Chapter 41 Capital Represents Everything
Gwen discovered something that defied common sense.
That was, she had been in Li Chen's arms, and as Li Chenflew higher and higher, she didn't feel anything.
Logically speaking, the higher the altitude, the lower the temperature.
Now that they were above the clouds, she should have frozen to death long ago, but right now she didn't feel a thing.
On the contrary, those two pieces of tin, especially the Iron Monger below, had already begun to freeze over.
As an honor student, Gwen immediately asked this question.
"Darling, why am I not cold?"
"Because I am protecting you."
Li Chen replied.
Gwen was deeply touched, but she wanted to explore the reason even more.
But Li Chen obviously had no intention of telling her, otherwise it would be too easy to see through.
This was the Kryptonians' Bio-Force Field, and also the biggest difference between Homelander and Superman.
The existence of the Bio-Force Field made it easier for Kryptonians to protect others, such as catching a high-speed flying airplane.
Without this field, the moment of high-speed collision would cause the airplane to be directly destroyed rather than steadily caught.
It was precisely because the Bio-Force Field was enveloping Gwen at this moment that she didn't feel much of anything.
And Tony Stark's Iron Man Armor had obviously also solved the problem of low-temperature freezing.
But Obadiah obviously hadn't thought of this point.
His Iron Monger froze directly, and even the system shut down due to the low temperature.
"Clang!"
Iron Man tapped the top of the Iron Monger's head, and then the Iron Monger plummeted down at an even faster speed.
Logically speaking, Obadiah inside would be smashed into a meat paste by the impact force.
But fortunately at the last moment, the Iron Mongerrecovered, yet it still crashed heavily onto the ground.
Iron Man also had to fall down due to insufficient energy.
After all, the reactor on Tony's body was the previous old model.
Taking advantage of flying down, Tony finally found Li Chen in the air.
However, the distance was too far, and it was still nighttime, so he could only see a figure holding a woman in his arms.
Was this guy here to watch the show?
"Why does it feel a bit familiar?"
Although there was only a figure, since they had just met recently, Tony found it somewhat familiar.
It was a good thing Li Chen wasn't wearing the Batmanmask, otherwise he would have recognized him.
However, with Tony letting his guard down, he was ambushed the moment he landed on the ground.
"Boom!"
The Iron Monger blasted a shot directly onto him.
But because the targeting system was damaged, Obadiahhad to take off his helmet.
Tony Stark climbed up in a somewhat disheveled state, the armor on his body somewhat damaged.
"Is that Tony Stark?"
Gwen, who had been held in Li Chen's arms all along, was instantly startled.
At this point, she no longer had any thoughts of making a move.
So it was this playboy, serves him right!
Men might envy Tony Stark's lifestyle, but women would disdain it.
Of course, at the same time, they would also disdain those women who degraded themselves.
Isn't it just having money? Is it worth throwing themselves at him?
But she hadn't expected that the person inside this Iron Man Armor would actually be Tony.
Yet thinking about it, it was quite reasonable.
Because this Iron Man Armor looked extremely expensive at a glance, how could a poor person afford to play with it?
Soon, Tony and Obadiah performed a dramatic ethical battle, and before the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents arrived, Obadiahwas killed by Tony's own hands.
Li Chen took Gwen and left the explosion site.
Gwen was quite satisfied.
"It really felt like watching a Hollywood blockbuster with my own eyes."
It was just like sitting in a movie theater watching a Superman movie again.
Of course, the special effects weren't as abundant as in Superman, and the fight wasn't quite as thrilling.
But it won out in authenticity.
And it was a good ending; Tony Stark ultimately didn't fail, but survived instead, whereas Obadiah met his end.
The two of them were like taking a halftime break; after returning to the hotel room, the flames of war were immediately reignited.
...
Over the next few days, all of New York was in an uproar.
After all, the events of that night had caused too huge a commotion.
Iron Man and the Iron Monger fought in public, and it also caused quite a lot of damage.
Many people's cars were smashed to pieces, and the most pathetic thing was that they couldn't even find anyone to compensate them.
The insurance companies were also unwilling to pay out.
Therefore, this gave birth to a question: Who on earth was Iron Man?
They had to find Iron Man and make this fellow pay compensation!
He could even make an Iron Man Armor, so he definitely wasn't short of money!
Thus, New Yorkers speculated endlessly with a variety of opinions, to the extent that people in other cities also became interested, and even Los Angeles reported the news.
As for the name guessed the most, it was naturally Tony Stark.
Because this had traces to follow.
Because near where Iron Man and the Iron Monger battled, there was only the Stark Industries factory.
Moreover, Tony Stark was indeed wealthy, and Iron Manonly appeared after he returned.
Consequently, everyone demanded that he give an explanation.
"Do you think he will admit it?"
Gwen Stacy sent off her boyfriend and asked.
Several people were still following by Li Chen's side.
Kitty Pryde, Dazzler, and Jubilee were all preparing to go to Los Angeles with him to chase their dreams.
Shadowcat wanted to become an actress, Dazzler liked singing, and Jubilee was going to be his bodyguard.
Towards these three suddenly appearing beauties, Gwenwas still quite vigilant.
But she also knew that this was Li Chen's 'legitimate business'.
"He will."
Li Chen spoke up.
"Why?"
"Because he is very narcissistic."
Li Chen made a joke, and then said: "Because he needs to boost his stock price."
Even with Tony Stark's health bar being so thick, he couldn't withstand the stock continuously falling.
After all, Stark Industries wasn't some scam company like those shady firms; it had real substance.
It was just that stockholders currently lost confidence in Stark Industries.
At a time like this, it was all about market sentiment.
Tony Stark had to make the stockholders believe that Stark Industries could rebound.
And announcing to the public that he was Iron Man was tantamount to injecting the greatest shot of adrenaline.
This wasn't just to act cool, but had commercial considerations.
If it were Li Chen himself, he would probably do the same.
It was just that doing this came with risks.
Telling the whole world that you were Iron Man meant letting potential enemies know they could target him, and even go after his family and loved ones around him.
Unlike Batman, Bruce Wayne would never admit to being Batman, so even if his enemies guessed his identity, they couldn't make a move against the people around him.
Because that would break Batman's rules.
As for Tony, since this was put out in the open, naturally there was no such rule.
This was also the reason why the people around him were repeatedly subjected to attacks.
Pepper and Harper were both hurt because of this.
But there was no help for it; to gain something, you had to give something up. For Tony, the stock price was currently the most important thing.
Even his later research and development of new energy sources was also to boost the stock price.
In America, having too much money was just waste paper, but try going without this waste paper and see what happens?
In this society, the rules were very simple: the amount of money you had, under certain circumstances, represented your social status.
Much like in the NBA, a team's star player was often the one with the highest salary, because this represented their status on the team.
You couldn't possibly take a minimum salary and stubbornly claim to be the leader of the team, could you?
Chapter 42: Starting with Dazzler's Rise to Stardom
"Go back, I'll come see you."
Li Chen kissed Gwen goodbye, then waved her off, telling her not to see him out.
Afterward, under the curious gazes of Shadowcat and the others, Li Chen took them to board a plane to Los Angeles.
They had come in first class, but their return trip was on a private jet.
This was the Hellfire Club's private jet, a Gulfstream G650ER, with the Hellfire logo on the exterior, looking very grand.
The interior of the private jet was also completely different from commercial airlines.
It had several areas, such as a lounge, a private cinema, and even a dance studio and an airborne swimming pool.
The dance studio was simple, just a pole, and those who know, know.
And the flight attendants on the private jet were finally not middle-aged women, but beautiful girls from all over the world.
They stood on both sides, welcoming Li Chen and the others, with different skin tones and appearances, standing together like a colorful fruit platter, dazzling to behold.
Li Chen felt like a judge in a beauty pageant, with these beauties from around the world posing and showing off their looks in front of him.
However, they were all wearing flight attendant uniforms, clearly specially prepared by the Hellfire Club.
At this moment, Li Chen finally felt what life was truly about.
The meaning of life is enjoyment.
Jubilee and the others were also stunned; they were arranged to go rest.
