Chapter 202: United States President Movie, Taishan Special Operations Team Established
Fang Wen bent down, picked up the gift bag from the floor, took out boxes of cigarettes, and placed them on the table.
“This is a gift I brought for Salon, Taishan Brand cigarettes. They have a rich and long-lasting flavor, smokers can try them.”
Mr. Liang chuckled, “President Fang thinks my Salon isn’t hospitable enough, so he brought me cigarettes. Thank you.”
Everyone made themselves at home, picked up the cylindrical cigarette cases, opened them, and distributed them for a try.
The flavor was indeed good, suitable for all types of smokers.
After receiving unanimous praise, Fang Wen continued, “I’m here for two things: one is to discuss a script with Huanzhu Louzhu, and the other is to ask for your help in designing cigarette labels. Let’s talk about the labels first. I want to recruit a few painters to travel to cities along the Asia-Europe route, combine them with local customs and scenery, and create cigarette labels that are characteristic of the local area. Is anyone willing?”
Taishan Airlines was organizing overseas travel, which everyone found quite interesting.
Mr. Liang and Mr. Lin were the first to express their interest: “My wife and I are classical architecture scholars. We’ve always wanted to study the customs and ancient sites of various countries. Designing cigarette labels should be within our capabilities. Is that okay?”
“No problem. Who else is willing to participate? All food, lodging, and travel expenses will be arranged by the overseas offices in each region,” Fang Wen replied with a smile.
Suddenly, two more painters agreed.
After confirming the cigarette label designs, Fang Wen began the second matter, discussing it privately with Huanzhu Louzhu.
Huanzhu Louzhu produced a manuscript.
“After I returned, I organized my thoughts and creations from that day into a text, designing a new world. Based on this world, I’ve created the script you want. Please take a look and see if it’s suitable?”
Fang Wen took the manuscript and began to read.
In the second year of the Republic of China, the world was in chaos, and the flames of war raged. A young American named Henry, named Henry, traveled across the ocean from the United States, aspiring to the ancient civilization of Europe, and set foot on this continent shrouded in the dust of history and mysterious magic.
It was a full moon night, and the silver glow illuminated the country paths of France, with lavender gently swaying in the breeze. Unexpectedly, a gust of sinister wind arose, and several giant dogs sprang from the shadows, their eyes ferocious, their fangs bared. After a fierce battle, although Henry escaped, the venom of the vicious dogs had deeply penetrated his body. Every full moon night, he transformed into a wolf, possessing immense strength and speed like lightning.
At first, Henry was terrified by this transformation and wished he could get rid of it. However, witnessing the rampant lawlessness of gangs and their oppression of the common people, the fire of justice burned fiercely within him. Thus, he decided to use this non-human power to transform into a wolf on full moon nights, to uphold justice and punish the wicked.
His deeds quickly spread through the countryside, and the people wherever he went called him the “Silver Moon Wolf Hero.”
However, the world was not that simple. In a struggle, mysterious sorcerer powers helped the gangs, and Henry learned of the mysterious forces hidden in the darkness.
Furthermore, he uncovered a larger conspiracy: the President of the United States was actually a dark magician.
During this period, Henry was fortunate to receive the help of several close friends: a mage with extraordinary wisdom; a knight of unmatched bravery; and an alchemist of exquisite skill. The four shared common aspirations and planned great strategies, vowing to eradicate injustice in the world and restore peace to the continent.
After enduring numerous hardships, they uncovered the conspiracy hidden in the shadows and thwarted the evil forces’ schemes. After a thrilling great battle, the American dark magician President fell into the abyss, and the world finally regained peace.
Fang Wen was dumbfounded after reading it. Huanzhu Louzhu had written a heroic novel that perfectly appealed to the American taste.
Even more amusingly, he had designed the American President as an evil dark magician, which was incredibly engaging.
He wondered if it could be released in the United States if filmed like this.
Whatever, Fang Wen found this script very interesting. The cost of filming movies wasn’t high now, so he might as well film it first. If it couldn’t be released in the United States, he would change the plot about the President being a dark magician.
Fang Wen felt this script would be a hit. After all, movies with the US President as a character in the future basically never lost money at the box office.
He replied with a smile, “Of course, I like this script. How about you come with me to Star Film Company now to finalize things?”
“Go now?” Huanzhu Louzhu was a little surprised by Fang Wen’s swift decision-making but agreed.
“Please wait for me downstairs. My car is parked by the roadside, it’s black. I’ll be down shortly,” Fang Wen replied.
Huanzhu Louzhu nodded and went out first. Fang Wen entered a guest room, and after a while, he came out with a completely different appearance.
He pulled down his wide-brimmed hat, turned up his collar to hide his face, and quickly left. The salon was filled with smoke, and the lively discussion continued, unnoticed by anyone that he had changed his appearance.
