America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 643 Subcontracting and Subcontracting Again

San Diego, Southern California.

A black Chevrolet pulled up in front of a restaurant. Nicholson, who was wearing makeup, got out of the car and walked toward the restaurant.

He wore a wig and colored contact lenses, with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, making him look almost like a refined and shrewd accountant.

This is the work of one of Nicholson's retired makeup artist friends.

In that era before CG, many special effects for actors could only be achieved through the hands of makeup artists.

In the van behind, Martin watched Nicholson enter the restaurant and asked, "Old Brooks, is it open yet?"

Bruce turned on the receiver and said, "It's ready."

Both Martin and Leonardo wore headsets.

Bruce picked up the walkie-talkie and said to the people in the car behind, "Get your weapons ready and be ready to attack at any time."

This is just in case.

Martin took out his pistol and checked the magazine.

Leonardo was exasperated by Martin and Bruce's paranoia and said, "It's okay. Jack will only go if he's confident. He's not crazy enough yet, he won't take any risks."

Martin tugged at his bulletproof vest under his shirt, holstered his pistol, and prepared to get out of the car at any moment.

But the sound coming through the headset was normal; Nicholson's altered voice was chatting and laughing with people.

Soon, they got down to business.

"Two hundred thousand dollars, six people," Nicholson said. "I hate them and never want to see them again."

Another voice said, "They seem quite annoying. I'll warn them to stay away from you as much as possible, but you need to tell me which city they're in."

Nicholson said, "Tijuana, nothing more specific."

Another voice said, "It will take some time; let's find the person first."

"Sure," Nicholson said.

The talking stopped, and then footsteps could be heard.

Martin took off his headphones and looked towards the restaurant entrance. Nicholson quickly came out, got into the Chevrolet in front, started the engine, and walked forward.

Bruce followed in his car.

Leaving downtown Tijuana and entering a side street, Nicholson, having removed her wig, parked the van and got in, while Bruce went to deal with the Chevrolet.

Martin drove towards Los Angeles.

Nicholson said, "It's done."

Martin reiterated, "You don't need to go in person."

Nicholson shook his head: "You and Leo are still young and don't understand the thoughts of an old man like me. In the few decades of life we ​​have, there aren't many pleasures left. If we can't find pleasure, we might as well be dead."

He held up two fingers: "Right now, I only have two pillars of belief: the Los Angeles Lakers and having fun."

Leonardo asked, "Won't this trace back to you?"

"Putting aside my disguise, if those six bastards died in Tijuana, who would care?" Nicholson wasn't worried at all. "If dozens of people didn't die in Tijuana every day, would it still be called Tijuana?"

He pointed south again: "The bastard I deal with has been a middleman for decades. Not only is he reliable and trustworthy, but he's never had a mishap. Do you know his secret?"

Martin's habitual thought process: "Is someone behind this?"

"Yes and no," Nicholson stated the correct answer: "The key is in the layers of subcontracting!"

…………

In San Diego, a middle-aged Latino man emerged from a FedEx branch, got into his Cherokee, pulled out his Nokia 1100, and dialed a number: "I mailed you some information. Six people are in Tijuana. Find them. I don't want to see them again. $100,000 to settle them. As soon as possible."

The man was somewhat excited: "One hundred thousand US dollars? That's a big deal! Don't worry, it'll be done quickly."

That afternoon, he received the package and immediately contacted his downline: "Old buddy, here's a deal. $60,000 reward. Find and take care of six bastards hiding in Tijuana."

Upon hearing the amount of money, the person on the other end assured him, "Don't worry, I'll definitely get it done!"

The following morning, in Tijuana, a border city between Mexico and the United States, known as the notorious crime capital.

In a very ordinary bungalow, several burly Latin men were smoking and playing cards.

The door opened from the outside, and Marcelo, sporting an afro, stormed in holding an envelope, shouting, "Guys, we've got a big order!"

Paquetá, whose arms were covered in black tattoos, asked, "Boss, is there a big deal worth $1?"

Marcelo opened the envelope, took out a stack of photographs taken from the photo, handed them to his brothers, and said, "A big deal worth thirty thousand dollars!"

Upon hearing this number, everyone else dropped their cards and took the photo to look at.

Marcelo said, "These six bastards committed a major crime in the United States. They reportedly received a huge sum of money and are currently hiding in Tijuana. Their details are on the back of the photo. Our mission is simple: find them, send them to hell, and we'll not only get a $30,000 reward, but all the money they have will also be ours."

The others looked at the photos and noted down the relevant information behind them; this was truly a big deal.

