America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 231 It's really hard for a man to protect himself

"The FBI investigation has confirmed the identities of the three individuals."

Sitting on a single sofa, Neves spoke the most truthful words: "Alex, White, and Albert not only have Russian ancestry, but also have remittances from Russia in their personal secret accounts. We have enough evidence to prove that the three are spies who have infiltrated the American media."

He glanced at Martin, and seeing that Martin made no comment, he continued, "When the three were on their way, Martin noticed them and alerted the FBI in time. With Martin's assistance, the FBI captured the three spies in one fell swoop."

Staff member Cohen praised, "Mr. Davis, following the Burbank incident, you have once again demonstrated fearless courage and audacity, showing the American people what true patriotism and the American spirit are."

Martin nodded to Cohen and Neves: "The FBI acted swiftly and effectively, and also protected my safety. I will publicly thank them."

Neves smiled and said, "Mr. Davis, you're too kind. This is the FBI's job."

Martin then asked, "I'd like to know the current situation of those three spies, and the possible outcome of their trial."

"During the operation, they violently resisted, and the FBI had to take strong measures to control the situation," Neves said. "Alex suffered a broken eyebrow, Albert a dislocated cervical spine, and White a broken nose. They will be sent to Guantanamo Bay later."

Tom couldn't help but scrutinize Martin. Without an agent or professional PR advice, this young Hollywood star was able to make such a decision, which was truly impressive.

Mokrich then spoke up: "Mr. Davis, I sincerely apologize for the trouble caused to you by the temporary staff at the newspaper. The World News will publish a formal statement of thanks in its subsequent report, thanking you for helping the newspaper rid itself of this scourge."

He further promised, "I can guarantee that as long as I work for the News of the World, your reporting in this newspaper will be entirely positive."

Cohen and Neves fell silent at this point, leaving it up to Martin and Mokrich to reach an agreement.

"Actually, I'm very interested in your newspaper." Martin stated his conditions: "I used to want to be a writer, but I'm not very talented, and my submissions never received any response."

Mokrich didn't understand Martin's meaning for a moment and didn't speak rashly.

Martin added, "I will be contributing to the News of the World for the next ten weekends."

Mokrich nodded: "Okay."

Martin said, "There should be payment for the articles, right? Well, I won't ask for much, $20 per article."

Mokrich wanted to resolve the matter quickly, but didn't completely rule it out: "We're short on time; we can only spare two weekends at most."

"It's okay." Writing requires a lot of talent, and Martin knew he was utterly hopeless in that area, so he said, "I only need a very small amount of space."

After a brief negotiation, the two sides quickly reached an agreement. Mokrich, on behalf of the News of the World, invited Martin to write 10 articles, each for a fee of $12, payable in advance and to be paid in full upon signing the contract.

Subsequently, Bruce reached an agreement with the Hilton Hotel, which provided Martin with a one-time compensation of $40 for emotional distress.

Several parties quickly reached an agreement.

The White House and the FBI simultaneously released press releases to the media, and the News of the World will also issue a public apology and thank you to Martin in its next issue, along with a call for submissions.

As for the fate of those three Russian spies after they entered Guantanamo Bay, few people care.

Finally, the room became quiet again.

Bruce ordered dinner and had it delivered to the hotel.

Martin grabbed a bottle of water, tossed it to Bruce, picked up another one for himself, took a sip, and said, "What a long day."

Bruce said, "I was worried you'd lose your mind and fight the newspapers to the death."

"Trying to break a rock with an egg? I won't do it." Martin then asked, "Old Brooks, do you think the World News will back down because of what happened today? Those three people are definitely not isolated cases."

Bruce thought back to Mokrich and said, "No."

"We can't afford to mess with them right now, especially with News Corporation backing them." Martin glanced at Bruce. "Don't look at me like that. There are only two lousy guys like us. If we really go head-to-head, we might just end up committing suicide one day."

Bruce said, "The power of an individual is too insignificant in the face of capitalist groups."

Martin agreed: "So we can only wait and find a suitable opportunity later. The way the World News is doing things will inevitably provoke other forces. If a force of similar strength attacks them, their dirty deeds will be exposed sooner or later."

Bruce, undeterred by the wait, said, "I hope that day will come."

On July 5, while other Washington newspapers were focusing their coverage on Independence Day celebrations and the awarding of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, several pro-government newspapers, including The Washington Post, published an important piece of news.

"Martin Davis uncovers three spies; the FBI apprehends them!"

The news report, written in a somewhat vague style, stated that Martin discovered three journalists who had infiltrated the media circle at the Hilton Hotel, urgently contacted the FBI, and the FBI took strong action to capture the three spies.

