HLM – Chapter 216 See You at the Police Station

The police car from the small town arrived quickly. After all, this was just a small place, and the call had come from Robert, an old friend of Wang Bo’s—how could they not respond quickly?

As soon as Robert got out of the police car, Wang Bo waved him over. He came and asked, “What’s going on? In trouble again? The Auckland gang and Cromwell’s Brutal Brotherhood are both watching you. You better be careful.”

Hearing this, Jones and his group of mechanics were visibly shaken. Who were these foreigners? How could they be involved with the Auckland gang and the Brutal Brotherhood of Cromwell? Damn—are they Interpol?!

In fact, the reason Jones had bullied Wang Bo’s group so blatantly was precisely because he saw them—Wang Bo, Bowen, and Juan—as newly arrived immigrants. New immigrants in New Zealand are often at a disadvantage, and their greatest fear is having their visas revoked and being deported.

So, during the earlier conflict, Jones had bluffed and threatened to have them deported. That tactic had worked with other immigrants in the past. But this time, he messed with the wrong people. Not only were they unafraid, they had already tangled with gangs far more dangerous than him.

Wang Bo was surprised too. “The Auckland gang? You mean the Auckland city gang?”

The Brutal Brotherhood of Cromwell were those guys who tried to steal his cattle and sheep but ended up being caught and thrown in jail by him. As for the Auckland gang, their grudge dated back to Anderson’s gambling debts—Wang Bo had sent the debt collector gang leader to prison.

Robert shook his head. “No, I’m talking about the Omarama gang. Right, I forgot, you’ve also got beef with the Auckland gang.”

Jones and his crew nearly wet themselves. This guy wasn’t Interpol—he was some kind of future law enforcer on a gang-busting mission! Since when did a tiny town have such a dangerous person?

Wang Bo was even more confused. “I have a grudge with the Otown gang too? Are you sure there’s no misunderstanding?”

Robert chuckled. “Of course not. Don’t you remember? Someone once came to collect a debt from your Mexican buddy and got a serious beating from you.”

Wang Bo suddenly understood. He remembered now—he’d had a misunderstanding with Dale back then, and Juan had helped clear it up. Later, they all had dinner together, and some thugs came to mess with Juan. Wang Bo had sent them straight to the police.

But what did that have to do with him? If someone held a grudge, it should be against Juan!

Thinking back, Wang Bo started to feel a bit gloomy. He seemed to have offended quite a few gangs. Not long ago, he even got into trouble while soaking in a hot spring—and that conflict was especially serious.

Lately, he’d actually been worried those guys bitten by his trained men would press charges, but since there’d been no news, he figured they’d backed down and let it go. So he had pushed the matter out of his mind.

Seeing his frustrated expression, Robert asked with a smile, “Frustrated? Helpless?”

Wang Bo gave a bitter laugh and nodded.

Robert patted his shoulder and said, “Don’t worry. Believe me, things will get better.”

“You mean I won’t offend any more gangs in the future?” Wang Bo asked hopefully.

“No,” Robert said. “You’ll just get used to it. In the future, you’ll offend even more people. Once you’re used to it, it won’t feel so frustrating anymore.”

Wang Bo: “…”

“Alright, so what happened today?” Robert finally got to the point.

Jones and his group were almost in tears. Officer, you’re finally asking about the actual issue—my buddy is still pinned to the ground by that vicious dog!

“They refused to pay the parking fee and even let their dog attack people…”

“That American guy hit me first and threatened me…”

“I want to file a complaint against this police officer…”

They all started talking at once, trying to play the victim first. But Robert shouted sternly, “Quiet! There’s a police officer here. I’ll collect information from the police first!”

Wang Bo swept a cold gaze over them and said, “As you can see, these people assaulted a police officer, and my police dog retaliated.”

Jones protested in a panic, “That’s not what happened—”

Robert cut him off and asked, “Who said the dog attacked someone? Show me the injuries.”

The mechanics looked at each other and then lowered their heads. Despite being fierce, the two dogs hadn’t actually bitten anyone.

Wang Bo then calmly recounted what had happened. He showed the repair contract, which clearly stated the time frame. He also pointed to the wrenches and iron bars on the ground and said, “They came at me with weapons, and my police dogs responded accordingly. That’s it.”

Jones fell silent. He muttered, “Sir, please understand, the parts your car needs are very hard to find. We couldn’t get them in time…”

Robert pointed at the contract. “That’s not our concern. You wrote the time frame yourself, didn’t you? Also, you breached the contract first. Why are you still charging a parking fee?”

One mechanic grumbled, “Officer, you’re being unfair. You’re clearly siding with your colleague!”

Robert smiled. “Don’t worry. I swore to the Queen, the flag, and God that I’d handle cases fairly. Now then—you say the parts haven’t arrived yet? Let me see the order. I want to know where they’re coming from. It’s been eight days!”

Jones hesitated and wouldn’t show the order. Robert grew impatient. “Either show me the paperwork or tell me the truth. Damn it, I don’t want to waste any more time here!”

Finally, Jones admitted, “I haven’t placed the order yet. Please let me explain, officer, I had no choice…”

Robert cut him off and said, “Mr. Jones, under the New Zealand Consumer Guarantees Act, you’ve violated Mr. Wang’s legal rights. Please come with me to the police station to assist in the investigation. I ask for your cooperation.”

The New Zealand Consumer Guarantees Act clearly states that products sold must be of acceptable quality, and service providers must complete their services, including repairs, within a reasonable time. Otherwise, consumers can legally refuse to pay.

Wang Bo was well aware of this. In his spare time, besides playing poker and chess, he also studied the law and learned about New Zealand’s society and legal system.

This time, Jones had kicked an iron plate. Even if Robert didn’t handle the case fairly, Wang Bo had other options. He could call in his lawyer, Mueller, and take the case to civil court. He would definitely win.

Jones gave in and pleaded, “Mr. Wang, there’s been a misunderstanding between us. Please forgive me. I’ll fix your car immediately.”

Back in China, Wang Bo might have let it go. Forgive where possible, avoid trouble when you can—that’s the common principle people live by.

But things were different in New Zealand. Showing so-called generosity would only be seen as weakness. So Wang Bo said coldly, “This is no longer a simple misunderstanding, Mr. Jones. You also endangered my personal safety. Honestly, your first mistake was treating my humility as weakness. Now, let’s go to the police station.”

A mechanic shouted, “I apologize! We all apologize—will that do?”

Wang Bo gave him a cold glance. “If an apology were enough, why would we need police and lawyers?”