America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

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The abandoned town was dressed as a set, with mannequins staring out from the cabinets on both sides of the road, their hollow eyes as if trying to capture souls to transform into living beings.

The film crew shot here, never worried about onlookers because there was no sign of human life within ten kilometers.

There were plenty of animals around, including kangaroos prowling nearby.

Martin warmed up for the upcoming action scene.

Mene looked around and asked, "Could a Jason-like serial killer jump out here?"

Eliza, holding a baseball bat, felt confident after the recent days of training and fulfillment: "I'd smash his head with one swing."

Martin flexed his wrists and said, "This is a great place to take out an opponent. Kill someone and toss them into the woods; it might take five or six years before they're found, if ever. Bury them in a hole, and the truth could be hidden until the end of the world."

Mene volunteered, "Boss, I'm your brother!"

Zomi Silla, the director who rarely interacted with anyone apart from work, yelled through a megaphone, "Martin, Bryan, get ready."

Martin stopped chatting and immediately entered the set.

Bryan, who played his opponent, said, "Buddy, go easy on me, I'm almost fifty."

Martin nodded: "Don't worry, I'm a professional."

Having been a stunt double for many years, the action scenes were a breeze for him.

Action scenes were often broken down into countless fragmented shots, then later pieced together in post-production editing.

An action scene that lasted at most two minutes in the finished film took an entire morning to shoot, and that was only because Martin was professional enough to let Bryan unleash himself.

Soon, the filming moved to a gas station.

Just after a shot was completed, screams from Eliza and another woman echoed from the entrance of the town.

"Something's happening!" Without a second thought, Martin ran in that direction.

"Go check it out," Zomi Silla shouted, following suit.

The others gradually came out as well.

Martin ran like the wind. There was only one street in the town, and even from a distance, he saw a particularly large red kangaroo chasing Paris Hilton.

The kangaroo might have been in heat, and Paris was wearing a provocative red outfit...

Martin couldn't care less about Paris's fate, he yelled to Eliza, "Eliza, get away! Stay back! Don't go near!"

Eliza wasn't foolish; with her small frame against a kangaroo over 1.7 meters tall, all she could expect was a beating. Holding her baseball bat, she quickly ran towards Martin.

Amidst the screams, Paris was pushed into the roadside bushes by the kangaroo's "fist," and the kangaroo charged right after her.

Just as a scene that even the San Valley Regular Company wouldn't dare to film was about to unfold, a hero appeared.

Mene burst out from behind a set building and shouted, "Hey, you long-tailed idiot, look over here, look here!"

He threw the football he was holding, thumping it on the kangaroo's head.

Stung by the impact, the kangaroo hopped towards Mene.

Mene turned and fled towards where more people from the crew were, but seeing the kangaroo glance back at Paris, he taunted, "Come on, jerk! Are you racist? Only daring to mess with whites but afraid to touch a black man? You trash, I dare to call myself a nigger; do you?"

The kangaroo leapt three feet high, charging at Mene.

As Mene ran, he continued taunting, "Come on! You stupid big mouse! Come at me, prove you're not a racist!"

By then, Martin had caught up with Eliza and immediately pulled her behind him, shouting to Mene, "Idiot, stop talking trash and run!"

Mene glanced back and saw the kangaroo catch up, hooking its forelimbs around his neck, and lashing out with its strong hind legs.

Luckily, as Mene ran forward, the kick landed on his buttocks; otherwise, it might have ruined his chances of getting future roles if it had hit the front.

Mene stumbled forward, face-planting on the ground and screaming.

The kangaroo hopped on top of him, determined to prove it wasn't racist.

"Boss Martin, save me!" Mene could only call out for help from the closest person, Martin.

That plea reminded Martin of that screwball Hart from the male idol group, and he snatched the baseball bat from Eliza's hand and ran forward.

Eliza, starry-eyed, reminded him, "Be careful."

This was a kangaroo, not an armed bandit.

Martin didn't foolishly approach from the front; taking advantage of the kangaroo's attempt to distance itself from the sin of racism, he circled around and came up behind it.

Mene was still putting up a fight and was not in immediate danger of falling victim to the kangaroo's claws or... something else.

Director Zomi Silla, just thirty years old and physically robust, ran past Eliza, holding a clapboard.

How important the first film is in a director's career goes without saying.

The kangaroo was not just assaulting Mene, but the future of Zomi Hill.

Martin launched a surprise attack from the back while Zomi advanced from the front.

Zomi, who rarely interacted with the actors outside of work, nodded at Martin as he ran past.

Both sped up simultaneously.

Zomi rushed forward, launching the first attack from the front, swinging the clapboard with force.

The kangaroo, quick to react, blocked it with its forelimb, causing the clapboard to break and the kangaroo to let out a cry.

It kicked, ready to leap away.

Mene grabbed onto the kangaroo's leg, his dark head stubbornly pushing upward.

Martin swung the round bat down with a thud, shaking his hands slightly numb from the impact.

