Everyone followed the assistant producer, gradually approaching the side door of the warehouse. Suddenly, a British actor appeared out of nowhere and joined the group.
"Have they gone inside?"
Matthew, following closely behind Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy, overheard Fassbender's hushed inquiry. The British actor nodded and whispered, "Kate Jeffrey has been inside for a while now. Tom West just entered a couple of minutes ago."
"Great!" Michael Fassbender revealed a shark-like grin. "Excellent!"
The group needed new costumes and had to enter this particular warehouse. Michael Fassbender had made arrangements with the assistant producer the previous night, ensuring they were on the same page.
What they were doing now was merely for show, to keep up appearances for outsiders.
The assistant producer reached the side door and strangely remarked, "Why is the lock already open?"
"Hurry up and get us our clothes!" James McAvoy, seeing the assistant producer getting carried away with his role, urged him on. "We still have training to do."
The assistant producer opened the warehouse's side door and entered first, with Matthew, Michael Fassbender, and James McAvoy following.
This group was well-coordinated. As soon as they entered the warehouse, everyone quieted down and moved stealthily.
Inside the weapons warehouse, Kate Jeffrey was half-reclining in front of a large prop gun cabinet, backed by rows of M1 Garands and Chicago Typewriters.
Tom West stood in front of her, unwrapping the equipment he had prepared that morning. The oil seemed excessive and carried a slightly pungent aroma.
"Hurry up!" urged Kate Jeffrey, "What are you dazing off for?"
At this crucial moment, Tom West glanced down, felt the chill in his hands but noticed no other issues, and proceeded to use the equipment.
In such heated moments, who would bother with trivial concerns?
Matthew, blending in with the actors, followed them down a corridor. Michael Fassbender gave James McAvoy a significant look, "Time to act."
James McAvoy slipped his hands into his bulging coat pockets.
Just then, a shrill, piercing scream that seemed to reach the heavens suddenly erupted from ahead. Even through a door, it was startlingly clear.
"Ah..."
It was an unusually sharp female scream, terrifyingly reminiscent of a woman who had been assaulted by every man in the crew.
A muffled male roar followed.
Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy exchanged glances, unsure of what had occurred.
"Tom West!" Kate Jeffrey's sharp voice rang out again, "What have you done? Are you burning me?"
"Ah..."
Her voice grew increasingly high-pitched, as if some irresistible force was dragging her into an abyss.
Matthew was momentarily stunned. Was the effect really that potent?
In the props warehouse, the two individuals sounded almost insane, making various noises, while those in the hallway were baffled, unsure of what to do.
"Get out of the way!"
Finally, Kate Jeffrey managed to utter a coherent sentence. Tom West bellowed, "You're having a seizure, I can't get out, how can I move?"
"Damn it!" Kate Jeffrey's shout was so unpleasant it resembled fingernails scraping a rusty iron plate. "Where's the phone? Hurry, call for medical help! I'm going to die..."
Hearing this, Michael Fassbender couldn't help but grin like a shark, shouting loudly, "Who's there? Need help?"
After saying this, he signaled to James McAvoy, who then shouted to the people around, "Someone's screaming! Quickly, let's help!"
Their voices were not quiet, and surely those inside the weapons warehouse heard them. Tom West roared again, "Don't come over! We're fine!"
Though Tom West was a recently discharged soldier and maintained a clear head in such moments.
But Kate Jeffrey, unaccustomed to such situations, couldn't care less about decorum and loudly said, "Hurry! I need help! Get a doctor! I'm dying! Ah! Ah—I really am going to die! God, please forgive me... I don't want to die..."
As she spoke, her voice turned to sobs, sounding more tragic than a medieval woman subjected to the church's burning stake.
Suddenly, Matthew worried a bit—could Kate Jeffrey actually be in danger? Surely not, it was just menthol after all.
Initially, he had considered using a super-concentrated chili water, but that would be too noticeable.
At this point, Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy wouldn't care what Tom West was saying. Despite the situation unfolding much differently than anticipated, ruining their initial plans, Kate Jeffrey's cries provided a good excuse to rush to the doors of the weapons props warehouse and kick them open.
Then, seeing the bizarre scene inside, Michael F
assbender and James McAvoy both stared wide-eyed and agape, unsure of what to do next.
