Cheshire.
Altrincham Manor.
Li Luo sat on the sofa, watching an old film adaptation of And Then There Were None.
Unfortunately.
He had read the original novel and knew the plot.
So the film's ingenious setups and twists had lost their impact.
"Our opponents in the Premier League opener are the newly promoted Huddersfield."
"West Yorkshire, forty kilometers northeast of Manchester."
"The weather on match day will be..."
Tom spoke as he handed over the match preparation report.
He paused when he reached the weather: Manchester United's coaching staff believed that the weather barely affected Li Luo's game, as though he possessed the Environmental Adaptation ability from Super Robot Wars, setting him apart from ordinary people.
Li Luo waved him over, inviting the Manchester United assistant to sit down and watch television with him. "Take a break. No work talk on a day off."
Manchester United was already on the right track.
The money they had earned had funded renovations at the Carrington Training Ground and the Theatre of Dreams, and their major signings were in place.
They no longer needed to tread as carefully as they had over the previous two years.
On paper... apart from the right side of the defense being a pile of shit, the squad was among Europe's very best overall. But when had football ever seen a perfect squad on paper? Never. Even Heynckes's Bayern had had a weak spot that was a pile of shit, unless all eleven players were superhumans who kept pace with tactical developments, possessed Two-Footed Balance, and could play any position.
In the blink of an eye.
The Premier League opener arrived.
Manchester United's coach headed east along the M62 motorway.
Outside the windows.
The countryside of northern Great Britain drifted slowly past.
Golden wheat fields, gray stone