"What the hell are you staring at? Damn Asian, how many points did you get this time? Couldn't be just ten, right?" Cam was losing it. For the past six months, everything had been smooth sailing for him, but suddenly, he became a laughingstock in front of everyone. This feeling gnawed at him, easily destroying all his rationality.
Facing Cam, whose eyes were as red as a bull's, Luke stayed chill. He turned to Marcus and asked seriously, "Marcus, you sure you didn't see it wrong? Didn't Cam score eleven points?"
Marcus was confused but caught the mischievous glint in Luke's eyes, so he played along, "I'm not sure. Should I check again?"
"I think you definitely saw it wrong," Luke nodded seriously, raising his first finger and said solemnly, "Otherwise, how could he make such a stupid mistake? First, I graduated from UCLA." A prestigious new Ivy League school, even getting in with an athletic scholarship isn't easy; moreover, Luke was admitted based on his own merits, not an athletic scholarship.
Then, Luke raised his second finger, "Second, I'm from Avalis, my SAT score was 1600, and my GPA was 3.9." The SAT is the American college entrance exam, with a perfect score of 1600; a perfect GPA is 4.0, and achieving a 3.7 is enough to apply to any top ten graduate school in the U.S.
Earlier, Cam had mentioned Luke's Asian identity, which actually had a hint of racial discrimination: the biggest stereotype Americans have about Asians is that they are exceptionally good at math and academics but are just bookworms. This rigid impression has become part of the discrimination.
Luke, identifying as someone from Avalis, showcased his superior intelligence. Among professional football players, not to mention achieving excellent scores, even meeting the NCAA's minimum standards is often a struggle. If Cam wasn't out of his mind, he should have known that challenging Luke on the Wonderlic Personnel Test was the dumbest choice.
Then, Luke suddenly dropped the two fingers on his right hand and shrugged, "Look at me, what am I even showing off for? Maybe he doesn't even understand." His disdainful expression was like a right hook, hitting Cam's face hard, causing even the onlookers to let out cries of pain.
Cam's entire face turned grim, and even his dark skin couldn't hide the stiff lifelessness, like waves crashing over him. His face looked worse than a vampire's; his lips were tightly pressed, and through gritted teeth, he squeezed out a broken voice, "Damn it..."
But before Cam could finish cursing, Marcus deliberately raised his voice, "Bambi, how many points did you get?" Marcus did it on purpose, winking at Luke and then sarcastically saying, "You didn't just get eleven points, did you? That would be hilarious."
Marcus's playful tease made the other young people around burst into laughter, and then Logan's exclamation came through, "Jesus Christ! Holy God! Jehovah! Luke! Luke!" Logan's voice was already distorted, rising sharply, making everyone's scalp tingle. Instantly, all eyes turned to him, full of confusion.
Luke turned his head and saw Logan standing straight behind him. Apparently, he had just bent over to peek at Luke's certificate. Now, Logan's face was filled with unbelievable shock and joy, making the smile on Luke's lips widen.
"Gentlemen, and gentlemen! Let's give a warm round of applause to welcome the second player in NFL history to score a perfect score on the Wonderlic Personnel Test: Luke!" Logan raised his hands high, cheering as if he had won a championship, and turned to look at everyone around.
But the next second, Logan realized that everyone around was in shock, with faces full of astonishment, completely silent. The entire room was frozen, with everyone stiff in place, unable to move even a pinky finger, in a state of disbelief and amazement, freezing time and space.
Including Cam.
Logan looked left and right, thinking people didn't believe him, so he bent down and snatched the certificate from Luke's hand, raising it high, "Look, fifty points, a perfect score, Luke! This guy right here, the quarterback from UCLA!"
The sound of gasping filled the room, and the next second, everyone started cheering and jumping with excitement. They all rushed up, patting and bumping Luke's shoulder, "Dude, you're amazing!" "How did you do it?" "Jesus Christ, are you Einstein? What's going on?" "I can't believe it, really can't believe it."
