blueteamnovel Chapter 117 The Instructors Arrive
Chapter 117 The Instructors Arrive
Chapter 117 The Instructors Arrive
Back at the Sheraton Hotel, Qin Han watched with a sense of helplessness as Sylvester Stallone, a burly man, resembled a brown bear that had just stolen honey, clutching the contract and stroking the signature on it again and again, occasionally grinning from ear to ear.
Renee and George looked at him with envy.
Bruce Lee hasn't returned yet. Since moving into this hotel, the kung fu superstar has practically made the editing room his home.
He is a complete perfectionist when it comes to martial arts and movies. Even a slight delay in sound effects would make him stay up all night with the editor.
"Rene," Qin Han greeted the girl in front of him with a smile.
The girl was wearing a simple white T-shirt today, her long blonde hair casually tied back. Hearing the boss's call, she immediately stood up: "Qin, what's the matter?"
"Come and take a look." Qin Han took the contract from Stallone and placed it in front of her.
Renee stepped forward, her gaze falling on the appendix to the contract—a preliminary plan for the cast.
The section for the female lead, "Adrian," is currently blank.
"Sly has already got her ticket; now it's your turn. In this movie, Adrian is the female lead, but she doesn't have many scenes. She's Rocky's pillar of support, the key to teaching the beast gentleness."
"Ashley has spoken to me, and the auditions will start next week."
Renee's breathing quickened instantly, and a flicker of longing flashed in her azure eyes, but it was quickly overshadowed by immense unease.
"But—Qin, that's the female lead—" She bit her lower lip, her voice a little dry: "I only appeared once in Dragon Fight, and I didn't even say many proper lines."
"Are you scared?" Qin Han smiled and reached for the microphone. "If you think it's inappropriate, I can call Fred right now and tell him that Han's Films is giving up its recommendation rights."
"No!" Renee cried out instinctively, her cheeks flushing red.
Qin Han looked at her, his gaze hardening with unwavering determination: "Listen, Renee. This audition is truly decided by Warner Bros. Stallone is a complete newcomer, so why can't the lead actress be a newcomer too?"
"Although Fred is our friend, he is first and foremost a Warner executive, and he is accountable to Ashley and to that $150 million."
"So, this time it won't be as lenient as 'Enter the Dragon.' No one will give you the green light just because you're my employee. If you're acting like a block of wood, Fred will fire you without hesitation."
These words extinguished Renee's lingering hope of getting in through "back channels," but also stirred up the tenacity deep within her.
As a child from a poor family, I grew up in a slum and endured all kinds of hardships to support my younger brother's schooling.
She has realized that in the world of Hollywood, every opportunity is like a fleeting shooting star; if she doesn't seize it, she will never have a chance to make it big.
"I understand, boss." Renee raised her head, her eyes becoming firm. "I will take this audition seriously and bring the introverted, sensitive, and affectionate Adrian to life for them."
Qin Han nodded in satisfaction: "That's right. This is just the beginning. If you can land Adrian, even if it's just a small role, you'll have officially stepped into the world of Hollywood."
"Calm down and hone your acting skills. When you're truly ready, I will personally write a script for you. A script that is entirely yours, where you are the absolute leading lady."
Renee felt a surge of heat rush to her head, and her blood was boiling.
If someone else had said this, she might have thought it was empty promises, but this man in front of her—
He turned Sylvester Stallone, who had a lisp, into the lead actor; he brought the decadent Elvis back to his pedestal; and he sold a Chinese kung fu film for an astronomical price.
In his hands, it seems that nothing is impossible.
"Thank you, Qin! I—I will definitely not let you down!" She was so excited that she was incoherent, and her eyes were slightly red.
Sylvester Stallone poked his head out, waving his fist: "Rennie, good luck! If you get eliminated, I'm going to stay outside Fred's office!"
The tense atmosphere was eased considerably by this witty remark, and the room was finally filled with laughter.
The following morning, the Los Angeles sky was unusually clear, free from smog, and the sunlight was dazzling and intense.
Qin Han arrived at the car rental shop alone, rented a Ford E-Class large minivan, and sped towards Los Angeles International Airport.
Last night, the hotel reception received a telegram from Hawaii.
