Lu Ke stood on the twenty-yard line on the right side of the field, exactly where Kevin had started his throw. But what was Logan doing? After crossing the midfield, he kept going. Was he running the wrong route, or had he lost his mind? Did Logan actually believe Lu Ke could make a longer throw than Kevin?
This was absolutely ridiculous!
Just then, Logan finally stopped. He was about five yards past the midfield line, at the forty-five-yard line on the left side of the field, roughly thirty-five yards away from Lu Ke.
The onlookers' hearts, which had been stuck in their throats, slowly returned to their chests. This position seemed much more reliable. If Lu Ke's throw wasn't strong enough, Logan could run back to catch the ball. This might even be a clever play to trick the defenders. No one believed Lu Ke could exceed Kevin's earlier throw.
No one.
Lu Ke stopped and weighed the football in his hand. The field was incredibly noisy. The starting players were chattering away, paying no attention to Lu Ke's throw because they didn't believe he could succeed, especially with a thirty-yard pass. At this moment, they were watching a joke, a circus act—ridiculous and stupid.
However, Lu Ke wasn't bothered at all. He focused completely on the football, the arc of the throw, and the ideal position. His fingers meticulously felt the ball, sensing its shape, weight, and texture—the feel, to be precise.
Looking up, Lu Ke eyed Logan's position, then glanced at the defender. He lifted his chin, signaling he was ready and began to adjust his stance. Suddenly, Logan started sprinting without warning. He was running at an incredible speed toward the other end of the field, increasing the distance between himself and Lu Ke.
The defender was stunned. He hadn't anticipated this at all. By the time he reacted and began to defend, two seconds had already passed. He wasn't the only one; all the players on the sidelines were also shocked. The chatter ceased instantly, and the field fell into a dead silence. Everyone's eyes were filled with shock, disbelief, and alarm.
Lu Ke adjusted his footing, aiming at Logan out of the corner of his eye. Without a moment of hesitation, he threw the football. It spun steadily and quickly like a shuttle, tracing a beautiful arc. It looked like a scimitar tearing through the sky, flying with pinpoint accuracy toward Logan's position.
What was Lu Ke trying to do?
This question barely had time to form in Anthony Jefferson's mind before it went blank. Acting on pure instinct, he focused on the football as it whistled through the air. The perfect parabola allowed him to make an immediate judgment: this was a game-changing, super long pass. But what about the accuracy? Anyone could throw a long ball; it was just a wild heave. The real question was the landing spot—was it accurate?
It crossed the thirty-yard line on the right, the forty-yard line, the midfield... and didn't slow down. It then passed the forty-yard line on the left, the thirty-yard line, and flew directly toward Logan, who was now standing on the twenty-yard line.
With the defender unable to catch up, Logan calmly adjusted his steps, turned around, and kept his eyes fixed on the football. Even more astonishingly, the ball seemed to have eyes. It fell with perfect accuracy toward Logan's position, with a margin of error of no more than three steps.
The ball's descent suddenly accelerated, and it seemed to lose some momentum, wobbling slightly. Its stable, shuttle-like spin became unsteady. This caused a small deviation in the landing spot. Logan took a big step to the right, extended his hands, and effortlessly, accurately, caught the football.
Amazing!
This was the only thought in Anthony's mind. His jaw dropped in utter shock and his brain froze. This was simply too incredible! Lu Ke had thrown the ball from the twenty-yard line on the right side of the field, a distance of sixty yards.
Sixty yards! A full sixty yards!
In football, a long pass is a crucial skill for a quarterback. In the final moments of a game when time is limited, a quarterback's ability to make a long, game-winning pass is invaluable.
In today's league, the average long-pass distance for a top-tier quarterback is around forty to forty-five yards. The best quarterbacks at their peak, such as Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, and Ben Roethlisberger, can throw sixty to sixty-five yards.