The room was buzzing with excitement. Before Luke could even process what was happening, he was caught in a whirlwind of cheers and high-fives. He was suddenly the center of attention, and it felt like he was under a spotlight.
Justin pushed open the door to the testing room, holding his certificate, and was greeted by a scene that looked more like a party than anything else. He blinked, trying to figure out what was going on.
He scanned the room and saw a player standing to his right, frozen like a statue—the only one not jumping, shouting, or screaming. It was a familiar face, Cam. As the new Heisman Trophy winner, Justin naturally recognized him. He gave Cam a friendly shoulder bump, "Hey man, what's going on here?"
Cam snapped his head up, glaring at Justin with a look that could kill, like he had a personal vendetta against him.
"Fifty points! More than double twenty-one!" Marcus boasted as he ran over, circling around Cam. "Wait, I'm being stupid. You can't compare it like that. One is just passing, the other is a perfect score. That's a world of difference. Twenty-one points, still good for a running back. Definitely born to be a running back!"
With that, Marcus ignored Cam and bounced away.
The next second, Justin noticed Cam's eyes glowing with rage, like he was about to tear everyone apart. Confused, Justin frowned, "Man, what's with that look? If you're not feeling well, go see a doctor." It was a simple statement, but it still expressed Justin's displeasure.
Cam puffed out his chest and clenched his fists, only to realize that Justin was even stronger than him. They were the same height, but Justin weighed a solid 289 pounds, a size larger than Cam. His mountain-like muscles easily overpowered Cam's presence.
Cam gritted his teeth, feeling both humiliated and helpless. He angrily punched the wall and kicked a nearby metal rack before storming out. He had to leave this room filled with shame and embarrassment, or he didn't know what he might do.
In the crowd, Cam glanced over and saw Luke being celebrated like a star. With a friendly and approachable smile, Luke was high-fiving every player, creating a lively atmosphere. A surge of anger rose from Cam's gut, and a deep-seated hatred formed in his eyes, an unresolvable grudge that took root at that moment.
Then he turned and left.
Justin frowned, watching Cam's retreating figure, still confused. He then walked over to Luke and kindly warned, "Man, do you have a problem with Cam? He didn't look too happy. You better watch out. In rookie training camps, some players with poor morals will use any dirty tricks."
Luke looked around, not seeing Cam, and then smiled at Justin, "Thanks for the heads-up. It's hard to guard against petty people. I don't really understand why the Heisman Trophy winner has a beef with me, but I hope it's not because of race." His humorous tone made Justin chuckle.
On the football field, you're either comrades or enemies. Clearly, Cam was the latter.
"So, what are you guys celebrating?" Justin finally realized, looking around. Even during their brief chat, people were still coming over to high-five Luke, increasing Justin's confusion.
Luke shrugged and casually said, "I just scored a perfect score on the Wonderlic Personnel Test."
Justin raised an eyebrow and then gave Luke a hard pat on the shoulder. His fan-like hand was so powerful that it made Luke wince, "Wow, you're the genius everyone's talking about! Are you sure you don't want to check out Harvard?"
"If this draft doesn't work out, I'll consider it," Luke replied seriously, making Justin laugh heartily again.
In just half a day, the entire rookie training camp heard about the second player in NFL history to score a perfect score on the Wonderlic Personnel Test, and he was a quarterback. This news made team managers, scouts, and reporters all buzz with curiosity, starting to dig around.
The name "Luke" appeared in the rookie training camp's spotlight in such an unexpected way for the first time. Coupled with his identity as an Avalis American quarterback, rumors began to spread:
The biggest contributor to UCLA's first victory over USC in ten years; the key player who brought the Rose Bowl back to UCLA after twenty-five years; a player who was a practice squad member before his first official game; a college player who only participated in two games.
All these stories carried a mythical quality. Whether people liked it or not, whether they acknowledged it or not, it was undeniable that this Avalis American quarterback with no records, no history, and no background was becoming the center of attention.