The drinking contest was filled with more young people, and all the rookies were gathered there. The dart game, on the other hand, was exclusively for veteran players.
Besides Patrick Willis, there were Alex Smith, Vernon Davis, Parys Haralson, NaVorro Bowman, Jonathan Goodwin, and David Akers. From the offensive team to the defensive and special teams, all the true veteran players of the San Francisco 49ers were huddled together.
Although the internal conflicts within the team didn't seem to escalate, the players' interactions had gradually formed their own circles. Rookies were closer to other rookies, and players of a similar age or who joined the team at the same time were also more familiar with each other. This was an inevitable part of social networking.
"How do we play darts?" Lu Ke's face was filled with a cheerful smile as he scanned the people around him.
Parys's expression was still not very good. He took half a step forward, trying to say something. But Willis turned around and gave Parys a hard stare. Then Parys looked at Alex, but Alex took the initiative to step forward. "Five darts. The one with the most points wins. Simple and clear."
After today's game, the San Francisco 49ers' team gradually united. They had rediscovered the same belief: the desire to win. But this didn't mean that Lu Ke was suddenly loved by everyone. Let's not even talk about Parys. Even with Willis, who had invited him on the plane, Lu Ke and he couldn't be considered friends. They were just teammates who had just broken through their barriers.
Friendship doesn't appear out of thin air. Likewise, camaraderie isn't just handed to you. Lu Ke had only been with the team for two months, and there was no denying that.
"What's the wager?" Lu Ke leaned against a wooden pillar. His cheeks were slightly red, seemingly from chugging so much beer earlier. Even his eyes were a little dazed as he said with a light laugh.
The question caught Alex off guard. He had only thought about playing a game of darts and hadn't considered a wager. It was Vernon who stepped forward. "Running naked on the street outside the bar and back. What do you say? Do you dare?"
Lu Ke smiled and nodded without any hesitation. "Are you sure? I'm a quarterback. You guys remember that, right?" Power control, arc control, and accuracy control were a quarterback's signature skills. They were also Lu Ke's signature skills that allowed him to be the starting quarterback.
"Ha. This guy's got guts," Willis said with a sigh. NaVorro, who was standing next to him, shrugged. "If he didn't have guts, he wouldn't be able to throw those long passes."
Willis laughed happily and nodded in agreement. "But, are you sure you've played darts before? If you lose, we're going to record it and post it for the whole team to see." Darts relies on wrist strength and control. Although it's also a throwing sport, the principles are different.
In fact, the reason they called Lu Ke over was very simple.
It was a little prank between the veteran players and the undrafted rookie. They were certain they would win and humiliate Lu Ke once, and then they would let bygones be bygones. But what if Lu Ke won? This would mean that Lu Ke had earned their respect in their own way, and the past conflicts would also be forgotten.
Of course, as a rookie player, Lu Ke, like the other rookies, still had to do the miscellaneous tasks of cleaning up training equipment and the locker room. He had no special privileges. But besides that, the veteran players wouldn't deliberately make things difficult for Lu Ke. Not even Parys would.
Lu Ke wasn't aware of the whole story, but he vaguely sensed that things weren't as simple as they seemed. However, he didn't care. He shrugged. "How about this? Let's make it more exciting. Five darts. Each dart must hit a specific area in order. For example, the first one must hit the outermost green area. If you miss, you miss. If you hit it later, it doesn't count. In the end, we'll see who has the highest accuracy out of the five. What do you say?"
If it were just about the score of the five darts, it would be too simple. Even if you missed one, the other four could still save the day. In professional darts competitions, there were many cases of people turning the game around with the last throw. But with Lu Ke's rules, the five darts were five separate opportunities, and missing even one could be fatal.
This was much more exciting, a bit like a penalty shootout.
So bold, so arrogant, so exciting. He really was fearless. But Willis couldn't figure out for a moment whether Lu Ke was just bluffing or if he was confident he would win.
"What's wrong? You guys don't have enough confidence?" On the surface, Lu Ke was talking about the dart game and challenging their confidence. But his gaze inadvertently drifted to the lower bodies of Vernon, Willis, and the others, as if to imply that the veteran players were worried about losing and even more worried that their manhood might become a laughingstock.
With one sentence, he accomplished three things.
