HLM -Chapter 1122 Coral Explosion

Cousins nodded. “Yes, the output will be terrifying.”

“How much?” Juan asked curiously.

Cousins replied, “An annual output of over a hundred thousand tons shouldn’t be a problem!”

Juan sucked in a sharp breath. “That much?”

Cousins shrugged. “Honestly, that’s just average. Do you know how much milk New Zealand produces every year? Twenty-five million tons!”

Their estimate leaned on the optimistic side—perhaps it wouldn’t quite reach the hundred-thousand-ton mark.

Wang Bo’s own projection was that the ranch would eventually accommodate one hundred thousand dairy cows. Calculated on the basis that an average dairy cow produces forty liters of milk per day, and that Holstein cows have a lactation period of three hundred days a year—

That meant a single Holstein cow could produce twelve thousand liters of milk annually, which was more than one ton.

With one hundred thousand cows producing one hundred thousand tons of milk, under smooth conditions, it was by no means impossible.

After reviewing the data analysis, Juan nodded. “I’ll go set up an independent milk company right away.”

One hundred thousand tons of milk— even if it sold for just ten yuan per kilogram, that was still a billion-yuan business!

Wang Bo knew that once Sunset Milk entered the high-end market, prices wouldn’t be anywhere near that low, and naturally, the company’s revenue would be far higher.

After some simple planning, Cousins smiled. “We’re building a milk empire.”

Juan laughed indifferently. “The milk business is big, sure. Calling it a group is fine, but calling it an empire is a bit exaggerated. The real empire belongs to the entire Sunset Ranch.”

The beef and lamb produced by the ranch were already capable of generating massive profits. If Wang Bo was patient enough, he could rely on this alone to become New Zealand’s richest man.

Without anyone noticing, the ranch had fulfilled its mission. It had become the town’s pillar industry, radiating outward and supporting half of the town’s commercial activity.

After the meeting ended, Wang Bo injected another five million into the dairy factory to continue construction. This industry had tremendous potential.

In addition, he arranged for Juan to purchase transport vehicles—temperature-controlled milk trucks, livestock transport trucks, and so on—all of which were needed.

In mid-November, he drew a Level-Two Stadium Heart, which he promptly used on the stadium, though it wasn’t of much use to him.

Earlier, he had drawn an even less useful Territory Heart, a Level-One School Heart. Since both primary and secondary schools already had such a heart, he could only store it away.

As mid-November arrived, the weather grew warmer, and more and more tourists flocked to Sunset Town.

Lake Hāwea became the star attraction, because in just the past few days, several university aquatic research teams jointly released a stunning announcement: freshwater coral believed to have been extinct for fifty thousand years had been discovered in Lake Hāwea!

The news first appeared in the globally renowned scientific journal Science, and was then picked up by major web portals and mainstream media. A species thought to have been extinct for tens of thousands of years had been rediscovered, backed by solid evidence and facts. The entire aquatic science community was shaken.

The New Zealand Herald, New Zealand Daily, New Zealand National Television, and other outlets naturally rushed to report the story. News of the freshwater coral began to bombard the public nonstop.

As a result, tourists poured in like a tidal wave, all scrambling to catch a glimpse of the true face of freshwater coral.

Wang Bo hadn’t prepared for this at all—he had almost forgotten about it. After all, the freshwater coral had appeared some time ago, and the townspeople had grown used to its existence and stopped paying special attention to it.

Happiness came a bit too suddenly. Overnight, the whole world knew about Sunset Town. The whole world knew that Sunset Town possessed the only remaining freshwater coral on Earth.

When Wang Bo woke up and saw the news, he was ecstatic. “Holy crap—Sunset Town finally made global headlines!”

Uncle Bing said, “Boss, stop smiling and hurry up and figure out how to protect the coral. Otherwise, with every tourist spitting once, the water quality will change and wipe it out!”

Indeed, when they went out onto the lake that morning, they saw that the number of tour boats had suddenly skyrocketed—an explosive increase.

Fortunately, the tourists were fairly well-behaved. There were no arguments or conflicts.

Wang Bo had just let out a sigh of relief when someone surfaced from the water, ripped out his breathing tube, and shouted, “Fuck! Who kicked me underwater just now? Come out! I swear I saw what you look like—I’ll make you pay!”

“We can’t let everyone go into the water like this,” said Atulu, his arm still hanging in a sling. “Boss, I guarantee someone will try to steal some coral to raise at home.”

Wang Bo nodded. “Can we ask the higher-ups to send us a patrol boat?”

The Wellington Police Headquarters agreed readily, saying they would immediately coordinate with the navy to deliver a military patrol boat.

Protecting the freshwater coral wasn’t just Wang Bo’s responsibility—it was the responsibility of all of New Zealand.

Looking at the surge of tourists, Wang Bo kept shaking his head. “You tell me—when those experts and professors released the news, why the hell didn’t they notify me first? At least let me prepare.”

In just two days, a small vessel painted with New Zealand police insignia was delivered to Sunset Town.

The police brought a high-speed impact interceptor boat. It was 16.8 meters long and 4.04 meters wide, capable of reaching fifty knots—when running at full speed on the water, it felt like flying.

The interceptor looked sleek and imposing. Its side walls slanted inward at an angle, the upper cabin was low-profile, and it was packed with various instruments. It used a hard-chine hull design, with an open cockpit and an open stern. Mounted at the stern was a heavy machine gun, giving it an unmistakably violent presence.

What moved Wang Bo was that they didn’t just deliver the interceptor—they also sent a pilot and four soldiers.

However, someone soon informed him that the interceptor was independent of the Sunset Town police force. It was deployed specifically to protect the freshwater coral.

Without a doubt, the New Zealand government had classified the freshwater coral as a national asset.

This was a good thing—but Wang Bo wasn’t having it.

He wasn’t like those spineless cowards in Japan or South Korea, happily wagging their tails when the United States offered to station troops on their land “for protection.”

Sunset Town was Wang Bo’s territory. He absolutely could not allow government armed forces to enter it. Otherwise, what if one day these guys “accidentally” shot him? Who would Sunset Town belong to then—confiscated by the state?

Furious, Wang Bo waved at Uncle Bing. “Get them out of here!”

The four burly soldiers immediately raised their Steyr rifles—the standard-issue rifle of the New Zealand military, manufactured by the Austrian arms factory, 5.56mm caliber, a battlefield killing machine.

“Mayor Wang, please do not show violent intent toward us!” the leading captain barked sternly.

Wang Bo pointed at his nose and shouted back even more harshly, “You must not have gotten this through your thick skull! This is my private property! This half of Lake Hāwea belongs to me too! According to the constitution, the freshwater coral in it belongs to me as well!”