Shadowcat Kitty and Dazzler excitedly went to enjoy the private cinema, and the flight attendants served them red wine and delicacies.
"Jubilee, aren't you going?"
Li Chen asked Jubilee, who was following him.
This girl stuck to him like glue, guarding him very closely.
One might think Gwen had told her something.
But in reality, Gwen was also very wary of them.
After all, Gwen knew her boyfriend was too outstanding; she couldn't watch him, and problems were bound to arise.
But she also had no choice; she hadn't graduated yet, and her studies came first.
Jubilee stared at the flight attendants behind Li Chen.
"Don't worry, it's very safe here."
Li Chen said, sending her away.
How could he have a woman following him for what was coming next?
Afterward, Li Chen went to the dance studio to test their dancing skills.
These flight attendants were carefully selected and had undergone training, so they could be said to be proficient in everything.
And there were all skin colors, from light to dark, which could be divided into several shades.
Li Chen felt for the first time that the plane's speed was incredibly fast.
He hadn't even had his fill, and they had already arrived in Los Angeles.
When they disembarked, Shadowcat Kitty and Dazzlerwere still very excited.
They were also very happy, having never experienced such luxury before.
And upon seeing Los Angeles, they were also very pleased.
"Let's go, I'll take you to see Hollywood Hills first."
Li Chen decided to fulfill their wishes.
He took them to the Walk of Fame.
The Walk of Fame is most famous for its more than 2,500 five-pointed terrazzo and brass star-shaped plaques, covering five major fields: film, television, recording, radio, and theater.
The names engraved on them are all shining superstars in their respective fields.
Walking on the Walk of Fame, Dazzler also thought about when she could leave her own name there.
Undoubtedly, this was an honor.
Afterward, Li Chen took them to the Hellfire Club.
This was also where they were stronger than ordinary aspiring girls.
Many girls with dreams come to Hollywood, but reality is much crueler than dreams.
They have to live in cramped, dilapidated rooms and rely on odd jobs every day to make ends meet, all for a pitiful audition opportunity.
This is also why most people leave dejectedly.
In Hollywood, opportunities are too few, and there's a very small chance they'll fall to ordinary people.
Without a noble patron, one can never rise in life.
Moreover, there are people from all over the world here, not just from America, so the competition pressure is even greater.
Comparatively, Shadowcat Kitty and Dazzler already had a higher starting point than others.
The Hellfire Club would be willing to promote them.
Li Chen saw the White Queen, whom he hadn't seen in days.
White Queen Emma Frost, due to her Mutant abilities, seemed to be frozen in time, virtually never aging.
So she always maintained this perfect appearance.
Having lived in America for a long time, Li Chen knew very well that these white women, while seemingly glamorous, actually didn't age well.
The optimal age for a white girl is 16 to 25; many begin to age after 25, with forehead wrinkles starting to appear on their faces.
Moreover, most white women have very poor skin, with large pores and abundant body hair.
In contrast, the legendary 'Black Pearls' have smooth, flawless skin, as tender as satin.
However, due to skin tone, 'Black Pearls' are very dependent on their facial features; if their features are even slightly unattractive, they won't look good.
The White Queen had none of these flaws; because she was a Mutant, her skin was as radiant as a diamond, and her condition was astonishingly good.
"Long time no see, Li."
The White Queen smiled at Li Chen, then looked at the people beside him.
"You must be the recently graduated Mutants, right?"
She looked at Kitty and the others with a haughty gaze.
Shadowcat Kitty and the others recognized her as the famous White Queen.
"You made the right choice coming here. I hear you have dreams of becoming stars?"
"Yes, I want to be a star."
Shadowcat Kitty immediately said.
This made the White Queen feel as if she was seeing her younger self.
She looked at Li Chen, who shrugged. He could at most give Kitty a small role.
After all, 'Transformers' had already started filming, and it was impossible to replace the female lead at this point.
However, arranging a small role was not a big problem.
Giving her a cameo, or even a couple of lines, was fine.
Dazzler was more troublesome. MGM's problem was that it didn't have a media group behind it.
As one of Hollywood's giants, MGM was too pure, unlike Warner Bros. Pictures, which had been acquired multiple times by media groups and had a financially strong parent company behind it.
Disney, needless to say, was a large group itself, with massive industries like Disney theme parks.
It was precisely because of this that MGM repeatedly went bankrupt, even though it had many IPs, such as 'tom and jerry' and the '007' series, but its risk resistance was too poor.
So by the 21st century, many of the original Hollywood giants went bankrupt and reorganized, such as 20th Century Fox.
In the late 90s, 20th Century Fox and Paramount were in a league of their own because they spent nearly 200 million US dollars to film 'Titanic'.
This once made 20th Century Fox the laughingstock of Hollywood.
But what was the result? 'Titanic' turned the tide, achieving the highest-grossing film in history and becoming a global phenomenon, despite everyone's doubts.
At that time, 20th Century Fox was full of vigor.
But by the millennium, the subsequent outcome was clear: it was acquired by Disney.
Without a media group behind it, bankruptcy and acquisition were unavoidable.
Li Chen felt that a music department also needed to be established, starting with promoting Dazzler.
Chapter 43 Release of one-punch man
Over the weekend, Bob rushed into the DC Comics store at the first opportunity.
He was a proud senior in his fourth year of high school; high schools in America last for four years, and he would be going to college next year.
He didn't have many hobbies, just a fondness for superherocomics.
But that was before; ever since One Piece and re:zero - starting life in another world began serialization, his affections had shifted.
Compared to the heavily formulaic and utterly identical styles of superhero comics...
These two works were simply fresh and refined.
From the art style to the plot, they were completely different from superhero comics.
And compared to the passionate shonen vibe of One Piece, Bob actually preferred otaku-oriented manga like re:zero...
Emilia, Ram and Rem, or even the Bowel Hunter... every single female character inside was unforgettable to him.
In comparison, the female characters in One Piece didn't look as realistic and pretty.
But what frustrated him was that the first season of re:zero - starting life in another world had already concluded.
The plot was stuck at a crucial juncture, yet there was no news of a new season.
This forced Bob to run over every weekend just to see if the second season had come out.
"Boss, give me a copy of Starlight Pictorial!"
Now DC Comics was already using the name Starlight Comics, after all, this wasn't a DC comic.
Although DC was also envious of its popularity, Starlight Pictures would never hand it over to them.
Everyone knew that One Piece had become a goose that laid golden eggs.
Facts proved that there was a reason why it could become the most popular manga in the world.
After grabbing his copy, Bob couldn't wait to get home and immediately found a place to start reading it.
He felt the thickness of the magazine and then rejoiced.
The first part was still One Piece, and the plot progression was quite fast; the early stages didn't rely entirely on flashbacks like the later parts did.
Bob didn't read it quickly; the story of One Piece lay in its adventurous spirit, those special treasures, and the various people encountered along the way.
"Nami is too much of the girl-next-door type; I prefer the mature beauty Robin."
Bob was practically drooling.
Robin was truly too beautiful; it was hard to imagine how amazing it would look if it were made into a movie?
Pulling himself together, he found that there was indeed more further down.
"Ram and Rem, here I come!"
He let out a loud cry, but the smile on his face froze.
"Not the second season of re:zero? What the hell!"
To his surprise, the new manga was something he had never seen before, titled one-punch man.
And the cover featured a bald head!
"Pfft!"
"I want beautiful anime girls, who wants to look at a damn bald guy?"
"Not even a dog would read this one-punch man!"
Half an hour later.
"Even if dogs won't read it, I will!"
Bob had originally read it with suppressed anger; after all, he had already spent the money, and such bundled sales were utterly disgusting.
But after finishing it, only two words came to mind.
So good.
He originally thought it was just another ordinary superhero story; after all, just from the name, one-punch man was also a Superman.
Superman was DC's golden boy, after all, and one of their most popular characters.
However, as the plot unfolded, Bob realized he was wrong.
This guy named Saitama was simply too abnormal; no matter what kind of monster he encountered, it was a one-punch KO.
"No wonder it's called one-punch man, he really only throws one punch?"
"There's even a setting like this, this is... too cool."
