Chapter 318: Confidential Project

Chapter 318: Chapter 318: Confidential Project

Inside the "Rye Whiskey" bar in downtown Los Angeles, the neon lights were dim and ambiguous, mixed with the mellow aroma of malt ale and the pungent scent of cigars.

Maddy Hansen sat in a corner booth, a glass of bourbon with long-melted ice in front of him, his brow furrowed into a knot.

He was an ordinary employee in the Marketing Department of Universal Pictures. Today, he had simply misplaced a decimal point for channel coverage in a report, yet he was harshly criticized by his team leader for half an hour in front of the entire department. The leader’s words were laced with mockery, implying that someone of his caliber would eventually be phased out.

"Damn old geezer, always using subordinates as punching bags." Marty took a heavy gulp of liquor. The alcohol burned his throat, but it couldn’t suppress the frustration in his heart.

He had been with Universal for three years and had always been hardworking, yet opportunities for promotions and raises never came his way. Instead, he had to endure his superior’s constant nitpicking every day.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. His fingers unconsciously tapped the tabletop as he muttered curses about his team leader’s pettiness and snobbery.

Just then, amidst the clamor from the neighboring table, two names suddenly drifted over that made him prick up his ears: "Irene Coppola" and "Echo Pictures."

Marty’s movements came to a sudden halt, and his heart skipped a beat.

During last week’s departmental meeting, the Vice President had specifically emphasized the need to closely monitor Echo Pictures’ activities, especially their new project plans after acquiring Future World.

"That Irene Coppola is no simple matter. We must keep a close eye on her moves and not let her easily create another blockbuster to seize the market," the Vice President’s words still rang clearly in his ears.

He instinctively set down his glass, leaned forward slightly, and tilted his head toward the neighboring table.

Three young men in their twenties were sitting there, all looking tipsy. Their voices were loud and slurred, but that didn’t stop Marty from catching key information.

"Don’t you believe me!" one of the young men with curly brown hair slapped the table. He reeked of alcohol but spoke with certainty. "I heard my brother’s conference call with his boss with my own ears! Echo Pictures is working on a big project called something like ’monster universe.’ They’re stuffing vampires, werewolves, and Frankenstein’s monster all into one movie. Their ambition is huge!"

"For real?" another man wearing a baseball cap scoffed. "Irene Coppola just won an Oscar. Instead of striking while the iron is hot with another award-chaser, she’s going to film some B-movie trope stuff?"

"I’m a dog if I’m lying!" the curly-haired man got anxious, raising his voice a few notches. "My brother has worked at Future World Pictures for five years. Isn’t it about to be acquired by Echo? He sat in on a high-level meeting last week and heard them mention that the target lead is Leonardo DiCaprio! They want Leonardo to play a vampire lord! It’ll definitely attract a huge wave of female fans! Just like Tom Cruise did back then!"

Marty’s heart instantly began to race.

Insider info from Future World Pictures, Leonardo’s interest in joining, and the novel concept of a monster universe—if this were true, it would definitely be Echo Pictures’ next major project!

If he could report this intelligence to his team leader, he might be able to wash away today’s humiliation and even gain the appreciation of his superiors.

He couldn’t sit still any longer. He stood up immediately, straightened his wrinkled shirt, forced a friendly smile onto his face, and walked quickly to the next table.

"Hey, brothers." He patted the curly-haired man on the shoulder, his tone warm and natural. "Sorry to interrupt, but I’m really interested in that Echo Pictures project you were just talking about. Could we find a place to have a good chat?"

The curly-haired man looked up at him with bleary eyes and waved him off, his tongue tripping over his words: "No chatting... my brother said this project is confidential and absolutely cannot be leaked... I can’t betray him, or he’ll get fired by the company."

Marty sneered inwardly.

He thought to himself: You’re already shouting so loudly in a bar in front of strangers, and you’re still talking about confidentiality? This is purely drunken bravado.

But he didn’t show it on his face. Instead, he sat down next to the curly-haired man, draped an arm intimately around his shoulder, and lowered his voice with a hint of persuasion: "Look at you. I’m just a die-hard fan of Irene Coppola. I’m just curious about her next plan and wanted to ask around. I don’t mean anything else."

He pulled his wallet from his pocket, took out two hundred-dollar bills, and quietly tucked them into the curly-haired man’s hand. "You don’t say anything, I don’t say anything—who’s going to know where the news came from? Even if it gets out later, it won’t be blamed on you. Just think of it as satisfying a fan’s curiosity, how about it?"

The curly-haired man squeezed the bills in his hand, a flicker of hesitation crossing his drunken eyes.

He was already light-headed from drinking and couldn’t make clear judgments. Combined with Marty’s sweet talk and the temptation of money, his meager sense of "confidentiality" instantly collapsed.

He looked hesitantly at Marty, then at his two equally drunk friends, and finally nodded, saying vaguely: "Alright... then I’ll reveal a little to you, but you absolutely must not say it was me."

"Don’t worry, don’t worry!" Marty was immediately overjoyed and quickly refilled the curly-haired man’s glass. "Go ahead and speak, my lips are sealed."

The music in the bar remained loud. The clinking of glasses and the sound of laughter intertwined. No one noticed the secret transaction in this corner.

Marty stared intently at the curly-haired man, his ears perked up, afraid to miss a single detail.

A few minutes later, after getting what he wanted, he practically stumbled out of the "Rye Whiskey" bar. The night wind cleared most of his drunkenness, leaving only the excitement and tension of a racing heart.

He climbed into the used Ford parked by the curb. This car had been with him for five years. The leather seats were cracked, and the air conditioning was hit-or-miss.

But he couldn’t care about that now. With trembling hands, he quickly rummaged through the passenger-side glove box for a crumpled ballpoint pen and a convenience store receipt. By the dim light of the streetlamp, he rapidly recorded every detail he had heard from the curly-haired man:

Echo Pictures’ New Project — monster universe! Core setting: Vampires + Werewolves + Frankenstein’s Monster, three major monsters in one frame, action-adventure genre. Inspired by Irene’s father’s ’Bram Stoker’s Dracula’. Target male lead: Leonardo DiCaprio (Vampire Lord). Source: Future World Pictures internal employee (curly-haired man’s brother, five-year tenure, learned by auditing high-level meetings). Project status: script in production, emphasis on confidentiality.

Afraid of missing any key point, he double-checked it three times. Only after confirming all information was recorded did he carefully fold the receipt and place it deep inside his wallet.

As he started the car, his hands were still trembling slightly. His mind was already beginning to fantasize that as long as he reported this intelligence, it might make the supervisor see him in a new light. Not only could he keep his job, but he could even take the opportunity to escape his team leader’s suppression and carve out a path for himself at Universal Pictures.