Before 9 a.m. on the 8th, the guests Zhao Dong had invited gathered at the Zhao family's private dock. Nearly seventy people showed up, a sizeable entourage.
Some brought family along—Larry Johnson arrived with his wife and kids, while Kobe showed up with Vanessa and their eldest daughter.
At exactly nine o'clock, Zhao Dong and his family walked onto the dock with their entourage. Everyone boarded the Dongwei, the family's private luxury yacht, and set out to sea.
This massive sea fortress wasn't just for leisure—it had a full ecological circulation system and complete office facilities. Lindsay could work comfortably aboard year-round, even while traveling the globe.
Naturally, the departure of the Dongwei caught the attention of the media. But since Zhao Dong and Lindsay hadn't invited any reporters aboard, journalists were forced to rent smaller boats to trail them offshore in hopes of catching a story.
---
Less than ten nautical miles from shore, the group spotted a school of nearly a hundred blackfin sharks cutting through the water.
Marbury chuckled. "These guys migrate north from Florida every summer to escape the heat. About thirty percent of them end up near Long Island—thousands of them every year."
Jordan grinned. "You know, a lot of rich folks keep them as pets these days. I hear it's a blast."
Marbury raised an eyebrow. "In a fish tank?"
"Yeah—just a really big fish tank," Jordan said with a laugh. He turned to Zhao Dong. "Why don't you keep a few on the yacht?"
Zhao Dong shook his head. "Not interested. They're not human—why keep them?"
"You don't have dogs or cats either," Marbury noted.
"Exactly. Eve and I don't keep pets—no time to fuss over them," Zhao Dong replied with a smile. Then he waved to a crew member. "Bring me a few buckets of live fish. Let's give the sharks a snack."
A few minutes later, the crew returned with several buckets. Zhao Dong grabbed one, took the knife handed to him, and lopped off a fish's tail before tossing it into the sea.
The others joined in, tossing bloodied fish into the waves. Within moments, the water churned with a frenzy of thrashing sharks.
Zhao Dong watched, thinking that if he actually cared about shark fins, he could haul in dozens today.
---
Not long after, a shadow even bigger than the blackfins emerged—a great white shark nearly ten meters long. This apex predator, a living relic of 400 million years, was the undisputed ancestor of all sharks.
Zhao Dong's eyes lit up. "Damn… should I try to catch it?"
It wasn't about eating it—shark meat wasn't worth the trouble, especially with its ammonia smell. It was pure conquest he craved: the thrill of catching such a massive, dangerous creature.
But reason won out. Great whites were protected under international conventions, and someone of his fame killing one would cause a media storm. Besides, they didn't have the proper gear for such a catch.
Instead, he set his sights back on the blackfins. They weren't endangered, and there were plenty to go around.
Dozens of strong guests joined the fun, assisted by the yacht's crew and bodyguards. In under thirty minutes, they had landed four blackfin sharks, each two to three meters long. None were kept for food; after killing them, they hung the bodies over the side to feed the rest of the school.
---
From there, the Dongwei headed north into cooler waters. The group spent two days and nights at sea before returning to New York.
On the 12th, Zhao Dong and Lindsay went to the hospital for a pregnancy check. The results brought smiles all around—Lindsay was expecting twins. The gender wouldn't be known for another four months.
The New York Jets' second regular-season game was set for Sunday, September 14. This one was an away day game against the Indianapolis Colts—no prime-time lights, no national broadcast.
The Colts were no pushovers. Led by superstar quarterback Peyton Manning, they'd been in Super Bowl contention the past two years.
The Jets, by comparison, were the underdogs—especially at quarterback. Still, this was a conference game, and those mattered. In the NFL's playoff race, conference wins could make the difference between a first-round bye and an early exit. Nobody wanted to give those away.
On the 13th, the Jets arrived in Indianapolis.
That night, Zhao Dong lay in his hotel bed, refreshing his system interface for an hour. At nearly 10 p.m., the new mission finally appeared.
---
System Mission: Superstar Sniper — Target Peyton Manning
Requirements:
Intercept three short passes.
Intercept two medium passes.
Intercept one long pass.
Score a touchdown on a return after intercepting him.
Sack Peyton Manning once.
Finish in the top three of the NFL interception leaderboard.
Rewards:
Complete any two: +3 skill points.
Complete any three: Gain Peyton Manning's mid-pass technique.
Complete all: Gain Peyton Manning's long-pass technique.
---
"Mid-pass technique, huh?" Zhao Dong muttered, scrolling to his own stats. His mid-pass skill sat at level 65—so the reward would bump it by 15 levels. Not a massive leap, but still valuable.
The long-pass reward was a different beast—tempting, but incredibly difficult to pull off.
Still, his interception skill was already at level 80, nearly perfect by system standards. The real test now would be translating that into game-day results.
---
The Jets and Colts had no bad blood, so pregame chatter stayed polite. Still, the media searched for storylines, zeroing in on one: could Zhao Dong, the league's sack leader, take down Peyton Manning?
