My teacher is Bruce Lee, who dominated Hollywood.

Chapter 173 Eleven Arhats

Upon hearing this obviously ingratiating remark, a hint of surprise flashed in Qin Han's eyes.

Today's trip to Las Vegas was a completely impromptu decision. From the time he dialed Zhou Ruofei's number to the time his plane landed, it was less than ten hours in total.

In such a short time, the fact that these Mafia godfathers dared to openly mention the word "gift" at this moment can only mean one thing—this grand gift was something they had prepared long ago.

"Oh?" Qin Han tapped his fingers lightly twice on the armrest of the sofa. "I am indeed a little curious about the gift Mr. Carmen brought out at this time."

Seeing that Qin Han had accepted her kindness, Carmen was finally relieved and secretly glad she had made that decision.

Now, the Japanese man who has been kept like livestock for more than two months has finally had his moment to prove his worth.

He gestured to his trusted aides who were standing at the edge of the hall.

A moment later, two burly mafia thugs dragged a man in, one on each side, as if he were a dead pig.

"Mr. Qin, we've been keeping this Japanese man who's been causing trouble behind your back for two months."

Carmen stood up and pointed at the man thrown on the carpet: "Now, he's yours. Do with him as you wish, just say the word."

Qin Han looked in the direction Carmen was pointing and was immediately at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

The "generous gift" that he had painstakingly prepared turned out to be Hiroki Ishii, the Kyokushin Karate master who had broken his bones on the beach in Santa Monica!

However, he could hardly reconcile the mangled flesh before him with the Japanese martial artist from two months ago who had wolfish eyes, iron-like muscles, and clamored to prove that he was the strongest in karate with an "electroshock device."

More than sixty days of house arrest had completely destroyed a martial artist's spirit and energy.

His once lean and capable figure has now swelled up like an inflating balloon.

Wearing an oversized T-shirt stained with oil, his hair was sticky like weeds on his scalp, emitting a nauseating stench.

Those eyes, once filled with desire and ambition, are now murky and stagnant, like two pools of dead water, devoid of any focus.

"Godfather—" Hiroki Ishii prostrated himself on the ground, his voice trembling with barely concealed obsequiousness: "What brings you here today? I—I'll do anything."

During his two months of imprisonment in the casino, he experienced too much:

At first, the Mafia didn't understand the situation, so in addition to restricting his freedom, they also provided him with good food and drink, and even allowed him to gamble at the casino.

As time went on, his treatment worsened, until finally he had nothing left but junk food to survive.

Now, Hiroki Ishii's mind is filled only with the most primal survival instincts.

Watching this comical yet pathetic scene, Carmen pulled a Cohiba from her cigar box, looking down at the lump of flesh on the ground with a forced smile: "No big deal, Ishii. I've raised you for so long, today is the day to decide your fate."

Upon hearing the word "fate," Hiroki Ishii's obese body trembled violently.

He didn't even bother to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. He hurriedly looked up and finally saw the figure sitting on the single sofa directly opposite Carmen.

Qin Han stood with his back to the floor-to-ceiling window, the dazzling sunlight pouring down from behind him, hiding his face in the shadows against the light.

But that figure, that posture—Ishii's pupils dilated in an instant.

His face drained of all color in an instant, turning ashen and deathly pale, and large beads of cold sweat poured from his forehead like a burst dam.

"Qin—Qin—!"

Hiroki Ishii felt as if he had seen a demon crawling out of hell. He tried to back away, bracing himself against the carpet, but his weak legs gave him no strength, and he could only twitch in despair on the spot.

This is the person who shattered all his pride in the ring;

This person saw through everything, which directly led to the complete collapse of the "Qinglan Society's" assassination operation in Los Angeles!

Only at this moment did he truly understand that from beginning to end, he was merely a tribute used by these gangster bosses to fawn over this man!

Qin Han stared quietly at the man on the carpet, letting out a disdainful snort.

"It seems that the environment really can change everything." Qin Han said as if evaluating a piece of worthless trash: "Once a person loses the support of their will, they collapse faster than I imagined."

This Japanese man actually used such despicable means to try to destroy his master without anyone knowing.

This had already touched a raw nerve with him.

"I received the gift. Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Carmen."

