America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

The worn-out foyer of the old cinema, the prop master handed over the weapons, "Crossbow and arrows, all set."

"Thanks." Martin took them in hand and waited for the prop master to leave before he removed the crossbow bolts to check the tips and the limbs.

Only after confirming the crossbow bolts had soft rubber tips and the limp limbs lacked sufficient power did he reassemble them.

A recovered Bruce came over and asked quietly, "Any problems?"

Martin spoke just as softly, "There's been more than one instance in Hollywood where prop weapons have hurt or killed people. I'm not comfortable without checking something that's meant to be shot at people."

Bruce recalled an incident, "The Crow."

Director Zomi's voice came from the set, "All departments, get ready."

Martin positioned himself in front of the cinema's main door, assuming a shooting stance.

Shooting began, and the main door of the cinema opposite swung open, revealing Brian.

Martin pulled the trigger, but the soft-tipped crossbow bolt lacked force and silently fell to the ground after hitting the wall.

Brian fell to the ground on cue.

In the next shot, Eliza joined in. Martin picked up a double-barreled shotgun and searched Brian for bullets, but found none.

The twins, thinking their enemy was dead, foolishly left.

Later, Eliza entered the set cinema and sat among dummies for the shoot.

Martin stepped out for a breath of air.

The filming in the small town was done; this was Warner's Roadshow Studios, Hollywood's largest filming base in Australia.

Bruce stood under the shade of the trees, unable to resist complaining, "That scene was just brain-dead. Anyone with a working brain would check if someone is really dead, maybe add a couple of stabs to avoid later issues."

Looking around, Martin finally said, "That part was indeed crap." But he was clear-headed, "I don't have the authority. It's Kelly who invested in 'Zombie Stripper'; I don't get a say in this."

Bruce asked, "Doesn't the director see the problem?"

Martin replied, "Zomi is just the director in charge of shooting; he doesn't have the power to change the script."

He looked into the distance, "It's not that I don't want to bully; I just don't have the position or the power."

Bruce's words were apt, "With someone like you, once you've got power, there'd be a pile of rotten mess in the crew."

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Martin countered, "Look at you and me; we've clawed our way up from the mud. Why do we climb? Isn't it to live a better, more comfortable, more enjoyable life? When we're finally comfortable, surely many will be displeased, but what does their discomfort have to do with us? Should we be miserable just to make them happy?"

He referenced one of Old Cloth's masterpieces, "Did you care about the English when you were having a blast firing mortars at them?"

"They're all perverts; they like it that way," Bruce corrected with a chuckle, "It was mortar shells."

He also gazed into the distance where a black man in white and a white woman in red stood out, "Did Mene that idiot get together with Paris?"

Martin replied, "The two almost became kangaroo kin; probably found some common topics."

Bruce changed the subject, "About the hunting license you asked me to inquire – it's a hassle to get. It takes time and requires a test."

How could you say you've been to Australia without dealing with some overpopulated wildlife? Martin inquired, "No other way?"

"There're hunting tour companies specifically for foreign tourists; they have private hunting grounds," Bruce had done his homework, "Without a temporary Australian firearms license, you can't use guns, only bows and arrows."

Martin wasn't just interested in hunting for the sake of it but also for networking, "I talked to Zomi the other day; he's quite interested in hunting."

Bruce reminded him, "Your buddy is a vegetarian."

Martin thought for a moment, "This is a man's activity, check how to get a temporary firearms license."

The set had a restaurant, and Martin had lunch with Eliza.

A buffet style, help yourself to what you fancy.

Martin, with his tray in hand, arrived at the bright red king crab, grabbed the tongs, but then looked back, and Eliza was gazing at him expectantly.

There were many people around, and Eliza didn't say much, but her bright eyes held hope.

Martin smiled at her, set down the stainless-steel tongs, and moved forward, bypassing all meat, dairy and eggs, mainly picking up some tofu and vegetables, mushrooms.

Eliza caught up from behind with her tray, sitting opposite him, then forked a mushroom and put it to Martin's mouth, "You love mushrooms—try this lobster mushroom; it's tastier than real lobster."

Martin guiltlessly enjoyed being fed by Eliza; even the vegetarian dishes didn't taste bad when done right.

At this moment, Bruce sat down at the next table with a plate and then went to get another one.

The aroma of roasted beef and lamb, the sweetness of the king crab, kept wafting over this way.

Martin suddenly felt the vegetarian food in front of him taste bland and unappetizing, and mushrooms and vegetables didn't seem appetizing at all.

Now Eliza spoke, "I have to go back to Los Angeles at the end of the month for the premiere, will you go back too?"

Martin remembered her mentioning the last movie she starred in, "Girl Next Door?"

"Yes, I played an adult film actress," Eliza briefly shared, "The film is officially released on April 9th, with the premiere on March 27th."

Eliza had arranged her schedule early on; Martin was eager to attend the premiere red carpet, but he was non-committal, "I'll ask Zomi about the exact shooting schedule to see if I can take a leave." He asked her, "Can you bring someone along?"

