"Murphy Stanton was found guilty of illegal intrusion into a private home and negligent injury, and was sentenced to a fine of 200,000 US dollars and imprisonment for twelve months..."
The side door of the Chino City State Prison in California opened. Murphy Stanton and his companion Rose walked out of it. The first time they breathed free air, they thought of the scene a year ago. Perhaps he was the most unlucky person in the world. After his rebirth, he came to Los Angeles from the other side of the Pacific Ocean. What he saw was not the legendary world of colorful flowers, but a huge tragedy. At that time, he had been arrested by the Los Angeles police, faced several charges, and was eventually convicted. Spent nearly a year in California State Prison.
"What do you think?"
The one who walked out of the prison with Murphy was a typical Latino. He was strong, raised his tattooed hand, and patted Murphy's shoulder. He pointed to a car parked on the side of the road and said, "Let's go. Our car is coming to pick us up."
The prison is far from the city, and it is not easy to get a ride. Murphy nodded and followed him to the car. The two people standing in front of the car immediately gave Rose a flattering smile and opened the rear door for them.
Murphy was also welcomed, and Rose along with murphy got into the car separately from the left and right doors, the car turned around and drove toward Los Angeles, fifty miles away.
The speed of the car was very fast, especially after getting on the highway.
After experiencing this year's prison career, Murphy's entire temperament seemed a bit tough. In a place like a men's prison, a person like him is considered fairly well and can protect his own chrysanthemum even if he drops the soap.
"What are your plans for the next step?"
The Latino took his gaze back from the car window, looked over here, and asked, "Murphy, why don't you do it with me, I can promise, U.S. dollars and pretty girls..."
"Rose," Murphy interrupted, shook his head, and said, "Do you want me to sell guns and drugs with you? I don't want to go back to prison."
He didn't shy away from this. With the friendship that the two had formed while fighting side by side in prison, there was no need to shy away. Murphy exhaled and said in an extremely certain tone, "I will earn dollars. , Pretty girls, I want the most beautiful movie star, my future in Hollywood will be magnificent!"
"Poor little guy..." Rose raised his hand and patted his shoulder again, "have you still not woken up from your dream? Your house has been forcibly confiscated to cover the fine. How would you get a foothold in Los Angeles? Murphy, There are tens of thousands of people who come to Hollywood to pursue their dreams like you every year, and how many of them made it in the end?"
Although he used to be just a graduating student from an influential film school on the other side of the Pacific, Murphy at that time also studied Hollywood as it's world film center. He knew that what Rose said was not exaggerated, and even considered optimistic.
Not everything was jolly in Hollywood, all the stars who media talked about were the ones who made it while the failures returned home, and the number of winners were just a tiny fraction when one considered the sheer volume of newcomers in Hollywood.
Murphy knows how difficult this path is. The question is, if he doesn't take this path, what will he do in the future? Once he was just a student of a terrible film school, and he was only good at movies. After returning to Los Angeles in 1999 and after spending another year in jail, if he didn't choose the film industry he was most familiar with, then he would have to sell guns and drugs with rose
However, what Rose said is also a very practical problem.
Turning his eyes towards the window, Murphy looked at the rapidly retreating scene, and everything that happened when he came to this world returned to his eyes.
Although he has accepted the fact that he came here from the other side of the Pacific Ocean and became this twenty-year-old boy named Murphy Stanton since he came to this world, Murphy's been kind of depressed especially due to the change of identity and language was maddening at the beginning for him, and fusing the memory of the original owner is definitely not a pleasant thing. The head contained another person's thoughts as if someone was stirring the brain with his hands, making him uncomfortable.
The only good news is that Murphy has basically solved some problems in language and adapted to it during this year.
Shaking his head, which was somewhat sore and tearing, Murphy couldn't help but sigh in secret that he had been miserable enough, and his situation is obviously worse now.
In the memory he got from the fusion, this man was named Murphy Stanton used to be a freelance journalist, but was unemployed without a fixed career. He relied on shooting some messy material on the street and sold it to local small TV stations to make a living. Shabbiness is simply the best description of this one's financial situation, and to make it worse, he had no skills at all. The only thing that could be gained from this one's memory was English language proficiency and a set of memories containing locations of neighboring buildings and scenic spots.
"Born in a slum in Los Angeles, my parents met God due to a car accident caused by alcohol".
Seeing Rose next to him was thinking about things, Murphy muttered to himself, analyzing the glorious history of the former owner's body, "He dropped out of public high school at the age of sixteen; mowed peoples lawn for a month, the only thing he got was food. Then worked as a car mechanic, but the customer's car was left in a worsened condition than it was before by him so got fired and; went to the streets of Los Angeles to sell drugs, but was not too courageous to do it, got back to steeling the manhole cover and the airport fence net, but fortunately he was lucky to not get caught..."
