America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 341, Page 339: I'd like to recommend a friend to you; her name is Judy Newhouse.

"I've realized that money is really not enough. I just got the Facebook deal, and before I could even enjoy it, I had to hand over tens of billions to someone else."

"Is the acquisition deal settled? Has the price been agreed upon?" Avril asked softly.

"Pretty much. Although the contract hasn't been signed yet, it's practically settled, so there shouldn't be any unexpected issues."

"The government has already intervened. As long as there are no unexpected issues with the antitrust investigation, the deal will be completed quickly, within two months."

"You'll own Warner in just two months? Wow, that's fast!"

"Just following the procedure."

"But why do the news reports I read say that company acquisitions usually take one or two years, or even several years?" Avril asked, somewhat puzzled.

Eric chuckled and said, "It's because we can't agree on a price. If you offer something that no one can refuse, they'll be eager to sell to you and worried that you'll change your mind."

"Then comes the government investigation. This stage can be quick or slow, depending on whether you have strong enough connections and whether someone is deliberately sabotaging you. The good news is that my connections are relatively strong."

"Finally, there's the question of whether there are other disruptors, like Cheng Yaojin suddenly appearing out of nowhere to compete. They might not actually want to acquire you; they might just be trying to annoy you and slow you down."

"However, the timing of my acquisition offer was very sudden. I have over $500 billion in cash, and it has to be paid in full at once. Who can come up with that kind of money in a short period of time?"

"Even Microsoft, the world's number one company, cannot come up with such a large sum of money in a short period of time. Cash is not the same as shares and fixed assets."

"500 billion US dollars has already surpassed the GDP of many countries in the world."

Avril didn't hear what the man said next because she only felt a buzzing in her ears: "500, 500 billion US dollars! OMG! Honey, I suddenly feel so dizzy."

Eric pinched her cheek, looking into her bewildered eyes: "Are you scared by this number?"

"Yes, I will never dare to lay a hand on you again. If I were to injure your fingernail, I could go bankrupt and still not be able to afford to pay for it."

"It's okay if you can't afford to pay for it, just pay me back yourself."

"Hmph! Didn't I already give it to you?"

"Not enough, I want this part too."

"Stop touching me! Someone might see us!"

"No one can see it, don't worry, I have experience."

"Huh? You bastard! You mean you do this with other people all the time?"

"Uh, of course not, I just want to be with you every day."

"Ah! No, darling, you're making me uncomfortable. You're so rich, you should buy a movie theater and keep outsiders out."

Eric quickened his finger movements and whispered in her ear, "What's the point! I just like this atmosphere, I enjoy this thrill."

With June now here and the summer movie season underway, MGM films are being unbanned and returning to theaters.

As soon as the news was released, movie fans and cinema owners alike were overjoyed and danced with excitement.

As is well known, MGM movies are synonymous with fun, novelty, and entertainment.

In the past two months, many companies have released a lot of backlogged films, including a lot of bad ones. Everyone is getting tired of watching them and desperately needs good movies to cleanse their eyes.

Good movies translate to high box office revenue, which in turn translates to profit. What cinema owners need most are high-grossing commercial films.

As a symbol of reopening, MGM released two films at once.

These are the low-budget sci-fi film "Chronicle" and James Wan's new film "The Conjuring 2".

There are also blockbuster films, such as "The Hangover Part II", "Transformers 2", and "Twilight".

But Eric is waiting; this time he will play the role of the hunter, and his target is naturally Disney.

According to the plans already announced this year, Disney will release movies such as "Mulan 2", "Winnie the Pooh: The Adventures of Long-Nosed Monster", and "Tarzan 2".

They are all Mickey Mouse's flagship IPs, each with considerable brand recognition, so who else should we target if not them?

They're just waiting for the Disney movie to be released so they can swarm over and tear the other side to shreds.

Eric had originally planned to take Ivy to see "Chronicle" and "The Conjuring 2".

It's a horror movie, so girls naturally want to burrow into his arms when they're scared.

But to their surprise, Ivy was too scared to watch it and refused to go to the cinema. So they had no choice but to choose "Chronicle".

As Neill Blomkamp's directorial debut, Eric gave him a budget of $1500 million.

