Enforcer Manual
Chapter 283: The Romance of a Man_1

Chapter 283: Chapter 283: The Romance of a Man_1

The next day, Song Lan, as usual, arrived at his department just in time. After a brief discussion about the weekly publication with three colleagues, he was ready to enjoy some leisurely moments in the early morning when Roger approached him.

With an air of mystery, he pulled out two wrinkled tickets and whispered, "Chief, are you interested in boxing matches?"

In the year 2166, it was already hard to come across paper tickets.

Unless, those tickets were for some illegal activity that shouldn’t leave traces on the internet—and based on what Song Lan knew about Roger, this was one of his few interests.

He wasn’t talking about a traditional boxing match but the popular underground Black Fist program in District 17.

Most of the venues for Black Fist used to belong to Viper’s power (appearing in Chapter ninety-seven), and after his and most of his close associates’ deaths, many bars saw the profit and business opportunity and provided a venue for the boxers and audience of the underground Black Fist.

The reason it was called Black Fist wasn’t just that it wasn’t officially certified; it was also because the fighters often lacked professional training and medical teams. Apart from the rule that no weapons were allowed, there were almost no restrictions.

The match would only end when one party could no longer stand.

This led to fighters often sustaining serious injuries or even dying in the ring.

Since fighters signed an Agreement on Life and Death before entering the ring, the relevant authorities under the United Government’s current legal system wouldn’t pursue those responsible for a death in a boxing match. They were uninterested in regulating these informal competitions and tacitly allowed them to become a way for some citizens to vent their stress.

"You’re talking about an underground boxing match, right?"

"This isn’t just any underground boxing match. It’s a national competition. The winner will represent our city to fight against champions from other cities for the title of ’The Strongest Boxer’."

Roger got excited about underground boxing, "This is the first time a national-level boxing competition is being held. It was organized with the combined efforts of middlemen from different cities. Besides the title of ’The Strongest Boxer’, the organizers have also put up a prize of 100,000 volts!"

"100,000 volts?"

Song Lan was taken aback.

That wasn’t a small amount—it was probably more than what someone struggling at the bottom of society could earn in half a lifetime. The boxer who won that prize could retire and no longer live a life of battling others to the brink of death.

He suspected that some big corporate executive or a scion from a wealthy family had suddenly taken a fancy to underground boxing and had sponsored this national competition out of their own pocket.

"That’s right, 100,000 volts. The identity of the organizer is very mysterious. All the information was conveyed through middlemen, but the competition has gained widespread attention, and many retired boxers have returned to the ring," Roger explained.

For underground boxing enthusiasts, it was indeed a national carnival.

"Chief, I won’t hide it from you—I’ve always had a dream about boxing. Since there were no requirements to enter this competition, I couldn’t help but sign up."

"So, you’re competing today?"

Song Lan scrutinized Roger’s slight frame. Compared to the professional boxers, Roger could only be described as frail. Could it be that underground boxing also allowed for winning by trash-talking?

"It’s already over."

Zhuang Chi joined their conversation, "He was eliminated during the preliminaries and never made it to the main event."

Just thinking about it made Zhuang Chi’s scalp tingle. She had thought that Roger, with his small stature daring to sign up, must have had some secret weapon prepared.

As it happened, on the day of the preliminaries, she and Valerian even made little flags to cheer for Roger. Yet before they could finish shouting the cheers they had prepared, Roger was already being carried off by medical staff.

"He even caused me to lose 500 volts!"

Valerian, another victim, was so frustrated she even slipped into her native dialect, "I bet on him to win, no less! I’d have done better than him if it were me in the ring!"

That same evening of the preliminaries, Roger might have set the record for the fastest retirement of an underground boxer.

Knocked out within 5 seconds of the start of the match.

"It’s not about winning or losing, it’s about enjoying the atmosphere of the underground boxing match,"

Roger didn’t care about winning or losing. On that night, he had fulfilled a long-standing dream, and the bridge of his nose that still aches faintly to this day was proof of his growth, "But don’t worry, section chief, the preliminaries are over. The ticket I got for you is for the main event; it’s definitely not as lax as the preliminaries. It’s going to be much more exciting."

"Have you ever considered that the main reason the preliminaries were so ’lax’ is because you signed up to fight?"

Zhuang Chi wouldn’t pass up the chance to tease, and after that night, "Knocked Out in 5 Seconds" became the running joke she and Valerian used to tease Roger.

Of course, it was all in good fun among friends.

When they saw Roger get knocked to the ground with a punch by his opponent that night, they were both deeply worried. Thankfully, the medics said that Roger had only broken his nose, and it was considered a minor injury.

So sometimes, it’s good to be a weakling.

Just like Roger, he was carried off before he could get seriously hurt.

"I noticed that you and Director Lu have been busy with work lately, so I specially got two tickets for you to experience the atmosphere on-site. The time is tonight at eleven o’clock, the location is the underground level of the Log Bar in the West District. The tickets for the main event aren’t cheap, and the boxing match is thrilling."

"I’ll ask the director if she has time."

Song Lan sent a text message to Lu Xiang; almost immediately, he got a response:

"Let’s go!"

"Then, thank you very much."

Song Lan accepted the two tickets from Roger. Having been in the year 2166 for so long, he had yet to seriously watch an underground boxing match.

...

At ten o’clock that evening, Lu Xiang got ready early in light attire. She prepared a slightly nerdy pair of black-framed glasses for herself and braided her hair into pigtails.

To fully enjoy the excitement of the underground boxing match, she had to disguise herself.

"The hover car is definitely out of the question."

Facing the mirror, Lu Xiang carefully adjusted her outfit and said nonchalantly, "Let’s go by bicycle, you take me."

In fact, ever since Song Lan had brought home the "MK-II," she had been eyeing the bicycle’s rear seat for a long time.

And this time, it was Song Lan who had taken the initiative to invite her on a date for the first time.

The date location was to her liking, too.

Log Bar, underground boxing match.

These used to be important spots for fishing, but the difference today was that she decided to go with a calm heart and really watch a match for once.

"Director, have you ever watched a match before?"

"I have."

Lu Xiang nodded, "Not only have I watched, but I’ve also participated."

"You’ve been in a boxing match?"

"Want to hear about it?"

Lu Xiang said with a light laugh, "Alright, I’ll tell you about it on the way."