Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 675 Fighting evil with evil
The early morning air in Rio was humid and warm. In the hotel restaurant, the crew members sat in twos and threes eating, but the atmosphere was much more somber than usual.

The sounds of gunfights from last night still seemed to echo in our ears. Everyone's face was still showing signs of fatigue and vigilance. No one was discussing going out to find delicious food or meet beautiful women like before. They even lowered their voices.

Zhang Chen walked to the window with his coffee, looking down at the police officers standing ready for action below, his brows furrowing slightly.

He knew that after experiencing robbery and gunfight, the crew's safety awareness had finally improved, but the dangers in Rio were far more than that, and he hoped that nothing unexpected would happen during the rest of the filming.

"Director Zhang, everything is ready. We can set off now," Assistant Gulina gently pushed open the door and whispered a reminder.

Zhang Chen nodded, downed his coffee in one gulp, suppressed his worries, and turned to walk towards the door: "Let's go, let's try to confirm the remaining filming locations today."

The convoy slowly drove away from the hotel. Zhang Chen sat in the car, looking out the window at the receding street scene, occasionally seeing gang symbols graffiti on the walls.

Everything on both sides of the street was as usual, as if the gunfight of last night had never happened, or perhaps the people here had become accustomed to gunfights.

Zhang Chen turned to look at Francisco, who was protecting him, and tentatively asked, "Officer Francisco, what exactly happened in last night's gunfight?"

Francisco's face turned serious. He sighed and lowered his voice: "It's 'Friends of Friends' and 'Red Command.' They've fought several times over control of a drug trafficking zone, and last night was the most intense one."

"'Friends of friends' and 'Red Command'?"

Zhang Chen repeated the names of the two gangs and secretly memorized them.

Are these two gangs very powerful in Rio?

Francisco nodded, his tone tinged with helplessness: "They are two of Rio's four major gangs. The other two are the Justice League and the Pure Third Command. Their influence is deeply entrenched, and they are a headache for us as well."

Zhang Chen fell silent. "Will that affect us?"

"No, as long as you don't rush into the shantytown, you'll be fine."

Hearing Francisco say that, Zhang Chen finally felt a little relieved. He was here to film a movie and didn't want to get involved in any messy things.

Over the next few days, the film crew, accompanied by police officers, carried out location scouting in an orderly manner.

Perhaps because the previous robberies and gunfights had calmed everyone down, or perhaps because the police officers' protection had indeed worked, nothing bad happened again.

They identified several key filming locations, from bustling commercial streets to quiet alleys, and each location was carefully considered to ensure it met the script requirements.

The road closure application submitted by Zhang Chen was quickly approved with the mayor's coordination. Looking at the approval document in his hand, Zhang Chen breathed a sigh of relief. He could finally start filming. He just wanted to finish quickly and leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.

You really don't know how rare it is to experience peace and prosperity in China until you go abroad.

Tom Cruise patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Zhang, it looks like our good luck is coming. Now we can film in peace."

Zhang Chen smiled and said, "I hope everything goes well."

"Yes, I hope everything goes well, God bless us."

The day for the official filming finally arrived, and the entire crew arrived early at the designated filming location—a street full of Rio charm.

The props team quickly set up the scene, the actors prepared in the dressing room, and the photographer adjusted the equipment. The whole scene was busy but orderly.

The vehicle and safe are in place. Today we're filming the scene where the car is towing the safe. That scene covers several streets and is expected to take about a week to film.

Zhang Chen stood behind the monitor, carefully checking every detail to ensure filming could begin smoothly. Once everything was ready, he shouted into the walkie-talkie, "All departments, prepare to begin filming!"

However, just as the camera started rolling, a piercing car roar suddenly broke the silence.

Three black SUVs ignored the road closure signs and drove straight toward the filming location, their wheels crunching over the roadside barriers.

The perfect footage on the camera was instantly ruined by these sudden cars. Zhang Chen's face darkened, and he shouted into the walkie-talkie, "Cut!"

The staff at the scene were also stunned and looked at the uninvited guests.