-
General Samuel Fuller was extremely efficient, or rather, he was more concerned than anyone else about finding a good home for his old subordinates.
The telegram contained only one brief line: [Goods dispatched, will land at 10:00 AM tomorrow. —S]
Qin Han parked his car in the pick-up area outside the terminal, rolled down the window, and lit a cigarette.
At 10:15, a group of special "tourists" pushed their luggage carts out of the domestic arrivals exit.
What makes them special is that this group of people stands out from the bustling crowd.
There were six people in total, all of them white men around fifty years old.
He was wearing the most ordinary cheap jacket and work pants, and instead of a suitcase, he was carrying a badly worn military green canvas bag.
Time has etched deep lines on their faces, and their hairlines have mostly receded to the top of their heads, but their synchronized steps and ever-vigilant eyes silently proclaim their identity—they are a pack of old wolves.
The leader was a burly, bald old man with a hideous scar on his left cheek that stretched from the corner of his eye to his ear, making him look even more frightening when he smiled than when he didn't.
Qin Han got out of the car and went to greet him: "Old Soldier Bar?" he asked tentatively.
The bald old man stopped in his tracks: "A fire on the beach."
The code was matched.
The old man grinned, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow by tobacco, which twisted the scar, making him look particularly fierce.
He pulled a letter from his pocket and handed it to Qin Han: "That old bastard Samuel said that if you follow me, you'll have meat to eat, wine to drink, and you can beat people up with a legitimate reason."
"I'm Bruno, the temporary leader of these old geezers. I used to be a sergeant major in the 1st Marine Division. If you think I'm not up to the task, I'll buy a ticket and go back right now."
Qin Han took the letter and laughed: "There's no need to doubt the person Samuel introduced. Sergeant Bruno, get in the car."
He opened the car door and gestured for people to enter: "Meat and alcohol are plentiful. As for beating people up—there will be plenty of opportunities later."
Six veterans boarded the vehicle in single file, their movements swift and efficient, belying their age.
Upon opening the letter, Samuel stated that he had learned from Bill about Qin Han's desire to establish a company and naturally offered his strong support.
Bruno pointed to Bill's name on the letter: "That kid Bill—I mean General Sterling, he's in on this too?"
"Of course." Qin Han held the steering wheel steadily. "The company's registration documents will soon be in the Pentagon's archives."
"In a sense, you are carrying out unofficial tasks for the country."
Upon hearing the words "Bill" and "extra assignment," the atmosphere among the veterans noticeably relaxed.
Most of them have been retired for many years and live in poverty; some can only find odd jobs at gas stations.
Being able to return to his old ways, with the backing of a military bigwig, is truly a blessing from God.
The car headed east, leaving the bustling city center, and eventually turned into an industrial area on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
This is an abandoned cannery, with withered vines climbing the red brick walls, and the huge tin-roofed factory buildings radiating heat under the scorching sun.
Qin Han prepaid three years' rent for this land.
"This is our camp." The car stopped on the empty concrete ground, and Qin Han jumped out, pointing to the somewhat desolate cluster of buildings in front of him: "It's far from residential areas, and there are no neighbors within three kilometers. No matter how much noise we make, no one will complain."
Bruno got out of the car, looked around, and his experienced eyes quickly assessed the environment.
"Nice place." He nodded, pointing to a row of bungalows in the distance: "Is that the dormitory?"
"Yes, it has already been cleaned. Although it's simple, it has water and electricity."
Qin Han led everyone into the largest factory building.
"This is the indoor training ground. Later, we will lay down mats and set up a fighting ring."
He then pointed to a wasteland behind the factory, which had been bulldozed and was piled with old tires and sandbags: "That's the shooting range and tactical training area. The Remington shotguns and body armor are already on their way and should arrive in the next day or two."
Upon hearing that there were real weapons, the eyes of several veterans visibly lit up, and some even whistled.
"Boss Qin, to be honest, before I came here I thought I was going to be a watchdog for some Hollywood star." Bruno stroked his stubble, his eyes becoming more serious. "Now it seems you really want to set up a proper military camp."
"What I need is a team that can fight tough battles, not bodyguards who just wear sunglasses and act cool," Qin Han said calmly.
Just then, the roar of an engine came from afar.
Several pickup trucks, kicking up dust, roared into the factory area and screeched to a halt in front of everyone.
