Chapter 475: With You on the Journey
Lu Ke leaned back in his seat, his eyes closed. With large headphones on, he was immersed in the music, completely blocking out all the noise. He gradually relaxed, only faintly feeling the team bus slow down and sway. This meant they were about to arrive at the airport. Today, the San Francisco 49ers would be flying out to start their road trip this week.
Suddenly, a strong force pushed his shoulder, shaking him forcefully. Then someone pulled off Lu Ke's headphones, and a commotion of shouts instantly hit his eardrums. "Bambi! Bambi! Look!"
Lu Ke opened his eyes, took off his headphones, and looked helplessly at Logan Newman next to him. But before he could even ask what was going on, the sight in front of him grabbed all of his attention. Everyone was standing up, scrambling to the side of the bus they were on. Their eyes were all fixed on the same direction, and their faces were filled with excitement, anticipation, and joy, all completely undisguised. The bus was bustling with chattering and discussion.
By reflex, Lu Ke also turned his head and saw a massive red sea outside the window. The surging ocean of red stretched in a straight line along the road and slowly moved with the team bus, as if the entire world was flowing.
They were the 49ers. No words or communication were needed; Lu Ke could tell at a glance that they were the 49ers, the team's most loyal supporters, the faithful guardians of every game at Candlestick Park. The countless unfamiliar and blurry faces were all submerged in the red home jerseys, creating a huge splash of color that instantly filled every corner of his vision. They were waving their hands high, jumping excitedly, and shouting names, using every method they could to convey their passion and support.
This brought back memories. After the road loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the same kind of crowd appeared at San Francisco International Airport. These were the most lovable people in the world, who gave the team strength and supported them to regroup with their actions. And today, as the team headed to play the Arizona Cardinals, who had just defeated them, they showed up again, giving their unwavering cheers and shouts.
Then, Lu Ke saw a group of Chinese faces in the crowd. In the surging sea of people, they looked like an insignificant little cluster, maybe thirty to fifty people, all mixed in with the rest of the crowd and hard to identify. But their signs were especially noticeable. Some even had Lu Ke's Chinese name written in traditional calligraphy, which easily stood out among all the English.
Lu Ke couldn't help but smile. A gentle warmth surged in his chest, and then his blood began to boil. Adrenaline made him feel incredibly excited. Even when traveling for an away game, they were not alone. These fans were always fighting and traveling with them. That powerful spiritual force was truly what brought the entire team together.
No wonder Logan's voice was distorted with excitement. He was grinning and exclaiming, "Hey, look, look, that's my sign! Do you see it? Number 88, haha!" This caused a wave of exclamations as other players emphasized how popular they were. It was no wonder the other teammates were also standing up, in the aisle and next to their seats, happily waving to the fans outside the window. However, the ones who couldn't hold back were all the young players. Lu Ke looked back and saw the veteran players, like Patrick Willis, sitting calmly in their seats, trying to maintain a composed expression.
In the midst of all the excitement, the team bus slowly came to a stop. Only then did everyone realize their lack of composure. They all quickly sat down and pretended to be calm, as if nothing had happened, acting cool. But the constant darting of their eyes and their eager body language betrayed their inner excitement.
Through the windows, they could see all the fans gathered at the bus door, creating an orderly and neat path that led directly to the departure hall. Everyone was lined up on both sides of the path, their faces filled with excitement and surprise, like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment.
Bobby Engram stood at the front of the bus and said, "Everyone, get off the bus in order. Don't panic, don't crowd. You can greet the fans briefly, but don't stop for too long to avoid causing a traffic jam. Okay, now let's get off the bus. Let's thank the fans for their support."
The players started getting off the bus one after another, and the air began to bubble and boil. A restless, hot, and excited atmosphere was spreading quickly. Lu Ke and Logan, laughing and talking, followed the offensive linemen off the bus.
"Aaaah!"
The cheers and shouts suddenly went out of control. If before it was the roar of car horns during rush hour, now it was ten jet planes taking off at the same time. The powerful noise swept through, instantly drowning out all other sounds. Even their eardrums began to tremble slightly, as if the surging sound waves were directly beating against their eardrums like drumsticks.
Logan, who was about to step out, was frozen in his tracks, his heart skipping a beat. He looked around in a panicked state, like a small fox running on a frozen river, listening for any subtle sound of cracking ice, as if he would disappear in an instant if there was the slightest movement. Lu Ke, who was standing behind him, was also startled, but he couldn't help but laugh at Logan's appearance.
"Bambi! Bambi! Aaaah!"
"Bambi! Go! Go!"
"Bambi! Go teach those rednecks a lesson!"
The cheers and shouts rose and fell. In the midst of all the chaotic and fragmented sounds, the only word that could be clearly heard was "Bambi." It was everywhere, and Logan immediately understood. Logan then turned around, gave Lu Ke a big smile, and returned to the steps of the bus. He stood side by side with Lu Ke, hooked his arm around Lu Ke's shoulder, and waved his left hand to the fans with a bright smile on his face. This brazen act of using Lu Ke's popularity for his own benefit was both funny and endearing, and the cheers from the crowd actually got even louder. Lu Ke couldn't help but smile.
Then, Lu Ke followed Logan off the bus and started walking along the path of welcoming fans. The crowd on both sides immediately surged forward. People were desperately reaching out their hands, trying to pat Lu Ke on the shoulder. But since their aim was off, they ended up hitting him all over the place, even on his cheeks. At the same time, there were deafening shouts and screams everywhere, as if a popular celebrity was making a grand entrance. Lu Ke and Logan's walk became more and more difficult.
Bobby, who was standing at the bus door maintaining order, had not anticipated this turn of events. He watched the scene unfold with a stunned expression. Although everyone had been saying that Lu Ke was the most popular and attention-grabbing player on the San Francisco 49ers team, they had always thought it was just a theoretical statement and that the reality would be a different story. It was only today that Bobby truly realized that Lu Ke's appeal in this city had reached a whole new level. Just his presence was enough to drive everyone crazy.
The clearly defined path that led to the departure hall was now being uncontrollably closed. Players from the 49ers were walking in front of them, and others had just arrived at the bus door. But now, the path was closing in on them. With Lu Ke and Logan at the center, the path was cut off both in front and behind. The crowd behind them surged forward, and the scene descended into chaos. It was as if Moses had parted the Red Sea with his staff, and now the sea was closing in, cutting off the path. The only difference was that a small area of land was left in the middle. Did this mean that Lu Ke and Logan were... Moses?
When Bobby realized this, his jaw almost dropped. He couldn't believe his eyes. But his shock only lasted for a moment. Bobby immediately realized the urgency of the situation and started waving to the airport security, asking them to maintain order. But it was a difficult task. The number of fans who had come to the San Francisco airport to see them off was over three thousand, completely blocking the path and the hall. The home team's fans were expressing their support and belief in a simple and direct way, as if this was another form of home-field support.
It had been a long time since the San Francisco 49ers had seen a sight like this. So many long-lost sights had appeared this year that they were now slowly becoming commonplace. In the surging crowd, Lu Ke and Logan were like two droplets of water in the ocean. They couldn't resist. Even if they wanted to escape, they couldn't find a way out. In the end, they could only stand there and wait for order to be restored.
Countless hands patted Lu Ke's body, and it was impossible to defend against all of them. Lu Ke strongly suspected that even if he had a thousand hands, he would still be powerless to stop them. Not to mention he only had two. Countless shouts hit Lu Ke's eardrums, and even his skin started to feel a burning pain. Despite the cold winter weather, Lu Ke was already sweating. The atmosphere was so overwhelming that it was almost frightening. His heart was burning with passion.
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