America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Southern California, San Diego.

A black Chevrolet stopped in front of a restaurant, and a disguised Nicholson got out of the car and walked towards the restaurant.

He wore a wig and colored contact lenses and had a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, looking like a completely different person, resembling a sophisticated and sharp accountant.

This was the masterpiece of an old friend of Nicholson's, a retired makeup artist.

Back in the era without CG, many of an actor's special effects had to rely on the hands of makeup artists.

From another minivan behind, Martin looked at Nicholson entering the restaurant and asked, "Old Cloth, is it on?"

Bruce turned on the receiver and replied, "Ready."

Martin and Leonardo both put on earpieces.

Bruce picked up the walkie-talkie and spoke to the people in a car behind, "Prepare weapons, be ready to strike at any moment."

This was just in case.

Martin took out his pistol and checked the magazine.

Leonardo, resigned to Martin and Bruce's paranoia, said, "There's nothing to worry about. Jack would only go personally if he was certain, and he's not crazy enough to take unnecessary risks."

Martin adjusted the bulletproof vest under his shirt and tucked the pistol into its holster, ready to get out of the car at any moment.
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But the voices coming through the earpiece were normal; Nicholson's altered voice was chatting and laughing with others.

Soon, they got down to business.

"Two hundred thousand US dollars for six people," Nicholson said. "I really hate them and don't want to see them again."

Another voice responded, "They must be quite detestable. I'll warn them and tell them to stay as far away from you as possible. But you need to tell me in which city they're hiding."

Nicholson replied, "Tijuana, I don't know more specifically than that."

The other voice said, "It will take some time; we need to locate them first."

"Okay," Nicholson agreed.

The talking stopped then, and footsteps could be heard.

Martin took off his headset and looked towards the restaurant entrance. Nicholson came out quickly, got into the Chevrolet parked out front, started the engine, and drove off.

Bruce followed in his vehicle.

Leaving the downtown area of Tijuana, they turned into a side road. Nicholson, who had removed his wig, stopped and got into the minivan, and Bruce went to take care of the Chevrolet.

Martin drove towards Los Angeles.

"All sorted," Nicholson declared.

Martin repeated his usual line, "You didn't need to go personally."

But Nicholson shook his head, "You and Leo are still young; you don't understand the thinking of an old man like me. In the few decades of life, there aren't many joys to be found. If I can't find pleasure, living is no better than dying."

He held up two fingers, "Now I only have two beliefs as my pillars: the Los Angeles Lakers and finding fun in causing mischief."

Leonardo asked, "There won't be any investigation leading back to you, right?"

Without the least bit of worry, Nicholson confessed, "Let's not even talk about my disguise. If those six bastards die in Tijuana, how many people will care? Doesn't a day in Tijuana go by without dozens of people dying?"

He then pointed southward, "The bastard I deal with has been a middleman for decades. Not only is he reliable and reputable, but he's also never screwed up. Do you know what the trick is?"

Martin conjectured out of habit, "Someone's backing him?"

"True and false," Nicholson delivered the correct answer, "The key is subcontracting every step of the way!"

......

In San Diego, a middle-aged Latino man exited a Federal Express outlet, turned around to his Cherokee, fished out a Nokia 1100, and dialed a number: "I've mailed you some information. There are six guys in Tijuana on it. Find them. I don't want to see them again. Take care of them for a hundred thousand dollars, the sooner, the better."

The man was somewhat excited, "A hundred thousand dollars? Big deal! Don't worry, it will be settled quickly."

That afternoon, he received the express package and immediately contacted his subordinates: "Old buddy, there's business. Reward of sixty thousand dollars. Find and deal with six jerks hiding in Tijuana."

Upon hearing the amount, the response came guaranteed, "Don't worry, it will surely be taken care of!"

The following morning, in the notorious city of sin, Tijuana, at the US-Mexico border.

In a very ordinary bungalow, a few brawny Latino men were smoking and playing cards.

The door opened from the outside, and Marcelo, with his explosive hairdo, came in holding an envelope and loudly declared, "Guys, big business is here!"

Paqueta, with his arms covered in black tattoos, asked, "Big business worth ten thousand dollars, boss?"

Marcelo opened the envelope, pulled out a stack of photos taken of the targets, handed them to his brothers, and announced, "A big deal worth thirty thousand dollars!"

Hearing the figure, the others immediately dropped the cards in their hands and passed around the photos to examine them.

Marcelo said, "Those six bastards committed a major crime in America and supposedly got a huge sum of money. They're currently hiding in Tijuana, and their detailed information is on the back of the photo. Our mission is simple: find them and send them to hell. Not only will we get thirty thousand US dollars for the job, but all the money they have on them will be ours."

The others looked at the photo and noted the information on the back; this was indeed a lucrative deal.