The props team leader couldn't help but curse, "What's wrong with these people? Didn't they see the road was blocked?"

Upon seeing this, several young staff members angrily rushed forward, wanting to argue with the other party. But before they could even reach the car, the door slammed open, and seven or eight people got out.

These men were dressed in black T-shirts and jeans, with arrogant expressions on their faces. What was even more chilling was that they were all holding guns, the muzzles of which hung casually, yet exuding a dangerous aura.

The staff members who stepped forward to negotiate froze on the spot, their anger instantly replaced by fear, and they involuntarily took a few steps back.

The crew members on set were too frightened to utter a sound and retreated, afraid of angering the men with guns.

Upon seeing this, Francisco and several other officers immediately stepped forward and stood in front of the film crew.

Francisco walked up to the bald man at the head of the group and whispered a few words. The bald man gave a disdainful smile and said a few words in Portuguese to Francisco.

Francisco's face grew increasingly grim. He gritted his teeth, turned around, and walked back to Zhang Chen's side, lowering his voice to say, "They are from ADA."

ADA is short for 'friends of friends', one of the four major gangs in Rio, and one of the gangs involved in the shootout a few nights ago.

"ADA?"

Zhang Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately remembered Francisco's earlier mention of 'a friend of a friend'.

"Is that the gang that clashed with the 'Red Command' a few days ago?"

Francisco nodded heavily: "That's right, they are one of the four major gangs in Rio, they have a lot of power, and we can't afford to offend them."

Zhang Chen frowned deeply. He hadn't expected to encounter such a tough opponent on the first day of filming. These gangsters were clearly well-prepared.

At this moment, the bald man also walked over. He looked Zhang Chen up and down and said in broken English, "Your road closures are affecting our business. You need to pay a protection fee, otherwise don't even think about filming here."

Suppressing his anger, Zhang Chenqiang asked, "How much do you want?"

The bald man held up five fingers and said arrogantly, "Five hundred thousand US dollars, not a penny less."

"Five hundred thousand?" The crew members were stunned; this was no small sum for them.

Unexpectedly, that wasn't all. While the other party was making exorbitant demands, they also noticed the prop vehicles in the arena, the two used to tow the safes.

Both of these vehicles have been specially modified, boasting not only powerful engines but also stunning exteriors.

The bald man casually pointed and said, "I'll take both of these cars too!"

His tone was extremely natural, with no hint of negotiation whatsoever.

The crew was stunned once again. If the protection fee was negotiable, the prop truck was absolutely non-negotiable.

Although the vehicles were sponsored, the modifications were all done by the film crew.

There are only these two vehicles at present; the spare ones have not yet been modified.

If they were given the rights, the film crew would have to stop shooting altogether.

Francisco whispered to Zhang Chen, "I suggest we agree to their demands. These people are not to be trifled with; if we offend them, there will be even more trouble later."

Zhang Chen looked at Francisco with displeasure, "I hired you to provide protection, but when something happens, all you do is compromise. What use are you?"

Zhang Chen is now very dissatisfied with Francisco, who, to put it bluntly, is like a 'gangster advisor' in a Hong Kong film crew.

When trouble comes up, a 'quack consultant' should be there to smooth things over, but Francisco's influence is clearly insufficient right now.

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Francisco's face, but he still tried to defend himself, saying, "If they're not satisfied, they might do something even worse, like kidnapping the main creators. In that case, the ransom they demand wouldn't be as simple as 500,000 and two cars; it might even endanger everyone's lives."

Zhang Chen's heart sank. He knew that what Francisco said was not impossible. In a place like Rio, gangsters were capable of anything.

He glanced at Tom Cruise and Jing Tian beside him; both of them had worried expressions on their faces. He couldn't risk the safety of the entire crew.

Just as Zhang Chen was thinking of a solution, he suddenly noticed that the bald man was holding a newspaper. On the front page of the newspaper was a photo of him shaking hands with the mayor a few days ago.

Zhang Chen was startled. Since these people knew about his relationship with the mayor, they still dared to come and collect protection money. They were obviously fearless.