The kangaroo swayed and then turned to face him.

Without a word, Martin swung the bat again, striking the kangaroo on the head.

The kangaroo collapsed with a thud, blood seeping from its head.

Martin dropped the bat and shouted to Mene, "Your belt."

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Mene's pants had a huge rip at the crotch, and it was unclear whether it was from a kangaroo kick or a poke. He instinctively covered his waist, feeling vulnerable and helpless, "Boss Martin..."

Martin said, "Hurry up, no dawdling."

Mene, trembling, undid his belt and handed it to Martin.

Martin said, "This thing isn't dead, might just be knocked out, get it under control."

Zomi quickly came over to help, pressing down on the upper body of the large kangaroo.

Martin used Mene's belt to tie up its two hind legs.

The kangaroo suddenly stiffened, flipping Zomi over, who fell to the ground.

Martin reached out and pulled Zomi up, "Stay away from it."

The others arrived just in time.

They were all workers, none of whom would say much.

On the riverbank just outside the town, those who heard the commotion were driving over.

Eliza came over and carefully inspected Martin's hand, "Are you hurt?"

Martin smiled, "I'm fine."

Mene extended his hand, "I'm injured here!"

Zomi told an assistant, "Call the film's medic."

Eliza seeing Martin was unscathed, said, "I'll go check on Paris."

Up ahead, Paris struggled to crawl out of the bushes and sat on the road, breathing rapidly.

Kim Kardashian slipped out of a house and hurried over to Paris with a water bottle, "Paris, are you okay?"

Paris swatted away the water bottle, demanding, "Where were you? Where were you when I was in danger?"

Kim picked up the water bottle silently.

Paris, scared and angry, "Is this how you work? Even if I kept a pile of dog shit, it would still stand in front of me!"

Eliza stopped not far away, not wishing to bother herself.

Kim, having endured so long and still wanting to keep it up, "Are you injured? I'll get a doctor."

Paris roared, "Get lost! Everyone just get lost!"

The film's doctor arrived hurriedly. Mene had a superficial injury, nothing serious.

Paris had just taken a fall and got scared.

Soon, Susan Levin arrived at the set, and after getting briefed on the situation, suspended the shooting for the day, contacting local authorities to handle follow-up matters.

Martin and the others didn't need to get involved, as the film crew had people to negotiate.

Susan found Martin and said, "You handled the situation promptly today, no one was seriously injured."

An actor's injury not only delayed filming, but insurance and union issues were also a hassle.

Martin, however, looked towards Zomi, "Without the director, I couldn't have done it."

Zomi nodded to Martin, "We work together."

At that moment, Susan raised her voice, "That's it for work today, everyone go back and rest properly, and you can have a drink at the hotel bar, put it on the film's tab."

Martin invited Zomi, "Shall we have a drink together later?"

Zomi didn't refuse, "See you at the bar."

Eliza came back and said, "Paris is still making a fuss."

Martin said, "Don't bother with her, let's go back, if Old Cloth didn't have a fever, we could have seen him taking on the kangaroo today."

They returned to the Hilton Hotel by car, and Martin first went to see Bruce, who had gone diving at the beach and played for too long, ending up with a fever.

"The fever has already subsided." Bruce said, clearly lacking energy, "I'll take a day off tomorrow, and I should be back to normal the day after tomorrow."

Martin said, "Rest up well, I'll order dinner for you and have it sent directly here."

He then changed into casual clothes and went to the bar.

Zomi, dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, sat alone at a table facing the TV.

Martin approached and sat beside him, casting a quick glance and noticing the emblem on Zomi's T-shirt neckline.

The crest of Barcelona.

Martin had intentionally had Thomas gather data on Zomi, knowing he was from Barcelona, Spain.

On the television, highlights from the UEFA Champions League were being played.

Seeing Martin also watching intently, Zomi said, "I thought Americans didn't like soccer."

At that moment, Martin was recollecting, and finally remembered a few names, "I'm a fan of Ronal Dinho."

Zomi said, "I like him very much too."

Martin continued, "No one combines artistry with practicality in soccer better than him, his technique is magical, bringing the utmost joy to us fans."

"He is a true genius indeed," Zomi toasted Martin, "This season he brought Barcelona back to glory, to Ronal Dinho."

Martin drained his glass, "I wasn't a Barcelona fan before, but because of Ronal Dinho, I support Barcelona."

Zomi took pride in the club he supported, "If you dive deep, you'll find it's a great club, with a charming culture and artistic spirit..."

As they drank and talked about soccer, Martin's knowledge was limited, mostly playing the straight man.

Zomi, usually reticent, was eloquent when it came to his one hobby and the club he supported, from the Dream Team era to Cruyff and so on, from Guardiola to Harvey, and so on.

The two even made a pact to attend Real Madrid's American tour together and throw a pig's head at Luis Figo.

In the following days, Martin became the only actor in the crew who could talk about topics other than work with the director for extended periods.

Even social climbing required a breakthrough to open up a reticent person.