"Lu Ke! Lu Ke! Lu Ke!"

In the player's tunnel, frantic shouts echoed endlessly, violently hitting the surrounding walls and bouncing back. Layer upon layer, the echoes stacked up, creating a natural amplification effect. All the sounds were magnified tenfold or a hundredfold, like a thunderous roar violently pounding on the eardrums. It was so intense that people instantly lost the ability to make judgments, and all the sounds became a meaningless, humming blur.

In their line of sight, a wave of journalists appeared, one after another. Every single one of them was madly trying to get closer and closer. If they could shove their recording pens into Lu Ke's mouth, they wouldn't hesitate to do so, as if that were the only way to get a scoop.

The entire space was filled with a volcanic eruption of noise and clamor. The faces began to contort, like demons in purgatory.

Lu Ke's footsteps paused slightly. He had experienced quite a few "firsts" today. The first time he witnessed a home-field cheering spectacle at Candlestick Park, the first time he had a clean and easy victory, and it was also the first time he had seen journalists lose control.

A scene like this only happens when interviewing top-tier superstars like Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers, but today, it was happening in front of Lu Ke. His name had become the keyword that everyone was desperately shouting, like a spell, unleashing endless energy from their lips.

In a trance, Lu Ke had a strange illusion: they were not calling out to him but to another player named "Luke."

Lu Ke subconsciously turned his head, searching among his teammates behind him for the person the journalists were calling, but he failed.

Everyone was laughing and walking up to him, patting his shoulder and teasing him about the chaotic scene of journalists, telling him to go up and be interviewed quickly. Even Patrick Willis made a joke, "Go and do the interview quickly, or these journalists will get impatient. You know, a gentleman should never make his other half wait."

Lu Ke rolled his eyes speechlessly. Looking at his teammates who were all laughing, he came to his senses and walked toward the crowd of journalists. There were only about fifty or sixty journalists, but the boiling scene gave off the illusion of five hundred or six hundred people, spreading out endlessly, like a monster with its mouth open, waiting for Lu Ke to fall into its trap.

"Lu Ke," "game," "today," "team," "how was it," "state"... Countless voices rose and fell at the same time, and the sentences became fragmented, leaving only meaningless syllables that couldn't be pieced together into a complete meaning, let alone an interview.

Lu Ke had to raise his hands and press down hard. "Calm... down!" Lu Ke tried to roar, but after being in an excited state for a long time during the game, constantly calling out plays and slogans, his throat was a little itchy, and his voice wouldn't come out. He had to adjust, sinking his breath into his abdomen and shouting, "Quiet!"

Finally, the journalists in the front gradually quieted down. Then, the journalists in the back also shut their mouths, and the noisy clamor finally returned to peace.

"First question?" Lu Ke picked up a towel and wiped the sweat from his cheeks, taking on the role of host himself.

"Excuse me, as a rookie, what do you think is the main reason for the big win in today's game? Was it luck?"

Without raising his hand, the first question came flying at him, and Lu Ke looked toward the voice.

It was a familiar face. Although it was only their first meeting last week in Philadelphia, Lu Ke had a deep impression of Harry Wayans, the journalist from "Sports Illustrated." It wasn't because he was friendly or cute, nor was it because he was sharp or harsh, but because he would do anything to create a news headline.

Since the 1990s, the concept of "Amusing Ourselves to Death" was brought up. The uncrowned king gradually stepped down from his throne. To create news, to fabricate headlines, to sell magazines and newspapers, and to get clicks online, journalists started to use any means necessary. They would even distort, misunderstand, and create gimmicks from a one-sided perspective to attract attention. Michael Jackson was the first victim of the media.

Ultimately, it all comes down to profit.

Driven by sufficient profit, the concept of "Amusing Ourselves to Death" was officially born. After entering the 21st century, with the rise of the internet, "clickbait" media became widespread, gradually forming a new fast-food culture. The truth and facts were no longer what the media pursued. Headlines, gimmicks, and attention were.

To the point that paparazzi would deliberately provoke interviewees, even using their cameras to maliciously hit them. The best-case scenario would be for the interviewee to smash the camera or even physically assault the journalist, which would become a headline. If the journalist's head was bleeding, a front-page story would be guaranteed, and the paparazzi would also have the upper hand in public opinion.

