People in America: My Uncle Don Quixote

Chapter 154 The Knight's Aura Shows Its Power (Paying Off Debts 5/7)

"A shooting range?" Don Quixote paused. "A gym?"

His brow furrowed, and his mind raced.

Li Wei had never mentioned this to him before. Why would he want to invest in such a capital-intensive project with a long payback period as soon as he came back?

Could it have been Anna's idea? No, she's not wealthy enough to do something like that...

Having worked on Wall Street for many years and now making a living as a broker, he knows all too well how many vultures surround athletes and celebrities who suddenly become rich.

"Sure," he said, looking at Levi, "but as your agent and former executive director of JPMorgan Chase's investment banking division, may I ask why?"

"Hmm..." Li Wei thought for a moment, "It's probably just that I want a quiet place to train and practice shooting by myself. I want some privacy, and I don't want to go to those so-called high-end clubs. I hate sharing with others. Is that a good reason?"

This reason is rather lame, but—

Looking at Livy's expression, Don Quixote suddenly felt a strong urge to agree.

Something's not right, not even 90% right.

Although, upon calm analysis, Don Quixote felt that an initial investment of at least tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars was a very unreliable project, he subjectively agreed with Livy's reasoning.

"I just need a small place," Li Wei noticed Don Quixote's hesitation and continued, "Besides, choosing a location, decorating, and purchasing all takes a lot of time, doesn't it? We'll see how I perform in the competition then!"

"Alright," Don Quixote said instinctively, "I'll go make the contact."

"Yes," Li Wei said with a smile when he saw a chance, "Let's do some research, make sure it's private, and then it'll be somewhere not far from New York State or New Jersey."

"I understand," Don Quixote said, calculating. "This will cost a lot of money. I don't know much about this kind of physical industry, but it will cost at least a million dollars."

"Don't worry," Li Wei pointed to himself, "I can earn it back."

Don Quixote scratched his backside, and even as he stood up, he was still a little puzzled as to why he had inexplicably agreed to and endorsed Levi's investment plan.

Time slips away like sand through our fingers, and two weeks have passed in the blink of an eye.

As July arrives, New York City is quickly dominated by the typical humid subtropical climate.

Manhattan, with its towering skyscrapers, suffers from a severe urban heat island effect. During the day, the asphalt roads and glass curtain walls bake the entire city into a giant oven, accompanied by the deafening noise and sirens echoing through the skyscrapers, attacking every resident without a car on an equal footing.

However, living in Battery City Park in southwest Lower Manhattan was a completely different experience, and for the first time, Li Wei understood what it meant to get what you pay for.

As an independently planned community built on reclaimed land, it boasts a large area of ​​green space, which is extremely rare in downtown New York City, and is unobstructed by tall buildings, allowing it to directly receive cool breezes from the Hudson River.

The enclosed neighborhood planning perfectly isolates the hustle and bustle of the central urban area from the heat.

While having breakfast, Li Wei looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the shimmering Hudson River, while the indoor 4-in-1 constant temperature system maintained the most comfortable environment.

At the dining table, Don Quixote was slowly slicing the fried eggs on his plate when he suddenly spoke up: "I wonder if it's because the environment has improved since I moved here, or if my health has improved a bit recently?" Don Quixote put down his knife and fork and said thoughtfully, "My sleep quality has been excellent for the past two weeks. I used to often have dreams or couldn't sleep because of anxiety, but lately I've been full of energy every night and haven't experienced any muscle soreness."

"Of course," Li Wei thought to himself as he sat in the sunlight, sipping his coffee.

The warm sunlight shone on him, transforming into a continuous source of energy that kept him from feeling hungry.

He has now discovered through experimentation that two hours of sunlight exposure during the day will allow him to absorb a full amount of energy. While it cannot completely replace meals, it will restore his appetite to a normal level, preventing him from needing to drink five cups of shakes with double the protein powder and whole milk a day.

As for Don Quixote's recent improved sleep, he also had some thoughts on it.

For the past two weeks, he has been using the Knight Aura, and the area of ​​his bedroom extends to Don Quixote and Lily's bedroom.

Perhaps it was because of the buff effect on friendly forces that he felt his sleep had improved?

"Not just you, Dad," Lily mumbled, staring at the screen and chewing her food, "I've been sleeping pretty well lately."

While she was talking, she was holding half a slice of whole wheat toast in one hand and rapidly swiping across her phone screen with the other. The background sound of short videos played on TikTok would occasionally ring out and then be quickly cut off.

"Let's not even talk about how you said you went to bed at 10 pm every night," Li Wei said, looking at Lily, who had grown even taller since she first came to live with them, "when did you get a cell phone?"

"Dad bought it for me," Lily looked up from her phone screen, glanced at Li Wei, and blinked. "Brother, can we do a duet? I'll post a short video, and it'll definitely attract a lot of fans."

"We'll talk about this later," Li Wei said, glancing at Don Quixote. "How can we buy her a cell phone when she's so young?"

"She's going to middle school soon," Don Quixote said. "How do kids these days keep in touch without cell phones?"

Li Wei thought about it and it seemed to make sense. "Where do you plan to go to school?"