Leaving the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Liang and Lin, and passing the small building, he saw Huanzhu Louzhu waiting by the car.
Fang Wen lightly patted his shoulder, “Alright, let’s go.”
Huanzhu Louzhu turned and looked at the greatly altered Fang Wen in surprise, “It really is a disguise technique!”
“Art comes from life, and it really exists,” Fang Wen said with a smile, opening the co-pilot’s door. After Huanzhu Louzhu got in, he walked around to the driver’s side, got in, and started the car.
The car traveled from the French Concession to the International Concession. The same Sikh guard was on duty. Fang Wen waved and paid him a fee to watch the car, then headed to Star Film Company with Huanzhu Louzhu.
Upon arriving at Star Film Company, Fang Wen introduced, “This is the screenwriter I found. He wrote the script for the new movie, and I want to start filming as soon as possible.”
The manager of Star Film Company was surprised, “President Fang, please don’t be in a hurry. May I see the script?”
Fang Wen nodded, and Huanzhu Louzhu handed over the draft script.
Looking at the script, the Star Company manager’s mouth twitched, “This, I mean, is it really okay for us to make jokes about the President of the United States?”
“I think it’s fine. If they don’t show it there, I’ll cover the loss,” Fang Wen replied. He genuinely wanted to see a movie where the US President was the villain, and there were such themes in the future.
The Star Company manager firmly shook his head, “No, it’s fine if you lose money, but if Americans come after us, Star Film Company can’t handle it. How about you change the character to a positive one?”
True, he himself might not care, but others would.
Fang Wen looked at Huanzhu Louzhu, “Can it be changed?”
Huanzhu Louzhu nodded, “It can be changed. The President can still be a magician, but one who guards justice. The villain can become an evil force.”
After this change, the plot’s appeal decreased significantly, but it was still acceptable.
Fang Wen nodded, “Alright, let’s make the changes as discussed. Submit the movie budget to the Chief Accountant’s office at Taishan Airlines, and start filming as soon as possible.”
The rest would be the responsibility of the film company, with Taishan Airlines handling the investment.
“Okay, I’ll discuss the plot with the screenwriter. We’ll submit the budget in a couple of days,” the Star Film Company manager said, and then began discussing the script’s plot with Huanzhu Louzhu.
Seeing them engrossed, Fang Wen said nothing and left the film company, returning to Shanghai Airport.
The car returned to outside Shanghai Airport and drove into the residential building where the car was hidden.
When Fang Wen emerged again, he had returned to his original appearance.
His expression was calm, but his heart was churning.
What exactly were the Japanese doing in Harbin? He had to find out.
At this moment, he suddenly realized he had no one to rely on.
His Taishan Airlines lacked military talent, and in the future, when the War of Resistance broke out, it would be stretched thin.
It seemed he needed to establish a special operations military force.
The number of people didn’t need to be too large; the emphasis was on elite soldiers capable of carrying out various covert military actions for him.
Just like now, he had no one available to send to the East to scout for intelligence or conduct radio wave positioning for bombing.
He couldn’t possibly ask Sun Debiao again; the man had already reached the position of manager and had taken risks.
He needed to train a batch of professional military action personnel.
As Fang Wen thought about this, a plan gradually formed in his mind.
He found Sun Debiao and Fang Shouxin and communicated with them privately.
In the General Manager’s office, Fang Wen poured tea for Sun Debiao and Fang Shouxin.
“General Manager, you’re being so polite today, I’m not used to it. If you have something to say, just say it, I’ll definitely do it,” Sun Debiao said uncomfortably.
“Yes, Young Master. Don’t be so formal, let’s get down to business,” Fang Shouxin also felt a bit strange.
Fang Wen smiled, “What’s wrong with pouring a cup of tea? I’ve asked you two to come because of your experiences. I want to ask, what did you see as the most formidable soldiers?”
Fang Shouxin recalled, “During the Boxer Rebellion, heroes from all sides gathered. There were those who wielded the ‘zhang si mo dao’ (a type of long saber), and with one strike, they could cleave a person and horse in two. But they couldn’t stop foreign bullets. So, there are no ‘most formidable’ soldiers; on the battlefield, bullets have no eyes.”
Sun Debiao agreed wholeheartedly, “Yes, crossing the river (‘bing’ characters in ‘bing guo he’) means there’s no return. There are no ‘most formidable’ soldiers. They might be formidable for a while, but soldiers who have been in battle twice will become cautious.”
Fang Wen realized his questioning approach was wrong and decided to state his thoughts directly.
“I want to recruit a group of extraordinary individuals. They need to be capable of fighting, lurking, eavesdropping, being able to locate targets for me via radio waves, and be able to parachute in. In short, they need to have some skills themselves and be able to master other abilities through training, to be used by me.”
