Li Wei, very calm, immediately noticed Allen's unstable center of gravity, for the substitute offensive line had been charging to the right all along. Even if they hadn't locked down every position precisely, that line of players continued to ram forward like a train, unreasonably disrupting Allen's balance.
Allen's second reaction was prompt and quick, but when he lunged at Li Wei, his center of gravity was still unstable and off-balance, with his body leaning forward too quickly. The brief moment of vulnerability became a breakthrough opportunity.
Start running, sprint, take off.
With the posture of a hurdler, Li Wei leaped into the air with a light and agile bound.
Allen dove low, and though he flailed with all his might above his head, he failed to grasp anything, swiping at empty air.
Whoosh.
A gust of wind.
Allen hit the ground.
Above and below, a misalignment.
Li Wei had already completed the breakthrough.
Gasps.
Exclamations echoed as Bryant Denny Stadium, unprepared for such a scene, collectively gasped, shocked and dumbfounded.
Li Wei, landing.
His steps light as a cheetah; at this moment, his weight became an advantage. Although he looked slimmer than Beteman, he gained the advantage of agility, forging a path through a tear in the defense.
Step.
A push-off, a leap.
Li Wei didn't hesitate. He crouched his knees to cushion the force of the jump, then surged forward without pause.
In his peripheral vision, he could see Cornerback Humphrey attempting to move forward to defend, but his steps were blocked by a substitute team player in the white away jerseys.
It must be a Wide Receiver.
This provided Li Wei with precious space because on his left side he could see the massive "train" that had disrupted Allen's balance, and now the entangled train of the offensive and defensive groups was headed straight for Li Wei.
Calmness.
Li Wei didn't speed up; instead, he slowed his steps, weaving through the clash of offense and defense, spinning through the red and white tangle, as if entering a bullet-time state, looking for an opportunity to the right among the narrow spaces in close quarters—
Humphrey was tied up, leaving a small gap on the right side.
If Li Wei could break through first, the field behind him would be wide open.
But then.
Foster appeared.
Composed, yet decisively lethal.
He tried to shake off the substitute Tight End Hale Hentges, who was attempting to block him, keeping his eyes fixed unwaveringly on the figure before him.
Unstoppable.
Hentges was putting in great effort, but he had to avoid fouling; he couldn't hold or hit. That's when Foster showcased the abilities of a main lineman and joint team captain, with a misstep and a sudden burst of speed.
A flash.
Hentges was thrown off like that.
And then, Foster was already in front of Li Wei.
In the surging crowd, jostling shoulder to shoulder, the bustling throng hardly left room to breathe, let alone see the exact positions of Li Wei and Foster, everything being engulfed by the masses, continuous interference noise.
Including the two parties involved.
Bumping and scraping along the way, neither man could fully unleash their speed and power, but Foster still took the initiative, forcefully stepping in.
Danger!
Li Wei immediately realized his own position; if Foster hit him squarely, he could lose control and be forced out of bounds.
What to do?
Face the difficulty head-on.
Without hesitation or doubt, Li Wei made a split-second judgment, chose his course of action, and executed it, slamming on the brakes with his right leg and heading straight for Foster, contrary to the expected move.
Foster's heart tightened—
It was the second time since the tryout day that Li Wei decided to collide head-on and then break away with a spin, a tactic Foster had not forgotten. Was Li Wei planning to use the same trick again?
The problem was, on that day, the field was open, leaving plenty of space for Li Wei to maneuver; not today, vision filled with people everywhere. If his forward momentum was insufficient, Li Wei might be walking into a trap, allowing Foster to make the capture.
Foster: Opportunity?
In the split second that lightning strikes, Li Wei and Foster were about to collide.
Just at this moment, Li Wei extended his left hand, straightened it, and exerted force—
A push.
This is a trump move for football running backs, though not exclusive to running backs, it's undoubtedly one of the most commonly used moves by those who constantly engage in close combat—also one of the top running backs' most important weapons.
It tested the burst of momentary explosive power and absolute strength.
For Li Wei, though his absolute strength wasn't enough, as three weeks was too short, his explosive power was a strong point. Now, he just needed to exert that instantaneous burst.
Straight Arm Block (stiff-arm), which is a professional football term used both as a noun and a verb, just like in front of him—
Li Wei straightened his left arm and, as Foster approached, forcefully pushed Foster's shoulder in a sudden motion, not just forming a support pole between the two of them but also attempting to disrupt Foster's center of gravity in that instant.
This move was both a push and a shove.
Bang!
Li Wei and Foster collided fiercely.
Ah!
The force from Li Wei poured out in an instant, rudely pushing away Foster's left shoulder and immediately breaking Foster's balance before forcefully pressing down.
Foster grunted as the clash of speed and strength threw him into chaos, like a Ferris wheel at ten times speed—just a little more, just a tiny bit more, and he would have been flipped over.
He had not anticipated this.
To be honest, he did not anticipate Li Wei choosing a frontal confrontation with a Straight Arm Block, nor did he anticipate the ferocious power that Li Wei exploded with in an instant.
In just three weeks, their understanding of Li Wei had mostly come from his speed, agility, and familiarity with the playbook—as well as his stunning tactical reading and expansion ability that left the coaches in awe.
But now?
Damn it!
He was played again.
What differed this time was that Foster was mentally prepared, and though flustered, he hadn't collapsed. He clutched Li Wei's left arm like a lifeline to keep his balance and then clung to Li Wei's arm, refusing to be thrown off.
Pull. Pull, pull, pull.
Foster turned himself into a tire, dragging down Li Wei's speed.
One more moment, just one moment longer and the other defensive players could close in.
Li Wei also realized the imminent danger, as a sea of red swarmed around him in his vision—
He made a split-second decision.
For the second time, the Straight Arm Block.
A push, a hammer.
Strength, fully unleashed.
Foster: Ugh.
Accompanied by a muffled grunt, Foster crumbled, the entire world spinning around him.
The entire stadium gasped.
Li Wei had broken free.
Li Wei had actually exerted his strength twice in a row to forcefully escape Foster's clutches, winning space again, restarting, and preparing to sprint.
One step. Two steps.
He had just taken two steps when he saw another lineman lunging at him, desperately trying to cut him off at an angle. It seemed inevitable that he would be tackled by Li Wei.
In the nick of time, Li Wei came to an emergency stop, a quick sidestep, and watched as the lineman flashed by in front of him like a gust of wind.
However, Li Wei's feet did not stop. He continued charging forward along the left side, a stop, a change of direction, his calves propelling his body forward swiftly.
Breakaway!
Burst through!
Blink, and you might miss this moment.
Thus.
It was an open field ahead.
The entire stadium stood frozen in disbelief, watching as Li Wei forcibly cut through the thicket, breaking free from the melee, shaking off embrace after embrace three times in succession, and single-handedly turning the defensive group's line upside down by his own strength.
Then—
The figure wearing jersey number twenty-three burst forth like the tip of an arrow.
Rip.
The defensive line, torn open.