America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 306 Homemade Mortar

On Monday at noon, the trio of scoundrels enjoyed a French feast at London's famous Ledbury restaurant.

Eating French food in Britain is a long-standing British tradition.

Nicholson took a bite of his baked snails and asked, "Martin, did you manage to pick up any girls in London?"

"Not yet." Martin looked ashamed. "I've disgraced the organization. This meal is on me."

Leonardo DiCaprio asked in surprise, "You haven't even found the target?"

Martin frankly admitted, "I had my eye on Scarlett Janssen from The Prestige, but she's a vegetarian, and I can't afford to mess with her."

Nicholson pointed at Martin: "Don't tell anyone you're working for me, it's embarrassing!"

Martin sighed, "The best English roses are all getting old. Zeta-Jones, Beckinsale, Rachel Weisz, they're all getting on in years."

Leonardo DiCaprio cut to the chase: "Don't you prefer women in their 30s?"

"Disgusting!" Martin was also single-minded: "I only like pretty girls with good figures."

Nicholson wiped his mouth with a napkin and lectured his two underlings: "You're both too young. You don't understand what's crucial—technique! You two idiots, use your brains! Good technique is the key!"

He shook his head and stood up: "How did I end up making two idiot friends? Sigh..."

Martin asked, "Are you going to abandon us?"

"I'll be going now." Nicholson packed his belongings. "I'm going to visit some old friends. Don't wait for me tonight; I might not be back."

Leonardo shook his head: "He must have gone to meet a woman, forgetting his friends for the sake of a pretty face."

Nicholson pretended not to hear and left.

Martin continued eating his lunch: "Leo, see that? This is the leader of the trio, an old bastard."

Leonardo said, "We'll go deliver the gift later."

After lunch, the two drove the same car to Pine Forest Film Studio.

On the way, Martin made a phone call and said, "That's right, the old bastard went to the studio and will be on the set of 'Mamma Mia!' soon."

Leonardo scoffed, "Needless to say, he's definitely up to no good."

Arriving at the parking lot outside the studio area, Martin got out of the car, opened the trunk, took out a long bag and tossed it to Leonardo, then slung another bag over his shoulder.

The two took out sunglasses, put them on, slung their long bags over their shoulders, and walked side by side toward the film studio, like snipers about to set off.

Meanwhile, at the location of the "The Prestige" film crew.

Christian Bale finished filming for the day and left the studio to remove his makeup. As he stepped out of the makeup trailer, he encountered Cate Blanchett, who had come to visit Hugh Jackman on set.

"Would you like to come in?" Bell invited from the trailer doorway.

A strange smile crept across Blanchett's stone-like face: "Pinewood Studios is huge, and I remember one place being particularly famous."

"I know that place, lots of actors like to go there." Bale waved and led Blanchett toward where the electric carts were parked.

Blanchett chimed in automatically: "I heard you blew Martin Davis's audition for this show?"

Bell got on the electric scooter, waited for Blanchett to sit down, and started the engine before saying, "Heath is my friend. He's been wronged, so of course I should help him if I can."

There are many people in the community who stick together and help each other, not just Martin and his ilk.

Blanchett said, "Your positioning is somewhat similar to Martin Davis's. Resources are limited in this industry, so you have to fight for what you can and grab what you can."

Bale, a star who rose through the ranks, naturally understands these principles: "If I can snatch something, I won't hold back." He laughed: "I'll keep an eye on Martin. I can't do anything about the projects he initiates, but if it's another production or role, we'll go after him."

On both sides of the road, some very old pine trees began to appear.

In the distance, a sparse pine forest can be seen in the distance.

This is the famous landmark of Pinewood Studios, not only because it is covered with ancient pine trees, but also because it is a well-known battlefield among actors.

Hollywood film crew couples and polite greetings are so common that some people, after a while, inevitably seek different kinds of excitement, and the style of pine forests inevitably tends to resemble that of university woodlands.

Bell, being relatively mindful of his surroundings, stopped the car a little further away and walked with Blanchett along the road toward the woods like friends taking a stroll and chatting.

An electric scooter sped past.

Blanchett looked up and saw that the two people in the car were Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep.

There are many rumors about these two in Hollywood, so it's obvious what they're up to.

Blanchett, itching unbearably, said, "Keep an eye on those two. Let's find a spot near them and listen to their voices..."

Having been in this industry for twenty years, Bale is incredibly experienced. He immediately understood: "Having the voices of Oscar-winning actors and actresses accompany us is absolutely amazing."

Blanchett burst into laughter, a particularly hearty laugh.

Meanwhile, Nicholson and Streep entered the pine forest together.

