Reborn Action Star: Starting in Hollywood

Chapter 509 Devil Tofu and the Ship of Hell

To be honest, Lin Yuan had never seen such a lively dock.

The dock was bustling with people coming and going: shouts, hawking, and the yells of boatmen could be heard one after another.

"Tent rental, $15 for the entire trip, and the deposit will be returned when you reach the destination!"

"Fresh chandelier branches, protect your teeth and freshen your breath!"

"Sakabaca fried tofu with secret salt and pepper powder is absolutely delicious!"

"Even stronger than Sakabaca fried tofu, 'Devil's Tofu' is guaranteed to make you forget any pain!"

Lin Yuan looked at the small vendors setting up stalls everywhere and found it hard to imagine that this was a dock instead of a vegetable market.

"Is this a vegetable market? Where is our boat?" Lin Yuan asked.

Kane, the bodyguard standing by, was also here for the first time and had obviously never seen such a scene.

He looked around but did not see the cargo ship that President Kabila had mentioned.

At this time, Lin Yuan tentatively turned his head to look at Saragama behind GAKKI, the "guide" provided by Mukesh Ambani.

"Saragama, are we in the wrong place?" Lin Yuan asked.

Saragama said, "Sir, this is indeed the dock for ships heading to Kisangani, but there are too many people here and our military vehicles can't get through."

"Is Congo so wild? They just occupy the road and do business at the dock? Even if we are not driving a military vehicle, ordinary cars can't drive through, right? Apart from us, is there no one else driving and getting stuck?" Lin Yuan asked.

"Normally, vehicles board the ship in the morning, and after noon, only individual tourists are left. So the locals have developed an established custom of setting up stalls in the open space in front of the pier after the afternoon," explained Saragama.

After hearing his words, Lin Yuan felt that it was really convenient to have a guide who was familiar with the local area, so he asked further questions.

"Any suggestions?" Lin Yuan looked at the street vendors and added, "I don't want to disturb anyone, so please don't make things difficult for them."

Lin Yuan knew that if it were the style of African bosses, they would definitely send bodyguards to drive out these poor people setting up stalls and clear a path to the dock berth.

Although strictly speaking, these people were illegally occupying the road and blocking the road to the dock.

But looking at this large area of ​​temporary stalls stretching for hundreds of meters, if they really want to clear it out, I'm afraid hundreds of stalls will have to be cleared out.

Lin Yuan didn't want to do this. He would try not to do it if he could not disturb the lives of these people. Life at the bottom was already very difficult.

Saragama said, "The only way to board the ship is to go to Berth 4, three kilometers north. It's the cargo terminal and there are fewer people there. There's also a hardened concrete trestle bridge that allows military vehicles to drive directly onto the ship."

Kane nodded and opened the car door. "I'll walk over to the ship and tell the captain to change to berth 4."

Lin Yuan also opened the car door and jumped out.

GAKKI-chan and Saragama got out of the car behind him.

Kane asked doubtfully, "Mr. Lin Yuan, I'll just go and inform the captain. You should wait in the car. It's safer that way."

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "Go and inform the captain, I want to go shopping in the market during this period.

This is my first time in Africa, so I'm quite curious. As for safety, you know my abilities, so there won't be any danger here.

And Saragama is with me, so you don’t have to worry.”

Hearing Lin Yuan's words, Kane nodded. In such an environment, Lin Yuan was simply invincible.

He also had a "guide" who was familiar with the local area with him, which made it even less likely for something to go wrong.

Kane was very sensitive to the smell of blood on Lin Yuan's "guide". He knew that this dark and thin-looking Saragama was definitely an elite warrior who had experienced many battles.

So Kane said no more. He took his deputy Sant and walked towards the ship berth at the dock.

Watching Kane walk away, Lin Yuan smiled and said to GAKKI-chan, "Let's go, let's go visit the African market."