Parys couldn't take it anymore and jumped out, shouting, "Let's do it! It's decided!"
Lu Ke raised his eyebrows, revealing a look of surprise. "I thought this was a game between me and Vernon. What about the punishment? My wager is just me, but your wager is all of you? Or should I play against Vernon first and then Parys?"
One surprise after another. The veteran players also exchanged glances, asking for each other's opinions, and they couldn't give an answer right away. Then, Lu Ke laughed softly and didn't say anything more. He just tilted his head, but in the eyes of Willis and the others, the meaning was clear:
He was teasing the veteran players for being afraid of losing.
Willis clapped his hands and laughed. "Now I know you're an interesting guy." Not just on the field, but off the field as well. "Have you ever considered becoming a professional Texas Hold'em player? Your poker face is perfect." His opponents could barely guess what his real cards were.
"I'll add it to my retirement list," Lu Ke said with a chuckle.
Willis snapped his fingers. "Then it's settled. If you lose, you have to take off all your clothes, including your underwear. If you win, all of us have to run in our underwear."
This was clearly unfair.
But Lu Ke didn't rush to protest. He thought for a moment and then added, "Okay, with one condition. If I win, all the players can watch from the entrance, and you're not allowed to sneak away. You have to do it in front of everyone."
"Deal!" Willis made the decision.
For a long time, the San Francisco 49ers' locker room was led by Parys, but after spending some time with them, Lu Ke gradually discovered that the real authorities were Alex Smith, Patrick Willis, and Jonathan Goodwin.
The reason Parys was giving the orders was because he was more lively, enthusiastic, and impulsive. He was suitable for motivating people, while the other players were more low-key. But at crucial moments, Parys's words clearly didn't carry enough weight.
Lu Ke stood up straight and walked to the dart throwing line. "So, who are you sending up?"
To his surprise, it wasn't Alex but Vernon. Throwing a dart and throwing a football were two completely different sports.
...
Fifteen minutes later, Lu Ke gently clapped his hands, a cheerful smile on his face. "Whew, that was a close game. Very close."
Lu Ke hit all five darts according to the rules and in order. Vernon hit three.
Then, Lu Ke nodded politely, turned around, and raised his arms. "Guys! Someone's going streaking! Let's go! Let's go cheer them on!"
"What? Who?" "Wow, the stakes are so high!" "Haha, this is exciting, so exciting!" "Record it! Hurry up and record it! Post it on YouTube. Maybe it'll go viral!"
All the players started cheering. Meanwhile, the few team leaders who were standing still looked at each other. NaVorro looked at Alex with a confused expression. "Do you think he did it on purpose?"
Alex suddenly found it both absurd and funny. He couldn't help but laugh. "He warned us."
"But..." Parys's face was full of shock and reluctance, and he was still trying to argue. But Willis patted Parys's shoulder. "Let's go. We made a bet, and we lost. I told you this kid wasn't simple. Think about it. A Chinese-American player who's been able to stick with it from middle school to college and now to the pros can't do it just with perseverance. The NFL isn't the only one teaching rookies lessons."
Vernon stood still and thought for a moment. Finally, he couldn't help himself and walked over to Lu Ke. "Did you ever think about letting me have one? At least it wouldn't be so embarrassing to lose."
"Did you need me to?" Lu Ke didn't argue but instead asked a question back.
If Lu Ke was sure he was going to win but deliberately gave in, it would have been an insult to Vernon. In competitive sports, the greatest respect you can give your opponent is to give it your all.
Vernon was stunned for a moment, then laughed to himself. He patted Lu Ke's shoulder heavily, trying to say something, but he couldn't express it accurately. In the end, he patted Lu Ke's shoulder again and shouted, "Let's go, let's go streaking!" He was the first to lead the way out of the bar.
In an instant, all the players started cheering. They were already high on alcohol and excitement, and with this, they went even crazier. All the players swarmed out and onto the street outside the bar.
At this time, it was already past 1:00 AM. The street was empty, and there weren't many people around. Most of the team's players came out, and the street immediately became lively. They were howling and chanting, "Strip! Strip! Strip! All of you, strip!"
With both applause and heckling, the party truly reached its climax at this moment. In a trance, it was as if they hadn't lost the game today but had won, and they were now holding a victory celebration. They cheered in unison, shouted together, and were incredibly noisy.
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