Chapter 672: Side Quest
Cam Newton stood on the field fully focused, his muscles tense to the extreme. He was in a state of readiness for a real game, as if this were not an insignificant skills challenge, but a crucial battle to determine a playoff spot, and he had to go all out for the victory!
"Beep!"
The referee's whistle blew, and he instantly started.
With a series of quick, choppy steps, Cam adjusted his center of gravity as he grabbed the football. With a light step, he effortlessly channeled all his strength into his right wrist. The explosive power of his biceps was naturally released in an instant, pushing the football out with great force and weight, creating a roaring sound of air being torn apart like a bullet leaving the barrel.
The shockwave-like horizontal straight push forcefully and savagely tore through the erratic gusts of wind and accurately flew toward the target.
In just the blink of an eye, the blue powder on the football hit the three-point area and spread out.
Cam's "Superman-like" physical fitness has dominated the league. His powerful strength and instant explosiveness were fully demonstrated in this pass. The forceful bullet pass was undoubtedly one of his most skilled offensive methods. Thanks to the stormy weather, Cam's advantage was further displayed, and he successfully got a good start.
Obviously, this was Cam's shining moment!
His steps began to move horizontally, quickly and nimbly, lightly and steadily, like an elegant black panther. His seemingly ordinary steps allowed him to get into position in just two or three steps. After a slight adjustment, the second pass was already completed. His freedom and smoothness while running once again showed everyone the secret to how Cam had established himself in the league.
However, the shortcoming of his passing accuracy was exposed again.
In an official game, a quarterback's pass being slightly off is not a big problem. The wide receiver and tight end's adjustments and control while running, as well as their anticipation and positioning, can often compensate for the deviation in accuracy and complete the catch with their personal ability. But in the skills challenge, the target was a fixed circular disk with a diameter of half a meter. A slight difference in the wrist's instantaneous control could cause the landing point to be off by miles.
Precise control was not Cam's strength.
The second pass was fast, crisp, forceful, direct, and fierce, like a hot knife through butter, but the accuracy was not satisfactory. The main landing point was mostly in the two-point area, and the remaining one-third of the pass landed in the blank area.
Strength can overcome strong winds, but it's difficult to control, which leads to a deviation in accuracy. This is always a double-edged sword.
Despite this, Cam, who was fully focused and giving it his all, quickly mastered the rhythm. Especially with his movements between the targets, his breathing was even, his rhythm was steady, and his movements were agile. The adjustments and control between each throw truly showed the style of a running quarterback.
First pass, three points.
Second pass, two points.
Third pass, four points.
Cam's excellent performance was truly eye-catching. The enthusiasm and excitement of the on-site audience gradually rose. The spark of the individual skills challenge was showing a dazzling brilliance, awakening the cheering frenzy in Aloha Stadium. People began to cheer for Cam, looking forward to an even more exciting performance and a more thrilling showdown.
"Newton! Newton! Newton!"
Waves of cheers roared on Cam's eardrums like drumbeats, making him feel a surge of excitement.
Cam was a typical showman. When he was on a big stage, the more attention he got, the more intense the cheering, and the more passionate the support, the better he performed. He was like he was on a steroid high. The instant burst of adrenaline was enough to change the course of the game. On the contrary, once he fell into a state of dullness and depression, his touch would be like a frozen cellar, impossible to warm up.
In this Pro Bowl, Cam had a fire burning inside him.
Not being selected for the Pro Bowl was the first major blow in Cam's career, especially losing to an undrafted rookie, a rookie he had faced in the rookie training camp. The feeling of humiliation was like a slap in the face, leaving a shiny, swollen mark.
How could this happen?
He was the number one overall pick! He was the Heisman winner! He was the golden boy everyone was watching!
How did all this happen? From his season stats to his rookie performance, from media praise to award selection, and even his popularity, he was completely outmatched in every way by an undrafted rookie, leaving a persistent stain on his perfect career.
That feeling of being wronged, that anger, that frustration, truly enraged Cam.
After arriving in Honolulu, the humiliation at the airport and on the bus even worsened. It was as if his dignity had been thrown on the floor and repeatedly stepped on and crushed. This made Cam burst out with an unprecedented level of fighting spirit, more than he had ever shown in the regular season.
