BXBX NOVEL Chapter 55: Chapter 55: For the Male Lead
On a mission, he couldn\'t ask more questions; he carefully opened the pop cans and placed the contraband in the car, while the enforcement recorder documented the whole process.
Lynch had his subordinates lift the faces of Ward and Adam Smith to confirm they weren\'t their "informants."
When Adam Smith saw the pop cans, his face filled with shock, and he cried out in pain, "These aren\'t ours! Not ours! You\'ve got the wrong people!"
Ward also said, "They absolutely aren\'t ours!"
They couldn\'t help but exchange glances, wondering how the stuff that was supposed to be in Martin\'s car ended up in theirs?
A DEA agent turned on a UV light and inspected the pop cans: "There are fingerprints on them, easy to identify."
Lynch waved his hand: "Take them away!"
Bruce, struck by a sudden idea, shouted out loud, "Agent, what happened?"
Lynch really wanted to flip him off but, remembering the past, he replied, "Smugglers, caught red-handed."
Bruce aimed his camera at Ward and Adam Smith, and although his technique was clumsy, he had no trouble capturing their features.
On the other side, seeing no evidence, two APD officers allowed Martin to leave.
Martin said a few procedural phrases about retaining the right to complain and pursue the matter further and then left in his car.
Half an hour later, Martin and Bruce met in a parking lot.
Bruce handed over the camera to Martin, who checked the footage: "I\'ll call you later."
Just as he was about to leave, he remembered something and pulled out a signed photo of Kate Winslet, handing it to Bruce: "Old Cloth, I\'m paying off my shit debt."
Bruce took it, his face blooming like a chrysanthemum, and planted a big kiss on a certain spot of the photo: "First time I\'ve ever seen you so keen to repay a debt."
Martin saw him stick out his tongue and, not wanting to be subjected to the sight, quickly got into the car. He called Elena to go to a friend\'s place where she could copy the video, intending to cut out the part that Old Cloth filmed earlier.
The small camera was to be returned to Andrew, and the video was copied onto a USB drive.
The act of justice must be spread.
It made one wonder, had there been a setup in the past as well?
Martin sifted through the media contacts Bruce had collected previously, found a suitable TV station, and used a public phone to mention he had an important news tip. He dug out his old glasses and wore them, along with a fake wig and mustache to boot.
The TV station was close by, and he met Nina, the middle-aged deputy editor of a news program.
After plugging in the USB drive and seeing the footage of the DEA bust, Nina said, "I\'ll take this, you go collect your $100."
Martin pointed to the screen: "It\'s definitely worth more than a hundred! Look at the amount of contraband seized, plus the DEA dispatched over a dozen agents; it\'s clearly a major operation. You can base your report on this and keep tabs on the DEA; you could develop it into a series."
Nina shook her head: "There\'s too much of that in Atlanta."
Martin then pointed to Adam Smith, "Take another look at this guy. Does he look familiar?"
Nina inspected carefully: "He looks a bit familiar, I remember now, he\'s Adam Smith."
"Exactly!" Martin snapped his fingers. "He\'s a celebrity in Atlanta."
He talked up Adam Smith: "He\'s got at least tens of thousands of fans in Georgia, maybe even hundreds of thousands of female viewers who know him, or more. He\'s a real star! This is big news!"
Nina knew from experience that Adam Smith truly was popular among female viewers of late-night shows.
Martin continued to hype: "He is often seen in elite women\'s clubs and is highly sought after. Could there be a connection with this contraband? You can dig up a lot of news from this."
After careful consideration, Nina asked, "Name your price."
Martin replied, "A big celebrity scandal, definitely worth $3,000!"
Nina offered, "$500!"
The two haggled and eventually sold it for $1,200.
Martin left the TV station with two $600 checks.
Tonight\'s news would feature clips of Adam Smith.
Martin had called both Robert and Bruce to invite them to dinner.
The last time in the restaurant and the private booth, Robert arrived first and sat across from Martin, "I\'ve been meaning to treat you to dinner but never found the time."
Martin acted as if he hadn\'t heard, pulling out a check for him: "Your luck has brought me fortune, this is your reward."
Robert glanced at the amount and snatched the check into his pocket: "Don\'t tell me you\'re joking, I absolutely won\'t give it back."
Martin said, "I can\'t have you helping me for free."
Bruce had arrived by then, and Martin asked them to order first.
When the food arrived, he handed the other check to Bruce: "For the cleaner\'s fee."
Bruce didn\'t move: "You\'ve already given payment."
Martin said, "It\'s just a photo."
Bruce suddenly stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.
Martin quickly stopped him from saying more: "Civilized man, you don\'t need to say it, I understand."
He couldn\'t possibly compensate Bruce with just a photo: "I don\'t know through what channels you\'ve had the DEA administer justice, but you always have to buy someone a drink, can\'t let you pay for that, your money should go towards buying lubricant."
"Shut up!" Bruce stuffed the check into his pocket: "You\'re always the smelliest piece of shit."
The three of them took their time eating dinner.
Bruce was curious: "Why did that moron target you?"
Martin had his suspicions and had Andrew inquire indirectly: "Gray Company\'s director Benjamin wrote a script featuring a male lead inspired by my words and experiences, the script is temporarily held by Kelly, but once it\'s green-lit, with investments over a million, it might even hit the cinemas."
Bruce understood: "He saw you as a competitor, so he wanted to get rid of you ahead of time?" He shook his head: "This crappy circle isn\'t much better than mine."
Martin was indifferent: "To us rejects, which circle isn\'t rotten? To climb up, you not only have to pull down those above you but also step on those below you."
He briefly mentioned: "I sent the video you shot to the TV station, it will be on the news tonight, Adam Smith is somewhat famous in Atlanta."
Bruce said, "So you did get to him."
"I get it now!" Robert, who was late to catch on, exclaimed: "You took down Adam Smith, so when the movie chooses its male lead, you\'ll be the first choice."
Martin spoke assertively, "Buddy, it\'s the responsibility of a citizen of Atlanta, I have a heart that upholds justice, I\'m fighting against evil, I stand against gambling and drugs!"
Robert swayed his head and said, "No wonder I can\'t land weighty roles, being the lead is damn hard, really can\'t have any shame!"
Bruce said, "Because his head\'s filled with nothing but stinking dog shit."
After the meal, Martin called Buckley, and gave him another copy of the video.
Out of respect for their past collaboration, he didn\'t ask for money this time.
The evening news reported the video of Adam Smith being detained by the DEA.
In the following days, The Atlanta Interstellar News continued to track the story and obtained confirmation from the DEA—Adam Smith\'s evidence was solid, and he had been moved from detention to arrest.
The DEA searched Adam Smith\'s home and found substantial evidence of his crimes.
Due to the subsequent series of procedures and cases, Adam Smith couldn\'t be released on bail.
At the same time, the DEA discreetly confirmed that the goods had nothing to do with them, nor with agencies like the CIA.
For America, these uncontrolled rogue goods and channels had to be taken down, of course.