Marcelo's group had a certain level of professionalism; they were once part of Mexico's anti-drug special forces. However, this line of work had one characteristic: all the work was preparation for becoming traffickers one day.

For some reasons, they weren't accepted by the traffickers and became mercenaries active along the US-Mexico Border.

Marcelo shouted, "Alright, guys, get moving. Find the people fast. Those who suddenly come into a lot of money are sure to spend big, which shouldn't be hard to track."

Including himself, five people left the bungalow and headed to some well-informed bars or The Red Light District to search for clues.

These snakes of Tijuana could be quite efficient when they got down to business.

......

Los Angeles, Anna Purna Pictures.

In the president's office, Megan Ellison, with her short hair and a face that resembled a man's, closed a screenplay and placed it next to another one.

The two screenplays were "The Seventh Son" and "Transcendental Hacker".

She pressed the intercom and said to her assistant, "Send Drett and Wilson over."

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

Megan picked up a screenplay and shook it, asking, "What's the situation now?"

Drett replied, "On the day of the report, two senior executives from Davis Studio urgently contacted the screenwriters and copyright owners of these two screenplays, wanting to buy the screenplays as soon as possible. From what I understand, they're quite eager. The screenwriters and rights holders took advantage of this and demanded millions of US dollars in high prices. Negotiations are ongoing."

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

Megan laughed, looking even more man-like, "Martin Davis regards these two screenplays very highly."

Drett could confirm this, "Very highly indeed."

"Go start the formal negotiations and secure the rights to these two screenplays," Megan said with the flair of her father, straightforwardly, "Money is no object."

"Yes," Drett responded, ready to leave.

Wilson interjected hastily, "Wait!"

Megan inquired, "Is there a problem?"

Unlike Drett, who had not been in the industry for long, Wilson came from a standard Hollywood producer background and was more considerate, "President, I've looked into it. Martin has already called the police, LAPD and the Detective Bureau are investigating. If we acquire the rights to these two screenplays, Martin Davis might suspect we're involved."

He didn't know this before. It wasn't until Megan informed him that Drett had already obtained a copy of the screenplay from the creators, "Martin Davis is a tough man to deal with."

Megan suddenly laughed, "The screenplays are here for anyone to bid on." She spoke with the authority of an Oracle Corporation heiress, "Even if Martin Davis finds out, what can he do about it?"

Wilson opened his mouth but couldn't find anything to say.

Megan questioned, "Does he have more money than me or is he brave enough to come over with a gun and kill me?"

Wilson didn't know how to respond. Megan Ellison was an outsider to Hollywood, and she did not follow Hollywood's usual ways.

She had money and power at her disposal, and she didn't care about the traditional powers of Hollywood.

Megan had been involved in the investment for "The Hurt Locker" and achieved initial success in Hollywood; her confidence was at an all-time high. She told Drett, "Go ahead, agree to their asking price and acquire the copyrights to the two screenplays. Let every creator in Hollywood know that the price the old companies and studios won't pay, Anna Purna Pictures will!"

Drett understood Megan's intent very well, "I will make a high-profile purchase of the rights to these two screenplays."

Megan's gaze was steady and filled with confidence, "Do it now."

She then turned to Wilson, her face brightening with a smile, "I'll rely on you for the production. Martin Davis's repeated successes are no fluke, go find top-line actors and directors, there are no budget limits."

Wilson said, "The screenplays Martin Davis has his eye on are indeed worth investing in. Leave the production to me; I won't disappoint you."

Megan handed the two screenplays to Wilson and added, "You have many contacts in Hollywood. Keep an eye on Martin Davis's side, and if you hear he's interested in a particular project or screenplay..."

"I understand." Wilson returned to his office holding the screenplays and once again started reviewing them carefully. "The Seventh Son" belonged to the typical fantasy epic genre, and "Transcendental Hacker" was a sci-fi category, achieving the ideal effect for either would be difficult with less than a hundred million US dollars apiece.

This venture was different from the company's first investment in a more artistic style.

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

By the end of January, Hollywood burst with shocking news; Madman Larry Ellison's daughter, Megan Ellison, had purchased the rights to two screenplays for an astonishingly high price.

Anna Purna Pictures bought "The Seventh Son" and "Transcendental Hacker" for 2.8 million US dollars and 3.2 million US dollars, respectively.

At the subsequent press conference, Megan Ellison herself announced to the media that "Transcendental Hacker" had invited Johnny Depp to play the lead role with a salary of 30 million US dollars.

The announced production budgets for these two projects both reached 150 million US dollars!

Along with "Zero Dark Thirty," which had just started preparations, Megan Ellison and Anna Purna Pictures' reputation surged.

As the Oscar nominees' luncheon was about to start, the news stirred up a frenzy in the industry.