Originally, Lucas Reeve thought Nian's overly abstract scriptwriting talent only manifested when filming a regular movie.
After all, movies have no limits; one can imagine and write freely.
But documentaries were different.
A documentary basically has a central theme determined before filming. The rest of the filming process, and even revisions to the outline, basically revolve around this core theme. This should easily suppress Nian's almost abstract scriptwriting ability, keeping it from getting too out there.
However.
Lucas Reeve seemed to have truly underestimated Nian's 'creative ability'.
According to the original theme, this documentary was supposed to film the difficult situation of the Infected, thereby allowing ordinary people around the world to understand the Infected.
In theory.
The subsequent filming should have started from the extremely difficult living conditions of the Infected, how they got sick, how their lives changed after getting sick, the change in attitude of those around them, and so on. After that, maybe film some scenes of these Infected before they got sick.
But...
Nian's script was...
We are the Infected... scorned by this world, betrayed by this world. Therefore, we despise this world. For this, we must constantly grow stronger, all for the sake of one day, trampling the entire world under the feet of us Infected.
Pain! So much pain!
This land, why did you betray me!
Tremble,
mortals!! Killing you a thousand times isn't enough!!
For the glory of the Infected, we must rise!
Jie jie jie!!
....
Damn!!
Too ridiculous!!!
Anyway, after reading this script of Nian's, Talulah, FrostNova, and Alina snatched it away almost immediately and refused to give it back.
If they filmed according to this, it would definitely incite the anger of neutral parties.
"Er...."
Nian cutely poked her chin with her finger.
"But I feel like this is really cool..."
"..."
Lucas Reeve said: "Our theme is to let the world know about the hardships of the Infected, not an Infected revenge story! Understand?"
Nian nodded, seeming to half-understand. Her dragon tail, burning with faint flames, swung back and forth, thumping against the ground. Nian crossed her legs, fair and slender without a trace of excess fat, looking particularly striking in the snowy camp.
"So, starting from the Infected's living environment, what do you think their current living environment is like?" Lucas Reeve tried to guide her.
Nian looked around. Some people were laughing and chatting, some were training. Children were holding books and reading. A dedicated teacher was teaching at a blackboard in the center of the camp. It was a harmonious scene.
"Feels... pretty good."
"......"
Lucas Reeve also looked around.
It seemed... that was indeed the case.
"This place doesn't seem to work. Let's go, to another place. To film a truly moving documentary, we need to deeply understand the real lives of the Infected. Let's go, to the Ursus interior!"
"I'll go too." FrostNova raised her hand.
Talulah shook her head. "You guys go. It's not suitable for me to walk around inside Ursus."
They did it as soon as they said it.
After deciding, Alina, FrostNova, and Nian immediately set off for the nearby [Stardust]. This time, their destination was the nearby Chernobog. Lucas Reeve had personally witnessed the situation in Chernobog. That place... was practically a hell for the Infected.
——————
In a wooden house.
Patriot's figure was incomparably massive. He always wore the high-tech custom power armor from Raythean Industries, looking like an iron mountain that inspired despair.
Across from Patriot, Hoederer sat, staring intently at the chessboard in front of them.
"Check..."
Patriot moved a piece and said slowly.
In front of Patriot, Hoederer seemed incomparably tiny, not just in stature, but also in terms of strength.
Ever since his Oripathy had been suppressed with Lucas Reeve's help, Patriot, who had been in slight decline, had surged back to his peak, even surpassing it. The current Patriot, even if not yet equal to the strongest of the Royal Court, would surely catch up given more time.
Hoederer smiled.
"I've lost. As expected of Old Mister Patriot."
He hadn't thrown the game; he truly couldn't beat Patriot. This chessboard was like a battlefield for leading troops. As an old soldier, Patriot was completely at ease playing this game. Just as he had led his troops to slaughter their way through countless countries in the past, Patriot also crushed Hoederer on the chessboard, leaving him with no pieces.
"You're not bad either." Patriot praised.
His voice was rough. Since the Originium lesion near his vocal cords had been cleared by Lucas Reeve, Patriot's voice had fully recovered.
"What do you think of the Reunion Movement?" Patriot said slowly.
Hoederer's heart leaped in shock, but he forced himself to remain calm.
"It's like a paradise. For the Infected, it's like heaven. At least for us Sarkaz, it's also heaven. I'm very fortunate to have been able to join the Reunion Movement."
"Do you know where this peace came from?" Patriot continued.
"Of course, it's thanks to Mr. Patriot. Old Man Patriot, you are the stabilizing force in the Reunion Movement."
"Heh... you think too highly of me. I'm just a warrior. I don't have that much power."
Patriot's large fingers toyed with a chess piece.
"Do you think... the person behind you could have imagined the Reunion Movement would turn out like this?"
"!!!"
Hoederer's eyes widened, his heart pounding, as if it would jump out of his chest.
Fortunately, as a mercenary who had faced life and death countless times over the years, Hoederer managed to maintain his composure, keeping himself from looking too flustered.
Hoederer was already thinking of escaping.
If Patriot made a move right now, Hoederer would immediately turn and flee, though the chances of escaping were slim. This Reunion Movement was full of hidden masters. The leader, Talulah, was stronger than him. Patriot's daughter, FrostNova, was also stronger than him. And then there were the Shieldguards, and even the powerful Mudrock.
"I'm just asking. Do you think you've hidden yourself well?" Patriot suddenly chuckled.
Hoederer didn't speak.
"When a person lies, even if their expression doesn't change and they make no micro-movements, their heartbeat is often faster than normal. Maybe by two beats, maybe by five. It's not obvious, you might not even notice it yourself."
In reality.
