America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

The Hummer's reckless charge caused a multi-car pileup, with two sedans flipping over, leaving the intersection a horrific crash site. Atop the Escalade, Martin touched his neck, which was sore from the seatbelt, with his left hand, while his right hand quickly produced a Glock pistol. Bruce stared intently at the Hummer and urged Martin, "Hide!" This was a bulletproof vehicle, even the windows were bullet-resistant. Martin reclined the passenger seat and lay down. The voice of the bodyguard came through the car phone, notifying Martin and Bruce that they had alerted the police, and they were on guard in the vicinity, with no threatening suspects found so far. Given Martin and Bruce's characters, they naturally wouldn't consider this an accidental collision. If Bruce hadn't reacted quickly enough, the Hummer would have hit the side of the Escalade directly. The roof of the Hummer was dented from being struck by a toppled lamppost, and it momentarily remained still. From Bruce's perspective, he could vaguely see the airbag on the driver's seat deploy, trapping the person inside. Amid the chaotic traffic, someone on a Prado yelled into a phone, "Howard! Howard, are you still alive?" No one responded from the other end. The person in the driver's seat glanced at the Escalade in front and hit the steering wheel with force, "Fuck! Didn't hit it, Howard, you idiot, can't even do such a simple task." Lately, Depp had been troubled by Martin, and as Depp's good brothers, people who were usually kept by Depp's money, of course, they couldn't bear to see Depp upset, so they took the initiative to resolve his worries. Howard planned this operation code-named "Crash," with the two of them assisting from the side. Depp treated them very well, and they wanted to repay him in their own way. A siren sounded from afar, the person in the passenger seat hung up the phone and said, "What do we do now?" The person next to him said, "Let's figure out how to get out of here first, dispose of this phone quickly." ...... After receiving the report from Martin's bodyguard, LAPD arrived at the scene as quickly as they could and took control. McLain's call also came through to Martin, who quickly recounted the situation, and McLain's call reached Superintendent Claire, who was in charge of the scene. This was a major intersection, which was under public surveillance, and LAPD technicians were retrieving footage immediately. Superintendent Claire's assistant, taking personal charge, conducted a scene report for Martin and Bruce, and also retrieved the video from the dashcam. This basic evidence could determine what had specifically happened. The door of the Hummer was forcibly opened, and after the airbag was released, the suspect was removed from the vehicle. LAPD had full control over the scene, and no further serious incidents occurred, Claire found Martin, who had just finished giving his statement, and said, "We will investigate this as quickly as possible to give Mr. Davis a resolution." Martin emphasized, "I suspect this isn't just a simple accident; that Hummer was coming straight for me. What's the suspect's condition?" "We've done a preliminary examination of the suspect. His injuries aren't serious, but he seems to be drugged," Claire's voice lowered, "If it's convenient, please come with me to see if you recognize him." Martin and Bruce followed Claire to a vehicle and looked at the surveillance video inside an ambulance. Inside the vehicle lay a skinny man covered in tattoos. Martin found him somewhat familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere. Bruce had a more profound impression of the man, whispering, "I've seen him twice." Claire asked, "Where did you see him?" Bruce detailed, "When Martin was shooting 'The Martian,' I saw him at the crew camp in Death Valley National Park." He was subtle in his words, "At that time, our crew had a conflict with Johnny Depp, and this guy was standing right next to Johnny Depp. Later, I saw him again near Johnny Depp and learned that he was one of Johnny Depp's hangers-on and pals." Claire's assistant immediately recorded this important information. With Bruce's cue, Martin took another look at the suspect on the screen and gradually remembered. During the conflict between "The Lone Ranger" and "The Martian" crews in Death Valley National Park when Depp urinated towards 'The Martian' crew, this bastard was indeed standing right next to Depp. "Superintendent Claire, I suspect this isn't an ordinary accident," Martin was the first to cast suspicion, "I suspect this is a premeditated murder orchestrated by someone!" Hearing this, Claire took it very seriously as the case was clearly more than a mere accident. As an old friend of LAPD and one of the most famous donors in recent years, Martin being in a car accident was, in a way, a provocation to LAPD. Who didn't know that Martin was a friend of LAPD, an honorary citizen of Los Angeles? Claire assured, "Mr. Davis, LAPD will resolve this case as quickly as possible." At this point, Bruce reiterated the Prado again. Before Martin and Bruce left, LAPD found the Prado and temporarily detained the two individuals in the vehicle. Through the images transmitted, Bruce once again