"Since you're the ones who caught him, then do it your Las Vegas way. I don't want to hear any news about him when the sun rises tomorrow."

Hiroki Ishii, who had been trembling on the ground, seemed to have all his strength drained away.

A warm liquid gushed uncontrollably from his trouser leg, instantly soaking the carpet, and the pungent smell of urine filled the luxurious living room.

"No—no! Mr. Qin! Spare me! I know I was wrong! I'm just a knife, I was forced to do this by those above—"

Hiroki Ishii began to wail hysterically, snot and tears mingling on his fat face, as he desperately crawled on the ground, trying to grab Qin Han's trouser leg.

Carmen's face instantly darkened to the extreme: this good-for-nothing dared to dirty his carpet and even tried to touch the important person he had finally managed to appease!

"Drag him away!" he roared at the two thugs. "Make sure it's clean! Drive another concrete pile into the bottom of Lake Mead!"

Two burly Mafia thugs immediately pounced on him and dragged him out of the hall.

Several service staff quickly entered the room, sprayed high-end fragrance, and cleaned the stains, their movements so swift and efficient that it was as if the scene had never happened.

The air in the reception room became fresh again.

"Mr. Qin, the matter has been resolved. Hopefully, past grievances will completely vanish with the disappearance of that Japanese man."

Carmen raised her glass to Qin Han: "To our newfound friendship."

Qin Han did not reject this gesture of goodwill. He picked up his soda water and lightly touched it with Carmen's.

"Friendship needs to be built on shared interests, Mr. Carmen."

"As I just mentioned, Elvis Presley's residency income goes to him. I know you might feel like you're losing a huge direct cut, but believe me, Hans Films can bring much more to Las Vegas than just the foot traffic of a single singer."

He deliberately slowed his speech, ensuring that every word reached the ears of these mob bosses clearly: "If the opportunity arises in the future, Han's Films would be very willing to engage in deeper cooperation with Las Vegas in the entertainment sector. For example—to film a few movies here that can shake the world."

Upon hearing the word "movie," the eyes of the gang leaders who had been sitting quietly on the sofa lit up simultaneously.

They're so envious of Hollywood's money-printing machine!

Last year, Paramount Pictures' "The Godfather" burst onto the scene, not only raking in an astonishing box office of over $100 million worldwide, but also deeply etching the image of the Mafia as mysterious, ruthless, yet full of family honor into the hearts of movie fans around the world.

The film has had a remarkable effect on their social standing and public image.

Before this, they were just criminals who couldn't be brought to the light; but after "The Godfather," many ordinary people who were unaware of the inside story began to develop a blind worship of individual heroism towards them.

This is the terrifying magic of the film industry: it can distort the truth and create gods.

"Mr. Qin, if you truly have this intention, Las Vegas will absolutely open its doors to you!" A portly Italian godfather sat up straight with excitement. "Venue, security, personnel cooperation—just say the word, and we'll give you our full support!"

Carmen quickly chimed in, "That's right! If Hans Pictures could produce a big-budget film tailored specifically for Las Vegas like 'The Godfather,' we old guys will cover all the investment!"

Looking at these gang leaders who seemed like hungry wolves eyeing fresh meat, Qin Han smiled without saying a word.

In the lead-up to the impending oil crisis, the more capital you have, the higher the leverage you can achieve.

Filming a top-tier blockbuster in a place like Las Vegas, where all sorts of people mingle, would be completely impossible without the cooperation of these local bigwigs.

Most importantly, the script in his mind required access to the vault of the city's most secretive casino.

"The Godfather is an irreplaceable milestone; it belongs to that particular era."

He shook his head, shattering the bigwigs' illusions: "Following the trend to make gangster epics will only result in clumsy imitations."

"Since you're all interested in movies, I wonder if any of you have seen the 1960 film, Ocean's Eleven?"

Upon hearing this name, there was a subtle pause in the atmosphere of the reception room.

The godfathers exchanged glances, and the Italian tycoon's face revealed an undisguised contempt.

"Mr. Qin, are you referring to that lousy robbery movie filmed here by Frank Sinatra and his so-called Rat Gang?"

He scoffed, his tone full of disdain for the film: "What kind of movie is that? It's just a bunch of Hollywood big shots using filming as a pretext to take a paid vacation in Las Vegas!"