This was completely different from traditional superheroes fighting back and forth with enemies in a life-or-death struggle; it was total annihilation.
But precisely because it was such an overwhelming stomp, it was satisfying enough.
"What's too cool?"
People nearby were attracted by Bob's shouting and couldn't help asking.
Bob immediately said, "Of course it's one-punch man, it's so amazing."
"Really?"
"Really! If it's not good, I'm a dog!"
Bob nodded immediately.
He had a strong urge to share, wanting to spread this joy to others.
Thus, he thought of the internet.
In fact, a storm was already brewing on the internet at this moment.
Bob wasn't the only one who thought of this; many people had the desire to share.
Something good naturally needed to be shared with friends and family so they could enjoy it together. Many years ago, countless classics became classics purely through word-of-mouth among viewers without any promotional campaigns.
Today's internet made it even easier to achieve this; they could freely express their views online and share their joy.
Therefore, one-punch man also became popular at an extremely fast speed.
After all, Starlight Animation already had a solid reputation, coupled with the fact that it was placed right after One Piece.
Today, although One Piece hadn't reached the number one spot in North America's popularity rankings yet, it had already stabilized in the top three. Anyone could see that this was a phenomenal manga.
With such a massively popular manga driving traffic, it was hard for one-punch man not to become a hit.
Along with it, Saitama's training regimen from one-punch man also became popular.
100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometer run every day, combined with persisting for three years.
Quite a few people found this setting somewhat 'interesting' and decided to give it a try.
...
[One Piece continues to be a massive hit, Prestige + 100]
[one-punch man newly launched, Prestige + 300]
[one-punch man... Prestige + 250]
[...]
After finishing his trip to New York, Li Chen was resting at home on this particular day.
But he still couldn't find peace.
The system's notifications were simply too numerous.
This let him know without looking at any financial reports that one-punch man had blown up.
Li Chen was naturally overjoyed; popularity meant Prestige points.
He took another look at his Prestige.
[Current Prestige: 13404.]
A full thirteen ten-pulls, over one hundred and thirty draws in total.
He refused to believe he wouldn't get anything good!
"Alright, let's head back."
Li Chen held Psylocke's hand and returned to the estate.
Psylocke breathed a sigh of relief; she was finally liberated.
After so long, she felt like she had forgotten how to fight.
However, such peaceful days also made her feel secure.
At least with Master being so powerful, she didn't have to worry every day about being killed by someone or similar things.
However, the liberation she expected did not arrive; instead, she was led by Li Chen into the Master bedroom.
A new round of education was about to arrive, and Li Chenwas going to thoroughly savor Psylocke like a fine delicacy.
Previously it was only spiritual, making her completely accept this identity.
Now that she had accepted her fate, she naturally had to enter a new stage.
Psylocke suddenly grew nervous, but she couldn't resist at all. Like a walking corpse, she followed Li Chen inside.
Right now, she seemed to have completely lost the ability to live independently; even cleaning up required the Master, Li Chen, to do it for her.
"Not bad, very obedient."
Li Chen had Psylocke change into her battle suit.
During this time, Psylocke had tried quite a few styles, like bunny girl outfits, maid costumes, and the like, but Li Chenstill preferred her battle uniform.
After all, this was Psylocke's unique characteristic.
She was a heroic and spirited female ninja, and even though she was now kept at home, she should still maintain her own style.
Chapter 44: Summoned Saitama?
One hour later.
Li Chen's Master bedroom was a mess, and Psylocke's battle suit was even more in tatters.
It was just a battle suit, easily made.
Psylocke herself had lost all her strength, limp as if paralyzed, and could only lie there panting.
Li Chen stared wide-eyed at the ceiling.
He was contemplating life, pondering some worldly philosophy and the supreme principles of the universe; he began to explore the mysteries of the universe, and his soul seemed to have sublimated.
Psylocke truly lived up to being a Mutant; she was too fierce.
Of course, she was also thoroughly conquered.
Madam Zhang's words were right.
Originally, she still had a vague thought of resisting, but after today, it no longer existed.
Coming back to his senses, Li Chen prepared to draw a prize during this sage-like moment.
"System, give me a ten-pull first."
Good news, the very first pull hit the jackpot.
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining through the lottery: Hellish Blizzard Summon Fragment * 1.]
Fubuki is the number one B-class hero in one-punch man, and the leader of the hero faction "Blizzard Group".
She is one of the heroines combining both appearance and strength.
Most importantly, she was also a mature woman.
Speaking of which, compared to her older sister Tatsumaki, Li Chen actually liked Fubuki even more.
After all, he really wasn't a lolicon!
Speaking of which, there weren't many female characters in one-punch man, but they were all impressive.
[Next time for sure!]
Afterwards, the familiar moment of accumulating character arrived.
[Next time for sure!]
[...]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining through the lottery: Terrible Tornado Summon Fragment * 1.]
Although Tatsumaki was 28 years old according to the setting, both her figure and appearance were like a young girl's.
What a pity, not a youthful face with huge...
A ten-pull, and fragments of both sisters were drawn.
Having drawn the first one, could the rest be far behind?
Li Chen felt his luck wasn't bad.
"Continue!"
One thousand prestige points vanished once again.
[Next time for sure!]
[Next time for sure!]
[...]
Li Chen wasn't panicked at all; today was definitely a day of good luck.
Next, he didn't go out at all; he just patted Psylocke, making her actively initiate the second battlefield.
As for himself, he continued into the fierce battle.
Needless to say, the lottery was truly a joyful thing.
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining through the lottery: Nami Summon Fragment * 1]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining through the lottery: Protection of a Hundred Medicines.]
[Protection of a Hundred Medicines: Absolutely never get sick.]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining through the lottery: Tatsumaki's Slit Cheongsam.]
Too small, don't want it!
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining through the lottery...]
[...]
One afternoon, Li Chen almost used up all his prestige points on the lottery.
He had to admit that he didn't really care what he got from the lottery; even if they were all [Next time for sure], he would still continue drawing.
Nothing else, he just liked the feeling of drawing!
Every time was an unknown result, which made him excited and trembling.
However, more than a dozen ten-pulls still brought him a rich harvest.
Setting aside a series of items, such as Tatsumaki's cheongsam and the like, there were also some abilities.
It's just that some of them were a bit useless.
For example, [Protection of a Hundred Medicines], its effect was absolutely never getting sick.
For ordinary people, this was definitely invincible.
Illness and pain were humanity's natural enemies; everyone had to experience birth, aging, illness, and death. In the past, when Li Chen was sick, he felt many times that it was even more uncomfortable than dying...
But now he already had a Body of Steel, and illnesses like colds would never appear on him.
Even if he ran a circle around Antarctica naked, he wouldn't catch a cold.
Therefore, this [Protection of a Hundred Medicines] was a bit useless to him.
Li Chen only then discovered that having a Body of Steelwas already very BUG in itself.
But having it was better than not having it, and Li Chendidn't dislike it either.
Aside from these, the most numerous things were still fragments.
[Fragments: Faora Fragment * 5, Nami Fragment * 8, Robin Fragment * 3, Empress Fragment * 1, Tatsumaki Fragment * 2, Fubuki Fragment * 5.]
Most crucially, one character's fragments had been fully collected.
[Saitama Summon Fragment * 10.]
Li Chen didn't even know if his luck was good or bad.
This was the famous Saitama. As the absolute protagonist of the manga, wanting to draw his fragments was definitely not easy.
Just look at the Empress's fragments and you would know; ever since drawing them last time, they hadn't been seen since.
But this time, gold dropped consecutively, directly gathering Saitama's fragments.
This could be said to be good luck.
But... what the hell did Li Chen want a bald head for?
He wanted the fragrant and soft Nami, Robin, Empress, Fubuki...
Size is justice.
Tatsumaki didn't matter.
Who told her to be too small.
But matters having reached this point, Li Chen still decided to summon Saitama out.
Anyway, Teacher Saitama was also a "high-end combat power".
With his combat power, I'm afraid even Thanos in his normal state without all six Infinity Stones would be hung up and beaten.
Li Chen patted Psylocke: "Go back and rest."
