Chapter 1443: Chapter 1442: The Duel of the Reds
"Ladies and gentlemen, dear audience, welcome to Fox Television, where we will witness the grand occasion of the 54th Super Bowl together."
"I’m your commentator tonight, Joe Buck."
"Joining us on this adventure tonight are Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews, and Chris Myers."
"First question, let’s address the elephant in the room. Troy, the Kansas City Chiefs are attempting an unprecedented season, aiming to win the Super Bowl with an undefeated record and achieve a three-peat. Explain to us how difficult this really is, please?"
Troy Aikman, legendary quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, entered the Hall of Fame in 2006. In the 1990s, he led the Dallas Cowboys to achieve three championships in four years but, unfortunately, stopped at the conference finals in the 1994 season, missing out on a chance for a three-peat.
This is also one of the key reasons why Aikman is invited for tonight’s live broadcast on Fox Television.
Right off the bat, Buck wasted no time and dove into the core topic.
All eyes instantly focused on Aikman.
Aikman, well-prepared, began with a small joke, "Let me calculate this; the difficulty goes beyond the maximum score, reaching a level of 120."
"But the good news is, Miami’s weather tonight is fine, with a field temperature of 64 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius) and no strong winds, which is perfect for football. We might witness an exciting clash and observe history being made together."
The air is ablaze—
"49ers! Clap! 49ers! Clap!"
"Chieftains, fly high! Chieftains, fly high!"
The back-and-forth cheering was relentless, as per the NFL’s official statistics, Hard Rock Stadium is packed, holding 65,000 people. Amazingly, crowds of fans gathered orderly around the stadium, marking an overwhelming presence.
In total, over 120,000 people gathered, streets empty.
Even more astonishingly, more than 5 million people flooded into Miami, filling every nook and cranny of this resort city, welcoming the grandest Super Bowl spectacle ever witnessed.
More boisterous than ever, crazier than ever, not just from the North American continent, but viewers from all over the world gathered here.
Li Yi thought that having attended the Super Bowl for the third consecutive year, he was used to everything, but upon arrival, he realized:
Overwhelmed by the spectacle.
The fact they’ve attended the past two Super Bowls made the comparison direct, making the sight before them even more astonishing.
Red.
On February 2nd, with clear skies, the only keyword in Miami was: Red.
The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs’ home jerseys are both red, and the NFL is about to stage the legendary "Double Red Derby" this year!
Though other teams’ colors, especially the blue-green of the Miami Dolphins, can be seen around Hard Rock Stadium, red remains the main character.
Majestic and magnificent red.
One is crimson, thick, retro, classic, carrying the weight of history and profound depth, accented with gold linings to highlight a noble classical aura, vast like a vast ocean sprawling open.
The other is bright red, vivid, lively, bursting with energy and vitality, making the colors vibrant; the dynamic lively yellow further liberating the jerseys to lively flames.
Despite being entirely red, it simultaneously evokes the feeling of the ocean and flames, paradoxically harmonious, eventually evolving into endless splendor—a red that envelops the entire world’s blues, blacks, greys, greens, and whites, tinting everything in sight.
Vast, grand.
Amidst it, everyone becomes a drop in the cosmic ocean, a speck of dust, part of this overwhelming red splendor, blending within.
For a moment, forgetting the difference between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, the entwined reds create an unstated confrontation or a masterpiece of wild splashes, dazzling and captivating.
The clamor of red, the flamboyance of red, the madness of red, filled and vivid, overwhelming everything in front yet carrying a peculiar harmony, like an orchestra playing differently colored notes, yet composing a vigorous symphony harmoniously.
Kansas City Chiefs or San Francisco 49ers, the pure madness injected into red, connecting fan to fan.
Collective frenzy.
Li Yi is stunned—though no longer stopping Li Wei from playing football, he still harbors some hesitance deep down. He believes it’s a job, a career, yet he does not believe football should consume Li Wei’s life as it’s not his perception of the world.
Admittedly, he’s learning to keep silent because he’s out of touch; this era belongs to the youth.
Finally, now, Li Yi comprehends Li Wei’s passion, that sincere, soulful love for football—a commitment he pours his heart into.
Li Wei is forging a new world in uncharted territories.
Unfamiliar yet equally stirred and moved.
"No wonder Xiao Wei said we shouldn’t miss this," Jiang Yin raised both hands high, a smile blooming on her face.
Li Yi hesitated for a moment before nodding lightly, "I am thankful Xiao Wei trusted his instincts and chose this path."
Jiang Yin was taken aback, thinking she had heard wrong, staring in astonishment at Li Yi.
Yet Li Yi didn’t elaborate further, gazing at the magnificent red sea before him, joining in.
Jiang Yin withdrew her gaze, silently looking ahead, Li Wei warming up on the field, a figure the size of a palm, though it seemed she could see the energy radiating from his entire body, with Annie and Felix by his side, running and laughing together, bravely chasing dreams.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Yin shouted out loud, "Chieftains, fly high!"
They, fighting side by side.
Boom, boom, boom!
Rolling heat waves ascend each stage, seemingly out of control, not just at Hard Rock Stadium, but the entire Miami transforms into an erupting volcano.
"Dear audience, the game is about to begin..."
On-site, inside the broadcast room, Buck had to amplify his volume to the extreme to barely maintain focus amidst the roaring noise.
Otherwise, there’s a constant sense of a ship about to capsize.
The heat wave continues rising, shaking the entirety of the North American continent.
In the VIP box, Goodell watched this scene unfold, his eyes showing satisfaction; the golden era he yearned for has finally arrived.
"Now, the captains are about to toss the coin, the ’Battle of the Golden Boy’ between Garoppolo and Li Wei is about to commence."
"First round, Garoppolo wins, the San Francisco 49ers call correctly, and Garoppolo chooses the field, meaning the Kansas City Chiefs will attack first, with the San Francisco 49ers taking the lead in the second half."
"The defending two-time champion Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive group is about to take the stage!"
Boom boom boom!
Hard Rock Stadium went completely mad, turning into a roaring frenzy, all noise disappeared.