HLM -Chapter 1408 The Sudden Visitor

New Zealand didn’t have highly skilled master thieves, nor any criminal gangs capable of pulling off a flawless heist. Even if such people existed, there was no way they would target a bus stop of little value.

The surveillance footage Camila provided was handed over to Conley by Wang Bo. After analyzing it, Conley narrowed down about twenty people—strangers to the town—who had been seen repeatedly near the bus stop in the two days leading up to the theft.

Putemontla called on his entire community to provide information about the thieves. Someone mentioned that he had nearly been hit by a green truck while biking at night, and he had briefly confronted the driver.

Conley enhanced the images of the suspects and handed them to the Māori to identify. The Māori pinpointed two people: “It’s them—the one driving, and the one in the passenger seat.”

Clearly, these two were not from the Wanderer Town. Wang Bo posted their photos on the Sunset Town Twitter platform, offering a reward for their capture.

Within half a day of posting, someone called in, identifying the two as local troublemakers.

From the moment Wang Bo took over the case to the capture of the two troublemakers and the recovery of the bus stop they had placed by the lake as a makeshift shade, only two and a half days had passed…

He gathered Putemontla and Camila together and said, “See, you both misjudged each other. We are an alliance. We need to be open and honest and able to rely on each other’s backs without worry.”

Camila turned to Putemontla and said, “I’m sorry. I handled this poorly. I shouldn’t have doubted your people. I apologize for what I said.”

Putemontla sighed. “I accept your apology, Camila. You’re right—I’ve underestimated you all this time. I’ve been too patriarchal. Clearly, I owe you an apology too. Sorry.”

Wang Bo patted them both on the shoulders and smiled. “See? We’re still good allies, aren’t we?”

The case was neither huge nor trivial, but Wang Bo handled it efficiently and also helped mend the relationship between the two.

Coupled with the financial revenue and GDP growth brought to both towns by Sunset Town’s tourism, Wang Bo’s standing among the three became clear.

When they parted ways, Camila smiled. “If our four-town alliance ever needs to elect a chairperson like before, I’ll vote for you.”

Wang Bo waved his hand. “There are only three towns left now. We don’t need a chairperson. What we need is trust and understanding. If we get that right, we become an unbreakable alliance.”

With the case resolved, Wang Bo felt extremely satisfied.

This incident showcased his value and capability. Although he didn’t directly solve the case, his command gave him great confidence.

With the relationships between his two allies repaired, Wang Bo’s main focus shifted back to the children’s horse racing event scheduled for next month.

The riders and participating horses had already been introduced on online forums, and the town’s large screens showcased the event every day.

The influence of this event was gradually growing. Other places were also learning to organize activities to help refugees.

For example, Christchurch decided to hold an alpaca exhibition and competition at the Canterbury Agricultural Park. Competitions were divided into groups based on the alpacas’ gender and age, judged by experienced referees.

Scoring criteria included the alpacas’ appearance, gait, and coat quality. After deducting operating costs, the remaining proceeds were donated to the Red Cross.

Wang Bo was very interested in this event. He raised a herd of high-quality alpacas, so it would be a shame not to participate.

He assigned a cowboy to enter the competition and selected two alpacas—one male, one female—to participate in the beauty contest.

He also announced that after the competition, his alpacas would be put up for auction, with the proceeds donated to the event organizers.

Charity work was highly valued in New Zealand. Wang Bo’s actions, though small, drew significant attention and praise.

At the end of May, Yang Zhilong, president of the New Zealand Chinese United Association and chairman of the Oceania Chinese Chamber of Commerce, suddenly arrived in Sunset Town. He didn’t come alone but brought a team of over a dozen people.

Their arrival was abrupt and unannounced. Qingyang happened to run into them while buying hot dogs and informed Wang Bo.

Wang Bo initially assumed he was just on vacation and didn’t think much of it. He called Yang Zhilong to tell him he could reach out if needed.

Yang Zhilong laughed on the phone, “I don’t need anything, but a friend of mine does. I’d like to bring him to visit you tomorrow. Will that be convenient?”

Wang Bo asked curiously, “Who is your friend? What’s the matter?”

Yang Zhilong replied, “You might not be familiar with China’s circle of wealthy elites. Look him up online. His name is Huang Xingzhi, CEO of Jiangzhe Liancheng Group.”

After hanging up, Wang Bo searched online.

He didn’t know the name, but a quick search revealed a flood of information.

Liancheng Group was a major Chinese company in the southern entertainment industry, with a fully integrated entertainment chain covering tourism, leisure, live performances, and internet entertainment. Its total assets exceeded 70 billion RMB.

This chain centered on famous southern tourist areas, including thirty large theme parks, hundreds of shows, tens of thousands of themed hotel rooms, and dozens of cultural and entertainment projects such as the Liancheng China Performance Valley.

One program in the chain, Liancheng Eternal Love, was a large-scale panoramic musical and dance performance.

It had the highest annual performance frequency and audience capacity worldwide, attracting over 60 million viewers, and was considered on par with Las Vegas’ “O” show and Paris’ Moulin Rouge as one of the world’s top three shows.

However, Wang Bo thought these claims seemed somewhat exaggerated. He didn’t doubt the audience numbers, given China’s population, but equating a regional show to Las Vegas’ “O” or Moulin Rouge was a stretch.

After getting a rough understanding of Liancheng Group, the next morning Yang Zhilong arrived at Wang Bo’s office with two people. One of them was Huang Xingzhi, whom Wang Bo had seen in the news.

Upon meeting, the usual formalities came first. Wang Bo praised Huang Xingzhi and his entertainment empire, while Huang Xingzhi complimented Wang Bo on his youthful achievements and for bringing honor to overseas Chinese.

With Yang Zhilong mediating, the atmosphere became even more pleasant.