"You'll never walk alone."

The white support card was raised high, in the vast and bustling crowd in front of him, crude and simple, just scribbled and hurriedly recorded on the white card with a carbon pen, without much embellishment and adjustment, and then it was raised high, floating and sinking in the sea of people in colorful costumes, and the disturbing colors made the support card more and more weak, and even some of them were not very real, and they could disappear into this ocean at any time.

But Willis saw it anyway, reciting word by word on the tip of his tongue, and when the scattered phrases were summed up into a complete sentence, a mixed mixture of bitterness and sweetness spread out like a surging taste, slamming into the bridge of his nose like a heavy punch, and then he closed his eyes in embarrassment, and hurriedly concealed his emotions.

You'll never walk alone.

You'll never go it alone!

Carefully, earnestly, repeatedly, Willis muttered the words between his lips and teeth, as if every syllable was chewed slowly, and the sourness mixed with happiness struck in his chest, and he knew that the wound must be faced by him alone, and that no one could help him; But as never before, he felt that great power, and he was never alone in the face of the difficulties and dangers of that heavy mountain.

Rehabilitation. Surgery. Retire. Even if he gave up, he wouldn't face these alone, and the trajectory of his life would have changed a long time ago because of this team called the San Francisco 49ers, wouldn't he? Even if you need to face the end now, so what? It's better to give it a go again before the finish line is approaching - a laugh in the sea, heaven and earth are up to me! That heroic and domineering spirit began to stir again.

Reopening his eyes, Willis saw Jonathan Baldwin right in front of the crowd. He thought of Ryan Baldwin, and he also thought of Lu Ke. Even if his life is about to come to an end, he is willing to bloom wantonly, and he is also willing to be reckless, because the factor of the Nine People has been deeply imprinted in his blood.

The troubles and bitterness dissolved little by little in the heat of the eyes, and the dullness in the chest also disappeared, and the waist straightened again. He became the fifty-second of the San Francisco 49ers again, and Patrick Willis was saddled with the name of "Captain of the Defensive Team"!

Pushing the wheelchair slowly, Willis came to the steps at the entrance of the hospital, facing the reporters and the nine people.

The noise of the scene gradually subsided, and the eyes were focused on Willis with earnestness and determination, so warm that his skin burned slightly, which made him look a little clumsy, because public speaking was really not his forte, "Such a scene, I still need Bambi to deal with it, I am always a little weak by myself." ”

Willis said sincerely, touching the back of his head with some restraint, and then looked at the crowd in front of him who chuckled inexplicably—was there anything funny about what he said? He was serious.

"I'm serious." Willis added, then continued, "But I know that no matter what decision I make, Bambi will always be there for me, working with me, and my teammates, and I'll never be alone." I guess that's enough. Willis muttered to himself, unsure of what he was talking about, then took a deep breath and pulled himself together, his voice rising again.

"The results of my examination have come out, the contusion of the anterior cruciate ligament in the left knee is not as serious as everyone imagined, mainly because of the old injury caused by the accumulation of water, and it still takes time to treat." Willis did not elaborate on the doctor's technical terms, but expressed it with his own understanding, "After discussing with the team, I decided to take conservative treatment, and the recovery time is not completely certain for the time being, but I still hope to catch up with this year's playoffs, I am a little greedy, I want to fulfill the agreement at the beginning of the season with the team, I will work hard." ”

Standing in the crowd, Jonathan immediately understood, all the mixed tastes in his chest had evolved into impassioned, he knew that the agreement, the agreement that belonged to Ryan—the agreement that never disappeared and never forgotten.

At one point, Jonathan was a little envious of Ryan, but more of a relief and happiness, and that warm emotion surged in his chest.

Someone once said that there are three deaths in a person's life: the first is physiological death, where the doctor judges from a medical point of view that the body's functions have stopped functioning, and there are no more signs of life, and officially declares death; The second is the death at the social level, through the funeral ceremony, the general friends such as the deceased's lovers, relatives, friends and colleagues are notified, and the death is officially announced on the social level, and future party invitations or social events will not be invited, and he will gradually be forgotten by society.

