Dominate the Super Bowl

"God, Rover."

In the midst of the hustle and bustle, Li Wei immediately noticed Jacobs, who was down and not getting up amid the chaotic scramble for the ball. This wasn't Jacobs; this absolutely was not the reaction that should have come from Jacobs.

Few knew that Jacobs had been abandoned by his parents and had been shuttling between different institutions ever since elementary school. In high school, he even became homeless and roamed the streets. He had lived the life of a vagrant for a whole ten months.

He had to fight with others for food and also to defend his cardboard shelter, which was the only way he could avoid not seeing the next day's sun during the cold winter.

Had he not met a benefactor in the foster system who insisted that Jacobs return to school and also urged him to apply to college, Jacobs would have likely been found dead on the streets long ago; then later, he met Saban and Burns, who were willing to give him a chance to join Crimson Tide Storm.

So, all along, Jacobs was taciturn and just quietly trained. That was the only way he could repay his coaches and the only way he could change his life; he was more focused and more invested than anyone else.

To drop the ball, such a mistake was not something anyone wished to see, but if it ever happened, Jacobs's first reaction was always to scramble for it right there and regain control of the ball.

However, today he hadn't.

The silent yet resilient, stubborn yet combative Jacobs hadn't done so.

Li Wei's heart clenched tightly, an ominous premonition overshadowing his mind.

"Jesus Christ."

Li Wei cursed and immediately ran onto the field, quickly rushing over, parting the crowd, and then saw Jacobs clutching his knee, drenched in sweat and curled up on the ground like a shrimp, his heart sank.

"Medics."

"Medics!"

Jacobs clenched his teeth tightly, holding onto his knee with all his strength. Even though his forehead was sweating, his face was as pale as paper.

"Football, Li Wei, football!"

There was only one thought in Jacobs's mind as he looked at Li Wei desperately, pleadingly, hoping Li Wei would tell him that they hadn't lost possession of the ball.

He couldn't bear the harsh reality of having lost control of the ball himself.

But Li Wei knew, not only was he tired, but Jacobs too had reached his limit. They shouldn't forget that Jacobs was just an eighteen-year-old kid, still a high school student a few months ago, and this was just his first season. He had burned himself out just like everyone else in this game.

A mistake was never just a simple mistake.

However.

Looking at the sweating Jacobs, behind them came the wanton celebration noises of the Clemson Tigers, causing Howard and Hertz and their sanity to snap, tumultuously pushing and shoving with the opponents.

A ruckus ensued.

Li Wei turned sharply, all his anger, all his anxiety, all his fear, settling down, "Calm down? Every damn one of you, calm down!"

"What are you looking at, break them up, everyone calm down right now."

"Shut up, all of you shut up!"

A series of rebukes, Li Wei had his teammates separate the enraged bulls. He had no time to deal with them, turning back to Jacobs.

"Rover, calm down, first let's check out your knee."

Jacobs looked at Li Wei resolutely, shaking his head lightly, refusing to compromise, "No, Li Wei, no…"

His voice started to tremble uncontrollably, "No, I don't want to leave the field, I can't, Li Wei, no, I'm alright, I can still fight. I can."

The first part of his statement was a fierce threat.

The second part was stubborn resistance.

It seemed that Jacobs had already anticipated the behemoth that was waiting for him ahead. He clutched Li Wei's arm tightly, his fingertips involuntarily tightening, using force, more force, almost with all his strength.

But Li Wei didn't respond.

Jacobs looked into Li Wei's eyes, gradually succumbing to despair, little by little.

Eventually, it turned into a desperate plea.

"Li Wei, I want to finish this game. I want to fight with you all to the end. I'm not done, please, I can keep going, really. Really!"

Those pleas tugged mercilessly at Li Wei's heart, causing it also to sink uncontrollably.

Standing to the side, Hertz turned his head away, unable to bear the sight.

But Li Wei couldn't do that.

Li Wei had to face Jacobs's eyes, "Let's have it checked first, Rover. Let the medical team check it first. After all, the game isn't over yet."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Remember?"

"As a team, we embrace victory. As a team, we face defeat. Similarly, we also face difficulties and challenges as a team. You stand with us, we fight shoulder to shoulder, understand? Including you, we are the complete Crimson Tide Storm."

Word by word, Li Wei's speech calmed Jacobs down a bit, but his fingers, clutching Li Wei's arm, still refused to let go.

By now, the medical team had arrived, and Jacobs finally released his grip. Li Wei stepped aside to let the professionals swiftly conduct an on-site diagnosis.

Their expressions were grave as they immediately called for the stretcher cart—

The situation was very bad, worse than imagined.

Jacobs couldn't even stand up on his own anymore and had already lost sensation to pain. Intense pain had flooded his brain to the point where his pain nerves had become numb and unresponsive.

Ligaments.

That was Li Wei's first thought, and he knew all too well what that meant. Jacobs likely wouldn't be able to return to the field for the rest of the game, and what was worse, this was just the beginning—no one knew what was to come or what else they would have to face.

In a flurry, the medical team lifted Jacobs onto the stretcher.

Jacobs sat on the stretcher, no longer showing the pain and bewilderment, but instead looked up proudly, calmly surveying the surroundings, and meeting his teammates' eyes.

He was clapping, cheering his teammates on.

"Roar, Crimson Tide, roar!"

Clap clap clap.

Jacobs clapped hard, conveying a firm belief through his gaze, repeatedly, trying hard to widen his eyes to look at every single teammate.

Then the cart slowly left the field, and it was visible that the entire Crimson Tide Storm crowd collectively stood up, chanting in a heavy yet resolute tone.

"Josh! Roar!"

"Josh! Roar!"

Over and over, the stadium erupted.

This scene left Jacobs dumbfounded, staring blankly like a fool at the tumultuous Crimson Tide Storm crowd, and then he couldn't hold on any longer. He buried his face in his hands and began to cry out loud, his shaking shoulders no longer able to bear any weight, crumbling apart.

The Jacobs who never revealed any emotion, the Jacobs who never showed the slightest hint of vulnerability, the Jacobs known for his icy demeanor, was now crying like a child. His head and shoulders sagged, allowing scalding tears to wet his cheeks, and his silhouette revealed a touch of despair.

Unbidden, Li Wei heard again the whisper from Jacobs earlier, just before he was lifted onto the stretcher, while in his embrace.

"I'm sorry. Li Wei. I'm sorry sorry sorry, I'm really sorry."

He kept murmuring to himself over and over, pulled into the abyss by the anguish of self-blame and the despair of injury.

A bitter taste spread on Li Wei's tongue.

So, what comes next?