By kickoff, the hype was ready to boil over.
The New England Patriots and the New York Jets are sworn rivals in the same division. The Patriots, the stronger team on paper, captured the Super Bowl in the 2001–2002 season. Their franchise quarterback, Tom Brady, entered the league in 2000 and has since delivered superstar performances—culminating in earning the Super Bowl MVP that season.
The bad blood between the two teams started last year. Both finished with a 9–7 record, but the Jets won the tiebreaker and took the division title, leaving the defending champions on the outside looking in come playoff time. For the Patriots, it was both a bitter disappointment and a stinging embarrassment.
As the face of the franchise, Brady faced the media before the Jets' upcoming matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.
---
Reporter: "Tom, have you been keeping track of Tyrannosaurus's sack stats? Worried he might get to you?"
Tom Brady, who had been a longshot in the draft as a sixth-round pick, now carried the swagger of a superstar. He cracked a confident smile, tinged with disdain.
Brady: "He plays strong-side linebacker. The gap between his position and me is too big—he's not going to get to me. I won't give him the chance.
"I've watched his tape, especially his two sacks. Both came right at the line of scrimmage. That tells me he hasn't shown the ability to close in on my position. He's not getting to me."
Reporter: "Next week, you're headed to New York to face the Jets. Any thoughts on that game?"
Brady: [Smiling] "I'm hoping to throw a few extra touchdowns."
The Colts weren't taking their game against the Jets lightly. That afternoon, team management called a full-scale tactical meeting—nearly 20 executives and mid-level staff, 53 players, and 20 coaches packed into the room.
In the NFL, coaching staffs are massive. From the head coach to coordinators of all three phases—offense, defense, and special teams—to multiple assistant coaches and positional specialists, the ratio was practically one coach for every two players. The system was professional, methodical, and specialized down to the last detail.
Head Coach Adam Lomas opened the meeting.
Lomas: "First, let me remind everyone about Zhao Dong—yeah, you know him now as 'Tyrannosaurus.' Since he entered the NFL, he's put four guys—teammates included—on stretchers. Two of them had injuries so bad, they had to retire."
The room tensed instantly. Cornerbacks and safeties, the smallest bodies on the field, exchanged uneasy looks. Linebackers and linemen stayed calmer—they were used to the heavy collisions up front, where the short bursts of impact didn't always carry the same destructive force. But for defensive backs, meeting Zhao Dong in the open field at full speed was like stepping in front of a semi-truck.
Lomas: "DBs, listen up. Do not try to meet Tyrannosaurus head-on. Tackle him from the side—angle off his speed. That's the only way to survive the collision. Got it?"
Defensive Backs: "Got it, Coach."
Lomas then turned to his star quarterback.
Lomas: "Peyton… he had two sacks in the opener. They were on running backs, sure, but don't think for a second he can't get to a quarterback. Keep your eyes open."
Manning: "I will. Believe me, I know what he's capable of."
Peyton Manning wasn't friends with Zhao Dong, but they knew each other. Back when Zhao Dong played for the New York Knicks, he was often seen courtside at Madison Square Garden, and they'd chatted a few times. Manning didn't consider him an enemy, but he was cautious—Zhao Dong's reputation on the gridiron was no joke.
Finally, Lomas addressed his offensive front.
Lomas: "Protect Peyton. Especially against Tyrannosaurus. He lines up off the defensive front, but don't let him shoot the gap."
Randolph Hanauer—the Colts' All-Pro offensive tackle—flashed a cold grin.
Hanauer: "Don't worry, Coach. We'll plant him right on the line."
Hanauer was a mountain of a man—155 kilos (341 lbs), 188 cm (6'2"), built like a powerlifter, and ranked among the top ten tackles in the league. His job was simple: keep the quarterback clean, no matter who came charging.
---
The Jets' Counterplan
Meanwhile, the Jets were in their hotel conference room for their own tactical meeting.
Head Coach Herman Edwards started by clarifying Zhao Dong's role as the Jets' strong-side linebacker. He wanted to avoid confusion—especially from Carnes Lewis—about responsibilities in the defensive scheme.
Privately, Edwards was considering a big move for next season: shifting Zhao Dong to middle linebacker. At 6'8" with great vision and high football IQ, Zhao Dong could become the on-field commander of the defense, reading offenses and making real-time adjustments. That could also solve a locker room issue—Lewis, the current middle linebacker, wasn't exactly a fan of Zhao Dong. Trading him would clean up the tension.
Edwards also stressed the need to neutralize Peyton Manning's passing game. Manning, along with Brady, was already considered one of the top five quarterbacks in the league.
Edwards: "Linebackers—cut off the short and intermediate routes. Cornerbacks—lock down the medium to deep routes. Safeties—watch for the bombs. Manning's arm is elite, and he'll test you deep. Everyone's got a heavy workload this game."
The room was quiet now—both sides knew this matchup was going to be war.
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