Chapter 354 - 230: Breaking the World Record
Unlike the bigwigs in the top-level suites, who all smiled as they watched the Eagles’ linebacker lunge.
Down below, in the players’ friends and family suite.
When Jin Heon saw it happen, her heart nearly jumped into her throat. Only when she saw Li Wei turn to dodge the hit and throw the ball, completely unscathed, did she finally allow herself to relax.
However, when she saw the head referee remain unmoved, Jin Heon’s brow furrowed tightly once more.
The coffee in her cup was gone, with only ice cubes rattling around inside, yet she still brought it to her lips for a sip from time to time.
"Fucking bastards... are these people insane?"
she muttered to herself, her eyes fixed on the slow-motion replay on the big screen.
Although she only had a partial understanding of football’s tactics and rules, even a layman could see the immense risk and malicious intent in that dangerous move by the Eagles.
If Li Wei hadn’t dodged... Her mind uncontrollably started to picture the scene: Li Wei collapsing in agony, being carried off on a stretcher, and then a doctor announcing a torn ligament—a career-ending injury.
If Li Wei went down, the small foothold she had painstakingly carved out for herself in this cruel city of New York... everything would burst like a soap bubble in an instant. Her dream of buying her dream villa, her ambition to give her mother a good life—it would all be gone. She would have to start from scratch.
Judging by what happened, they were clearly targeting Li Wei. She had to do something.
"No... absolutely not..." Pacing anxiously around the spacious suite, she muttered, "Mr. Don Quixote isn’t here... he went upstairs for a meeting... What can I do..."
"Calm down, Xiaojin, calm down," she whispered to herself. ’You’re the most resourceful one here.’
Chen Haisheng had gone to do what Li Wei had asked, leaving her all alone in the huge suite.
Suddenly, she strode to the sofa and snatched up her laptop.
’This head referee was so close, yet he didn’t give a single warning,’ she thought, staring at the information she had just pulled up on him. ’Even a blind man could have seen that. He’s definitely dirty!’
She quickly contacted the sports influencers and media studios that had already signed NDAs with her. Then, she marked up a still image—highlighting the trajectory of the Eagles linebacker’s diving helmet, the position of Li Wei’s knee, and the head referee’s expression—and sent it out.
She sneered, "Trying to ruin my boss’s career? Let’s see if you can withstand the public backlash."
The power of public opinion might not be able to overturn the referee’s call, but it could definitely put immense pressure on the opposition in the future. If the pressure was great enough, it might be able to alleviate Li Wei’s current predicament from the outside.
This was also Jin Heon’s way of working. She had to prove she was useful.
「On the field.」
"You’re not going to call that?" Li Wei, his brow furrowed under his helmet, stepped forward to confront the head referee. "That was a blatant malicious foul!"
"The weather in New York has been a bit damp recently," the head referee said flatly. "The turf is a little slippery. It’s possible he just lost his footing."
Li Wei was about to go off on him, but then he glanced at the sideline and saw his head coach with a hand on his hip. He suddenly laughed.
He looked up toward the top-level suites.
’Since the ref is pretending to be blind, I don’t have to act anymore.’
The next down began.
Li Wei stood at the Quarterback position, looking at the Eagles’ defense across from him. They looked like a pack of ravenous beasts, their eyes filled with ferocity, ready to devour him whole once again.
He didn’t rush to snap the ball.
On the big screen, the 40-second play clock ticked down, second by second.
seconds... 20 seconds... 10 seconds...
High above MetLife Stadium, a heavy broadcast helicopter kept its HD camera locked tightly on Li Wei.
On screens in front of more than twenty million viewers across America, an extremely clear close-up of his face appeared.
Beneath the deep blue helmet, the smile on Li Wei’s face was completely gone. His deep-set eyes, seen through his face mask, no longer held their usual playful light. In its place was a chilling stillness, like a polar ice cap.
"Look!" Joe Buck shouted. "The smile is gone from Li Wei’s face."
"Joe, I have a bad feeling about this," Troy added after a pause. "That move by the Philadelphia Eagles might have really made Li Wei angry."
"Why isn’t he snapping the ball?"
"Because he’s going to run the clock all the way down on this offensive series," Joe Buck explained. "He’s managing the score. He’s not just stalling, he... he wants to win!"
"Even when facing a powerful enemy, outnumbered, and with all the odds stacked against him, he still wants to win! He *has* to win!"
"An absolute hero! Pure individual heroism! He wants to be the savior of the Giants!"
As if to prove the commentator’s prediction, the play clock on the field was down to the last two seconds!
"Hike!"
Li Wei barked the command and took the ball from the center, but he didn’t take a single step back to survey his receivers. He didn’t even glance at his teammates.
He wasn’t going to pass.
Facing the Eagles’ defensive tackles—each weighing over 300 pounds—who surged in like a tide, Li Wei clutched the ball tightly with both hands and charged straight at the thickest part of the Eagles’ defensive line.
At least half the crowd involuntarily rose to their feet.
However, just as everyone expected Li Wei’s body to collide with the two 300-pound defensive tackles, he suddenly launched himself into the air. With a side flip, he soared an unbelievable two meters straight up, flying right over the tackles’ heads.