Lily got up, grabbed her phone, took a selfie with Li Wei, and then happily posted it on TikTok.

“It’s right on my doorstep,” Don Quixote said. “Lyman Manhattan Preparatory School is just a five-minute walk away.”

"How's school?" Li Wei, being from China, was very concerned about his younger sister's studies. "Can you handle it? Do you need me to step in?"

"Thanks to you," Don Quixote said solemnly, "I had observed this school before. The tuition is $72000 a year, the students' activity paths are completely physically isolated from the streets, the security team is all retired FBI or NYPD personnel, and there are facilities such as an indoor swimming pool and a theater. I feel very reassured sending Lily here."

"That's good," Li Wei swallowed the last bite of bread. "Just tell me if you need anything."

As his influence gradually spread, the lives of those around him began to improve.

"By the way," Don Quixote said with a somewhat strange expression, "it seems the psychiatrist you found is quite good; he's started to be effective these past few days."

"Huh?" Li Wei was taken aback. "Is it working?"

Is there hope for Don Quixote's unspeakable secret?

The Knight's Aura has this effect?

He looked at the description of the skill that restores mana in the halo description. Could mana be this thing?

"Yes," Don Quixote glanced at Lily, who was lying on the sofa scrolling through her phone, "it seems to be starting to have some effect recently."

"That's good," Li Wei said, taking the tissue. "I have to go to training soon. Has everything been settled?"

"It's in progress," Don Quixote also stood up. "I've re-registered an Extreme Sports Rehabilitation Science Center under your company's name. We're currently going through tax filing and qualification approval, as well as address registration and compliance reviews."

After stretching, he tidied up the table. "After all, you want privacy, right? You don't go to the Giants' training centers. If someone with ulterior motives finds out that you insist on setting up a rehabilitation center, there will be some unnecessary noise. So it's still in the process. I guess we can start choosing a site in August."

"I thought it would be done quickly," Li Wei said with some disappointment, "but I didn't expect it to take so long."

"Do you think you're reading a Batman or Iron Man comic? A few weeks just pass with a wave of your hand, and the problem is solved," Don Quixote scoffed. "You probably won't be able to use your secret gym and shooting range until the end of the year."

Li Wei nodded and said nothing more.

Two weeks later, in mid-July.

East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Giants' core training facility attached to Metropolitan Life Stadium.

As the first Asian player in history to break the NCAA system and directly enter the NFL, the area outside the base was already surrounded by media with cameras and microphones, and fans holding up jerseys.

Li Wei drove his 911 into the players' private underground parking lot without stopping or getting out of the car.

Walking down the corridor, Li Wei pushed open the door to the head coach's office.

Head coach Dapol, whom he hadn't seen for over two months, was standing in front of the huge tactical whiteboard. Hearing the noise, he turned around, looked Li Wei up and down, and his eyes revealed satisfaction.

"Not bad," he said, stepping forward and patting Li Wei on the muscular shoulder. "You know, many rookies who enter the NCAA gain at least 20 pounds in the month after graduating high school, but you seem to have maintained your weight quite well."

"Of course," Levi said, "I train very rigorously every day to maintain my physique."

In fact, he ate a big bag of potato chips when he went to see a movie with Lily last night.

Head coach Dabow nodded noncommittally and handed him a schedule. "Go to the locker room and change. Many veterans have seen the tapes of your performance at the rookie camp. I'm not worried about locker room bullying, but be careful. The defense might deliberately cause you trouble in the next few days."

"Not again?" Li Wei took the schedule with a headache. "High school, rookie training camp, and now it's official training camp. Why do I have to go through this locker room bullying scenario every time I change locations? Am I stuck in some kind of loop?"

"This is the learning path for a newbie," Dapol laughed heartily, "but I believe you can handle it."

"Could I lend a hand, perhaps in a little way, like in a conflict or something?" Levi thought for a moment.

"No, no, no," Dapol waved his hand. "Once you're on the professional roster, fighting is forbidden in the locker room. They'll just deliberately force you to fight to kick you out."

"To be honest, the Giants' salary cap is only so much each year. In recent years, in order to sign you, they have also had to strengthen the offensive line. The management has really spent a lot of money," he said without hesitation. "There are a few veterans on the defensive side who didn't get the contracts they wanted or were forced to restructure their salaries. I guess they're all holding back their anger."

"So they're taking their anger out on me?" Levi raised an eyebrow. "Because I took the most money, money that even squeezed their salary margins."

“That’s right,” Dapol shrugged. “That’s the harsh reality of professional sports. You get paid for what you take. They don’t dare to criticize management, but taking it out on a rookie quarterback who’s just turned 18 and hasn’t played a single official game is the most direct way.”

"I couldn't be happier," Li Wei suddenly laughed. "If an old general really can't make it anymore, then he should just quit."

"Very good!" Dapol nodded in satisfaction. "I like this kind of spirit of yours. Your personality has changed a lot over time."

"Since they want to cause trouble," Li Wei shook the schedule in his hand, "then they'll just be asking for it."

Leaving the head coach's office, Li Wei pushed open the heavy double door to the Giants' main locker room.

