Hollywood Director 1992.

Chapter 482 Assassination News Exposed
In its opening week, "Armageddon" grossed $1.003 million in 3014 theaters across North America, setting a new record for the highest-grossing opening week of a summer movie and also setting a new single-week box office record for a film directed by Link.

The film received relatively good reviews. Although "Armageddon" has more commercial elements, it cannot compare with art films such as "The English Patient," "Saving Private Ryan," and "The Sixth Sense" in terms of artistry.

However, many film critics believe that "Armageddon" is a very exciting science fiction film, with innovations in camera work and special effects, which are worth learning from and emulating by the industry.

42 media outlets gave the film a score of 85 or higher, with an average score of 88.

Audiences were quite satisfied with the film, calling it the most 'luxurious' sci-fi blockbuster of the summer.

The second highest-grossing film this week is "The X-Files: The Future," a suspense film released by Fox Studios. It tells the story of FBI agent Dana and her colleague Mulder investigating an alien virus. They are thwarted by a mysterious organization, and during their investigation, they discover that the mastermind is connected to a government department and even involves Washington. To save the world, the male and female protagonists fight to the death.

This film is also a rather interesting science fiction movie.

The film grossed $3417 million in its opening weekend, a respectable performance.

The third place goes to the romantic comedy "As Good As It Gets," a co-production of Guess What and Columbia Pictures, which grossed $1974 million this week and $6817 million over three weeks.

In addition, Guess What - MGM's "Dumb and Dumber," "There's Something About Mary," and "Rush Hour 2," as well as another sci-fi film co-produced with Columbia Pictures, "Godzilla," are still in the top 12 of the weekly chart.

At a glance, the list was full of movies related to Guess the Movies. Hollywood film executives sighed helplessly, "Link has made a fortune again this year."

Meanwhile, news of Link's assassination attempt on the red carpet was also reported by the media.

This news was not leaked by Link's side.

Instead, several photojournalists captured images of the bullet's trajectory from a distance and bullet holes left on the poster. The anomaly was later discovered when the photos were developed.

Although the media was unable to find the bullet at the scene, forensic experts analyzed the evidence and concluded that it was very likely an assassination attempt.

An assassin was aiming a sniper rifle at Link from a high-rise building near the movie theater, but Link was lucky and wasn't hit by the bullet.

Some reporters also recalled that after finishing the interview, Link hurriedly left the red carpet, his speed noticeably increasing, which suggests that he may have noticed the presence of the bullet.

The news caused a sensation and sparked discussion in North America and around the world after it was exposed by the Los Angeles Times.

Some people are condemning this extreme behavior, saying that no matter what the grudge is, it should not escalate to the level of assassination.

There's been discussion about who wanted to kill Link, with executives from the seven major film studios being suspected.

Some praised Link for his appropriate response, noting that when faced with the assassination attempt, he didn't cower on the ground or hide, but instead protected Liv Tyler and quickly retreated without causing chaos at the scene, a performance that was truly admirable.

Following the news reports, President Clinton expressed his concern and condemnation in an interview, stating that the FBI and Los Angeles police had launched an operation to apprehend the perpetrator and ensure Link's safety.

"Damn! This bastard is too lucky."

After reading the report in the Los Angeles Times, Harvey's face showed undisguised regret.

If the assassination succeeds and Link dies on the red carpet, the landscape of Hollywood will change dramatically.

Resources that were originally concentrated in Guess Guess Movies-MGM will be redistributed to other film companies, and the film market share that was originally dominated by Guess Guess Movies will also be distributed to other film companies.

Miramax Films could also use this opportunity to rise from the ashes and become the most important independent film company in Hollywood again, along with the beautiful women around Link.
Unfortunately, the shot missed.

"It's such a pity that it was just a few centimeters short."

Harvey sighed a few times, picked up the phone and called Epstein to ask when the assassin would strike again, preferably as soon as possible. He didn't want to see Link or hear any more news about him.

Epstein told him to calm down and not to discuss the matter on the phone to avoid being overheard.

Harvey then asked in a different way why his order, which cost so much money, hadn't arrived yet and hoped it would arrive soon.

Epstein told him to wait a little longer. The cargo owner noticed this, the media got the news, and even official organizations got involved in the investigation.

Continuing to cause trouble at this point is too risky; even if the deliveryman is fearless, he wouldn't go against the grain.

Harvey asked how long it would take.

Epstein said he didn't know yet and would contact the intermediary later.

Half an hour later, Harvey received a call from Epstein, who told him that something had happened. The two assassins who had tried to kill Link that day had been captured by Link's men, and they might have already extracted some information from them.

In addition, Link's men offered a $100 million bounty to buy back the employer's identity information. The middleman said that although the assassin organization is honest, it may sometimes betray its employer for money, so they should be on guard.

Harvey was startled, his fat face trembling uncontrollably. "Jeffrey, have we been exposed? Does Link already know that we hired someone to kill him?"

