"We are! Warriors! We are! Warriors!"

The unified chants, loud and powerful, exploded throughout the venue, instantly transforming the bustling city center into Candlestick Park. It was as if they were back at a home game, with every fan screaming and waving their arms in support.

The sea of people was like boiling water, bubbling and expanding endlessly, as if it could reach the end of the world. The powerful support made the entire world shake, truly showing the immense popularity of Lu Ke.

Not to mention Under Armour, even Lu Ke himself was stunned. He had thought it would be a routine autograph session and had no expectations at all.

In Lu Ke's mind, it would have been a big deal if twenty fans had shown up. Before leaving, he even joked with Leigh, "If only a few people show up, Under Armour will have to send their own staff to pretend to be loyal fans and come get my autograph so the scene won't be too awkward."

But now, looking at the fanatical support in front of him, Lu Ke was completely dumbfounded.

The passionate chants gradually came together and grew stronger. Amidst the noise, someone changed the chant, and it quickly spread. "Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!" The continuous shouts were overwhelming, like a landslide or a tornado.

At this moment, it wasn't a moment for the San Francisco 49ers, nor was it a moment for football; it was a moment for Lu Ke. Especially after winning a tough game, Lu Ke had finally earned his moment.

The long line of people snaked around, seemingly without end. It felt like an entire half of the city's population was gathered there, with fans continuously joining the line at the end.

Jonathan Baldwin had arrived early this morning and was at the front of the line, but he still waited for nearly forty minutes before he finally got to Lu Ke. But all the waiting was worth it. Jonathan eagerly walked up and greeted him, "Good morning, Bambi."

"Hey! Jonathan, it's great to see you again."

Sitting in the stadium stands, a player with a helmet seemed like a moving stick figure. All facial expressions and the look in his eyes were hidden beneath the helmet. Everything was like a part of a precise instrument, arranged to move toward victory. But standing face to face with him now, without the helmet, the face in front of him became real and tangible.

Jonathan couldn't help but look at that young, cheerful face. In their eyes, Asians always had a baby face, and if Lu Ke had said he was a college or high school student, Jonathan would have believed him.

The nickname "Bambi" came to mind, and it was a perfect fit. However, on the field, Lu Ke's style was completely different. The toughness and boldness he showed would make any opponent who underestimated Bambi suffer. This contrast was perfect in Jonathan's eyes.

"Hey! Jonathan, it's great to see you again."

Lu Ke greeted him with a smile, and Jonathan was surprised. "You remember me?"

The two had only met briefly at the airport. On that night, the entire San Francisco International Airport was packed with fans, and the crowd was huge. Jonathan never expected that Lu Ke would still remember that short encounter.

"I was praying that I didn't get the wrong person. It looks like my prayer worked," Lu Ke said in a cheerful tone, making Jonathan laugh. Lu Ke then lowered his head and began to sign the jersey.

In his excitement, Jonathan wasn't paying full attention and was a half-step slow. "Wait," he called out, stopping Lu Ke just as he was about to sign, which startled Lu Ke. Jonathan quickly explained, "This jersey isn't for me; it's a gift for someone else. Can you sign it to 'Ryan Baldwin,' and then..."

The line for autographs was still incredibly long. The air conditioning in the store was humming, and there was a constant buzz of noise, but Lu Ke stopped what he was doing and didn't rush. He looked at Jonathan intently. In Jonathan's hesitant words, Lu Ke could feel a sense of struggle and bitterness. He couldn't explain it, but he knew that there was a story behind this jersey.

So, Lu Ke didn't rush to ask questions and waited patiently.

Jonathan hesitated for a moment. "And then, say, 'Please don't give up hope. Even if you're insignificant, don't give up.'" Lu Ke still didn't rush to sign. He waited for Jonathan to nod again and confirm, "That's the message. Just get the point across, and you can write it however you want."

Lu Ke thought about it carefully, then quickly wrote a message on the jersey, signed his name, and handed the jersey to Jonathan with a smile. "I hope to see you at next week's home game."