A breeze blew by, making it exceptionally refreshing.

The two continued walking inside, and Streep said, "I saw Martin a few days ago. How did you become friends with that bastard?"

"Because I'm a jerk too!" Nicholson was well aware of his own shortcomings: "He's a playboy, full of bad ideas, which is exactly my type. I haven't met a jerk I can hang out with in a long time since Marlon Brando went to meet God and Warren Beatty got married."

Meryl Streep asked, "A lot of tricks? Even better than yours?"

Nicholson recounted an incident: "Martin, Leo, and I went to Heidi Klum's bachelor party. Martin's antics had everyone on the edge of their seats, and Heidi even invited him to her wedding, planning to give it his all..."

Meryl Streep found it absurd: "Those two can't possibly produce a dark-skinned person, can they?"

"Who knows?" Nicholson said. "Are we there yet?"

Streep pointed ahead: "Right here."

It was a large, crooked tree. The tree was still alive, but the upward-facing part was sunken in, the bark had been wiped away, and the exposed trunk was covered with a patina, smooth like the Charging Bull of Wall Street.

Not far away, Bale and Blanchett stopped and hid behind a tree, just like the couple in front of them, quietly throwing their clothes around.

Outside the woods, a blonde girl from the cast of "Atonement" wandered around like a ghost.

Saoirse Ronan, with her blonde hair tied in a ponytail and a digital camera hanging around her neck, used the cover of the trees to search for a pair of wild mandarin ducks.

During her breaks from acting, she often came here to play and relax.

As Saoirse moved from the inside to the outside, she suddenly heard footsteps and quickly hid behind a large pine tree, peeking out to take a quick look.

Two men wearing sunglasses and carrying long bags were walking towards her.

Saoirse recognized them at a glance.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Davis.

How did these two people get here? Saoirse had been around this place for many days, so she naturally knew what this place was famous for, and couldn't help but make connections.

Reaching the edge of the woods, Leonardo glanced at the sparse pine trees and asked, "This place is huge, how do we find it?"

"No need to search carefully, let's just bombard them." Martin unzipped his backpack, pulled out a steel pipe as thick as his wrist, and gave the order: "Leo, you're the loader!"

Leonardo also opened the bag, which was full of firecrackers with fuses.

Martin held a steel pipe with two handles welded to the bottom and a thinner steel pipe welded to the top, resembling a scope.

Leonardo asked, "Homemade? Won't it explode?"

Martin boasted wildly: "Made entirely by hand with Old Brooks, cheap, durable, tough, and incredibly fast!"

The two of them understood Nicholson. When the old man and Meryl Streep were together, they didn't play games that were too intense. Their relationship was relatively relaxed and gentle. Even when they did make a fuss, it was just a startle.

That's why I dared to throw firecrackers to scare people when I was in New York.

"Isn't this just a heavily nerfed, homemade RPG?" Leonardo said. "You have your fun first, then it'll be my turn to fire a few shots."

Martin replied, "No problem." He pointed to the firecrackers in his bag: "Get ready."

Leonardo took out a cigarette and lighter he had prepared beforehand from his bag, took a step back, lit them, and picked up a firecracker, ready to set it on fire.

Martin cautioned, "Dude, watch out, don't put cigarettes in there or firecrackers in your mouth."

Leonardo looked down at it; what if he put this thing in his mouth...?

click-

A faint sound came from ahead. Martin, being particularly alert, recognized it as the sound of a camera shutter and, thinking paparazzi had infiltrated, immediately turned his gun and shouted, "Who's up ahead? Come out now, or I'll open fire!"

There was no movement from that side.

Martin gave Leonardo a look: "Leo, prepare the cannonballs!"

"No, don't fire!" Hill wasn't sure what Martin was holding, but he heard the two discussing things like barrel explosions and RPGs, and seeing that thick barrel made him a little scared, so he quickly came out: "I... I was just curious, so I came over to take a look."

Martin remembered her; he'd seen her a few times at the restaurant. She was an actress from the film *Atonement*.

As the man approached, he asked, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The girl's eyes darted around.

As a professional liar, Martin could tell she was going to lie at a glance. He pointed to her camera and said, "I've seen you before. Don't force me to go to the film set to find you."

Saoirse could only honestly reply, "My name is Saoirse Ronan, an actress."

Martin held out his hand: "Give me the camera."

Saoirse felt wronged, but still handed it to Martin, who then gave it to Leonardo. Leonardo looked at it and deleted the photo of him and Martin.

Martin removed the camera battery: "Don't run around, don't take pictures."

Saoirse took the camera back, nodded hurriedly, and squatted down next to Martin: "I'll stay here, I'm not going anywhere."

