"I couldn’t ask for anything more," Li Wei said with a sudden smile. "If a veteran can’t cut it anymore, maybe it’s time to retire."

"Excellent!" Dabor nodded, satisfied. "That’s the spirit I like to see. You’ve changed a lot, kid."

"Since they’re looking for trouble," Li Wei said, shaking the schedule in his hand, "they’re going to find it."

Leaving the head coach’s office, Li Wei pushed open the heavy double doors of the Giants’ main locker room.

The previously raucous locker room fell into a sudden, jarring silence the moment Li Wei stepped inside.

Hundreds of pairs of eyes snapped toward him. Some belonged to the rookies and backups from camp who were already impressed by him, but most were from the burly, sharp-eyed veterans, their gazes filled with scrutiny.

A massive, imposing black man sitting in the middle of the defensive section was particularly noticeable.

He sported wild dreadlocks and intricate tattoos covering his body. This was Dexter Lawrence, the All-Star defensive end who had clawed his way through the league for eight years, famous for his ferocity and trash talk.

Leaning against his locker, Lawrence was tossing a football in his hand. His eyes scanned Li Wei from head to toe like a radar, a mocking sneer undisguised on his lips.

But the moment he met Li Wei’s gaze, he suddenly felt as if his mouth was glued shut.

In that instant, he had an indescribable feeling. He felt as if he were standing in a vast, empty expanse, suddenly looking up at a majestic mountain—so overwhelmed he was rendered speechless.

The others around him felt it too.

Several players who had been planning to give Li Wei a hard time suddenly clammed up.

The atmosphere became both awkward and comical.

"Let me through," Li Wei said, stopping beside Lawrence and giving him a look. "I need to change."

Lawrence instinctively took a step back, stunning the other players in the locker room. The notoriously domineering Lawrence had actually backed down to a rookie.

’What is this rookie, some kind of monster?’

By the time everyone had changed and was spread out on the field, it suddenly dawned on Lawrence.

’Wait a minute! Why did I just chicken out?’

For an All-Star veteran defender to instinctively shrink away from a rookie in the locker room was, for a man of his standing, an undeniable disgrace.

Lawrence watched Li Wei’s retreating back, his grip tightening on the football in his hand.

The next few days, training camp officially kicked into high gear.

Just as Li Wei had guessed—and Dabor had warned—he was prepared for a full-on assault from the defense. During the half-padded drills, his nerves were stretched taut, bracing for Lawrence or some other linebacker to "accidentally" fail to pull up on a pass rush and lay a vicious hit on him.

However, to Li Wei’s surprise, the situation was strangely calm.

During the half-padded drills, the defense definitely spewed plenty of trash talk to try and rattle Li Wei’s judgment, but when it came to physical contact, they were surprisingly restrained.

Every time they broke through to Li Wei, they would pull up at a safe distance, hands in the air to signal a successful pressure, with no illegal or late hits.

When they moved to full-padded scrimmages—complete game simulations—Li Wei thought the gloves would finally come off. He was even prepared to run Lawrence over himself if he had to.

But still, nothing happened.

Although the offensive line’s coordination wasn’t perfect, they were doing their best to protect the pocket. The defensive line’s rush was strong, but as soon as Li Wei completed a pass or threw the ball out of bounds, they would immediately back off.

It made Li Wei doubt himself for a moment. ’Am I being too sensitive? Or is Coach Dabor just paranoid? These veterans seem very professional. They haven’t brought their resentment over the salary cap to practice.’

Li Wei’s outstanding performance truly won everyone over. His monstrous arm strength, pinpoint accuracy, and the occasional flashes of inhuman Burst skyrocketed the offense’s efficiency.

The starting wide receivers were ecstatic. After all, who wouldn’t love a top-tier Quarterback who could put the ball right in their hands, easy as you please?

As for Li Wei, while his [Predestined Trajectory] hadn’t been upgraded, it was more than enough for playing games and making money.

The week passed with this strange peacefulness. Training camp concluded, and the team had a much-needed weekend off. Everyone was more or less in sync, both with the playbook and with each other.

On Friday evening, after practice, the atmosphere in the locker room was much more relaxed.

Except Li Wei was still waiting for Lawrence to finally make his move.

As the old saying from the Celestial Dynasty goes, the dog that bites doesn’t bark.

Lawrence hadn’t made a move during practice, probably because the coaches and management were watching, but Li Wei was sure he was up to no good.

Just as Li Wei finished packing his bag, ready to head back to his apartment in Battery City Park, Dexter Lawrence strode over, entourage in tow. He was flanked by several core veterans from the defense and a few starters from the offensive line.

The hostility on Lawrence’s face seemed to have faded, replaced by a kind of familiar, big-brotherly air.

"Hey, man," Lawrence said, clapping Li Wei’s shoulder and putting on a paternal act. "Good week of practice. I have to admit, this is the Giants’ most promising year." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Li Wei stopped what he was doing and looked at him. "Thanks. You need something?"

"It’s an old team tradition," Lawrence began, grinning to show a mouthful of white teeth. "After the first phase of training camp, the vets take the rookies out to see a bit of New York nightlife, build some team chemistry. We booked a table at Catch Steak in Manhattan. You and a few of the other offensive guys should come."

He paused, a hint of teasing in his tone. "This is a team tradition. All the core players have to go. You’re not gonna blow us off, are you?"

Li Wei suddenly smiled. "All right," he said. "Since it’s a tradition, how could I possibly miss it."

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was coming: the rookie dinner.

It was the NFL’s classic form of "legal" extortion. The veterans would take a newly signed, big-contract player and make them bleed. A single dinner tab running 10,000 to 20,000 USD was completely normal.