Psylocke, who already felt a bit numb, breathed a sigh of relief; she was finally liberated now.
She said with a hoarse voice: "Thank you, Master".
Then she hurriedly ran away, running extremely fast.
Afterwards, Li Chen put on his clothes and came outside.
"Summon Saitama."
He opened the system and selected summon.
After a flash of light, a mysterious array pattern brought Saitama into this world.
A shining bald head appeared in front of Li Chen.
The moment he saw him, Li Chen felt that the art style of this world was a bit weird.
"Saitama?"
"Ah, are you the one who summoned me here?"
Saitama asked: "Is there any danger in this world?"
Although he said in his mouth that he was just a hero for fun, Saitama undoubtedly possessed the finest qualities of a superhero.
When encountering danger, he would never retreat, but would actively step forward and punch the enemy.
If one punch couldn't knock them down, then come another punch.
He looked laid-back, but the one who saved the world was often him.
Possessing strength, yet not arrogant at all.
This was Saitama.
Li Chen laughed: "I am Li Chen, there is no danger for the time being."
"However, this world is different from your world, you might have to slowly get familiar with it."
Saitama said indifferently: "Are there video game consoles in this world?"
"Of course."
Li Chen smiled and said: "I've invested in several games, you might be interested."
This actually piqued Saitama's interest.
Of course, the most important thing now was to change Saitama into a regular outfit.
After all, if he walked outside wearing his battle suit, he would definitely become Fire.
But Li Chen was overthinking; when he came out to buy clothes for Saitama, he happened to see someone COSplaying Saitama...
Right now was when one-punch man was exploding in Fire, and in America, COS culture was even more prevalent; you must know, later many female COSpers even moonlighted as welfare cosplayers...
They were basically female bodhisattvas.
Therefore, Li Chen had also fallen into a misunderstanding before; it seemed he could bring Ram and Rem out to play.
Chapter 45: Can Saitama's Training Method Make You Stronger?
Having rested for a day, Li Chen finally returned to Starlight Pictures.
However, for everyone else in the company, the boss had been away on a business trip for a long time.
Therefore, when Li Chen returned, everyone showed tremendous enthusiasm.
Before MGM was acquired, it had more than 1,400 employees, and Li Chen hadn't laid off many people.
After all, there were many reasons for MGM's bankruptcy, the most primary one being that its movie business ran into trouble.
The reason Li Chen was so confident he could do well was because he had experience from his past life, knowing that chasing after successful people would lead to success.
After all, the movies he was currently making had all been wildly successful in another world.
For example, Superman and Transformers.
man of steel had always been profitable, it's just that Warner was eager for quick success and instant benefits, thinking it earned too little compared to neighboring Marvel...
One can only say that people are inherently greedy.
And in the Marvel World, the Superman movies were even more successful.
There was a reason for this, because there weren't many superhero movies in this world before, and the market hadn't been completely monopolized yet.
Coupled with the fact that the story of Captain AmericaSteve Rogers was already a household name and had been explored almost to its limits, audiences also wanted to see other superheroes brought to the screen.
Of course, the most important thing was that Supermanwas too popular; you might not know DC, or even think Superman belonged to Marvel, but you would definitely have heard the name 'Superman'.
All these factors combined created this success.
This also thrilled many veteran employees beyond measure.
They really didn't want MGM to just disappear from Hollywood like this.
You must know that in the 1930s of the last century, MGMcould produce 40 to 50 movies a year, which was undoubtedly MGM's most glorious era.
But as the world developed, MGM gradually fell behind and couldn't compare with the likes of Warner and Disneyat all.
And now, Li Chen gave them confidence.
Hollywood's favorite thing was a winner, because they believed winners found it easier to keep winning.
When Li Chen walked in, an employee even laughed and said, "Mr. Li, if I learn Saitama's training method, can I become stronger?"
The hottest topic in the company right now was naturally one-punch man.
The explosive popularity of the manga thrilled everyone.
Even One Piece didn't generate this much discussion.
After all, it had already entered a long serialization period.
"No, you might go bald."
Li Chen glanced at the other person's hairline.
Old white men's hairlines were relatively precarious.
Especially those 'gentlemen' from a certain place; none of them weren't bald.
Arriving at the office, several people were already obediently waiting for him.
Naturally, it was Shadowcat Kitty and the other two, plus Caitlin from the animation department.
Kitty and the others were coming to Hollywood for the first time, and they were so excited they could barely sleep.
They couldn't wait to become famous.
Of course, Jubilee just wanted to be Li Chen's bodyguard.
She just wanted to hang out with her 'own people'; who told everyone to share the surname Li.
"Boss."
Seeing Li Chen walk in, they all chorused.
This was the power of capital; even Mutants had to obediently call him boss when they saw him.
Li Chen swaggered over and sat in the boss's chair, nodded, and looked at Caitlin first.
Caitlin's face was full of smiles. "Li, you must already know about the explosive popularity of one-punch man."
Li Chen took the data she handed over, still somewhat surprised.
No wonder there was so much prestige value; this was much more popular than re:zero - starting life in another world back then.
As expected of Americans, they still loved this kind of story.
"Keep it up, and pay attention to quality."
Li Chen nodded and said.
"Rest assured, everything is being drawn according to the outline you provided."
Caitlin immediately said without a trace of hesitation.
Li Chen had already proven his genius.
There was nothing to question.
If it were an ordinary person, they probably wouldn't remember that much at all.
But once Li Chen's super brain was activated... if worse came to worst, he could just make it up himself.
After congratulating him, Caitlin immediately went back down.
Before Li Chen took over, she thought she was finished. Although she wouldn't be killed, her salary definitely wouldn't be this high after leaving MGM.
And now, her quality of life had gotten better, to the point that she looked a bit younger overall.
Afterwards, Li Chen looked at the trio.
He first called over the person in charge of film matters, then handed Shadowcat Kitty over to him, asking him to help arrange things.
Since the other party knew Kitty was the boss's woman, they were naturally very at ease, and they also had to avoid Hollywood's unspoken rules.
Of course, the first thing to do was to help Shadowcat Kittyfind a good agent.
This wasn't difficult for MGM.
Kitty's external conditions were good; her appearance wasn't the breathtakingly beautiful kind, but it grew on you, giving people the feeling of a next-door girl.
As long as someone backed her, becoming moderately popular was very easy.
To put it bluntly, Hollywood was a huge dye vat; if you didn't have a big shot behind you, you would have to pay a heavy price.
Fortunately, Kitty was a Mutant, and naturally had people protecting and supporting her.
Even without Li Chen, the Hellfire Club would have stepped in.
By comparison, Dazzler was even harder.
Dazzler, formerly named Alison Blaire.
Her physical conditions were truly very good, with a head of beautiful blonde hair and breathtaking facial features. She looked very lively and active, and her height was around 1.75 meters. This condition reminded Li Chen of a country music queen who had been very popular in his past life.
That Taylor Swift who often wrote her ex-boyfriends into her songs, Taylor Swift.
Of course, the two only had similar physical conditions, both being equally tall and equally beautiful.
However, by comparison, Taylor Swift was a bit more'sturdy' than Dazzler.
White women, because of their skeletal structure, sometimes looked very sturdy, and were not frail compared to men at all.
Of course, this had its pros and cons; slender ones looked better, while those a bit more sturdy had more flavor.
This greatness is extraordinary... those who understand, understand.
Judging solely by her appearance, Dazzler already had the foundation to become famous.
To put it bluntly, singers were also stars and idols. Since they were idols, they couldn't look too shabby.
Not to mention looking extremely pretty, at least they had to be considered outstanding among ordinary people.
Only in this way would they avoid becoming a nobody.
Of course, there were no lack of those who relied on talent, but relying solely on talent made it very hard to become wildly popular.
People were visual animals after all, unless the fans were all blind.
Li Chen immediately made the decision and said, "The company is going to establish a music department. Alison, you will be the company's top star."
Others like Warner and Sony were major music companies with many small labels under their umbrellas and countless excellent producers.
But Starlight Pictures didn't have these conditions, and could only spend a huge amount of money to poach them.
Therefore, Li Chen asked, "Alison, do you write songs?"
