novellhall Chapter 248 Project Evaluation and Launch [5000]
Chapter 248 Project Evaluation and Launch [5000]
Chapter 248 Project Evaluation and Launch [5000]
Based on ballistic analysis, at least twenty bullets entered the store. Given the angle of the fire, at least three or four people should have been hit.
But the fact is, apart from glass cuts, no one was hit by bullets.
The police officers looked even stranger when they reviewed the surveillance footage.
Surveillance footage shows that the bullet did indeed deflect strangely when it entered the store.
It wasn't a large deflection, but a slight one, enough to avoid the human body.
A ballistics expert examined the footage three times and finally concluded, "It's possible that shards from the glass after the bullet struck it interfered with its trajectory."
But even he himself didn't quite believe that.
Chen Xun remained silent.
He glanced at Sanjay.
The old monk was standing outside the shop, looking up at the sky as if basking in the sunlight.
Zhuoma comforted Dorje and bought him a cup of hot chocolate.
Dorje held the cup, his hands still trembling.
"You can go now."
The police finally let them go.
Chen Xun led the three across the police cordon, and the media immediately swarmed around them: "Mr. Chen Xun! Can you tell us what happened just now?"
Are you feeling afraid?
Will this experience affect your future creative work?
Chen Xun did not answer.
They got into the car that had just been called.
This time, Rob arranged the nanny van, and the driver was from a professional security company.
My phone vibrated.
It was an email from Marvel: "The revised script for 'The Ancient One: The Shadow of Vishanti' has been approved, and the project has officially been greenlit."
-
"Casting will begin next week. David Yates has been confirmed as the director. Filming will last for six months, taking place in Qinghai, Iceland, and a studio in Los Angeles."
Chen Xun woke up at six o'clock the morning after the shooting.
He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, recalling the scene of the bullets flying in yesterday.
Those bullet trajectories deflected so strangely!
Even if glass can change the trajectory, it doesn't mean all the bullets will bypass their table as if they have eyes.
Sangye's hand gestures, Droma's rhythmic tapping, Dorje's chanting —
There's definitely something wrong with this family.
Chen Xun sat up, picked up the water glass from the bedside table, and took a sip.
The water was poured last night and it's already cold.
After thinking for a while, Chen Xun had an idea.
He simply sent Rob a message:
-
"Master Sangye and his companions shouldn't stay in the hotel anymore; they can move in with me. There are plenty of empty rooms anyway."
Rob replied instantly: "Are you sure? There are three of them, one of whom is an old monk, and their lifestyle might be—"
"It's alright, all the guest rooms on the second floor are empty, there's enough room!"
"Arrange for a car to pick them up before noon."
After sending the message, Chen Xun went to the kitchen to make coffee.
As the coffee machine hummed, he opened his phone to read the news.
The shooting has made headlines across major media outlets, with each headline more horrifying than the last:
"Chen Xun's Burger Shop Horror! A Bullet Narrowly Misses His Brace!"
Miracle: Twenty bullets fired, no one injured; police say they can't explain it.
"Star-Lord's real-life escape? Fans flood social media to offer their prayers."
Opening the comments section, you'll find all sorts of opinions: "Chen Xun's luck is incredible, I suggest he buy a lottery ticket."
-
"I feel like something's off. Are bullets curving?"
"Don't talk nonsense upstairs. The scientific explanation is that the ballistics deflected, which is normal."
"Normal my ass! I was in the army, at that angle at least two people should have died!"
"Could it be that Chen Xun has superpowers? After all, he's about to play a sorcerer—"
"You've been watching too much Marvel movies, haven't you?"
Chen Xun turned off his phone.
The coffee was ready, so he poured himself a cup, adding milk but no sugar.
At 10 a.m., Rob's car arrived at the hotel.
Sangye, Drolma, and Dorje stood at the door with simple luggage.
Dorjee was still wearing his monk's robe, Sangye had changed into a dark gray casual outfit, and Droma was wearing jeans and a white T-shirt, looking like an ordinary international student.
"Sorry to bother you."
-
Sanjay clasped his hands in prayer.
"Don't be shy, make yourself at home."
Chen Xun helped them with their luggage.
The resort was indeed large, with a three-story main building and guest rooms on the second floor. There were five rooms with private bathrooms, but usually only he and Christine stayed there, so it was quite deserted.
Chen Xun arranged for Sangjie and Dorje to stay in the largest suite at the end of the corridor.
There are two single beds, and the view from the window is of the garden.
Zhuoma lives next door to them; her room is smaller, but it has a small balcony.
"The conditions are so-so, just enough to get by."
Sanjay looked around the room and nodded: "Much better than the temple."
Dorjee was a little reserved and stood at the door, hesitant to go in.
