Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 45: Pulling chestnuts out of the fire

Encirclement, predicament, rapid contraction.

Third Gear with a sizeable yardage is just so challenging—if you choose to pass, you might face intensive marking; if you choose to run, then you’re ambushed from all sides.

Compared to the ground offense of the first and second gears, running on Third Gear often wins some space at the start, but after bursting through five yards, you’re surrounded.

Right now, that was the case. Everywhere the eye could see, there were Tigers players’ silhouettes piercing through the Crimson Tide Storm’s defense like a dam giving way to a flood.

Li Wei had just found a breakthrough path and was stepping forward diagonally to the right.

Right behind him, a collision from the same direction was already crushing over him head-on.

Bang.

His innards were tossed into turmoil.

Li Wei didn’t take the hit head-on; it wasn’t his strong suit. He played to his strengths, quickly adjusting along the force of the impact, changing direction, and dashing diagonally to the left.

It took a split second to realize the collision had come from a cornerback, who was also tangled with Crimson Tide Storm’s number one wide receiver Foster, such that he couldn’t tackle, only collide. No sooner had they collided than both lost their balance and tumbled away like rolling gourds.

Li Wei’s staggering steps persisted along the diagonal, taking just two or three short steps, and then he could see two safeties quickly stepping up, along with a lineman trying to shake off Hentges’s entanglement. An unfinished pocket thus appeared before his eyes.

Right then—

A side dive, Li Wei continued to lift his legs high and leapt into the air, pressing onward.

A frontal interception, Li Wei raised his left arm, stretched it out straight, and delivered a powerful straight arm block.

But this time, the force did not establish dominance. The safety before him must be the Tigers’ strong safety—both his weight and strength seemed formidable, and he wasn’t shaken off by Li Wei’s initial resistance,

Li Wei didn’t panic, watching as the other safety, Mus, was drawing near.

So, Li Wei simply used the straight arm block to push the safety before him as a meat shield, taking a step up, another step up, and lifted the shield to charge at Mus.

A block.

The Tigers’ dense defense became a disadvantage; everyone piled up, hindering their own players, and then the two safeties collided with each other.

Clang!

Helmet crashed against helmet, a dizzying whirl.

Then, Li Wei had already broken free, using the reaction force of his pushing momentum to shift his balance, and dashed again toward the right sideline area—

There, was the gap.

The cornerback who was originally defending that area had fallen to the ground tangled up with Crimson Tide Storm’s Foster. Even if he got up to pursue now, it was already too late.

Ahead, lay the passage.

But it wasn’t that simple; Li Wei’s peripheral vision caught a large force from the left rapidly closing in, and he had to find his center of gravity within the shaking balance.

Stamp the ground.

Stamp the ground!

In the midst of turbulence and chaos, Li Wei held his breath, fully entering an anaerobic state, his speed increasing, continually increasing, while remaining fully alert, watching in all directions, his feet swiftly sprinting out.

Heh!

Around the field, dead silence, utterly stunned—

From five yards to ten yards, in this brief span, the defense was dense, Li Wei bounced around like a ping-pong ball, yet improbably maintained his balance and continued forward, and then… he broke through a gap.

Ten yards.

Thirteen yards.

Incredibly, the Crimson Tide had broken through the first attack with a ground offense.

And Li Wei?

Stumbling, clambering forward, like a drunk madman trying a high wire act, his teetering figure constantly in danger of falling from the sky.

Amid gasps of fright, everyone watched dumbfounded as Li Wei pressed on.

Then—

A linebacker, leaping at the peak, diving horizontally, tried to tackle.

Li Wei lifted his legs high in succession, edging close to the sideline while shaking off the tackle.

His steps reached the edge of the field. Although he had managed to throw off the immediate tackling threat, he appeared to be stepping out, and the breath of the entire stadium was suspended.

Li Wei didn’t give up, not only maintaining his speed but even accelerating, on tiptoes, navigating a palm-wide space just inside the sideline, his speed faster and faster.

Fifteen yards!

Twenty yards!

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

Those light and agile footsteps were as elegant and graceful as a ballerina’s, transforming the square field into the grand stage of a theater, where high art unfolded.

Twenty-five yards!

The midfield line passed under Li Wei’s feet, like poplar trees retreating rapidly on a speeding train, while the entire crimson wave in the stadium also started to move back, turning into a surging sea as if splashed with vibrant paint.

Splendid, majestic.

And then—

Mus appeared.

Even though he had just collided with his teammate, Mus didn’t give up. After quickly regaining control of his body, he chased after Li Wei again without having time to think, his speed exploding in the next step.

It didn’t matter if he couldn’t tackle; all he needed to do was to push number twenty-three out of bounds.

He pushed off the ground, jumped, and was airborne.

Mus flew out directly.

Hum, hum, hum.

Bryant Denny Stadium fell silent; everyone held their breath, watching the moment on the field unfold in slow motion, their eyes widening—

Brake!

Halt!

Li Wei, in the midst of high-speed running, came to an emergency stop and somehow managed to maintain control, his body swaying left and right as if he were a dragonfly perched precariously on the tip of a newly emerged lotus leaf, its wings trembling slightly.

However, Mus just flew past, drifting in front of Li Wei and lunging at thin air.

Mus had anticipated he needed to account for one step ahead, expecting Li Wei to continue moving so they could collide, but did not foresee this scene.

Their gaze crossed.

They brushed past each other.

Mus uncontrollably rushed towards the Crimson Tide Storm players on the side.

But by then, the Crimson Tide Storm players had no time to pay attention to him, their focus entirely on Li Wei, unable to restrain themselves from shouting along.

Listen, those were the roars circling above Bryant Denny Stadium.

"Roar!"

Li Wei’s feet entered the opposing field, the forty-five-yard line.

"Roar!"

After restarting, Li Wei regained his balance, then accelerated again, his speed incrementally increasing, the forty-yard line.

"Roar!"

Gradually, the Tigers Defense Squad players swarmed towards the sideline, one after another, in relentless pursuit, all the fervor in the stadium clawing its way towards Li Wei in a wave.

The thirty-five-yard line.

"Roar!"

Blood boiling, passion surging, no one could resist as the entire stadium turned into a sea of flames, even Blackley and Pash who watched Li Wei, with the tip of his toes on the sideline, sprinting forward and accelerating, like a breeze blowing past.

The thirty-yard line.

Behind him, an awe-inspiring tide of people spread out like a peacock’s grand tail.

Ahead, Li Wei ran like a solitary arrow let loose, running faster and faster.

Whoosh whoosh, the howling wind, the overwhelming Crimson Tide announced its release, then enveloped Li Wei as he stepped into the end zone, detonating entirely.

Boom!

The whole stadium stood, united in shouting and roaring, liberating their joy.

"Roar!"

"Roar!" Stay connected through ???

Crimson Tide Storm, sweeping across the stadium.

The Tigers, in stunned silence.

Incredible, beyond belief, yet this was all happening right before their eyes.

"24:21", Crimson Tide Storm scored again, narrowing the gap in the score—

Watson, could he continue to sit comfortably at his leisure?