The third death occurs in the body of the closest person, when the deceased dissipates from their memory, they begin to learn to forget, they begin to learn to continue living, they begin to learn to accept parting, gradually, a person's existence is hidden in the depths of memory, slowly covered with dust, and even forgotten, at this time, the third death comes quietly, just like the soul that will disappear if it is forgotten forever in the "Dream Travel", this is the spiritual death, and the final death.

Three deaths, each lighter than the other, but each more cruel than the other.

It's been four and a half months since Ryan's death, and Jonathan still can't fully adapt to his brother's departed life, he knows that Ryan is still living in his memories and the team's commitments, and has never really ushered in his third death, but at this moment, that heavy feeling has become clear again.

Not just now, but also in the distant future, Ryan will live with the breath of the San Francisco 49ers, as if he will never die.

Jonathan's mind couldn't help but stir: Ryan, did you hear me? It's not just Lu Ke, but Patrick, and the rest of the team, they all remember your agreement. They all remember, they all remember it so closely, that you never seem to be far from this team and still live with us.

"You'll never walk alone."

The object of this sentence is not only Willis, not just Ryan, but every nine people, every nine people who breathe and live together with the 49 people in San Francisco: You, never walk alone!

"To be honest, I'm not sure how difficult the road to recovery is, but I'm happy to know that I'm not going through this challenge alone, and hopefully I'll be back in time for the playoffs, and I don't want to miss it." Willis's gaze fell on Jonathan's in this way, and even if they were far apart, they could still catch the firmness in each other's gaze.

Jonathan raised his fist in the air and whispered, "Never go alone!" ”

One voice, one after another, the fans joined in the support, but the momentum of the collective low shout was stacked layer by layer, and finally burst out of a sonorous and powerful force, like the sound of gold and stone colliding, the rich sparks gradually filled the audience, and even the eyes became resolute and enthusiastic.

We don't need more words, but we are already deeply bound to each other, and the spirit of belonging to this team and belonging to the city has been deeply imprinted on everyone.

Willis's hands couldn't help but clench into fists, trying his best to suppress his excitement and joy, he didn't know how severe and terrible the difficulties in front of him were, but he knew that he was ready to meet the challenge, on the field, he was the leader of the defensive group, refused to compromise, absolutely strong; Off the field, he's one of the city's thousands of people, fighting and never walking alone.

"Ahh Willis clenched his fists and began to shout and roar, as if he had broken free from the shackles that bound his mind.

Audience, boiling!

At this moment, the haze that hung over the hospital became thicker, and the layers of dark clouds seemed to be brewing a storm; But in the open space in front of the hospital, the powerful momentum was firmly condensed into a rope, straightening its waist and opening its chest to meet the storm.

They will not back down!

In a trance, it seems that even the lightning and thunder of the wind and rain have become small, and no matter how big the wind and waves are, no matter how wild the rain is, they can't extinguish this raging flame! Because, he is not alone, they are not alone, and when all the forces are firmly united, then they have nothing to fear!

The reporters on the scene stared at the scene unfolding in front of them with puzzled faces, they knew what was happening, and it wasn't the first time it had happened on the San Francisco 49ers, and it didn't look like it would be the last; But the journalists still can't hide their confusion, as outsiders, they can never really understand this team - their unity, their perseverance, their spirit, etc., etc., etc., it seems that it will always be a mystery:

Willis is facing a serious injury that could change the trajectory of his entire career, but why are they still chanting "never alone" to cheer each other on?

This is not an injury that can be overcome by the method of mental victory! Nor is it a crisis that can be changed with persistence and hard work! It's not a disease that can be accelerated with just a few slogans! Injuries are injuries, and the indelible rifts that exist objectively have destroyed the body's functions, but Willis and the fans in front of him are like Forrest Gump, stupidly running at their own pace, and the incomprehensible gaze of others still can't stop them.

Is this stupid? Is this stupid?

But why, the eyes of the reporters can't help but show a trace of envy and amazement?