HLM – Chapter 203 Purchasing Terminals

“How much would that cost?” Wang Bo asked.

Carter glanced at him and replied, “Full coverage? Then you’d better be prepared to invest at least a billion…”

He shook his head as he spoke. “It’s not cost-effective, and there’s no need for it. Wang, buddy, you can’t possibly cover every corner of the town—what’s the point, right?”

Maybe there was no point, but Wang Bo believed that if he could build the best town in the world, then this setup would be useful.

He wasn’t in a hurry, though. He’d start by covering just the main areas of the town. Five million wasn’t a big deal for him.

Still, he was worried about security, so he asked Carter about the drawbacks of these terminals.

Carter replied, “Your concerns are valid. These WiFi terminals are quite conspicuous—like a telephone booth. You also need a main signal tower, which makes it easy to vandalize. You’ll have to protect it well.”

“Second, there’s the cost. You’ll need to assemble a team to manage it, coordinate with service providers to enhance security protocols, patch any potential vulnerabilities, and regularly update and maintain the software. It’s not a small workload.”

Wang Bo asked, “So what’s your background in this area?”

Katherine, standing nearby, chuckled and said, “Wang, I hope you won’t mind what I’m about to say—because I’m about to brag about my Carter. He’s an expert in this field. He’s one of the heads of NYSE-NZT in Auckland. I think he’s a real pro at this.”

Carter didn’t carry the overconfidence common among Westerners. Instead, he was more like a Chinese scholar—modest and reserved. “No, no, that’s too much praise. I just know a little bit.”

Wang Bo was delighted. He hadn’t expected this always-smiling guy to be such a tech expert—in fact, he considered himself one too, but he specialized in programming and wasn’t familiar with network infrastructure.

So, he tentatively asked, “Hey buddy, have you ever thought of changing jobs? I’ll definitely need a big team for network operations. Interested in being the head? Salary’s negotiable.”

Carter smiled and replied, “Can I think about it?”

Which was basically a polite no. Wang Bo understood—Carter was doing well at a large company and held a senior position. It wasn’t realistic to expect him to give it all up and join someone just starting from scratch.

But establishing a connection was good enough for now. Wang Bo believed that as the town developed and smart-city tech started being used, Carter would be drawn in eventually.

Carter really did know his stuff. He kept discussing smart cities with Wang Bo afterward, answering many of his questions and even giving some great advice.

The app functionality for the WiFi terminals was still being refined, but soon they’d support segmented-channel communication. Depending on the entity that built it, the system would include infrastructure by carriers, businesses, organizations, or private residents.

Some would be open and free, others restricted to specific groups, and some would be paid services.

That meant residents, tourists, and passersby could have different levels of access. For example, town residents could have personal accounts with the fastest speeds. Tourists and visitors could also use the network, but at limited speeds.

After hearing that, Wang Bo felt the smart city model would be incredibly valuable for the town. He had Carter immediately contact the headquarters of New Zealand Telecom in Wellington to apply for access to the wireless service.

Due to the high construction cost, smart city systems were highly regarded but still not widely adopted. There weren’t enough pilot projects to test and improve performance.

So, when Sunset Town submitted a purchase request, the telecom headquarters was thrilled and immediately agreed to send a construction and communications team to build full-network terminals for the town.

Carter went above and beyond, even helping Wang Bo secure some discounts. For example, if the town found any operational bugs, the telecom company would offer rewards.

So while they were supposed to be having lunch, Wang Bo and Carter ended up discussing work the whole time. Eva and Katherine chatted in whispers, and the kids—including Dale—played happily with Zhuang Ding. Everyone did their own thing and enjoyed themselves.

As they parted, Katherine gave Wang Bo a meaningful look and said, “I hope our future gatherings are always this lively.”

Wang Bo wasn’t stupid—he understood what she meant: she was encouraging him to pursue Eva, so their gatherings would become family reunions.

Meanwhile, little Dale frowned in deep thought. She seemed to sense something—her once-only sister now seemed like she might be shared with someone else…

After dropping the family off, Wang Bo got back into the car, waved his hand, and said gleefully, “Let’s go to the computer store. We’re buying laptops! Apple ones—the biggest they’ve got!”

Bowen looked at him in confusion. “Boss, why are you so happy? Just now, did you guys really go to lunch or did you get a room?”

“F**k! Of course we ate lunch!”

“Then why are you so excited?” Bowen asked.

Wang Bo rolled his eyes and explained everything about the smart city. The others were thrilled too—after all, for young people, not having fast, convenient internet was torture. They had been stuck with mobile data in Sunset Town this whole time, and it was driving them crazy.

“Buy a big laptop! Way more fun for gaming!”

Charlie thought for a moment and asked, “Why a laptop? If it’s for gaming, wouldn’t a desktop be better?”

Wang Bo froze. Right! He’d gotten so used to laptops that he forgot desktops even existed. Back when he was renting and constantly moving, laptops were more convenient.

But now, he had a whole castle—why the hell was he still buying a laptop? Desktop it is!

He ended up buying fifty computers in one go, tailored to different uses—about twenty for town offices, a few for the castle, and others for the cowboys and Charlie’s group.

The local computer shop owner was overjoyed to get such a big order. Flattering him, the owner said, “Buddy, you must be the boss of a big company doing a full equipment upgrade, right?”

Wang Bo teased, “Of course not—I’m opening an internet café.”

But the owner took it seriously and asked, “Did you get your license approved? That’s not easy. And let me give you some advice, buddy—don’t bother opening one. It’s a dying business.”

Internet cafés had always struggled in New Zealand. The government had tight regulations due to high crime rates among minors occurring in those places, prompting stricter oversight.

Also, the population was small, meaning fewer customers—and all had to be adults. This wasn’t a joke: if you let anyone under 17 into your internet café, the government would sue you.

Nowadays, New Zealand’s internet cafés mainly served tourists and esports teams. It was rare for ordinary people to go just for fun.