Knowing Zhang Chen's relationship with the mayor, they still came to collect protection money; these people were clearly looking for trouble.

Zhang Chen instantly realized that these people weren't simply there to collect protection money; they were deliberately trying to cause trouble.

They might have been instructed by someone, or they might have wanted to use this opportunity to make a name for themselves. After all, daring to mess with a film crew favored by the mayor could indeed make them stand out in the gangster circles.

Zhang Chen's eyes sharpened; he knew that this matter would not be so easily resolved.

A news report he had seen in his future life suddenly flashed through Zhang Chen's mind: when the Brazilian president attended the G20 summit, 39 kilograms of drugs were found in the suitcase of the accompanying military officer.

That news shocked him at the time, and now that he thinks about it, the Brazilian mafia really is incredibly powerful, able to infiltrate even the people around the president, let alone their small film crew that the mayor is looking after.

It seems that the power of the gangs in Rio has exceeded his expectations, and a direct confrontation is definitely not an option.

Zhang Chen walked over to Tom Cruise and whispered the situation to him.

After hearing this, Tom Cruise's expression turned serious. He pondered for a moment and said, "Zhang, I think Francisco is right. Now is not the time for a head-on confrontation. If they want money, give them the money; if they want cars, give them the cars. Let's ensure everyone's safety first. As for the investors, I will explain that to them."

Zhang Chen nodded; he thought so too.

Although $500,000 is not a small sum, it is nothing compared to the safety of the entire crew.

As for the two prop vehicles, the crew can simply wait a few days until the spare vehicles are made before filming.

He turned to the bald man and said, "We can pay, but we need some time to prepare. Give us an hour, and you can drive the car away immediately."

The bald man grinned: "Sure, I'll give you an hour. If you can't come up with the money, you'll have to bear the consequences yourselves."

Zhang Chen ordered someone to prepare the money quickly, thinking that as long as he paid, he could get rid of these troubles. Several gang members happily started working on the car, laughing and joking. Suddenly, the bald man's gaze fell on Jing Tian in the crowd, a greedy glint flashing in his eyes.

He looked at Jing Tian with a lewd gaze, then smiled and said, "This woman is not bad. Come with me, and you won't have to pay."

Jing Tian turned pale with fright and instinctively took a step back.

Seeing this, Zhang Chen immediately stepped forward and shielded Jing Tian behind him. Several other crew members also gathered around, forming a human wall.

"What do you want?" Zhang Chen glared at the bald man, his voice filled with anger.

The bald man's face darkened, and he gave a signal to his men. Several ADA members immediately drew their guns, one of them pointing a gun directly at Zhang Chen's head.

"do not move!"

The man with the gun said menacingly, "If you dare to block my way again, I'll shoot!"

Upon seeing this, Francisco and several other officers immediately drew their guns and confronted the ADA personnel.

The atmosphere at the scene instantly became extremely tense, as if the air itself had frozen.

However, the ADA members showed no fear whatsoever, continuing to arrogantly brandish their guns, clearly disregarding the police officers.

The bald man sneered, "So what if they're police? Here, we're the ones in charge!"

Stuck in a stalemate, Zhang Chen looked at Francisco with a pleading look in his eyes.

Francisco looked helpless. He whispered to Zhang Chen, "Zhang, we can't fire. If we do, it will cause a bigger conflict, and then no one will be able to control the situation."

Zhang Chen cursed Francisco inwardly for being useless. Given the current situation, it was clearly impossible to rely on them. Zhang Chen pinned his hopes on the mayor.

Zhang Chen slowly took out his phone, trying not to provoke the other party. He wanted to call the mayor and hope that the mayor could step in to resolve the matter.

The bald man didn't stop him; instead, he looked at him with a mocking expression.

Zhang Chen dialed the mayor's number, but the call kept failing to connect.

Zhang Chen felt a chill in his heart. He didn't know if the mayor's phone was genuinely unreachable or if he was deliberately ignoring it.

But in any case, he can only rely on himself now.