"Of course, I've written a lot."
Dazzler immediately replied with her eyes shining.
You must know that not all singers wrote their own songs; more people just sang, and they had to 'buy' songs from outside.
Singer-songwriters were actually very few.
But Dazzler was clearly one, which made things simple. As long as they found her an outstanding musician, that would be it.
Chapter 46: Two Extremes
Li Chen arranged for people to poach excellent producers, and money was not an issue.
Then he thought of a problem.
Since he was going to do it, he might as well do it on a larger scale.
He could forget about those who were already super popular, but what about those singers who hadn't made it big yet?
Li Chen asked the system in his heart and learned that the singers he promoted to fame could also earn him Prestige Points, which piqued his interest.
As long as there were Prestige Points, everything else was easy to talk about.
With the development of the internet, superstars like those from the last century were actually very hard to appear nowadays.
Icons like Michael Jackson and the Queen of Pop Madonna were hard to replicate again.
Of course, the new century wasn't without its massive sensations.
For example, the pop princess Britney Spears; she was still globally popular and had broken countless records.
Of course, there was also Avril, whom Li Chen used to like very much, but unfortunately, they had all already made a name for themselves.
At this juncture in late 2008, who else hadn't blown up yet?
The first one that came to mind naturally was Taylor Swift. As the most popular country queen of the internet era, other people were simply not on the same level of popularity as her.
However, Taylor Swift had released her debut album two years ago; although she wasn't hugely popular yet, her turning point was in 2008.
Not long ago, she released the single "Love Story", which became the turning point of her career.
Although she wasn't yet the country queen she would later become, she was clearly already taken seriously.
Even with money, she couldn't be bought out anymore.
Big Machine Records already treasured her like a precious asset, and having invested so much in the early stages, how could they possibly let her go?
This was no longer a matter of money.
With no other choice, Li Chen could only express regret as quite a few other names surfaced in his mind.
Names like the'Shaanxi Heavenly Queen' Dua Lipa, the pinch-voiced singer Sabrina Carpenter, and the comedy music creator Olivia...
But undoubtedly, these people were still too young in this era.
"Turns out snatching someone away is this difficult."
Li Chen thought to himself. He only liked listening to songs and actually knew nothing about music.
So if anyone asked why he only remembered the names of female singers, this was the reason—he only listened to girls sing...
However, Li Chen really did think of someone.
Fruit sister, Kitty Perry.
It seemed she had just debuted!
Li Chen arranged the matters downward. With over a thousand employees in Starlight Pictures, it was naturally impossible for him, the boss, to do everything himself.
Thus, only one person was left in the office.
Li Chen looked at Jubilee and said, "Can you drive?"
"I have a driver's license."
Jubilee nodded immediately.
"Then you will be my driver from now on."
Li Chen decisively fired his previous driver.
The previous one was arranged by the company, and he didn't trust him all that much.
The position of a driver didn't require knowing how to do anything else, but it had to be someone he trusted.
To say the least about Jubilee, she would at least be loyal to him.
"Okay."
Jubilee nodded, feeling quite satisfied.
Actually, she was somewhat unlucky.
As an Asian, she already received unfair treatment in North American society.
What was even unluckier was that she was also a Mutant.
It was simply a stacking of debuffs.
Mutants were resisted by all normal people out of fear of their powers.
Therefore, Jubilee didn't have any dreams; she just wanted to escape.
This was also the reason why she chose to hug Li Chen's thighs. Having a big shot help shelter her from the wind and rain made her extremely happy.
...
A few days later, Li Chen wasn't planning to go to the company today.
He sat on the sofa at home, watching TV.
Tony Stark finally decided to face public opinion.
the military and S.H.I.E.L.D. had both given him drafts; he just needed to read from them.
But the ending was still the same—Tony Stark directly tossed the draft in his hand away.
"I am Iron Man!"
Facing over a hundred media outlets worldwide, he uttered these astonishing words, which ushered in a new era.
But right now, the biggest impact of these words was actually on the stock of Stark Industries.
Li Chen had acquired a bit more during this period; although it was less than one percent of the shares, he could still make a tidy profit.
For a large conglomerate like Stark Industries, acquiring a major portion of the shares quietly was simply impossible.
But making a small profit was still not a problem.
The phone rang, and Gwen Stacy discussed it with Li Chenin surprise.
"Darling, you guessed right."
She truly admired Li Chen.
To the extent that her friends all said she had been seduced by Li Chen, calling him whenever she had free time and then showing off in front of her friends.
This made Gwen's few friends somewhat envious of her.
How could someone be so annoying?
But Gwen didn't care at all; she was immersed in the river of love.
Li Chen chuckled and said, "Is there any reward for that? Our Ghost Spider."
Aside from the time spent studying and dating, Gwen had also become famous in New York.
But it was in the identity of Spider-Man.
She went around upholding justice and gradually came to like this feeling.
Everyone actually had a sense of justice, so everyone liked doing some good deeds.
It was just due to various reasons that many people could only suppress their sense of justice.
When doing good deeds brought no good reward, who would still want to be a good person?
Not everyone had superpowers.
Spider-Man was different; they all believed that 'With great power comes great responsibility'.
To put it bluntly, they were PUA'd.
And Gwen also gained a new title: Ghost Spider.
Her black and white uniform was as elusive as a ghost.
Although Gwen didn't like it very much, she couldn't resist it either.
Prompted like this by Li Chen, she immediately said with coy shyness, "What do you want?"
"How about learning some other knowledge?"
Li Chen said, "Besides being used for eating, a mouth can also..."
"Bah!"
Gwen immediately scoffed.
But soon, she said in a voice as small as a mosquito's, "Wait until you come to New York next time."
"Really?"
Li Chen immediately exclaimed.
Gwen was good in every way, except that she was too traditional.
He just loved making traditional women go bad.
"Fake!"
Hearing him act like this, Gwen instantly became annoyed and shy.
Li Chen was good in every way, except... he was too bad.
But precisely because he was bad, Gwen completely sank into it.
She hadn't even noticed this herself; what she liked was precisely this aspect of Li Chen.
The two chatted for a while longer before Gwen hung up the phone; she had to go to class.
As for Li Chen, he wasn't planning to go to the company; he was preparing to go shopping.
Only instead of taking a maid, he was taking Saitama.
Saitama couldn't wait any longer here.
He consciously chose the most remote location in the manor, spending basically all day in his room and paying no attention to Li Chen's life.
Previously Li Chen still had some doubts, but now he didn't have any.
Just as Saitama had demonstrated, he wasn't interested in women at all... he was too Zen-like.
This was completely two extremes compared to Li Chen.
The only things Saitama was interested in were playing video games and rushing to buy discounted items while shopping.
Of course, watching TV and things like that were also fine, just not high priority.
Besides that, what Saitama liked the most was being a hero; his sense of justice was extremely powerful.
Chapter 47 Li Chen soundly thrashes Saitama
Inside a budget supermarket, Saitama rushed in and immediately started looking for discounted items without saying a word.
At this time, he was wearing casual clothes and wearing a hat on his head, covering his bald head.
This also made it impossible for people to recognize him.
Li Chen said: "No need to buy those discounted ones, we have plenty of money."
Saitama scratched the back of his head and said: "I'm used to it."
"Besides, things here are really cheap."
To his surprise, there really was one-dollar fried chicken here.
Even though it didn't look very fresh...
This reminded Li Chen of jokes he had heard before, such as washing dishes for a month to buy out a storefront, or eating one-dollar fried chicken until you get sick of it.
Saitama wasn't actually interested in this; he followed Li Chen into the fruit section and bought a huge pile of discounted bananas.
The reason he liked eating bananas was simply because they were relatively cheap.
To put it bluntly, Saitama was somewhat traumatized by poverty.
In his original world, Saitama's finances were already a bit tight. He was just an ordinary person, so naturally he had no extra sources of income.
Therefore, even a hero can be stumped by a single penny, and Saitama could only go to the supermarket to buy those discounted items, practicing frugality.
This had already become a habit that was hard to change.
However, he still experienced: "Not having to worry about money and buying whatever I want feels great."
No wonder everyone says that money power is more important than superpowers!