It's definitely not enough to play out "Inception," but it's enough to film one or two big scenes.

Neil has been with me for two years, so in terms of skill, he shouldn't have much trouble handling a low-budget sci-fi film.

Eric did not attend the preliminary hearing; today we will watch the final cut directly.

If the filming is bad, I'll call him tomorrow and give him a piece of my mind. He should just get back here and continue learning as my assistant director.

"Is this... Blair Witch Project?"

Seeing the DV-like visuals on the big screen, Ivy couldn't help but ask.

"The mockumentary style makes it look more realistic and also reduces costs. This is a shot of the male protagonist; you'll see as you watch on."

The story begins to unfold slowly, revealing that the protagonist, Andrew, lives in a suffocating and desperate family.

My father is an alcoholic who enjoys domestic violence and beatings.

My mother is exhausted by the pressures of life and has also fallen seriously ill. Her life is hanging by a thread, and we don't know when she will collapse.

The repressive life he experienced growing up made Andrew taciturn, unsociable, and friendless.

He is a typical victim of American bullying. Whether at home, in society, or at school, he is the most insignificant person, a nobody who can be trampled on by anyone.

If there's any bright spot, it's that my cousin has been kind to me and willing to lend a hand, and that I've met Xiao Hei, who's also a very nice person.

The story progresses very quickly, without much focus on the early stages; the three of them soon gain superpowers.

Since gaining superpowers, Andrew seems to have finally found a bit of joy in life.

The three formed a small group, sometimes playing pranks, sometimes doing good deeds.

They would control teddy bears to scare children, and they would secretly lift up female classmates' skirts to look.

He would also teach the bullies a lesson and save pedestrians from being hit by a car.

Unlike the original work, Eric made some changes to this part.

The core of "Chronicle" is actually the mental health issues of teenagers. Family, society, school and many other factors can affect children's physical and mental health.

The inner transformation after gaining superpowers is a very important process.

The original work only showed their mischievous side, which is obviously not enough. A mix of good and bad is what makes human nature acceptable and more in line with the psychology of teenagers.

But then an unexpected incident occurred. A passing car, annoyed that they were driving too slowly, forcibly overtook them and began to mock and insult them, even throwing beer bottles at them.

This behavior reminded Andrew of his father, triggering his PTSD. He lost control and overturned the other person's car.

Fortunately, my cousin and Xiao Hei rushed to the rescue, but it also caused a very serious accident.

Thus, the first argument between the three broke out, and Andrew realized that he had indeed gone too far, after all, the other party did not deserve to die.

But at the same time, he felt a great sense of satisfaction, a thrill of revenge he had never experienced before.

This was both an argument and a clash of values.

"Andrew! Remember my words, first and foremost, never use superpowers on living people!"

"Secondly, never use it when you're angry!"

"Thirdly, it is forbidden to use it in public places!"

"This is not only protecting others, but also protecting ourselves."

"Okay, I got it, but is there any difference between having such a superpower and not having one? I'm still that loser who gets bullied."

However, due to his promise not to use his superpowers indiscriminately, Andrew became even more repressed.

People bullied me when I didn't have superpowers, and they still bully me now that I have them. What's the point of having superpowers if I didn't?

Luckily, Xiao Hei came up with an idea: let's perform magic tricks.

Magic tricks don't require explanation to others, yet they attract attention and make you the center of attention—so this superpower becomes useful.

As the two put on a hilarious magic show, some chuckles rippled through the movie theater.

"Honey, do you think some magicians really do have superpowers?"

Eric rolled his eyes: "How could that be! This is a real-world treasure."

"David Copperfield, he made airplanes, trains, and the Statue of Liberty disappear, and he could even fly over the Grand Canyon."

"I don't know, but it must have been done using some kind of method."

"He's performing in Las Vegas right now, why don't we go see him together?"

Eric's heart skipped a beat; he thought, "That won't do."

Las Vegas is not my territory. If I go there, I'll be exposed, and then there will be all sorts of rumors, and my family will be in an uproar.

"Let's do it another day. I can't get away lately. I have to keep an eye on Warner. Barrymeyer is very restless."

"But I want to go see it."

"I'll invite David Copperfield to perform at my house when I have the chance. Or how about this, I'll recommend someone to go with you."

