Reborn Action Star: Starting in Hollywood

Chapter 522: Awakening of Buta

"The filming location has been finalized. It's in Xala Village, south of Kisangani. Director, you can come with the crew without worry." Lin Yuan said.

"Sounds like another place similar to Tukanba Village? You really know how to find a place, you're afraid we won't have to endure hardship."

Although it sounded like a complaint, director Eastwood's words on the phone were full of laughter.

After all, he had been waiting for several days, and now the shooting location had finally been finalized, so he was naturally very happy.

As for whether the living conditions are difficult, Director Eastwood doesn't care that much.

"When you come, you need to take a plane to Kinshasa first, and then transfer to a boat to Kisangani. It will take about 3 days. I will arrange the boat." Lin Yuan began to explain the details of the trip.

It took nearly five days to travel from New York to Shara Village, which was even more inconvenient than when filming in Cherrapunji.

Therefore, all the materials that need to be carried and the matters that need to be considered should be arranged as properly as possible to avoid wasting time going back and forth.

This time, director Eastwood was accompanied not only by the filming crew, but also by the projection team and equipment responsible for showing the film, the medical team responsible for providing free medical services to local villagers, and food purchased for distribution.

It can be said that the team this time is larger than any previous one, and the matters that need to be considered are several times more complicated.

Fortunately, Director Eastwood has excellent organizational skills, and GAKKI-chan cooperates and coordinates with him, otherwise Lin Yuanzhen would not have the confidence to complete this task.

Perhaps this is the benefit of having a bunch of talented people under your command. Lin Yuan increasingly felt this convenience.

After communicating with director Eastwood for a long time, Lin Yuan hung up the phone with peace of mind.

Now all he has to do is wait patiently for the crew to arrive, but Lin Yuan will be busy these days.

He has already received invitations from many local tribal chiefs in Kisangani. After all, as the world's richest man and a superstar, Lin Yuan is still quite attractive to the local upper class.

Although their status is not as high as that of Kano, if they want to integrate into this area, they have to get along well with these indigenous people.

So, Lin Yuan had to be busy with various banquets for several days in a row.

However, the dishes prepared by these tribal chiefs were obviously more magical than Kano's. All kinds of ridiculous foods were brought to the table, which greatly broadened Lin Yuan's horizons.

After experiencing these meals, Lin Yuan realized how friendly the previous Kano dinner was.

Finally, on the morning of the fifth day, Buta and Gary arrived in Kisangani by boat with 300 selected employees.

Lin Yuan and GAKKI came to the dock to greet them, and he saw Buta, the first one to get off the boat, at a glance.

Today, Buta was wearing an ordinary T-shirt and jeans. Except that the snow-white T-shirt made his skin look darker, Lin Yuan actually felt that Buta looked more pleasing to the eye like this, and was far more pleasing than that flashy bright yellow suit.

"Lin Yuan, long time no see, I really missed you." Buta walked up quickly and gave Lin Yuan a hug.

"You don't miss me, but those suits, right?" Lin Yuan pointed out mercilessly.

Buta was not angry after being exposed, but said helplessly: "You don't know how I have been living these days. It feels like a year.

Wearing such an ordinary T-shirt and jeans makes me feel as uncomfortable as being naked.

Hopefully I get my suit soon so I can be a complete Sapp."

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "It will be here soon. The crew's boat will probably arrive soon. I asked Director Eastwood to bring your suit.

But according to the estimated time, they should have arrived half a day earlier than you, and now they seem to be late."

"That's great! I can't wait to see my lovely suit." Buta replied happily.

At this time, the three hundred employees on board had already disembarked.

They will go to Xiala Village first, where a temporary camp has been prepared for them outside the village.

Of the three hundred employees, two hundred were men and one hundred were women.

Men will not be sent to repair the road. The engineering company that Kano helped to find has basically completed the road repair. The job of these men is to build related facilities for the shooting location.

Shooting this kind of jungle action movie requires far more facilities than ordinary movies, including more camera rails, fixed camera brackets for special shooting locations, and large fences to prevent wild animals from escaping...

A large number of facilities need to be built, and the transportation work during the filming requires a lot of physical strength. Even these two hundred men are not enough. Lin Yuan needs to hire an additional group of men from Xiala Village.

Women’s duties are naturally logistical work, mainly including washing clothes and cooking.

Gary, the "Black Pearl Beauty" of the Tutsi people, greeted Lin Yuan and then led the group to Xiala Village.

She is now the second in command in the entire management team, second only to Buta.

Buta wants to stay and work with Lin Yuan, so the team going to Xiala Village can only be led by Gary.

As Gary and his men left, Buta became even more anxious, pacing back and forth along the shore. "Why aren't they there yet? Didn't they say they'd be there soon?"