After buying the bananas, Li Chen also enjoyed the thrill of shopping.
Although he was a rich man now, days like this walking into a supermarket were something he hadn't experienced for a long time.
Whenever he needed something, someone would help Li Chen buy it; why would he ever need to do it like this?
Thus, a very peculiar scene appeared: Li Chen, a big man, carried nothing at all, while Saitama and Jubilee following behind him were loaded down with things.
But I have to say, this is very America.
Capital doesn't care about these things for you.
Li Chen bought game consoles and other things to help Saitama pass the time.
In a way, Saitama could actually be considered an otaku...
It's just that his heart was entirely set on becoming stronger.
"Jubilee, is there anything you want?"
Li Chen asked, looking at Jubilee, who was carrying things and covered in sweat.
She felt that this was even more tiring than her training at the X-Mansion.
This was completely weight-bearing training!
Hearing Li Chen's words at this moment, she immediately shook her head and said: "No."
Shopping with the boss, how could she possibly let the boss pay?
She had a strong awareness of being a tool person, even if at some point she might become the boss's tool...
Afterwards, they returned to the car, and Jubilee drove them back to the estate.
Then she left by herself.
Li Chen and Saitama moved the game console into Saitama's room.
Although Li Chen hadn't had much contact with this before, he only knew how to play, not how to install...
But with the help of his super brain, he understood it in a second.
Before long, the two of them assembled the latest game console.
It was Nintendo's, not Sony's.
Li Chen felt annoyed whenever he saw Sony now.
Afterward, by inserting the purchased game, they could start playing.
This was also why Li Chen didn't like consoles; playing games on a computer was so easy—just find the game on the platform and pay to download it.
This made players all over the world feel no difference.
But consoles were different.
If you wanted to play games, you first had to buy the console.
After having the console, you also had to buy exclusive game discs, and you couldn't play them immediately either, having to wait a few days for them to be delivered to your hands.
Although second-hand discs sometimes held their value well, playing with them was too "troublesome".
Li Chen felt that console things should have been phased out long ago.
By the later crazy era, the price of a console couldn't even buy a single graphics card...
This showed how huge the performance gap was.
But those manufacturers were unwilling, purposely turning some games into exclusives so that PC players couldn't play them, thereby advertising their consoles.
Therefore, you couldn't play too many games on consoles either.
For example, many PC games couldn't be played, and on Nintendo's game console, you couldn't play Sony's games either.
For many players, this was simply torture.
Li Chen despised this kind of thing the most.
"Mm, the games I invest in must be released on the PC platform so that global players can play them. This is popularity, this is prestige points!"
"They absolutely cannot be monopolized by a single company!"
Coming back to his senses, Li Chen thrashed Saitama with one hand.
Saitama was covered in sweat, pressing the controller: "How... how is he so strong?"
He looked at Li Chen with some incomprehension.
Li Chen was obviously a big boss, why was he so good at playing games?
Is there any justice left?
"Don't ask, I only have four words for you."
Li Chen said nonchalantly: "Practice more if you're bad."
What kind of person was he? He was a fighting game Master who had experienced the street fighter 6 era. When it came to playing games, Saitama couldn't possibly be his opponent.
The games of this era still had quite a few gaps in his eyes, especially fighting games.
Perhaps Saitama was too reckless, using a "Serious Punch" on whoever he fought, which led to him having no concept of "spacing".
Spacing, simply put, is pulling back and forth, making the enemy think they can hit you when they actually can't, and then finding an opening the moment they strike.
Mm, Saitama didn't need this kind of bullshit; facing anyone, he just used a Serious Punch.
Therefore, he was completely defeated by Li Chen in gaming philosophy.
But he happened to be a stubborn person.
Even after being beaten until covered in sweat, he immediately screamed "One more round!"
The battle only ended until Ram came over to call Li Chenfor dinner.
Saitama didn't go over, gnawing on bananas by himself.
"Master, Rem made your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs tonight."
On the way to the dining room, Ram spoke.
Li Chen patted her head: "Not bad, not bad."
"Ram, do you guys want to go out and play?"
Hearing the Master's question, Ram was stunned for a moment.
She and Rem were still very curious about this world.
Mainly because this world was too developed, and the estate was obviously better than the ones they had stayed in before.
And in other aspects, it could also be reflected.
For example, that thing called a TV—sitting at home allowed them to know what was happening outside. This had already become a must-watch item for the sisters to pass the time every day.
They liked some variety shows; even the aloof Rem would sometimes reveal a smile.
"Can we?"
Therefore, Ram asked with some anticipation.
They also knew their own situation; to the people of this world, they were manga characters.
Therefore, in order not to cause trouble for the Master, she and Rem had always stayed indoors, never stepping outside.
"Of course you can, but we'll have to wait until there's time."
Li Chen said: "You just need to change into a set of clothes, nobody will care about you."
"I'll take you to eat ice cream and drink iced beverages."
The world described by Li Chen made Ram very excited.
Soon Rem also knew, and both sisters had flushed faces, their gazes looking at Li Chen as if they were melting with affection.
Chapter 48: Batman Begins Filming
Although he really wanted to take the two little maids out to play, Li Chen still could not put down his work.
Mainly because the lucky draw was truly addictive.
As long as he opened the system, he could see the prompts.
[One Piece brought 100 prestige points]
[Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another world brought 20 prestige points]
[Superman prestige points...]
[one-punch man...]
He could see his prestige points slowly increasing, naturally filling his entire being with a sense of excitement.
This feeling of getting a reward as long as one put in the effort felt truly awesome.
If he had the system back in high school and could see his own progress, getting into Tsinghua or Peking University... it seemed impossible anyway, the score requirements were too high.
Inside the office, Harry Sloan smiled and said, "Li, did you not want that girl named Taylor?"
"?"
Li Chen said, "I am simply very optimistic about her."
When Harry said those words, why did it sound so strange?
"Yes, yes, yes."
Harry Sloan continued, "Our Starlight Pictures wants to establish a music department, but starting from zero is too difficult."
"We have two choices."
Li Chen motioned for him to continue speaking.
"Method one, we can find veterans with seniority and build it from the ground up."
"Second, that is to directly acquire these record companies."
Just like movies, for small companies, the biggest problem was how to distribute them.
Record companies were the same; distribution channels were very important.
With so many record stores across the nationwide in the US and the world, how could they expand without enough manpower?
This was one of the functions of Hollywood giants; they did not have much else, but they had plenty of manpower.
Otherwise, why raise so many employees just to eat for free?
Expanding channels was not difficult for Starlight Company; the difficult part was how to produce high-quality songs.
Just like movies, why did MGM go bankrupt?
It was simply because the movies they produced were not good enough and the box office was not high.
People always said that Warner after the 21st century produced bad movies every day and suffered huge losses daily, but at least they still had profitable movies that could earn a lot, so even if they lost money, it would not hurt their vitality.
However, a company like MGM, which lacked blood transfusions from media giants, could not avoid bankruptcy.
As for producing songs, not only did they need star singers, but also a series of supporting personnel and equipment, which could actually all be solved with money.
Li Chen already understood, so he asked, "So, you want to acquire them?"
"Yes."
Harry Sloan said, "Taylor Swift's contract is in the hands of Big Machine Records, whose founder is Scott Borchetta, focusing on country music."
"He previously worked at DreamWorks and Universal Music, and is an excellent music producer."
Li Chen immediately made up his mind, "Then go negotiate the acquisition."
If they could secure her, they would have to completely bind Taylor Swift to their chariot; after all, she was truly a 'money-printing' weapon.
Later, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour released in movie theaters had an even higher box office than many movies...
This was the embodiment of popularity.
"Right, there is also Katy Perry, who is currently signed to Capitol Records, belonging to Universal's label."
"Then forget it."
Li Chen waved his hand.
Only then did he realize the terror of the capitalist world; many people were spotted and nurtured before they even became famous, and wanting to pick up bargains required planning many years in advance.
Therefore, Li Chen prepared to look for those new generation artists.
After Harry Sloan left, Li Chen called for Jubilee.
"Let us go."
"Where to?"
"To visit the set."