"Okay, I was very envious when I heard Sister Betty talk about your travels in India. Now I didn't expect that I would have the honor to visit Congo with you." GAKKI smiled happily.

Lin Yuan reached out and held GAKKI-chan's hand, and they walked into the market side by side. Five steps behind them was Saragama, and more than ten meters further away were three bodyguards from the security team.

After entering the market, Lin Yuan's attention was quickly attracted by a black man squatting on the ground.

In front of him were more than a dozen plastic bags of various colors, each of which contained strange tree-shaped products.

"Are there any branches for sale? That's interesting. Let's see what they are used for." Lin Yuan walked forward with a smile.

Many African countries were colonies of Britain and France in history. In addition to their local languages, local residents often speak some simple French and English, so there is no obstacle in communicating with locals.

"Excuse me, what is this?" Lin Yuan pointed to a bag of white branches in English.

These branches have been stripped of their bark, revealing a white fibrous interior that looks a bit like chewed sugarcane residue?
"This is a branch from the chandelier tree. You chew it in your mouth." The black man picked up a branch and put it in his mouth and chewed it a few times as a demonstration. "It smells delicious. It can make your breath fresh and remove debris from your teeth, protecting your dental health."

Lin Yuan and GAKKI-chan reached out to take a branch handed to them by the man and put it in their mouths.

He was not worried about being poisoned or that the black man was deceiving him, because Saragama was watching not far away, and if there was any problem he would definitely step forward to stop it.

When Lin Yuan put the white branch into his mouth, his first feeling was that it was not rough at all. The branch with the bark peeled off had a light and refreshing taste.

As Da Ya chewed, the stronger herbal aroma with a cool feeling filled his entire mouth.

The chewed wood fibers also began to grind Lin Yuan's teeth in his mouth, removing the debris on the surface of his teeth and cleaning his teeth.

It turned out to be an African version of natural "chewing gum", which Lin Yuan found very interesting.

Lin Yuan knew about the chandelier tree, a tall tree of the Bignoniaceae family that is widely distributed in the African continent and Madagascar. It is an important food source for many wild animals.

Do chandelier branches have a special scent, similar to mint?

It's chewing gum after all...

After trying the branches of the chandelier tree, GAKKI-chan was obviously interested and asked, "How much are they?"

The black man stretched out his fingers and gestured: "Twenty for one dollar."

Lin Yuan was quite surprised when he heard the price.

Lin Yuan could tell from the black man's expression that he was not charging a higher price to outdo a foreigner like him.

The price of twenty sticks for one dollar is quite fair.

It is also a poor third world country, and it also looks chaotic with people occupying the streets for business, but it seems that the Congolese are more honest than the Indians who like to cheat and deceive?
So Lin Yuan took out a ten-dollar bill and handed it over, then picked up three small bags of chandelier tree branches from the ground. Each bag contained 20 branches that were exactly as thick as chopsticks.

Three bags are enough. Lin Yuan and GAKKI-chan keep one bag for themselves and the rest are distributed to the security team for them to experience.

The black man took the money and prepared to find more money from his pocket.

Lin Yuan waved his hand and said, "No need to change. I really like your branches and Congo. Consider the extra money as my token of goodwill towards my friend."

The black man was stunned for a moment, and he wiped his hands on his lapel with some emotion. Then he stood up from the ground and extended his hand to Lin Yuan: "Good friend! Thank you for your generosity."

Lin Yuan shook hands with him and said with a smile, "I wish you a prosperous business as well."

After shaking hands, the man suddenly squatted down, picked up a bag from the stall, and stuffed it into Lin Yuan's arms: "Good friend! This is a gift from me, you will like it!"

Lin Yuan asked in confusion: "What is this?"

"Acacia branches!" The black man gave an ambiguous smile.

This kind of smile is a "vulgar" smile that all men understand, and Lin Yuan immediately guessed its purpose.

But he still asked, "What's the use?"