recognized that the two individuals were Johnny Depp's henchmen. Although the LAPD still needed to continue the investigation to draw conclusions, for Martin, the result was already very clear. A few freelance journalists arrived at the scene of the car crash at first, and once the news spread that Martin was the victim of the accident, dozens of reporters rushed over like crazy, surrounding the area near the scene to take pictures. If it weren't for the LAPD setting up police lines, these people would have rushed into the crash site and shoved their cameras in Martin's face. By the time Martin emerged from the crash scene, protected by Bruce and several police officers, the reporters immediately swarmed around him. "How did this car accident happen? Martin, is someone targeting you?" "Martin, are you hurt?" "Are terrorists retaliating against you?" "Who is the culprit?" These questions bombarded him, but Martin seemed not to hear, remaining silent throughout. His private judgment was one thing, giving a public interview was completely another matter. Besides, what use was it to publicly accuse Johnny Depp? That Hummer had aimed to hit the Escalade, and it just so happened to strike the passenger side where he was sitting. Martin was well aware of the consequences. Verbal retaliation was useless. The bodyguard brought another car, and Martin and Bruce got in, heading back to Beverly Hills. As Bruce started driving, two police cars followed, escorting them back. Martin glanced at the rearview mirror and said, "This car crash is related to Depp, whether or not it was under his instructions. Their crazy actions are influenced by him." Bruce agreed, "Without Depp's influence, they wouldn't be so insane." Martin didn't speak again immediately but carefully considered how to make a strong retaliation. The car entered the Davis Estate, and as soon as it stopped in the fountain square, Lily and Elizabeth rushed over, relieved to find Martin safe and sound. "I'm fine." Martin looked at Bruce, who had just stepped out of the driver's seat, "Old Cloth saved me once again." Lily seemed not to believe that Martin was unhurt, her hands frantically searching him to confirm his safety. Once Elizabeth confirmed that Martin was indeed all right, she looked towards Bruce and said, "Old Cloth, any word of thanks would be disrespectful to yours and Martin's brotherhood. I'll just say one thing: you'll always be part of our family." Bruce just smiled, saying nothing. Between him and Martin, after so many life and death experiences, there was no need for many words. "Lily Carter, where are your hands touching?" Martin, obviously pained by her pinching, roared as if going into battle, "I'm not hurt! You pinching like this will really hurt me!" Elizabeth rolled her eyes, clearly exasperated. Lily, however, pushed Martin towards the villa, "Hurry inside, I need to check your body. You don't get to say whether you're hurt or not, only after I've checked will we know." Elizabeth, guessing what would happen next, wouldn't allow herself to be disadvantaged and immediately followed them in. Perhaps it's only a sense of fulfillment that could provide them with a sense of security after such an incident. Bruce took out a cell phone and started making calls, preparing for what was to come. Before long, Martin's phone began to ring nonstop, with many people calling to inquire about the situation. Martin had to reply to messages continually, even amidst his busyness. When he finished showering and came downstairs, dinner was ready in the kitchen. Martin had the housekeeper send some of the meals directly to the second floor to discuss with Bruce how to respond. Fifteen minutes ago, Bruce said, "Superintendent Claire called. According to LAPD's initial investigation, the perpetrator is named Howard Butt, a long-time follower of Johnny Depp's indulgences, with no legitimate occupation. Drug tests showed strong positives for narcotics use while driving—considered driving under the influence of drugs." Martin asked, "Was he acting on Depp's instructions?" "He confessed that hitting our car was a planned act, along with two other of Depp's henchmen. They studied our daily routes to and from work through the paparazzi reports," Bruce said, feeling partly responsible, a bit relaxed in his vigilance, "They originally ambushed us on our normal route, but because we changed lanes unexpectedly, they hurriedly followed us." Bruce took a sip of water and continued, "They insist the incident has nothing to do with Depp and that it was their personal action." Martin questioned, "They want to take the fall for all of it?" Bruce explained, "According to their story, you've caused Depp a lot of trouble, leading to him being very upset often, with an increasing frequency of depression episodes. And since Depp treats them very well, never refusing any requests for fun or money, they decided to teach you an unforgettable lesson on behalf of their brother Depp." "Such profound brotherhood!" Martin said sarcastically, "Why do I feel like we're the big villains?" Bruce shrugged, "Putting everything else aside, Depp indeed values brotherhood. If what those three idiots say is true, they're also all about brotherhood." "So it's decided then, I'm the big villain!" Martin declared.