Chapter 38: If left unchecked, these geriatric scooters will be modified into high-speed rail!

"Wait a second!"

Just as Wei Xiu was about to hand over the car keys, Qin Xi stepped in front of him to block his path.

"Hold your horses! I don't care about anything else. With all the modifications you've done, this vehicle weighs at least two tons. A car this heavy is a death trap on the road. It would be one thing if you had a proper license, but look at this: [Electric D·00001]. This is a homemade plate! If you hand over those keys and it gets on the road, who’s going to be responsible when something goes wrong?"

"Wei Xiu, hold on," Qin Xi said, pulling him aside to speak in private. "This car cannot be driven on the road. It has zero safety measures; it's far too dangerous."

Wei Xiu hesitated for a moment, then replied, "You're right. Just a moment, I need to install a set of safety measures."

With that, Wei Xiu turned and walked toward the counter. He pulled open a drawer and took out a brand-new sheet of red paper. Written on it in gold-leaf calligraphy were four characters: "Safe Arrivals and Departures."

"Uncle, your old couplet was fading," he said, pulling out some double-sided tape and sticking the new one onto the car door. "I’ve replaced it with a new one for you. There—now the safety measures are taken care of. You can officially take the car now."

Qin Xi was left completely dumbfounded. *Are you kidding me, man? Do you even speak human language? You call that a safety measure?!*

[Yuan Yuan Loves Dirt LV.21]: "??????"
[Bright Moon Forever LV.31]: "??????"
[Reservoir Wanderer Fan Debiao LV.42]: "??????"
[Can't Sleep During the Day LV.33]: "??????"

The entire chat room was in a state of shock. *Are you serious? You’re relying entirely on metaphysics for the safety of this car?*

...

Meanwhile, at the Linyang Traffic Police Detachment office, Captain Tan Linsheng looked exhausted as he heard a knock at his door.

"Come in!"

In walked Wang Zheng from the Public Relations Division.

"Ah, Xiao Wang. You’ve come at the right time. I have something to discuss with you. How is that social media account of yours coming along?"

In this new era, superiors had demanded that all units prioritize the development of government integrated media. As the vanguard of the PR department, Wang Zheng was responsible for managing the Linyang Traffic Police's self-media account, but the results so far were lackluster, with only 24,000 followers.

Wang Zheng had originally come to report something, but hearing his superior shift topics, he had no choice but to answer the question. "It still needs work; the following is quite small."

Tan Linsheng knew this wasn't something that could be rushed and waved his hand. "No matter, having a few followers is enough."

As he spoke, Tan Linsheng pulled a file from his drawer. "The higher-ups have mandated a new round of rural traffic governance. The focus is on cracking down on unlicensed agricultural vehicles, tricycles, and electric scooters. It’s a long and arduous road ahead."

As a prefecture-level city, ninety percent of their jurisdiction was rural, which meant the number of unlicensed vehicles was massive. The authorities knew this was a tough nut to crack and had already conducted several rounds of enforcement with little effect.

"I’m thinking that this time, fines and such can only be a secondary tool. The key is to improve the public's traffic awareness. We should focus primarily on education," Tan Linsheng mused.

He was a leader with both intellect and foresight. Blindly arresting and checking would only incite public defiance; they needed to get to the root of the problem. Fortunately, with modern technology, even in rural areas, everyone had a smartphone. He believed this new round of governance should be handled through integrated media.

"Here’s the plan: you coordinate with the law enforcement team and launch a special live broadcast. We’ll stream the enforcement process as it happens. This will be a vivid way to show the public the importance of road safety."

Hearing this, Wang Zheng gave a thumbs up. "You and I are on the same page, Captain."

Tan Linsheng smiled slightly. "Don't butter me up; just get the work done."

"I'm really not buttering you up!" Wang Zheng said, pulling out his work phone. He had come to the captain's office specifically to report a related issue. "I was just checking our account and suddenly saw a flood of private messages tagging us. We have a public opinion crisis in our jurisdiction!"

Hearing this, Tan Linsheng’s heart sank.

The social media era had its benefits, but this was its downside. Once a controversy emerged, it could spread rapidly and be exposed to the harsh light of public scrutiny. There were countless examples. If the traffic police didn't handle it well, they would be dragged through the mud by netizens and nailed to the pillar of shame. Just this year alone, several traffic police social media accounts had been forced to disable their comment sections due to backlash.

"What kind of crisis?" Tan Linsheng asked, taking the phone with a sense of trepidation.

On the screen was a screen recording prepared by Wang Zheng.

"A Range Rover? This old man is doing quite well for himself," Tan Linsheng noted.

Wang Zheng chuckled. "Captain, look closer. Is that really a Range Rover?"

"Oh! What the hell!" Tan Linsheng couldn't help but swear.

It looked like a Range Rover, but it was sporting a license plate for a low-speed electric "elderly scooter."

"Have the manufacturers of these elderly scooters gone mad? Making them look so realistic? At this rate, they’ll be building hundred-ton tanks next."

Wang Zheng shook his head, filling the captain in. "It's not a factory model. It's modified."

"Modified...? That's insane! Who modifies a car like that!?"

Wang Zheng continued, "It was modified at a repair shop in Linyang Town. The owner claims it can hit 0 to 100 km/h in under three seconds."

"Bullshit!" Tan Linsheng blurted out.

I'll admit the exterior looks good, but 0 to 100 in three seconds? I don't buy it for a second!

But regardless, this was a serious issue. No matter what the speed was, such modifications crossed a line. The higher-ups had just issued the file to the city, strictly ordering the detachment to conduct a crackdown on unlicensed vehicles, and here was a repair shop performing illegal modifications. This was unacceptable!

"Listen," Tan Linsheng said, his anger rising. "Coordinate with the law enforcement team immediately and find this vehicle. Do a live broadcast—educate first, then warn."

He didn't mind the elderly man's lack of legal awareness, but this kind of business could not be tolerated.

"Most importantly, find this shop and deal with them severely. If we don't stop this, they'll be modifying elderly scooters into high-speed rail cars next!"