Patriot and Lucas Reeve had been suspicious ever since Hoederer first wanted to join the Reunion Movement. During this observation period, Hoederer seemed to have tried to pass information to the outside several times, but gave up due to the Shieldguards' surveillance.
This questioning was the result of a discussion between Patriot and Lucas Reeve. Letting this drag on wasn't a solution, and Lucas Reeve really wanted to know who was behind Hoederer, and why they were targeting the Reunion Movement.
Lucas Reeve felt that before he arrived, the Reunion Movement was practically destitute. Why did the Old Black Serpent target them, and now another faction was targeting them? Tsk tsk...
Hoederer's expression shifted indeterminately.
He chose silence.
And Patriot respected Hoederer.
"Think about it carefully. But you don't need to worry. Since you've come to the Reunion Movement, we are comrades. Regardless of your motives, we are, first and foremost, comrades."
Patriot stood up, preparing to leave.
Just as he was about to leave the room, suddenly, Hoederer called out to him.
"Old Man Patriot!"
Patriot turned around. Hoederer didn't speak, but slowly raised his index finger in front of Patriot. Patriot understood this gesture instantly and nodded.
One...
The publicly recognized number one nation in Terra.
The Regent of Victoria, Theresis?
He didn't know why such a big shot was interested in the tiny Reunion Movement. He had a feeling this peace wouldn't last long.
—————
Chernobog was not far from where the Reunion Movement was located.
Lucas Reeve, Alina, FrostNova, and Nian—two people, one god, and one soul—took a short while to arrive inside Chernobog. Since Chernobog was the closest Mobile City to the Reunion Movement's current location, it was already infiltrated by numerous Reunion Movement scouts. These scouts were like insects, spread throughout every part of Chernobog.
With these scouts lying in wait, coupled with Hellagur's underground organization in Chernobog, the scouts could further integrate a small portion of the city's Infected.
After arriving.
Nian's camera started filming nonstop. The three of them quickly made their way to Chernobog's slums to witness the chaos and darkness, then went to Old Man Hellagur's place. Nian's camera filmed everywhere, and she even interviewed many of the children, asking them questions.
On the way.
They saw a group of Infected Pickets chasing an Infected. Nian filmed this scene in time and also rescued the Infected person. After that, they went to a mine. This was the true nightmare for Ursus's Infected.
The group walked through Chernobog for a day, and Nian filmed some good footage. In addition, Nian also truly witnessed the real living conditions of the Infected, which were far from the life in the Reunion Movement, and far from the easier lives in countries like Yan.
After dark.
Nian and the three others returned to the Reunion Movement.
After a busy day, Nian seemed to have found her groove. She holed up in the wooden house to revise her script, with Lucas Reeve supervising nearby.
Finally.
After a long period of hard work.
Nian's second script was freshly baked. This second script, while much better than the first, was still incredibly abstract. Under Lucas Reeve's constant, strict demands for revisions, Nian finally produced a new, somewhat passable script.
And the next day, Nian couldn't wait to start filming, carrying a cinema-grade camera and shooting nonstop in the Reunion Movement camp, directing the members to perform corresponding actions based on the scenes she had imagined.
This time, Nian wasn't tormenting Lucas Reeve; she was tormenting everyone else.
After Lucas Reeve and Nian were busy, Patriot finally called Lucas Reeve over and informed him of Hoederer's situation: Hoederer was likely working for the Regent of Victoria, Theresis.
"Theresis?"
Lucas Reeve frowned slightly.
He had never met Theresis, but he had heard of him. Strictly speaking, he had quite a grudge with Rhodes Island.
Because.
Rhodes Island's predecessor, Babel, was where Kal'tsit and the Doctor assisted Theresa. And Theresa's enemy at the time was Theresis. Everyone knew the final result: Theresa lost to Theresis. Theresis took advantage of the chaos to seize control, occupying Victoria's Londinium and taking on the role of Regent, engaging in an intense struggle with Victoria's Grand Dukes.
Such a big shot was actually interested in the tiny Reunion Movement?
Lucas Reeve didn't understand. What was he after?
After all, the Reunion Movement's current scale was genuinely pathetic.
How could it attract the attention of such a major figure? His motives were worth pondering, and this forced Lucas Reeve to be cautious.
The current peace in the Reunion Movement was just an illusion, like a soap bubble. Without any external factors, it could maintain its current life. But if any force came along and gave it a slight poke—it didn't even need a poke, just a light touch—this fragile peace would shatter with ease.
Since his specific goal was unknown, and the Reunion Movement was located in Ursus, no matter how far Victoria's reach, it couldn't extend all the way to Ursus. Therefore, the one the Reunion Movement needed to guard against most was still Ursus, not the distant Victoria.
Hoederer continued to live in the Reunion Movement.
It was unknown if it was because he had confessed his secret or for some other reason, but he seemed much more relaxed than before. Ines didn't know what had happened to Hoederer; she just needed to follow by his side. Ines felt she didn't need to think; she just needed to remember Hoederer's commands and instructions. As for the mercenary captain Garson, he felt increasingly isolated.
Not only was he being isolated by his comrade, who was hiding things from him, but even the Sarkaz mercenaries under him were saying "our Reunion Movement" all day long. As for him, their captain?
Who the f*ck are you?
Because it was a documentary, the filming work was much simpler than a regular movie. It didn't require special effects synthesis; at most, it needed post-production-editing, color grading, and finally, a voice-over.
Nian stayed in the Reunion Movement for two weeks and, miraculously, finished filming everything. Not only did she film everything related to the Reunion Movement, but she also interviewed Infected in other parts of Ursus.
Mainly because Nian's quality standards for footage weren't high; almost everything was done in one take.
All the footage was ready. The documentary was expected to be an hour and a half long. After returning to Columbia, it could basically be released once the editing was done.