Chapter 1012: Chapter 1013: Abundant Harvest

Chapter 1013: Abundant Harvest

The golden morning light tore through the thick fog, piercing through little by little and sprinkling onto the dense, forested hillsides in the suburbs. The clouds weaving through the trees began to swirl, and a faint golden light drove away the heavy darkness. The sky slowly became brighter, as if you could spot a fairy in the green landscape before you.

The darkness in the bedroom rolled away like the fog. Lu Ke carefully sat up and slowly pulled out his right hand. Although he was being extra careful, Candice noticed the movement. She turned to her side, hugged the pillow, and let out a little murmur, like a lazy kitten, then fell back into a deep sleep.

Thank goodness he didn’t wake her up. Last night had been too tiring.

Lu Ke quietly left the room, went to the bathroom to wash up, changed into his workout clothes, and started his new day.

The regular season was over, but the playoffs were still waiting. It wasn’t time to relax yet. Lu Ke continued his daily training regimen as usual.

After his workout, he returned home. Candice was still sleeping. Lu Ke, holding a glass of water, went out onto the balcony. He waited for the sun to slowly rise, watching as the orange light gradually turned to a brilliant red, then transformed into a pale gold. Green oxygen filled his lungs, and he felt refreshed.

Basking in the warm sunlight, it felt like spring had returned, and the cold, desolate winter had quietly disappeared. Without realizing it, the year 2013 was already approaching. Lu Ke sat on a lounge chair on the balcony. He finally had time to open his system to check the rewards from his last game.

First, there were the daily training missions. The December mission cycle had ended, since tomorrow was New Year’s Day. He successfully collected one base point.

Next were the game missions and special missions.

In the game against the Seattle Seahawks, he received eleven base points from the game mission and a special mission, "Defeat the Ferocious Roar of CenturyLink Field," which gave him three special points and a special skill, "Falcon’s Eye." Additionally, in that game, Lu Ke used one charge of his "Absolute Footwork" skill.

In the game against the Arizona Cardinals, he received twelve base points. A special mission also appeared, "Patrick Peterson’s Unyielding Will," which gave him two special skills: "Copper Skin, Iron Bones" and "Cooling Space." The former was a welcome bonus, as Lu Ke only had one charge of "Copper Skin, Iron Bones" left. The latter was a completely new skill.

Cooling Space: "During a game, the host can have a moment of solo meditation. While the skill is active, the flow of time is one-tenth of the outside world, and it can last for up to two minutes. The host cannot move while the skill is active. Any movement will be considered an interruption of the skill."

To Lu Ke, this seemed like a useless skill.

In the heat of a game, players sometimes need to calm down, because things change in an instant, and many details can be missed. Players can also lose their composure during a conflict, which can affect the execution of a play. Even a player like Lu Ke, who is used to the big stage, is not immune to this.

But the problem with "Cooling Space" is that you can’t move while using it. If Lu Ke were to use it during a game, any touch or hit from another player would interrupt the skill, and the calming effect would be lost. Even if there were no accidents, every play has a 40-second countdown. Lu Ke could only use it for a maximum of 10 seconds to calm down—which would be 100 seconds in his mind—which is not enough time to be effective.

There was another option: Lu Ke could use it on the sideline. But the issue was that sitting on the sideline was already a time for calming down and adjusting. Using a special skill wouldn’t have much of an impact, and the most it would do is extend the rest time by tenfold. Maybe it could be useful in some special situations.

So, Lu Ke thought the skill was useless: it was not good enough to use, but a waste to discard.

However, the system’s plan was clearly not something Lu Ke could see through yet. Since such a special skill had appeared, it might be useful on a special occasion one day in the future.

Next was the hidden mission.

After the game against the Arizona Cardinals, he had heard a notification from the system, but Lu Ke hadn’t checked it on the spot. Now it seemed it was a hidden mission.

Hidden Mission: Break Tom Brady’s Historical Record.

Mission Description: Passing touchdowns are one of the most important stats that define a pocket quarterback, and also one of the most important ways a quarterback leads his team to victory. This is a crucial stat for a quarterback’s skill and ability.

