Chapter 1010: No Suspense

The entire lounge was silent. Everyone held their breath, and even the air seemed to stand still. Then, a sharp whistle pierced through the television speakers, and Ryan Baldwin immediately raised his hands high, yelling ecstatically, "Touchdown! Touchdown!"

At the same time, Ryan stood up straight like a meerkat, craning his neck, looking left and right. His eyes were shining with an urgent, expectant light as he tried to find people who felt the same way, repeatedly shouting, "Touchdown!" It was as if his eyes were saying:

Did you see that? It’s a touchdown! The touchdown where Lu Ke broke Brady’s record!

Kate Wiggins, who had just arrived in the lounge two minutes ago, was completely bewildered. Knowing nothing about football, she couldn’t share in the excitement. She didn’t even know what a touchdown meant. But then she saw the unbelievable, vibrant life in Ryan’s eyes, shining brightly in the afternoon sun.

Without thinking, Kate smiled at him.

A moment later, the other patients and nurses in the lounge who were watching the game also started to cheer. It wasn’t a deafening, unified roar, but a scattered chorus of cheers and shouts that rose and fell. Yet, the joy and happiness were genuine; everyone was celebrating with a smile.

Under Ryan’s gaze, Kate felt a little self-conscious, not sure if it was shyness or awkwardness. She instinctively pointed at the TV screen to change the subject. "What just happened? Are you going to explain it to me?"

"Oh... oh! Right, right!" Ryan snapped back to reality. "Bambi broke the record." Even just thinking about the words, he couldn’t contain his excitement. "Bambi broke the record!"

Jonathan Baldwin was sitting nearby, his eyes red and tear-filled as he watched the big screen. Then he looked at Ryan and Kate.

Ryan was carefully explaining to Kate why they were so excited, word by word. Ryan spoke very slowly, but Kate listened intently, not showing any impatience.

Jonathan turned his gaze back to the screen and clenched his fists. Everything was going to be okay. Everything was moving in a positive direction, wasn’t it? The San Francisco 49ers were on the rise, and Ryan’s condition was improving. Could they hope for even more? Was this the 49ers’ year?

He wanted to believe it.

Candlestick Park was in a frenzy. Surrounded by all of his offensive teammates, Lu Ke returned to the sideline. Jim Harbaugh was the first to rush over, giving Lu Ke an exaggerated hug. Lu Ke had already taken off his helmet, revealing his sweaty hair, but Harbaugh didn’t care. He enthusiastically ruffled Lu Ke’s hair. "I knew you could do it! My God, I knew it!"

Harbaugh laughed wildly. "Congratulations! Congratulations! You deserve this!"

Kippy Crist, Craig Roman, and the rest of the coaching staff swarmed around, patting Lu Ke’s shoulders and back in celebration.

Nearby, captains Patrick Willis and David Akers were waiting. They hadn’t taken off their helmets because they were about to go back on the field. Willis held Lu Ke’s head firmly against his chest, his voice muffled. "Bambi, you’re the hero. You are!"

Then Akers pressed his helmet against Lu Ke’s forehead, his eyes slightly red. "Thank you, Bambi. Thank you!"

Because of his age and health, Akers’s career was coming to an end. He had thought this season would be his last, but luckily, Lu Ke and his teammates convinced him to stay. This allowed him to be part of the team and witness history in person.

After speaking, Akers turned and led the special teams players onto the field. They still had a job to do.

Justin Smith, Aldon Smith, Dashon Goldson, Carlos Rogers, and all the defensive players came over. Rookies like LaMichael James, Jewel Hampton, and Joe Looney also crowded around. Veterans and rookies alike came to give Lu Ke a high-five in celebration.

Even Colin Kaepernick raised his right hand and shared a high-five with Lu Ke.

"San Francisco 49ers fans!" The stadium announcer’s voice echoed through Candlestick Park. The solemn, serious voice was making an official announcement.

"You have witnessed history! Lu Ke has just completed his 51st passing touchdown of the season, breaking the record previously set by Tom Brady! He has also become the only quarterback in history to throw for over 40 touchdowns in his first two professional seasons, and the fastest quarterback to reach 100 career touchdowns! Congratulations to your quarterback, Lu Ke!"