When it comes to pure throwing power, many quarterbacks have "cannon arms" and can casually throw seventy, eighty, or even farther, challenging the limits of human ability. But a quarterback's job isn't just about throwing; it's about accuracy. They need to use the right amount of power and the right technique to deliver the football to the exact spot where it lands in the receiver's hands.
So, sixty or sixty-five yards is a thunderous blow on the field. In a soccer game, it would be like a player kicking the ball from midfield directly into the goalkeeper's arms, not just into the goal.
Just now, Lu Ke didn't just complete a sixty-yard super long pass. Based on the ball's trajectory, it was clear that Lu Ke had aimed for Logan's position from the very start, with a final deviation of only about one step. This power and precision were absolutely jaw-dropping and undeniably elite.
Of course, this was only a three-on-three passing drill. Lu Ke faced no defensive pressure, and Logan had completely outrun his defender. It was an almost stationary pass with no interference. Even so, this ability was still remarkable and amazing!
Honestly, the team had a total of four quarterbacks—one was a rookie who had just joined the team in September. None of these four quarterbacks had this kind of ability. Kevin's thirty-yard throw earlier was likely his limit, and his excitement after the throw was proof of that. But now, Lu Ke had completed a sixty-yard pass?
This was the key point. Lu Ke was only a practice player and didn't even qualify to be on the roster, yet he possessed a skill that none of the four current quarterbacks had. This was the most shocking part.
However, Anthony remembered Lu Ke.
To be precise, Anthony had a very deep impression of Lu Ke. It was because Lu Ke was Chinese, because he had applied to join the team for three consecutive years with unwavering persistence, and because Anthony had personally asked the coach to let him join as a practice player. It was also because Lu Ke, as a practice player, trained harder than the starting players, serving as a model for training.
The issue was that Lu Ke was Chinese, or more accurately, Asian. On the football field, Asian players are still a rarity—it's never happened that one has been a starting player, and only one has ever been a non-starting rotational player. Whether it's due to stereotypes or prejudice, this has indeed hindered Lu Ke's prospects in football. Not to mention, his physical talent was poor, even terrible.
If Anthony remembered correctly, when Lu Ke had first applied to join the team, his chosen position was quarterback. For the coaches and other starters, this was a joke, and no one took it seriously. The final tryout also proved that Lu Ke didn't even have the ability to be a practice player, let alone a quarterback.
The only reason Lu Ke was able to become a practice player was that Anthony was moved by his dedication and passion and convinced the coach to let him join the practice squad.
Looking at Lu Ke on the field, Anthony couldn't even remember what his quarterbacking performance was like when he applied two or three years ago. There was no impression at all.
"Oh yeah! Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!" Logan waved his arms and shouted loudly, his wailing making everyone laugh. This brought Anthony's attention back. A trace of helplessness showed in the corner of his smile. He shook his head slightly, turned, and saw the stunned faces of all the players, especially Kevin.
Kevin stood frozen, unable to believe his eyes. Lu Ke had not only completed a pass, but a sixty-yard super-long pass! It was accurate, on target, and powerful! Such an excellent performance would be a challenge for him, and even for the team's top quarterback.
It had to be luck. It had to be!
Lu Ke and Logan were very good friends. They often practiced throwing and catching together. Lu Ke was familiar with Logan's catching style, and Logan was used to Lu Ke's throwing habits. At some point, with no wind, Lu Ke must have had a flash of inspiration and made a casual throw that resulted in this incredible outcome.
That was the only possible explanation. It was as if Lu Ke had hit a one-in-a-million chance.
But even if it was luck, a sixty-yard pass was still incredibly impressive! Hadn't there been a little bit of luck in Kevin's thirty-yard pass earlier?
As Kevin realized this, all his sharp edges and anger vanished. He was like a defeated rooster, standing there dejected, his eyes vacant, almost unable to stand steady.
It wasn't just Kevin. The other players looked at each other, barely able to believe their eyes. They couldn't even make a sound. The powerful shock and immense surprise froze all emotions. Silence, suppression, and complete stillness. The bustling scene from moments ago had completely disappeared. It seemed as if even their breathing had been cut off.
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