Chapter 597: 596 Twin Stars Shining Chapter 597: 596 Twin Stars Shining The entire stadium erupted in astonishment.
Second and six, Mahomes deployed the Shotgun Formation to launch an attack, narrowly avoiding a sack and then aiming a forty-yard long pass into the Red Zone, planning to connect with Hunter for a fatal strike.
The pass was on target.
The footsteps were precise.
Hunter ran an accurate route, cutting into the Red Zone past the heavy defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers, seemingly about to complete the long pass for a touchdown and end this tense offensive and defensive standoff when, at the last moment, an interception occurred.
The rookie fiercely held his breath, prepared to retaliate for Mahomes’s previous taunting by intercepting the ball with a preemptive leap, nearly cutting off Hunter to make the interception.
Although he missed the interception, Edmund still snatched the pass from Hunter’s lips ferociously, stealing the well-cooked duck from his mouth.
Arrowhead Stadium plunged into shock—
Once for the surprise of a long pass touchdown.
And once for the fear of an impending interception.
In a state of astonishment, third and six, the Kansas City Chiefs were again in trouble; this was their third third-down situation in this wave of offense, a detail that illustrated the closeness of the game.
Felix shouted with joy as he saw Li Wei take the field again.
The others did the same; voices in Arrowhead Stadium immediately merged together.
In this wave, Li Wei was heavily strained, forcing a breakthrough in Beast Mode that looked impressive but came at a significant cost, which is why Li Wei and Hunter took turns taking the field, with every second of rest being crucial recovery time.
Despite this, at the critical moment of third and six, Li Wei was still needed.
Tomlin might stubbornly deny Bell’s crucial role in the Pittsburgh Steelers, but each time Li Wei appeared, full vigilance was necessary—
Unacknowledged by mouth, but the body told the truth.
Not just Tomlin, the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense felt the same, seemingly finding their stabilizing force in Li Wei’s calm demeanor, which brought them some relief.
That included Mahomes as well.
Li Wei patted Mahomes’s shoulder, and the offense immediately lined up.
There was no delay, no chance to regroup, as the Kansas City Chiefs were already prepared to start the play.
Mahomes’s voice pierced the tense air.
Immediately, one could see the layered deployment of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense—
The first line, the Defensive line, rushing.
The second line, the linemen, stepped slightly forward to press but did not relinquish their positions in the short-pass area.
The third line, man-to-man tight coverage.
Order within chaos, intricately structured.
True to their reputation as a traditionally strong defensive team, Tomlin seemed like a Doraemon, continuously pulling myriad tactics from his magic pouch, endlessly cunning.
This time, focusing on a rush with supplementary man-to-man coverage, aimed at pass defense.
This strategy had been used several times in the first quarter but to moderate effect; now, it was an upgraded or rather, an improved version:
The real key was the linemen.
Four linemen, staggered along the horizontal axis, did not immediately advance nor lose position, able to attack or defend, and the four players could cooperate at any time, responding to different situations as needed.
Moreover, these four players stood unmoved in the turmoil fueled by red and black, effortlessly creating psychological pressure that could easily break the equilibrium, like messengers from hell.
This must be another of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ hidden, secret tactics.
So, what about the Kansas City Chiefs?
Mahomes was moving laterally with the ball—
It was a passing offense.
Li Wei closely followed Mahomes, playing the role of a moving protector, bending his knees and lowering his center of gravity, peering ahead like a hunter, tightly locking onto any hint of movement.
While moving laterally, Mahomes read the defense, maintaining intense focus, from which one could easily infer:
And most likely, it was a medium or long pass.
In an instant, four linebackers from the Pittsburgh Steelers moved.
One advanced to rush the passer, cutting into the pocket from the outside, ready to disrupt Mahomes’s pass, and if possible, to take him down.
Two retreated to cover the mid-pass area, constantly judging the positions of potential receivers, trying to predict Mahomes’s passing intentions from their locations.
One stayed in place, unwaveringly locking onto the movements of Mahomes and Li Wei.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
Mahomes made his move.
Stomping the ground, twisting his body, swinging his arm.
The direction of the pass was clearly…
Hill, who had already sprinted at least twenty yards.
Startled, the last standing linebacker TJ also quickly backpedaled, stopping and turning abruptly, sprinting full force towards Hill.
Mahomes pulled back his right hand, lightly tossing the football sideways to Li Wei.
It was actually a fake but real run!
With a deceptive tactic, he severely tricked the Steelers’ layered Steel Curtain defense, overturning the situation in a flash.
Hayward, holding his breath, stepped forward, stepping forward again, desperately throwing his body out, stumbling toward Li Wei with raging fury in his chest and a bloody murderous look flaring in his eyes.
Stomping the ground, stepping forward, and embracing—
Intercepting collision.
In the suddenness, Hayward’s forward step met with a head-on collision impact; his chest tightened, and he completely lost control and flew out.
Suspended in the air, drifting further away, it was only now that Hayward, half a step too slow and dizzy, saw Mahomes’s rhino-like charge, his mind in turmoil, and he couldn’t believe he had missed Mahomes.
But it was already too late.
Just now, Li Wei protected Mahomes.
Now, Mahomes protected Li Wei.
Mahomes knocked Hayward away, and Li Wei could continue to advance without any impact; Mahomes also quickly adjusted his steps and center of gravity to catch up with Li Wei, guarding him like a little tank.
Right ahead, Mahomes saw TJ coming back.
Mahomes knew TJ was prepared and not so easily shaken off, so he forced himself to speed up, catching up to Li Wei, standing to the right side of Li Wei’s body.
Indeed, Li Wei intuitively knew, diverting his steps slightly to the right and forward, making room.
Mahomes stood like a post, hands neatly beside his body, lowering his center of gravity, ready to meet the impact, blocking the path of TJ’s attempt to embrace Li Wei.
TJ and Mahomes collided, and Li Wei continued to gain ground.
A series of steps, flowing like water—
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ layered Steel Curtain actually collapsed like dominoes.
The seemingly impregnable defense shattered under the clever timing attack of the Kansas City Chiefs, coupled with a realistic performance of the fake but real run, drastically reversing the momentum of the offensive and defensive face-off in an instant.
Li Wei had not encountered any threat, his steps already crossing the kickoff line and sprinting out five yards, his speed about to fully unleash, right ahead he could see Cornerback Artie Burns charging towards him like a wild horse off its reins.