The car door opened, and Zhou Ruofei was the first to jump out. Immediately afterwards, thirty young Chinese people got off the car one after another.
Most of them were in their early twenties, wearing floral shirts with dragon and tiger tattoos on their exposed arms, some even with toothpicks in their mouths, looking unruly.
"Master! I've brought them!" Zhou Ruofei rushed to Qin Han, wiping the sweat from her brow. "They're all top-notch fighters from the gang, with impeccable reputations and a knack for fighting! And some of your old acquaintances too!"
Following the direction he was pointing, Chen Bing was waving at him in the crowd, looking excited, as if to his companions: Look, I know our boss!
Qin Han smiled and nodded at him, and the "Tiger" in Chinatown seemed even more excited!
Soon, the two groups faced off in front of the empty factory building:
On one side are taciturn, rusty veterans; on the other side are noisy, energetic street thugs.
Bruno squinted, his gaze slowly sweeping over the group of young men: "These are the greenhorns you wanted us to train?"
He turned to look at Qin Han, a playful smile curving his lips: "Boss Qin, forgive my bluntness, but these kids look like they're just there to scare people on the street with watermelon knives."
"Look at that one," he pointed to a young man with dyed yellow hair, "he can't even stand properly, his legs are shaking. If he were on the battlefield, he'd be the first to wet his pants the moment a gun goes off."
The young people over there weren't deaf either; upon hearing this, they immediately erupted in uproar.
"You old codger, what did you say? You've got almost all your teeth, haven't you? Believe me or not, I'll make you crawl out of here!"
Several hot-tempered young men immediately rolled up their sleeves, ready to charge forward, but Zhou Ruofei stopped them with a dark expression: "6"
Shut up, all of you! No manners!
Qin Han did not stop the verbal conflict; instead, he watched the scene with great interest.
If these two completely different forces are not combined and integrated, this security company will naturally never amount to anything.
"Bruno," Qin Han said, "they are indeed greenhorns, they don't understand tactics or discipline."
That's precisely why we paid a high price to invite you here.
"These kids may be wild, but they're ruthless, obedient, and loyal. If you can train them, they'll be the sharpest blades."
Bruno shrugged, pulled a piece of chewing gum from his pocket, popped it into his mouth, and chewed: "Fine, now that I've taken the money, even if it's a pig, I can train it to be a mine-clearing pig."
"As long as they can hold on and survive, I guarantee they'll be completely transformed in a month."
"If not," Qin Han turned to his apprentice, "from today onwards, this place will be under complete lockdown. The words of these six instructors are my words."
"If anyone dares to cause trouble, you can discipline them yourself without the instructors having to lift a finger."
Zhou Ruofei immediately straightened her back: "Understood! Master, if anyone dares to embarrass you, I'll personally break their legs!"
After arranging the basic group assignments and accommodations, Qin Han called Bruno and Zhou Ruofei to the center of the factory.
"In addition to regular physical, firearms and tactical coordination training, I come here in person every week."
"I want to train all thirty of these people to become Jeet Kune Do masters."
"Jeet Kune Do?" Bruno paused in his chewing of gum, a hint of disdain in his eyes.
For these veterans who came from World War II and the Korean Peninsula battlefield, the so-called "kung fu" is more often just a fancy move in movies.
"Boss Qin, I've heard of Bruce Lee and seen his movies." He crossed his arms, his muscles straining against his jacket. "His screams on screen were pretty scary."
"But—this isn't a film set, there are no wires, and no extras falling down to help us."
Zhou Ruofei couldn't stand it anymore and was about to explode when Qin Han stopped her with a look.
He knew that Samuel's words and money alone wouldn't be enough to make these proud old lions bow down.
In this camp teeming with testosterone, the only common language is fists.
"Bruno, do you think kung fu is like dancing?" Qin Han cracked his neck, making a series of crisp sounds. "Jeet Kune Do is different."
He slowly walked to the center of the field, stood casually, and instantly became like a fully drawn bow: "Its sole purpose is to finish the opponent in the shortest time and in the most direct way."
He beckoned to Bruno with his finger: "Since you're in charge of teaching these kids how to kill, then I, as their boss, have to test you to see if you're qualified to be the head instructor."