Sitting in the car, Li Chen received a call from White Queennotifying him that there was a party tonight.
This was a regular program of the Hellfire Club, because human favors needed to be continuously maintained; if they did not see each other for a long time, the relationship would grow distant.
Therefore, the Hellfire Club frequently held parties.
He agreed to White Queen.
He had already discovered that looking across America, the parties of the Hellfire Club were actually quite normal.
Although they were still filled with plenty of alcohol, they were not too excessive, and even the element of sex was rarely seen, perhaps because White Queen and Black Queen were both women.
He heard that certain terrifying circles not only held dark rituals, but even 'ate meat'.
This also made Li Chen complain inwardly that rather than saying they were descendants of pirates, they were practically descendants of demons.
Just thinking about it made him feel like vomiting.
"We have arrived."
Jubilee's driving was not steady at all, rushing all the way to the film set.
In the golden age of Hollywood, film companies built a large number of studios locally, and their movies were basically filmed entirely within the studios, rarely going outside for on-location shooting.
But with the development of film technology, these studios also faded into history.
Many movies not only had to shoot on location all over the world, but also because shooting in other places came with tax reduction policies.
For example, for a movie with an investment of over 100 million, going to a certain place to shoot would give you a certain percentage back.
It was equivalent to a sudden decrease in cost pressure.
Therefore, the once glorious studios were now rusty and looked very old.
Li Chen came to visit the two crews of Starlight Pictures.
Transformers used a large amount of special effects, with a lot of indoor filming.
On the other side, Zack Snyder could not help himself and hurriedly started filming Batman.
Bringing his bodyguard Jubilee along, Li Chen first went over to take a look at Transformers.
Mainly because Shadowcat Kitty was squeezed in to play a passerby role.
Arriving at the set, he only saw them shooting the scenes between the male and female leads, and they were performing without actual props.
After all, it was impossible to really conjure up Transformers for them to film together...
The female lead was very eye-catching and fit Eastern aesthetics well; it was none other than the somewhat bewitching Megan Fox.
When Megan Fox first debuted, because her looks were too charming, she was considered the successor to Angelina Jolie.
Although they were both equally sexy, Li Chen truly did not know where their appearances looked alike.
Angelina Jolie's large mouth was indeed memorable, and it must feel great to taste.
However, obviously, Megan Fox was even more brainless than Angelina Jolie.
As for the male lead, he had been changed to someone Li Chen did not recognize.
The male lead of the original Transformers was Spielberg's godson, but right now Li Chen had no relation to Spielberg.
Moreover, there were too many lunatics in Hollywood, and the original male lead belonged to one of them.
But for this kind of movie, acting skills were not important to begin with; as long as there were handsome men and beautiful women, it was fine, and the main attraction was still the Transformers.
Jubilee, on the other hand, saw Kitty.
"Boss, Kitty is over there."
"I am not blind."
Li Chen did not disturb Michael Bay; instead, he took a look and then turned to go next door.
The preparations for Batman were much more tense.
Furthermore, there were even more people in the film crew, a full hundred-plus people.
This was also the terrifying part of Hollywood film crews; a blockbuster sometimes required hundreds or thousands of people, which was why the cost of movies remained high.
Just the daily food, drinks, and daily expenses for so many people were no small expenditure.
But this was also proof of Hollywood's industrialization.
Chapter 49: Megan's Throwing Herself into His Arms
Li Chen has already read the script for Batman.
There is nothing particularly novel about it; one can only say it is smooth and focuses on Batman's growth.
Yet, precisely such a movie is what the DC Universe from his past life lacked.
Warner's DC Universe was far too rushed.
They first rushed to release "Green Lantern", only to completely bomb the character out of existence. For over a decade, they never dared to let the Green Lantern character appear on the big screen again.
Having remained silent for two years, Warner later released Superman. This time it was reasonably successful, but the Warner executives were not satisfied.
Because Marvel over at Disney had already reached the Avengers!
Therefore, driven by various factors, they directly skipped a standalone Batman movie and went straight to filming Batman v Superman.
In fact, this movie should have been a massive success, because its opening weekend box office reached as high as 170 million US dollars, making it the highest opening weekend box office record in Warner's history.
And this was merely for North America alone; adding the global opening weekend box office, exceeding 200 million would have been a breeze.
Facts proved that the majority of audiences expected to see the showdown between Batman and Superman on the big screen.
But unfortunately, due to a lack of buildup, plus the theatrical cut being edited into absolute tatters, it led to a collapse in word-of-mouth, and ultimately, the box office performance was unsatisfactory.
This brings up Zack Snyder's trait... He loves making director's cuts.
Because in Hollywood, a place centered around the producer system, as the director, he did not have final cut privilege.
But this also proved that there were major problems with his filming; at least within two hours, he failed to tell the story clearly.
However, this was also related to Warner's strategy. If there had been a standalone Batman movie, this kind of thing wouldn't have happened.
But Warner also had their say: Nolan's version of the Batman trilogy had just finished filming, how could they possibly shoot a new Batman movie right away?
Therefore, this led to the collapse of Warner's DC Universe.
This was also the reason why Li Chen never considered filming a Batman trilogy. Although those three movies were indeed very classic, the combat power of Batmanwithin them was simply too low, clearly making them unsuitable as part of the DC Universe's plan.
They didn't feel like superhero movies; they felt more like detective movies wrapped in superhero skin.
In the studio, the first to spot Li Chen was still Scarlett.
Scarlett had secured the role of Catwoman and was immensely grateful to Li Chen.
Several times she even wanted to throw herself into his arms, calling him up to say she couldn't hold back anymore.
After experiencing Li Chen, she could no longer look at anyone else.
But Li Chen was very busy and rejected her multiple times.
This made Scarlett somewhat 'aggrieved' when she saw Li Chen again.
Li Chen gave her a hug instead, his expression calm and indifferent.
"Tonight?"
"I'm busy tonight."
Li Chen apologized.
Scarlett knew where the problem lay—that was, she couldn't fully satisfy Li Chen.
But she had already tried her absolute best; she simply couldn't handle it anymore.
"Li, welcome."
Zack Snyder wore a full smile, looking extremely pleased with himself.
The others watched this side with cautious restraint.
"Zack, how is it going?"
"Very smoothly."
Lao Zha nodded and said.
Afterwards, he began introducing things to Li Chen.
What does a successful commercial movie need? A complete script, an outstanding director and producer, and of course, the movie needs to be famous enough, or the actors need star power.
Finally, add a beautiful actress to act as a 'vase'.
Although it sounds harsh, this is the reality, because for a long time, the audience for movies has mostly been male.
Only in specific genres like romance movies would women make up the majority.
In Li Chen's view, as long as Batman didn't mess around, success would be easy.
Zack Snyder's strengths and weaknesses were both very obvious. His strength was that the movies he filmed had a strong sense of visual imagery and a religious feel—a foundation he built during his time as an 'advertising director'.
However, he lacked obvious control over the script, and he also had a penchant for'slow-motion shots'.
Li Chen recalled "Rebel Moon" which he had watched; even the female lead cutting wheat required slow motion, making him want to vomit.
Therefore, he absolutely could not be given too much power; it was impossible to let him act as his own producer. There had to be an experienced producer watching over him.
Because of this, Li Chen instructed the producer Jeff.
Producers in Hollywood were the true holders of power.
Not long ago, some media outlets ranked the 'Hollywood Power List'. Among them, the most famous producer and also the most powerful producer was Jerry Bruckheimer.
"Top Gun", "The Rock", "Black Hawk Down", "National Treasure", and even "Pirates of the Caribbean" were all painstakingly crafted by this best producer in Hollywood.
Once upon a time, movies he produced were a guarantee of box office success.
This was also why Hollywood studios believed producers were more important than directors.
Li Chen chatted with Ben Affleck for a bit, and then Zack Snyder sought him out.
"Boss, do you have any ideas regarding the movie's subtitle?"
Just like Superman, its subtitle was Body of Steel.
In fact, this was also a common practice in Hollywood movies, intended to highlight the film's characteristics.
Li Chen thought about it and said, "How about calling it Dark Knight?"
Nothing else, he just felt that this title sounded punchy.