The once noisy locker room fell into an extremely abrupt silence the moment Li Wei stepped in.

Hundreds of eyes swept over at once. Among them were rookies and substitutes from the rookie camp who had been impressed by Li Wei, but there were many more veterans with burly builds, sharp eyes, and a scrutinizing gaze.

Among them, a large black man sitting in the center of the defensive zone was particularly eye-catching.

With his wild, dreadlocked braids and intricate tattoos, he was none other than Dexter Lawrence, an All-Star defensive end known for his ferocity and trash talk, who had spent eight years in the league.

Lawrence leaned against the wardrobe, toying with a rugby ball in his hand, his eyes scanning Levi from head to toe like radar, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

But after just one glance at Li Wei, he suddenly felt as if his mouth was glued shut.

In that instant, he had an indescribable feeling. He felt as if he were in an extremely empty place, suddenly looking up at a majestic mountain, feeling so oppressed that he couldn't speak.

The same goes for the people around them.

Some of the others who had originally wanted to cause trouble for Li Wei suddenly fell silent.

The atmosphere suddenly became both awkward and comical.

"Excuse me," Levi said, walking up to Lawrence and glancing at him. "I need to change my clothes."

Lawrence instinctively took a step back, which stunned the players in the locker room. The usually domineering Lawrence was actually backing down in front of a newcomer.

Is this newcomer some kind of wild beast or tiger?

After everyone changed their clothes and dispersed on the court, Lawrence suddenly realized what was going on.

Wait a minute! Why am I chickening out?

For an All-Star defensive veteran to instinctively back down in front of a rookie in the locker room is undoubtedly a disgrace for someone of his seniority.

Lawrence watched Levi's retreating figure and subconsciously squeezed the rugby ball in his hand.

Over the next few days, the training camp officially entered a high-intensity phase.

Based on Levi's conjecture and Dapol's reminder, he had prepared for the defensive team's relentless targeting. During the half-protection phase, he was constantly on edge, wary of Lawrence or other linebackers deliberately losing control when rushing the pass and delivering a hard blow.

However, to Li Wei's surprise, the situation was strangely calm.

During the half-protective gear confrontation, the defensive team did use a lot of trash talk to try to disrupt Li Wei's judgment, but they were surprisingly restrained in terms of physical contact.

Whenever they sprinted towards Li Wei, they would stop abruptly at a safe distance, raise their hands to indicate that the pressure had been applied, and there was no excessive physical collision.

When they entered the final stage of full-armor confrontation, a complete combat simulation, Li Wei thought that this was finally the time to see the real test, and he was even prepared to head-on knock Lawrence over.

But nothing happened.

Although the attacking line is not yet perfectly coordinated, they are doing their best to protect the pocket. The defensive team is very aggressive, but they immediately back down once Levi completes a pass or throws the ball out of bounds.

This made Li Wei doubt himself for a moment: Was I being too sensitive? Or was Coach Dapol's paranoia too severe? These veterans seemed very professional and did not bring their resentment about salary cap space into training.

Li Wei's outstanding performance truly won everyone over. His terrifying arm strength, his incredibly accurate vision, and the occasional superhuman explosiveness caused the offensive team's efficiency to skyrocket.

The main wide receivers were overjoyed, after all, who wouldn't like a top-class quarterback who can comfortably feed the ball to their mouth?

For Li Wei, although his "predetermined trajectory" hasn't been upgraded, it's more than enough for earning money by playing matches.

The week passed peacefully, training camp came to an end, and the team enjoyed a precious weekend of rest. Everyone had largely gelled in terms of tactical system and individual skills.

On Friday evening, after training, the atmosphere in the locker room became much more relaxed.

However, Levi had been hoping that Lawrence would suddenly launch an attack.

There's an old saying in China: "A dog that bites doesn't bark."

Lawrence didn't cause trouble for him during training probably because the head coach and management were watching, but he definitely wasn't holding back.

Just as Li Wei finished packing his backpack and was about to return to his apartment in Fortress City Park, Dexter Lawrence walked over in a large group with several core veterans of the defense and several starting forwards from the offense.

Lawrence's hostility seemed to have lessened considerably, replaced by a warm, older-brotherly familiarity.

"Hey buddy," Lawrence patted Levi on the shoulder, adopting an older brother demeanor, "You've had a great week of practice. I have to admit this is the Giants' most promising year yet."

Li Wei stopped what she was doing and looked at him: "Thank you, is there anything I can help you with?"

"As is the team's tradition, after the first phase of training camp, the veterans will take the rookies to experience New York's nightlife and get to know each other better," Lawrence grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "We've made a reservation at CatchSteak in Manhattan. You and a few of the offensive guys can come along."

He paused, a hint of teasing in his voice, "It's a team tradition; all the core players have to go. You wouldn't refuse, would you?"

Li Wei suddenly laughed. "Alright," he said, "since it's a tradition, how can I be absent?"

He could guess what was going to happen next: a rookie dinner.

This is a classic legal extortion tactic in the NFL. A group of veterans will make newly signed players bleed heavily, and it's normal for them to spend $1 to $2 on a single meal.