America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz-Chapter 537 - 530 Aftermath of Stirring Trouble

Although no one died, LAPD officers still arrived at the scene with utmost speed, involving a top Hollywood production. McLain, who had dealt with Martin during the incident at Burbank Middle School, also appeared on set.

McLain sought out his acquaintance Martin first, "What exactly is the situation?"

Martin was just as confused, "I was waiting in the rest area to go on set. The scene being shot was a gunfight, and on the fourth trigger pull, the blank in an actor’s pistol turned into a live round."

He pointed at his ear, "You know, I’m a good shot, I can tell the difference."

McLain lowered his voice and asked, "Not a Russian spy?"

Martin thought for a moment and replied, "I don’t think so."

He gestured towards the prop department, "My manager Bruce, you know him, Old Cloth knows some of the details and is over there giving a statement."

"Let’s go have a look," McLain led the way over.

Martin followed.

By the mouth of the alley where the prop department was located, they could see a detective captain from the police department asking Bruce something.

In response to the detective captain’s questions, Bruce spoke the truth, "You know Martin’s situation. Therefore, when Martin plays the lead, it’s a necessary condition in negotiations to have me appointed as the deputy director in the prop department."

His words were factual yet could give rise to different interpretations, "Before shooting started this afternoon, I did a routine check of the firearms. The gun Tom Hardy was using was supposed to be part of my check, but he refused. He only unloaded the first three bullets from his magazine and had me confirm they were blanks..."

A detective was taking notes, and after Bruce finished, a female officer whispered, "His account matches the prop master’s."

The two detectives went on to question another prop master wearing sunglasses.

The prop master with sunglasses swore confidently, "After work this morning, I’ve been here the whole time, never left for a moment, absolutely no one touched the bullets, I swear to God! And the prop bullets were loaded into the magazines together by me and two others, as per the crew’s rules, so we could monitor each other."

He appeared serious and responsible, "My professional integrity and ethics don’t allow any irresponsible behavior."

The detectives had already questioned the other two prop masters separately. Combining the reactions from Bruce, they asked, "So you think the problem didn’t originate from your end? What about Bruce?"

The sunglass-wearing prop master replied, "Bruce was checking guns and bullets, and I and another person were right there with him, he didn’t tamper with anything. But Tom Hardy refused to let Bruce check his gun and magazine."

He would never tell anyone about taking a nap at noon; that would place the blame on him, and he wouldn’t be able to work in the industry again.

Even if he changed industries, he would be rejected.

The detective asked, "The British actor Tom Hardy?"

Speaking of Tom Hardy, a thought flashed through the brain of the prop master with sunglasses, "Tom Hardy wouldn’t let Old Cloth check the gun he took, and he left with it alone. The problem might have occurred during the time he was gone."

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After the detectives finished their inquiries, a brief meeting took place at the scene. The prop masters monitored each other, and Bruce conducted daily routine checks; there seemed to be no issues, and their statements matched up.

Tom Hardy’s refusal to have his firearm checked was, however, a bit odd.

Cases of self-directed sabotage weren’t few and far, especially when the other party was a star-level actor, adept at acting.

The officers went to find Tom Hardy.

In the set design department, Clayson and his colleagues curiously played the part of the qualified onlookers.

He didn’t exhibit any abnormality, doing whatever his colleagues did.

Yet, he felt a bit of a pity inside, the one who caused the accidental shooting wasn’t Martin Davis but the unfortunate Tom Hardy.

If it had been Martin, given his often violent handling of guns, it was highly likely to provoke a media backlash.

But Clayson had tried everything he could, and he would not attempt a second time. He had repaid his debt to Brad Pitt.

Martin waited outside for a while; Old Cloth went to gather some information and came back.

"I have some good news," Old Cloth said in a low voice, "Tom Hardy is going to be taken to the police department."

Martin replied, "That’s not good news. If a leading actor gets into trouble, production will halt, and Director Nolan definitely won’t be pleased."

Representatives from the actors’ guild, directors’ guild, cinematographers’ guild, and third-party insurance companies all arrived; the production would definitely be suspended for a few days.

Bruce said, "You can take this chance to rest. Isn’t there a Sect Hierarch meeting to attend? Now you’ve got the time."

Martin went to a secluded area, and when Bruce caught up, he asked in a low voice, "Are there any signs this was targeted at us?"

That was his real concern.

Bruce thought hard, "It’s difficult to say right now. I’ve checked all the guns, bullets, and magazines, except for the ones in Tom Hardy’s hands. Someone loaded the bullet into his pistol magazine, not yours."

He pondered the sequence of events, "I’ve discussed the situation with McLain. Combining everyone’s feedback, either someone is lying, or there were issues after Tom Hardy took possession of the gun."

Martin enquired, "Did they find anything unusual in the prop department?"

"Nothing for now," replied Bruce, who had also asked around, "Even during lunch, the prop department made sure someone was on guard. That person said that after work in the morning, he never left, and others have confirmed that."

Martin felt somewhat uneasy, "You and the bodyguards should be more vigilant. Something doesn’t feel quite right. It’s not just a hunch, I hope."

Bruce uttered a painfully true statement, "This is the hangover from messing with too many people. We’ve screwed over so many, and we can’t just toss them into the Pacific to feed the fish."