"Save her! Save her!" Michael Coolitz rushed from beside Matthew into the warehouse, "Quick, save her!"
Over twenty people thundered into the warehouse, then collectively paused.
Kate Jeffrey and Tom West lay on the ground, strangely connected by a garment, with her trying to roll away but unable to separate from him, only managing to twist about clumsily.
Seeing this scene, Matthew suppressed a laugh, confident that Kate Jeffrey was in no real danger, merely uncomfortable.
However, Kate Jeffrey's distress was more than just discomfort—she had begun to sob uncontrollably, tears and snot ruining her face.
"Save me! Please, save me!" she pleaded with the crowd, reaching out her hands, "Please, take me to a doctor."
Tom West, enduring his pain, protested, "Don't! You..."
His words were cut short by Michael Fassbender, who called out to his companions, "Don't just stand there! Hurry and help!"
Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy led the charge, and several actors gathered around. Despite the peculiar reason the two couldn't separate, their collective strength was enough to lift both individuals and proceed.
Everyone seemed to forget that Kate Jeffrey and Tom West were undressed...
Kate Jeffrey and Tom West were carried out of the warehouse with underwear hanging between them.
Though Tom West was strong, the many hands on him, coupled with his trapped position, left him with no room to resist, and his words were drowned out by Kate Jeffrey's piercing screams and sobs.
As if that wasn't enough, Michael Fassbender gave James McAvoy a knowing look, suggesting, "Hurry, find a doctor!"
James McAvoy, understanding, let another take his place carrying the individuals and sprinted ahead.
"Help! A doctor!" he ran and shouted at the top of his lungs, "A person is dying! Where's the doctor? Quick, come save a life! Help!"
It was lunchtime, and initially, there weren't many people outside the warehouse. James McAvoy's cries for help drew out dozens from nearby restaurants, offices, and the pyrotechnics department.
Spectating is a universal pastime worldwide.
Seeing the crowd ahead, Tom West finally shut his mouth and slowly closed his eyes, his face turning beet red.
He had never been so embarrassed before.
As he was carried forward, surrounded by murmurs.
"What's going on with these two?"
"Really funny, messing around and ending up like this."
"A pair of shameless lovers."
"Embarrassing, I'd find a place to crash if it were me."
"Help! A doctor!" the cries for a doctor continued unabated, "Someone's dying! Where's the doctor? Quick, come save a life! Help!"
More and more people came out, pointing and murmuring about Kate Jeffrey and Tom West.
Compared to Tom West, who felt incredibly embarrassed, Kate Jeffrey was unconcerned with anything else. She felt as though she was being roasted over a fire, on the verge of death.
Matthew watched the agonized Kate Jeffrey without a trace of sympathy. As a small-time player, he didn't understand the grand principle of repaying evil with good—just that dealing with villains required even worse measures.
His smile flickered as the previously suppressed emotions from their last conflict instantly lightened. Looking up at the sky, even in November, he thought the weather in London was quite nice.
Following the actors for a while, he gradually slowed down when unnoticed and blended into the crowd of onlookers, eventually stopping and leaving Kate Jeffrey to the mercy of Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy, her so-called friends.
Joining the onlookers, Matthew reached the medical room, where the crowd had carried Kate Jeffrey and Tom West inside. The gathered crowd showed no signs of dispersing, still crowding around the entrance to the medical room.
Such incidents, even in a Hollywood film crew, were rare, providing additional gossip material when chatting about industry gossip.
Matthew saw Michael Coolitz coming out of the medical room and approached him, asking, "How is it now? What's the situation?"
"I'm not quite sure," Michael Coolitz shook his head. "I was kicked out by the doctor as soon as I entered."
Both stood at the medical room door, waiting a few minutes before Michael Fassbender also came out.
He saw Matthew and Michael Coolitz among others. This wasn't the place to talk. He gestured to everyone, and they headed toward the cafeteria area.
Once they reached a secluded spot, he covered his mouth and began to laugh uncontrollably, his body shaking from the intensity.
The others, remembering the appearance of Kate Jeffrey and Tom West, also burst into laughter.
"Although our plan was interrupted by the unexpected and didn't serve its intended purpose," Michael
Fassbender told the group, "I like this accident!"
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