After the league entered the passing era, the single-season passing touchdown record has been constantly broken. In 2007, Tom Brady became the first quarterback in history to throw for over 50 touchdowns in a single season. Everyone knows that in the passing era, the record will eventually be broken. The question is: who will be the one to make history first?

Mission Requirement: Break Tom Brady’s record.

Mission Reward: Choose one of the following: ten special points for any hidden attribute; or one golden point.

Failure Penalty: None. This is a passive-triggered mission.

To be honest, this hidden mission wasn’t a surprise. Before the last game, Lu Ke needed five touchdowns to break Brady’s record, which was not an easy task, especially under the immense pressure of the season finale. So, managing to get the record was extraordinary.

Additional Mission Note: The host has successfully broken the single-season passing touchdown record and has also become the fastest quarterback in history to reach 100 passing touchdowns. The mission reward has been upgraded. You now receive ten special points for any hidden attribute AND one golden point.

The system has always followed the same principle: the harder the mission, the better the reward.

In his second year, Lu Ke successfully made history by breaking the record and setting a new monument that was almost impossible to surpass. In just two seasons, he reached 100 passing touchdowns, a feat that no one had ever done before and most likely no one will ever do again.

For comparison, to reach 100 passing touchdowns, Aaron Rodgers took 49 games, Peyton Manning took 54 games, Tom Brady took 60 games, and Drew Brees took 73 games. As for the distant ground-and-pound era, quarterbacks took even longer.

Now, Lu Ke had done it in just 34 games over two seasons.

This was a miracle, a crazy miracle. It was not something that a rookie or second-year quarterback could do, and it was not something that a quarterback who had been in the league for years could do in three or four seasons. Most quarterbacks would never reach this level in their entire careers.

Naturally, the system mission reward was unprecedented: he received a golden point in a non-playoff game. This was a major breakthrough, just like the historical record Lu Ke had just set.

Finally, there was the objective mission.

In the middle of last season, the system introduced the objective mission option for the first time. Before this season began, the same objective mission appeared again.

Objective Mission: The Transformation of a Team’s Winning Mentality.

Mission Description: A winning streak is the best way to maintain a team’s form and confidence. Each win is an accumulation of a team’s transformation from weak to strong. A team’s winning mentality and character are transformed through a series of consecutive wins. In the regular season, try to extend the winning streak as much as possible.

Mission Requirement: After winning three games in a row, continue to win.

Mission Reward: Four consecutive wins, base points +1; five consecutive wins, base points +3; six consecutive wins, base points +6; seven consecutive wins, base points +10... and so on, with a cumulative increase.

Failure Penalty: None.

In other words, according to the system’s judgment before the start of the 2012 season, the San Francisco 49ers still didn’t have the mentality of a strong team. They needed to accumulate confidence and belief through each victory.

And the facts proved this.

They narrowly defeated the St. Louis Rams, scraped by the Miami Dolphins, and made a comeback against the New England Patriots. Every game was a severe test. If even one detail went wrong, losing would be the most immediate consequence. More seriously, the team could lose its confidence, the locker room could become divided, and their performance could become inconsistent. All of these factors were crucial.

An elite quarterback is called an elite quarterback because they give their team a powerful and unique presence. Other teams, like the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants, and Atlanta Falcons, are also considered to have a similar presence and mentality. But at the end of the day, in a league as competitive as the NFL, it’s not easy to become a top team.

But Lu Ke did it! Or rather, under Jim Harbaugh’s leadership, they overcame countless difficulties and obstacles. They not only succeeded but also went a step further and achieved the goal of a perfect season. This was a process of turning the impossible into the possible.

Besides "incredible," there’s no better word to describe it. Even Lu Ke and Harbaugh themselves weren’t sure they could do it again if they had to.

But once it was accomplished, the rewards were plentiful. It was like winning the lottery; a huge payday had arrived. Just look at the reward description for the objective mission. Lu Ke was about to hit the jackpot!

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