The richest actor in Hollywood.

Matthew sprinted back to the elevator entrance, almost like the wind. He carefully peeked inside first and, seeing that the small elevator room was still empty, rushed over to press the button. The elevator he had just taken was still on this floor, and the doors opened instantly.

He hugged the wall, waiting for the doors to fully open, and after a quick glance to ensure no one was inside, he slipped in and hit the button for the lobby. He swiftly closed the doors.

The bright red letters on his black SUV might have been a prank or revenge from someone in the industry he'd crossed, but it could also mean that someone was genuinely crazy enough to want to kill him.

Matthew was highly cautious with his life and cherished his current glamorous lifestyle. After all, he had only been enjoying it for a few years. Thinking about standing in front of the large floor-to-ceiling windows of the Horner estate, overlooking Beverly Hills, with a forest in sight, he realized he'd only taken down a few trees so far.

Hiding in the corner of the elevator, Matthew was on high alert. Though two or three people usually wouldn't be a match for him, he knew all too well that skills like kickboxing, MMA, Muay Thai, or kung fu were useless against firearms.

No matter how strong your body is, it can't stop a bullet.

When the elevator reached the first floor, the doors opened with a "ding," and footsteps could be heard.

Matthew didn't step out immediately but instead prepared to defend himself. In such a confined space, even if faced with someone armed, he would have some chance to fight back.

Just as his nerves were stretched to the limit, an elderly man with a cane walked in, giving Matthew a puzzled look. The old man coughed a few times, his frail body trembling as if it might fall apart at any moment.

Matthew smiled slightly at the old man, then slipped out of the elevator and into the lobby, where he spotted a few hotel security personnel and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

What a nightmare!

Matthew thought of the bright red letters on his Mercedes SUV and sighed, though he remained vigilant. He then approached the hotel lobby manager.

He had been to the Four Seasons many times, and the lobby manager was someone he was familiar with.

He quickly recounted the situation, and the lobby manager's face changed. After a quick apology, he picked up his walkie-talkie to notify the security department.

Before the manager could finish speaking, the hotel's automatic doors opened, and two patrol officers walked in.

This was Beverly Hills, one of the most famous wealthy enclaves in the country. The Beverly Hills Police Department had invested heavily in patrols here, and after receiving a call, officers usually arrived within five minutes.

If this had been downtown Los Angeles, the wait would have been much longer.

As the two officers approached Matthew, Brown Williams and his bodyguards also arrived at the Four Seasons.

With Brown Williams and four bodyguards by his side, Matthew felt genuinely relieved. He would rather assume the worst than take this lightly.

In cases like this, the response could be either minimal or significant.

When the person calling the police was a celebrity and a wealthy individual like Matthew, it was never a minor issue.

Soon, a dedicated officer from the Beverly Hills Police Department arrived to handle the situation.

"Hello, Mr. Horner."

In the underground parking lot, a middle-aged police captain approached Matthew. Matthew reached out to shake his hand and said directly, "Captain Bernardi, we meet again."

A barely noticeable hint of embarrassment crossed Captain Bernardi's smile as he said, "When I heard this case involved Mr. Horner, I rushed over immediately. We will get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible."

Matthew's expression darkened. He had little confidence in this captain's abilities. The underwear theft at Horner Manor happened years ago, and the police still hadn't solved the case—utterly frustrating.

The Los Angeles police really weren't known for their efficiency.

"Captain Bernardi, as a resident of Beverly Hills, I'm very concerned about the decline in public safety here," Matthew said, expressing his dissatisfaction. "My estate's theft case is still unsolved, and now someone is openly threatening my life!"

"I sincerely apologize," Captain Bernardi said earnestly. "The police have never stopped investigating the Horner Manor theft."

Matthew didn't bother saying more. The underwear theft case had clearly become a headless case.

At that moment, Helen Herman arrived. Accompanied by her, Matthew gave a statement to the police. There wasn't much to say, though, as he had run away the moment he noticed something wrong with his car.

Of course, in Matthew's view, this wasn't cowardice but rather a matter of self-awareness.

In this country, getting a gun was just too easy.

The police also asked if he had any recent conflicts with anyone, to which Matthew naturally answered no.

In truth, he had undoubtedly made many enemies, but who would resort to such a petty method?