"Drinking the water will make you strong! You are very good, and your female companion is also very good!" said the black man with a smile.

After hearing his explanation, Lin Yuan said that he had not misunderstood. With such a smile that all men could understand, how could he have guessed wrong?
It really is the African version of the original aphrodisiac!
Acacia, a common tree in the African grasslands, belongs to the leguminous family. They have a solid trunk and lush branches and leaves, and the branches have hard thorns to prevent animals from gnawing.

Because of its extremely hard thorns and branches, Africans believe that it is also very helpful for that aspect of hardness.

As for whether it is really effective?
GAKKI said that she doesn’t care whether it works or not!
GAKKI took the acacia branch from Lin Yuan's hand, put it back on the ground, and said, "Thank you for your kindness, sir, but we don't need it anymore."

Are you kidding! Lin Yuan still needs aphrodisiac?
When he didn't take any medicine, GAKKI and Taylor Swift often couldn't hold their own and were defeated when they attacked him together. I'm afraid that even three of them might not be able to defeat Lin Yuan.

Now that Taylor Swift has gone back, GAKKI is the only one left, and she feels very guilty.

If we give him aphrodisiac again, will he be able to survive?
Lin Yuan guessed what GAKKI was thinking, so he smiled and patted the black man's shoulder: "Thank you for your kindness, but I really don't need it. We'll go first, I wish you good luck!"

After saying that, Lin Yuan waved goodbye to him, then left with GAKKI-chan.

The two walked forward about ten steps, and soon GAKKI was attracted by a fruit stall. A young black woman was standing behind the stall.

"What kind of fruit is that? An orange? But why is it oval?" asked GAKKI.

Lin Yuan followed GAKKI-chan's gaze and saw a strange-looking green fruit filling the entire stall.

You might say this is an orange, but it is not the common flat and round shape, but a long and oval shape that looks a bit like a mango.

But you say it is a mango, but its skin is slightly wrinkled like an orange, and it does not have the smooth skin that a mango should have.

So Lin Yuan stepped forward and asked, "Madam, what kind of fruit is this?"

Madame is a transliteration of the French word "Madame" and is an honorific title for women, equivalent to "Mrs." or "Lady" in English. It is usually used to show respect and courtesy to women.

Seeing a handsome man from the East addressing him so politely, the black man, Madam, immediately smiled and said, "This is our local mango from Congo. It's very sweet and delicious!"

Is it really a mango? Why does it look like the hybrid product of an orange and an adult?

Madam handed over two mangoes, one to Lin Yuan and one to GAKKI, and then said, "Try it. If it doesn't taste good, you don't have to pay." Lin Yuan applied a little force with his hand and found that the mango skin was very easy to peel.

The reason is that the mango skin is very thick. When you apply force, it's like the skin of a roasted sweet potato. The whole green skin is rubbed off, revealing the yellow flesh inside.

Lin Yuan put the fruit flesh to his mouth and took a small bite...

Ugh, I bit into the core.

This mango, native to Congo, has a really big core, and you can feel the core even if you take a small bite.

It tastes very sweet, with a very strong mango flavor, but it has less water than ordinary mangoes and its taste is a bit like pumpkin.

If you dislike sticky mangoes, you will probably like this different kind of mango.

Lin Yuan is such a person. He always dislikes the fact that his hands become sticky and he needs to wash them after eating Thai mangoes. If they accidentally fall on the ground, it is extremely difficult to clean them.

"Madam, how much is this mango?" Lin Yuan asked.

"Two kilograms for one dollar, my price is absolutely fair," Madam replied.

Lin Yuan nodded, it was indeed fair.

So he bought two more kilograms of Congolese mangoes and continued on his way.

The two had just walked a dozen meters when they were immediately attracted by a street snack.

A large group of black people surrounded a stall, constantly taking snacks from the owner.

Strictly speaking, what this stall sells is actually fried tofu.

