The more difficult the game, the more joyful the harvest.

Could this be the mindset of farmers? When they look at the land they have diligently cultivated and see a bountiful harvest in autumn, no matter how hard and tired they are, their mood is still bright and sunny. This is how Lu Ke feels now.

"Congratulations on completing the special task: Antonio Brown's coming-out party."

"Congratulations on completing the special task: The chicken soup game."

"Congratulations on completing the hidden task: Tidy up the locker room, Level 2."

"Congratulations on completing the hidden task: Ignite the heart of San Francisco."

Besides the game tasks, Lu Ke actually completed four tasks, two special tasks and two hidden tasks. This was an incredibly fruitful harvest. After a peak showdown between two powerful teams, he finally reaped his rewards. Without him realizing it, his exhaustion and fatigue disappeared without a trace.

The first special task was "Antonio Brown's coming-out party." Without a doubt, Brown's performance in this game was remarkable. He even surpassed Roethlisberger and became the biggest hero of the Steelers' offense. Besides two touchdown receptions, he also had as many as six third-down conversion receptions, making him arguably the best-performing receiver in the entire game—even better than the 49ers' Ted Ginn and Logan Newman.

In the second half, the San Francisco 49ers' offense was making a strong comeback, and their defense was also top-notch. But Brown was always able to change the course of the game at key moments, successfully getting two field goals for the Steelers, stabilizing the situation, and pushing the 49ers step by step toward the edge of a cliff. But in the end, Lu Ke still successfully completed the task, defeating the Steelers with four passing touchdowns. In a different confrontation, both offensive players witnessed each other's coming-out parties. After the task was cleared, the rewards were "Special points +3, Willpower +3, Mental fortitude +1, Unknown team training package +1."

The second special task was "The chicken soup game." Re-reading the task requirements, "In the second half of the game, the offense must gain at least 200 yards; in the second half of the game, the medium-pass completion rate must be at least 70%; in the second half of the game, win the game with a comeback."

Just by looking at the task options, this was undoubtedly a very difficult task. Both the 200 yards gained and the 70% pass completion rate were not easy, especially the former. Half of the quarterbacks in the entire league, maybe even over 60% or 70%, simply couldn't get 200 passing yards in a single half, even elite quarterbacks couldn't do it if they weren't in good form.

Just look at the league record created by Drew Brees this year. At the end of the season, in 16 games, Brees threw for a total of 5,476 yards, averaging 342.25 yards per game. Both numbers set new league records and were at the top of a long history. An average of about 340 yards per game was a league record! Compared to that, you can see how incredible a task of 200 yards in a single half was. And Lu Ke's physical and game state were not at their best today, and he was playing against the team with the number one pass defense in the league, so this task seemed even more impossible.

Of course, considering that the San Francisco 49ers were shut out in the first half and were trailing by a large margin, getting 200 passing yards was a basic requirement if they wanted to turn the game around. In the end, Lu Ke's total passing yards exceeded 400. This was the second game in his career to reach such a height, and he threw for 307 yards in the second half alone. He narrowly completed the task, and the rewards were generous: "Unlock one hidden attribute; Special points +5; Unknown special skill package +1."

The completion of these two special tasks was crucial for both Lu Ke and the team. Not only did they get rewards, but they also avoided penalties. As the season entered its final stage, they had to adjust their state to face the playoffs. The penalties from the special tasks would undoubtedly affect the team and Lu Ke's performance. One mistake could lead to unimaginable chain reactions. Now, they could finally relax for a moment.

Besides the two special tasks, there were also two hidden tasks. But thinking about the Steelers' strength and size, and the difficulty of this game, it wasn't surprising.

The first hidden task was "Tidy up the locker room, Level 2." Lu Ke's memory immediately brightened. In the Week 4 game they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, a hidden task, "Tidy up the locker room, Level 1," appeared for the first time. Now, as the season neared its end, the next-level version of this task finally appeared again, which would be crucial for the upcoming playoffs.