"Come in!"
Chen Xun waved: "Don't be shy, just treat it as if you're at the temple."
Dorje then carefully went inside and placed the cloth bag on the chair.
Zhuoma was the most at ease. After putting down her luggage, she strolled into the living room, looking at the movie posters and trophy rack on the wall: "Are these real Oscars?"
"Gold-plated."
Chen Xun laughed: "It really is in the bank's safe deposit box."
"cool!"
Zhuoma walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked at the swimming pool outside: "You're living a good life."
"Good luck."
"It's not just luck."
Zhuoma turned to look at him: "My uncle said you have a benefactor in your life!"
Chen Xun did not respond.
At noon, the four of them had a simple pizza delivery.
Sanjay was very interested in the pizza. He studied the ratio of dough to cheese for a while and finally commented, "This is more filling than a hamburger."
Dorje ate in small bites, his eyes constantly glancing at the television.
Chen Xun was watching a baseball game on ESPN.
"Can you understand it?"
Chen asked.
Dorjee shook his head, but his eyes didn't leave the screen.
"Let him see it."
Zhuoma took a bite of pizza: "He does nothing but chant sutras and work in the temple; he's never seen these things before."
After finishing his meal, Chen Xun had to go to a meeting at Marvel.
"I'll go with you."
Zhuoma suddenly said.
Chen Xun turned his head: "Where are you going?"
"I'm a consultant, a script consultant."
Zhuoma said matter-of-factly, "Besides, my uncle is tired and needs to meditate to recover today, so Dorje has to accompany him. I'm just killing time anyway, so I might as well go and listen to how Hollywood holds meetings and broaden my horizons."
Chen Xun glanced at Sang Jie.
The old monk nodded: "Let her go. She's quick-witted and can give you advice."
Okay, it's all arranged.
At 1 p.m., Chen Xun and Zhuoma went out.
In the car, Zhuoma fastened her seatbelt and suddenly asked, "Did you feel anything yesterday?"
Chen Xun gripped the steering wheel, looking at the road ahead: "I felt like the bullet didn't hit me."
"Anything else?"
"And the little tricks of the three of you."
Zhuoma laughed: "I knew I couldn't hide it from you. But I can't say too much. My uncle has rules; the fewer people who know certain things, the better."
"Then why are you coming to the meeting with me?"
"These are two different things."
Zhuoma pulled a small notebook out of her bag: "I went to work, and Marvel paid me."
Chen Xun shook his head; this woman's thinking was always unconventional.
Marvel headquarters, third-floor conference room.
The cast and crew were all present: director David Yates, producer Kevin Feige, the three writers, the casting director, and the art director.
When Chen Xun and Zhuoma went in, everyone looked over.
"Chen! I heard you were shot yesterday? Are you alright?"
Yates stood up and shook hands with him.
This British director is not tall, wears glasses, and looks like a university professor, but he has experience making commercial films, having directed Harry Potter.
"It's okay, I was just lucky."
Chen Xun introduced Zhuoma: "This is Zhuoma, our Tibetan studies advisor, and also the niece of Master Sangye."
Zhuoma shook hands with everyone generously, speaking fluent English, as if it were not her first time at such an occasion.
The meeting began.
The first thing to be finalized was the final version of the script.
Yates distributed the printed manuscript to everyone: "We have incorporated Master Sanjay's revisions, especially the scene in the mirror space, which has become more philosophical and allowed for more action design."
Chen Xun opened the script.
Sure enough, the final showdown between the Ancient One and Karuru was completely different.
It's no longer a battle of light cannons, but more like playing chess.
Every time Gu Yi forms a hand seal, she is explaining the meaning of protection.
Every time Karuru casts a dark spell, she questions the price of freedom.
The dialogue is sharp, the action descriptions are precise, and even the Tibetan names and symbolic meanings of each hand gesture are marked.
"This version works."
Chen Xun nodded: "But regarding the choice of master—I would like to recommend someone."
"Who?"
Jackie Chan.
The meeting room fell silent for a second.
Yates pushed up his glasses: "Jackie Chan? Isn't he a bit—"
"The role of a master requires both charisma and a solid foundation in martial arts."
Chen Xun said, "Jackie Chan has a high level of international recognition, and he has experience playing the old immortal in 'The Forbidden Kingdom'."
"He can do action direction. The fight scenes in our film can't rely entirely on special effects; they need to have some real elements."
Feige thought for a moment: "Jackie Chan is indeed an option, but his salary is not low, and his schedule is unavailable—"
"We can make contact first."
Chen Xun said, "If he's willing, even just a cameo role in a few scenes would help promote the film in the Asian market."
Yates looked at the art director: "What do you think?"
