HLM – Chapter 877 A Dog Hooks a Fish on the Bus

The glowworm cave wasn’t just beautiful—its most magical qualities were its tranquility and splendor. Inside, people felt their minds empty, their stress dissolve, as if they had stepped into a dream. Some even felt as though they had returned to childhood.

And almost everyone’s childhood held dreams of starry skies.

Clearly, after seeing the glowworm cave, everyone’s impression of Sunset Town improved even more. They clamored to go back for another look, but Wang Bo refused.

He gave them a good excuse: “Sorry, everyone. The underwater worm cave isn’t fully open yet. We’re still maintaining it. One hour a day is already the limit. Once it’s fully open, you’ll be able to stay inside as long as you like.”

No matter how they begged or demanded, he held the line—better to leave them longing for the place than let them stay until they got tired of it.

That night, he sent Kaplan and the others to the bar. Under the management of the tier-two Bar Heart, the Flaming Mountain Bar had an excellent atmosphere, and customers felt very comfortable inside.

A bar was a place to release stress, and the Bar Heart naturally guided people into unloading their burdens, making it very popular.

The sky hadn’t even darkened yet, and the bar was already packed. When Wang Bo brought the group over, Reddy was tuning his guitar at the door.

He was now the bar’s number-one star. Many people came specifically for his voice, his singing, and his personality. He was sitting on a table tuning his guitar, surrounded by fans—especially starry-eyed young girls, and many of them.

Wang Bo couldn’t stand seeing his staff act flashy. He slapped Reddy on the shoulder and said, “Why are you sitting up here?”

Reddy exaggerated a “shocked” expression and complained, “You almost scared me to death. Can’t you see what I’m doing? I’m tuning my guitar.”

Wang Bo said, “Yes, I must be blind. I couldn’t tell you were tuning it—because why would someone tuning a guitar need to sit on a table? Trying to look unique?”

Reddy hopped down and grinned. “No, I just like being up high. Looking down on everything feels great.”

Then he fist-bumped and hugged Kaplan’s group, leading them to the bar counter for drinks.

Ryan came out and told Wang Bo, “Boss, I think we should expand the bar. Look, we can’t fit everyone anymore. If this keeps up, the bar will really turn into a Flaming Mountain—‘boom,’ and it’ll explode!”

It was indeed a problem, and Wang Bo also wanted to expand.

But he didn’t know where exactly the Bar Heart resided—was it tied to the land, the building, or was it something more ethereal?

Still, this wasn’t something he intended to worry about tonight. He patted Ryan’s shoulder, signaling that he understood, then told him to take good care of Kaplan’s group.

Kaplan and the others were vacationing in Sunset Town, but Wang Bo had to work—Christmas Eve and Christmas were coming, and he was busy.

Fortunately, the heavens favored him. The day before Christmas Eve, he obtained a tier-two Lord Heart—a Lake Heart—which would help him better manage the lake.

After resting, Wang Bo would have enough time to have fun, and he wanted to entertain Kaplan’s group properly. But they weren’t planning to stay in Sunset Town for Christmas—they wanted to return home to celebrate with their families.

Without a doubt, they all had a great impression of Sunset Town. Several times, Wang Bo brought up investment in naming-rights promotion for Sunset Town, and Kaplan seemed tempted but never committed.

That meant Wang Bo didn’t have much time left. He needed to settle this quickly; otherwise he’d lose the goodwill he had painstakingly built up. Ever since they arrived, apart from serving his parents, he had never put so much effort into taking care of anyone.

Wang Bo wanted to offer them sweet-potato liquor—another Sunset Town specialty—planning to get them thoroughly drunk and then take advantage of their hazy state to get signatures on the contract.

But Kaplan was sharp. He didn’t give Wang Bo the chance to get him drunk, politely declining the party and saying he wanted to go fishing on the lake again.

He said, “Chinese people value harmony between beginning and end. On our first day, we fished on the lake. Now that we’re leaving, we want to fish once more.”

Wang Bo couldn’t refuse, so he took them out on the fishing boat again.

As they sailed toward the center of the lake, someone said, “Does anyone else feel like the water is clearer than a few days ago?”

Wang Bo didn’t feel it, since he looked at Lake Havia every day. But he knew they weren’t just flattering him—he had just upgraded the Lake Heart, so it would be normal for the lake to change.

Everyone else nodded, but didn’t think much of it, believing it was simply due to the weather.

This time, when they cast their lines, Wang Bo didn’t help them fish.

But strangely enough—maybe it was due to the tier-two Lake Heart—their harvest was extremely abundant. One catch after another, within half an hour two buckets and a cooler were full.

This made the group quite proud. Malop, who was watching, couldn’t stand their smugness and said arrogantly, “What’s the big deal? I told you—our lake is rich with fish. Even a dog could catch this many.”

The moment he said that, it was like poking a hornet’s nest—even Kaplan got angry.

Kaminski stared at him mockingly. “Do you live in a fairy tale? Or do you just like bragging? A dog could catch this many? With what exactly—its tongue, like you?”

“That’s the funniest joke I’ve heard all year. And with the new year coming, I doubt anything will top it.”

“Don’t insult fishing, kid. I had a friend like you who talked nonsense. His coffin is probably rotting by now.”

Malop had only been running his mouth. He also felt his words were excessive, so he shrugged and didn’t argue back.

But that only made them think he was guilty, and Kaplan’s group became even more fired up.

Seeing this, Wang Bo’s eyes lit up. Last time he wanted this kind of opportunity, but Kaplan interrupted and he lost it.

He hadn’t expected it—but it had finally come!

Immediately, he stepped in to support Malop. “My guy doesn’t talk nonsense. He wasn’t joking. I can vouch for him—it’s true.”

That only made Kaplan’s group more dissatisfied. A senior engineer named Drew said stiffly, “Mayor Wang, we like you. But if you’re the type to brag like this, it might affect our impression of you.”

Wang Bo thought, As if I care about your impression? I only care if your cars are good!

But Drew’s words were perfect for setting the stage.

Wang Bo acted offended and declared, “How about a bet? I’ll go find a dog. It will fish—and we’ll see who catches more!”