HLM – Chapter 786 Accidentally Made Big News

The opening of the karst cave would still take some time. In order to protect it properly, Wang Bo instructed Porter’s employees to keep the existence of the cave strictly confidential.

But New Zealanders weren’t Germans—they were casual and free-spirited by nature. Even though Porter repeatedly emphasized secrecy, someone still leaked the news that Sunset Town had a glowworm cave.

Glowworm caves might not be treasures in the traditional sense, but in a country where tourism was a pillar industry, they were indeed precious assets. The discovery of every new glowworm cave meant the rise of another booming tourist route.

Advanced surveillance cameras had been installed at the cave entrance, transmitting footage to a computer 24 hours a day.

However, Wang Bo soon found himself with a headache — the news about the cave had already spread throughout town. More and more townspeople and Porter’s employees were hanging around nearby, looking for ways to sneak in for a look.

During dinner, Eva noticed him staring at his phone and asked, “What are you looking at?”

Wang Bo quickly explained, “Don’t misunderstand, darling. I’m checking the surveillance feed. Carter and Conley helped me install an app that lets me monitor the cameras from my phone. I need to keep an eye on things constantly.”

Eva sighed helplessly. “Is that really necessary? Why not just put up a sign at the entrance that says: Danger — Do Not Approach?”

Wang Bo shook his head. “That won’t do. This cave is going to be the pride of Sunset Town in the future. We can’t make it sound dangerous.”

Dale, happily spreading honey on her bread, took a big bite and said with puffed cheeks, “Then you’re silly. Just change it to Construction in Progress — Do Not Approach.”

That idea actually worked. Wang Bo laughed, kissed her on the cheek, and said, “Dale, you’re so clever.”

Dale wiped her face and looked at him warily. “Don’t use that excuse to take advantage of me! No more sneaky kisses — Dale’s a big girl now!”

Wang Bo chuckled. “Don’t you two want to see the glowworm cave? I could take you there. Honestly, darling, I promise you’ll be amazed.”

Eva smiled sweetly. “I believe you. But since you’re in charge, you should set an example. I’ll wait until it officially opens to the public.”

Dale nodded sensibly. “Right, I’ll wait with big sis.”

That very day, Wang Bo erected several warning signs at the cave entrance reading Danger — Construction in Progress. Keep Out.

But the signs had the opposite effect — they drew even more attention. Soon, even Chen Luoxian came asking, “Wang Bo, is it true the town discovered a glowworm cave? When will it open?”

Wang Bo couldn’t lie. “Yes, it’s true. But it’ll take some time before it’s ready. I plan to finish the runway connecting to the cave before opening it.”

Chen Luoxian’s eyes sparkled. “Can I go take a few photos first? It’d be great publicity!”

Wang Bo firmly refused. “No. Absolutely not.”

She pouted, tugging on his arm coquettishly. “Come on, I’m just thinking about the town’s tourism. Please, can’t you make an exception?”

Wang Bo only became more resolute, grinning. “Don’t try to use your charms to sway me. If Eva finds out I refused to let her in but let you go because you flirted with me, I’m a dead man!”

The beautiful tour guide huffed. “Who’s flirting? You’re impossible! But since your girlfriend hasn’t been in either, I guess that’s fair. Fine, I’ll drop it for now.”

After sending her off, Wang Bo realized this secrecy thing wasn’t working. The more he tried to suppress the news, the more curious people became. Some media outlets had already begun reporting on the newly discovered glowworm cave. Clearly, trying to block information was futile.

“Better to divert than suppress,” he thought. That was the logic of flood control. So he came up with a new plan.

By late September, New Zealand had entered midsummer. The blazing sun roasted the land — from the South Island to the North Island, the whole country simmered in heat.

And just then, an even hotter piece of news broke:

A gold mine was discovered near Sunset Town in the Southern Alps!

The announcement came from the West Pacific Bank, which published the news on its official website and simultaneously featured it as the top headline across all regional branches. The statement declared that the bank would cooperate with Sunset Town to jointly develop this newly discovered gold mine.

Following the announcement, Bartier hosted a press conference in Auckland, joined by Wang Bo, Bowen, and others.

Three certified geological exploration companies had submitted reports confirming that Sunset Town indeed had a rich gold deposit. While it wasn’t a large-scale mine, its reserves — over ten tons of gold — were still enough to make anyone’s heart race.

For gold-rich nations like South Africa, Russia, China, and the U.S., ten tons might seem minor, but for a gold-poor country like New Zealand, it was a significant find.

The most enticing part of the Sunset Town gold mine was its high-grade ore. It was an open-pit deposit — easy to develop and refine. In fact, one could even pick up a few stones and smelt gold using primitive methods.

At the press conference, Wang Bo looked at the sea of people and the forest of cameras and couldn’t help sighing, “Wow, this is quite the turnout.”

Bowen frowned, tugging at his T-shirt. “Boss, our uniforms are awful. I get that we’re trying to promote the town, but still…”

Their white T-shirts bore nothing but the slogan — in gold lettering, both in English and Chinese —

“Hospitable Sunset Town Welcomes You!” And under the stage lights, the gold letters shimmered brilliantly.

President Bartier chuckled from beside them. “Wang, that shirt really does stand out.”

Wang Bo grinned. “Want one? I’ll give you one.”

Bartier shook his head, laughing. “Give it to my son. It’ll look better on him.”

When the press conference officially began, Wang Bo was one of the featured speakers. The media officer unveiled detailed geological data and on-screen images of the mine — the very first photo showed the pure gold nugget that little Bartier had found, dazzling everyone.

The early part of the presentation focused on the geological findings — nothing to do with Wang Bo. But when it came time for questions, it was his moment.

The first to speak was from one of New Zealand’s top media outlets, The New Zealand Herald. Leading their team was none other than Charlie’s old acquaintance, reporter Brittany Richardson.

She stood and asked, “Mayor Wang, what are your plans for the development of this gold mine?”

Wang Bo replied, “The main body of the gold mine has been mortgaged to my partner, West Pacific Bank, so it can’t be developed yet. However, since it’s an open-pit mine, part of the area remains unpledged. We don’t mind tourists going treasure hunting there. As long as no mining tools are used, any gold-bearing stones they find will belong to them!”