HLM -Chapter 1312 The Water Problem

After all the back-and-forth discussion, it ultimately came back to the mineral water plant.

Wang Bo shook his head and said, “If we turn it into a mineral water factory, it will inevitably involve the issue of profitability. I don’t want to make money from it—I just want to serve the townspeople and improve everyone’s sense of happiness.”

Na Qingyang looked up and said, “Boss, I have to say—you’re a very good leader, but not a clever ruler.”

“What do you mean?”

“You want to improve everyone’s happiness? But where does happiness come from? It comes from comparison. You don’t have breakfast, I have a hamburger for breakfast—so I’m happier than you. You ride a bicycle, I drive a sedan—so I’m happier than you. Right?”

Wang Bo nodded. “I get what you mean. You’re saying, like with the ranch products, we first put it on the market to raise its value, and then lower the price within the town, right?”

Na Qingyang said, “Exactly.”

Hani immediately waved his hand. “No, that’s different. I bet the boss has already thought of this too, but this approach won’t work for spring water, because New Zealand’s commercial and industrial laws include anti–unfair competition regulations.”

Na Qingyang said, “If I voluntarily supply at a low price in a certain region, does that count as unfair competition?”

Hani replied, “That alone doesn’t. But if you refuse to supply the same product to other regions, then you’re very likely to get sued. Simply put, if we produce mineral water and sell it elsewhere for ten dollars a bottle with good sales, then take it off the shelves in those places and bring it back here to sell for two dollars a bottle, we’ll be sued.”

“Beef and mutton are different, because we’ve always been supplying other regions and even foreign markets, and the supply is abundant. But mineral water? You’ve all seen the water volume—even supplying our own town is difficult.”

Na Qingyang was stunned. “New Zealand actually has such bizarre regulations?”

Hani spread his hands helplessly. “It’s a magical country. A, welcome to this magical country—haha.”

Wang Bo said, “The inspector is right. I’ve already thought about it—this road won’t work. But the water really is excellent. We can package it as a premium product and give it to certain friends to build up its reputation.”

The proposal was unanimously approved. After the meeting ended, Hani said, “Boss, once the production line is set up, remember to send me a few barrels first. I still think spring water tastes better.”

Of course spring water tastes better. All the drinking water in the town government offices was drawn from the Spirit Spring. To that end, Wang Bo even bought a small water truck, and every day someone drove it to fetch water.

Wang Bo didn’t want to build an industrialized production line inside the town. He asked Bowen to contact the municipal water company and consult about some simple water-drawing equipment.

These devices were divided into three types based on the intake method: self-priming type, suction type, and semi-above-ground type. Each had different advantages and disadvantages.

Self-priming water intake equipment required a reservoir or water tank, and the lowest water level had to always be higher than the center of the pump’s outlet, ensuring there was enough water for the pump to draw.

Suction-type intake equipment also required a reservoir or tank, but in this case the highest water level had to always be lower than the center of the pump’s inlet. The pump had to be fully primed before operation and used a negative-pressure tank to draw water.

Semi-above-ground intake equipment had the lowest requirements. Whether the water source level was higher or lower than the pump outlet, it could still draw water. However, this type of equipment was more complex to operate and required frequent pump cleaning; otherwise, stagnant water could accumulate and breed bacteria.

Wang Bo let Bowen decide which type of equipment to choose. It wasn’t a major issue—as long as there was no contamination, it would be fine. At worst, they could use the old hometown method: find a water truck, drive it into town, and pump water into people’s homes as needed.

Just after resolving the town’s spring water supply problem, another water-related issue arose.

In late October, an incident occurred in Dunedin, New Zealand, where amoebae bred in hot spring water, resulting in two deaths!

New Zealand is a country rich in geothermal resources. From the North Island to the South Island, there are hot springs of all sizes everywhere. In the cold winter, soaking in steaming natural hot springs while enjoying New Zealand’s scenery is a relaxing and joyful experience.

Sunset Town also had hot springs, and people could even eat stone-grilled beef and mutton right in the hot spring pools. This was a distinctive feature of the town’s tourism industry. During the winter that had just passed, the hot springs were packed every day.

The problem lay in the hot springs.

In late October, Dunedin Central Hospital admitted several patients with strange encephalitis. Initially, they suffered from severe headaches, high fever, and projectile vomiting, and were suspected to have brain tumors.

However, the disease progressed rapidly. Before long, the patients began experiencing epileptic symptoms. The hospital realized something was wrong, but New Zealand hospitals are not known for fast reactions. Their strengths lie in universal healthcare and a robust medical security system—not in response speed or combat effectiveness.

When Wang Bo first came to New Zealand, he noticed that China’s medical system—often questioned domestically—was actually quite well known in New Zealand’s medical circles. Especially more than a decade ago, when the SARS virus suddenly emerged—if an epidemic of that scale had broken out in New Zealand, the country might well have collapsed…

After noticing changes in the patients’ conditions, the hospital did not organize an expert consultation and instead continued routine treatment. In the end, tragedy struck: among the hospitalized patients, two had already died.

Only then did the situation escalate, and the hospital finally began taking it seriously. They performed autopsies on the deceased and found severe cerebral edema. Further examination revealed a terrifying microorganism.

An amoeba!

Amoebae are among the simplest forms of life in nature. Depending on their living environment, they can be divided into endoamoebae and free-living amoebae. The former parasitize humans and animals, while the latter live in water and soil and occasionally invade animal bodies.

Among what is currently known, Entamoeba histolytica causes amoebic dysentery and liver abscesses, while species of Naegleria and Acanthamoeba mainly cause meningoencephalitis, keratitis, oral infections, and skin damage.

What was found in the brains of the deceased was the most terrifying of them all—Naegleria fowleri.

This amoeba can invade the central nervous system and cause meningitis, and the fatality rate of this disease is almost 100%. Since its discovery, fewer than ten patients worldwide have survived.

After discovering the amoeba, the hospital was stunned. There were still four patients lying in Dunedin Central Hospital. In theory, they had already been sentenced to death.

The four patients were now transferred to Auckland for treatment. Although the chances of survival were extremely slim, they certainly couldn’t be left there to die.

In addition, Dunedin police mobilized in full force. After tracing the patients’ activities over the past half month, they finally discovered that all of them had once appeared together at the same hot spring.