HLM -Chapter 1219 Catching Street Racers

New Zealand, with its vast land, sparse population, and developed road network, is a natural breeding ground for street racers.

Especially with movies like The Fast and the Furious and a series of racing games, the number of street racers in New Zealand has been growing, with Wellington and Auckland being the two main hubs.

While enjoying speed and adrenaline, street racers often end up injured—or worse, dead. At night, some roads would see cars drifting, sliding, and performing stunts, causing serious headaches for the police.

To reduce street racing accidents, the Police Headquarters required strict enforcement across the country. Sunset Town had suffered enough and regularly needed crackdowns on street racers.

Therefore, Wang Bo, Atulu, and Officer Bing’s father-son duo were invited to join the Wellington police for this operation. Their duties differed from the cadets—they would participate in actual arrests and law enforcement.

On the way to report in, Carlman explained, “The Wellington police have been planning this operation for two months. Tonight, we’ll hit Beach Highway 101. This is going to be a major crackdown on the street racing gangs.”

Being the capital, Wellington is densely populated with heavy traffic. Street racing here easily causes accidents. Any incident could blow up in the media, putting enormous pressure on the government.

For example, last week’s police car accident was linked to chasing street racers. Although they were initially pursuing a car thief, it turned out the thief was a well-known street racer.

Globally, street racing is most rampant in the U.S., especially in California. In New Zealand, Wellington is the hotspot. Wang Bo didn’t know this yet, so Carlman added, “Wellington has a lot of American immigrants. They associate speed with masculinity. Driving fast while controlling the car is considered a sign of manly prowess.”

Hearing this, Officer Bing sneered, “You can’t tell how manly a dead man is.”

Carlman laughed heartily but also complained, “It’s all the movies and games’ fault! Damn it! They practically promote street racing. They should all be banned!”

Illegal street racing exists worldwide. Since the release of the Fast and the Furious series, it has become even more rampant. According to New Zealand’s National Road Traffic Safety Administration, street racing caused 28 fatal accidents and 220 other accidents—previously, such incidents were just a fraction.

New Zealand’s street racers are even more extreme. Illegal races aren’t confined to city streets—they can occur in canyons or on highways. The most popular is the Beach Highway.

Don’t assume Beach Highway is lined with soft sand; it isn’t. In New Zealand, it refers to roads running along the coastline, often flanked by jagged reefs. At high speeds, any mistake usually means total destruction.

But this danger only excites the reckless street racers. They deliberately choose hazardous environments for the adrenaline rush.

The cadets arrived at the Wellington Central Police Station, which was already teeming with officers on standby.

When Wang Bo and the others entered, their phones were confiscated.

He was surprised. “Are there undercover cops here?”

New Zealand police rank first globally in integrity, rarely embroiled in scandals involving collusion with criminals.

Chief Inspector Ferguson explained, “No, it’s not that. Some officers may have friends or relatives involved in street racing. We’re just worried they might tip them off.”

This alone showed that this operation was serious.

Inside the conference room, the huge space was divided into sections, each packed with personnel. A large screen embedded in the wall displayed street racing footage.

In one scene, a modified Ford Mustang suddenly veered off the track and hit pedestrians, killing two instantly.

The next scene was equally horrifying: a Maserati sped through a red light at an intersection, likely assuming it was night with few cars. But a small truck appeared at the intersection, and the Maserati flipped it. Close-up shots revealed that everyone in both vehicles died.

This footage was internal, unedited—far more brutal and realistic than what the public would see. Wang Bo could see close-up shots of heads crushed like watermelons.

“Previously, racers knew each other personally. Now, social media makes organizing races easier, but it also expands the scene, creating hidden dangers. Our stance is: nip this in the bud before it spreads,” a police officer said.

“Cars are faster, modifications are increasingly unprofessional, and races happen more frequently. It’s only getting more dangerous. We have to eliminate these risks at their source.”

A police inspector was being interviewed at the podium. A few journalists were in the room, clearly preparing to follow the night’s operation.

Wang Bo quickly scanned the material, and someone came to meet them. The cadets were taken to a corner, while Wang Bo and the others were positioned near the podium.

A file was handed to them. “These are some dangerous characters. Remember them. Tonight, we take these bastards down.”

The files mainly described the cars. The first was a Maserati Ghibli, 3.0L turbocharged engine, 409 horsepower, 0–100 km/h in just five seconds.

Next, a McLaren 12C, 626 horsepower, top speed 350 km/h, 0–100 km/h in 3.3 seconds. A Dodge Challenger SRT8, 6.4L V8, 477 horsepower, easily surpassing 300 km/h…

Wang Bo looked at the material—these were all high-end cars. Worth millions, even tens of millions, these cars were no small matter. Anyone who could afford them had a deep background. But Wellington police were determined—even the Prime Minister’s son would be arrested if caught racing.

From Wang Bo’s knowledge, children of high-ranking officials in New Zealand were often disciplined and law-abiding, aware that any scandal could topple their parents.

This is one benefit of transparent democracy. In countries like the U.S., U.K., or France, governments masquerade as democratic but are often as corrupt as those they criticize.

After studying the files, a police officer asked, “Memorized everything?”

Wang Bo nodded. The officer quizzed him briefly, then said, “Good. Come over here and familiarize yourself with our deployment.”