The King of Bay Area

Lu Ke extended his right hand and placed it in the center. The resolute look in his eyes once again sparked with a killing intent. The more tense he was, the more excited he became. The more desperate the situation, the more determined he became. The more difficult it was, the braver he was. His fiery gaze released unwavering confidence: "I am the master of this field!"

One hand, and then another, all the offensive players put their hands on top of Lu Ke's. Even the coaching staff, including Craig Roman and Kip Christ, extended their hands and joined in. They were never afraid of a tough battle and never backed down from a disadvantage! "You want to fight? Then let's fight!"

"This is a war!" Lu Ke shouted. "This is a war! A war!"

Everyone started roaring madly. "War!" The shouts became hoarse and strained, using every ounce of energy in their bodies, like a sleeping giant, reawakening. "War!" Their shouts were so powerful and majestic that the fans in the stands also heard them and turned their attention to the field. Slowly, slowly, the same sound began to echo throughout Candlestick Park. The panicked and uninspired cheers finally found their backbone and rallied together, causing Ryan Baldwin to look up and take in the endless red sea in front of him. He, too, was a drop of water in this ocean.

"War! War! War!"

Before he even realized it, Ryan couldn't help but join the shouting. One shout, then another, from a low pitch to a high pitch, and finally to a roar of pure joy, releasing all his emotions. As he shouted, a smile spread across his face, and he looked up at Jiang Youning, who was standing next to him. They exchanged a look and shouted in unison, "War!"

This was a war for the San Francisco 49ers, a war of never giving up and never retreating! And every fan at Candlestick Park was a soldier in this battle! Not just at Candlestick Park, at that moment, Anthony Tinozo, who was watching the game at "Joe's Bar," also felt the same surge of emotion. All the fans in the bar raised their glasses and slammed them on the table, making a rhythmic marching sound. Then, in a deep voice, they shouted: "War!"

That passionate and fiery emotion gradually infected everyone, and even Anthony couldn't control himself and joined the shouting. It wasn't just because the offense on the sideline was getting pumped up and ready to go all out, but also because over the past nine weeks, this team had won over every fan with their resilience and perseverance, and now they were all firmly united. The heartbeat of the city of San Francisco seemed to have been reawakened.

"War! War! War!"

That powerful momentum swept across the entire stadium!

With two minutes and fifteen seconds left, the score was 21-27. The starting position of the offense was the 49ers' 15-yard line, first and ten. The offense was back in the game. The special teams' kickoff was not successful. Anthony Dixon, who was responsible for the return, unfortunately couldn't find an opening. He started the return from the end zone and only made it to the 15-yard line before being tackled. The result was even worse than a fair catch in the end zone. But there was no time for regret, as the game clock had started ticking again.

First and ten. The San Francisco 49ers once again used their favored multiple-route offense. There were three receivers on the right and one on the left. Lu Ke also lined up in a shotgun formation, and Marcus Lynch stood in the slot receiver position on the left. This created a "three on the right, two on the left" shotgun formation. After recovering their rhythm in the third and early fourth quarters, the New York Giants were not afraid and lined up in a more aggressive defensive formation.

On the front line were four pass rushers, all positioned closer to the line, ready to aggressively attack the quarterback. The man-to-man coverage was also on the front line, with three linebackers and two cornerbacks, each covering one of the 49ers' five receivers. This spread out the entire defense and also compressed the space, making the offensive formation very obvious. The second line of defense consisted of two safeties. They were about fifteen yards away from the defensive line. One stood in the middle, and one stood on the right, which meant the left side was slightly open. The left side was the side with the 49ers' three receivers.

After three quarters of facing each other, the Giants seemed to have found the key to defending. They were able to contain the 49ers' unpredictable passing game and even showed the aggressiveness of their defense. At least, the 49ers hadn't been able to score in almost two quarters. That was a success! Now, the Giants were two minutes and fifteen seconds away from shutting them out in the second half.

