Chapter 756: Inertia

In the morning, many people gathered at the Jincheng wharf to watch the fun.

Although shooting movies here has become very common, people... are still curious about the movie being shot today.

Because today's movie has the Navy participating!

Seven or eight warships lay on the sea outside Jincheng, and almost everyone was on the wharf, and even some tycoons in the Bay Area appeared here—

Of course, they couldn't stand on the wharf like mud-legged people and look into the distance, so they took private small boats and watched the warships on the sea far away from the port.

"I heard they will test fire today, is it true?", a girl couldn't help but ask curiously.

She was wearing the most fashionable and bold swimsuit, but it was just a sleeveless swimsuit. Its boldness was that two holes were opened on the side of the waist, revealing about two holes the size of a man's palm, and you could see the snow-white skin inside.

And its lower body used a slightly tight wrapping and a small lace-edged skirt, unlike those more conservative ladies' swimsuits, where the pants below had to reach the knees.

Although in Lanse's view, this is already a very conservative swimsuit, like in the future, they might not need many years to find ropes in their butt cheeks, but for now, it has made a very bold breakthrough, and they will continue to break through.

The designer allows the girl wearing it to show more of her proud figure. This is indeed an amazing breakthrough, and they will continue to break through.

Arthur, who was standing beside the girl, was wearing sunglasses and smoking, "Yes, I heard, they might fire cannons today."

"Shoot what?", the girl asked with great interest.

This girl is Arthur's second girlfriend after Colinda. For Arthur, freshness is important. He is keen to

He is a person who pursues novelty; superficial, mercenary, and ordinary—there is nothing wrong with that.

In reality, whether it is Mayor Williams, his brother James, or even his mother—the three people in the Williams family who currently hold significant sway—they have all discussed Arthur's current state.

In their words, his habit of frequently changing girlfriends is better than him frequently causing trouble.

For him, the biggest trouble right now is nothing more than getting a girl pregnant; the Social Party explicitly opposes abortion, so this is indeed a big problem for ordinary people.

Mayor Williams has many ways to have those doctors help him remove the child, so this is the greatest mistake Arthur could commit, rather than anything else.

From a certain perspective, he is actually a "good kid," considering his status, influence, and capacity for destruction.

Blowing in the wind, enjoying life—this is everything he likes.

He looked back at the beautiful girl and said with a smile, "Shoot you."

The two had already sparred, so this was a joke that wasn't too excessive; the girl laughed and lay on him, "Are you willing?"

"Why not?"

As the two were flirting, suddenly a warship in the distance fired two shots toward the shore, causing the crowd watching at the port to fall into instant chaos.

Not everyone; some people still stood where they were, while others were already screaming and running toward the back, their faces filled with expressions of terror.

Arthur, who had been flirting with the girl, was also so frightened he almost jumped into the sea, until ten-plus seconds later, when he squinted his eyes and still hadn't discovered any place being hit, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Fuck!", he cursed, then stood back up and raised his middle finger at those warships.

But immediately after, the other warships also began to fire; without a doubt, they were all blank shells, but the momentum was very terrifying!

This also gave the residents watching at the port quite a scare.

When they reacted, they gathered around again; they didn't quite understand what these warships were trying to film.

"Well done!", the two directors' faces were slightly flushed; this experience, if taken out, would be enough to shake the entire film industry!

They were firing "live ammunition" on the warships, and the footage they captured was not only realistic but also extremely impactful!

Especially when filming, even if the camera was fixed, the moment the warship fired, the camera would still shake involuntarily, which provided an unimaginable sense of realism!

It is something that can never be expressed by filming in a studio; this is a kind of "language," a kind of "power"!

The soldiers were also very excited; the reason they were excited wasn't because they had fired the cannons or anything else, but because they had opened fire on New Jincheng!

This was a... feeling they didn't know how to describe, especially seeing the crowds at the distant port screaming and running in all directions, which made some navy soldiers unable to help but laugh out loud.

Lanse also nodded slightly; it was filmed very well. He had originally intended to give Admiral Miles 100,000 dollars as expenses for cooperating with the filming.

But Admiral Miles refused directly, telling Lanse that never mind firing a few shots, even if they used up most of the ammunition, it wouldn't matter.

When the time came, he would submit a report, and the Department of Defense would transport new ammunition over; there was no need for him to spend his own money at all.

The business between the two sides was large, so Lanse didn't insist on him accepting the money.

This scene captured the fleet bombarding New Jincheng; later, they would perform some editing work, cutting in some "explosion" footage to make the smoking sand table look like a city in flames.

To ensure they wouldn't need to come back for reshoots later, they fired another round.

Many ships had fixed cameras that faithfully recorded all the footage.

Upon returning to port, Admiral Miles found Lanse and proposed an idea to him, "Tell me, could I show my face in the movie?"