Marcelo and his gang have a certain level of professionalism; they used to be Mexican anti-drug special forces officers. However, this line of work has a unique characteristic: all their work is preparation for becoming drug traffickers in the future.

For various reasons, they were not accepted by traffickers and became mercenaries active along the US-Mexico border.

Marcelo shouted, "Alright, guys, get moving and hurry up and find them. People who suddenly receive a large sum of money are bound to spend it lavishly. They won't be hard to find."

Including him, the five men left the bungalow and went to well-informed bars or red-light districts to look for clues.

These local Tijuana tycoons are quite efficient at getting things done.

…………

Annapurna Film Company, Los Angeles.

In the CEO's office, Megan Ellison, with her short hair and masculine features, closed her script and placed it next to another script.

The two screenplays are "Seventh Son" and "Transcendence".

She pressed the intercom and said to her assistant, "Have Dreit and Wilson come over."

Soon, two middle-aged men walked into Megan's office one after the other.

Megan picked up the script, waved it around, and asked, "What's going on now?"

Dreit replied, "On the day the police were called, two executives from Davis Studios urgently contacted the writers and copyright holders of the two scripts, wanting to buy them as soon as possible. As far as I know, they were in a hurry, and the writers and copyright holders seized on this, demanding a price in the millions of dollars. The two sides are currently in a tug-of-war."

He added, "Our contact with them also raised their expectations."

Megan laughed, becoming more manly: "Martin Davis takes these two scripts very seriously."

Dreit could confirm this perfectly: "Very important."

"Go and start formal negotiations with them to secure the rights to these two scripts." Megan acted with the same flair as her father, stating directly, "Money is no object."

"Yes," Dreit replied, and was about to leave.

Wilson quickly said, "Wait!"

Megan asked, "Is there a problem?"

Unlike Dreit, who had only been in the industry for a few years, Wilson was a seasoned Hollywood producer with a more sophisticated background: "President, I've heard about this. Martin has already reported it to the police, and the LAPD and the Detective Department are still investigating. If we acquire the rights to these two scripts, Martin Davis might suspect we're involved."

He didn't know before, but when Megan told him that Dreit had already obtained a copy of the script from the creator: "Martin Davis is a very difficult guy."

Megan suddenly laughed: "The script is right here; anyone can bid." Her words carried the air of an Oracle princess: "Even if Martin Davis finds out, so what?"

Wilson opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Megan asked, "Does he have more money than me? Or does he dare to come at me with a gun and kill me?"

Wilson didn't know how to respond. Megan Ellison was an outsider in Hollywood and didn't follow the Hollywood rules at all.

She has money and influence, and she doesn't care about the traditional forces in Hollywood at all.

Megan, who had invested in "The Hurt Locker" and achieved initial success in Hollywood, was brimming with confidence. She told Dreit, "Go ahead, accept their offer, buy the rights to both scripts, and let all the creative people in Hollywood know that Annapurna Pictures will pay the prices that the established companies and studios won't!"

Dreit understood Megan's meaning: "I will buy the rights to both screenplays in a very high-profile manner."

Megan's gaze was firm and full of confidence: "Let's go now."

She then looked at Wilson, a smile spreading across her face: "We'll still need you for the production. Martin Davis's success so many times is no accident. Go find top-tier actors and directors, with no budget limit."

Wilson said, "A script that Martin Davis likes is definitely worth investing in. Leave the production to me, I won't let you down."

Megan handed the two scripts to Wilson and said, "You know a lot of people in Hollywood, keep an eye on Martin Davis. If you hear that he's interested in a project or script..."

"I understand." Wilson took the script back to his office and looked at it carefully again. Seventh Son is a typical fantasy epic, while Transcendence is a science fiction film. To achieve the desired effect, it would be difficult to complete a single film without a hundred million dollars.

This is different from the company's first investment, which was more artistic.

But Wilson, like Megan, believed it was worth it.

In late January, Hollywood broke a shocking story: Megan Ellison, daughter of the maverick Larry Ellison, bought out the rights to two screenplays for an astonishingly high price.

Annapurna Pictures acquired Seventh Son and Transcendence for $280 million and $320 million respectively.

At the subsequent press conference, Megan Ellison personally announced to the media that the Transcendence production team had invited Johnny Depp, known as Captain America, to play the male lead for $3000 million.

The production budgets announced for both projects reached $1.5 million!

With the addition of "Zero Dark Thirty," which has just begun pre-production, Megan Ellison and Annapurna Pictures have gained considerable fame.

The news caused quite a stir in the industry just before the Oscar nominees luncheon.

(End of this chapter)