HLM -Chapter 1181 The Arch of Triumph

Because of matters with the Foundation, Wang Bo later detoured to Miami, where Silas was staying. He missed his beloved wife terribly and didn’t really tour the city—Miami, touted as the top tourist city in the U.S.—instead, he focused solely on discussing Foundation matters. After discovering that Silas had a strong sense of responsibility regarding these issues, he handed over the Foundation to him for management.

From Miami, he first flew to Christchurch and then drove back to Sunset Town. Wang Bo had called Uncle Bing in advance, asking him to pick him up by helicopter.

However, Uncle Bing said the town was busy with some matters and instead rented him a car so he could drive back. Wang Bo was displeased, and Dale was even more annoyed:

“Brother-in-law, haven’t you been away from Sunset Town for too long? These guys clearly don’t respect you.”

Wang Bo snorted. “Yes, I think the same. But think about it—if you’ve been away from school for a long time, will your younger classmates still recognize you as the big sister when you come back?”

Dale raised her tiny fists to shout, but then suddenly calmed herself. “This time I’m going to study hard. I’m not going to act like the big sister anymore.”

Wang Bo patted her head. “Good. Dale, you should be a girl with goals.”

Dale pushed him away. “Right now, my biggest goal is to stop being treated like a child by you guys.”

The car sped along, finally reaching Highway 8, so Sunset Town wasn’t far.

As they were leaving Oak City, Dale suddenly screamed, interrupting Wang Bo’s nap:

“Wow! Look! What’s that?”

Wang Bo leaned forward and was astonished to see a stone archway rising in the middle of Highway 8, at the boundary between Oak City and Sunset Town.

The archway wasn’t finished yet, just roughly constructed. It made extensive use of steel, with segments of steel scaffolding pieced together, spanning the road to form a grand structure. Some workers were laying materials on the steel frame, and some letters had already been affixed in the center: “Arch of Triumph.”

“What’s going on? Who built this?” Wang Bo carefully observed as the car quickly drove past.

He called out, “Driver, pull over to the side.”

After getting out, he looked up at the steel gate. It was magnificent—at least 10–20 meters high, spanning both sides of Highway 8, leaving a massive open space.

Bowen, the site supervisor, saw him and laughed heartily. “Hey, boss! You’re back? Welcome back in triumph!”

Wang Bo hugged him and pointed to the steel gate. “What’s the story here?”

Bowen shrugged. “It’s a welcome gate, but today it’s the Arch of Triumph.”

Wang Bo marveled. “When I left, there was nothing here. How is it possible that in less than twenty days, such a magnificent structure has appeared? When did construction start?”

Bowen said, “We started assembling the construction team the moment you boarded the plane. Uh, it was the boss lady’s idea—she wanted to give you a surprise.”

All construction in Sunset Town previously required Wang Bo’s approval, as the finances were under his control—but that was before. Now, the wallet was in Eva’s hands.

The appearance of this spectacular steel gate made Sunset Town’s first impression grand and imposing.

Bowen explained, “The boss lady said that if Sunset Town is to become a world-famous town, it can’t just rely on scenic beauty. First impressions must captivate people and be memorable. She said we needed an extraordinary gate.”

Wang Bo nodded. Eva’s idea made sense—it was indeed a surprise.

Because it was built using a steel skeleton, construction progressed rapidly. At first, Wang Bo saw workers attaching materials to the frame—not for walls, but LED panels. Eva’s plan included turning the gate into an LED display board, so advertisements could later be shown on it.

Back in town, he first went to the office to ask Uncle Bing, “Was anything happening in town?”

Uncle Bing shrugged. “Oh, everything went smoothly, nothing out of the ordinary.”

Wang Bo said, “But earlier, didn’t you say you were dealing with a tricky situation?”

Uncle Bing replied, “That was just an excuse. We wanted you to pass under the Arch of Triumph. Don’t you think it’s a nice surprise?”

“Combining that with your answer now, I see only delight, no surprise. Not bad.”

Construction had also begun on the town’s hilltop hotel. After resting, he drove to check on it. The first hill was being hollowed out.

The supervising engineer told him, “The hardest part is the hollowing process. As long as the hill’s external shape is maintained, placing the modular construction materials inside is easy.”

Wang Bo patted his shoulder. “Keep it up, buddy. I trust you can handle it.”

The engineer smiled. “Of course, we can. No problem.”

Sunset Town was growing like wild grass after rain, changing daily. In about twenty days, several new projects had started.

Floating lakeside cottages were under construction. Chinese factories produced a batch of ultra-buoyant materials, air-shipped to Sunset Town, and work on the house platforms in the water had begun.

Additionally, a branch of Lincoln University was under development. Machines cleared the wild vegetation, leveled uneven terrain, and prepared foundations.

The airport was progressing the fastest. Phase two was nearing completion, allowing it to handle small aircraft for takeoff and landing.

After inspecting the town, Wang Bo stretched and headed to the lakeside beach. Under a sun umbrella, he unfolded a lounge chair and enjoyed the cool mountain breeze.

Nearby vacationers recognized him. “Mayor, aren’t you going to work?”

Wang Bo waved lazily. “I just returned from a long business trip. Now, what I need is rest.”

“You went to Alaska and led a team of Chinese rural dogs to victory! Our family watched the news. Mayor, you’re always first at everything,” another tourist complimented.

Wang Bo appreciated the praise but remained modest. “The dogs were the real stars. Without those kids pulling the sleds, I might have frozen in Alaska’s snow. Whenever I think of that cold, everyone—let’s cherish New Zealand’s sunshine! Come on, enjoy a beautiful afternoon.”

With a bottle of chilled sparkling wine and a copy of National Geographic, Wang Bo lounged by the lake for half the afternoon.

Zhuang Ding and Little Wang were splashing around in the lake. The former hadn’t swum for a while, making him restless. Once he jumped into Lake Hawaii, he went wild—utterly unrecognizable in his frenzy.