In his rookie season, he had 43 touchdowns in the regular season and eight in the playoffs.

In his second season, he had 51 touchdowns in the regular season.

With an unstoppable momentum, Lu Ke had become the fastest quarterback to reach 100 touchdowns. Before this, no rookie quarterback had ever thrown for more than 30 touchdowns in a single season. By comparison, Lu Ke’s record-breaking speed was insane!

Candlestick Park went wild!

As the announcer’s words sank in, the stadium went completely crazy. The cheers and screams were out of control. Then Jeff, Chris, and others started a chant, which soon became a single, powerful roar that swept across the field. The unified roar unleashed a thunderous energy that shook the ground:

"Bambi!"

"Bambi!"

"Bambi!"

Stephen Curry, who was at home watching the live broadcast, was cheering, his hands clenched into fists. He joined the roar coming from Candlestick Park, first yelling at the TV, then at his wife, Ayesha. Ayesha picked up their daughter, and they all started chanting Lu Ke’s name together.

Curry laughed joyfully and ran out of his living room to the balcony. He could hear the low rumble of the chant from the street. It seemed to have spread all the way from San Francisco to Oakland. The entire Bay Area was echoing with the sound of one name. So, Curry joined in as well.

"Bambi!"

Again and again, the continuous roar was like a charging army, a rolling thunder that spread from Candlestick Park throughout the entire Bay Area. The powerful energy, enough to move mountains and shake the clouds, was released without reservation. This was their moment! This was the San Francisco 49ers’ moment!

On the other side of the field, the Arizona Cardinals players lowered their heads in silence. In the face of such a fierce and brutal wave of support, there was little they could do. If they had provoked the fans, they would have been the ones to suffer.

Patrick Peterson stood in place, not sitting down, quietly watching Lu Ke celebrating with his teammates and basking in the cheers of the crowd. A bright smile appeared on Lu Ke’s face, a genuine expression of joy and happiness, even though Patrick was feeling an excruciating pain. This touchdown was scored after he had made a breakthrough, but... he had to admit that Lu Ke deserved it.

However, this didn’t mean he was giving up.

He had beaten Lu Ke in their first encounter, which meant he still had the ability to defeat him. Lu Ke was now more powerful, which meant he had to grow stronger, too. In their next clash, who would win was anyone’s guess! He, Patrick Peterson, would never bow down and surrender easily!

NFC West rival?

Then let’s take it all the way, to the death!

Because the chants from inside and outside Candlestick Park were so overwhelming, it felt like the waves were crashing against the Bay Area coastline with powerful force. Even CenturyLink Field would have to bow in defeat. The referees had to pause the game. After a delay of nearly two minutes, the game was finally able to resume.

Both teams’ special teams took the field. With the incredible support from the home crowd, Akers successfully made the extra point, making the score 38-10.

The game officially entered the fourth quarter.

At this point, the game’s outcome was basically decided. More than the score, the contrast in momentum was what was truly fatal. The Arizona Cardinals had clearly lost their will to fight. The pressure of playing on the road had reached its peak today. But a game is a game; even in garbage time, they had to finish it.

Surprisingly, the San Francisco 49ers’ defense seemed a little distracted. Maybe it was because they were celebrating too much or because they were slacking off. In any case, their focus was not quite there. The Arizona Cardinals managed to score a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter, closing the gap by seven points.

However, this was a small victory. The 49ers’ offense remained focused. Lu Ke was still in the game. After he took the field again, he steadily led the offense down the field, and Frank Gore eventually scored an eight-yard rushing touchdown, widening the lead once more.

The rest of the game was meaningless garbage time. The 49ers’ offense relied mostly on the run to kill the clock, while the Cardinals tried to fight back but had no power to do so. With a few punts and snaps exchanged, the game came to a dull and boring end, and the referee blew the final whistle.

The final score was 45-17. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the visiting Arizona Cardinals at home, successfully completing an undefeated home season and an undefeated division record. Furthermore, they made history by becoming the second team, after the 2007 New England Patriots, to complete an undefeated season since the league’s new format was introduced!

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz

On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!