This director only directs blockbusters.

Chapter 108 Fighting to the End

The incident occurred on the afternoon of the third day.

That day, we were filming the climax of a street chase scene—Nicholas Tse drove his car into a dead end, then reversed, drifted 180 degrees, and sped out.

The scene had been in preparation for three days, with Chen Wei leading Nicholas Tse through no less than fifty rehearsals, all for that one perfect shot.

A large crowd had gathered at the scene. Besides the film crew, many local residents were also watching from outside the police cordon. Yang Ning stared at the monitor, his palms slightly sweaty.

"Are all departments ready?"

"Photography OK."

"Lights are OK."

"The actors are OK."

Yang Ning took a deep breath: "Action!"

Nicholas Tse's car sped in from the street corner at breakneck speed. The camera followed him, the rear of the car swerved, tires screeched, white smoke billowed—perfect!

"Cut!"

Just as Yang Ning was about to call out, he suddenly heard a commotion at the street corner.

He looked up and his expression changed.

Five dilapidated pickup trucks broke through the police cordon and stopped directly in the center of the filming area. Thirty or forty people jumped out of the trucks, carrying sticks, machetes, and some even holding hunting rifles.

The leader was a bald man. This time he wasn't wearing sunglasses; his eyes were sinister, and a cold smile played on his lips.

"Director Yang, we meet again."

Yang Ning stood up and stared at him.

Old Xu tried to stand in front, but Yang Ning shoved him aside. Paul and his security guards rushed over and stood on either side of Yang Ning.

Four armed security guards stood behind him, their hands on their waists, not drawing their guns, but their meaning was clear.

The scene fell silent instantly. The extras stepped back, the staff huddled together, and the actors were shielded in the center.

The bald man glanced at the security guards and smiled.

"Forty men, Director Yang, that's quite a large force." He took a step forward. "But look closely, all forty of my men are armed. Where are yours? How many dare to make a move?"

Yang Ning remained silent.

The bald man continued walking forward, and when he was only three or four meters away from Yang Ning, Paul stepped forward and blocked his way.

"Try taking another step," Paul said in a low but steady voice.

The bald man stared at him and smiled.

"Paul, I know you. You used to work for a security company, and you're pretty good at fighting. But this has nothing to do with you, so don't get involved."

Paul didn't move.

The bald man's expression changed, and he waved his hand behind him. The group of people behind him surged forward, raising their sticks, and the atmosphere instantly became extremely tense.

Just then, someone moved.

It wasn't a security guard, it was Nicholas Tse.

He jumped out of the car, strode over to Yang Ning, stood there, and looked at the bald man.

His face was expressionless, but there was a fierce look in his eyes—the kind of look that only someone who had grown up on the streets of Hong Kong and seen the real world would have.

Then there's Hu Jun.

He walked to the other side and stood there, like a mountain. People who have served in the military have a different posture; their backs are straight, and their eyes are fixed on the people opposite them, scanning them one by one.

Li Binbin didn't come over, but she stood behind, tightly clutching something in her hand—upon closer inspection, it was the wrench that had been used as a prop earlier.

Gao Yuanyuan's face turned pale, but she didn't hide and stood next to Li Binbin.

Deng Chao's legs were shaking violently, but he still took two steps forward and stood in front of the actresses.

Xue Kaiqi shrank to the back, but his eyes were fixed on Yang Ning, and his lips were clenched tightly.

The bald man was stunned for a moment.

What's going on with these actors?

"Do your men dare to lay a hand on you?" Yang Ning finally spoke, his voice calm. "If you're injured, I'll pay your medical expenses. If you're crippled, I'll arrange for someone to send you back to your country. If you're killed—"

He paused.

"In South Africa, if a few thugs die, nobody will investigate."

The bald man's expression changed.

Yang Ning looked at him and continued, "You think you have a lot of people? Let me tell you, I have forty security guards, plus my actors and staff, seventy or eighty people in total. If it really comes to a fight, do you think you can walk out standing up?"

The bald man didn't say anything.

"And—" Yang Ning pointed around, "look at those buildings, those windows."

The bald man looked up.

The surrounding buildings had become crowded with people. Black people, white people, people of all skin colors, were all looking down. Some were holding cell phones, some were holding cameras, and a few were holding video cameras.

"A reporter," Yang Ning said. "I invited him."

The bald man's expression changed completely.

"If you take action, the whole world will see it tomorrow," Yang Ning said. "Will the South African government intervene? Will the police arrest you? Will you still be able to work in this area afterward?"

silence.

A long silence followed.

Then the bald man laughed.

The smile looked fake and ugly.

"Director Yang," he said, "you're amazing."

He turned and left.

The group of people behind him paused for a moment, then turned around as well.

But at that moment, an accident occurred.

A younger thug, whether he didn't understand the situation or had lost his mind, suddenly raised a stick and charged at Paul.

Paul didn't move, but a security guard with a gun stepped forward and smashed a rifle butt into his face.