Seeing Buta's expression, Lin Yuan held back his laughter and took out his cell phone. He also wanted to know why the crew had not arrived yet.

So Lin Yuan called director Eastwood: "Hallo? Director, where are you? Why are you so late?"

Director Eastwood's voice came from the phone complaining: "Oh, stop talking! I was originally in a good mood because of the beautiful scenery of the Congo River.

But then something terrible happened, and all my good mood was wiped out."

"Something happened? Why didn't you tell me?" Lin Yuan said immediately.

"It's okay, it's been resolved. If someone blackmails you, just think of it as spending money to get rid of the disaster." Director Eastwood replied.

It was only through the director's narration that Lin Yuan learned what had happened.

It turned out that the large passenger ship they were on encountered a leaking and tilting "hell ship" while sailing.

Although it was not as serious as the ship Lin Yuan was on, it still caused considerable property damage during the tilting process.

If you leave it alone, there is no guarantee that it will not
Seeing so many people in trouble, the crew will definitely not stand idly by.

So, despite the captain's advice, he insisted on pulling the ship to the shore with a rope.

This was originally a good deed, but unexpectedly, they were immediately harassed by the Congolese people on the entire ship. They insisted that it was because of their "inappropriate" rescue behavior that caused the ship to tilt severely, and therefore they had to compensate for their losses.

This act of biting back made the crew members very angry.

Many people immediately expressed their willingness to call the police and never give these Congolese people the opportunity to repay their kindness with enmity.

But director Eastwood also knew the local security situation in Congo, and it was not reliable to expect the problem to be solved by calling the police.

He also did not choose to call Lin Yuan after trying to negotiate with the group of Congolese people.

After discovering that the matter could be settled by paying $200 per person, Director Eastwood decided to spend the money to avoid disaster.

Director Eastwood knew that if he called Lin Yuan, there seemed to be a way to solve the problem he was facing, because this place was not far from Kisangani and was within the territory controlled by Mr. Kano.

But director Eastwood did not choose to ask Lin Yuan for help. On the one hand, the money spent was not much, only about 100,000 US dollars.

Although the amount of money was unreasonable, if Lin Yuan asked Mr. Kano for help, it would be very unprofitable to owe him a favor. It was only $100,000, so it would be easier to spend the money.

On the other hand, if Kano gets involved in this matter, the fate of these Congolese people will probably be miserable.

People become soft-hearted as they get older. If director Eastwood had faced such an ungrateful group of people when he was young, he would have wanted to skin them alive.

But now he is over seventy years old. Looking at these poor people who have lost everything, Director Eastwood really doesn't want to cause them to bleed for such a small amount of money.

"Lin Yuan, do you think my thoughts and actions are ridiculous?" asked director Eastwood.

In his impression, Lin Yuan is the kind of person who will never suffer any loss and will definitely make up for it if he suffers any loss.

Lin Yuan probably wouldn't agree with his behavior of putting himself in a difficult position and making a big deal out of a small matter.

"Everyone has a different style of doing things. I won't laugh at your behavior. If I were to handle it, I might not let them blackmail me for money, but I probably wouldn't have a direct conflict with them either." Lin Yuan replied.

Lin Yuan knew that he had two main purposes for coming to Congo:

One is naturally to make movies, and the other is to build good relationships with all classes in Congo to pave the way for him to obtain Congo's strategic resources.

The value of the second goal is even higher than the previous one. It is a crucial step for his industry to gain greater say and transform into a consortium in the future.

Therefore, Lin Yuan needs to maintain a good reputation in Congo as much as possible.

If Mr. Kano was asked for help because of the blackmail incident of the crew, Kano would definitely agree and then wave his hand to let his soldiers solve the problem.

Lin Yuan would not be surprised at all if the Hutu armed forces caused a bloody incident.

After all, there is a saying that goes, "Soldiers pass by like combs, and bandits pass by like rakes."

This kind of tribal armed forces are both soldiers and bandits.

Once the matter gets out of hand, it will naturally have a huge negative impact on Lin Yuan's reputation in the local area.

If the news spreads internationally, the damage to his reputation will probably be a huge loss.

Therefore, Director Eastwood's considerations were quite cautious. It was really not worth it to save a mere $100,000 and cause several lives, while also damaging Lin Yuan's reputation.

So Lin Yuan continued, “Director, I know your painstaking efforts and concerns, but next time something like this happens, please discuss it with me.

At least I won’t make you spend money and feel angry.”

"I see. Hearing your words of understanding has dissipated my anger. Just wait for another 40 minutes and we should be able to reach Kisangani," said Director Eastwood.

"Okay, see you later." Lin Yuan hung up the phone.