The art director was a woman in her fifties named Linda, who had been in the industry for thirty years: "Jackie Chan's image does fit the description of an Eastern sage, and he has comedic talent, which can add some humor to the role of the master, so it won't be too heavy."
"Then add it to the candidate list."
Fitch jotted a note in his notebook: "Any other recommendations?"
"Chow Yun-fat could also be considered."
Zhuoma suddenly spoke up.
Everyone looked at her.
"Chow Yun-fat's Li Mu Bai in 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' is the kind of character who is both otherworldly and humane."
Zhuoma said calmly, "Besides, he speaks good English, so communication won't be a problem."
Yates' eyes lit up: "This one's not bad either!"
The meeting lasted for two and a half hours.
Script details, casting direction, filming schedule, budget allocation —
We went through each issue one by one.
After the last topic was discussed, a line of text appeared before Chen Xun's eyes:
[The Ancient One: Shadow of Vishanti Project Evaluation Begins]
Current progress: 5% (early preparation stage)
Performance level: E
Director's satisfaction rating: D
Teamwork: D
Audience Expectations: E
Overall rating: D—
Reward: [Trendsetter +1%]
Chen Xun's heart skipped a beat.
This is the first time that a project evaluation function has appeared in the early stages of a project.
Looking at it this way, several of the values in the initial stage of the project are indeed very low!
The rewards are rubbish too!
"Chen? What do you think?"
Yates' voice pulled him back to reality.
"Huh? What?"
"The duration of martial arts training."
Yates reiterated: "We plan to start filming three months before it begins, five days a week, six hours a day, including Tibetan hand mudras, Tai Chi, and weapons training."
"Could you spare some time for this?"
Chen Xun thought for a moment and realized that only the "Ancient One" project was currently progressing.
So he nodded: "Okay!"
"Alright then."
Yates circled a line on the schedule: "Miss Droma, what about Master Sanjay—"
"My uncle can be a mentor for handprint exercises."
Zhuoma said, "But he only teaches the basics, and it has to be in a quiet environment, without too many people watching."
"no problem!"
Yates was pleased: "We can rent a separate practice room."
Before the meeting ended, Feige concluded by saying, "Chen, this project is very important to you and to Marvel. It's our first step in expanding our magic-based IPs. If it succeeds, there will be a series of spin-off works such as 'Doctor Strange' and 'The Wizard.' Do you understand what I mean?"
"clear."
Chen Xun nodded: "I will do my best!"
"it is good."
Fitch stood up: "That's all for today, Chen, you stay behind."
As the others left one by one, only Chen Xun, Zhuoma, and Fei Qi remained in the conference room.
Fitch closed the door, his expression turning serious: "I heard about what happened yesterday. The company has already arranged a security team for you. You'll start tomorrow, working 24-hour shifts. Also, please take good care of Master Sanjay."
Chen Xun raised an eyebrow: "Protect?"
"Do you know how the police closed the case regarding the burger joint's surveillance footage?"
Fitch lowered his voice: "Ballistics experts wrote a thirty-page report analyzing everything from glass material, bullet type, air humidity, and even the effects of the Earth's rotation. The final conclusion was that it was an extremely low probability event."
He looked at Chen Xun: "Some things can't be explained by science, but Master Sangye—I've checked his background, it's clean!"
"An old monk who has lived in Xiamen for sixty years, speaks fluent English, knows about movies, and can use a tablet—that's not normal!"
As they left the meeting room, Zhuoma asked, "Does he suspect something?"
"Maybe."
Chen Xun pressed the elevator button: "But smart people know when to play dumb."
As the elevator descended, the panel popped up again:
[Core Team Building Dimension Update]
[Key supporting actor Master: If Jackie Chan is successfully invited, audience expectations will rise to C; if Chow Yun-fat is successfully invited, audience expectations will rise to D.]
Chen Xun smiled.
That's pretty realistic, Jackie Chan is worth more than Chow Yun-fat!
The alarm clock rang at 5:30 the next morning.
Chen Xun reached out from under the covers and blew the covers off. His first thought was: Why did I agree to train at six in the morning?
Yesterday, Drolma said that she would be teaching him and Venerable Sangjie how to form hand mudras today.
I didn't expect it to be so early!
I finished washing up and went downstairs at 5:50.
The morning mist had not yet dissipated in the garden, and dew clung to the lawn.
Sanjay was already sitting cross-legged on a yoga mat, his eyes closed, like a statue.
Dorjee stood beside him, in the same posture, but was clearly sleepy.
The head nods little by little.
Zhuoma sat in the rattan chair next to him, drinking coffee. When she saw Chen Xun, she raised the cup in her hand and said, "Good morning, Teacher Chen."