The thug screamed and collapsed to the ground.

Gunshots rang out.

It wasn't that a gun was fired; the security guard raised his gun and fired a shot into the air.

boom--

The sound was deafening.

Everyone was stunned.

Then the bald man and his gang completely panicked. They dropped their sticks and ran, some jumping into their cars, others taking off at breakneck speed. Five pickup trucks roared away, overturning a trash can in the process.

In less than a minute, they were all gone.

Only the thug lying on the ground remained, covering his face and screaming in agony.

---

Yang Ning watched those people run away and slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Old Xu, go check on that person."

Old Xu ran over, squatted down to look at her, then stood up and shouted, "She's dizzy, but it's nothing serious."

"Take him to the hospital," Yang Ning said. "We'll cover the medical expenses."

He turned to Paul.

Paul was talking to the security guard who had fired the shot, and when he saw Paul looking over, he nodded.

"Director Yang, it's alright now."

Yang Ning nodded and walked up to Nicholas Tse.

"Thanks for earlier."

Nicholas Tse shook his head, said nothing, and turned to get into the car.

Hu Jun walked over and patted Yang Ning on the shoulder: "This kid's got guts."

Li Binbin came up from behind, put down the wrench he was holding, his hands still trembling.

"Director Yang," her voice trembled slightly, "I just... I thought I was going to die here today."

"No, they won't dare," Yang Ning said.

Gao Yuanyuan walked over, her face still pale, but her eyes were bright.

Deng Chao plopped down on the ground, panting heavily: "Damn...damn...my legs were so weak just now..."

Xue Kaiqi peeked out from behind and whispered, "Director Yang, you were so handsome just now."

Yang Ning ignored her and took out her phone.

---

The phone rang three times before being answered.

"Yang Ning?" Han Shanping's voice sounded somewhat surprised. "What time is it in South Africa? Did something happen to you?"

"Chairman Han," Yang Ning said, "there's a bit of trouble."

He briefly explained the situation. Han Shanping listened and remained silent for a few seconds.

"Is he alright?"

"fine."

"That's good," Han Shanping said. "It's not a big deal. Let me explain—"

He paused.

"Go to the Chinese Embassy now. I'll contact someone right away and call them. South Africa and China have good relations, and the embassy will handle it."

Yang Ning was taken aback.

embassy?

"It's pointless to deal with those thugs," Han Shanping continued. "But it's different if the embassy gets involved. They know the Chinese government is watching this film crew, so they won't dare to do anything. They're not afraid of you, they're afraid of making a big fuss."

Yang Ning thought about it and understood.

"Okay, I'll contact them now."

"I'll send you the embassy official's phone number in a bit," Han Shanping said. "Yang Ning, remember, we're not fighting this battle alone while filming outside."

After hanging up the phone, Yang Ning stood there, looking at the chaotic scene.

The staff were packing up the equipment, security guards were on guard around, and the actors were gathered together, whispering to each other.

Old Xu ran over: "Director Yang, that thug has been taken to the hospital. It's nothing serious, just a cut on his face that will only need a few stitches."

Yang Ning nodded.

"What do we do next?" Old Xu asked.

Yang Ning looked at the residents gradually dispersing in the distance, as well as the few "reporters" who were still taking pictures—actually, he had Chen Yong temporarily hire them, giving each of them some money to stand upstairs.

"Keep filming," he said.

"But……"

"No buts." Yang Ning looked at him. "If we don't finish filming this scene today, we'll continue filming tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow too. We'll keep filming until it's finished."

Old Xu opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Yang Ning took out his phone and found the number that Han Shanping had just sent.

Dial it.

The call was answered quickly, by a gentle male voice: "Hello, this is the Chinese Embassy in South Africa."

"Hello, I'm Yang Ning, the director of the 'Dragon Shield Crisis' production team," Yang Ning said. "We've encountered some trouble and need your help."

There was a pause on the other end.

"Director Yang Ning? We just received a notification from back home." The voice became noticeably warmer. "Please wait a moment, I'll transfer you to the colleague in charge of consular protection immediately."

A few minutes later, Yang Ning hung up the phone.

The matter has been settled.

The embassy officials said they would contact the local South African police tomorrow to increase patrols in the filming area.

At the same time, they will send a formal note to the local government, demanding that the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese film crew be protected.

"Those people won't come back," the embassy staff said. "They bully foreigners, but not foreigners with state backing."

Yang Ning stood there, watching the sky gradually darken.

The security guards were still patrolling, the actors were preparing to wrap up, and the staff were packing up the last bit of equipment.

He lit a cigarette.

As the smoke rose, he remembered what Han Shanping had just said—

"We're filming outside; we're not fighting this battle alone."

Yes.

It wasn't just one person.

---

By the time we finished work, it was completely dark.

Yang Ning sat in the car on the way back to the hotel, leaning back in her seat with her eyes closed.

Li Binbin was sitting next to her. She didn't say anything, just looked at him.