Chapter 49: The Dad-Scamming Play

Henry's situation wasn't difficult for those present.

As the saying goes, when there's a policy from above, there's a workaround below. Hollywood has many rules, but anyone determined to bypass them can always find a way.

So Qian Ning replied: "I can sign Henry to a temporary agency contract, then sign a performance contract with the production team, purchase insurance, and ensure all procedures are compliant. How about that?"

The producer had no objections. His only tasks were confirming the proper use of production funds and ensuring nothing in the filming process violated any laws.

Qian Ning was willing to sign only a temporary contract because he still needed to assess whether this young man had potential for cultivation.

As the most powerless bottom-tier figure in Hollywood, Henry naturally had no objections to the actions of these big shots.

After all, if it's a scam, it's only this one film that gets scammed. If he truly gets cheated, he could just treat it as tuition fees to build his own credentials.

The paperwork was swiftly completed, and Henry was taken to the filming location, where Qian Ning explained the shooting plan he and the stunt team's prop crew had devised.

Qian Ning said: "See that brown car? You're trapped in the back seat of this vehicle, driven by the villain—it's also the one scheduled for explosion. At that moment, the female lead will drive a red convertible alongside it."

"We've already installed mechanisms to control the car to move in a straight line at sixty kilometers per hour. Before you pass the first tree marked in yellow, you must climb out the window and prepare to jump."

"The first marked tree is your jump-off signal—leap into the back seat of the convertible. The second marked tree is the signal for the explosives team to detonate."

"A mechanism on the ground will launch the car upward from its rear while simultaneously triggering the explosion. The car is designed to roll through the air before landing; due to a custom flame device, the explosion's fire will be especially large."

"The old man who planted the explosives is a seasoned pro in the industry, trustworthy. We've already tested with a model, so the stunt can meet the director's requirements."

"As for the third pickup truck with the metal frame, besides having cameras mounted to follow you, it will also have a safety steel cable attached to your body."

"If any accident occurs, two crew members will tighten the cable and hoist you up. That's your safety system. Have you understood my explanation?"

Well, now he understood why the previous actor had refused the role.

The safety measure was only one steel cable, and to allow the stunt performer to jump from one car to another, the cable wouldn't be taut at first.

Only in the event of an accident would the safety personnel pull the cable tight to hoist the stunt performer up.

What kind of injury could result from the timing delay in between?

Suppose the cable didn't tighten in time, and the person failed to land in the other car. Henry's fate wouldn't be engulfed in the explosion, crushed by the flying vehicle, or dragged along the ground by the cable.

Not to mention whether that initially slack cable might interfere with the stunt performer's movements—if he got tangled or tripped mid-air, that would be hilarious.

In short, listening to this flawed plan, unless I were a Kryptonian, only someone with a brain crushed by a door would agree to this stunt design and safety setup.

"Can you do it?" the most anxious director asked. He added: "You must know—we only get one chance for the actual shoot."

Compared to the director's worried face, the producer was far less tense. To him, if this shot couldn't be filmed, then don't film it. He would never increase the budget; not filming meant less risk.

Henry's attitude was even simpler. This stunt plan had a chance of success—it was just extremely unsafe. Especially the safety measures after an accident felt utterly unreliable.

For Henry, who possessed Kryptonian superpowers, he only needed to ensure his performance succeeded, allowing him to hide his abilities beneath the success rate and avoid exposure.

It's like facing bullets from a gun—even ordinary people sometimes dodge bullets, perhaps due to luck or the shooter missing.

So Henry could simply avoid the bullet's trajectory in advance, without using super speed, and pretend he was just an ordinary person.

But if Henry chose to absorb bullets with his body, that was clearly beyond an ordinary person's capability. Even if he played dumb, his powers would be exposed beyond doubt.

As for suggesting improvements to the safety equipment to make the entire stunt more reliable, the thought flashed through Henry's mind—and then vanished.

It was simple logic: first, Henry lacked sufficient authority. Second, from the producer's perspective, he wouldn't necessarily allocate more funds to improve safety measures.

This ambitious young man wore an expression that said, "You dare ask for more money, I'll cancel this shot." No one dared provoke him.

So Henry went through the motions, inspecting the car about to be blown up and the convertible's back seat, then examined the safety device on the third vehicle.

After a moment, Henry said: "Let's do a few trial jumps first. If everything's fine, then we go for the real one?"

Qian Ning immediately replied: "Fine, let's do the first trial jump." During the test, Qian Ning, as head of the stunt team, gave the commands, while the director watched the results or offered feedback.

Despite budget constraints, three identical brown cars were prepared for the protagonist's car jump scene.

One was fitted with explosives and flame devices for the actual shoot—it carried explosives, so it was rarely moved.

One was used to film the interior shots of the car, showing the protagonist fighting the villain—so several doors had been removed to mount camera rigs.

The last car served as a backup and was also used to film normal driving sequences.

This car was driven beside the convertible, and Qian Ning said: "When filming, the distance between the two cars will be about this—within one meter. We can't get closer because the explosion and rolling will occur during the real shoot; if the cars are too close, the other vehicle might be affected."

"Where does my shot begin?" Henry asked.

Now the director stepped forward to explain: "The protagonist fighting the villain and climbing out the window are shot with close-ups inside the car. So when it's your turn, you'll be sitting on the window, your upper body outside. Adjust your posture, then jump!"

Henry, having understood, immediately went on set to try it.

For the first trial jump, both cars were stationary. Henry adjusted his position sitting on the window, waited for the director's confirmation, then proceeded with the next movement.

That meant gripping the roof, planting his foot on the window frame, turning his body, and kicking off hard to land safely in the convertible's back seat. The process was uneventful.

"No good!" the director shouted.

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(End of Chapter)