HLM -Chapter 1148 Things Start to Go Wrong

Police forces in New Zealand’s small towns are limited, so when serious crimes occur, the police usually need the help of local residents.

But before that, they first mobilize nearby government staff. If even with their help there aren’t enough hands, then the residents are called in. This is essentially a police mobilization order. In critical situations, citizens are obligated to assist the police in maintaining order and resolving crises.

Refusing to comply could later lead to residents being prosecuted, and for government employees, the local chief executive has the authority to dismiss them on the spot.

That was exactly what Wang Bo did. Miles was just unlucky—he was about to be fired when the robbers struck. It seemed like even fate didn’t want him to stay in Sunset Town.

Taking Kidd and a few other men, they went to prepare the roadblocks by car, while Wang Bo directed the police’s deployment.

Soon, Sunset Town’s police force was activated. A helicopter roared into the sky to scout the enemy, while the “Raider” led several police cars onto the highway, charging east with formidable momentum.

Wang Bo sat in the passenger seat of the Raider. The car’s high chassis offered excellent visibility. He rolled down the window to look back: five police cars followed behind, their sirens wailing—truly impressive.

At that moment, Conley called: “Boss, be careful. The robbers have entered Sunset Town. They have at least two AK-74Us and two M-14s. Their vehicles are modified too. I’ll send you the footage—take a look.”

Soon, Wang Bo opened the iPad to see some blurry photos and videos.

The photos showed two Ford F450 pickups, both heavily modified. “Pickup” didn’t quite do them justice—they were more like light armored vehicles. Both the cabins and cargo areas had been reinforced with steel plates. The image quality was poor, so the thickness of the plates was unclear, but they certainly weren’t thin; shots from the Auckland City police had no effect.

The pickups were speeding toward them. Wang Bo’s police needed to hold them off first, giving Uncle Bing’s team enough time to set up the roadblocks.

After the opening of Highway 8, the Auckland police had sent Wang Bo a roadblock—a hydraulically driven tire shredder with tremendous power.

Seeing that the robbers had four semi-automatic rifles, Wang Bo hesitated. His team only had handguns and shotguns, clearly outgunned by at least two streets’ worth of firepower. If they confronted them head-on, they would suffer heavy losses.

Wang Bo carefully studied the iPad footage and then looked at his small, cute handgun. After a moment’s hesitation, he stopped and showed the footage to the other police officers.

Seeing the robbers’ vehicles, one officer gasped: “Holy crap! Why don’t they just bring out a tank? Even without guns, wouldn’t just ramming crush our team?”

Wang Bo smiled wryly: “Unfortunately, they have at least four semi-automatic rifles.”

Sam, who was preparing the radio, threw it into the car and shouted: “Sh*t! With that kind of firepower, what negotiation? We’d be shredded like wasp nests the moment we peek out!”

At that moment, Gerald’s voice came over the radio: “Boss, Boss, this is Air Police One. Respond if you copy.”

Wang Bo said: “Copy. Air Police One, any observations?”

Gerald was scouting ahead from the helicopter. He was an expert pilot and had military reconnaissance training from his time in the special forces. He was the best choice to assess the enemy.

In a concise voice, Gerald reported: “The robbers’ firepower and armor exceed expectations. Boss, stop advancing. Set up the roadblocks and force them out of the vehicles!”

This gave the police team some relief. Atulu even wiped cold sweat from his brow.

Wang Bo angrily kicked him: “Why are you so useless?”

Atulu protested: “Boss, you all have body armor. I don’t.”

He was too big to wear the AOS team’s vests, so he had no protection. Wang Bo waved him back: “Stay behind. Bullets don’t discriminate—if they hit you, it’ll be trouble.”

Atulu glanced nervously at his colleagues: “Isn’t this bad?”

Wang Bo said: “Those without body armor stay back. Those with it move forward. Build the defensive line here!”

Police cars parked along both sides of the road. Uncle Bing and Kidd drove in the tire shredder and quickly began installing it.

The tire shredder—also called a spiked or barbed roadblock—is hydraulically powered and remotely operated. Its main component is a roughly 40 cm wide chain track with a row of sharp steel spikes. These spikes are extremely sharp, like bayonets, with vent holes. When a vehicle tire rolls over them, it punctures within 0.5 seconds, and the vent holes rapidly release air, deflating the tire.

Installing the roadblocks was tricky. The chain tracks had to be connected, and a pneumatic hammer used to drive the spikes into the ground for stability. They had never used this device before; only Uncle Bing knew how, so the team fumbled a bit.

Finally, the setup was done. In the distance, the two speeding pickups appeared. Kidd and the others felt their legs go weak. Uncle Bing personally drove in only three spikes; there wasn’t enough time to finish before the pickups closed in.

Wang Bo quickly pulled him aside: “Three are enough. The triangle principle—it’s actually more stable this way.”

Uncle Bing tried to rush back, but Wang Bo stopped him angrily: “Are you crazy? You want to die?”

“Boss, the remote switch isn’t on!” Uncle Bing shouted.

At the last second, this blunder frustrated Wang Bo. He activated the remote, and the spikes slowly rose.

At that moment, Atulu’s voice came again: “Sh*t! Pull back! Pull back! What are you doing?!”

Wang Bo looked back to see a garbage truck behind them. The black sanitation worker, Saludi, jumped out: “What’s going on? We’re here to clean the streets.”

Wang Bo rushed over, shouting: “Forget cleaning! We’re engaging the robbers! Move it!”

Saludi shielded his eyes against the sun and looked ahead. The two pickups were now approaching, one after the other. Their armored exteriors were clearly visible.

Seeing the trucks, Saludi immediately jumped in and drove the garbage truck forward!