The bar.
"Thanks, Anton."
Eddie was already a bit drunk, but he was in high spirits, and his eyes seemed to be on fire.
Since hearing that Anton, representing The Daily Bugle, had agreed to let him restart his investigation into the Life Foundation, he had been transformed, as if he had found his life's purpose again.
"You're welcome. I wish you success."
Anton didn't take the credit, picked up his glass, and took a sip, showing a look of distaste.
He didn't like the taste of whiskey.
"By the way, there's one thing I need to remind you of," Anton put down his glass and cautioned, "The Life Foundation has a lot of power in San Francisco. Although the homeless incident shows that the Life Foundation has violated the human moral bottom line, it will at most cause trouble for the Life Foundation. With so many medical patents in hand, the beneficiaries will not give up on the Life Foundation. As a former reporter, you should know this fact better than I do."
Eddie nodded silently.
He reined in the excitement in his eyes and gave a wry smile. "Exposing the Life Foundation's actions, trashing their reputation, and making Carlton Drake's life miserable, hopefully getting him thrown in jail... that's all I can do."
"Also, you can't go back to San Francisco."
Anton continued.
Eddie looked surprised. He stared at Anton, opened his mouth, but said nothing.
"You've made it too obvious, Eddie."
Anton said, "Remember, your identity now isn't that of a public-facing reporter, but the editor-in-chief controlling everything at The Daily Bugle. You absolutely cannot go back to San Francisco to work on the front lines. Both of us know you'll immediately attract the Life Foundation's attention, exposing the fact that we're working against them."
The investigation into the Life Foundation can't be done in the open.
"Of course, to ensure the investigation goes smoothly, apart from Eddie not being able to leave New York, the newspaper's internal staff will be at Eddie's disposal."
Find the evidence first, expose the Life Foundation, and then press the advantage.
This is the most secure approach.
"I understand what you mean," Eddie said, sounding glum.
"Once The Daily Bugle fires the first shot and sparks public discussion, there won't be so many restrictions," Anton said meaningfully, adding, "Don't worry, you won't be able to hide then."
"Okay."
Eddie understood Anton's good intentions. He wasn't someone who was stubborn and didn't consider others' opinions, so he agreed seriously.
"That's all."
Anton handed the bartender a few large bills, covering the drinks and a tip, then stood up. "I have something in Los Angeles tomorrow. The Daily Bugle is yours."
Eddie watched Anton leave.
On the way back, Anton considered Eddie's experiences.
Eddie Brock, San Francisco, Life Foundation, fired.
These words couldn't help but remind him of the Venom movie from his previous life.
After a moment of thought, Anton took out his phone and searched for the Life Foundation, finding news about a rocket crash.
The event had occurred not long ago.
"So, the Symbiotes have already arrived on Earth?"
Anton frowned.
Indeed, the more he knew, the more dangerous this world seemed.
A rocket had crashed in eastern Malaysia.
With the cooperation of various parties, the rocket wreckage was being handled.
However, Anton knew that the Life Foundation was dealing with more than just the wreckage.
According to the plot, the Life Foundation should be actively collecting the Symbiotes that had come to Earth with the rocket.
The only difference was that Eddie had come to New York from San Francisco.
A butterfly flapped its wings, and perhaps the future had changed.
However, Anton firmly believed that no matter what changes occurred, the Symbiotes couldn't cause any major trouble on Earth.
He understood the worldview of the Marvel universe.
Although the world he was in seemed to be a fusion of many different movies, Anton was absolutely certain of one thing: where there was Tony Stark, there was S.H.I.E.L.D.
Established after World War II, S.H.I.E.L.D. had experience dealing with extraterrestrials since the 1990s.
That incident also gave rise to a powerful superhero.
Ms. Marvel.
Or perhaps Captain Marvel.
With this confidence, Anton knew the Symbiotes wouldn't be able to disrupt the order on Earth.
If Earth were truly so easily destroyed by these aliens, it wouldn't even be the Symbiotes' turn. They would have been utterly finished back in the 90s facing the Kree army.
The truth is, among the countless life-bearing planets in the universe, Earth is absolutely a player with a cheat code.
Having reviewed these things in his mind, Anton returned home.
The retired old man wasn't there; Anton was used to it.
The old man, suddenly enjoying life, was no different from a runaway husky, disappearing at any time, anywhere.
The next day.
Anton brought the award-winning screenwriter Browning to Los Angeles.
Following the airport staff, they were brought to an upscale residential area near Hollywood.
In a high-end apartment, Anton and Browning finally met Jim Lambert, who was late.
"Anton, you're finally here."
Jim got straight to the point, addressing Anton: "The crew is almost ready. The next step is the main character casting. Do you have any suggestions?"
"That's your job. I just want to start as soon as possible."
Anton shrugged.
He wasn't concerned at all about the crew preparations, only about when the film would actually start shooting.
After learning about Eddie Brock's story and the Life Foundation, he gained a deeper understanding of the Marvel world.
In short, he felt a bit insecure, inexplicably anxious.
It was always good to get the movie done as soon as possible, achieve his goals, and exchange for the Batman template.
"Alright."
Jim said regretfully, "The male lead has basically been decided. However, I thought you might have some other requirements for the female lead, after all, this is Hollywood."
Anton widened his eyes. "Wait, the casting is today?"
Jim said, "Tomorrow. We've already arranged for seven or eight female stars, all of them beautiful."
"Remember to call me."
Anton immediately changed his stance and said righteously, "I do have special requirements for the female lead. At the very least… she must be beautiful and obedient, and also, she needs to have a nice butt and big breasts."
Jim gave him the look of an old hand.
Afterward, Browning communicated with Jim about the script and promised to complete the first draft within three days before saying goodbye and leaving.
Browning's home was in Los Angeles.
This upscale residence was the place Jim had prepared for Anton.
It wasn't because Anton didn't have other places to stay in Los Angeles, but because it was close to Hollywood, making it convenient for work.
"Where's the prop department?"
Anton thought for a moment, then said, "I have high standards for the costumes and props in this movie. What you sent me before was too formulaic and didn't meet my standards."
He had ready-made templates here; how could he possibly look favorably upon the prop department's "stingy" designs?
"No problem." Jim nodded.
As an investor and director, Anton virtually held the highest authority over this movie.
Producer Jim was completely at Anton's service; there was no room for disagreement, nor any need to disagree, regarding the film's production.
It was all just work anyway.
The amount of money Jim received wouldn't change, regardless.
What he wanted was simply success.
For the next few days, Anton worked relentlessly, like a machine, day and night, finally settling on the props and the cast for the film.
The day before filming began, Anton received a budget sheet.
One hundred and ten million.
Anton's lips twitched.
This was ten million more than the investment he had agreed upon with Tony Stark.
But recalling the investment Nolan had made when filming Batman Begins in his previous life, he knew that Jim was at least not swindling him.
Furthermore, the technological level of this world was only higher, not lower, than in his previous life. Various amateur science, black technologies, and even things that were only dreamed of in his previous life were all within the normal budget range.
Anton silently signed the list and mortgaged all his assets to gather the 110 million in funds.
Finally, the film began shooting.
Anton was ambitious and full of ambition, directing his dozen or so assistant directors, ready to make a big splash.
At the same time.
The few reporters Eddie had sent to San Francisco to secretly investigate the Life Foundation had also sent back some specific information to Eddie.