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Chapter 154 - A madman

In such situations, typical members of an organization would feel apprehensive. Heath Ledger was no exception; he reluctantly accepted the police's proposal and became their pawn.

Morgan Freeman was quite satisfied with his understanding. The next day, he had his lawyer release Heath from custody, outwardly citing insufficient evidence and to dispel the remaining factions' vigilance within the "Golden Gate Group".

Back in the organization's office, Heath returned in silence. He sat on the couch, puffing on a cigarette. The smoke slowly billowed...

And so, the audience thought. Faced with the meticulous plan of the police, they were merely following the script. But even with this understanding, curiosity lingered.

On screen, Heath suddenly burst into laughter. "They want me to play the dog, hahaha."

He seemed to recall something incredibly amusing, clutching his stomach as if he had been greatly amused.

In this world, people were the most unpredictable.

Coincidentally, this plan encountered someone as neurotic as Heath. After feigning surrender, he called for Jason Statham, instructing him to organize manpower and directly eliminate the third-in-command.

"What's the harm in being a knife once? Who knows where this knife might strike?"

Whispering to himself, the scene shifted. Nicolas Cage, returning to Los Angeles from New York, met with Morgan.

A box of local pastries from New York was brought over by his subordinates and handed to Morgan.

Upon opening it, the box was filled with stacks of hundred-dollar bills.

Nic's intentions were clear: he hoped Morgan would back off, not meddling in the internal affairs of the organization.

Without even looking at the bills, Morgan threw them onto the ground.

The bills scattered, leaving Nicolas even more puzzled about the police's motives.

"Take it, I won't accept a hoodlum's money."

"Then why are you doing this?" Nicolas wore a look of confusion, "You're not launching a massive attack to eliminate us. You must have some ulterior motive for approaching me."

"Why eliminate you?" Morgan seemed even more puzzled, stating matter-of-factly, "No matter what, some other punks will seize the opportunity to take over. Then we'd have to start managing you all over again. It's exhausting."

"We don't have any demands of you. As long as you can assess the situation and obey obediently, that's all we ask. Don't create chaos."

"In other words, you want us to accept the police's control? Have you turned us into mere hired hands of the police station?" Nicolas spoke playfully.

Morgan smiled without offering further explanation.

Both parties left without reconciling their differences. Nicolas returned to his car with a headache.

His lawyer, who had been waiting, handed him a file. It contained the results of the investigation he had requested earlier.

Nicolas perused the document, his expression growing increasingly grave.

After reading it, he fell into silence for a long while. Then he made a phone call to Tom Cruise, arranging a meeting at a warehouse.

Next, he handed a page of the document to his subordinates, his tone chilling, "Bring her here. Remember, she has to be alive."

The dimly lit warehouse seemed rough and unrefined, especially in contrast to the weather outside, where rain was falling and dark clouds loomed.

Tom walked in with two henchmen, spotting Nicolas seated in a chair. Several people stood on either side.

Standing at the doorway, it felt like two different worlds—outside the warehouse was the gloomy rainy day, while inside was a tense atmosphere of scrutiny among friends.

Light traced between the two, capturing a still image, freezing the moment into a cold, hyper-realistic oil painting.

The stark contrast between the overall and close-up compositions.

"Quite intriguing," the Italian director who had previously felt insulted whispered, "The management of color and lighting is on point."

"Yes, it immediately establishes the atmosphere and feeling," someone else remarked.

The person beside him echoed the sentiment.

Naturally, the audience had little understanding of filming techniques like montage, parallel composition, or cinematography. If they weren't in the industry, they wouldn't bother with such matters.

However, this scene made their hearts race; all signs pointed to the exposure of the undercover agent's identity.

What would happen next?

Amidst the flickering lights, Tom entered slowly.

From that moment on, he didn't utter a single word. Only trembling and fear remained.

"Here's someone you might recognize. Want to meet her?" Nicolas maintained a ruffian tone, jesting, "I brought her along. There, inside."

A somber background music began to play as Tom feigned composure.

Under the watchful gaze of the third-in-command, he approached the large iron barrel in the warehouse.

Tom was taken aback. Although he had anticipated this, seeing the pitiful state of Kate Beckinsale, who had been tormented inside the barrel, still chilled his heart.

He turned back trembling, his face drenched in cold sweat.

Nicolas stood up, smiling, and walked over. He continued, "She's a familiar face to you, the owner of that cigar shop you frequent. Did you get a scare? Bro, do you know?" He pointed at the barrel, his expression suddenly serious. "That girl is a cop, a cop, a police officer."

