Enforcer Manual
Chapter 166: Adapted from True Events_1

Chapter 166: Chapter 166: Adapted from True Events_1

Just ten minutes later, Song Lan’s dream of the inn, which, despite appearing dilapidated on the outside, would be lavishly designed inside on a level surpassing a five-star hotel, was shattered.

The inn’s owner was consistent, at least when it came to the decor matching the exterior.

In the year 2166, this had to count as a miracle. It was hard to believe that in an era of rapid technological progress, you could still find an inn decorated in a medieval style.

The ground floor of the inn provided a resting area for travelers, offering nutrient injections, water, and some juice pressed from the local vegetation. The second and third floors were single rooms for overnight guests who had to make do without amenities like a television or air conditioning. In this region, with its extreme temperature differences between day and night, midday could be sweltering enough to induce severe sweating, yet the nights could cause teeth-chattering cold.

The patrons seated on the ground floor reflected the rustic character of the town to a tee - nearly every table had guns laid out, and even as they rested and drank, they spared no effort in shooting fierce looks to warn others of their toughness.

Lu Xiang booked a room with the boss, and after they moved their luggage upstairs and settled in a bit, she remarked, "Sand bathing is free for guests staying in the inn. Come on, let’s go and experience it."

"Why do I get the impression that you’re quite familiar with this place?"

On arriving in this barren town, Lu Xiang didn’t show signs of discomfort, but seemed to dive right into vacation mode.

"I’ve been to similar places during my graduation assessment."

However, they had responsibilities to take care of at the time and couldn’t properly immerse themselves in the local character.

During their conversation, they left the inn and headed for the sand baths Lu Xiang had mentioned.

What they saw were heads popping out of the sand like radishes.

The ’radishes’ all looked like people who frequently traveled the trade routes. Their skin was tanned dark from the sun, and even though they didn’t look particularly old, their faces were lined with wrinkles.

Everything except their heads was buried in the sand, but under the harsh sunlight, most of them seemed to be enjoying themselves.

The sand bath area was a section the owner had fenced off, essentially an allocation of a patch of sand with any large stones or other debris cleared away.

Yet, Song Lan couldn’t understand at all why this qualified as a local special attraction.

To him, it looked like a cruel prank where a group of people are buried in the sand at the beach. Wasn’t that it?

"Are you sure this is helpful?"

"Just give it a try. Come, take off your coat and pants and go lie down over there."

Lu Xiang selected a vacant spot for Song Lan. The sand bath wasn’t especially crowded, so there was thankfully no risk of them being packed in like sardines.

Song Lan was doubtful, but he reconciled the idea in his mind as part of the travel experience.

Three minutes later, for the first time in his life, he experienced what it felt like to be on the receiving end of a prank.

Back in the year 2020, he was the kind who would hit the beach with friends for a social outing, and there wouldn’t be anyone looking to prank him.

Being buried in the sand only amplified the oppressive heat of the environment, leaving him amazed and questioning how the people around him weren’t suffering from heat stroke after lying in the scorching sun for so long.

After burying Song Lan’s body fully in the sand, Lu Xiang, feeling accomplished, mopped the sweat off her forehead and said, "This area has a chronic water shortage, so bathing is a luxury for the locals. Instead, they replace conventional showers with sand baths. Apparently, this method has numerous health benefits – the minerals in the sand can effectively treat rheumatic diseases, arthritis, and chronic back and leg pain. Thanks to this, locals rarely suffer from these conditions."

Lu Xiang seated herself behind Song Lan’s head and started to gently massage his temples. "Didn’t you used to complain about your belly aching? Maybe if you try a sand bath it’ll have an unexpected effect."

How are those things the same?

Song Lan felt the need to emphasize this point - his stomach ache was smartly programmed.

It hardly hurt when he was off work.

Despite this, he went along, shutting his eyes and letting himself enjoy the head massage provided by Lu Xiang.

At this moment, he understood the true meaning of ’find happiness in suffering.’

Even though his body was buried in burning sand which was agonizing, the massages from his girlfriend brought him joy.

Perhaps it was indeed this sharp contrast that made this joy seem even more profound.

Especially when he glimpsed the others around him; they were all ’radishes’ popping out of the sand like him, but only he was being treated to a massage, while the others could only gape enviously.

"Oh right, speaking of sand baths, I heard about some interesting incidents."

Lu Xiang ignored the envious stares of the fellow ’radishes,’ entirely oblivious to the effect her actions were having on the overall vibe of the sand bath. She continued, "Legend has it, an extremely evil criminal syndicate used to control this area. They traded in everything from weapons to bionic parts and human trafficking. Using the resources obtained from robbery and illegal trades, they continually expanded their power, eventually taking firm control over the entire border trade route."

"One of his hobbies was sand bathing. Whenever he came to a place, he would bury himself in the sand at noon when the sun was the hottest. He believed this was a way to temper his willpower and strengthen his physique ..."

Listenting to Lu Xiang’s gentle narrative coupled with her soothing massages, Song Lan closed his eyes as a wave of sleepiness washed over him.

As for the direction the story was heading, he was able to guess a part of it.

Many of the movies he had seen featured similar plotlines.

A criminal, evil to the core at the beginning of the tale, encounters a group of ordinary folks through an insignificant hobby, and eventually undergoes a transformation, laying down his weapons and turning towards righteousness, from then on living a virtuous life.

As for the story Lu Xiang was telling, he guessed that perhaps the head of the crime syndicate, while doing his solitary sand bath, one day ran into the inn owner’s daughter. And unlike the rest of the town, she was not afraid or resentful of him, but instead ...

"Later, during an internal rebellion, the leader of the crime syndicate—who happened to be in the middle of a sand bath and couldn’t extricate himself—got shot in the head."

Lu Xiang continued in her soft, gentle voice, "His brain matter splattered right over there," pointing towards a spot Song Lan had been facing earlier.

Isn’t your story a bit too realistic?

Song Lan’s eyes popped wide open, the sleepiness he had been feeling earlier disappearing completely.

"Boss."

"Hmm?"

"Have you misunderstood the concept of ’interesting’?"

At least to Song Lan, someone getting their brain blown out less than three meters from him was in no way a fun fact.

"I thought it was quite interesting."

Lu Xiang remarked, "The one who planned the rebellion was actually Chai Ke. He took over Boss’s turf by betraying him and ascended to the position of the syndicate’s leader. So I guess this story is based on real events."

That blasted Chai Ke had come up yet again.

This old friend had a habit of popping up in the most unexpected places and through the most surprising methods.

Song Lan felt that his name deserved a place in the history books of Urban Area 17 and the Border Trade Route.

"Boss."

With determination in his voice, Song Lan said, "I think we should recommend to the next mayor to vigorously develop these small towns along the trade route."

After experiencing it firsthand, he understood how outdated and unsafe sand bathing was even in the year 2166.

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