Lanse was stunned for a moment, then immediately agreed.

A story about a navy revenge, with a real-deal navy admiral showing his face, would definitely deepen its authenticity and professionalism in the eyes of the audience.

Lanse did not refuse this; he would continue to play his role as the Navy Commander, mostly making phone calls in the office—it was a very easy role to play.

After returning to the port and declining Admiral Miles's invitation to stay, their group returned to the production company. In the production company's small studio, several one-to-one scale miniature sand tables of New Jincheng had already been prepared.

Each of these sand tables cost over a thousand dollars; being able to produce so many sand tables so quickly was thanks to Lanse's "money power."

Among the refugee group, there were some guys with manual skills—carpenters, carvers, or some other craft.

Under the influence of high daily wages, Lanse hired over a hundred people at once to simultaneously manufacture multiple sand tables for later filming.

These sand tables were replicas of the real New Jincheng at a one-to-one scale, and at this moment, it was time to destroy them!

There were already many people in the studio; the prop master responsible for the explosions and ignition had already buried the props and gasoline for the explosions in the sand table.

Just by pressing the buttons in sequence, the entire New Jincheng would be blown to the sky!

Of course, they had also set up some larger scenes over in Gaoshan, such as bombed-out streets and the like.

The buildings on both sides of the street were actually made of cardboard; only some specifically destroyed buildings were temporarily constructed.

Because they didn't need them to be very sturdy, this kind of work only required enough manpower, and it looked absolutely very realistic.

Both directors were full of praise for Lanse's wild ideas, and the entire crew believed that Lanse was definitely one of the best producers in the Federation.

Not everyone knew him.

Accompanied by the director calling for the start, the prop master began to ignite, and the models on the sand table were subsequently destroyed by explosives, and a small amount of splashing gasoline began to burn.

As for the running people and the like, they would be edited in later.

The first take wasn't perfect; some of the models' explosion effects didn't meet the directors' requirements, so Lanse offered a suggestion.

Cut the models first, then close them up; this way, when they exploded, it would meet the directors' needs.

The prop masters were busy for another half hour, and when filming the second take, they achieved very good results.

The moment the shells landed, the buildings were shattered and blown into the sky by the power of the massive explosion; that more distant and macroscopic perspective made everyone unable to help but gasp in exclamation!

"Perfect!"

The great director let out a sigh of relief and began to have people clean up these sand tables; the next few scenes would be filmed in Gaoshan, so the work here was considered concluded.

Before this, they had already filmed a large amount of New Jincheng in daily life—prosperous, with smiles everywhere.

At this very moment, compared with the city on the sand table emitting smoke and fire, it formed a strong contrast.

The best way to express contrast is not through naked expression, telling people and letting them compare, but by letting them witness everything with their own eyes, and then being shocked—only then will they have a deep impression!

Just like a sweet, well-behaved girl; you tell others she is a slut.

People find it hard to have an intuitive impression unless you let them see it!

"Mr. Lanse, when can we leave?"

"I can't wait to see the finished film; this is definitely a miracle in cinema!"

"We are creating history!"

"Every one of us will become a page in film history that cannot be bypassed!"

"I am now filled with power, just like returning to when I was twenty, with enough energy to date three at once!"

A great director certainly knows how to talk; what he said made all the members of the crew reveal smiles.

Although they are small figures, when this movie becomes a classic that must be learned in professional disciplines, they will be remembered by everyone.

At the very least, people will also see their names in the staff list, seeing them repeatedly, over and over, for ten years, fifty years, a hundred years!

Lanse patted the great director on the back, "After we finish cleaning up the things, we will leave."

He had people urge the protection of the remaining few sand tables; who knows when they might be useful again.

At the same time, he also had an idea; he planned to keep one for his own collection, and then produce an even more exquisite model sand table of the entire New Jincheng to place in his own office.

By the time they arrived in Gaoshan, it was already night, but there is no distinction between night and day in a studio; they first filmed some indoor scenes.

Like a family of four sitting at the dining table eating dinner, when suddenly a shell shoots in.

During filming, they adopted a foreground explosion effect, meaning the fire, thick smoke, and dust produced by the explosion were between the "room" and the camera.

During this process, the staff in the studio quickly pushed over the walls, sprinkled flour, and the family of four also lay on the ground playing dead.

Everything looked very realistic and was also full of impact.

The great director wanted to use the warm family dining time and destruction to construct the cinematic language.

One second, the family was still happily together talking about life, work, and the future.

The next second, just one shell ended the happiness of four people, filling three families with tragedy!

When reviewing today's footage at night, looking at those shots full of impact, Lanse revealed a satisfied smile.

Once this is released, not only will it bring him huge profits, fame, and influence, but it will also satisfy the persecution delusions of the military, Congress, the Presidential Palace, and everyone!

