Anger was raging and boiling in his chest. Lu Ke felt like an active volcano that could erupt at any moment. The surging emotions slammed against his chest, causing a dull ache. He needed to calm down. An ice bath, a cold shower, or a fight—whatever it took, he needed to calm down, or he would explode at any moment.
So, his steps became faster and more forceful, unleashing a momentum that swept forward like a hurricane, creating a gust of wind. People on both sides of the path instinctively made way, watching with trepidation as Lu Ke fiercely suppressed his emotions. The powerful tension made every bystander feel a sense of fear.
With a muffled "bang," the locker room door was pushed open, but no one in the locker room seemed to notice. Everyone was arguing loudly, completely absorbed in their own world. The defense was condemning the offense, the offense was condemning the defense, and the special teams became the target of both sides. The defense was shoving the defense, and the offense was cursing the offense. It seemed that everyone had an endless amount of anger to vent, or they would instantly ignite and turn into a pile of ashes.
The incessant chatter hit his eardrums like a million flies buzzing around his ears. It was so annoying that all his self-control was completely lost. Lu Ke clenched his fist and slammed it hard against the locker room door, the impact of his fist against the steel creating a loud "clang, clang."
"Shut up! Shut up! All of you, shut the fuck up!"
Lu Ke roared viciously and violently. His powerful roar forcefully suppressed all the noise. The entire locker room instantly fell silent. All eyes turned to Lu Ke, and they saw Lu Ke, who had transformed into the Hulk. Lu Ke, who had never lost his temper, who had never lost control, was now bursting with an incredible amount of energy, and every player was completely stunned.
He clenched his teeth tightly, but the anger continued to pour out. "Shut up! All of you, shut your damn mouths! Shut up!" Lu Ke roared like a lion. The deep voice from his core echoed throughout the locker room, and even the hallways could hear the lingering echoes.
Iupati, Willis, and the others who had just arrived were also stunned. They looked at Lu Ke's tensed muscles, and even from his back, they could feel the immense energy sweeping through like a destructive force, causing everyone to instinctively shut their mouths. They even held their breath, afraid that the slightest sound would enrage Lu Ke and turn them into ashes.
Lu Ke strode into the locker room, and the door swayed shut. Iupati and the others hurried after him, tiptoeing into the locker room and carefully closing the door, blocking all prying eyes. But then, they regretted it. Maybe they should have stayed outside instead of inside. Unfortunately, it was too late now.
"What are you doing? You're acting like a bunch of high school students, blaming each other and pushing the blame onto others. Is that all? You're acting like sore losers! Damn it! Damn every one of you!"
Lu Ke stood in the center of the locker room, his vicious and brutal gaze sweeping across the room. The bloodshot eyes burst with a ruthless killing intent. No one dared to look him in the eye. The entire locker room was silent. Everyone looked away, trying to erase their presence.
"If anyone should be venting their anger, it should be me, the damn quarterback!" Lu Ke's anger finally completely broke free. Once it erupted, he could no longer suppress it, and he had no intention of doing so. At this moment, he was truly and utterly furious. "Nine times! Nine fucking times! Nine total sacks! Were you all scuba diving in the Pacific? Where was my offensive line? Where was my damn offensive line?"
"Nine times! Jesus Christ! What do you all think I am? A bus or an open bar, to be taken advantage of? Huh? Anyone can just come in? Huh? Can anyone just rush in, have their way, and then pull up their pants and leave? Is that how it is?"
"Even an open bar would be dead after serving nine guests in one night! Where the fuck were you all? Damn it!" He took a deep breath, but Lu Ke still couldn't hold it in and yelled again, "Damn it!"
Standing next to him, Logan Newman suddenly felt a wave of amusement. "Open bar," "nine guests." The description was too simple and crude, and it was... so unlike Lu Ke. The absurdity hit him by surprise, and without a thought, Logan let out a small laugh.