"I'm the lead actress, so I can bring family," Eliza reached out and held Martin's hand tightly, "This is my first movie premiere, it's particularly meaningful to me."

Martin held onto Eliza's hand, and for some reason, he vaguely felt the same as he did with Thomas, "I'll try to adjust my schedule."

Eliza grabbed his hand and kissed it forcefully, "Let's have dinner."

Nearby, Kim Kardashian was holding a plate, sitting opposite Bruce.

Bruce asked, "Feeling down?"

Kim nodded, "It's okay, just the usual temper."

Bruce opened a new bottle of Coke, "Drink something sweet, it'll make you feel better."

After eating, Eliza and Martin left the restaurant first. She then asked, "Does Old Cloth want to pursue Kim?"

Bruce might have truly loved Monica, but his interest in Kim Kardashian couldn't be more apparent. Martin vaguely responded, "Don't bother with that pervert Old Cloth."

Eliza pointed to her trailer, "I'm going back to rest. Are you coming?"

Martin took out his phone, "I need to make a call."

Eliza said, "I'll leave the door for you."

Martin found a quiet spot and called Thomas, talking about Eliza's invitation to the premiere.

Thomas said, "Go, you must go! At this stage, all occasions that can increase your exposure and recognition are extremely precious. I'll call Susan to coordinate, and you go talk to the director."

He specifically reminded, "The burst of fame comes from enough accumulation! Leonardo, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp—before these people really hit the big time, they had been struggling in the industry for years and had built a certain level of fame."

Martin hung up and opened the calendar on his phone, looking at March 27—more than a week away.

He went to find Zomi Silla. Waiting for a moment in front of the trailer, Zomi Silla slowly walked over alone.

Zomi asked, "What's up?"

Martin nodded, "I want to take a day off."

Zomi invited, "Come in and talk."

Both got into the trailer, and Martin dove straight in, "On March 27th, Eliza wants me to accompany her to Los Angeles for a premiere. It'll probably take three days round trip, the premiere is on a Saturday, and on Friday..."

Zomi pulled out the schedule, looked it over carefully, and since they had a good relationship and it wouldn't affect the shoot too much, immediately said, "Easy, I can move your scenes to this Wednesday and Thursday."

Martin also spoke with Zomi about hunting and they agreed to apply for a temporary hunting license that weekend.

He then found producer Susan and told her in person. Even though Thomas had called, the agent is the agent, and he is himself.

Martin had just helped the crew avoid a major accident, so Susan Levin agreed right away.

Entering Eliza's trailer, Martin sat on the sofa chair, "It's all set."

"You can go?" Eliza was very hopeful that Martin would accompany her on her first premiere red carpet.

Martin said, "I can only go on Friday, attend the premiere on Saturday, and rush back on Sunday."

"That's great!" Eliza rushed over and kissed Martin forcefully. Emotions promoted by her mood and the surging emotions encouraged hormone secretion. She bit Martin's earlobe and said, "I'm not entirely vegetarian, actually."

A faint joy rose in Martin's heart, "Really?"

Eliza slowly lowered her body, "Of course it's true."

Though slightly disappointed, Martin quickly immersed himself completely into it.

Before long, the trailer began to shake slightly—there's something extra thrilling about doing it on a movie set.

At two-thirty in the afternoon, Eliza was the first to come down from the trailer, radiantly beautiful and glowing.

Martin also looked energetic, but felt something wasn't quite right. His leg muscles twitched, his waist let out mournful cries, and his stomach was hollow, like a gourd.

He had never encountered such a situation, not even at the peak of his involvement with Gone with the Wind.

Martin was usually in very good shape, and a girl like Eliza could not come close to the actual combat strength of either Louise or Kelly.

During the afternoon shoot, Martin was in terrible shape, constantly making mistakes, continuous NGs.

During a break, even Mene came over, "Boss, your body isn't being possessed by another soul, is it? This isn't like you."

After eating two bananas, Martin felt better and said to Mene, "Invite me to dinner tonight."

Mene immediately responded, "No problem, it's on me. I know a very famous vegan restaurant..."

Before he could finish, Martin's knife-like glance turned towards him.

Mene was startled, wondering what had he said wrong? Surely Martin wasn't going to commit murder and dump a body, right? His mind raced and he quickly realized, "Boss, I'll treat you to Australian barbecue."

When the crew wrapped for the day, Martin used Mene's invitation as an excuse to skip the synchronized eating and living he had been doing with Eliza these past days.

By the next morning, everyone on the set noticed that Martin was back in form, with most of the shots being done in one or two takes.

On the weekend, Martin, Zomi, and Bruce all went to the hunting tour company. With their help, Martin handled the relevant documents, underwent training, attended classes and tests, and then waited a few weeks.

Early Friday morning, Martin and Eliza took a flight back to Los Angeles, ready to attend the premiere of "The Girl Next Door."

Every star starts by networking.