"You are really miserable."
Murphy repeated one of the most spoken words in a year and he spoke it from his native language. Compared with the present, he was too lucky before. This guy was undoubtedly an idiot who saw money openly. Murphy admitted that he also saw money openly, but he would never do something stupid like that guy was sent to prison.
In the beginning, as a so-called freelance journalist, he was hired by a private detective agency. Not only did he shoot the media tycoon Summer Redstone, infringing on his privacy, but he also broke into the other party's private mansion and was arrested. His mind was still in chaos. He mishandled the head of a British director who was a guest at Redstone's mansion. He could get away with paying a certain fine. However, media tycoon Summer Redstone felt that his face was lost and personally pressured the Los Angeles police to make Murphy's life miserable, Hence resulting in him spending a year in jail.
The year in prison was definitely not so good. The several scars on Murphy's body are the best proof. If he didn't get acquainted with Rose, the ground snake, he might have lived even more miserably, and more importantly, after coming to this world. The precious time of his first year was completely wasted in prison.
That hapless guy is definitely an idiot, obviously getting involved in a fight that a small person like him could not participate in, and sadly became poor cannon fodder.
This is the price Murphy paid for his greed and growth, so he has to bear the consequences.
Especially Summer Redstone, who sent him directly to prison. Murphy remembers clearly that due to the tremendous pressure on the California judicial system, not only caused his prison disaster but also made him lose his only foothold in Los Angeles. The houses were forcibly confiscated to cover the fine.
Because of the extremely uncomfortable experience in the prison, Murphy had formed a grudge about it, but he knows very well that Summer Redstone is an out-and-out dragon, definitely not something he can provoke now. If Murphy was a student a year ago and was a bit naive, then the prison life this year was enough to make him understand how realistic and cold the world is.
For a small person like him, even the most basic survival was not an easy task.
The car finally arrived in Los Angeles. Instead of staying in the suburbs, it went straight into the city center. In any case, Murphy has the memory of a Los Angeles native. With the personal experience of this year, he has some understanding of the situation in the greater Los Angeles area. Like most places in this country, the city center does not represent prosperity but is synonymous with slums.
If Murphy makes his own evaluation, then this country is definitely a paradise for the rich and a Hell for the poor.
"Murphy, why don't you reconsider my suggestion?"
Rose next to him spoke again. Sometimes the friendship formed in prison is reliable where we go through thick and thin together. "Hollywood is not what you think it is, and it is difficult for people like us to find a job."
It is not easy for people in our circle to climb to a higher position. Hollywood is only Murphy's long-term goal. His short-term goal is actually only one, and that is how to survive in this country.
To put it simply, it means earning money to support himself.
He is penniless now, and he doesn't even know how he will have his next meal.
"No, Rose." Murphy didn't want to go to jail again to waste time, so he shook his head and said, "If I really can't make it, I will definitely go to you."
Murphy doesn't think it is suitable for him to get into this illegal profession.
"Turn right ahead..."
Looking back on the road, Murphy reminded the driver, "Stop the car at a three-way intersection ahead."
Although the guy's house was confiscated, he had a studio for his freelance journalist work and was simply remodeled in the apartment of his aunt who went to England, and it could also be used as a residence.
The car stopped next to a three-way intersection. Murphy grabbed his bag and just wanted to get out of the car, but was pulled by Rose. He pointed to the guy sitting on the co-pilot and said in a commanding tone, " Take out your phone and wallet."
The person in the co-pilot hesitated and took out a Nokia phone and a black wallet. Rose took it and threw the phone to Murphy, then opened the wallet and flipped through it, and handed all the two hundred dollars in it.
If it were in the past, Murphy would never accept it, but in the face of the heavy reality, there were not many choices. He just hesitated a little and put away the money and mobile phone. He nodded to Rose first, and then said to the man, "Thanks, buddy, I will return it to you as soon as possible."
Murphy opened the door, got out of the car, and turned to look at Rose inside. Rose had already sat near the window of the car and said loudly, "If your Hollywood dream can't be realized, don't forget you have a friend."
He lowered his voice slightly, "If we join hands, we will be able to rule the city center drug and underground gun market..."
"Wait!" Murphy stood on the side of the road, standing straight, with brown stubble shining brightly in the sun, and replied extremely confidently, "Rose, you will soon see Murphy- Stanton's name spread throughout the United States."
Rose didn't believe these words at all but still encouraged his friend.
The car slowly drove away from the three-way intersection, Murphy looked away from the rear of the car and looked around. The buildings here looked old, dilapidated, and crowded, which can be described as a typical slum.
Here is where he will live and progress.
Despite his ambitions, Murphy is very clear that what he has to face now is not illusory Hollywood, but the real deal here is that not everything is fun and games.