"The uncrowned king" had truly become a part of history.

Before, Lu Ke had only understood the development of the history of journalism as a student. But now, Lu Ke had become a part of it, which was indeed an interesting thing.

Apparently, Harry Wayans in front of him was an expert at this.

"If it was, I would start going to church today to pray that this luck can continue," Lu Ke raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled, responding in a relaxed manner.

With that answer, the journalists couldn't help but laugh, but Harry didn't have much of a reaction. He then aggressively pressed on, "After the loss last week, there were rumors that there were problems in the team's locker room and that there were conflicts between the players, and that it was directed at you. Do you have anything to say about that?"

"No," Lu Ke's answer was short and concise, a sharp contrast to Harry's long-winded question, so much so that everyone was a little taken aback and愣住了 for a moment.

Harry hadn't expected it. He originally thought that rookie players were more impatient and impulsive. They would either desperately explain, and he could always find flaws in their long-winded response, or they would respond aggressively and have a verbal conflict with the journalist. But Lu Ke in front of him was not like that.

So, Harry pressed on, "Are you sure? There were no conflicts in the locker room?"

"I'm not sure where you got your information from, but I think it might be faster and more direct if you just ask the person who provided the tip," his sarcastic tone implied that it was a baseless accusation. Compared to directly explaining it, this method was more effortless and more dignified.

Lu Ke's counterattack was flawless. Harry felt that he was a bit difficult to deal with, but he had no intention of giving up.

As the most popular person in the league right now, every word and action of Lu Ke represented clicks, traffic, and profit. Back when Kurt Warner burst onto the scene, online news was not nearly as developed, and his influence was relatively limited. But now, with the promotion and dissemination of social media, the sensational effect of news has gone up a notch, and naturally, the profits are more worth digging for.

"Last year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' quarterback Josh Freeman had an incredible performance and a super season. Now, we can see Freeman's shadow in you. So, do you think you can continue this form next year?" Harry's angle was undoubtedly new and sharp.

Rookie players are always like this, with inconsistent performances, just like Freeman. He was a hero last year, but this year he has become an ordinary player. The purpose was not to ask a question but to anger Lu Ke.

"I will cross my fingers and pray," Lu Ke raised his hands, crossed his index and middle fingers, and made a prayer gesture, effortlessly deflecting Harry's question.

"So you have no confidence?" Harry pressed on aggressively.

Lu Ke didn't answer immediately this time. Instead, he looked at Harry with a half-smile, paused for a moment, and then said, "I thought everyone would be more concerned about the content of this game. Now, this journalist is already concerned about my next season. For this love and anticipation, I sincerely thank you. But I would like to ask, don't the other journalists have any questions about the present, about this moment?"

His words, which were like a needle hidden in cotton, mocked Harry's urgent intentions.

The other journalists couldn't help but chuckle, and Harry's pupils constricted slightly. Clearly, this rookie was more difficult to deal with than he had imagined. At twenty-two, to have such wisdom and composure was truly rare.

Harry's pause didn't allow him to continue his questioning. Another journalist next to him seized the opportunity to ask a question. "After the heartbreaking loss last week, the team played a wonderful game against the Buccaneers, who are currently ranked first in the NFC South. What happened during this week?"

Jay Fox was indeed Lu Ke's friend. The question was clever and left room for an answer. It focused on the topic of the day and a hot topic. Both the loss in the previous game and this week's matchup between the division leaders were the focus.

Lu Ke could also feel Jay's good intentions, and a faint smile appeared in his eyes, as if to say, "Looks like you did a lot of preparation?"

But he didn't pause in his speech. Lu Ke answered directly, "Nothing special. The loss last week was a pity for us, but it was also a motivation. We are a very young team, so what we need to do is to use failure to ignite our desire to win, invest ourselves wholeheartedly in training, and then hope to get a victory. From the results, we succeeded."

It was a standard answer without any special headlines or content, but after he finished, Lu Ke added, "Maybe tonight I don't have to worry about all the media questioning my starting position. Thank you for your concern."

A pause, and then laughter.

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