"Of course, of course. We're still looking forward to a victory. You know, we'll never get tired of winning," Jonathan said with a smile, taking the jersey. He stepped aside, letting the next fan in line take his place, and followed a staff member to the back door to leave the Under Armour flagship store.

After leaving the crowded area, Jonathan realized he was drenched in sweat, as if he had just been in a sauna. After breathing in the fresh air, his overheated brain finally felt the crisp, cold air.

Standing in the bustling crowd, Jonathan opened the jersey in his hands and read the message from Lu Ke carefully:

"To Ryan Baldwin,

If they say, 'Who cares if another light goes out, in a galaxy of a billion stars,' well, I do.

Lu Ke."

Jonathan read the words again, carefully, and his nose tingled. Then he quickly folded the jersey, controlled his emotions, and took a deep breath, letting the feeling of being moved settle in his heart.

He turned around and looked up at the huge poster hanging on the building's exterior. It was Lu Ke, wearing an Under Armour tank top, with a football that had just left his fingertips, flying to his left hand. His youthful face had a confident and calm smile, and his sharp eyes seemed to break free from the poster, becoming lifelike.

This was their quarterback.

Jonathan walked with a light step toward the nearby parking lot. Thirty minutes later, Jonathan arrived at San Francisco General Hospital. After parking his car, he quickly walked to the hospital's rehabilitation center. But he couldn't find the familiar figure in the rehab room. After looking around twice, he found his target in the usual spot.

A figure was curled up in a wheelchair, with shoulders so frail that they seemed to have no signs of life. The deterioration of old age and fragility was slowly eating away at his body. His hands and feet were awkwardly placed on the wheelchair, in a strange posture, with no energy.

He sat quietly in the wheelchair, enjoying the sunlight at the edge of the sky, motionless, as if time had stopped forever in that sliver of sunlight.

It was a small balcony in a corner of the rehab floor. From there, you could see the mountains and coastline not far away, bask in the sun, and enjoy the gentle breeze. You could also sneak in a cigarette and enjoy a moment of peace.

Ryan always liked to hide there, escaping rehab, caregivers, and life. He would sit there quietly, watching the sunrise and sunset, pretending that nothing had happened, that he hadn't been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, that he wasn't facing the cruel reality of a person with ALS, and that he hadn't been given a death sentence by the doctors. He was just a living dead person waiting for death to come, his life forever stuck in those beautiful memories.

Jonathan gently exhaled. It had been two years since Ryan's diagnosis, but it felt like two centuries for both Ryan and himself.

What was worse was that the San Francisco 49ers' performance had not improved. They were in a bottomless abyss, with no hope in sight. Jonathan was a loyal fan, and Ryan was an even more fanatical one.

The San Francisco 49ers were Ryan's entire life, a life he had poured so much of his heart into. The team's poor performance seemed to have cut off his last bit of hope, so much so that Ryan was no longer willing to try in rehab. He had become dispirited, as if he had given up on the will to live and was caught in a vortex of self-destruction.

After the season started, the San Francisco 49ers' performance finally improved, but Jonathan began to feel a sense of gain and loss. On one hand, he hoped that the team's good performance could reawaken Ryan's will to live. On the other hand, he was worried that the team's revival was just a shooting star and that once their performance fell again, it would be a double blow that would truly cut off Ryan's lifeline.

So he started to distance himself, to mock, to get angry, and to stand aside.

He knew it wasn't fair to Lu Ke, but it wasn't fair to Ryan either.

But now, Jonathan was finally sure. He was sure of the team's hope and Ryan's hope.

Carefully, Jonathan walked up to Ryan, placed the jersey on his lap, and slowly crouched down. "Hey, Ryan, you know what? Our team has become the league's dark horse. Not only because we have a 5-1 record, but also because we beat the undefeated Detroit Lions last week, and because we have our core quarterback for the next decade."

"How about it? Are you interested in learning more?" Jonathan whispered, but he saw a weak glimmer of light slowly appear in Ryan's eyes.

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