Another gang leader, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, shook his head, his words dripping with sarcasm: "I saw it with my own eyes. Those guys practically slept in our hotel suites during the day, then went to the VIP room to squander chips, and at night they spent their time having fun with those hot cabaret girls."

"Only when they've eaten and drunk their fill and are really bored will they slowly walk up to the camera, casually say a few lines, and get it over with."

Qin Han chuckled and continued, "That's right. That movie brought together the top stars in America at the time, including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr.—and even the director was Lewis Milestone, who had made 'All Quiet on the Western Front'."

"But what was the result? The entire budget was five and a half million dollars, and it barely grossed ten million dollars at the box office."

For efficient and profit-driven businessmen like the Mafia, such a dismal return on investment makes them utterly uninterested.

"You have a keen eye; that was indeed a failure that wasted a brilliant concept."

"In that outdated 'studio era,' the rules of the film industry were full of compromises and helplessness."

"Producers are held hostage by celebrities, directors have no control over the crew, and the script isn't even fully polished before filming begins."

"A group of drunken celebrities sleepwalking in front of the camera managed to get ten million in box office revenue, entirely relying on the audience's willingness to pay for their fame. It's no surprise that they achieved such a terrible result."

Qin Han put down his water glass and scanned everyone present with piercing eyes.

"However, by simultaneously cutting off the power to five large casinos and, amidst the New Year's Eve revelry, through meticulous calculations and seamless coordination, they managed to steal tens of millions of dollars from underground vaults without anyone noticing."

"Gentlemen, don't you think this concept itself is incredibly cool?"

The gang leaders present couldn't help but swallow hard.

As the de facto controllers of the casino, they know better than anyone how tight the security of the vault is. It is precisely this "impossibility" that makes this high-IQ criminal idea so deadly attractive.

"Mr. Qin—you mean you want to remake this movie?" Carmen asked tentatively.

"It's not a remake, it's a reinvention."

Qin Han's mind drifted to the 2001 remake of "Ocean's Eleven," directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt, which swept the globe.

That's a true textbook for commercial films!

"Forget that slow-paced, hypnotic 1960 film. In my mind, Ocean's Eleven is a fast-paced, high-IQ crime comedy."

Qin Han's voice seemed to possess a bewitching magic: "What we want to show is how the world's smartest minds engage in a magnificent battle against Las Vegas's top security system."

"Cracking the most advanced surveillance systems, infiltrating the labyrinthine ventilation ducts, manipulating the casino's security chief using psychology—every step must be precisely meshed like the gears of a clock!"

"I will invite a group of Hollywood's hottest stars to play a distinctive criminal gang. Some of them are elegant, some are irritable, some are humorous, and some are hopelessly tech-savvy."

"When these eleven men, each with a distinct personality yet brimming with talent, walked side by side in suits under the dazzling neon lights of Las Vegas—"

"It will be a visual and adrenaline-pumping spectacle. This film will make Las Vegas the ultimate romantic destination in the hearts of men all over the world!"

The entire reception room was deathly silent. Several gang leaders, accustomed to the clash of swords and the bloodshed of the underworld, found themselves with dry mouths and parched throats.

To showcase ultimate masculine charm by having top stars play the role of highly intelligent and perfect criminals?

They not only saw the mountain of box office profits, but after the film was released, it was practically a two-hour super blockbuster tailor-made for Las Vegas!

"Mr. Qin, this idea is absolutely brilliant! If you decide to start filming, please be sure to reserve a portion of the investment for us!"

"That's right! You don't need to worry about the venue at all. Even if you want to blow up half of the Bellagio Hotel lobby, we will absolutely cooperate!" Another bigwig also expressed his eagerness, afraid of missing this express train to fame and fortune.

Carmen appeared more composed, but her slightly trembling hands betrayed her inner fervor: "Mr. Qin, if this movie can really be made according to your vision, the entire city of Las Vegas will thank you for your generosity."

"As investors, we absolutely abide by Hollywood rules and will never interfere with any of your creative work."

Seeing the group of gangsters scrambling to hand over their money, Qin Han's smile finally broadened: "Don't rush, everyone. Get your money ready. Then, patiently wait for my script!"