The King of Bay Area Chapter 523: On the Edge of the Cliff

The entire San Francisco 49ers team was in a state of panic. While that might sound a bit exaggerated—professional teams are well-equipped to handle all kinds of unexpected situations and wouldn't fall into chaos because of one player—the truth was, there were just too many unexpected things happening in this Monday Night Football ga. The snowstorm alone had already put the team in a difficult position.

In the first half, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the entire team was facing a severe test. It wasn't just Lu Ke. The offense, defense, and special teams were all performing at a diocre level. The special teams' punts were not very effective, giving the opponent a chance to return the ball. If the Steelers hadn't also failed to capitalize on their opportunities, the deficit might have been more than three touchdowns. If this were an away ga in the freezing cold, they wouldn't be in such a sorry state. The problem was that this was a ho ga, and a snowstorm had disrupted their plans. After one part went wrong, small errors began to appear in all the other parts. These were not fatal or serious mistakes, but they made the team busy inside and out.

Then, Lu Ke had a problem, which was like the fuse that ignited all the other problems.

After an examination, the team doctor, Walter Hudson, delivered a mixed bag of news. The bad news was that Lu Ke was suffering from hypothermia and had completely lost his touch and rhythm. His body temperature had been slowly dropping throughout the first half. Because the symptoms were not obvious, they hadn't been able to discover the problem in ti, but it had indeed affected Lu Ke's play-calling and passing. The good news was that Lu Ke didn't have any more serious issues for now and showed no signs of the flu. As long as his body temperature could be restored to normal in ti, Lu Ke would be able to continue playing.

"The most important thing now is to get Bambi's body temperature back up," Walter imdiately began giving instructions. He looked around. "Bobby, tell the logistics team we need chicken soup, hot chicken soup."

"Chicken soup?" Bobby Engram looked bewildered.

Walter nodded repeatedly. "Yes, chicken soup. Bambi needs to replenish his nutrients to help his body temperature rise. Hurry, what are you standing there for? We're running out of ti. Halfti will be over soon." As Walter spoke, he also beca anxious. Bobby quickly turned and rushed out of the locker room, disappearing as fast as a tornado.

"Walter? Walter!" Lu Ke, wrapped up like a dumpling in his coat, sat on the bench. The masseuse, Lucas Berg, also quickly ca over and soaked Lu Ke's feet in hot water, using essential oils to quickly massage them to help Lu Ke's body temperature recover. "Walter, can I get so hot water now? You know, the plain hot water that Chinese people love."

This was a running joke. Chinese people love to drink plain hot water. They drink hot water when they have a cold and also like to drink plain hot water in restaurants. But in the United States, they don't drink water that has no flavor. It's either juice or soda, or it's alcohol or coffee, never plain water. This was a cultural difference that they often joked about in the team. Seeing that Lu Ke was in good spirits and joking, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Lu Ke looked up and saw his teammates huddled around him. A few players on the outer circle also looked at him with concern from ti to ti. The familiar faces showed a strange kind of worry, which felt like a warm current slowly flowing through his heart. Lu Ke forced a smile. "Spread out, everyone spread out. I'm not taking off my last pair of shorts, not even for a big tip." This joke made everyone burst into laughter, and the atmosphere relaxed.

Lu Ke turned to look at Patrick Willis, who was standing next to him. "What are you still doing here? Go and discuss tactics. When the second half starts, the defense will go on first. You have to hold them off, otherwise, it will be too late for to get on the field. Three touchdowns, I can still reverse it. Four, that's a little dangerous." The three-touchdown deficit sounded like a small matter to Lu Ke.

Willis couldn't help but smile wryly. He nodded and snapped his fingers. "You said it. In the second half, our defense will not let them score another touchdown! If we still lose the ga in the end, that's on you."

Lu Ke didn't hesitate and nodded briskly. "Deal!"

Willis imdiately turned around and shouted, "Defense, hey, everyone on the defense listen up. Bambi just said he'll take care of reversing the three-touchdown deficit in the second half. Our job is to not let them score anymore! We were completely humiliated by that number 84 in the first half. In the second half, we're going to teach them a good lesson, or they'll think our secondary defense is just for show! Did you hear ?"

"No problem!"

"Bambi said it, so it's no problem!"

