HLM – Chapter 880 Checking for Slow Drivers

Horton Motors was still highly efficient. They had accumulated many luxury buses in the warehouse waiting to be sold, but the market response had been poor.

So, after losing the bet, Kaplan called the marketing department and had them send ten buses onto the road.

What Wang Bo needed to do next was complete a contract. Sunset Town would set up two billboards to promote Horton’s bus series.

December was nearly halfway over when Christmas Eve finally arrived.

But this Christmas Eve was anything but peaceful—the weather was bad. A fine drizzle hung over the South Island, and most of the island would spend Christmas in the rain.

Wang Bo wanted to prepare a Christmas gift for Dale, so he asked Dayan to help: it was a sleigh stand.

The sleigh stand was made from a brand-new pumpkin-carriage chassis, more refined than the one Hani had made before. The sleigh itself was wooden wrapped in rubber, with carved patterns on the surface—full of nostalgic charm.

On December 24th, Sunset Town was already filled with a festive atmosphere, but Wang Bo and the others couldn’t rest or prepare for the holidays. Police do not get holidays off.

Not only that—they received a new assignment. Not long ago they cracked down on speeding, and now Highway 8 was being complained about for having too many slow drivers!

Sitting in the office looking at the traffic bureau’s notice, Wang Bo thought it was a joke and asked in disbelief, “Today isn’t April Fool’s Day, right?”

Atulu responded listlessly, “Of course not. This is Christmas Eve, damn it. I’d love nothing more than to be with my wife and kids. I love them to death!”

Uncle Bing saw Wang Bo’s strange expression, took the notice, and frowned. “Damn it, what a bunch of idiots! We just finished dealing with speeders, and now we have to catch turtles?!”

Speeding is one of the major road safety hazards in New Zealand. Police have always been strict and heavy-handed about it, which is only right.

But on the flip side, driving too slow on the highway also gets you fined—and the fines are even heavier than for speeding.

“Turtle crawling” is the term New Zealanders use to describe slow driving—so slow it makes people annoyed.

People accustomed to New Zealand’s traffic conditions often find it hard to adjust when they go to China, the U.S., or Japan. New Zealand has few people, plenty of roads, and well-developed traffic; drivers typically drive fast.

The street-racing problem in Sunset Town happened earlier. Wang Bo used the ghost car and increased enforcement to clean that up.

But chronic slow driving on Highway 8 was an age-old tradition. Whether it was Flower Road or Four Seasons Tree Road, the scenery was beautiful.

Many people drove on Highway 8 not to get anywhere fast, but to enjoy the scenery, relax, and unwind. Naturally, they drove slowly.

But because of that, those cars became obstacles. For people who actually needed to use Highway 8 to travel, it was extremely annoying.

Wang Bo even shot himself in the foot—the “ghost car” legend attracted many curious young people, who drove along the highway at night searching for it, at slow speeds.

So, some drivers complained to the traffic bureau and police headquarters. Considering the heavy holiday traffic expected during Christmas, the bureau ordered Sunset Town to check for violations involving slow driving.

Highway 8 was a national highway, with speed limits ranging from 80 km/h to 140 km/h. Driving below that could result in penalties under “obstructing traffic” or “careless driving.”

Conley held up a report and said, “Boss, it’s not a bad idea to check. I organized all the police reports, and every week there are more than ten complaints about slow drivers.”

“What’s wrong with driving a little slow? Why so impatient?” Wang Bo said.

“That’s how you Chinese think. New Zealanders don’t,” Charlie said as he happened to overhear.

New Zealand drivers hated this kind of behavior. They saw it as not only violating regulations but also disregarding others’ right to use the road.

In fact, if someone sped in New Zealand, as long as they didn’t dangerously overtake or cut lanes, other drivers usually wouldn’t complain.

Even if they knew the car was severely speeding, catching the speeder “was the police’s job,” not the drivers’.

But slow driving was different—slow drivers blocked the lanes, and no matter how much the drivers behind flashed lights, honked, or tailgated, the front car refused to give way, delaying everyone’s schedule.

Wang Bo clapped his hands. “Tonight is Christmas Eve, everyone knows that, right?”

“Of course!” “Isn’t that obvious?” “I’ve been waiting forever!”

Wang Bo said, “Then let’s finish what we need to do during the day and go back on night duty. Everyone can go home and be with their families tonight!”

“Yay! Long live the boss!” The office atmosphere instantly changed.

For police officers, it was frustrating. Elizabeth, Kidd, and Hani were all on vacation—either at home or out shopping in the big city. They disappeared long ago.

Uneven treatment breeds resentment, and this truth applies everywhere.

Especially since Wang Bo was off for the next two days and wouldn’t be in town. If his subordinates had to continue working, it would look bad.

Things in the town were running smoothly anyway. Better to stay on standby—if there was an emergency, they’d work; if not, they could rest.

Atulu eagerly asked Wang Bo how he was spending Christmas. He wanted to make plans together.

Wang Bo refused to say, only telling them that he wouldn’t be in town, so they had to stay alert and be ready to mobilize at any moment.

Naturally, everyone agreed readily.

Slow traffic on Highway 8 wasn’t rare. They had barely been on duty half an hour before the first slow-driver situation appeared.

Highway 8 was two-way. Although it was wide, certain places—like intersections for turning or U-turning—only had one lane connected.

In these parts, to overtake a slow car, one had to either drive in the opposite lane or make an improper lane change—both prohibited.

New Zealanders hated reckless lane-changing even more. When Wang Bo was learning to drive, the first sentence in the training manual was: “Every lane change is a brush with death.”

Once the traffic blockage appeared, the complaints arrived immediately. Wang Bo got into the car and rushed over.

As they drove, Atulu joked, “Slow drivers themselves aren’t dangerous, but they create the conditions for danger. We’re police—managing risk is our duty!”

“Maintaining standby duty is also the police’s duty,” Wang Bo replied.

And with that, Atulu quietly focused on driving.