The Wolf of Los Angeles-Chapter 403: I Fulfilled My Promise with My Life

[Chapter 403: I Fulfilled My Promise with My Life]

What the enemy valued was certainly precious.

Their side's lobbying efforts in Washington paled in comparison to the impact of a Russian support action.

Of course, the Russians continued to deny it.

But no matter what they said, it was all in vain.

Taking advantage of the new Russian spy case, Elizabeth Carter managed to win over the chairpersons of three subcommittees within the funding committee.

The PR director of Twitter, Hearst, also leveraged personal connections in the wake of the espionage scandal to secure several votes from committee members.

Elizabeth called Hawke and expressed her growing confidence that the Manhattan AI Project proposal would get approved this year.

...

The attention from the Russians gave Hawke newfound confidence in the venture as well.

Hawke privately dubbed his initiative the "Termite Project," and the initial funding request submitted to the committee increased to $35 billion.

Whether it would be terminated later was uncertain, but at least during George Walker's time in office, there was no issue expected.

---

New York, Park Avenue.

A convoy of vehicles, emblazoned with the FBI logo, sped up and came to a halt in front of the BlackRock headquarters.

Several officials from the Department of Justice directed FBI agents into the building, where they presented a series of documents and invaded key department offices such as the finance office to seize various data, personnel files, and bank accounts.

Although they did not seal off the building, it fell under comprehensive surveillance.

Most employees and managers at BlackRock were at a loss, while executives desperately tried to maintain control, communicating with Department of Justice officials in hopes of avoiding the worst-case scenario.

...

Reporters from The Wall Street Journal, already tipped off, were stationed on-site, their cameras clicking continuously as they captured the comings and goings of FBI and DOJ personnel at BlackRock.

During this time, they also seized opportunities to interview the lead officials.

...

That afternoon, news of the event spread quickly across the internet, and Wall Street adjusted its risk assessment level for BlackRock, raising it to the extremely risky R5 level.

...

By the next day, with the issuance of The Wall Street Journal, voices pessimistic about BlackRock were rampant.

Once capital sensed an opportunity, it would immediately open its jaws wide.

Hawke had prepared the first course, and faced with BlackRock's vast interests, the sharks jumped in, placing BlackRock on the table and picking up their knives and forks.

Rescue was far from as inexpensive as sharing.

---

Beverly Hills, North Sunset Boulevard.

The nighttime lights illuminated the entire mountain, as stars, celebrities, and wealthy elites flowed in and out of the massive mansion.

Tom Cruise's party was quite unique; instead of hiring female models for ambiance, it had a sense of a religious ceremony.

Hawke didn't mind any of that. He gifted Tom Cruise a bottle of champagne and embraced him, saying, "Congratulations, Oscar winner."

Tom Cruise handed the champagne off to the butler and said, "I've got your gift ready, but with everything going on lately, I didn't want to disturb you. When are you moving into your new place?"

Hawke laughed and replied, "I'll be moving to Beverly next week. Come check out my new home then."

"I'll definitely come by," Tom Cruise said, initially beaming, but his smile stiffened at that moment.

Hawke turned to follow his gaze to the entrance.

Nicole Kidman, dressed to the nines, floated in like a fairy through the grand entrance.

The entire banquet hall fell silent.

At Tom Cruise's Oscar-winning celebration party, his estranged ex-wife was the one who came to offer congratulations, making for quite the spectacle.

Everyone waited, eager to see what would unfold.

Tom Cruise leaned in and softly asked, "Hawke, you've got the clever ideas, what should I do?"

Hawke patted his arm and said, "I've never been through a scene like this. I have no experience."

He quickly walked away to give the spotlight back to the leading couple.

...

Not far off, Brian, who had just returned to Los Angeles from Washington, raised his glass toward Hawke.

Hawke sat down across from him.

Nicole Kidman approached Tom Cruise with a smile and shared a few words.

Tom Cruise forced a smile in return.

However awkward it felt for him, she remained calm and composed, standing beside Tom as if she were the hostess.

Noticing that Tom Cruise was looking over this way, Brian raised his glass toward him and then turned to Hawke, saying, "Do you think they'll remarry?"

Hawke considered it and replied, "As for remarrying, it's probably not just up to Tommy; he'll need to consult with the backers too."

"That's true," Brian nodded slightly. "Tommy is an important figure in Scientology; maybe one day he might become its leader."

As they chatted, several women suddenly appeared in the hall.

Tom Cruise swiftly vacated his position, and Nicole Kidman attempted to follow but was blocked by the group of women.

Hawke shook his head, saying, "Tommy is refusing to cooperate. There's no good drama left to watch."