"We have to teach that sophomore a lesson. I rember we talked about him in the tactical eting. His ability to catch the ball in tight coverage is very strong. I think we should disrupt his body balance instead of trying to intercept the passing route. Changing our passing coverage might be more effective."

The defense finally beca lively, but the offense still stood where they were. No one turned to leave. Jim Harbaugh stood by with a furrowed brow. "Walter, are you sure? Are you sure Bambi can play in the second half?"

"No, I'm not sure," Walter said bluntly. "I'm giving Bambi an IV now. He must replenish his nutrients as soon as possible and then drink so chicken soup. At the sa ti, Lucas will continue to massage him to get his body temperature back up as soon as possible. We are now in a race against ti. Everything needs to be faster, even faster."

"I got it," Jim said decisively. "Kip, take Alex out to warm up." This was a reference to Alex Smith. They had to be prepared for both possibilities. "You, yes, you, hurry up and run to the logistics departnt, no, run to the tactical room, find the team manager Trent, and tell him to get that damn chicken soup here! Now! Imdiately! Before the second half starts! I don't care how he does it!"

At this mont, the person being called out was a ball boy, Thomas Robinson. He nodded, a little at a loss, and then saw Lu Ke looking at him. "Thomas, rember to run a little faster." Lu Ke still rembered his na. Thomas nodded heavily and turned around without saying a word, running out. Faster, even faster. He had to do his best to be faster.

Halfti was over, and the San Francisco 49ers' players returned to the field, but this ti, Lu Ke did not go with them because his body temperature had not completely recovered, and his limbs were still a little stiff. The first drive of the second half was for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The question now was, how long would their drive last? And would they score? A field goal or a touchdown?

When the Steelers' drive ended, it would be the 49ers' offense's turn to take the field. If Lu Ke couldn't make it in ti, then Alex would make his first appearance in a regular season ga this season. For everyone on the 49ers, this felt a little strange. It seed that they were standing on the edge of a cliff, in a precarious position. What was even more terrifying was that they were retreating little by little, and the montum of their fall seed unstoppable. So, would Alex be their lifesaver? And could the Lu Ke they were expecting create another miracle?

Everything was unknown.

The locker room beca quiet again. Walter had exhausted all his thods: an IV drip, a blanket, hot water, and a massage with essential oils, as well as the most direct hot chicken soup. Just before halfti ended, the chicken soup arrived, real chicken soup, and the team also said that another barrel of hot chicken soup was on its way to Candlestick Park to ensure that Lu Ke would not be short of chicken soup for the entire second half. Now, they could only wait for all the effects to slowly take hold. Ti was the most important and most effective thod, but it was also the elent that the 49ers lacked the most right now.

"Bambi, in the 1979 Cotton Bowl, Joe Montana led Notre Da against the University of Houston. Montana also suffered from hypothermia and was down by 22 points in the third quarter, but he still successfully overca the difficulties and completed an epic coback. That ga was called the 'Chicken Soup Ga' because Montana used chicken soup to restore his body temperature. Now, we need you to complete this 'Chicken Soup Ga'."

Before the team was about to go on the field, Patrick Willis stayed behind alone. He sat face-to-face with Lu Ke and said these words with a serious expression. Then he patted Lu Ke on the shoulder and turned to walk onto the field. This was not only the trust from the defensive captain to the offensive captain but also the trust from the team's veteran leader to the rising star. At this mont, the San Francisco 49ers were more united than ever before, and as a rookie player, Lu Ke had beco a full mber of the team.

The locker room beca desolate, with only Walter and Lucas accompanying Lu Ke. On the field, the second half of the ga was about to begin. Tirico, sitting in the studio, imdiately noticed the change on the field. Of course, a big part of the reason was that Lu Ke was the absolute focus of the ga. So, he imdiately asked the special correspondent on the scene, John Sutcliffe, for the specific situation.

Sutcliffe had just received the news from the San Francisco 49ers' official sources. "Quarterback number 14, Lu Ke, is currently suffering from hypothermia. He has had so adverse reactions and has had to stay in the locker room for treatnt."

"For this situation, the 49ers have made two preparations. On one hand, backup quarterback Alex Smith has already ward up and is ready to take the field at any ti. On the other hand, they are waiting for Lu Ke's recovery to see if he can take the field again in the second half," Sutcliffe summarized. "This ga, which is full of surprises, will obviously not be calm in the second half either."

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