"morning----"
Chen Xun yawned and walked over.
Sanjay opened his eyes and glanced at his phone: "5:58, pretty punctual!"
Chen Xun sat down on another cushion.
"Today I will teach you the starting hand gesture of Vishanti."
Sanjay stretched out his hands, palms up, fingers naturally curved: "This is the foundation of all; all white magic begins here."
Chen Xun watched his gestures.
My heart suddenly skipped a beat.
That gesture is so practiced.
In the dungeon, when Yao first learned magic, the first hand gesture her master taught her was this one.
He practiced it no less than 100,000 times, and the muscle memory became ingrained in his bones.
"Watch closely."
Sanjay slowed down his movements, slightly bent his index finger, lightly tapped his thumb, and rotated his wrist thirty degrees: "This angle is very important. If it's even one degree off, the flow of energy will be blocked."
He demonstrated it three times, and then had Chen Xun and Dorje follow suit.
Dorjee immediately began, his movements were standard, but slightly stiff.
You can tell he's practiced, but it's not quite natural yet.
Chen Xun took a deep breath and raised his hands.
Something amazing happened.
His fingers seemed to know how to move on their own.
Without thinking or adjusting, the handprint naturally appeared.
The angle of the index finger bend, the pressure of the thumb, and the range of wrist rotation are all perfectly precise.
It was even smoother than Dorje's, whom I had been in contact with for many years.
Sanjay stared at his hand without saying a word.
Dorjee stopped too, his eyes wide.
Zhuoma put down her coffee cup and watched with great interest.
The garden was quiet for a few seconds, with only the occasional bird call coming from afar.
"Have you studied this before?"
Sanjay finally spoke.
Chen Xun shook his head: "The first time."
"impossible."
Dorje blurted it out, then realized his rudeness and quickly lowered his head.
Sangjie stood up, walked over to Chen Xun, and carefully examined his hands: "Do it again!"
Chen Xun did as instructed.
This time he deliberately slowed down, but his fingers still found each position with precision.
It felt as if the body had already memorized this movement, but it was only being awakened now.
Sanjay stared at it for a full minute, then nodded: "Fate."
He sat back down on the mat: "Some people practice for ten years, but it's not as good as some people practice for one day."
"Dorje, you continue practicing the basics. Chen Xun, I'll teach you the next one."
Dorjee: "???"
The young man's face was filled with frustration.
But he didn't dare say much and buried his head in practicing the starting stance.
Sanjay taught the second hand gesture.
The starting stance for Vishanti's Shield.
This one is more complicated; it requires completing six different finger changes within three seconds.
"Pay attention to your breathing."
Sanjay demonstrates: "Inhale as you open your fingers, exhale as you close them, and imagine energy flowing from your fingertips and gathering in your palms."
He did it slowly, so that Chen Xun could see each step clearly.
After reading it, Chen Xun closed his eyes.
Memories from the dungeon flooded back.
That morning in the prayer hall, Yao successfully formed the shield hand seal for the first time.
Sunlight streamed in, and a golden shield unfolded before them.
He opened his eyes and raised his hands.
Inhale, spread your fingers.
Exhale, then contract.
The six transformations were completed within three seconds, and when the last handprint was finalized, the palms felt slightly warm.
Although he couldn't see the shield, he could sense a certain flow.
Sanjay's expression became even more serious.
"One more time!"
Chen Xun did it again, this time faster and smoother.
Dorjee had stopped and was staring blankly in this direction.
He practiced this hand gesture for three months before he could barely complete it in five seconds.
Chen Xun did it for the first time and finished in three seconds?
This unscientific!
"It's ready!"
Sanjay waved his hand: "Let's learn these two today and practice them until we're proficient. We'll teach the third one tomorrow."
Training ended at exactly seven o'clock.
Sangye returned to his room to meditate, while Dorje continued his arduous practice in the garden—clearly spurred on, he practiced even harder.
Chen Xun and Zhuoma went into the kitchen.
Christine is already up and making breakfast: fried eggs, bacon, and toast.
"How's the training going?"
She asked.
"good."
Chen Xun poured himself a glass of orange juice: "The handprints are quite interesting."
"It's more than just interesting."
Zhuoma took out yogurt from the refrigerator: "My uncle has taught many people, but you are the first one he has ever talked about fate. When Dorje learned his first mudra, it took him a week to reach the required level."
Chen Xun remained silent.
He probably knows why.
The 450 years of experience in the dream instance, while not bringing back magic, brought back muscle memory and that feeling.
This is similar to a professional race car driver who loses his memory and has to learn to drive again. Although he doesn't remember the theory, his body knows how to operate the car as soon as he touches the steering wheel.