"Who?"

"Judy, Judy Newhouse, you've met before, haven't you?"

Avril nodded: "I saw you at your party, you were quite pretty."

"She's a good friend of mine and an important business partner. You two can go to Las Vegas together for a few days."

"Are you sure you're just good friends, not lovers?" Ivy said teasingly.

"Of course not, otherwise wouldn't you two be fighting? I'm not stupid."

"Hehe. Okay then."

Seeing Ivy agree, Eric clenched his fist. If he couldn't create an opportunity himself, he'd have to rely on Judy.

On the big screen, the success of the magic show made Andrew a star at school, and he finally got his revenge.

The boys took the initiative to befriend him, and the girls invited him to parties and dances.

Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction, and Andrew became more cheerful and optimistic.

But then the plot takes a sharp turn. Due to a long period of social isolation and past violence from his alcoholic father, he suffered injuries to his genitals.

Facing the final push, Andrew became extremely nervous and surrendered before even entering the goal.

This behavior naturally drew the ire of his female companion, who, after much publicizing, made Andrew the target of ridicule once again, and the mockery intensified.

The cruelest thing is having your hopes shattered.

He fled in a sorry state, his inner darkness and hatred reigniting and evolving into social Darwinism.

"Ants are animals, and so are humans."

"When facing ants, humans are like predators with superpowers, able to trample on their lives at will, and no one will feel guilty or afraid."

"As someone who truly possesses superpowers, I am to ordinary people what they are to ants—I am the predator."

"I shouldn't feel guilty or worried; they should be afraid of me!"

His good friend Xiao Hei then tried to comfort him, but died unexpectedly.

I did not kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of me, which further shattered his nerves.

At home, my mother's condition worsened, but my father still only knew how to drink.

The pharmacy didn't have such an expensive drug, so it had to be ordered and shipped by air.

All the pressure was on Andrew, and he was on the verge of collapse.

They no longer wanted to abide by the established principles, so they committed robbery and murder, which accidentally led to a gas station explosion.

When Andrew regained consciousness, his alcoholic father was sitting by his bedside.

He showed no remorse in the face of his seriously injured son, and instead berated Andrew for dragging down the family and causing his wife's death.

Upon hearing the sudden news of his mother's death, the last glimmer of hope in Andrew's heart was extinguished.

After more than a decade of repression and hatred, he could no longer contain himself and turned completely evil. He grabbed his father by the neck and threw him off the ground.

Revenge, only revenge can bring satisfaction!

He could only calm down after killing all the people who had bullied him.

Just then, my cousin suddenly appeared and saved my scumbag father.

"Calm down, Andrew!"

"Why save him?" Andrew ripped the gauze off his head, his ferocious expression appearing terrifying in his angry roar.

"He's your father! What are you doing?!"

"He's a selfish, complete bastard. He ruined everything—my life, my mother!"

"Get out of here with me now."

The cousin stepped forward to take Andrew away, but was knocked away by Andrew's superpowers.

"Get out of my way! You've never truly understood me, nobody takes me seriously!"

"what!"

Andrew's roar shattered the windows of all the surrounding buildings.

The flying debris, like sharp knives, instantly riddled the alcoholic father, along with the police and many innocent bystanders, with bullets.

Looking at his father, whose flesh was mangled and bloody, Andrew floated blankly in mid-air, staring at the mess he had made, somewhat at a loss.

At that moment, his eyes showed astonishment and confusion, as if he himself did not know why he had suddenly gone mad.

However, the subsequent attacks by armed helicopters and his cousin reignited his hatred.

Human weapons were almost useless against the two, and the battle caused the building to collapse, resulting in countless innocent bystanders suffering collateral damage.

Without a doubt, Neil spent the vast majority of his funds on this final showdown.

The scenes are far more intense than the original, comparable to a superhero brawl.

Normally, when people see such violent scenes, there will be people in the movie theater screaming excitedly.

But not today; instead, everyone was so subdued that they couldn't speak.

The more Andrew roared and used his superpowers to cause destruction, the stronger the sense of oppression became for everyone.

Until his cousin used a spear to ambush him, piercing him and killing him.

The final image freezes on Andrew's desperate gaze.

(End of this chapter)