I revived the Demonic Sect in North America

Chapter 148 Mental Breakdown!

Li Ang returned to his corner guard position, gently stretched his neck, turned his head left and right, and his cervical spine made a slight cracking sound.

Despite continuous high-intensity combat, his breathing remained steady and long.

When you inhale, your chest expands slowly; when you exhale, the white vapor condenses into a small cloud of mist in front of your mask.

He slightly bent his knees, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, his fingers slightly open and then tightened, then opened again.

His gaze, sharp as a scanner, swept over the Lumberjacks' offensive formation, the offensive line's positioning, the wide receiver's starting stance, and the running back's tendency, finally settling on Kyle Anderson.

Kyle was bent over, his hands on his knees, looking up at his own half of the court.

He felt Li Ang's gaze.

Cold and focused, like the crosshairs of a sniper scope steadily landing between his brows.

Kyle took a deep breath, the cold air filling his lungs and forcing his heart to slow down.

Then, before the kickoff, he quickly clapped his hands to gather the offensive line: "Listen up, guys!"

'

His voice came through the mask as he tried to remain calm.

But the left-handed wingman closest to him saw his Adam's apple bobbing.

"Run your lines straight, don't hesitate a single step. Protect the pockets, give me at least three seconds. We can do it! Play our rhythm! Play our football!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone's eyes: "They only have one special one. But we have eleven. Understand?"

'

"Understood!" came the sporadic responses.

"I can't hear you!"

"Understood!" This time, the voices were finally somewhat in unison.

Kyle retreated into the gunnery position, placed his hands under his crotch, and scanned the defensive formation with his eyes, finally making brief eye contact with Li Ang in the air.

He slightly raised his chin.

"Ready, set, kick off!"

The logging team's attack group launched another offensive.

But this time, the atmosphere between the two teams was completely different.

The Cavaliers' defenders seemed to have every muscle in their bodies recharged.

The moment the ball was kicked off, the four defensive forwards pounced like cheetahs, their studs tearing up large chunks of turf.

The linebacker's lateral movement was fast and ruthless, with each step landing solidly and heavily.

The second line of defense was tightly and flexibly positioned, effectively blocking all short passing angles.

Meanwhile, the lumberjacks' attacking forwards wore expressions of barely concealed stiffness.

The right guard unconsciously licked his lips before taking the kickoff.

The left interceptor's take-off position was half an inch higher than usual.

The Cavaliers' defensive end spotted this tiny opening and instantly lowered his center of gravity to bypass it from the outside.

The wide receivers remained quick on their feet.

But when he starts to change direction, he always unconsciously glances in Li Ang's direction out of the corner of his eye.

This causes footsteps to always be slow.

Kyle Anderson immediately felt the pressure in his pocket.

The lumberjacks' pockets were no longer as secure as they had been.

Instead, it resembles a sand wall being battered by the tide, with the left side being the first to cave in.

He quickly retreated three steps, his heels firmly planted on the ground, his eyes scanning the frontcourt like radar, from the right deep area to the left short corner.

He saw a glimmer of hope, and the wide receiver used a crossover on the left to shake off the defender by half a body length.

A brief window for receiving the ball appeared.

Muscles are driven by instinct.

Kyle twists his shoulders and arms, engaging his core.

The rugby ball was raised to its ear, ready to be fired like a bullet.

But just as he was about to release it, at the very moment his index finger was about to leave the ball, he caught a glimpse of the number 21 out of the corner of his eye.

Li Ang appeared to be marking the receiver in the trough, maintaining his position five yards diagonally behind the outside receiver.

But his body was also subtly turned toward the direction of the lumberjacks' outside receiver.

The angle at which his knees bend allows him to cut into passing lanes within a single step.

More importantly, Li Ang's head did not rotate at all as the slot connector moved.

His gaze remained fixed on the shoulders and eyes of the lumberjacks who took over the team from the outside.

It's a trap.

Kyle instantly understood that the empty space was bait deliberately left by Li Ang.

Once the ball is released, Li Ang will move sideways and jump to intercept it, like a ghost that has anticipated the trajectory of a bullet.

The passing motion was abruptly stopped.

Kyle retracted his arm, his core muscles trembling slightly from the sudden contraction.

In that brief moment of hesitation, the terrifying knight Bruce broke through the right guard's protection and pounced on him like a runaway truck.

In a panic, Kyle slammed the ball to the ground to the lower right. The rugby ball hit the turf hard, bounced, rolled, and came to a stop.

"Whoa!!!"

The referee blew his whistle.

Dead ball!

It was a voluntary fold by the quarterback in a moment of panic!

It smells so bad!

Larry's voice came from the commentary booth: "Pass not completed! Kyle Anderson was forced to throw the ball out of bounds under pressure! A hasty decision!"

"Oh! Shit! Kyle, what are you doing! This is completely unlike you! You saw an opening, but you hid back! What are you afraid of?!"

In the stands, after a brief silence, the yellow wave erupted into a huge chorus of boos, a mixture of disappointment and dissatisfaction.

At first, there were only sporadic sounds, but soon they merged into a chorus, like muffled thunder rolling across the stadium.

Many fans held their heads in their hands, their faces filled with confusion and anger.

They couldn't understand why their team's star quarterback would make such a hesitant, almost cowardly, passing choice.

Kyle Anderson stood amidst the wreckage of the pocket, listening to the piercing hissing sound, feeling as if needles were pricking his skin.

He looked down at his left hand, which had almost passed the ball, then looked up in the direction of Li Ang.

The number 21 calmly walked back to his defensive position without even glancing at him.

It was as if the brilliant bait and successful pressure just now were just another ordinary, routine defense.

Kyle muttered a curse under his breath: "Damn it!"

He slammed his fist hard against the padding on the outside of his thigh.

It wasn't anger, it was frustration.

It's that kind of self-loathing when you realize you just made the worst choice in the blink of an eye.

He clearly saw the wide receiver create an opportunity; that momentary window to catch the ball was real.

But he also saw Li Ang.

I saw the murderous intent hidden behind that guy's seemingly casual stance.

Therefore, he chose to be cautious, but the result was even worse.

A hasty attempt failed to complete the task.

They wasted a valuable attacking opportunity.

It also shook the team's already fragile confidence.

Zuo Jiefeng stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry about it, Kyle, we still have a chance."

"6

Kyle didn't respond, but simply shook his head, removed his mask, and took deep breaths of the cold air.

I tried to dispel that momentary hesitation in my mind.

He knew that that moment of hesitation was more fatal than an interception.

It revealed his fear.

Fear is a contagious plague on this battlefield.

In the distance, Li Ang turned his head slightly, and Zi Guang seemed to glance unintentionally at Kyle, who was angrily tugging at his helmet strap.

He then glanced at the fans in yellow-green jerseys booing in the stands.

The corners of his mouth curved upwards in a barely perceptible, extremely subtle arc, hidden by his mask.

That wasn't a triumphant laugh, and it didn't even carry much emotional fluctuation.

That's more like a confirmation.

A hunter's knowing, cold smile when he sees his prey finally start running in panic along the route he expected.

He knew the fish had taken the bait.

Once the seeds of fear are planted, they will grow wildly under the influence of pressure.

The Timbers' mentality, especially that of their star quarterback, has shown clear cracks.

What he had to do was continue to steadily and ruthlessly apply pressure to that crack until it completely collapsed.