HLM – Chapter 790 Fines, Fines

The mining crew were used to working out in the wild all year round. They were rough-tempered and physically strong — especially the Australian desert mining groups, who even carried heavy weapons when working in remote areas.

So, Wang Bo drove the Predator to deal with the fine collection.

But the main force wasn’t him — it was an EC-120N helicopter flying in from above. The chopper had a halogen discharge spotlight on its nose, with an incredibly strong beam and dazzling brightness, earning it the nickname “the little sun of the night sky.”

The roar of the Predator was loud enough to wake the dead. As soon as it appeared, it startled the miners. Two pickup trucks suddenly lit up their headlights and split up, fleeing in two directions.

“Oh, they’ve got some experience,” Bowen said enthusiastically from the window.

But experience wasn’t going to help them this time. The EC-120N quickly arrived at the scene. Its bright white spotlight sliced through the darkness like a sword, cutting open the dim night sky with a single shua!

The light swept past the Predator, dazzling Wang Bo for a moment — his entire vision went black!

The helicopter thundered through the sky, and the light quickly locked onto one of the pickup trucks. The driver, blinded by the intense glare, probably lost his vision for a moment. In panic, he turned the steering wheel sharply, but there was a small hill beside him — the truck went up and then “boom!” rolled over onto its side.

The Predator targeted the other truck. As long as those vehicles were running, it was fine — what was dangerous was if they stopped to resist. So long as they ran, it meant they were afraid.

The Predator’s off-road capabilities far surpassed any pickup, especially on this rugged, unpaved wilderness terrain full of pits and low hills.

Soon, the Predator closed in. Bowen opened the loudspeaker and shouted:

“This is the Sunset Town Police Department! Ford F150, stop immediately! Submit to inspection! Repeat, this is the Sunset Town Police Department! Ford F150, stop immediately and submit to inspection!”

The pickup driver knew there was no way to escape. After a few attempts to turn back were blocked, he reluctantly stopped. The men climbed out of the truck in dejection.

Wang Bo gathered the two of them together and peeked into the truck bed — good grief! There were sledgehammers, pickaxes, rock crushers, and a large earth drill. These guys were planning to strike it big.

As for the overturned truck, there were four men inside. One was trapped and screamed in terror: “Is it gonna blow up? Is it gonna blow up?! Help!”

The Predator pulled up beside it, tied a cable to the rear, and easily flipped the vehicle back upright.

But the truck was a wreck — half the body was ruined and would need a major overhaul.

The police dragged both pickups back to town and parked them in the center square. They put the mining tools on display and issued a penalty report.

The six illegal miners refused to admit guilt.

“We didn’t break the law!”

“I wasn’t mining — just taking a walk!”

“You have no right to fine us!”

Atulu raised his chin proudly: “Save it for the judge! Look — this is our private property infringement fine regulation, legally approved and valid! The fines we issue have a legal basis!”

“Don’t want to pay? Then go to jail,” Uncle Bing said impatiently.

Seeing how the officers were all cranky and tired — clearly annoyed at being woken up for this — the miners quieted down. They knew better than to provoke people in that mood.

Finally, the leader gave in, hanging his head: “Alright… we’ll pay the fine.”

In New Zealand, this sort of thing could be handled privately, but that didn’t mean one side could just name any price they wanted — they still had to get a damage assessment from the court.

If it went through official legal channels, Wang Bo would sue them for private property infringement, and if convicted, it wouldn’t just be a one- or two-year sentence.

Since they had already started digging, Wang Bo calculated the damaged area and demanded each of them pay a fine of 10,000 NZD — a total of 60,000 for all six.

The leader nearly cried. Sixty thousand NZD! Their entire mining setup wasn’t worth that much!

The police filmed the helicopter arrest operation, and Wang Bo had Conley edit and broadcast the footage the next day on an LED screen outside the government building.

When Porter passed by and saw it, he laughed as he walked in: “What’s with that tiny screen out there? Who’s even gonna notice it?”

Wang Bo replied, “It’s not that small — it’s a fifty-inch TV!”

“Too small! Replace it with a modular LED screen — make it at least eight square meters, a proper big one.”

Wang Bo shook his head. “No way, that’s too expensive — must be over a million NZD!”

“Not that bad, around eight hundred thousand. I’ve got a friend who makes them,” Porter said. “Trust me, it’s worth it. You can use it for all kinds of announcements later — or even rent it out as an ad board. Playing ads on it would be easy money.”

Wang Bo thought about it and realized he was right. With a wave of his hand, another 800,000 NZD was approved — Sunset Town would soon have its first massive LED screen on the main street.

The “kill the chicken to warn the monkey” tactic worked wonders. Over the next few days, a few more illegal miners were caught, but they were just individuals with small hammers and shovels.

Those fines were small — from 50 to 500 NZD.

When things quieted down, Wang Bo sat in his office scrolling on his phone. His college group chat was discussing National Day plans.

Song Jiashu: “Folks, where’s everyone going for National Day? My wife and I are thinking of going to Yunnan. Anyone joining? 😄”

Su Dongdong: “Don’t go! Trust me, brother — my wife and I went last year. It was packed! Crowds everywhere! 😭”

Zhou Haojie sent a red envelope. Wang Bo, quick as lightning, snatched one — 15.5 yuan! Not bad.

Then Zhou typed: “Don’t be dumb, it’s crowded everywhere during National Day. Be like me — stay home and grow mushrooms. 🤧”

Song Jiashu: “You’re not growing mushrooms, you’re making babies! 😏”

Zhou Haojie: “Your thoughts are as dirty as your distance is far—”

Song Tiantian: “Cut it out, you guys! Did anyone notice who’s the luckiest one today?”

Wang Bo opened it — damn, it was him.

By group rules, the “Luck King” had to send a red packet. Feeling too embarrassed to lurk, he typed: “Alright, I’ll send a big one. Everyone get ready!”

Cao Bo and Hou Haibo instantly popped up: “Ready!”

Then the group secretary, Fan Dong, appeared: “☀️ Idiots, what red packets? If you’ve got nowhere to go for National Day, go visit Wang Bo in New Zealand! I’ve never been there!”