HLM -Chapter 827 Trick or Treat

By evening, Wang Bo was shocked to realize that this time, he might really lose the bet—Atulu had actually used his brain for once.

He figured that with his big Māori build, no matter what he wore, he would sweat more than Wang Bo. But tonight Atulu wasn’t wearing any clothes at all—only a pair of tight shorts.

Then, he painted his entire body black, and on top of that he painted white bones. The paint was fluorescent too, so under low light he looked just like a glowing skeleton!

Wang Bo looked at himself in his full golden armor, then pulled out two hundred dollars and stuffed it into Atulu’s hand, reluctantly saying, “Fine, you win!”

Atulu grinned. With his entire face painted black, his features were invisible—only the warped white “bones” could be seen. When his fat shook, his “bones” also twisted.

Inside the castle, Wang Bo changed into his golden armor. Uncle Bing and Hani held cameras and filmed at the castle gate. Using the last bit of sunset glow, Wang Bo officially opened Sunset Town’s Halloween festival.

New Zealand has many bats—just like lab mice, they’re harmless and sterile. Bowen had bought more than five hundred of them specifically to enhance the Halloween atmosphere.

They were kept in cages. Wang Bo opened one, and the bats burst out with a series of shua-shua-shua, scrambling to get into the air.

In the center of town, a giant LED screen displayed the livestream from the cameras. The moment the screen lit up, people’s attention was drawn to it. The colors gradually darkened, the castle appeared, and then bats streamed out in swarms…

It was visually stunning. Townsfolk and tourists in all kinds of costumes burst into cheers.

Wang Bo thought that was the end of it. But after flying out, the bats didn’t leave—they panicked upward, then calmed down and circled back, flying around the castle in large loops.

“Quick, film this!” Bowen shouted in excitement. “Do they know we’re celebrating Halloween? They’re too cooperative!”

Watching them circle, Wang Bo knew exactly what was happening—they were being drawn by the Heart of the Nest. They wanted to fly inside.

Dale climbed into the calf-drawn pumpkin cart and shouted, “Guard, guard! Let’s go join the Halloween midnight parade! Trick or treeeaat!”

Wang Bo ignored the bats. He climbed into the cart, pulled the little white calf, and headed into town.

He parked at the government building. A soldier on duty walked out and said, “Boss, we just received a strong wind warning. A hurricane may hit the South Island sometime within the next week.”

“The next week? What’s going on? Will it affect tonight’s event?”

“No. Hurricane Lorena is expected to make landfall in Christchurch in about four days, and then head our way. So that’ll be the fifth or sixth day.”

Wang Bo sighed in relief, waved his hand, and said, “Alright then, no problem. Tonight we party!”

The soldier, not fond of group events, shrugged and went back inside.

A group of kids dressed as little monsters were roaming through the town. They gathered near the government entrance and then spotted the little white calf pulling the pumpkin carriage.

Wang Bo asked Atulu for some fluorescent powder and sprinkled it over the white calf, making it shimmer under the streetlights.

The kids were stunned. Ron, carrying a green kerosene lamp, shouted, “Oh my god! Dale has a carriage!”

His lamp was made from a small pumpkin hollowed out with green glass panels. Wang Bo guessed he was dressed as Green Lantern—judging by how green he was.

Little Stu held a narrow sword and wore a black mask over his face. He ran over eagerly and asked, “Dale, can I help you drive the carriage?”

The little princess, dressed in a white puffy gown and wearing a crystal tiara, poked her head out and firmly rejected him: “No! I don’t want a Ninja Turtle as my coachman! Snow White stays with the dwarves, not with a Ninja Turtle!”

Stu almost burst into tears. “I’m not a Ninja Turtle! I’m Zorro!”

“Does Zorro wear a mask? Isn’t it Ninja Turtles that wear masks?” she argued.

“Of course Zorro does!” Stu cried.

Dale pointed at his back. “Then does Zorro carry a turtle shell?”

Stu sobbed, “That’s my cape! It’s a cape, not a turtle shell!”

The little princess nodded with exaggerated realization. “Oh, you’re Zorro. Hello, Zorro. Goodbye, Zorro. Don’t delay this princess—I’m going to the palace party. Let’s go!”

Wang Bo shrugged at Stu. “Sorry buddy, looks like the princess is immune to heroes.”

Sunset Town had all kinds of events going on. In the past, when the population was small, Wang Bo had to organize everything. Now the town was bustling. Because of the ghost car rumors, many tourists had arrived today, so the businesses were all running their own events.

A traveling carnival had also arrived and set up tents during the day. By night they were open for business, selling tickets for a haunted adventure.

Wang Bo went to check it out. A worker tried to sell him: “Buddy, the brand-new Seven Nightmare Houses: Haunted Mansion Contract, Bandaged Pharaoh’s Tomb, Werewolf Training Camp, Black-Eyed New World… every one of them is a surprise! What’re you waiting for? Go on in!”

Wang Bo pointed to the pumpkin carriage. “I follow the princess’ orders.”

Seeing the dwarf yak pulling the pumpkin carriage, the worker laughed. “Great concept. Are you selling it tomorrow? We’ll pay a high price.”

Wang Bo shrugged. “Still depends on the princess.”

Dale’s ears were sharp. She instantly shouted, “This is Dale’s pumpkin carriage! No selling!”

Anderson had also set up a Halloween adventure camp in the supermarket parking lot, with things like the Goblin Campground, Night-Glow Parade Camp, and Ghostly Pavilion.

As Wang Bo passed by, he heard screams from inside—but clearly they were just recorded sound effects. Players were not that easily scared.

The supermarket’s Halloween promotion included free gifts for kids. The little princess ran over shouting, “Trick or Treat!”

That was every child’s Halloween slogan.

Anderson laughed and handed her a large bag of chocolates. She happily hugged it to her chest, carried it back, and tossed it onto the pumpkin cart.

After that, her business flourished. She ran around everywhere yelling “Trick or Treat,” collecting bags and even boxes of candy and soul cakes. The pumpkin cart gradually filled up with half a cartload of treats.

The town also had high-tech haunted houses—“3D Illusion Maze,” “Gothic Ruins,” “Ghost Mansion,” “Biochemical Lab”… It was the liveliest Halloween Wang Bo had ever seen.