American Adventure: My Uncle is Don Quixote

"This isn’t a good idea... Dexter," the backup guard’s voice trembled. "There are way too many people watching today."

Guards are part of the offensive line, primarily responsible for protecting the Quarterback—in this case, Li Wei—from being attacked, and for creating openings for the running back.

If he were to deliberately slip or let a Seattle Seahawks linebacker through, Li Wei would be completely unprotected against a multi-man rush.

"What’re you afraid of? It doesn’t matter how many people are watching. It’s just the preseason, a time to practice plays," Lawrence growled, glaring at him before his eyes swept over the few guys from his defensive unit standing nearby. "That goes for you, too. If any of you try to give him a hand on that field, I guarantee your NFL careers will disappear faster than the foam on a beer."

「The scene shifts from bustling New Jersey to a VIP suite in Manhattan’s Mount Sinai Hospital.」

The tranquility here was a stark contrast to the fervor of the stadium. From an inner room of the suite, the faint beeping of medical equipment could be heard. Sarah, whose due date was fast approaching, was on bed rest.

In the spacious outer living room, Mark, who had just officially started his job at Merrill Lynch Securities, stared at a close-up of Li Wei on the wall-mounted TV.

「Meanwhile, inside the Mellon Art Gallery in Brooklyn, Elizabeth listened to the live broadcast through an earpiece while directing workers to move pieces of art, each worth hundreds of thousands to millions of USD, into the exhibition area.」

TWEEEET!

With a shrill blast of the head referee’s whistle, the game between the New York Giants and the Seattle Seahawks officially kicked off.

The moment both teams’ special units lined up for the kickoff, a sudden roar erupted from the east stands of MetLife Stadium, loud enough to drown out the field’s PA system. In the next instant, that roar swept through the entire stadium like a tsunami.

Joe Buck shot up from his seat in the commentator’s booth, pointing at the broadcast monitor and shouting, "My God! Troy, are you seeing this? Look at the east stands!"

The broadcast camera quickly pulled back to a panoramic view of the entire MetLife Stadium. In the east stands, which had moments before been a chaotic mix of jersey colors, fans across three whole sections—more than six thousand seats—raised large, custom-designed, glowing LED signs in perfect unison.

With stunningly precise coordination and computer control, a blinding, dark-gold light pieced itself together across the stands like a jigsaw puzzle. Finally, before the eyes of the entire nation watching the live broadcast, it formed a single massive word stretching over a hundred meters wide—

KING

And directly below the word "KING" was a massive number "1," representing Li Wei.

Li Wei caught sight of the dazzling display in his peripheral vision, a wry, amused smile gracing his lips.

’That’s Anya’s financial superpower for you,’ he thought. ’A one-game display like this must have cost at least a million USD.’

"Hut!"

Li Wei clapped, calling for the ball. The instant it was in his hands, his ’Predetermined Path’ ability transformed the entire field into a precise coordinate system before his eyes. The Seahawks linebacker’s blitzing path, the vulnerability in the cornerback’s stance, even the slightest shift in the safety’s center of gravity—all of it was as clear as data on a highlighted display.

There was no wasted motion, not a hint of hesitation. Just as the Seahawks’ 300-pound defensive tackle broke through the first line of defense and lunged at him with a roar, his fingertips still a full yard and a half from Li Wei’s facemask—

WHOOSH!

The football left Li Wei’s hand in a perfect spiral, soaring twenty yards like a precision-guided cruise missile before landing flawlessly in the arms of a Giants wide receiver who had broken into open space.

First down!

For the rest of the first half, Li Wei gave the bloodthirsty defenders no opportunity for physical contact. His release was so quick that it was all the Seahawks players could do to react.

Time and again, the defensive linemen charged at full speed, only to find themselves tackling the patch of turf where Li Wei had been standing just a moment before.

When the halftime whistle blew, the scoreboard displayed a jaw-dropping score: 28 to 15. The Giants were leading by a wide margin.

"I have to say, ladies and gentlemen, the Giants are a different team this year," Joe announced, reading off the first-half stats. "An 89% completion rate, three passing touchdowns, zero sacks, and an average release time under two seconds. That’s not the kind of stat line you expect from a rookie. I’m telling every other team in the NFL right now: the King has truly arrived. The NFL is about to welcome its new monarch, and he might just reign for a very long time."

As the second half began, the situation took a sudden turn.

As is customary in the NFL preseason, the starters usually sit out the second half. However, Li Wei’s passing efficiency in the first half had been so terrifyingly effective that Giants head coach Dabor decided to let him lead the second-string offense for one full drive. He wanted to test Li Wei’s composure under pressure without the benefit of perfect pocket protection.

When Li Wei put his helmet back on and jogged onto the field, a subtle, uneasy ripple spread through the previously jubilant MetLife Stadium. The reason was clear: standing in front of him was not the rock-solid starting offensive line from the first half, but a few tense-faced rookie backups.

"Both teams are lining up! And we can see, the Giants have brought in their second-string offensive line," Joe Buck said from the commentator’s booth, his eyes glued to the screen. "But the Seahawks have kept their notoriously ferocious defensive tackles on the field. For any rookie Quarterback, that is an extremely dangerous sign."

"Hut!"

The instant the center snapped the ball, an absurd and chilling scene unfolded before millions of viewers across the nation.

The left guard slipped and fell on his first step, a ridiculously clumsy move that looked like he’d stepped on a banana peel.

Meanwhile, the right guard was instantly thrown off balance by a simple feint, not even bothering to get a hand on his man to slow the rush.

The U-shaped pocket that was supposed to protect the Quarterback disintegrated in less than half a second.

"Oh my God! The Giants’ pocket has completely collapsed!" Joe Buck’s voice cracked with undisguised horror.

The director’s wide-angle shot captured a staggering image: Li Wei stood all alone in the backfield. Directly in front of him were three Seahawks defensive linemen who had completely shed their blocks. Averaging over 330 pounds each, this pack of hungry beasts was now charging, unimpeded, at full speed—nearly 15 miles per hour—straight for Li Wei.