But what surprised Lin Yuan was that this fried tofu was eaten with a purple powder.

Every black person who bought fried tofu was holding a transparent plastic bag containing seven or eight meatball-sized pieces of fried tofu and purple powder.

The black man tied the mouth of the plastic bag tightly, then shook the bag up and down quickly to allow the purple powder to fully coat the surface of the fried tofu. Then he opened the plastic bag and took it out to eat with satisfaction.

This scene really resembles how the kids in China in the 80s and 90s ate instant noodles dry: they carefully crushed the noodles through the bag, then poured in the seasoning packet and oil packet, pinched the bag to seal it, and shook it up and down vigorously to make the seasoning evenly cover the crushed noodles.

I just don’t know what kind of gift this purple powder is from nature.

"Want to try it?" Lin Yuan looked at Gakki-chan who was eager to try it and asked with a smile, "As a Japanese, can you accept this kind of unhygienic street food?"

GAKKI asked, "When you and Betty were in India, did you often buy street food to eat?"

Lin Yuan nodded. When he and Betty were in India, they had indeed eaten a lot of "clean and hygienic" street food.

Sadly, neither of them experienced the legendary pain of catharsis.

There were no health potions at that time. It can only be said that the two of them had good enough physiques and strong enough immunity that Indian food could not do anything to them.

Now GAKKI has taken the health potion. As long as she can overcome her psychological barriers, there is no way she will have any problems eating this street food.

GAKKI-chan smiled and said, "Then try it. I'm curious about what this purple seasoning powder is. Don't ask this time, let's just try it."

She wanted to keep some suspense, so Lin Yuan didn't ask.

He went up and bought five bags of fried tofu.

It wasn't that he wanted to buy so much, but five bags cost one dollar, and since he didn't have the local currency, he had to buy more at one time.

Lin Yuan kept one bag for himself and handed the other bag to Saragama and the bodyguards behind him.

When Lin Yuan saw the hesitant expression on Saragama's face, he immediately realized that the food in front of him seemed to be not simple.

But he didn't think much about it, and he and GAKKI-chan each took a piece of fried tofu and put it into their mouths.

"puff!"

The next moment, Lin Yuan spat out the fried tofu in his mouth.

Gan!
How can there be such horrible food?

The first feeling when you put the fried tofu in your mouth is that it is extremely pungent, with a spicy feeling rushing from your nose to the top of your head.

This feeling is like a more powerful version of mustard, as if the entire body from the nasal cavity to the top of the head is completely opened up.

After this strong spicy feeling, an extremely abnormal spiciness comes, and the whole mouth seems to be half on fire, burning with pain.

This is even more powerful than the devil pepper that Lin Yuan had tried before, and its spiciness can only be achieved by industrially extracted capsaicin.

Finally, there comes an extreme sour taste, the kind that makes you frown and drool.

It’s sour, spicy and pungent. What the hell is this?

GAKKI-chan next to Lin Yuan performed no better than him, and also spat out the fried tofu he had just eaten in small bites.

At this time, Saragama, who had foreseen the situation, took a step forward and found two bottles of purified water on the ground.

The two of them immediately took it and drank it in gulps.

"What on earth is this? Why is it so popular?" Lin Yuan asked in confusion.

"This is the famous 'devil's tofu' in the local area. Not only because of its purple color, which makes it look like food from hell, but also because of its extreme taste stimulation, it has won the love of many locals." Saragama explained.

From Saragama's explanation, Lin Yuan learned that the purple powder came from the resin of a "cactus-like plant" called Euphorbia.

The world's unit of measurement for the spiciness of capsicum fruits is the Scoville. Taking the common chili pepper in our lives as an example, its spiciness is about 10 units.

If the Scoville scale is used to measure the spiciness of Euphorbia resinosa, the value can reach an astonishing 160 billion units, which is 16 times the spiciness of chili peppers.