After spending another half-hour at the hotel, Matthew finally left. His Mercedes SUV was temporarily out of commission, so he rode in Helen Herman's car, with Brown Williams sitting in the front passenger seat, and the driver now one of Matthew's bodyguards.

Without needing anyone to remind him, Matthew had already decided to increase his security level.

"Could this be related to the underwear theft case from a couple of years ago?" Helen Herman asked, puzzled.

As the car exited the underground parking lot, Matthew glanced through the window at the crowd of entertainment reporters blocking the main entrance of the Four Seasons. These guys were certainly well-informed.

"Who knows." Matthew shrugged. "That case was never solved, so it's possible the underwear thief is back."

He felt a headache coming on and turned to the front passenger seat. "Brown, also beef up security at the estate."

Brown Williams responded, "Understood."

Helen Herman, still concerned, reminded him, "Be careful, and try not to go out too much without reason."

"I will." Matthew took the situation seriously.

The phone rang, and Helen Herman answered it. After a brief conversation, she hung up and looked at Matthew. "That was Captain Bernardi. The police reviewed the hotel parking lot's surveillance footage and found some clues."

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "Who did it?"

Helen Herman calmly replied, "A male Latino, estimated to be between thirty and forty years old. The incident occurred around four in the morning."

"Latino?" Matthew frowned slightly.

"Captain Bernardi suspects he's of Mexican descent," Helen Herman continued. "The suspect didn't hide his face or avoid the cameras. After leaving the Four Seasons parking lot, he rode an unlicensed motorcycle to downtown Los Angeles."

She thought for a moment and added, "It seems he was specifically targeting you."

Matthew nodded slightly. There were plenty of cars in the Four Seasons parking lot, and if it had been a random act against luxury vehicles, there were a Rolls-Royce Phantom and a Ferrari parked near his Mercedes SUV, both far more valuable.

Helen Herman added, "With the surveillance footage, it should be easier for the police to investigate. I'll make sure they stay on it."

"Keep a close eye on this," Matthew instructed, "and on the Horner Manor theft case too."

The car headed toward Horner Manor, dropping him off at home.

Once home, Matthew called the *G.I. Joe* production team to cancel his work for the day. But even at home, he wasn't idle. With Brown Williams handling security, Matthew didn't need to worry too much about that.

After seeing Helen Herman off, Matthew opened his computer to check his latest emails. There were many regarding *G.I. Joe* and the character of Duke, which the production team had sent over just yesterday.

He had only recently signed on with the production and hadn't had much time to thoroughly research the characters and background information.

With the start of filming not far off, Matthew temporarily set aside Christopher Nolan's *Inception* to focus entirely on this project.

Even for a straightforward popcorn movie, the preparation work was extensive.

A fit, muscular physique was a must, along with a certain level of military knowledge and basic action training.

Fortunately, none of this was too difficult for Matthew. He had previously starred in numerous military-themed films, was very familiar with firearms, and had no trouble with action scenes.

By comparison, the background information for *G.I. Joe* was a bit less familiar.

During his time living across the Pacific, Matthew had watched the animated series, but he had only seen it for entertainment, unlike *Transformers*, which had left a much deeper impression.

From the animated series, the *G.I. Joe* characters that stood out to him were Duke and Flint.

Of course, there were also Cobra Commander and the bald Destro.

But beyond that, he didn't remember much.

In *G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra*, Matthew was cast as Duke, one of the most important leaders of the Joes.

Matthew spent most of the day reviewing the relevant emails, especially those related to Duke.

For Duke, many people might wonder if he is indeed the leader of the Joes.

In the Joes, the concept of rank is "blurred." Members retain the rank they held in their original units, but during training and operations, their ranks and names don't appear on their uniforms. Once you're a Joe, who leads whom depends on the specific job assigned within the team. Past experience doesn't count; team members address each other by code names, not "sir" or "sergeant" or the like.

So Duke's "sergeant" rank allowing him to command officers is not surprising.

In the comics and Hasbro's canon, Duke and Flint are on equal footing, with General Hawk above them. Below them, the hierarchy among team members

 depends on the mission and personnel involved.

In the American *G.I. Joe* comics, Duke and Scarlett are often the lead characters, since they are the main characters. This also meant that later on, characters like Lady Jaye, who were more popular in the British version, could be easily written off.

_________________________

[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!] 

[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]

[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]