The call was made on the loud speaker. Originally, Lin Yuan wanted Buta, who was standing next to him, to find out the director's arrival time by herself so that she wouldn't have to rush back and forth all the time.

As a result, he heard about an accident.

It really is the hell ship, and it lives up to its reputation. Accidents happen quite frequently.

According to Buta, there are at least four or five accidents on the Congo River every month, an average of more than one per week.

Among them, there was one incident in every two months that caused heavy casualties.

What made Lin Yuan even more emotional was that Buta’s theory of the poor, which he had mentioned before, was laid bare before him.

The extremely poor people who had to pass on the cost did not even bother to thank their saviors when it came to survival. Instead, they chose to repay kindness with enmity and get through the current difficulties in an ugly way.

It's no wonder that after a boat accident on the Congo River, most people chose not to rescue. In fact, this principle of human nature is the same all over the world.

Isn’t there also the moral dilemma of “whether to help or not” in our country?
Lin Yuan believes that if director Eastwood were given the chance to choose again, he would still choose to save people.

After all, if he watched hundreds of lives being lost and did nothing, even if he knew that these were the people who would repay him with evil, he would still go to save them.

"It's so shameful for my compatriots. I feel ashamed too," said Buta on the side.

Buta knew his compatriots very well, and he could immediately imagine the scene in his mind:

Having just rescued a boatload of Congolese people, director Eastwood was immediately surrounded by an "angry" and "excited" crowd without even receiving a word of thanks.

They vented their anger at their savior with harsh words, causing great hurt to the silver-haired old man.

They forced the director to give them money in an ugly way, and they were determined not to give up until they achieved their goal.

All of this is something that has happened repeatedly in the past in Congo.

From this picture, Buta saw the numbness of his compatriots, which made him feel endless sorrow.

What he didn't know was that a hundred years ago, a Chinese gentleman also came to Japan to study medicine.

While watching a movie, he saw a scene during the Russo-Japanese War where Chinese people were working as spies for Russia and were captured and executed by the Japanese army:
The Chinese man tied in the middle was strong but looked numb; the people who gathered around to watch this public display were also some strong but looked numb Chinese people.

As soon as they saw the victory of the Japanese army, the Japanese students around them shouted "Long live, long live!" with great joy.

The Chinese people in the picture have dull eyes and stupid expressions.

"Any foolish and weak nation, no matter how healthy and strong it is, can only serve as a meaningless spectacle and a spectacle for the public."

Buta never wanted to be such an insensitive person.

Therefore, when the large flatbed boat tilted and capsized, everyone was trying to protect themselves and conserve their energy.

He was the only one who took the initiative to save others without hesitation, and even almost lost his own life.

Buta didn't know why he did that, but he knew that if he didn't do something, he would become as numb as them.

How is that different from The Walking Dead?
Buta fears this will happen.

Lin Yuan expressed complete understanding of his feelings.

These are all things that the Chinese have experienced before, but Lin Yuan couldn't say anything. He couldn't encourage Buta to embark on the path of ideological transformation, right?
So Lin Yuan could only pat him on the shoulder and said, "It's hard to blame them. It's all because of poverty."

Buta looked at Lin Yuan with some disappointment: "You said that Congo has so many mineral resources and such good natural conditions, why is it still so poor and backward?

Will there be a day in the future when at least we Congolese can live like human beings?

If our people's lives were better, wouldn't they be less callous? "

"You shouldn't ask me this question. There is no savior in this world. If you want to change your fate, you can only rely on yourself.

But if one day you desperately want to stand up, I will probably give you a hand so that you can stand more steadily." Lin Yuan said.

After hearing Lin Yuan's words, Buta seemed to feel as if a seed was planted in his heart.

In the past, all he could think about were luxury suits, shiny leather shoes, and various accessories, but suddenly he felt that he might have some other pursuits.

It seems that this can make the soul feel more fulfilled and satisfied than pursuing physical beauty.

"Lin Yuan, I suddenly feel that suits are not so attractive to me anymore." Buta said.

Seeing his expression, Lin Yuan immediately guessed what he was thinking, but he still asked with a teasing smile: "Do you still want the suit from later?"

"Yes! Of course! I'm a Sapp, how can I live without this outfit?
I'm just a little numb to suits for a while, but my love for them will never change!" Buta said anxiously.

"Then wait." Lin Yuan paused and said, "If in the future... you want to get more help from me, tell me when you have thought it through."

Help from a higher level?
Think it through and tell him?
Buta didn't know what Lin Yuan was talking about for a moment, but he knew he would understand it in the future.

I don’t understand it now because I haven’t reached that stage yet, so even if I ask Lin Yuan directly now, I still won’t understand.

The two stopped talking and just sat on the stone steps of the dock, watching the ships coming and going in the distance.