Martin glanced at Leonardo: "Let's begin."

Leonardo took a drag of his cigarette, picked up a firecracker, lit the obviously lengthened fuse, and before inserting it into the barrel, he made a point of checking it to avoid putting it in his mouth later.

Once he was sure it was correct, he put the shell into the cannon barrel.

Martin didn't know the old bastard's exact location, but he knew the positions of several popular spots, so he immediately turned the gun barrel around and tilted it slightly upwards.

Saoirse plugged her ears.

With a muffled thud, Martin felt the steel pipe vibrate slightly, and the specially made firecracker flew out rapidly.

The next moment, the firecracker struck a pine branch more than 60 meters to the left and fell to the ground, exploding.

boom--

Pink smoke rose.

With so many film crews stationed at the studio, similar explosions occurred frequently and went unnoticed.

Martin shouted, "Load! Fire!"

Just as Martin finished speaking, Leonardo had already lit another shell and deftly stuffed it into the muzzle.

In the distance, another explosion rang out, and red smoke billowed into the air.

"My turn! My turn!" Leonardo heard the panicked cries of the wild couples and was incredibly excited: "If I don't get to fire a couple of shots soon, I'll miss my chance."

Martin was given to Leonardo, and he became the loader.

The firecracker is lit, inserted, and Leonardo takes control of the direction.

The two cooperated tacitly.

Saoirse stopped plugging her ears; the two big stars in front of her completely shattered her perception.

These aren't celebrities, they're just two idiots!

But she found it amusing, and during a lull in the firing, she asked, "Can I fire a shot? Hey, you two, can I fire a shot?"

Martin said, "Girls, don't always think about firing guns and stuff!"

Saoirse pouted.

"Which bastard is setting off firecrackers!" Suddenly, a roar echoed through the woods.

Leonardo, not afraid of making things worse, turned the gun around and fired a shot in that direction.

With a loud bang, a strange man and woman were seen clutching their clothes and running for their lives.

Martin's hand speed is incredibly fast; he can put the next one into the barrel as soon as the previous one is fired.

Several more explosions rang out, startling countless pairs of mandarin ducks.

Nicholson and Streep are older and took a little longer to get into character. Just as they were fully immersed in the moment, something suddenly exploded from diagonally above their heads.

The latter's adductor muscles tensed up instantly, almost causing a cramp.

Startled, Nicholson immediately transformed into a slug and managed to escape in time, suffering psychological damage while avoiding physical injury.

"Fuck!" Nicholson cursed. "It's definitely those two bastards, Martin and Leonardo!"

Upon hearing the two men's names, Streep's heart trembled. She grabbed her clothes and hastily put them on, not daring to linger any longer: "Let's go!"

Nicholson knew perfectly well how much of a jerk he was, and those two were just as much of a jerk, so he quickly pulled her away, saying, "Let's go first, we'll settle the score with them later!"

boom!

An explosion rang out in the air behind them.

Right there under a tree, Bell was at the most critical moment. A cool breeze blew by, and the sound of an explosion overhead made his body tense up instinctively.

In recent months, in addition to filming and preparing for other roles, Bale has been working out intensely, with the Batman sequel set to film next year.

This is an extremely dedicated actor.

He experienced several sudden weight loss and gain cycles in a short period of time. At critical moments, his muscles tightened, and the cold wind and the shock of the explosion caused the muscle fatigue accumulated in his legs to erupt instantly, resulting in cramps in both legs at the same time.

Bell's face contorted in pain, his arms and hands were too weak, and Blanchett, whom he was supporting, lost his support and fell like a cannonball.

At the same critical moment, Blanchett was also tense all over, and this fall was quite fatal.

Bell let out a miserable howl.

Almost simultaneously, Blanchett also let out a scream.

She fell hard to the ground, her smooth bottom slamming against the dry branches, the pain bringing tears to her eyes.

Bell lost his balance and fell to the ground with a thud. He reached out to Blanchett, "Quick! Help me get my leg straight! I've got a cramp..."

Blanchett struggled to her feet, disregarding everything else, and went to help Bell first.

The wind blew the hem of his shirt, revealing shocking bluish-purple marks.

That was a really hard fall!

Things on the ground can hurt a lot if they prick you.

"Damn it!" Blanchett lifted Bell's leg and forcefully turned his foot. "Which bastard did this?!"

Bell was in excruciating pain, but she clenched her teeth and kept quiet.

Blanchett asked, "Should I call someone for help?"

Bell caught her breath for a moment: "I'm fine, don't let anyone see, I can't put it on for now..."

These two could only helplessly support each other.

(End of this chapter)