"Dark Knight? Cool!"
Lao Zha instantly became excited.
Li Chen quickly took Jubilee and left, otherwise he would be pestered by Scarlett.
This crazy woman didn't care about other people's gazes at all and insisted on showing her closeness to him.
Although this was quite normal in Hollywood...
But this still made Jubilee extremely envious: "So female stars are all this proactive."
"That's only proactive toward me."
Li Chen glanced at her.
Looking into the distance again, Megan Fox also found an opportunity to run out, wanting to greet Li Chen.
Goodness knows how much attraction a young film and television company boss like Li Chen held for female stars.
After all, the others were all old fogies with big bellies; women are also visual creatures, okay?
As long as one latched onto Li Chen, they could bypass decades of detours.
Therefore, their craziness was quite understandable.
"Oops."
Megan Fox clumsily 'accidentally' bumped into Li Chen.
To prevent her from 'falling', Li Chen had no choice but to hug her.
"Be careful, Miss Fox."
"Just call me Megan."
Megan Fox gave Li Chen a flirtatious wink.
She was indeed very pretty and sexy right now, and Li Chen quite liked this type.
He simply couldn't understand why the Megan Fox from his past life stubbornly Kardashianized herself.
One could only say the Kardashian family ruins people profoundly.
Jubilee felt somewhat helpless; she found that her boss's charm was a bit too high.
She of course knew why—this was brought about by Li Chen's superpower of wealth.
He had money!
In a capitalist society, the charm of money surpasses everything.
Just as the NBA's 'Flying Pig' Charles Barkley said, what the hell is handsome about Jordan? If he had as much money as Jordan, he would be handsome too!
Chapter 50: Kingdom Project
Megan Fox waved goodbye reluctantly, watching Li Chen's car drive away.
Although she didn't succeed directly, getting Li Chen's contact information was not a loss.
She strongly invited Li Chen to dinner together and expressed that she could be enjoyed as he pleased, but Li Chen had matters in the evening, so he could only say "Maybe next time."
Sitting in the car, Li Chen thought of many media evaluations of Megan Fox.
They said she had a fiery personality and a bad temper.
This was because she became famous too easily, so she spoke without restraint and later offended quite a few people.
The reason why Transformers later changed its female lead was simply because she offended the director.
A star offending a director, who knows what she was thinking...
Therefore, everyone evaluated her as brainless.
However, Li Chen didn't care; he wasn't planning to marry Megan anyway, just playing around, just like with Scarlett.
Since he had already come to Hollywood, why wouldn't he indulge himself?
Thus, he noticed Jubilee glancing at him in the rearview mirror.
"What are you doing?"
Jubilee pursed her lips and said, "Boss, that is not a good woman."
"Oh? Then what is a good woman?"
Li Chen looked at her with amusement.
Jubilee was speechless. She couldn't possibly say that although she liked fighting, she was a good woman, right?
...
In the evening, Li Chen arrived at the Hellfire Club.
He brought Jubilee straight in.
Arriving here, Jubilee felt a bit more at ease, because most people here were her kind.
Although she benefited from Li Chen, she had no status inside Hellfire, so she quickly went off to play by herself.
Li Chen went straight to the small room to find the White Queen.
The White Queen was indeed here, but her expression did not look very good.
"What's wrong?"
Li Chen sat opposite her unceremoniously: "Women should smile more to look good, otherwise they will get wrinkles."
This made the White Queen roll her eyes at him and subconsciously touch her cheek.
Her skin was smooth and flawless; where were there any wrinkles?
But after Li Chen said that, her mood recovered as well, and she spoke: "Erik is here."
Erik, who was Magneto, was also the White King of the Hellfire Club.
Li Chen's spirits lifted: "If I want to become the White King, what should I do?"
The White Queen Emma Frost looked at him and said, "This is very difficult, not because of your strength problem."
"Rather, it's about contribution."
"Erik has a group of people who want to overthrow human rule, and even rule over ordinary people in turn, making us Mutants superior to others. Many people believe in his routine."
The White Queen said, "Although I think doing this is very stupid and impossible to succeed."
"But you know, not everyone has reason."
This was the reason why Magneto firmly sat in the position of the White King of the Hellfire Club.
Strength was secondary; mainly, he had 'projects'.
Having stayed in Hollywood for a long time, Li Chennaturally knew the rules of corporate operation.
As an executive, you might not have ability, or you might have outstanding ability, but no matter what, you must have work and projects in your hands so that you can prove your value.
Conversely, if you idle around every day without a single project in hand, no matter how outstanding your ability is, the boss will feel that you are just slacking off.
Therefore, making yourself 'busy' can give you your own value.
Just like inside the Hellfire Club, many people felt that Magneto had contributed to Mutants.
But in reality, apart from shouting slogans, he achieved nothing.
But other people didn't care about this.
"So, if I want to become the White King, I must do a project that surpasses him?"
Li Chen looked thoughtful.
"That's right."
The White Queen nodded.
Li Chen had thought that fists alone could solve it, as long as he defeated the White King.
But clearly, Hellfire's rules did not operate this way.
If it were just this simple, then anyone relying on their own might could overthrow others.
"Interesting."
Li Chen looked at the White Queen and asked: "Do you have any ideas?"
He could tell that Emma Frost deeply detested Magneto's approach.
Seeing this, the White Queen with blue lips said: "I have an idea."
"Tell me about it."
Li Chen asked curiously.
The White Queen crossed her legs, her plump legs quite noticeable, especially since she was wearing long boots.
"This is my project, why should I tell you?"
Li Chen said with a serious expression: "We are in this together."
"When were we a team?" The White Queen smiled.
"You are my woman."
Li Chen said domineeringly.
The relationship between the two of them had long become ambiguous.
However, the White Queen liked to play hard to get and refused to make things clear with Li Chen.
Just like right now, upon hearing that, she merely glared at Li Chen, neither agreeing nor refusing.
"I am the White Queen, you are the White Rook."
The subtext was that only the White King was worthy of the White Queen.
Plots like a princess falling for a poor boy only existed in fairy tales.
In reality, even if a princess fancied a certain knight, at most she would only make him a kept man; eloping was impossible.
Did they really think princesses are stupid?
"So we can cooperate together, and by then I will be the White King."
Li Chen made no attempt to conceal his ambition.
Let alone the White King, he even wanted to become the Supreme Monarch of the Hellfire Club, and have both Queens suppressed by him.
The White Queen thought for a moment and said: "Overthrowing human rule is impossible, but we can establish our own Mutant kingdom."
Li Chen immediately asked: "Then who will be the king?"
This made the White Queen glance at him: "You want to be?"
"I'm afraid you'll turn the Mutant kingdom into your own harem."
"Pfft."
Li Chen really wanted to say: You sure have an accurate eye for people.
He immediately said: "I will be the king, and you will be the Queen. Only in this way can we ensure the Mutantkingdom proceeds according to our vision."
"First of all, we must understand why we want to establish a Mutant kingdom—of course, for the future of Mutants."
"Only a strong leader can achieve this."
Hearing this, the White Queen swept a glance at him: "How come I feel Erik has more leadership ability than you?"
"Heh."
Hearing this, Li Chen immediately laughed: "Him? Has he ever been the boss of a Hollywood giant? Does he have a team of over a thousand people under him? Does he know how to divide labor and cooperate?"
These words caused the White Queen, who was drinking, to pause, and the red wine glass stopped in mid-air just like that.
To some extent, this was really right.
Erik only had that small number of Mutants under him, and every day they only thought about making trouble.
But what about Li Chen?
After acquiring the bankrupt MGM, he had now led it to rise.
If the Mutant kingdom was compared to a company, then Li Chen had experience managing a company. What about Erik? He had never even gone to work a regular job!
How could a person like this have so-called leadership ability, and how could he govern the Mutant kingdom well?
"Fine, you are right."
The White Queen actively poured a glass of red wine for Li Chen, acknowledging Li Chen's words.
Li Chen also picked up his wine glass: "Then let's toast to the success of our Kingdom Project."
"Kingdom Project? Interesting."
The White Queen's eyes flashed, and she clinked the wine glass.