Reborn in Hollywood

Team Leader Zhang thought for a moment.

"Let's talk about it once things stabilize here. The gold on Mount Rushmore will keep us busy for a while. The situation at Trinity Church is more complicated and requires a more thorough plan."

Li Rui nodded.

"Let me know when you need me."

Team Leader Zhang looked at him.

Are you sure you're still willing to help?

"Sure."

Li Rui smiled. "I've said it before, I won't be in this world for long, so it's good to be able to do something before I leave."

Team Leader Zhang didn't say anything more.

For the rest of the time, Li Rui followed Team Leader Zhang back to Washington and stayed inside the embassy, ​​never going out again.

The excavation of the Mount Rushmore treasure has been successfully completed, but much work remains to be done.

The professional team spent a week assessing the situation and concluded that it would take at least six months to move all the gold.

As Li Rui listened to the discussion among these professionals, only one thought remained in his mind—

Professional matters should indeed be left to professionals!

As drowsiness overcame him, Li Rui's consciousness began to blur, and he soon fell asleep.

-----------------

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in reality.

Li Rui rallied his spirits and immediately brought up the system panel.

A translucent light curtain unfolded before my eyes—

[Host detected has returned from the world of "National Treasure"]

[Updating available purchasable items...]

[National Treasure World - Purchaseable Items]

Li Rui's gaze swept quickly across the items, finding that most of them were unimportant—Ben Gates' historical knowledge, Abigail's major in European history, Ian's mercenary contract, various antiques and artifacts, and even the computer used to track clues.

He wasn't interested in any of those things.

Until his gaze fell to the very bottom—

[Gold (Mount Rushmore Treasure)]

[Description: Ancient gold hidden deep within Mount Rushmore by Charles Carroll, originating from the Mayan Empire, remelted using modern refining techniques. Purity: 999 pure gold]

[Purchase Options]

Option 1: Standard BRICS

Specifications: 50 kg/piece (approximately 110 lbs)

Quantity: 5,000 pieces

Total weight: 5,000 tons

Purity: 999 pure gold

Option 2: Large gold brick

Specifications: 1,000 kg/piece (approximately 2,200 lbs, size comparable to a household microwave oven)

Quantity: 5,000 pieces

Total weight: 5,000 tons

Purity: 999 pure gold

Total weight: 8,000 tons

[Pricing Mechanism: $5625/catties (i.e., $11250/kilogram)]

[Total Price Calculation]

8,000 tons = 8,000,000 kilograms

8,000,000 kg × $11250/kg = $90,000,000,000

Total: $900 billion

Li Rui stared at the string of numbers, completely stunned.

Nine hundred billion.

Dollar.

His breath caught in his throat for a moment.

But soon, a question arose in my mind.

He roughly estimated that the gold on Mount Rushmore weighed at least 13,000 tons.

The system only shows 8,000 tons – almost half less.

He thought about it for a moment and quickly understood the reason.

purity.

Those gold pieces are relics from the ancient Mayan Empire. How advanced could the refining technology have been thousands of years ago? They must have contained a lot of impurities.

The 8,000 tons given by the system is the net weight after purification.

Thinking about it this way, the fact that it shrank by a little over half can be explained.

But that wasn't what made him most eager.

What truly made Li Rui's heart race was the pricing.

$5625 per kilogram.

He did the math—$11250 per kilogram, or $1125 million per ton.

Eight thousand tons, nine hundred billion.

That sounds like an astronomical figure.

But the problem is-

This is a fixed price provided by the system.

The price is the same no matter when you buy it.

But in reality, gold...

Li Rui's memories flooded back instantly.

What was the international gold price in 2003?

He tried to recall—it was probably around $350-400 per ounce.

One ounce is approximately equal to 28.35 grams, which translates to about $12000-$14000 for one kilogram of gold.

The price is similar to that of the system, or even a little cheaper.

But the problem is-

Li Rui has a general idea of ​​the gold price trend over the next twenty years.

During the 2008 financial crisis, gold prices soared.

It peaked in 2011 at $1900 per ounce.

Although there were fluctuations afterward, it remained between 1200 and 1500.

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused another surge in cases.

Before his rebirth in 2025, the price of gold had already broken through $2500 per ounce.

In more than 20 years, it has increased more than sixfold.

If this batch of gold remains untouched for the time being, it can be taken out again in twenty years.

Eight thousand tons of gold, at $2500 per ounce, would amount to $88000 per kilogram.

Eight thousand tons = eight million kilograms.

Eight million × $88000 = $70.4 billion.

Seven trillion!

Li Rui looked at the number and took a deep breath.

Seven trillion US dollars.

What does this mean?

Germany, which will rank third in the world in GDP in 2025, will have an annual GDP of only around five trillion.

That means that Li Rui alone will be as wealthy as the world's third-largest economy.

Li Rui leaned against the headboard and closed his eyes.

Despite his excitement, he remained clear-headed.

After all, this is just the result of the movie "National Treasure." What if we encounter a similar world again next time...?

Therefore, it's not cost-effective to buy now; you have to wait.

