Chapter 12

"Bang!"

The gunshot came from the speakers of the laptop. Murphy looked at the screen, where two black men jumped into a car and drove away, their actions not at all panicked, and they certainly didn’t look like inexperienced robbers.

This was the video Murphy had edited last night. The police had just announced a $100,000 reward, and if he handed over this video, there was a high chance he could claim the reward.

Combined with the $30,000 he had already earned, Murphy could make $130,000 from this news video!

For an ordinary person, this was a huge sum, but for Murphy, who wanted to make a name in the film industry, it wasn’t much.

Human greed knows no bounds, and Murphy was no exception. He wanted more.

Therefore, he never planned to hand the video over to the police. Instead, he intended to personally direct a great show.

After careful consideration, Murphy had a suitable script outline, outstanding lead actors, and he would serve as both director and cinematographer. All he needed was a suitable location, and the show could begin.

This was a rare directing opportunity, one that even Steven Spielberg and James Cameron might not have!

Sitting in front of the laptop, Murphy watched the video over and over, imprinting the images of the two black men and the car in his mind. For the incredibly realistic show he was preparing, these two black men were the perfect lead actors.

This would be Murphy’s first show, from planning to shooting to production.

Murphy was extremely cautious and didn’t want to ruin his first chance as a director, as failure could cost him his life!

When the video reached the close-up of the car, Murphy pressed the pause button, and the image froze on the rear of the sedan, where the license plate was clearly visible.

He noted the license plate number, opened Google’s search page, and after a bit of searching, found the relevant official website in the U.S. He clicked on the link, selected California, and entered the license plate number. As he had told Cara Fice earlier, in this information age, a license plate number could provide enough information to identify the owner.

Seeing the owner’s registration information on the screen, Murphy smiled. The information might not be accurate, and the car could have been stolen by the black men, but this whole endeavor was a matter of luck. No one could guarantee that everything would go according to his plan.

Finding the men from last night would be ideal, but if he couldn’t, Murphy could still pretend to remember the license plate number and provide a clue to the police, aiming for the reward.

After making sure he had memorized everything, Murphy thoroughly deleted the video and any online traces, then waited patiently.

As the sun set below the horizon, night once again enveloped Los Angeles. The City of Angels revealed its other side, with criminal activities and violent individuals becoming more active.

Murphy also set out under the cover of night.

The black Ford sedan moved like a ghost in the darkness. After leaving the center of Los Angeles, it quickly arrived at Bennett Road in West Hollywood. The houses here were hidden among tall trees, forming a typical American middle-class neighborhood.

It wasn’t as chaotic as the city center, nor as quiet as Santa Monica Valley. The roads in the community were busy with vehicles, but everything was orderly.

Murphy slowed down, his eyes scanning the area, looking for the address he wanted.

After circling the area for about half an hour, Murphy finally found the address he had looked up online. It was a white standalone house with a flat lawn in front and a neat iron fence along the roadside. A black sedan was parked by the iron fence.

After watching the video so many times, Murphy immediately recognized it as the car from last night.

Driving past the house, he circled around and returned to the area, deliberately parking on a street with an empty spot. He then focused his attention on the house and the car.

So far, his luck had been good, and everything was developing as planned.

The two black men from last night seemed to be attached to the car, or perhaps they thought they had been discreet enough, so they hadn’t disposed of it and left it parked on the street.

Of course, if they had seen the police and media reports, they would feel very safe.

Murphy was certain that the two black men wouldn’t expect a venomous snake to be waiting for the right moment to strike them.

However, he couldn’t be sure if the car was still in their possession, so he had to take a chance. He had the patience to wait.

Over the past year, fate seemed to have played a huge joke on Murphy, making his life incredibly difficult. Perhaps it was time for his luck to change.

This thought flashed through Murphy’s mind. Encountering the events of last night was partly luck, but more importantly, it was his boldness and attention to detail, and his willingness to seize any opportunity that came his way!