Standing in the pocket, Lu Ke's mind was clearer and calmer than ever, even more so than in the first half when everything was going their way. The sound of his heart pounding against his chest was like thunder, making his skin feel warm. He gently rubbed his fingers, looking for that delicate feeling at his fingertips, then he shouted:

"Hut!"

Almost at the same moment of the shout, the five 49ers receivers all started running. Their routes were familiar, yet a little different. On the right, Logan Newman, Michael Crabtree, and Kyle Williams all started at the same time and sprinted, just like in a 100-meter final. The three of them were finalists, competing to see who had the fastest 40-yard dash time. And there were no changes of direction, they were all running in a straight line. On the left, Ted Ginn Jr. also started at the same time, sprinting in a straight line, immediately using his speed advantage to the fullest. Marcus Lynch was the only exception. He quickly took a small step and sprinted out just two or three yards, only two big steps, then immediately made a sharp 90-degree turn to the right, like a roaring sports car, and zipped past the defensive line.

The running routes were simple and unadorned, with no fancy tricks or tactics. It was as if they had decided to win with speed, aiming for a deadly deep pass to end the game and complete a comeback in one go. This seemed to be a classic characteristic of a rookie quarterback: losing his composure in a crucial moment and hoping to win with a single blow. But was this really Lu Ke?

"Straight lines. Besides Marcus Lynch, all the receivers are running in a straight line, using their speed to attack the deep field. Such running routes..." Kirk suddenly stopped mid-sentence. A lightbulb went off in his mind. He had seen this kind of play before when the 49ers played against the Dallas Cowboys.

The players ran their routes in a collective action, pushing forward with unstoppable force. When they got to a certain area, they would instantly scatter, like a cue ball breaking a rack of pool balls. It was impossible to defend against, and it completely disrupted the defensive alignment in that area. Even man-to-man coverage couldn't provide effective support, because Lu Ke's pass was completely unpredictable. This thought lasted only a moment, and then Kirk continued his commentary, "A blitz! The Giants' defensive line is launching a fierce blitz! What looks like a man-to-man defense has turned into a surprise blitz, and it's working perfectly! The 49ers' pocket is shrinking, and it's shrinking fast!"

"Lu Ke quickly adjusted his footwork, stepped back, scanned the field, and adjusted his lateral steps. His footwork is solid, and he's throwing the ball! The ball is much faster than we thought, it's a bullet pass, not a rainbow pass! My God, it's not a deep pass, it's not a deep pass! The Giants' defense has misread the play! The opportunity is here! The opportunity is here! Ted Ginn! It's Ted Ginn!"

After the snap, Ginn started sprinting like a 100-meter runner, trying to use his speed to the fullest. Especially with his teammates on the right side covering for him, the entire field became a track. The powerful force instantly created a wave of air, and the red jerseys all together looked like a huge bulldozer, sweeping forward. The visual impact, combined with the powerful force, was overwhelming!

Almost instinctively, the safeties in the second line of defense and the cornerbacks and linebackers in the man-to-man coverage started to backpedal, adjusting their footwork, and trying to keep up with the receivers' sprint to make a tackle. This was a natural reaction to a visual illusion.

After the snap, Ginn faked a shove on his defender, creating an opening, and then sped up. Sure enough, the defender also made a second push, accelerating to the maximum. The two of them ran one behind the other, like bullets shooting forward. In just a blink of an eye, after sprinting ten yards, Ginn slammed on the brakes. His hands were still in a powerful sprinting position, but his feet were planted, and he came to a complete stop. In his peripheral vision, he could see that the defender couldn't stop at all. The inertia and momentum from the continuous acceleration kept him going, and he ran right past Ginn, getting farther and farther away.

An opportunity!

With a small step, a turn, and a look back, Ginn quickly moved toward the left sideline, creating an open space. His body adjusted to the momentum, and then Lu Ke appeared in his line of sight. The next second, a bullet pass was fired at high speed toward his chest. Without any resistance or obstruction, and without needing a back-shoulder throw, Ginn easily caught the ball.

Immediately, the entire stadium erupted. The cheers and shouts burst out in an instant!

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