It's not too late to consider buying gold once the price rises, at least to $1900 per ounce in 11 years.

The system won't run away, and the gold won't disappear.

Li Rui can afford to wait.

He looked at the string of numbers on the panel, and a slow smile crept onto his lips.

"Keep it."

He told himself, "Just think of it as a bank where you can always make a profit."

The panel flickered and the information began to refresh, as if the system had received his thoughts.

[Saved: Gold (Mount Rushmore Treasure) is available for purchase]

[Current offer valid indefinitely]

[Note: The host may purchase at the current price at any time, and the price is not affected by fluctuations in the real-world gold price.]

Li Rui nodded in satisfaction.

He turned off the panel, stood up, and walked to the window.

It was early morning in Asheville, and the film crew was already busy at work.

Li Rui took a deep breath, preparing to refocus all his attention on the drama.

Boom boom boom!

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Li Rui's Force perception instantly told him that the person who had arrived was Kate.

"I'm coming right away, darling."

-----------------

In the blink of an eye, Li Rui had already been on set for a week.

Most of this week has been spent on getting used to each other.

Director Francis would hold daily meetings with Li Rui and several key members of the creative team, going through each scene one by one and meticulously refining each shot.

The script was covered with sticky notes of all colors, and some parts were revised three times before I was still not satisfied.

Kate's costume was adjusted twice more—the black leather suit did look good on her, but it always looked a bit awkward when she moved around. The costume team measured her again and again with a tape measure, and in the end, they had to take it apart and redo it.

As for Li Rui, there wasn't a big problem with his costume.

Edward, the half-human, half-werewolf character created by Stephanie, is an artsy character who usually wears ordinary hoodies and jeans, and only needs special effects makeup when he transforms.

Master Chen from the Yuan Clan would drag him through action scenes every day. Although Li Rui's skills were more than enough, Master Chen insisted that "the routines must be correct and the movements must be familiar." The two would spend most of the day in the training area.

Director Park's team in South Korea was also busy. They built an indoor set in the studio specifically for filming close-quarters combat scenes.

The two action crews filmed their own routines without interfering with each other, and occasionally they would get together to exchange ideas—although they didn't speak the same language, their gestures were quite lively.

Li Rui's daily work involves discussing the script with the director and delving into and refining the details of the entire trilogy.

Francis is a meticulous person; he insists on knowing "why" for every scene.

Why isn't Edward saying anything at this moment?

Why didn't Serena just kill him?

Why do two people choose to stay together when they could clearly go their separate ways?

Sometimes, when Li Rui got annoyed by his questions, he would just say, "Because the audience wants to see them together."

Francis would pause at this point, then nod and start scribbling on the script.

Another assistant director on the set told Li Rui privately that Francis was just like that when he was filming; his last film took a year and a half to shoot, which exhausted the actors.

After listening, Li Rui silently calculated his schedule in his mind—he still had to film Van Helsing, and he didn't have time to waste a year and a half here.

So in the following days, Li Rui consciously began to speed up the pace of the discussions.

The influence of the Force was subtle and imperceptible. After each meeting, Francis felt "I was really efficient today," completely unaware that his thinking had been accelerated.

The film crew continued operating day by day, at a moderate pace, with everyone following the established procedures.

Until November 21th.

Li Rui was on set rehearsing action scenes with Master Chen when his phone kept vibrating on his chair.

The assistant took it and saw that it was from Alibaba.

Li Rui answered the phone, and the voice on the other end was so loud that even Mr. Chen, who was standing next to him, could hear it.

"Raphael, it's time to get ready!"

Li Rui moved his phone further away.

"What are you preparing?"

"The Oscars! The awards ceremony is next Monday, where are you?"

Li Rui was stunned for a moment.

I'd really forgotten about that.

He glanced at the date—March 21st—and realized there was indeed no time left.

After hanging up with Ali, before he could even put his phone away, it rang again.

This time it was Philip, and he said exactly the same thing as Ali.

"Raphael, it's time to get ready!"

Li Rui was helpless.

"Okay, okay, I just finished a call with Ali."

Philip chuckled and urged on the other end of the phone.

"Just so you know, I've already prepared the plane for tonight. Pack your things."

Li Rui glanced at the film set.

Francis was watching the replay of the footage behind the monitor, Kate was touching up her makeup next to him, and Master Chen was still waiting for him to continue sparring.

"Over at the film crew—"

"I've already spoken to Francis on the phone."

Philip interrupted him, "I'm giving you three days off. Come back after the Oscars."

Li Rui was speechless.

That afternoon, Li Rui told Kate.

Kate was reading a script in her room when she heard him say he was leaving. She looked up at him.

"Oscars?"

"Um."

Kate nodded and continued reading the script.

"Go ahead, and bring me back a little golden statue."

Li Rui couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Don't joke around, I can't get my hands on that thing—it's probably impossible in this lifetime."

Kate didn't even look up.

Li Rui didn't bother with any more words. He changed his clothes and boarded the chartered plane back to Los Angeles that very night.