The calm words were like a dagger thrust into Tom's heart.

He had always feared this kind of situation, but ultimately, he couldn't keep it hidden.

At this moment, he felt his hands and feet turn cold, overwhelmed and at a loss.

His eyes carried a hint of despair, a trace of release, leaving the audience feeling anxious.

Given the current state of his emotions, even if he were killed the next second, it wouldn't be a surprise. Instead, it would seem fitting for the brutality of the "Golden Gate Group".

However, Tom managed to depict the suppressed feelings exceptionally well. Emotions flowed from his eyes, shattering throughout his body, presenting a state of inner conflict.

From trembling to gradually composed, his gaze slowly grew resolute.

He was afraid of dying yet found death not so frightening.

This contrast left everyone tense. They suddenly realized that this "Tom", who had always relied on his good looks, was capable of such an explosively emotional performance.

Undercover roles weren't easy to shine in. In the previous scenes, they had mainly emphasized the power struggle between the second-in-command and the third-in-command.

It was only now that these fragmented scenes seemed to be piecing together, forming a complete, fleshed-out character that felt truly genuine.

Heath's role was designed to be manic and was easy to act convincingly. The same applied to Nicolas. However, Tom was different. He appeared to be a pawn manipulated on the chessboard, methodically executing orders. His occasional glances were unremarkable, seemingly indifferent—until the moment the pawn crossed the river, emanating a hint of desolation.

He was like a foot soldier, relentlessly advancing, with no retreat.

Moreover, it was precisely due to the dazzling performances of the two lead actors that his unassuming and helpless demeanor stood out in such harmony.

It was akin to a beautifully crafted vase, requiring a solid stand beneath it to support it steadily.

In the front row seats, Lyman even had the leisure to play a discreet game with Eva Green.

But Tom, seated there, was different.

This was the first time he had seen the complete film, and his emotional response was different. Especially hearing people quietly discussing his performance and role, those words of praise filled him with pride.

He remembered the times during the shooting of this scene when he had to do multiple takes, nearly reaching the brink of a breakdown.

Repeating the scene over and over, being dissatisfied, and then starting again—it was a blow to one's self-confidence.

Fortunately, the director was incredibly patient with him, and he gritted his teeth and persevered.

All of this effort led to a scene that was close to five minutes long, with not a single line of dialogue. It relied solely on expressions and eye contact to portray a confrontation. And he didn't fall short, completely matching Nic's performance.

Speaking of it, his determination to take on this role at the beginning was truly accurate. Lyman was indeed a director who smoothed his transition.

He had a thought that maybe with this role, he could change everyone's fixed impression of him and revitalize his acting career.

The undercover agent played by Tom, of course, didn't die. Apart from the informant, there was also one of his subordinates who died.

Upon returning to the gang with the group, when the lawyer asked the third-in-command why he didn't deal with him, Nicolas remained silent and solemnly placed the collected internal police information into a safe.

Here, a suspense was left. Why did the third-in-command show leniency and spare Tom?

The next day, Tom, who had miraculously survived and was very puzzled, once again found his superior and requested to quit.

However, Morgan still wanted him to continue undercover.

At the final moment of the chess game, he had no intention of ending it.

"Right now, the safest method for you is to focus on your role, let him take the lead," Morgan said.

"Damn it, stop with your nonsense!" Tom angrily grabbed his collar.

He genuinely felt exposed, and although he couldn't understand why he was spared at the critical moment, he didn't want to take any more risks.

Following that, Morgan's words only left him more puzzled.

He said there were traces of tampering with the internal police database, and almost all of your police identification numbers and confidential files were deleted.

As Tom pondered this, the scene shifted. Nicolas arrived at the gang's underground parking lot, preparing to leave for something, but found a large group of gangsters armed to the teeth surrounding him and his group. It was evident that someone was trying to kill him.

Outnumbered, Nicolas was shielded by his subordinates as they rushed to the elevator.

He frantically pressed the elevator button, the doors opened, revealing six burly men inside.

At this point, he couldn't afford to be choosy. He forcefully barged in and randomly pressed a floor button.

Seven men wrestled in the cramped space of the elevator.

Handheld camera techniques were used here, the lens slightly shaking, vividly portraying the real feeling of blades striking flesh and fists hitting home.

"Elevator War God", Nicolas Cage, was now in action.

As the head of the gang, he displayed his ferocity on the streets for the first time.