That made too much sense for Martin to argue with. Not to mention his rise in Hollywood upon arriving in Los Angeles, stepping on others’ heads, but even in Atlanta, he had to play people to make a name for himself.

From the moment he arrived in America, he was either messing with someone or on his way to mess with someone.

The first few he messed with in Los Angeles, he could barely even remember their names now, like the idiot bitten by a rattlesnake.

And on this path he took, it was impossible to humanely eradicate all the trash he’d dealt with; inevitably, some persistent ones would pop up and complicate his life.

All of a sudden, Martin felt weary, but when he thought of wealth, beautiful women, and status, he was instantly filled with fighting spirit.

The joy of battling wits with others!

Martin said, "Pay extra attention to any behind-the-scenes movements within the production."

When it came to investigation, ten of him and Old Cloth combined couldn’t compare to Los Angeles’ greatest force, the LAPD.

The only thing they could really compete with the LAPD on was the speed at which they emptied their magazines.

Bruce responded, "I will."

Life had to go on, and Martin walked forward, "Let’s go and console Director Nolan."

The two hadn’t approached the director’s team yet when they saw Nolan full of energy and high in spirit.

The renowned director seemed to be barely affected.

Nolan had just sent away the representative of the Directors Guild and called over his capable assistant Anderson, saying, "Record the real behind-the-scenes, a gun-shooting incident occurred during the filming, a photographer was accidentally wounded by a bullet, yet endured the pain and finished shooting the scene before seeking help!"

Anderson wrote fervently, for behind-the-scenes footage pursued authenticity!

Nolan continued to ponder, the shooting had happened, and negative impacts had arisen, unavoidable as they were.

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But the same incident could still be exploited for publicity, making more people aware of the movie.

Having experienced numerous events, the marketing guru Nolan was taking shape. He continued, "Keep recording, Director Nolan remained calm in the face of danger, commanding with composure to prevent chaos in the crew and avoid further injuries."

Anderson finished writing and looked up at his boss.

Nolan thought for a moment and said, "Let’s stop here for now, we’ll wait for the police to give their investigative results before proceeding."

Another idea sprang up, and he saw Martin, "Come over for a chat."

Martin approached, "Chris..."

Nolan valued Martin’s opinion highly when it came to marketing and asked, "Could we edit some of the footage from the incident and sell it to TMZ or other entertainment media to create buzz for the film?"

Martin, more cautious than Nolan, said, "We need to guide public opinion properly."

"I know," Nolan said. Ever since shooting in Morocco, he had been eager for a big splash. Finally, a kidnapping case came along, only to be constantly nagged by damn Jews every day, nearly driving him to explode.

Those bastards wouldn’t spend a penny on cover-ups, only using their influence to press people into submission.

As for the promised conditions, Nolan didn’t believe a word.

Now, with another major incident at hand, Nolan wanted to turn the bad into good, "I trust the professionals at Warner Bros. can handle this well."

"Then it shouldn’t be a problem," said Martin, who had collaborated with Warner Bros. led by Barry Meyer for several years and found them reliable.

Nolan still had some ideas but didn’t dare share them with others.

He suspected the incident might be related to the Moroccan kidnapping case.

Those bastards, what wouldn’t they dare do?

But considering the Jews’ influence in Hollywood, he could only keep his thoughts to himself.

Turning his head, he caught a glance from Bruce and followed his gaze to a short distance away.

Tom Hardy was being invited by the LAPD for a coffee interview.

Nolan got busy again.

With such an incident occurring, the shoot could only be halted.

The project had to come to a temporary stop as well.

When the day ended and everyone dispersed, Emma Thomas came over to notify Martin to await further instructions.

Martin and Bruce went straight home.

The LAPD had gathered information from all around the set that didn’t bode well for Tom Hardy. Bruce and the prop masters had seen him unload three blanks, but there was a problem with the fourth.

During shooting, he should have fired near the stunt actor, but he turned too far, aiming the muzzle at the photographer’s assistant instead.

Some detectives even suspected Tom Hardy of premeditated murder.

The English actor wasn’t released from the LAPD until late at night, after much communication from the production team.

...

In Burbank, in a car parked by the roadside, Cassie saw Tony’s car turning the corner and dialed her brother Ben’s phone, "She’s coming back from the supermarket."

Ben moved his car, apparently having just returned from outside, parking it.

Tony, driving her car, pulled up and parked in a spot ahead.

Ben got out of his car just as Tony also got out of hers.

Seeing her take items from the back seat, Ben quickly walked over and offered, "Let me help you."

Tony, seeing it was him, stepped aside, supporting her stomach, and without any pretense said, "Thank you, Ben."

Ben took two shopping bags, "We’re friends, and it’s lucky I was here."

Together, they entered the building, took the elevator to Tony’s apartment floor, and naturally, Ben helped deliver the items to her doorstep.

Tony unlocked her door and then invited him in, "Would you like to come in for a bit?"

Ben acted the perfect gentleman, "May I?"

Tony smiled, "Ben, we’re friends."

Ben followed her into the apartment and immediately noticed the pervasive presence of Martin Davis.

It was as if he had walked into a specialty store dedicated to Martin Davis-related products.