He waved to a waiter and ordered two glasses of champagne, handing one to Brian as he shifted the topic. "Should I throw you into the Pacific to feed the sharks?"

Brian looked innocent, "Why? Come on, we're the best partners! You're not going to use me as shark bait!"

Hawke reminded him, "Russian spies! Do you remember what you said while we were in Washington?"

"I... I really just said it offhand," Brian argued, pointing the finger at Hawke instead. "You'd already gotten involved with the Russians before this; it's all your fault."

Hawke grabbed the wine bottle from the table, glaring at Brian's head. "I've been wondering, which is tougher: your stubborn mouth or this specially made bottle?"

Brian quickly shut his mouth and awkwardly backpedaled, "Really, it's not my fault. Since you left Washington, you've been busy socializing; I wouldn't have known about this if not for the media reports."

He still couldn't resist adding, "Speaking of which, the Russians are really crazy..."

"Stop! We're not discussing that anymore." Given the current situation, Hawke didn't want to relive that moment. He quickly interrupted and steered the conversation. "So how'd it go in Washington, anyway?"

Brian thought for a moment and replied, "There's a clear feeling: the divide between the two parties is growing, just as we expected, and the trend of confrontation and division is becoming more apparent."

He joked, "Who knows, America might actually end up splitting and experience a second civil war one day."

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Hawke raised his champagne glass and clinked it with Brian's, saying, "Curse god cult leader, I hope your curse comes true again. Your predictions are surely going to materialize."

Brian quickly added, "I was just joking."

Hawke drained the champagne in his glass, saying, "Buddy, I took it seriously. So this is your ultimate curse, right?"

Brian also finished his drink. "If I ever take over the Oval Office, I'll no longer be the curse cult leader; this supposed foresight will have nothing to do with me anymore."

Hawke asked curiously, "How so?"

"Presidents have to say a lot of nonsensical things every day. If any of it came true, they would be the true curse cult leaders," Brian speculated. "But obviously, that isn't the case."

Hawke thought of a certain individual. "You're mistaken. There's one president who outshined you; he cursed himself and ended up dead."

Brian pondered, "Is that so? I don't remember."

"There was once a guy who said that as long as he was alive, the Eastern superpower would never develop an atomic bomb, unless he were dead," Hawke recalled a past speech. "And what happened? That guy was shot in Dallas."

Brian remembered, "That does sound familiar." He set down his glass, frowning, and said, "Kennedy's curse is pretty harsh, huh?"

Hawke noticed Eric walking nearby, looking a bit distracted, and stood up to pat Brian on the shoulder, saying, "Brother, I hope to see the day America splits and civil war erupts."

Brian could only awkwardly laugh in response.

Hawke knew that witnessing such events would be difficult, as it would require a severe rift in American politics, society, public opinion, business, and among the populace...

But with the cult leader having issued a curse, as a close ally of the leader, he was bound to work towards that direction.

...

Eric, spotting Hawke, smiled and said, "I heard from the Savior that you're preparing to move to a new house. I also prepared a gift for you."

Hawke cleared the way, saying, "I won't stand on ceremony with you."

Eric had serious business, "I've gone over all the details from the Los Angeles wildfires the past two months and drafted an outline, ready to write a new script."

Hawke thought about possibly securing the BlackRock Film Foundation's support and asked, "Has the investment been confirmed?"

Eric replied simply, "Tommy's company will invest, but he's currently preparing to shoot a new installment of Mission: Impossible and is low on funds. The film's theme differs from Hollywood's mainstream political direction, making it hard to attract investment."

He paused, "Catherine will also invest a portion, but the market risk with this project could be larger, and I can't let her put all her wealth on the line."

For this movie, Hawke didn't have a commercial interest; his initial goal was purely to politically attack his rivals.

Los Angeles was now his stronghold, and Brian needed to move forward; the newcomer couldn't be a member of the donkey party.

Hawke said, "Once you finish your script, draft the budget, and see how much funding you'll be short, I'll find a way to help you out."

"Cool." Without worrying about the funding issue, Eric could focus entirely on his creative process: "It'll take about three months to finish the first draft of the script."

Hawke casually replied, "Call me when you finish it."

...

On another hill across from Tom Cruise's mansion stood a secret hideout of the cult, where the saint, Jayne Mansfield, looked out from the highest point of the estate at the brightly lit mansion.

The elderly man beside her said, "Scientology has refused our goodwill."

Jayne nodded slightly, "Has our soul meal been received by Hillary?"

"Yes," the old man whispered. "She's currently preparing for the meal."

Jayne said, "She can't accept Satan's blessings for free. Have her people check the influence of Scientology in New York."

*****

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