In the dead silent locker room, that little laugh was so obvious that it was instantly heard by everyone. All eyes turned to Logan. Now, Logan felt the sensation of being pierced by a thousand arrows. He quickly lowered his head, pretending he didn't know what was going on.
"Logan-fucking-Newman, damn you! Damn it! Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!" Lu Ke immediately noticed Logan standing next to him and was filled with rage. A wave of emotions instantly swept over him, and a series of curses erupted. The locker room was once again in absolute silence. Logan pressed his head down even further, trying to erase his presence.
"Catch the damn ball! I need my offensive line, I need my receivers, I need my shameless tight ends, I need my offense to put on their pants and show up on that damn field! Damn it!"
"It's just one fucking regular season game, and you all are acting like you're possessed, with no spirit, and then you blame each other in the team, like a bunch of little high school girls, crying and pushing the blame! You're all men! Can't you take responsibility for your own mistakes and just admit that this game was a pile of shit! That every one of you performed like a pile of fucking shit! Every single one!"
"Did you get carried away with the five-game winning streak? Do you want to try a seven-game losing streak after a five-game winning streak? We've already got two, and there are five more waiting for us. Jesus-fucking-Christ! Should we just hand over our playoff spot to our opponents and let all of our efforts from the past eight years go down the drain? Let all of our perseverance this season go to the dogs?"
"With this kind of performance today, even if we get into the playoffs, we'll be like a helpless weak woman lying on the floor, letting our opponents have their way! We won't even put up a fight. So what should we do? Should we just enjoy it? Damn it!"
"If all you want to do is get a taste of being in the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons, then damn you! You're a bunch of cowards! You're damn cowards! I want to win, I want to win in the playoffs, I want to win the Super Bowl! What if it's the Baltimore Ravens? If they stand in the way of the Super Bowl, I will run them over, not hide in a corner and cry like a sissy!"
"Look at yourselves, go take a piss and look at yourselves, with your pathetic faces, no spirit at all. You lose a game, and you take off your pants too? Damn it! The guys who were on the field today were a disgrace, but compared to the guys who are in the locker room blaming each other, those bastards are heroes!"
"Is this all the energy you have? Is this what you call a tough-guy sport? Get lost!"
"When I first joined the team, you said I was the softest one? You said I didn't deserve to be a starting player? Ha, now look at yourselves. Look at your ugly faces. Who's the sissy here! Get out! All of you, get out!"
It was a cathartic release. Lu Ke let out all the anger in his chest. He was even incoherent. He didn't even know what he was saying. He just blurted out whatever came to mind, releasing all his negative emotions. The volcano had completely lost control and was just erupting, continuously erupting.
There was no other sound in the locker room. Not even Pares Haralson and Colin Kaepernick, who always liked to disagree, said a word. There was not a single sound except for Lu Ke's rough and violent voice, which echoed throughout the locker room like firecrackers.
After he finally finished venting, Lu Ke strode toward the shower head. But the more he thought about it, the angrier and more resentful he became. The last two weeks had been too frustrating. He was angry at his teammates, and he was angry at himself. In the end, he couldn't hold back and slammed his fist hard against a nearby locker.
One punch, then another, then another. At the same time, he was cursing violently, "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" He used all his strength to slam his fist on the locker door, his muscles aching, before he finally stormed into the shower, turned on the cold water, and truly calmed himself down.
In the locker room, the only sound was the running water from Lu Ke's shower. It was drizzling. All the other players looked at each other, their eyes still filled with disbelief. Then they looked at the dented locker and couldn't help but shiver.
Silently, all the players lowered their heads. No one spoke, and no one talked. They began to pack up in an orderly fashion. After the anger, the fury, and the frustration, all the negative emotions had settled down, and everyone had finally truly calmed down.
When Jim Harbaugh entered the locker room, he expected a difficult situation, but instead, it was peaceful. He was also full of questions: What's going on?
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