Chapter 16

PS. Here's today's update, and I'm also taking the opportunity to promote the 515 Fan Festival on Qidian. Everyone has 8 votes, and voting also gives you Qidian coins. I humbly request everyone's support and appreciation!

For the LAPD, ten thousand dollars was not a significant amount, but as Murphy had anticipated, it was not an easy task to smoothly obtain this sum, especially since the person claiming the reward was him.

However, Murphy had the 911 call recording, and Channel 6 was eagerly preparing to report on the government's breach of trust again. With Robert, the greedy lawyer who could take a cut, the LAPD, after some delay and being bombarded by Channel 6 news for lack of credibility, eventually transferred the money to Murphy's bank account.

Similarly, the LAPD's perception of Murphy worsened. On several occasions, he encountered police cars intercepting him, using flimsy excuses like suspicion of illegal firearms or possible drug possession to search his vehicle, but they were destined to find nothing.

They also summoned Murphy to the police station several times under the pretext of assisting with investigations. With a lawyer present and his own impeccable conduct, the police, lacking sufficient evidence, could only watch him walk in and out.

Murphy was well aware that he was now on the LAPD's blacklist and was very cautious about obeying the law. He stayed far away from things like firearms and drugs, which Americans often encounter, to give the police no reason or excuse.

Moreover, he bought the latest Sony mini camera to record everything, which could also prevent the police from framing him.

In addition, Murphy's regular work continued. Led by Channel 6 and Fox News, the media in California extensively reported on the shootout. Such realistic scenes of gun battles had not been seen since the North Hollywood bank robbery a few years ago, and the impact was predictable.

Furthermore, the TV stations were not content to simply categorize it as a simple police shootout. In their continuous coverage, they repeatedly mentioned the shooting of unarmed black people by white police officers, along with several recent incidents of white police officers arbitrarily arresting black people, which ultimately led to a small-scale black protest in Los Angeles.

It must be said that due to historical and other reasons, black people have a fragile heart.

Large-scale black protests appeared in front of the Los Angeles City Hall and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, with tensions so high that they could erupt at any moment.

Such events are naturally what the media likes to see. They report and spread them in various ways to attract more attention.

Not only that, but Murphy had shot a lot of footage, preparing to participate in Channel 6's documentary project, making a documentary reflecting the public security situation in Los Angeles.

Of course, he was more of a participant.

In this documentary reflecting violent crime, Los Angeles would definitely not be the prosperous City of Angels, but a city of sin filled with violence, drugs, car accidents, and other criminal incidents!

Moreover, under the intervention of Fox News, the two videos shot by Murphy were not subject to a court injunction by the police.

"It seems you've been doing pretty well lately,"

In a restaurant in Los Angeles' Chinatown, Ross took a big sip of beer and looked at Murphy across the table, "At least better than I imagined."

Murphy also took a sip of beer, "Just lucky, I guess."

"This isn't luck," Ross waved his tattooed hand, "Daring to think and act has always been your strength, and this time you made the LAPD look like clowns."

Even though Murphy had only briefly mentioned these events without detailing the tricks he used, Ross could still guess that his friend must have used some underhanded means.

"You can't say that," Murphy shrugged, "I just happened to be there. I've always been a good citizen of Los Angeles."

Ross, who didn't need to hold back with Murphy, mocked him mercilessly, "A good citizen would beat up a British director so badly that he had brain damage?"

Murphy couldn't help but slap the table, emphasizing, "It was an accident! Besides, it was just a minor injury at the time. The brain damage happened after I spent half a year in prison, so it has nothing to do with me!"

"You ruined his directing career," Ross wouldn't let it go, "Poor British guy."

What was the name of the director who had lingering effects? Murphy thought for a moment, vaguely remembering someone calling him Chris or Cross.

There weren't many people in the restaurant, and Murphy and Ross were sitting in a corner, so they spoke without restraint.

"What are you planning to do next?"

After a few jokes, Ross gradually got to the point, "Still planning to enter Hollywood? I think what you're doing now is great."

Murphy put down his knife and fork and asked, "Why not? I'm planning to participate in a documentary for Channel 6, gain some experience, and then shoot a movie after the documentary is done."

Ross looked disdainful, pursing his lips and speaking in a gruff voice, "Making a movie requires a lot of money. Do you have that much?"