"Calm down, Harvey! We have a middleman between us and the assassin organization. The assassin organization doesn't know who the employer is, nor do they know why we hired someone to kill, so we are safe."

Compared to Harvey, Epstein appeared more composed.

"Is the middleman reliable? Will he be exposed? Will he betray you?"

"Don't worry, the middleman is one of our own. He's not in the US right now. He returned to Israel after receiving the message, and nobody can find him there."

"That's good!"

Harvey breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back on the sofa, only to realize that his shirt was completely soaked without him noticing.

"but."

"But what?"

Upon hearing this transition word, Harvey's heart, which had just settled, jumped again, and he instinctively straightened his back.

"The middleman said Link's actions were too aggressive, causing significant losses to the assassin organization. If they want the organization to continue sending assassins, we have to pay more." "How much more?"

"$500 million."

"500 million?!"

Harvey shouted, his voice cracking, "We gave them 100 million last time, and they didn't complete the task. Now they want 500 million? Are they robbing us?"

Around 1993, his career was at its peak, and his net worth exceeded $1 million.

Miramax's performance has declined in recent years, turning into negative equity. His total assets have also shrunk significantly, with only ten to twenty million dollars including several properties and savings.

Five million was a huge expense for him.

“Harvey, you’re right. They’re just robbing us. If we don’t pay, the assassin organization will sell the middleman’s information to Link’s side. Once the middleman’s identity is exposed, our chances of being exposed will increase infinitely. In addition, the assassin organization has also stated that this is the final offer. As long as we pay 500 million, they will send assassins continuously until they successfully eliminate the target.”

"But 500 million."

“Harvey, this matter concerns not only your safety but also mine. You only need to contribute $200 million this time, and I will cover the rest.”

"Okay, Jeffrey, thank you for your help."

Harvey quickly agreed, to prevent Epstein from going back on his word.

The thought of transferring $200 million from his account, bringing the total to $300 million including the previous transaction, was enough to reduce his net worth by almost half.

Harvey was heartbroken and could hardly breathe. He hated Link even more for not dying obediently and for fighting back, which made him spend millions more.

"Harvey!"

Bob's voice came from outside the office door.

"Come in!"

Harvey quickly opened the file, frowned in thought, and pretended to be busy working.

“Harvey, did you read today’s newspaper? Link was assassinated at the premiere of ‘Armageddon’ last Friday.”

"I know, but what does this have to do with us?"

"Harvey, look my eyes, are you really okay?"

Bob squinted at Harvey.

"Of course not. Why are you looking at me like that? You suspect I did it? What a joke. I don't have much of a grudge against Link. Why would I assassinate him?"

Harvey, trying to remain calm, said that hiring someone to assassinate Link was his idea, but he hadn't told Bob because he was worried Bob would object.

"It's good that it wasn't you. The police and the FBI are investigating this now. If you were involved, this would be troublesome. By the way, did you call Link to express your condolences and condemn that kind of extreme behavior?"

"Okay, I'll call him in a bit. He must be very busy right now."

Harvey said that Bob's reminder was reasonable. He had worked with Link many times, and now that he heard that Link had been assassinated, he had to call to offer his condolences no matter what, and at the same time, he could take the opportunity to reduce his own suspicion.

After Bob left, Harvey called Link, but he guessed right. Link's phone line was busy at that moment, and he had to call six times before the call was finally connected.

The person who answered the phone was Link's assistant, Aishwarya Rai, a beautiful and sexy Indian woman.

"Hi, Aishwarya, it's so nice to hear your voice."

Harvey chuckled and flattered him.

Aishwarya's reaction was rather lukewarm. She greeted him politely, saying that Link was in a work meeting and didn't have time to answer the phone, and asked him what he wanted.

Harvey said he saw the news of Link's assassination, inquired about Link's health, condemned the incident, and told Link to be careful and take care of himself.

Aishwarya expressed her gratitude and said she would pass it on to Link, asking if he needed anything else.

Harvey said no.

After saying goodbye, Aishwarya hung up the phone.

Harvey put down the phone with a dark expression, his anger towards Link growing even stronger.

Before 96, Link wasn't the king of Hollywood. Back then, if he needed something, he would just call Link and talk to him directly.

By 96, Link's status in the entertainment industry had risen sharply, and he became known as the 'King of Hollywood'. From then on, he could never get through to Link by phone, and whenever he needed to discuss something with Link, he had to ask his assistant to relay the message.

When Lewinsky was in charge, some things could be communicated, but now that Aishwarya Rai is in charge, communication between the two has become difficult.

His conflict with Link intensified.

He believes Link bears more responsibility for the fact that the two sides have become enemies.

He might not hate Link so much if Link hadn't become arrogant after his success and hadn't created obstacles in their relationship.

"Humph!"

Harvey stared at Link's photo in the newspaper, gritting his teeth. He just hoped the assassins would be efficient and kill Link as soon as possible.

(End of this chapter)