Of course, very little of the resinous euphorbia sap is used in the purple powder, but other plant extracts are added to create this bizarre "dish."

"Is there really anyone who likes to eat this kind of thing?" Lin Yuan asked in confusion.

"'Devil's tofu' didn't exist before the Congolese civil war. Only people who experienced that period would like this kind of food," Saragama replied.

After hearing what Saragama said, Lin Yuan seemed to understand the truth.

The essence of spiciness is actually pain, and strong spiciness can relieve pain to a certain extent.

This is not nonsense. Many scientific research results have shown that when humans are stimulated by extremely spicy food, the secretion of endorphins in the body will accelerate, and even bring a feeling of pleasure.

Some scientists have also done related research: the resin toxin in the resin euphorbia not only completely opens the ion channels of pain-sensing nerve cells, but also keeps this opening for a long time.

In this way, when the free calcium ions in the human body enter the nerve cells along the channel, the nerve cell endings will lose their activity, thereby temporarily making people lose their sense of pain and playing an analgesic role.

Resin toxin has another characteristic: it only binds to the receptors of pain cells in the human body and does not affect the nerve cells of other senses of the human body, such as touch. This is more advantageous than anesthetics that make people lose all senses.

It goes without saying what the displaced people experienced during the Congolese war.

A war known as the "African World War" broke out in this country, which was bound to bring great suffering to the local people.

In such a hellish situation, perhaps "devil's tofu" is the best spiritual comfort, helping them temporarily fight the pain in life.

No wonder Saragama said, "Devil's tofu didn't exist before the Congolese civil war. Only people who experienced that period would like this kind of food."

It seems that this kind of "delicacy" in front of him is destined to be out of reach for Lin Yuan.

Although health potions can help Lin Yuan and GAKKI-chan become immune to gastrointestinal discomfort caused by extremely spicy food, it does not mean that they are immune to this tsunami-like crazy attack in terms of taste.

My first attempt at Congolese roadside delicacy failed, an achievement that even Indian street food has never achieved!
In addition to the "devil tofu", there are all kinds of strange local delicacies on the roadside: grilled lizard meat, fried palm tree worms, charcoal-grilled bats...

But Lin Yuan was not interested in trying it for the time being. He and GAKKI-chan walked forward and passed through the dock area.

At first, Lin Yuan thought that this dock area was a market, but as he went deeper, he realized that it was actually a small society.

In addition to selling various foods and clothes to cover the body, there are also small clinics and funeral homes related to birth, aging, illness and death.

This is just a dock, why did it develop into this?

Under Lin Yuan's curious gaze, Saragama took him to the Congo River, and an endless stream of ferries appeared in front of Lin Yuan.

"What is this? Why are there so many boats? And they look so weird?" Lin Yuan asked in surprise.

In front of Lin Yuan's eyes, countless strange "combination ships" appeared.

It is called a "combination ship" because the front of this type of ship is usually a small double-decker cruise ship with about 50 passengers.

At the back of the cruise ship, an extremely large flatbed boat was tied with more than ten iron chains as thick as arms.

This flat-bed ship looks very much like an aircraft carrier: a large flat deck, but without an island, or even braking or steering equipment.

The flatbed boat's movement depends entirely on the pulling of the cruise ship in front of it, which is only one tenth of its size.

It's really like a calf pulling a big cart.

Seeing such strange "combination ships" moored everywhere on the entire dock, maybe there are thousands of such "combination ships"?
In response to Lin Yuan's puzzled question, Saragama said: "This is Congo's most famous 'hell ship'. It is also the most relied-upon means of transportation for ordinary Congolese people.

If we were just ordinary tourists coming to Congo, I'm afraid we would have to take this kind of boat."

Oh boy, "Hell Ship"?
It seems to have some inexplicable connection with the "devil tofu" just now?

Lin Yuan seemed to have guessed the answer.

(End of this chapter)