Under the cover of night, Murphy sat in his car and waited for nearly an hour. Finally, the door of the standalone house opened, and a man in a white striped jacket walked out.

The man was tall and muscular, with a bald head and dark skin that blended perfectly with the night.

"Is the show about to begin?"

Without realizing it, Murphy’s lips curled upward. This black man was one of the two in the video!

The black man walked out of the yard, seemingly habitually looking around. After confirming there were no abnormalities, he opened the door of the black sedan, got in, and drove away slowly.

After the black sedan had driven a considerable distance, Murphy stepped on the gas and followed. There were other vehicles on the road, and the distance between them was quite far, so the black man didn’t notice the deadly ghost following him until they left the community.

Tracking a potential armed killer, Murphy was quite bold, but he was also cautious, always maintaining a safe distance to avoid being detected.

Perhaps due to a lack of brain capacity, or perhaps because he felt there was no danger, the black man didn’t notice Murphy’s presence. He even stopped at a self-service gas station to refuel, then drove to the outskirts of Beverly Hills, stopping in front of a gray standalone house.

Murphy parked about 100 feet away and subconsciously glanced at the handheld camera on the passenger seat, feeling an urge to start filming. After all, he had installed the mount primarily for filming while driving.

After a few seconds of consideration, Murphy resisted the urge. It wasn’t the right time to film yet.

The black sedan stopped in front of the gray house, and the black man didn’t get out. After about two minutes, a figure emerged from the gray house, and Murphy’s eyes immediately focused on him.

Although it was far and the lighting wasn’t good, Murphy confirmed based on the silhouette that this was the other black man from the video!

"Looks like my luck is really good today!"

Seeing the second, slightly heavier black man get into the car, Murphy couldn’t help but mutter to himself. So far, everything was going much smoother than he had expected.

As both the director and cinematographer, he wouldn’t let the two lead actors act alone. When the black sedan started again, Murphy followed at a distance.

The plot was developing even more smoothly than expected, but Murphy, the cinematographer, hadn’t started filming yet. The camera on the passenger seat remained off.

At this point, Murphy’s mindset was increasingly calm. To capture truly spectacular footage, he needed not only a great director and actors but also a suitable location and background.

The current conditions for the latter two were far from ideal.

After driving onto the main road, Murphy increased the distance slightly. He wasn’t a professional, and at one traffic light, he almost lost the black sedan. Fortunately, his luck was on his side tonight. After turning a corner, he saw the target vehicle had slowed down, and the distance between them was gradually closing. He could vaguely see the black man in the passenger seat gesturing towards a roadside restaurant, seemingly looking for a place to eat.

They were now in Beverly Hills, surrounded by chain restaurants. The biggest feature of these restaurants was that the front facing the road was almost entirely made of transparent glass, allowing people outside to see the inside clearly.

Seeing these glass-enclosed restaurants, Murphy hoped the car in front would stop, and the two black men would go inside to eat, as this would be the perfect location for the show he wanted to direct.

Just as they were about to leave the road lined with restaurants, the car in front suddenly turned into a small alley on the right. This was completely unexpected. Since the distance between them wasn’t far and the black men were extremely dangerous, Murphy didn’t dare to follow. At the turning point, he continued driving forward.

The Ford sedan passed the alley entrance, and Murphy glanced over. The black sedan had stopped, and the two black men were getting out. He quickly accelerated, drove a distance, and then turned around to come back.

The two black men entered a chain pizza place on the side of the alley. Through the transparent glass wall, Murphy could see them ordering food. He quickly parked the car in a position on the opposite side of the road, which was very suitable for filming.

Looking at the handheld camera next to him, Murphy didn’t move but first took out his phone.

The two black men inside the restaurant had already sat down, apparently preparing to enjoy a big meal. Murphy was sure they wouldn’t leave soon. He opened his phone and pressed three numbers—9! 1! 1!

The director was about to call the police, bringing in the other major character of the show!