The bald man saw Zhang Chen making a phone call and said sarcastically, "Don't waste your energy. Even if you find the mayor, it won't do you any good. Here, we're still the ones in charge."

Just at this critical moment, a rapid roar of car engines came from afar, even louder than the ADA convoy from before.

Everyone looked up and saw a convoy of more than a dozen black sedans and SUVs speeding towards them, their presence even more imposing than ADA's convoy.

The ADA staff also noticed the convoy, and their arrogant expressions instantly faded, as they all looked at the convoy warily.

Francisco's expression changed slightly when he saw the team's logo. He said to Zhang Chen, "They're from the Justice League. They're also one of Rio's four major gangs."

"Justice League? A gang with that kind of name?"

A sense of powerlessness welled up in Zhang Chen's heart. The wolf hadn't left, and the tiger was already here.

Do I really have to be this unlucky?

Also, is it appropriate for an internal gang to have such a name?

"The Justice League was originally a militia group created by retired police officers and local politicians. It was initially established to fight drug traffickers, but it gradually became involved in criminal activities, including money laundering, extortion, and illegal taxation."

Francisco explained why a gang had such an odd name.

Upon seeing the Justice League members appear, both sides in the conflict remained silent and observed the situation.

The convoy quickly stopped near the filming location. The car doors opened one after another, and dozens of people got out of the cars. Each of them was carrying a gun, and it was a long gun. Their combat power was not on the same level as ADA's group.

But they didn't step forward immediately; instead, they stood still, coldly watching the people from ADA.

ADA's people didn't dare to make any rash moves, and the two sides remained in a standoff, making the atmosphere on the scene even more tense.

Zhang Chen and the crew held their breath, unsure of what would happen next.

Inside the lead black sedan, the window slowly rolled down, revealing a face wearing sunglasses. The man spoke a few words in Portuguese to the bald man; his voice wasn't loud, but his tone carried an undeniable authority.

Upon hearing this, the bald man's expression changed slightly. He hesitated for a moment, then walked to the car window.

The people in the car said a few more words to the bald man, whose face grew increasingly grim, filled with resentment and anger, but he eventually nodded.

He turned to his men and shouted, "Let's go!"

Although reluctant, the ADA members put away their guns and followed the bald man into the car. The three SUVs quickly drove away from the scene and disappeared at the end of the street.

He left without saying a single harsh word.

The crew members all breathed a sigh of relief, their faces beaming with smiles of relief after surviving a disaster.

Zhang Chen also breathed a sigh of relief. The gun barrel that had been pointed at his head had finally disappeared, and he felt his back was soaked with cold sweat.

Just when everyone thought the matter was over, the window of the black sedan rolled down again, and the person inside waved to Zhang Chen, signaling him to come over.

And this time, instead of having him stand by the car window, he was made to get directly into the car.

Zhang Chen hesitated for a moment, then looked at Francisco. Francisco also looked puzzled, but nodded to signal him to be careful.

Zhang Chen took a deep breath, opened the car door, and got into the car.

The car has a large interior and is luxuriously decorated.

The man wearing sunglasses took them off, revealing a sharply defined face.

He smiled and said to Zhang Chen, "Hello, Director Zhang Chen, my name is Romeno, and I am the leader of the Justice League."

Zhang Chen was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected the other party to be the leader of the Justice League.

Romeno then added with a smile, "At the same time, I'm also a fan of yours. I've seen all your movies and I really enjoy them."

Zhang Chen paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Romeno."

"I really like your Pacific Rim series. Who doesn't like mechs? Every time Red Storm appears, it gets my blood pumping. How does the music go again? Ta-da...

I also really liked 2012, but my favorite is still your Taken series. They're so exciting! I love the male lead's calmness and decisiveness; that's what a man should be like..."

Romeno was very talkative, but Zhang Chen felt a sense of absurdity. At a time like this, he was actually sitting in a car with a gangster boss discussing movies?
To Zhang Chen's surprise, Romeno had actually seen Lu Yang's "Kowloon Walled City". He said, "Oh right, your company also produced a movie called 'Kowloon Walled City'. I think the walled city in that movie is very similar to our place. The gang fight scenes in it are also very realistic, which resonated with me."

