America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 269, Section 268: An Angry Roar

Standing in front of the Los Angeles Police Department, Eric smiled as he looked at the somewhat flustered paparazzi.

He had been planning for this moment for several days.

Without the support of mainstream media, especially television stations, MGM has always been at a disadvantage in this battle of public opinion.

He thought for a long time about how to reverse the decline and finally came up with this strategy.

He used himself as bait to lure these guys over, and then used their influence to promote himself.

Using your own spear against your own shield, I wonder how you plan to break this?

If you accept this challenge, then I'm going to show you something amazing!

If you don't accept the challenge, your credibility will be greatly damaged in front of the whole country.

Eric is playing both sides, and this is Su Wei's choice.

At this moment, tens of millions of people are watching on television, finding the drama increasingly interesting and finding it entertaining to watch the big shots battle it out.

Members who received the system notification on Lionheart.com were redirected to the live stream interface, and soon millions of people joined, with the number continuing to increase.

"What is Eric Cooper up to? What's going on? Where is he? It looks like there's a lot of noise here."

"Can't you see the words next to it? LAPD, this is the Los Angeles Police Department. There are reporters from major TV stations and newspapers below. They are surrounded by reporters from Lionheart.com."

"What? That sounds exciting! Are we going to fight? A paparazzi brawl in front of the police station sounds like a real spectacle."

"Hahaha, that's definitely a great idea!"

"Fool! This is obviously Eric Cooper's scheme; he's putting the TV stations in a difficult position to force them to compromise!"

"Did you guys see the TV? The police said Eric Cooper passed the lie detector test, meaning he dated Gal Gadot for a year before they 'slept together.' Do you believe it?"

"I don't believe it! I absolutely don't believe it! If Gal Gadot were my girlfriend, I wouldn't wait a minute longer."

"Agreed! Even if it's in a public area, I must bring her to justice on the spot!"

"Transformers is really good, she's hot, and from a man's perspective, I absolutely do not believe anyone can withstand it for a year."

"Brother, let's not even talk about it from a man's perspective. Even as a woman, I couldn't last a year. This kind of behavior simply violates human physiology."

"But Eric Cooper passed the lie detector test, so what's your explanation for that? Did he receive special training? Don't be ridiculous, he's not a secret agent or a military or government official, I can't think of any reason why he would have received such training."

"Perhaps it's because Eric Cooper possesses an innately strong mental fortitude. He's a genius, the youngest super-billionaire in history, the youngest Best Screenwriter in history, who created YouTube and Facebook, and even revived MGM—it's almost like magic!"

"That makes sense! Eric Cooper must be the kind of person with extremely strong mental fortitude."

"I agree with that view. I just don't believe any man could put up with Gal Gadot for a year, unless he can't stand Poch."

The opinions of the Lionheart.net members also represent the opinions of the vast majority of people. If Eric heard their discussion, he would probably cry in the toilet. What was the point of enduring so much pain in the first place!

However, some people have offered another perspective.

"I think you're overcomplicating things. Eric Cooper was able to hold back not because he was born with a deficiency, but because he had other alternatives around him. Don't forget he has quite a few female celebrities around him."

"Hmm? That makes sense! I almost forgot about that. He's been rumored to have affairs with Nicole Kidman and Robin Wright. If this guy wanted to, countless beautiful women would be willing to spread their legs for him."

"That's right. Eric Cooper is definitely juggling multiple relationships or keeping several mistresses. A young and powerful figure in the entertainment industry like him must have a lot of kept women."

It must be said that netizens have a strong ability to think outside the box and have very accurately deduced the true nature of the event.

"Wait a minute, the Olsen sisters were also rumored to be dating this guy. They were minors back then too. Shouldn't we investigate further?"

"Will this ever end? Will this ever end? He even took Elizabeth Olsen to Jackson's ranch! This kind of collective punishment—there's no one in the world who's truly innocent!"

