America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 386 Severe Delusions

In Beverly Hills, Ivan parked his car next to Sunset Boulevard, picked up the high-definition camera from the passenger seat, got out of the car, hung it around his neck, and went to a nearby mental health clinic. He bought a copy of the Los Angeles Times, sat on a bench near the green belt, and waited patiently.

Just a few minutes later, a black Cadillac Escalade pulled up in front of the psychiatric clinic. Ivan got up, put down his newspaper, picked up his camera, and pointed the lens at them.

The rear door of the Escalade opened, and Martin, dressed casually, got out of the car and walked unhurriedly toward the clinic's entrance.

Ivan knew perfectly well that Martin had specifically set aside time for him to take photos, so he quickly pressed the shutter.

After a few clicks, Martin disappeared from the camera lens and walked into the clinic.

Ivan put down his camera, pulled up the photos he had just taken, and looked at them. They perfectly captured Martin's preoccupied and melancholic expression against the backdrop of the psychiatric clinic.

Ivan was very satisfied with the results and planned to take more photos of Martin and sell them to TMZ.

Unfortunately, he was a terrible student; he couldn't do picture-based writing exercises or create news articles, so he could only sell the photos directly to Jody.

Ivan sat back down on the bench and began reading the newspaper.

The above is an entertainment news article. Serbian actress Sibi Braczyk has filed for divorce from Christian Bale, citing irreconcilable differences.

Inside the psychological clinic, a nurse led Martin to the door of the examination room, gently knocked on the door, and then opened it to let Martin in.

Martin entered the consultation room, where a female doctor who looked to be only about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old sat behind the consultation desk.

Laura wasn't wearing a white lab coat, but a casual suit and ordinary glasses, which made her look very approachable. Her long, golden-brown hair was casually tied back, making her look like the older sister next door.

"Mr. Davis, please have a seat." She was also observing Martin.

Martin pulled out a chair and sat down. "Can I drop all my pretenses here with you?"

"Of course," Laura said. "There are no surveillance or recording devices here, so nothing you say will get out. I'm a psychologist, and I have strict professional ethics."

"Great, ha..." Martin's face was not painted, but his grin still carried the madness unique to clowns.

Laura subconsciously twirled the pen in her hand, about to speak, but Martin spoke first.

"The clinic also has several renowned senior doctors. Do you know why I chose you?" he asked.

Laura had a feeling that this man was shrouded in gloom, so she followed up by asking, "I'm curious too, why?"

Martin laughed: "Because you are young and beautiful, inexperienced, and most likely to be influenced by me."

Laura smiled too, a bright smile like the midday sun in Los Angeles: "Why are you bothering me? Or do you need my help?"

Martin spread his arms wide and said loudly, "I need someone who understands women's psychology to help me build an army of beauties."

Looking at the man in front of her, and considering his Hollywood star status, Laura felt disdainful, but said aloud, "Want to have fun with you?"

Martin laughed again: "Of course not, what you're saying is too lowbrow! Dr. Laura, don't tell me you can only think about those trivial things between men and women."

He was very serious and earnest: "America deserves a man of taste! My plan is to lead an army of beautiful women into Washington, storm the White House, and dissolve the Union."

Laura had met many people with mental illnesses, but this was the first time she had seen someone like this. Although she tried to control herself and hold back, she still looked at Martin as if he were a madman.

Martin came here to lay the groundwork for next year, so he had to spend some time at the psychiatric clinic and talk to a psychologist. That's why he specifically chose this pretty doctor who had just been able to see patients independently.

At the very least, they're pleasing to the eye and can even make you laugh.

There was nothing I could do; I caught it from Nicholson.

Martin added, "This would reduce wars worldwide by at least half, and I would deserve the Nobel Peace Prize for such a significant contribution!"

Laura thought this man had a serious case of delusions and decided to shatter his illusions and make him more realistic, saying, "The chances of the President of the United States winning the Nobel Peace Prize are greater than yours."

Martin asked, "Give me some ideas on how to get the United States to dissolve."

Laura didn't answer, but instead asked, "Why do you have that idea?"

Martin gave an irrelevant answer: "I'm tired, I'm going to sleep for a while."

After saying that, without asking Laura if she wanted to, he moved to the sofa, lay down, and closed his eyes.

Laura was quite helpless and could only shake her head, pick up a book, and start reading.

Martin completely cleared his mind and lay down for half an hour, during which he actually dozed off for 20 minutes.

He really put in a lot of effort for the marketing of The Dark Knight.

Half an hour later, Martin sat up, picked up his coat, and said, "I'm leaving."

Laura asked, "Is the problem solved?"

Martin smiled chillingly: "After talking to you for so long, I feel a little better." Before leaving, he turned back: "Doctor, I'll come see you another day, and we can talk about how to make the world more chaotic."