With that explanation, the two understood.
They were going to recruit soldiers, and the best kind at that.
For this purpose, a secret department was established within Taishan Airlines: the Special Operations Department.
Fang Wen was the direct leader, and Sun Debiao and Fang Shouxin were responsible for recruiting and assessing candidates.
Sun Debiao and Fang Shouxin left the General Manager’s office and went to an old tavern on Airport Road, ordering two dishes and a pot of wine to discuss.
“The task the General Manager has given us is very important, and we must screen candidates carefully.”
“Yes, these people will surely be involved in many secret matters. They are like new members of our Taishan Volunteer Army; they can’t just be recruited casually.”
“What kind of people will be of one mind with us and keep secrets?”
The two exchanged glances and reminisced.
They both thought of their experiences with Fang Wen.
It had to be said that Fang Wen had a strong personal charisma. He could attract people to work with him and keep them united.
But that took time and wasn’t applicable to everyone.
Sun Debiao lowered his voice, “We need people who aren’t afraid of death, and who are willing to risk their lives for money. I know a suitable place.”
“Where?” Fang Shouxin leaned in.
“Death row prison. The people there have more or less some skills. If they can buy their lives, perhaps they’ll work for us.”
“They’re uncontrollable. Those people aren’t even afraid of death. If they cause trouble, it’ll definitely be bad.”
The troublemakers from the death row prison ultimately were not chosen by the two.
“I know who to go to. Gang Leader Wang of the Axe Gang.”
“Yes, he knows Shanghai well.”
The two suddenly had a direction and paid for their drinks before heading to Shanghai.
Because they were almost assassinated by people from the Revival Society last time, Gang Leader Wang’s hiding place became even harder to find, and they no longer had Zhao Jiu’s help. Fortunately, they were able to establish contact through the guidance of people from Tou Men.
In Gang Leader Wang’s secret location, the two explained the situation.
After listening, Gang Leader Wang chuckled, “In this war-torn era, there should be a group of skilled people to protect us. The security guards your General Manager recruits are fine for small skirmishes, but they can’t be relied upon for real tasks. So, we who depend on him for our later years will help find a solution.”
Immediately, Gang Leader Wang reassembled the Treasure Hunting Group members and held a meeting.
Upon hearing that Fang Wen wanted to recruit extraordinary individuals, everyone was quite enthusiastic.
They were knowledgeable in all sorts of professions and had their own connections. Moreover, they knew what a good opportunity joining Taishan Airlines was, so they actively recommended many people.
Many of these people were their nephews or friends, and they all had some skills.
Subsequently, Sun Debiao and Fang Shouxin took the list back.
Taishan Airlines General Manager’s Office.
Fang Wen looked at the list.
These people truly did not shy away from nepotism!
Gang Leader Wang recommended three second-generation members of their Axe Gang. They were all young men around 20 years old. Because their fathers were in the Axe Gang, the sons did not officially join, but they had learned all sorts of skills.
There were also five disciples trained by Tou Men in recent years, who were professionals in lock picking, pickpocketing, and house infiltration.
There were also the Liu Family Three Brothers, who came from a family of tomb raiders. Although they had stopped their illicit activities themselves, they still remembered their close associates.
They also introduced three young members from tomb-raiding families. They were excellent at tunneling and long-distance travel over mountains and rivers.
Looking at this list, Fang Wen was surprised to discover that he had found all the candidates he needed.
Furthermore, due to their connection with the Northeast Treasure Hunting Group, they were more trustworthy.
Seeing this, Fang Wen picked up the phone and dialed the secret contact number brought back by Sun Debiao and Fang Shouxin.
The call connected, and Gang Leader Wang’s voice came through.
“General Manager, are these people suitable?”
“They look okay, but whether they can actually be used needs to be tested. I have something to tell you: can you send them to the Northeast?”
“Northeast? To do what?” Gang Leader Wang hesitated. He was a bit worried about these young people who were just starting out.
“I received intelligence that the Japanese have established a secret institution in Harbin specifically for human experimentation. I want to send people to investigate the situation,” Fang Wen replied.
“What is human experimentation?” Gang Leader Wang did not understand the term.
But after Fang Wen explained, he became furious: “I’ve seen plenty of killing, but how could the Japanese engage in such disgusting and vile acts?”
Fang Wen sighed, “They can’t do it in their own country, so they do it in the Northeast. The lives there are cheap, and they simply don’t care. I want to find out what’s going on inside and expose these evil deeds to the whole world.”
“So that’s how it is. I admire that. I agree on behalf of everyone. I’ll send the people to you tomorrow. If they don’t bring back evidence of the Japanese atrocities, they shouldn’t come back either,” Gang Leader Wang promised generously.
