章 15: 015 Rookie Partner
Pff!
Humphrey stopped in his tracks, hands on his hips, sauntering as leisurely as an old man. Watching the rookie ahead picking up speed, his figure swiftly shrinking into the distance, Humphrey blinked and the gap had widened significantly. Unable to keep up, not in the slightest, Humphrey suddenly felt like shutting down.
Originally, he only wanted to toy with the rookie, but now, he had lost even his underwear.
He wanted to curse.
"Rookie, where on earth did you pop up from, damn, are you some kind of monster?"
Heading his way, Li Wei approached with a refreshing smile and bright eyes, nodding his head, "Ah, you've caught me. Actually, I am Cthulhu. You need to always be mindful of your San points, or you might be in grave danger."
That serious demeanor actually flustered Humphrey, leaving him unsure how to respond for a moment.
Turning his head slowly, Humphrey looked towards Clark—
Clark was struggling to hold back his laughter but managed to say with an innocent face, "Cthulhu is from a science fiction myth..."
Humphrey's head filled with a single black line, "I know what Cthulhu is!" He paused, then looked uncertainly at Li Wei, "It's like a vampire, right?"
Li Wei nodded earnestly, "Very close."
Humphrey immediately straightened up, "See, I told you, I know." He raised his voice again, "Rookie, where have you been hiding all this time? The coach said you were into fighting, that confrontation is your forte, and so are burst and strength, but what's the deal with this change of pace running? I'm not just anybody."
Clark bobbed his head vigorously like pounding garlic, "Marlon was a five-star high schooler, not in football but in cross-country running."
Li Wei's eyes lit up—
A fellow professional!
Just as the NCAA has its own competitions and training, high schools also have their games and practice sessions. Each year, four specialized media outlets, including ESPN, along with scouting organizations assess high school players.
Based on physical fitness, personal skills, and game performance, players are rated up to five stars, with one star being the lowest. This list serves as a reference for colleges and even the Professional League.
Unexpectedly meeting a fellow professional in the middle of the Crimson Tide Storm, it seems Li Wei wasn't the first nor the last player to switch fields.
Clark continued, "When Marlon was applying for colleges, countless schools reached out to him—our football team, baseball, basketball, cross-country running, and more. In terms of change of pace running, nobody on our team could outrun him."
Uh.
Clark paused briefly, then glanced at Li Wei: Until now.
Li Wei caught Clark's look, returned a zip-the-lip gesture, and the two silently exchanged glances before Li Wei turned to Humphrey—
Time for an information update, Cornerback Eats-Dirt is now Fellow Professional Cornerback.
"But with so many colleges to choose from, why did you pick Alabama?" Li Wei was genuinely curious.
Humphrey puffed up his chest, unabashedly proud, and declared confidently, "Because the jerseys look good."
Li Wei, "Huh?"
Humphrey repeated, "Because the jerseys look good, and also because the team emblems are cool. It attracts more girls' attention, haha, see, I'm smart."
After speaking, Humphrey even placed his hands on his hips and burst into roaring laughter.
Li Wei blinked.
The uniform colors are indeed quite attractive, red tops with white pants. But then, football gear is meant to be snug, perfectly hugging the skin's contours, so...
Fellow professional, are you sure this is going to attract girls' attention?
Li Wei looked at Clark, "He's still single, right?"
Clark blurted out, "How did you know!"
Humphrey's face turned dark immediately, "You're the one who is single, your whole family is single. I am saving myself, preserving myself for my future wife, don't you get it? Sheesh. I am not like you racy and cheap goods; I am a man with faith and responsibility, okay?"
"Sanhao? There's still one missing," Li Wei said with genuine concern.
Humphrey, "What?"
"Having faith and responsibility are two goods, but what's the third good?"
"..."
Looking at Humphrey, whose smile was frozen at the corners of his mouth, Li Wei nodded in approval. From now on, his label would be "Sanhao Companion."
Without caring about the label, Li Wei turned to Clark. "Li Wei."
"Ronnie Clark. Just like you, I'm a running back, but I'm just a backup, hehe, the fifth backup," Clark said shyly.
Now he was the team's second running back.
If it wasn't for the team losing three running backs to injuries in a row, Clark wouldn't have had the chance to step up.
To be precise, Clark had not yet played in a game during his two seasons on the team, not even a single offensive snap.
Clark loved football, and so did his entire family. They were all die-hard fans of the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide Storm, and he never missed a game of Crimson Tide Storm from childhood to adulthood. Despite his limited talent, he still yearned to join the Crimson Tide Storm.
Through perseverance and hard work, Clark eventually made his dream come true and became a member of the Crimson Tide Storm. Even though he hadn't played in a game yet, he relished it. He liked his life as it was, being a part of the Crimson Tide Storm and the football team, even if just as a backup, accompanying the starters in practice—he enjoyed it thoroughly.
He was living in his dream.
Of course, if—and it was just an if—one day, he could step onto the field at Bryant Denny Stadium wearing the Crimson Tide Storm jersey, that would be better than anything.
He hoped for it, but didn't dare to expect too much.
So, in Clark's view, he was the same as Li Wei, and indeed, not even comparable to Li Wei. Judging from yesterday's tryout, Li Wei had something special.
But Li Wei didn't mind, "Hey, you're the fifth backup, I'm a rookie, not even counted as a backup, so I think you're a bit more awesome than me."
While saying this, Li Wei pinched his thumb and forefinger together to show a tiny gap.
Clark's smile immediately blossomed. Looking at Li Wei's sincere face, he wanted to say, "If you have any issues, you can ask me anytime." But the words got stuck in his throat out of shyness; he just smiled awkwardly instead.
Li Wei patted Clark's shoulder, "Looks like you're busy, so, can I help?"
Clark nodded his head repeatedly, "Of course, let's do it together. I'm just bringing out the training equipment, nothing special. Marlon, are you joining too?"
Humphrey didn't refuse, lost in his thoughts for a long time before suddenly exclaiming, "Good looks!"
Li Wei and Clark didn't understand.
Humphrey danced over to them, "Good looks, that's the third good!"
Li Wei blinked, "Tell me again, what are the three goods?"
Humphrey, wide-eyed and speechless, was actually at a loss for words: The first two goods, he had just made them up on the spot.
Li Wei laughed heartily, "Mr. Nice Guy, wanna help carry stuff?"
Humphrey stood there disheveled by the wind, but in the end, he followed them and helped with the embarrassment of defeat written all over his face.
One after another, the players also started to arrive at the field and voluntarily joined in to help carry the equipment out.
Li Wei thought it should be the freshmen's job according to the college's tradition, but Clark told him that the Crimson Tide Storm did things a bit differently.
Indeed, it was the freshmen's job, but they wanted to start training as soon as possible, valuing the NCAA's regulated training time. So when they arrived at the training field in the morning, basically whoever got there first would start moving the equipment; and after training ended, the freshmen would be responsible for putting it back.
A small detail like this demonstrated why the Crimson Tide Storm had been one of the most competitive teams in the NCAA over the past few years.
In fact, moving the equipment could already be considered simple strength training, as each of these big beasts looked like siege engines.
Training hadn't even started, but Li Wei had already experienced a taste of the scale that was different in football.
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