion and pride of this city!"

"And what are you doing now? What the fuck have you all done! You’re destroying all of it with your own hands! Jesus Christ, you’re destroying all the faith and spirit!"

"Damn it! Damn it, damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it! Damn all of you! Damn every single one of you! You’re a bunch of lunatics! You’re a bunch of lunatics with no brains or common sense!"

Even now, Lu Ke couldn’t believe that everything that had just happened in the locker room had actually happened.

He had heard of stories like this in soap operas. After a victory, the locker room would fall apart, and the team would only be held together by their wins. Once they started to lose, the team would be shattered.

At this moment, Lu Ke couldn’t believe that this was actually happening in real life.

"Do you know what we mean to those fans? Not a championship, not a victory, but a belief, a faith! They admire you, they follow you, they support you, and this is how you repay them? By laughing at your teammates for making mistakes? Damn it!"

"Do you know what we mean to those reporters? Not heroes, not a miracle, but a gimmick, a topic to sell stories. All that praise and flattery have made you dizzy? What about the Super Bowl? If you win the Super Bowl, are you going to fight the entire league?"

"Are you proud now? Is being better than the defense something to be proud of?"

"Randy Moss, you tell me, why didn’t the 2007 New England Patriots win the Super Bowl? You fucking tell me! Why?"

"What do you want? Huh? After retiring for a year, you came back. I thought you wanted a Super Bowl. Was I wrong? Do you just want to show off in front of the cornerbacks? Do you just want to prove that you can still catch the ball and score touchdowns? And then what? Huh? Then what the fuck? Then you let those critics keep saying you’ll never win a Super Bowl!"

"Do you know why you’ll never win a Super Bowl?"

"It’s because of today! You’re always fighting with people, with your opponents, with the media, with your coaches, and with your teammates. You’re always living in your own world."

"You look down on me, I know. But I also look down on you. A wide receiver who doesn’t even know how to cherish his own teammates. Even if all your stats are better than Jerry Rice’s, you’re still not as good as him! It’s not because you don’t have a Super Bowl; it’s because you’ll never know the true meaning of football! Because you’ll never know how to respect your teammates!"

Moss’s eyes turned completely red. He wanted to kill Lu Ke. He wanted to tear Lu Ke into a million pieces with his bare hands. He was incredibly angry, but why did his feet stop moving?

Moss didn’t know either. He instinctively looked at his teammates, his offensive teammates, but he couldn’t find any familiar faces in their eyes. This was him, keeping a distance from everyone, trying to maintain a professional relationship but refusing to get any closer.

Even this season, Moss had finally accepted Lu Ke’s advice and slowly started to integrate into the team’s system. Even in the locker room, Moss had stood side by side with his offensive teammates and attacked the defense. But he and they were still not friends. He had never seemed to be anyone’s friend.

Teammates?

Wasn’t "teammate" just a nice way of saying "professional partners" and "people who share a common interest"?

But today, Moss wasn’t so sure. He just stood there, his anger slowly fading. All of a sudden, he felt dejected, and the thought of the Minnesota Vikings’ home fans booing him came to mind. They didn’t hold back at all when they booed their former hero and star.

Now, Moss looked at the enraged Lu Ke in front of him and sat down. He didn’t even dare to look into Lu Ke’s bright and clear eyes, afraid that his own weakness would be revealed.

"Did the offense win today’s game? Yes!"

"Then you better remember this moment. For the rest of the season, you better stay focused and play at 100%. Win all the games with the offense alone. Don’t make any mistakes. Don’t make any errors. And don’t have any ups and downs. Otherwise, the day we lose, you won’t need the defense to say anything. You’ll drown in your own shame!"

"Damn it!"

"And then you’ll see who’s there to comfort you. Is it those reporters, or is it the teammates you just put on the opposite side in the locker room!"

Lu Ke had finally let all his emotions out. He was out of breath, but his extreme anger had finally calmed down. Then, Lu Ke ignored the players’ reactions. He didn’t care, and he didn’t want to. He turned around and sat down heavily in a front-row seat.

As he caught his breath, he could feel a dull ache in his forehead.

Now, what should he do? Not just with the offense, but also with the defense. How should he handle the locker room atmosphere? How should they face the next game? Can they just go into the game with their heads down and force it? Can they win? Or will they not even be able to play together peacefully, let alone win?

These were tough questions, and Lu Ke didn’t know who to ask. He couldn’t find a right answer.

Maybe there was no right answer.

Lu Ke had never known that winning could be a problem.

Just then, he felt two figures walk over. One sat down to Lu Ke’s right, and the other sat in the outside seat across the aisle.

Lu Ke ignored them and closed his eyes, pretending not to have noticed them at all.

Logan and Marcus exchanged a glance across the aisle. Logan scratched his head, not knowing what to do. He hoped Marcus would speak first, but Marcus spread his hands and pursed his lips, gesturing to Lu Ke and mouthing the word, "Volcano."

Logan scratched his head in frustration. He finally realized the problem.

In the locker room, he had been so excited and emotional that he forgot everything. He only wanted to show off and was so proud that Lu Ke was on his side. But he accidentally crossed a line and broke the balance between the teammates. This was no longer a problem that could be solved with a simple "it was a joke."

Carefully, Logan patted Lu Ke on the shoulder, but Lu Ke still didn’t react. Logan could only bump his shoulder against Lu Ke’s and then intentionally blew hot air into Lu Ke’s ear.

He saw Lu Ke open his eyes and glare at him. It looked like his anger was about to explode again, but Logan was a step ahead. He made a face like a golden retriever begging for a treat, blinking at Lu Ke. "I’m sorry, Bambi, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to..."

But Logan then realized that his defense sounded like an excuse, so he slammed on the brakes. "I know. We were impulsive, and we were reckless. I’m sorry, really, Bambi, I’m really, really, really sorry."

Looking at Logan, Lu Ke felt a wave of anger in his chest, but he didn’t let it out. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then another. "Logan, we’re facing too many difficulties right now. I need your help, not for you to mess things up. In this entire team, how many people do I have who will support me unconditionally?"

Logan truly realized his mistake. He didn’t dare to argue and just listened sincerely. After knowing Lu Ke for so many years, Logan knew his temper, and the most important thing now was to have a good attitude.

As expected, Lu Ke didn’t go on. Everyone knew the truth, and he didn’t need to repeat it. What he needed to do was ring the alarm at a critical moment, and that was enough.

What’s more, Lu Ke now needed Logan and Marcus’s help.

"Now, I’m giving you and you a chance," Lu Ke said, looking at both Logan and Marcus. "I need your help with something. Do you see that guy?"

Randy Moss.

"Now we need to play a good cop, bad cop game. I just got angry, and whether he listened or not, he needs a way to save face and some time to cool down. You two, and then call... Ted, and talk to him. If you need to, go to a bar and talk. He needs a friend."

Lu Ke finally realized that as a leader, there were some things he had to do himself, but there were also some things he wasn’t suited for.

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