Zhang Chen thought to himself, "It's not just that they look very similar, they're practically identical."

Rominio joked, "Ever since my men watched Taken, they've started imitating the Mozambican shooting style in the movie. Now a lot of people in our gang are using that shooting method."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen didn't know how to react; he couldn't decide whether to cry or laugh.

I never imagined that making a movie would have such an impact on gangsters.

Although Romeno is the leader of the gang, he is not arrogant at all. In fact, he did not put on airs with Zhang Chen. When he was talking to that bald man just now, Romeno was full of charisma.

After chatting for a while, Romeno took out a newspaper, exactly the same as the one the bald man had just seen, the one where he shook hands with the mayor: "Director Zhang Chen, I'm sorry for what happened today. I saw the news and wanted to get to know you, but I didn't expect to see those guys from ADA coming to cause trouble."

But don't worry, your crew can focus on filming from now on. I will send people to protect your safety and ensure that nothing like today happens again.

Looking into Rominio's sincere eyes, Zhang Chen was filled with gratitude: "Thank you, Mr. Rominio, I don't know how to repay this kindness."

Rominio waved his hand: "You're welcome. I just did what I wanted to do. It's my honor to be able to support a director I admire."

When Zhang Chen first arrived in Rio, he might have thought that the mayor's assurance would be enough.

But now, he felt that Romeno's assurances were more powerful than the mayor's.

In Rio, the influence of gangs is deeply entrenched. While some might outwardly comply with the mayor's orders, Rominio, as the leader of one of the four major gangs, commands absolute authority in the underworld, and no one dares to disobey him easily.

With Romeno's assurance, Zhang Chen felt much more at ease.

Still somewhat worried, Zhang Chen asked, "Mr. Romeno, those ADA people left looking very resentful. Will they come back to cause trouble for us after you leave?"

After all, ADA is one of Rio's four major gangs. Being driven out by the Justice League is a huge loss of face for them, and they certainly won't let it go.

Zhang Chen was afraid they might do something underhanded and cause even more trouble for the crew.

Rominio smiled and said confidently, "They wouldn't dare. I already warned them. This crew is under my protection. They won't mess with you if they don't want to get themselves killed."

"ADA and the Third Command are mortal enemies, and they're already at war with the Red Command. Are they going to provoke the Justice League now?"

Rominio paused, then continued, "They know very well that if they offend all three of our major gangs at the same time, they simply cannot afford the consequences."

“Although ADA is one of the four major gangs, if they also make enemies with our other three major gangs, they will not be able to gain a foothold in Rio, and it is not impossible for them to be expelled from the list,” Rominio said with certainty.

"They wouldn't risk their gang's future, so they definitely wouldn't dare to cause you any more trouble."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen felt completely at ease and was filled with gratitude towards Rominio.

Zhang Chen then realized just how powerful the Brazilian mafia really was. No wonder they dared to arrest the president, burn down the national museum without hesitation, and even issue stay-at-home orders in place of the government during special periods.

He used to think these rumors were exaggerated, but now that he has experienced them firsthand, he knows they must be true.

He was shocked to learn that Brazilian gangs had become so powerful that they could rival the government.

However, he was also grateful to have met a fan like Romeno, otherwise the production team might have really been in big trouble this time.

"Alright, now you can go and calm your men down; they're definitely terrified."

Romeno gave them the hint to leave. Zhang Chen got out of the car, looked at the crew in front of him, and smiled: "Alright, everyone, don't worry anymore. We can start filming now."

……

It's confirmed, the film is going to be renamed again. The new title is: "Promised to Win Awards, But Why is It 'The Descent'?"

Those who have been following along should have noticed that I didn't have an outline for this book. In the early stages, I wrote it based on a single idea, which is why it became a bit messy later on.

I must have a complete outline before writing the next book; it's too painful.

(End of this chapter)