Even Lu Ke himself could clearly feel the harmony among the offensive players. The tactical meeting of the offensive line before this game had an unimaginable effect. Their strength was increasing little by little. The atmosphere in the entire locker room was also the same.

"Task description: Joined the team as an undrafted rookie, you have initially gained the support of the locker room and become a team captain. But you are still a special existence in the team. The racial barrier still exists among players, more or less. Victory can hide everything, but defeat can expose all problems.

Task requirement: Further integrate into the locker room and earn the respect of your teammates.

Task reward: Intermediate offline video-watching function, with regular summaries.

Failure penalty: None. This is a passively triggered task."

As he had expected, this was a further upgrade. Now that the hidden task was triggered and completed, did it mean that, as the task required, he had earned the respect of his teammates and truly broken the racial barrier? Lu Ke couldn't help but smile and clench his fists. What was the next step? To truly become the leader of the locker room? Did this mean that he was now the captain and in control of the offense, but he still couldn't be called a leader?

But this wasn't strange. A true leader must have been in the league for several seasons, winning over their teammates with one excellent performance after another. For a rookie, one season of peak performance, one season of hard work, and one season of effort was nothing. The difficult part was to keep it up for five consecutive seasons, ten consecutive seasons, day after day. A leader? Lu Ke was still learning to be a leader, but he would never give up on himself.

More importantly, after successfully completing this hidden task, his beginner-level cheat had finally been upgraded to an intermediate level, which was definitely something to celebrate.

The second hidden task was "Ignite the heart of San Francisco." After a quick look at the task, if Lu Ke was not mistaken, this was a series of tasks related to "Unite the heart of Candlestick Park" from Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"Task description: In the Week 15 Monday Night Football game, the San Francisco 49ers are facing one of their strongest opponents this season, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The entire city and even the entire country are paying unprecedented attention, looking forward to not only a brilliant game but also a playoff-level showdown. Truly prove that the team has the ability to be a contender; truly prove that the host has the ability to be a league-level quarterback; truly prove that race is not an absolute shackle in football.

Task requirement: Play a brilliant game and successfully get an exciting victory.

Task reward: Designated special skill package +1; Extra base points reward; Unknown team training package +1; Home field special skill package +1.

Failure penalty: None. This is a passively triggered task."

From the task description to the task rewards, especially the strange and general task requirements, all the details seemed familiar, very similar to "Unite the heart of Candlestick Park." The biggest difference was that the previous one was a special task, and this one was a hidden task. Not only was there no failure penalty, but the task rewards were also more generous.

From the 49ers in Candlestick Park to the ordinary residents of San Francisco, this young and vigorous team was little by little reigniting people's passion for football, awakening their belief in victory, and their support for the team. This was not an easy thing to do. After eight years of silence, they had become accustomed to losing. Being accustomed to something is a very terrible thing.

Now, the San Francisco 49ers had finally done it, breaking countless impossibilities and walking into people's sight step by step. So, would there be another follow-up task, for example, conquering the heart of America? But this was not something that could be done by winning a single Super Bowl. Not even the New England Patriots were able to "conquer the heart of America." Of course, this was just Lu Ke's own guess! Before he conquered the heart of America, maybe he should set a small, more realistic goal, like winning his first Super Bowl. After that, everything else would fall into place naturally.

Four tasks not only proved the difficulty of this game but also proved the profound impact of this game. From the team to the fans, from the stadium to the city, he had a complete harvest. Lu Ke loved moments like this, and he enjoyed them as well. He couldn't help but get excited again as he recalled every little detail of the game.

If the regular season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was already this difficult, what would it be like to face them in the Super Bowl? Just thinking about it made him want to be a part of it. It was as if he could close his eyes and hear the mountain-shaking shouts and roars again, surging like a tidal wave, one after another.

Lu Ke knew that he was ready for the playoffs. But before he entered the playoffs, there were still two regular season games to complete, and he couldn't afford to lose. And tonight, he still had to add his base points.

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