Enforcer Manual
Chapter 56: Gold Rush_1

Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Gold Rush_1

"In 2150, the first expedition dispatched by the United Government brought back news from ’outside’."

Following the bartender’s assertion that "criminals will soon have no market here," the man at the other end of the bar had abruptly joined their conversation.

He had clearly heard the bartender’s whisper from nearly ten meters away, evidence of his exceptional hearing.

"The news confirmed that survivors from the ’outside’ had gathered after the war to establish settlements and formed small states in various regions. The expedition team had also brought back a large amount of scarce resources needed by the United Government. The news of this started a nationwide gold rush, with the crowds rushing to the border city being dubbed as Gold Seekers."

"I would like to apologize if my previous statement offended you," Ivan said.

He had merely been expressing his personal views. Knowing that his views could stir controversy, he had tried to keep his voice low. To his surprise, it was still overheard.

Luckily, this man was a stranger and didn’t seem to be associated with any major criminal groups.

"Your words merely reminded me of some memories," the man waved his hand, turning down the strong liquor offered by Ivan, and began to speak again. "To a certain extent, the United Government encouraged the gold rush and granted legal status to the Gold Seekers under the title of ’Adventurers’. One of the most influential laws stipulated that materials brought back from ’outside’, regardless of their origin, would be considered legal once within the country. This law significantly escalated the craze for exploring ’outside’, but also turned the border city into its current state."

The implicit message conveyed by this law was that even spoils obtained through the brutalities of ’outside’ were deemed legal once transported back into the United Government’s territory.

"Some of the Gold Seekers targeted defenseless villages, while others occupied transportation routes, taking goods directly from other Gold Seekers. Not until 2155 did the United Government amend the law, declaring some of the adventurers as illegal criminals and issuing warrants for their arrest. Chai Ke was one of those who benefited greatly from these times, climbing from penniless to his current status."

"So, in this city, criminals share a history as long as yours. The shadows brewed in those five years have spread through every corner of the city like blood vessels in a human body. The power of the Law Enforcers alone cannot wipe out the imprint left by these times."

As he spoke, the man shifted his gaze from the bartender to Song Lan.

The core intention of his words was always meant for Song Lan.

Ivan couldn’t help but feel tense. His worst fear had come to pass, the man’s remarks were a direct provocation to the Law Enforcers.

Although the Law Enforcers were popular among the Wandering People, their relationship with the criminals had been increasingly fractious since the appointment of the new supervisor.

Now Ivan was incredibly worried that Song Lan would stand up and smack the man with a glass right then and there.

Song Lan seemed too young, at the very peak of his vigor.

"I learned something new."

However, to Ivan’s surprise, all Song Lan said even after having thought for a while was this, and there was no apparent sign of anger on his face.

As for Song Lan, the conversation earlier might as well have been a story.

When he first arrived here, he had tried to collect some history about this world. Even though he still couldn’t confirm whether this place and the familiar 2020 were in the same timeline, he did find out that there was a war in 2030 of this world’s timeline that enveloped the entire world.

The war lasted nearly a hundred years and caused devastation that was tantamount to the destruction caused by nuclear weapons in most areas. At the end of the war, the leaders of the survivors signed a truce. The remaining resources and means of production were gathered to form the United Government’s embryonic structure.

Areas outside the borders of the United Government were referred to as the "outside." Without the gold rush, many people would probably never have any contact with the "outside" in their lives. Even now, for most people, the "outside" still seemed like ruins left behind by nuclear devastation.

As for the expedition team that the man mentioned, Song Lan had indeed found information online about it.

What felt bizarre to him was that while this was not the Medieval Age of maritime exploration but the technologically advanced age of 2166, he couldn’t find any pictures of countries or settlements on the "outside" online. This led many to question the reliability of this news, and they considered it a fabrication by the United Government.

On this issue, Song Lan had always been a fence-sitting observer. He was in two minds about the existence of nations on the "outside."

Seeing Song Lan unfazed, the man frowned, huffed disdainfully, and stopped interacting with them.

About two or three minutes later, a woman with obvious dark circles under her eyes came out of a nearby booth. Holding a file in her hand, she walked straight toward the man.

"Captain, I got the file."

Captain?

Song Lan also demonstrated his outstanding hearing skills, hearing the woman’s whispers that were even softer than Ivan’s.

He had initially thought that this man was a member of a criminal group, naturally opposed to Law Enforcers, but criminal groups rarely used the title "Captain," right?

The man took the file and nodded.

Before leaving, he cast a meaningful glance at Song Lan who was ignoring him, staring at his cup.

Of course, one of the rules of avoiding fights in a bar as a pacifist was not to stare at others for no reason.

"Phew, that scared the hell out of me."

Seeing the pair leave, Ivan sighed in relief, a look of remorse on his face. "I’m sorry about that, my words got you involved in unnecessary trouble. Let me make it up to you by buying you a real drink."

With that, Ivan opened a suspicious bottle.

The liquid in the bottle was crystal clear, but given his prior experience, Song Lan was sure that it wasn’t just water.

Ivan handled the bottle like a precious gem as he poured a full glass right in front of Song Lan.

Only then did Song Lan get a clear look at the label on the bottle.

Indeed, it was water.

Water of Life to be precise.

He could smell the pungent odour without even getting close to it.

At this moment, only one thought crossed Song Lan’s mind.

Ivan, my man,

Are you really here to apologize?

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