"Hey, can you stop discouraging me?" Murphy pointed at him, deliberately boasting, "I just earned $230,000!"

"A lot? Are you sure all $230,000 is yours?"

On the surface, Ross looked like a simple Latin American who only knew how to fight, but he was quite shrewd, otherwise he wouldn't have a significant share of the underground market in downtown Los Angeles.

He raised his finger, "Let me do the math for you, naive Mr. Murphy-Stanton. If you want to enter the film industry, you have to follow the government's rules. A large portion of your $230,000 will go to the IRS, your lawyer will take a cut, and you'll need to pay fees to register with the relevant industry unions. How much will be left? Are you sure you can make a real movie?"

Looking at Murphy, he suddenly widened his eyes, "You're not thinking of making a cheap $10,000 piece of garbage, are you?"

"Of course not!" Murphy raised his voice slightly, "I want to make a real movie, not some cheap junk."

Ross shook his head, "You still need money."

Murphy rolled his eyes, "Duh, how can you make a movie without a lot of money?"

Making a movie was a future plan. For now, Murphy was preparing to participate in Channel 6's documentary production. This timely documentary reflecting violent crime would not be newly shot but would use a lot of footage from past Channel 6 broadcasts, and many of the videos he shot were also in the running.

It was hard to say how much income this would bring, but Murphy valued the opportunity to gain practical experience by participating in the project.

They discussed their respective future plans, and Ross suddenly lowered his voice, "I saw the images of those two black men in the newspaper. I saw them a long time ago."

Murphy was taken aback, "You know them?"

"Not just them," Ross struggled to recall, "The male owner of the family that was wiped out on Bill Road, I think I've seen him before too."

"Oh?" Murphy looked at Ross, waiting for him to continue.

Ross leaned in a bit and lowered his voice, "Maybe because the two black criminals are dead and the family on Bill Road was wiped out, the police didn't find more useful clues. Actually, they were probably in the same line of business as me."

The same line of business? Murphy was slightly stunned, then realized that Ross's main business was drugs and illegal firearms.

Murphy's mind worked quickly, "Is it possible this was a drug-related conflict?"

"It's possible," Ross shrugged, "They're all dead, who knows?"

He stood up, "It's getting late, I should go. I have a party tonight, want to come?"

Murphy checked his watch and shook his head, "No, I have a party tonight too. The news director of Channel 6 is taking me to a high-end party, and apparently, many celebrities will be there."

On his way home, Murphy specifically bought a suit. Kara Fice was taking him to a gathering in the media and entertainment-sports circles, where many celebrities from the film and sports industries would be present.

For Murphy, who was eager to enter Hollywood, this was an opportunity he wouldn't miss.

Back home, he called Kara to set a meeting time and place, then returned to his workroom to continue his screenwriting work. When he got tired, he would review the videos he had shot, editing them according to his ideas, just to practice.

Even the greatest directors need opportunities, and before success, they need to hone their skills. Even recognized film geniuses like James Cameron and Steven Spielberg were no exception.

Despite his confidence, Murphy didn't consider himself a super genius like them. He understood the simple truth that hard work is necessary for success.

Reincarnating once, being able to make movies without much effort, is that even possible? The gap between watching a movie and making one is like two Pacific Oceans apart.

Besides, geniuses... Hollywood has never lacked for film geniuses.

As for the idea that writing a few scripts would make Hollywood come flocking, Murphy had long abandoned it. He had submitted two scripts to various well-known production companies or studios in Hollywood, but had received no response. When he called to inquire, the response was all routine, and they treated him like a new screenwriter.

"Without opportunity, talent is worth nothing here!"

After editing two shots, Murphy sighed. Before coming here, he was a naive student, like many others, believing that talent alone would lead to success and be recognized by important people.

But the past year and a half of experience had taught him that this idea was very naive.

The sun outside the window gradually moved to the west. Murphy put down his work, put on his new suit, and prepared to meet Kara Fice, hoping to encounter familiar faces at the so-called high-end party.

[The 515 Fan Festival is coming soon. I hope to continue to impact the 515 red envelope list, and on May 15th, the red envelope rain can reward readers and promote the work. Even a dollar is love, and I will definitely update diligently!]

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