Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 74: 074 Hot Topics

On the field, the Trojans and the Crimson Tide Storm were shaking hands after the game to show respect, regardless of the outcome—manners are always mandatory.

Zhu Zhu took a deep breath, calmed down, and mustered the courage, continually telling himself that he was the bigger man and that he could face a minor setback calmly. He needed to confront number twenty-three and then challenge him head-on:

Next time they met, he would defeat him.

Imagining the scene, Zhu Zhu suddenly felt elevated in stature. If the media caught this, he was sure to receive widespread praise from netizens. Head held high, chest out, even his walk seemed to carry the breeze.

However, after searching through the crowd, Zhu Zhu was unable to spot that figure.

Zhu Zhu began to panic. His perfect plan covered every detail, yet he had overlooked the most critical one. As he watched reporters start to leave one after another, he began to sweat anxiously.

He ran around the field like a tadpole searching for its mother, looping round and round.

Still, he found no one.

Where was he?

Zhu Zhu was exhausted and drenched in sweat. Things weren't going as he had pictured. What was going on? Wait, what about the media? Social networks? Netizens' praise?

What was he to do?

So, what about Li Wei?

Li Wei was checking the system.

As the game ended, a notification of a completed task chimed in his mind, which intrigued Li Wei since the training system had not issued any tasks before the game. It had always been a purely training-assistive system.

During the post-game handshake, Li Wei also went onto the field, but traditionally, all the focus was on the head coach and the quarterback's handshakes after the game. The other players' interactions were more casual, so Li Wei greeted briefly and left, walking away… nonchalantly.

Upon checking, the system indeed hadn't issued any tasks; Li Wei's memory was accurate.

The notification indicated that the system automatically recorded Li Wei's growth trajectory. This was Li Wei's first official football game, and he achieved his first ground advance and his first running touchdown, among others. Correspondingly, he was given experience rewards—

That was what the progress bar at the bottom signified; it had risen a notch.

After careful analysis, Li Wei concluded:

The tougher the game, the more outstanding the performance, the faster the progress.

Every milestone reached also comes with bonus rewards.

For example, ground advances of five hundred yards, a thousand yards, three thousand yards.

Like ten, thirty, fifty running touchdowns.

And so on.

This meant the system encouraged Li Wei to unleash his potential and deliver top-notch performances in games. The faster the progress bar moved, the more challenging the opposition he faced, granting more opportunities to level up.

It was slightly frustrating that he hadn't played more in the second half of the game, missing the opportunity to rack up stats, but from another perspective, it might be better to focus on improving the quality of gameplay rather than padding early stats which would make later improvements more challenging.

Looking at it this way, short but effective appearances were the best choice.

It also meant that Li Wei needed to think about how to improve his running efficiency. If each appearance allowed him to make significant ground or even score, that would be perfect.

For the next chance to level up, charge!

Thoughts were swirling in his mind as Li Wei considered how to enhance his running efficiency. Obstacles stretched across the players' tunnel, blocking his path—

Oh, they weren't barriers but reporters.

The game was over, but work was far from done.

Unlike the NCAA and NFL, there wasn't an official post-game press conference here, however, the reporters' attention was no less than in professional leagues. Reporters always waited near the players' tunnel, ready to seize the fleeting opportunity for interviews.

Today, there were numerous points of interest on the pitch, and unquestionably, Li Wei was the hottest topic. This was evident from the jostling throng of reporters vying for his attention.

Crowded. Dense. Enthusiastic.

They were like sharks that had caught the scent of blood.

Subconsciously, Li Wei glanced at the reporters' faces—somewhat unfamiliar.

It seems that it shouldn't be ABC TV.

"Hello, Li Wei, 'Houston Chronicle'."

"May I ask, in the season opener, Crimson Tide Storm crushed the opposition with a score of '55:3', starting the title defense journey with an absolutely dominant performance, and the often underestimated offensive group performed exceptionally well. What are your thoughts on this?"

Li Wei slightly lifted his chin, his face full of sincerity, "Not bad."

All the reporters: ...

Not bad!

Not bad?

This game not only created the biggest point spread since the Cowboys' Classic launched in 2009 but also set the record for the biggest point spread in USC Trojans' history, surpassing the original record of "0:51" when they were crushed by Notre Dame University in 1966.

And Li Wei's response, just this?

Those who didn't know any better thought they were reading the score of a basketball game, and Li Wei's casual and composed demeanor suddenly silenced all the reporters.

I've seen the arrogant, but never this arrogant!

But the problem is, Li Wei's expression was too calm, too sincere, and too peaceful, with no arrogance, no provocation, no mockery, nothing at all. For a while, the reporters couldn't figure out what this guy was up to.

Li Wei himself also looked puzzled.

To be honest, he had no concept of football scores, and it was college games that were prone to lopsided scores, which could easily happen if one wasn't careful, and he just assumed such scores were commonplace; besides, in the land of Oriental etiquette, humility is paramount, even in victory one must keep a low profile.

Now looking at the reporters' expressions, he was even more innocent:

What, he was just telling the truth, was there anything wrong with that?

As everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, finally, a reporter broke the silence, one after another getting up after falling down.

"Li Wei, 'The Dallas Morning News'."

"Before the season began, everyone was worried about how Crimson Tide Storm's offensive group would perform without Derrick Henry. Do you think today's running back group performance has filled the void left by Derrick Henry?"

Pfft.

Li Wei laughed—

The whole room was shocked.

This question was clearly a trap, difficult for any player to answer.

After all, Derrick Henry left behind a peak last year at the NCAA that was hard to surpass, and whoever took over the position he left behind was stepping into a thorny path.

Unexpectedly, Li Wei actually laughed.

Reporter: ???

This guy is definitely an expert, mysterious and unpredictable!

But Li Wei remained full of sincerity, "Why do you speak as if Derrick Henry has ascended to paradise early? Derrick has just turned to the professional league and is embarking on all-new challenges. We all look forward to his performance in the league, so please don't use expressions that can easily lead to misunderstandings, okay?"

Haha.

That was the reason why Li Wei laughed out loud.

"As for Crimson Tide Storm, we don't intend to replace Derrick's position because nobody can replace him, believe me, we tried, but the result was very bad. So, we will work together to create a new offense."

"We fight side by side, aiming for victory as a team and facing difficulties as a team as well."

Brilliant!

Without a doubt, Derrick Henry's void was the most difficult and dangerous issue, yet Li Wei nonchalantly resolved it.

The whole room was silent as the grave.