"Anyway, I've always believed in Eric's character. He's so handsome. If he just beckons, I'd be happy to climb into his bed."

"Get out of my way, you infatuated girl!"

"Dude, this person's profile picture is a man."

"vomit!"

"This is pointless discussion. The police have already determined the nature of the case, and Barrefali's description is only vague. I'm more interested in what Eric Cooper is up to. It looks like he's about to pull off something big!"

In front of the police station, Eric said, "Do you want to know where the real sex crimes are concentrated? Now, let me tell you!"

Beside him, Carroll handed him a neatly prepared manuscript, and Eric read aloud: "On August 21, 2003, in Montgomery, Alabama, a 45-year-old white man sexually assaulted a 14-year-old black girl, and unfortunately, the girl was murdered."

"On September 9, 2003, in Little Rock, Arkansas, another 31-year-old white man sexually assaulted a 19-year-old girl, but unlike the 14-year-old girl, at least she was not killed."

"On September 13, 2003, in Dover, Delaware, a 16-year-old Black boy lured a 13-year-old white girl to his home and sexually assaulted her. Fortunately, she eventually escaped, but it was a nightmare."

"On October 5, 2003, in Atlanta, Georgia, a 38-year-old white woman drugged a 13-year-old boy and imprisoned him in her home for a day and a night, during which time she sexually assaulted him multiple times."

"On October 6, 2003, in Georgia, three Black men kidnapped, imprisoned, and gang-raped a 21-year-old white woman. The poor girl suffered terribly, and despite her desperate pleas for mercy, she was ultimately tortured to death, her body covered in wounds!"

Eric read aloud a series of cases, the vast majority of which were sex crimes, but also included murders and human trafficking. Without exception, all of these cases occurred after August of last year.

The paparazzi below listened to him talk about these things and looked at each other in confusion, not understanding what he meant.

Even the prosecutor Leonard next to him was completely bewildered. He had heard of some of these cases, but so what?

The United States is a vast country, the fourth largest in the world by area, and has a population of 3 million, the third largest in the world.

Given the complex factors involved, such as religion and race, it's not surprising that a few murders occurred.

However, in this era before the internet was so developed, these cases generally did not become known nationwide. Most of them would only spread to the local city and not even beyond the county level.

What's the big deal?

All eyes were on Eric, who rattled off dozens of names in one breath, then held up the remaining stack of papers in his hand.

"What I just described is only part of the story. The truth is far more shocking than you can imagine. And do you know why these cases happen?"

"Because the perpetrators all used the same method: adding the victims as friends online, then luring them out to meet, and finally committing the crime."

"And all the tools used by these killers came from the same platform—MySpace!"

boom!

When they heard "myspace", many paparazzi finally realized the crisis. It turned out that Eric Cooper's real target was actually it!

Meanwhile, James Murdoch, who was watching television with great interest inside the mansion, suddenly changed his expression.

"Damn it! This guy's going to attack MySpace!"

Because of its different approach, MySpace does indeed contain a large amount of borderline and unhealthy content, and it's anonymous, so anyone can register and pretend to be someone else.

Therefore, certain responsibilities must be borne in the course of these cases.

In the past, there have been cases of victims or their families suing Myspace, but none of them caused much of a stir. The website has also been doing quite well, with over 4000 million registered members.

While there's still a gap between us and Facebook, it's still something to be proud of.

But if Eric Cooper escalates the situation and incites public outrage, things could get really bad, and the website might have to undergo a major overhaul.

However, he has no confidence that he can beat Facebook by competing through legitimate channels. He argues that MySpace's various features are just copies of Facebook with a different skin, so what makes him think he can compete with them?

Thinking of this, James Murdoch hurriedly picked up the phone and called his father, Rupert Murdoch, but no one answered.

He then called his father's secretary, only to find out that the secretary was in a meeting and could only ask the secretary to find someone quickly.

