HLM -Chapter 1201 Letter from the Police Headquarters

Wang Bo said, “Well said, Oladi. You really are a genius. This cottage is incredible—you’ve fully utilized all the potential of the hill. I have to admit, I’m impressed.”

Oladi’s face was full of pride, though he spoke modestly: “You flatter me.”

Wang Bo shook his head. “No, no, no, buddy. I genuinely mean it. You’ve turned the hill into something extraordinary. I can’t think of any other use for it.”

Oladi replied, “Of course, there are other possibilities. If you want the hill to serve another purpose, do you know about underground ice pantries? I could design the hill as one of those.”

Wang Bo didn’t know what that was. He asked, “Underground ice pantry? What’s that?”

Oladi shrugged and smiled. “You know, Mayor Wang, people who enjoy cooking always have a lot of ingredients at home, but refrigerators only have limited space. Sometimes, when you buy too many ingredients, it becomes a headache, right?”

Wang Bo said, “Oh, I have a cold storage room.”

“Does your cold storage need electricity?”

“Of course.”

Oladi said, “If you’d met me earlier, you could have saved all that electricity. An underground ice pantry doesn’t need power. It maintains low temperatures through its physical properties and the surrounding environment.”

Hearing this, Wang Bo became interested. “Tell me more. What does it look like?”

Oladi began explaining. As the name suggests, an underground ice pantry is a low-temperature storage room built beneath the ground for storing vegetables, fruits, and meat.

Its principle is similar to ancient cellars. All you need is wall panels made from specially insulated materials, buried underground, and let the cool soil and groundwater maintain the temperature. Typically, it stays between 2°C and 5°C, which is perfect for preserving vegetables, fruits, and meat.

He pulled out his iPad to show Wang Bo the design. It resembled a large flask buried underground, with the mouth connecting to the surface. The curvature and diameter of the neck were carefully designed to achieve the best insulation.

“This kind of underground ice pantry has strict environmental requirements. Deserts and arid regions are unsuitable, and rainforests won’t work due to geological issues. The best locations have hard soil with abundant groundwater,” Oladi explained slowly.

Wang Bo looked thoughtful. “For example, some spots along the shores of Lake Haweya would be ideal, right?”

Oladi nodded. “The hill is perfect. This uses technological insulation to create a low-temperature environment in every aspect. The neck is critical—it’s best designed in a serpentine shape to minimize bacteria and virus contamination.”

“If it were flat land, a serpentine neck wouldn’t work because there’s not enough space. But the hill is different, right?”

Wang Bo nodded as he studied the plans, understanding the logic.

This underground ice pantry was indeed fascinating. According to the design, it had a diameter of about 2.5 meters, weighed 300 kilograms, and could store up to a ton of vegetables, fruits, and meat—very practical.

Wang Bo asked, “Is it difficult to build?”

Oladi smiled. “Depends on what you compare it to. Compared to buying a freezer, yes, it’s more work. But compared to building a hilltop hotel or a cold storage facility, it’s much simpler.”

Like building a hilltop hotel, the underground ice pantry is modular. You just dig a space in the hill, insert the panels, and once the hill is hollowed out, the spherical pantry is complete.

“This type of pantry is already in use in France and Greece, mostly for storing wine. It’s very popular,” Oladi said.

Wang Bo was puzzled. “Wasn’t this your design? How is it already being used? Didn’t you apply for a patent?”

Oladi laughed. “I appreciate your trust, Mayor Wang. Actually, this was designed by a Dutch inventor named Floris. I just found it interesting and stored the materials.”

Wang Bo asked, “So we can use his design?”

New Zealand strictly protects intellectual property. If the design is patented, you’d have to pay to use it commercially.

Oladi said, “No problem. The patent has been commercialized. If you want to build a few pantries, you’ll need to purchase the materials from France. They have factories dedicated to this.”

Wang Bo nodded. “Good. I find it fascinating. I’ll have my assistant contact the French company later. You give him the requirements, okay?”

“No problem,” Oladi smiled.

Back in his office, Wang Bo assigned the task to Kidd, asking him to work with Oladi.

Kidd nodded and pointed to a document on his desk. “Boss, the Wellington Police Headquarters sent a mail requiring you to open it personally.”

Wang Bo casually opened it. First, there was a commendation praising him and the Sunset Town police for their bravery and professionalism during the Oak City jewelry heist.

The crucial part came in another document. The Police Headquarters noted that as Sunset Town grows, the police must be more professional. Officers Wang Bo previously recruited, like Atulu and Uncle Bing and Gerald, did not meet the standards. They either needed to be dismissed or attend the Royal Police Academy for further training.

Wang Bo himself was on the list. His position as chief was questioned because the headquarters claimed he had no systematic police training, making him unfit to lead a town of over five thousand people.

Seeing this, Wang Bo kicked his chair across the room.

Kidd was startled. “Boss, what’s wrong?”

Wang Bo, furious like never before, said, “None of your business. Go call Atulu, Uncle Bing, Gerald, Conley, and Sam here.”

When they arrived, he threw the notice onto the table, fuming. “Read it yourselves.”

They read it one by one. Atulu’s expression immediately fell. “Boss, are you going to fire us? I love this profession. I swear to God, Buddha, and our Maori deities, I’ve always done my best…”

Wang Bo interrupted him. “Fire you? Why? Are you telling me this damned Police Headquarters is deliberately causing trouble?”

Uncle Bing said, “They’re definitely causing trouble.”

Conley also shouted angrily, “Are they jealous of our results?”

Sam quietly said, “Boss, I think we do have some shortcomings in this area.”

Wang Bo glared at him fiercely. “Shortcomings? I’ve been chief for five years. How’s the crime-solving rate in Sunset Town? How’s public security?”

“Flawless!” Gerald, unusually proactive, replied.

Wang Bo slammed his fist. “Exactly. How many major cases have we solved? Atulu, count for Officer Sam!”