Although the source of the spy was not explicitly stated, the words implied a polar bear.

The spokesperson also mentioned this matter at the White House's routine press briefing that morning.

"Was the spy discovered by Martin Davis?"

"Yes, Martin discovered a lead, notified the Secret Service, the Secret Service reported to the President, and the President personally issued the order!"

"What are the spies targeting?"

"This involves state secrets; I cannot comment!"

The FBI subsequently confirmed the news.

Martin's fame and influence soared once again.

…………

Burbank, Los Angeles.

After finishing his jeans promotion tour, Blake slept in late, washed up, and went downstairs to find that only his brother Eric was home.

She went to the restaurant to get a sandwich, ate it while going to the door to get a newspaper, and sat down on the sofa next to Eric.

Eric glanced at Blake: "Looking for news about Martin again? Don't you get tired of it, checking every day?"

Blake casually picked up a newspaper and said, "Martin is my idol! I could look at him a thousand times over." She flipped through the newspaper and exclaimed, "Martin has caught three spies!"

"A spy?" Eric was skeptical. "Are you kidding me?"

Blake quickly glanced at the news and tossed it to Eric: "Take a look, this is what a real male god looks like."

Eric picked it up and examined it closely, becoming more and more surprised. Upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn't some sensationalist tabloid.

Blake grabbed the remote, turned on the TV, and flipped through a few channels. When he came across CNN, he saw a news report: "Believe it or not, look, Martin is being interviewed by CNN!"

On the television screen, Martin casually remarked, "It was a coincidence that I was able to find them. Mainly, my bodyguards noticed something amiss, and the FBI acted swiftly and effectively..."

Eric grinned, "He's so lucky!"

"Luck?" Blake was displeased. "You think this is luck? My brother, if you think this is all luck, then go and rescue someone from a gunman, and find out a few spies."

Eric was speechless. To this day, he still remembers being pressed down on the beach and rubbed against, unable to even resist.

Blake stared at Martin on the television screen, his eyes sparkling: "I really want to go to Washington to see Martin. I can't wait to see him."

Eric couldn't stand it anymore: "You're such a fangirl!"

Blake ignored him and ran upstairs to get his phone to call Martin.

…………

In Washington, Martin finished his interview and prepared to go back to his room upstairs to pack his things and leave that afternoon.

He felt confident in Atlanta, after all, it was where he made his fortune.

Los Angeles is alright, at least I can make a living there.

Washington, D.C., is a murky place.

To paraphrase a quote from Martin's past life, you could bump into anyone on the street and they might just be a congressman or a high-ranking government official.

"Want to chat for a bit?" Suddenly someone blocked their way.

Martin recognized Kate, a reporter from the Washington News, and nodded, saying, "What are you doing here?"

Kate invited Martin to the rest area and said, "Something about today's news story just doesn't feel right, so I came to find you, the person involved."

Martin said vaguely, "There are many things I don't know either. I've said what I can say, and as for what I can't say, I signed a confidentiality agreement with the FBI."

Kate had a keen sense of smell; she sensed something was wrong with the spy news, but couldn't figure out what it was. This was worse than death for her: "Just tell me, okay? I promise I won't tell anyone else."

If this reporter's words could be trusted, then what Little Bu said would be more truthful than 24K gold. Martin still shook his head: "Nothing special."

Kate looked around and lowered her voice: "If you promise to tell me, I'll go upstairs with you right now. You can do whatever you want, I'll accompany you to the end."

Martin thought to himself, "It's so damn hard for a man to protect himself outside! There are always female devils setting traps to ensnare him."

He got up and prepared to leave.

Kate said, "I'm serious."

Martin casually remarked, "Everything you need to know has been made public."

Kate simply didn't believe it.

Martin left the rest area and took the elevator back upstairs. He hoped that the female reporter wouldn't do anything foolish; it would be terrible for someone so young to become a missing person or something like that.

Bruce was packing his luggage in his room when he saw Martin return and said, "Aren't you going to buy some souvenirs to take back?"

"No need, you can buy anything in Los Angeles that Washington has," Martin joked. "I remember there are still some pendants left."

Bruce said, "I messaged the hunting company in Queensland, and they'll be sending a new shipment to Los Angeles soon."

Martin helped with the packing and said, "When we have time, we should go to Australia again to hunt more saltwater crocodiles and bison. I feel a little ashamed that the things we sent out didn't live up to the name."

Bruce scoffed.

In the afternoon, the two left the Hilton Hotel and returned safely to Los Angeles.

Two updates today.

(End of this chapter)