After a while, the call connected, and Murdoch said somewhat displeasedly, "James, what's the rush? I'm in an important meeting."

James Murdoch hurriedly explained the situation, but the elder Murdoch didn't seem to care.

He invested in the Internet a few years ago, but he encountered a bubble period right after entering the market and lost everything.

From then on, he lost all faith in the Internet. If James Murdoch hadn't been his beloved eldest son, he wouldn't have allowed him to mess with MySpace.

In Rupert Murdoch's view, newspapers and television stations are the core of News Corporation, while the internet might just burst its bubble again tomorrow.

If it collapses, so be it. It'll be a good opportunity for my son to settle down and come back to inherit my mantle.

"Father, the internet is the future. I've worked so hard to build MySpace; I can't let it disappear like this. Facebook will completely dominate the market, and then no one will be Eric Cooper's match!"

"If you insist, I can help you this once by contacting Singh, and the two of you can discuss it."

"Thank you, Dad."

James Murdoch hurriedly contacted Fox News executive Singer, but the answer he received was a cold shower.

"James, I know your concerns, but Eric Cooper has us in his shoes right now. The whole nation, the whole world, is watching. Do you know what the consequences would be if the broadcast were suddenly interrupted?"

"Fox's credibility will plummet, and we will lose many loyal viewers. This will be a huge blow."

"And even if Fox cuts off the live broadcast, what about the other TV stations? Do you think NBC and CBS will cooperate with us?"

"Singer, I know you know them well, and I hope you can help persuade them. This is also my father's wish."

After a moment of silence, just when James Murdoch thought there was still a chance to salvage the situation, Singh responded with a resounding "NO!"

"James, I'm afraid I can't fulfill your request. I'll explain to Rupert myself. Goodbye."

boom!

Unexpectedly, the other party rejected him. He had put in a lot of effort to deal with Eric Cooper, but now that he was in trouble, he was immediately abandoned. James Murdoch was so angry that he threw his phone on the ground.

To his surprise, the Nokia was made of very sturdy material, and when it was flicked, it hit him in the face instead, making him howl in pain.

"It was precisely because of the problems with MySpace's system that a series of sexual assault cases occurred."

"As a social networking site, MySpace contains a large amount of pornographic content, and many people use nudity as a selling point to attract attention."

"Myspace has no age limit for registration. Tens of millions of minors wanted to enjoy virtual dating, but when they logged in, they were greeted by pornographic elements that were everywhere and impossible to block out."

"Without a doubt, MySpace has become the best and most convenient tool for countless criminals to find targets. It is a breeding ground for crime and a gathering place and headquarters for sexual assault across the United States!"

"I want to ask all the viewers at home, especially parents, do you want your children to be in this kind of dirty online environment?"

"Do you want your healthy, sunny child to grow into a pervert whose mind is filled only with sex?"

"Do you want your child to be lured away by criminals using disgusting methods, only to find him a corpse when you see him again?"

Ask yourself honestly, do you want this to happen?

Tell me, do you want that?

Eric grew angrier as he spoke, his voice hoarse, his expression contorted, and the veins on his neck were faintly visible.

Wow!

Suddenly, he swung his right hand violently, and hundreds of sheets of paper, each clearly showing a crime, scattered like snowflakes.

These papers may appear as thin as cicada wings, but each one weighs a ton, representing a large number of victims.

Eric's words were like a sharp sword, piercing straight into the heart of every viewer in front of the television.

Even if they are not parents now, they will become parents in the future. Besides, everyone has a heart, and who can tolerate evil happening?

"NO!"

A roar suddenly erupted from the crowd, and in the blink of an eye, the area outside the police station was filled with angry shouts.

Looking at the excited crowd, Gadot knew that Eric had done it; he always managed to create miracles, and he always managed to turn the tide.

The tall figure in front of her filled her heart completely; she felt herself falling for him again.

(End of this chapter)