In the stands, Kate involuntarily covered her mouth with her hand.
In the back row, Maggie, the agent who had already risen to leave, also stopped in her tracks.
She watched that Chinese kid charging through the crowd, a trace of genuine curiosity flashing through her eyes for the first time.
"Then... let's watch a little longer."
Everyone thought Lin Wansheng's return would end right here.
After all, every single one of his teammates had either already fallen or was lagging far behind, unable to provide him any cover.
However, Lin Wansheng made a decision that stunned everyone.
Not only did he not slow down or change direction—he charged straight at the two tallest defenders ahead of him!
"F**k!" Coach Bob instinctively cursed.
Even some East River High fans in the stands started cursing: "Who is this Asian kid?! Is he crazy?!"
"If he fumbles, they're going to score another touchdown!"
The commentators let out the same shocked cries.
Just as those two defenders were about to complete their pincer attack and tear him to shreds,
Lin Wansheng's body dropped sharply, stomping hard against the turf!
Like a raging bull, he used his shoulder to brute-force a bloody path straight between those two defenders who towered over him!
Amidst the crowd's disbelieving exclamations,
Lin Wansheng ran wild, crossing the 30-yard line, the 40-yard line.
The entire stadium erupted from dead silence into a tsunami of cheers.
"My God! Did you see that?! This rookie!"
"This East River High rookie returner! He broke through the Cheetahs' defense like a tank!"
The commentators' voices had completely lost control, turning into roars.
"He's still running!"
"He's still running!"
...
...
Coach Bob stood frozen on the sideline, his playcalling board having fallen to the ground unnoticed.
Kate jumped up excitedly, pumping her fist hard.
And Maggie in the back row shot up from her seat, the lazy expression on her face long gone.
It wasn't until three Cheetahs players caught up from behind, practically wrapping him up in a combined embrace,
that they finally hurled this rampaging beast out of bounds!
"Unbelievable! An absolutely unbelievable kickoff return!" Green, the commentator and home team fan, was already hoarse.
"After such a devastating opening blow, East River High's rookie, Jimmy Lin, pulled the team back from the brink with a wild fifty-yard sprint!"
The referee blew his whistle, placing the ball precisely on the midfield stripe. This position instantly reinvigorated the East River Titans, who had been lifeless just moments before!
At midfield, on the 50-yard line. Mark gathered all the offensive players together, flames igniting in his eyes.
"Listen! We start from here! 404 formation! Avery, get ready to take the ball!"
"Excellent! After the chaotic opening, the East River Titans have finally steadied themselves!"
Commentator Green's voice rang out again. "Quarterback Mark looks to have completely calmed down. Let's see what they choose to run on this drive!"
After the snap, Mark precisely handed the ball off to Avery charging out from behind him!
Avery was like a true heavy tank, head down, crashing hard into the Cheetahs' defensive line!
*Bam! Bam!*
Two consecutive dull thuds rang out as he brute-forced his way through two defenders, grinding out a lane through the crowd!
"Avery! When this kid runs full throttle like this, you just can't help but fall in love with him!" Green roared passionately.
"He gained another ten yards! First down!!"
Under Avery's unstoppable charge, East River High's offensive machine slowly began to turn.
With Mark's calm play-calling play after play, the Titans steadily earned fresh opportunities, pushing forward again and again.
The 30-yard line... the 20-yard line...
Now, they were only ten yards away from the opponent's end zone!
"Great! The East River Titans are unstoppable now! Just as we expected!" Green's voice was full of anticipation.
"They're in the red zone now. This is the best chance to score!"
Mark looked into everyone's eyes and made the final play call.
After the snap, Mark quickly dropped back. He first faked a pass to the right, successfully fooling most of the defense!
Then, he spun around and threw the ball toward the completely open left rear!
"My God! It's the rookie wide receiver! Jimmy Lin caught the ball! There's not a single defender covering him!"
In the chaotic route-running just now, everyone had subconsciously ignored this unknown Chinese kid who had just entered the game!
Lin Wansheng easily caught the pass, tucked the ball away, and even strolled into the end zone with a hint of leisure.
"TOUCHDOWN!!!"
Amidst the commentator's gut-wrenching roar.
The first-quarter clock reached its final second!
...
...
However, when the second quarter began and the Cheetahs' legendary quarterback, Beast Mike, stepped onto the field, the entire complexion of the game took a sudden, violent turn.
Truly befitting a man who had carved out a fearsome reputation even in a monster-infested place like Texas.
He didn't possess Mark's precision passing, but there was a primal wildness about him.
Every hit he delivered seemed to vent endless reserves of power.
The Cheetahs' offense became brutally simple and direct; they abandoned all fancy long passes.
Every play was a short, devastating smash.
Mike was like a true beast, hurling his body against the seemingly solid East River Titans defense again and again.
In just half a quarter, the Titans' defense was completely shattered by him.
The Cheetahs scored two annihilating touchdowns, easily putting up fifteen points.
Added to the seven points from the first quarter, the Cheetahs had already racked up twenty-two points.
And when the East River Titans took the ball on offense, things got even worse.
The Cheetahs defense seemed to have had their Ren and Du meridians unblocked, covering Lin Wansheng and Avery with the most ferocious intensity.
Almost every route Lin Wansheng and Avery ran, they faced two defenders hounding them from up close, biting and tearing.
During one collision, an East River safety was directly shoved several meters away while attempting to tackle Mike.
He dislocated his shoulder upon hitting the ground and left the game in agony.
Immediately after, during an offensive play, one of the team's tight ends was blocking for Mark
when an opposing defender struck his wrist, breaking it on the spot.
He was taken straight to the hospital by ambulance.
The home fans in the stands gradually sank from initial frenzy into a deathly silence.
It wasn't until near the end of the third quarter that Mark seized a fleeting opportunity, in the split second before being sacked,
throwing the ball with all his might and letting Brian complete a difficult touchdown. With the extra point, they clawed back seven points.
But by now, the gap between the two sides had reached eight points.
The third-quarter game clock.
During the Cheetahs' third offensive drive, slowly reached its end.
At this moment, they were only fifteen yards away from the Titans' end zone.