Where is this a movie?

This is simply a gear of history!

For two consecutive weeks, Lanse stayed on the set because the importance of this movie meant he couldn't let his guard down; it had to be produced to a level he was satisfied with.

In order to ensure the two directors and the crew wouldn't save on funds, before leaving, Lanse added another 300,000 dollars in filming funds, telling them to use it boldly and confidently.

Like a scene where they were to blow up a small boat; they originally planned to use a model, but Lanse told them to go buy one and blow up the real thing!

Before, he sometimes felt that those directors would destroy many cars or something else in a movie at the drop of a hat, wondering if they were not right in the head.

But when he started producing, he realized that only in this way could one create grand scenes!

He had originally planned to stay in Gaoshan until almost all the grand scenes were filmed, but something interrupted his plan to continue producing in Gaoshan, and he rushed back to New Jincheng early in the morning.

When he returned to his office, which he had been away from for more than two weeks, the sand table Lanse wanted was already placed in a corner of the office, but it still looked too big.

"Put it in the room next door later," Lanse said. Although he liked it, he couldn't let a huge sand table make his office look a bit out of place.

He returned to his seat and sat down, patting the armrest, "Where is the thing?"

Elvin took out a kraft paper bag and handed it to Lanse, then signaled for Lanse to open it.

Lanse glanced at him and poured out the contents of the kraft paper bag—a brick-like object, about three or four pounds in weight, wrapped in oil paper.

In his heart, he already had some inexplicable guesses, and even a little anticipation, as if witnessing history; he turned this thing over.

On the front, some patterns and instructions were printed; this thing was called "solid grape juice." It looked like the residue of pulp that hadn't been fully squeezed dry, pressed together, and it was still a bit damp.

Lanse couldn't help but laugh twice; shaking his head, he continued to read down, where there were instructions.

"Place this product in a clean, boiled vessel, add hot water that has cooled down, stir well, and then add sugar powder before drinking..."

Up to this point, everything was still very normal, but below, a sentence was added: "This product has natural fermentation properties; please do not store it in a cool, sealed place for twenty days or more, as it may undergo natural fermentation."

Lanse tore open the outer packaging, revealing the inside... he didn't know how to describe it; it was a bit like hawthorn cake in texture, with a thick grape scent and a faint smell of fermented rice wine.

He pinched off a small piece and held it to his nose to sniff.

The strong grape fragrance emitted from the broken edge, along with the faint fermented smell hidden within—these were the initial products of winemaking after primary processing.

Just like sweet glutinous rice mixed with yeast, it only needs to wait, and it will turn into rice wine; this thing is the same.

It's just that grape fermentation takes longer to wait for, and the content of fermentation bacteria inside is lower, which allows it to pass through inspection.

"Where was it discovered?", Lanse threw the small, sticky piece in his hand back and looked at Elvin.

Elvin picked up that small piece and smelled it himself, "Discovered by the state police, but they didn't know how to determine what this batch of goods belonged to, so they sent some over to ask."

The state police's hounds barked wildly at a truck, but when they opened it, they found it was selling solid grape juice; they even tried it on the spot.

It was indeed grape-flavored, just like... concentrated fruit juice; add some water, and it could be restored.

But someone instinctively felt that something wasn't right about this, so they sent a box over.

A box contained twelve pieces in total, each of which could produce about five or six liters of wine.

"Does New Jincheng have these things?", Lanse asked.

The huge profits of alcohol made criminal groups' smuggling and sales methods constantly upgrade. Lanse controlled the entire state's market, so they used this method to break the blockade. To make money, these people used the logical thinking skills meant for college entrance exams on finding loopholes.

Elvin nodded, "Yes, many places sell this thing, and the selling price is three dollars."

Lanse whistled, "Not cheap."

"But it's also very cheap!", he refuted his own words, "If you produce wine based on four or five liters, three dollars, that's less than one dollar per liter of wine."

Elvin was also a bit troubled because this thing... is very difficult to directly determine whether it is alcohol or not.

If you say it's alcohol, before it fully ferments, the detected alcohol concentration is negligible; legally speaking, it's not alcohol at all.

Moreover, it doesn't belong to "intoxicating beverages," so the law can't regulate it.

But if you say it isn't alcohol, it says very clearly on it: after adding cooled boiled water and stirring well, find a place to store it for a month, and it becomes alcohol.

And catching this kind of private brewing is difficult; regarding evidence collection and sending it for inspection, there is no very good way to deal with them legally.

Lanse was also scratching his head a bit; he couldn't exactly demand that the public not buy this thing, nor could he stop it from fermenting into wine.

Who the hell has nothing better to do than spend three dollars to buy crushed grapes?

Do they not know how to buy fresh grapes?

So the people selling it and the people buying it actually both know what this thing is for!

(End of chapter)