Laura couldn't refuse the patient: "Mr. Davis, you can come anytime."

Martin went out, and together with Bruce who was waiting at the door, they went downstairs. He would come for his appointment on time later.

Bruce asked, "You didn't scare anyone, did you?"

Martin said, "I had a very pleasant conversation with the doctor, and I shared some of my lofty ideals and aspirations. The doctor deeply appreciated my perspective and may assist me in the future."

Stepping out of the psychiatric clinic, Martin and Bruce headed towards their parking spot.

Meanwhile, Ivan raised his camera again to take pictures, using the entrance of the psychiatric clinic as a backdrop to include Martin in the frame.

He didn't stop and press the shutter until the Escalade drove away.

Ivan pulled up the photos and looked them over to make sure there were no problems. He walked towards the parking lot, taking out his phone as he went and dialing Jody's number: "It's me, Big Ivan. I just took some photos. Martin Davis went to see a psychiatrist. Do you want them?"

Upon hearing Martin Davis's name, Jody immediately became interested: "Of course, let's meet at the usual place."

A dozen minutes later, she arrived at a park and saw Ivan's car in the parking lot. She honked the horn.

The driver's side door opened, and Ivan came over with a box and got into the passenger seat.

Jody picked up the laptop, turned it on, and held out her hand: "Where are Martin's photos?"

Ivan opened the box, handed the card reader to Jody, and added a few words of advice from Bruce: "Martin Davis hasn't been seen in Los Angeles for a few months. I heard he's filming The Dark Knight, where he plays the Joker. I remember Nicholson saying something about the Joker."

Jody inserted the card reader and waited for the computer to recognize it, saying, "The Joker is too dark and will cause trouble. Martin is too young and difficult to control?"

Seeing that she remembered, Ivan nodded and said, "Yes, that's the line!" He asked, "Could Martin's sudden visit to a psychiatrist be related to this?"

"It's very likely related. Nicholson is experienced, and what he said makes sense." Jody clicked on the photo and looked at it carefully.

The first few pictures are all of Martin entering a psychological clinic.

His face was gloomy, giving people a very strange feeling. He just didn't look normal, which made people feel very uncomfortable.

In the later photos of Martin leaving the psychiatric clinic, although his expression was still serious, the feeling of discomfort had faded considerably.

Ivan added, "The before-and-after photos are strikingly different."

Jody agreed, "That's true." She then said directly, "Name your price."

Ivan quoted a price.

Having collaborated with both sides multiple times, Jody didn't haggle and directly wrote a check for Ivan. After Ivan got out of the car, Jody drove back to the company, looked at the photos for a while, and then reviewed the news about Nicholson angrily criticizing Martin. He also searched online for news about the Dark Knight.

Multiple news reports on the internet have surfaced claiming that Christian Bale, who plays Batman, has also encountered some psychological and mental health issues.

Did the actors who played Batman and the Joker both experience psychological problems?

The production team also made a statement, but vaguely said that Bale was affected by the role.

Jody's curiosity was immediately piqued. What kind of showdown did Batman and the Joker go through in The Dark Knight that caused both of the main characters to have psychological problems?

It seems that Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson did not experience this situation in the 1989 Batman movie.

Jody checked some news about the film crew and started writing news articles to accompany the photos.

Although TMZ is a gossip and entertainment website, it has high requirements for the authenticity of its news.

Just as Jody could actively plan and create news about Heath Ledger using drugs, he couldn't fabricate it out of thin air.

In some respects, Jody and his colleagues placed more emphasis on the "truthfulness of news" than journalists who covered social and political issues.

Martin Davis recently visited a psychological clinic for counseling, seemingly due to psychological and mental health issues encountered while filming the new movie "The Dark Knight." Nicholson had previously warned Davis that the Joker role was too dark, and becoming too immersed in the character could potentially cause him distress...

Without further evidence, the news about Jody can only be mentioned briefly.

She then uploaded news about Martin and related pictures.

Then they dragged out news about Bell also suffering from psychological and mental health problems and paired it with Martin's news.

TMZ's news quickly attracted a lot of attention.

Some media outlets called the mental health clinic to inquire about Martin's appointment.

The clinic only confirmed that Martin had come for a consultation; they declined to answer any other questions.

The media can only speculate.

Some media outlets, such as TMZ, have revisited the news of Nicholson's angry outburst at Martin and his visit to the set in Atlanta, listing them for comparison. They argue that Nicholson's attitude changed significantly, and that Martin may have done something to influence his attitude regarding the Joker character.

But the reporters who went to interview Nicholson got nothing; Nicholson simply said, "You'll see when the movie is released."

Martin's fans also went to his blog and the official website of the Cola Cult to ask if Martin had encountered any problems.

Martin's reply was vague: "The problem isn't particularly serious."

(End of this chapter)