Cam's belief and determination grew even stronger. He not only had to defeat Lu Ke, but he also had to completely crush his opponent in Lu Ke's area of expertise to truly make everyone convinced.
The skills challenge's precision passing showdown was the best stage for this!
Cam could even imagine the scene after his victory: he, who had always been criticized for his inaccurate passing, would defeat Lu Ke, who had always been praised for his accurate passing, in the opponent's territory. He would show his absolute dominance. The number one overall pick would once again prove his absolute strength!
For the past two days, Cam had been single-mindedly preparing for today's skills challenge, spending far more time on the precision passing training field than any other quarterback. He repeatedly simulated today's competition and trained over and over again, as if this were a top-tier Olympic event.
Now was his time to shine!
Fourth pass, holding the ball, adjusting, stepping forward, and throwing. The entire motion achieved perfect harmony and unity, accurately hitting the bullseye in the center and successfully earning the first five points since the start of the passing competition!
"Boom!"
The brilliant performance instantly ignited the emotions of the entire audience. The cheers and shouts suddenly rose to a new level. Many people stood up and raised their arms, cheering for Cam.
The audience was looking forward to seeing an exciting skills challenge, an intense skills challenge, and a spectacular skills challenge. At this moment, Cam's performance was turning their expectations into reality. So, the mixed cheers became more and more powerful. "Newton! Newton! Newton!"
In his excitement, Cam's fifth pass was wildly off, missing the target by more than five yards. His passing motion was completely out of shape, not to mention controlling his accuracy. But soon, Cam forced himself to calm down, regain his focus, and re-engage in the competition.
"Newton!"
"Newton!"
"Newton!"
Not only the on-site audience but even the other players joined in the fun. The party atmosphere of the Pro Bowl reached a rare climax at this moment. Everyone was looking forward to Cam achieving an even better score. The competitive nature of professional athletes, who are always eager to stir up trouble, was revealed at this moment.
"Thud!"
With a final thud, Cam's last pass accurately landed in the five-point core area, putting a perfect end to his precision passing skills challenge. When the referee blew the final whistle, he raised his hands in excitement and roared with all his might. "Ah! Ahhh!"
All his emotions poured out.
Twenty-three points.
Cam's final score was twenty-three points, which not only put him in first place for now but also surpassed Matt Ryan by ten points, giving him a dominant hold on the "champion" position.
Now, Lu Ke was the only contestant left, which meant that Cam had thrown all the pressure onto his opponent. With his perfect performance, he had seized the high ground in this competition.
Turning around, Cam faced Lu Ke's position and roared to his heart's content. "Ah! Ah! Ah!" Every roar was directed at Lu Ke. He clenched his fists, used all his strength, and let it all out, as if he was showing off to Lu Ke. Do you see? Do you f*****g see?
Finally, Cam raised his hands and grabbed his jersey, shaking it repeatedly.
Number one.
Cam's jersey number was one. The meaning of this action was clear: he was the real "No. 1."
"Champion!" Cam shouted, raising his chin high and opening his arms. In the cheers of the entire stadium, he spun around three hundred and sixty degrees, embracing his moment of glory. Finally, he stopped and faced Lu Ke again, silently mouthing the words, "Champion!"
He was the champion!
The provocative meaning was not hidden at all. In an instant, the eyes of the entire stadium focused on Cam and Lu Ke. Even the live broadcast camera couldn't help but move back and forth between the two players. This year's skills challenge truly seemed to be getting good.
"Ding," a system notification sounded in his mind.
"Side Quest: Battle for the Pro Bowl Skills Challenge Championship.
Quest Description: The Carolina Panthers' rookie quarterback, Cam Newton, has forcefully dominated the Pro Bowl precision passing skills challenge with his excellent performance and has successfully won over the on-site audience. Now, Cam Newton has forcefully issued a challenge to the host in his area of expertise. Faced with such a provocation, will you face it head-on or politely back down?
Quest Requirement: Win the Pro Bowl skills challenge quarterback precision passing competition.
Quest Reward: Remove the negative status of 'Grumpy Paparazzi.'
Failure Penalty: 'Grumpy Paparazzi' skill level decreases to 50%."
Lu Ke, who was standing on the side, said he was innocently caught in the crossfire, but considering the temptation of the quest reward, he decided to accept this challenge with 100% of his power.
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