GAKKI and Saragama also sat behind them, quietly watching the scenery on the Congo River.

Further away was the security team led by Kane, scattered around.

As I waited, time passed slowly like the Congo River.

……

……

Finally, the long-awaited large cargo ship in the distance appeared in the eyes of Lin Yuan and others.

"The boat is finally here!" Buta stood up from the ground first.

He rubbed his palms excitedly. The long-awaited suit was finally arriving.

The suit he could get this time was a more upscale one than his previous ones. How could Buta not be excited?

You have to know that he only had 3 suits before, and each cost an average of $15000.

Now Lin Yuan has promised to give him 7 suits, a different one every day of the week, and the cost is $50000.

This was something Buta had never dared to dream of, and he couldn't sleep for several nights because of it.

Under Buta's expectant gaze, the large cargo ship finally docked.

Director Eastwood, standing at the bow of the ship, waved to Lin Yuan with a smile.

Soon, the crew members began to disembark in batches.

GAKKI stepped forward and started organizing the personnel.

They will first be accommodated in hotels in Kisangani.

Although Kano gave Lin Yuan a courtyard, it would be fine if he just lived there, but it was ignorant to drag the entire crew to live there.

What's more, this time, not only the nearly 100 crew members from before came, but also the film projection team and more than 100 people from the medical team.

With so many people, it is naturally more convenient to stay in a hotel.

GAKKI organized the people to check into the hotel, and the hotel in Kisangani will become their base camp.

As for the forward shooting camp, we still have to go to Xiala Village.

GAKKI was busy organizing the work. After Lin Yuan and Director Eastwood hugged each other, they started talking:
"Director, I guarantee that tomorrow when you see the spectacular Boyoma Falls and the lush surrounding jungle, you will feel that the slight discomfort during the journey was totally worth it," Lin Yuan said with a smile.

"Tomorrow? Why not go today? It's not even noon yet." Director Eastwood was obviously also impatient.

"It's nearly a hundred kilometers away, and it's almost noon, which is not a good time to travel." Lin Yuan said.

"Noon? What's wrong?" Director Eastwood asked in confusion.

"This is a tropical area. Have you ever heard of afternoon rain?" Lin Yuan said.

After hearing Lin Yuan's reminder, Director Eastwood immediately understood.

The so-called afternoon rain is a unique natural phenomenon in tropical regions.

In tropical regions, the hot sun begins to heat the ground continuously from the morning.

A large amount of water on the surface evaporates into the atmosphere.

By the afternoon, the temperature reached its highest point and the transpiration was at its strongest, after another morning of accumulation.

At this time, the atmosphere is saturated with water vapor, the condensation nuclei are enlarged, and the clouds can no longer accumulate water vapor, so it turns into heavy rain.

This is the origin of the afternoon rain.

It usually doesn't rain in tropical areas in the morning or evening. There will only be a burst of heavy rain around two or three in the afternoon, and then the sky will clear up immediately.

The crew arrived around noon, and by the time they checked in and had lunch, it was exactly around two o'clock.

If you drive to Xiala Village at this time, you will encounter an afternoon rainstorm on the way.

The road to Xiala Village, which is nearly 5 kilometers long, now takes hours to drive.

It would probably take longer in heavy rain, so it would be past 8 o'clock in the evening when we arrived at Xiala Village.

In Xiala Village, where there is no electricity, even checking in is a hassle.

That's why Lin Yuan suggested going tomorrow, early tomorrow morning.

So Director Eastwood nodded and said, "Okay, let's leave early tomorrow morning!

However, since you reminded us that there would be afternoon rain, we will have to adjust our daily shooting schedule accordingly."

"You are the director, I will listen to you." Lin Yuan replied.

Seeing Buta, who was already extremely anxious but too embarrassed to speak, Lin Yuan smiled and said, "Director, where is the thing I asked you to bring?"

Director Eastwood replied, "Don't worry, how could I forget? Here, put them all in this trolley."

Lin Yuan and Buta looked at the exaggeratedly sized trolley case behind the director. They didn't know how big it was, but it was definitely much larger than the suitcases that ordinary people carry when they go out, and it was even three times the size.

This is a box specially used to carry suits, which can avoid wrinkles during carrying. There is a big "Kiton" printed on the box.

Seeing the logo, Buta immediately became excited: this is Kiton, a famous Italian suit brand. The biggest feature of its suits is that they are hand-sewn. Each suit requires more than 25 hours of hand-making, with every stitch being exquisite.

When Buta took the box with trembling hands and opened it, he immediately saw seven suits and four pairs of leather shoes inside.

"Mr. Lin Yuan, something doesn't seem right?" Buta asked doubtfully.

(End of this chapter)