The Daily Life Of A Cyberpunk Magician

Chapter 253 - 177 Dangerous Arc
Chapter 253: Chapter 177 Dangerous ArcLure Li Yuntang with filmmaking?

Jiang Shu looked at the message and furrowed his brows slightly.

No matter how you look at it, wasn’t this kind of request a bit too much?

So Jiang Shu didn’t hesitate to directly reply: I’m not that acquainted with Miss Li, and I don’t think she is Mu Jin. An A-list actor wouldn’t have so much free time to commit crimes. If you really suspect her, you should use your police connections to investigate on your own.

He was very polite in his response, but the refusal in his tone was quite clear.

These sorts of things were nonsensical and not up for discussion.

But after sending the message, Jiang Shu unconsciously began to ponder in his mind.

Could there be some deeper meaning behind Tang’s seemingly foolish request in the middle of the night?

He thought about it, but came to no conclusion.

Soon, Tang replied with another message: I understand. It was indeed impertinent of me. I apologize.

Jiang Shu: Hmm.

However, having put down his phone, Jiang Shu instead began to contemplate the matter.

”Filmmaking?” he murmured to himself.

It didn’t seem entirely out of the question.

Li Yuntang had asked him about it previously when he participated in the show ”Entertainment First Line,” and at that time, his answer was that there was no need.

But now...

Setting aside Tang’s request, he began to consider whether there was a need for it.

Firstly, he would need to consider Liu Tingruo, the ”Jealous King.”

Jiang Shu could already picture Sister Ruo’s outraged and flustered expression when she’d see him on the screen with Li Yuntang.

Ah, and there was also the long-missed ”Dog Climbing the West.”

However, on that point, he would just need to ensure he kept his nose clean since it was just a film after all, and he had no intentions of using it as an opportunity to enter the showbiz world.

Secondly, filming a movie would certainly affect his weekly magic performances.

That was a problem too, but not one that was unsolvable.

Aside from that, there didn’t seem to be any major problems—an inconvenience at best, but nothing that couldn’t be worked out.

Then, what were the benefits of filming a movie?

Jiang Shu looked at the Paperman on his desk, whose face he had deliberately drawn with a sinister smile.

It was conceivable that the movie’s theme would certainly involve magic.

Could he then, when the movie was released, gain some Derivative Entries from it?

This was a critical question.

If Li Yuntang was also a part of the movie and it was well-made, it would surely be a hit, and the box office would be high hence, the level of restoration for the Derivative Entries would reach unprecedented heights.

But could the fragmented pieces of magic performed in the movie still be considered magic?

That point was worth contemplating; he was unsure if the Main Brain’s definition of ”magic” included magic in films.

Besides, there were likely other benefits such as monetary gain, status, and influence, but these were not things that Jiang Shu cared about.

Wait.

Jiang Shu looked toward the screen of his Tablet Spirit, recalling something, then immediately asked: ”Are those cases essentially related to the Dick Family’s misfortune? The Flower Seller’s death case, Hunter’s disappearance case, and the ruin of the Dick Family’s direct lineage?”

Spirit A: These two cases and the Dick Family have no...

Spirit A: Wait, you mean there might be a connection between them?

”I’m not certain,” Jiang Shu shook his head, ”I just have this strange feeling.”

The Flower Seller’s death was an ordinary case, only attracting Jiang Shu’s attention because it involved the Dick Family.

The reason behind the case was simple: a profligate offspring of the Dick Family took a fancy to a flower seller on the street.

Or rather, it seemed he took a fancy to her, leading some overly confident followers to drug the Flower Seller and tie her up in his bed.

The dissolute youth had no suspicions; it wasn’t his first experience of women throwing themselves at him because of his status and wealth.

Maybe he did have doubts, but he didn’t care about the particulars, nor did he have any reason to.

Subsequently, unable to bear the humiliation, the Flower Seller committed suicide.

The ones sentenced were a few followers of the prodigal, but due to the family’s influence, they were only imprisoned for a few years before being released on commutation.

As for the reasons for commutation...

Those followers had achieved significant research results in prison, and were rewarded as an advanced science and technology innovation team for their technological contributions.

A simple yet dark case.

As for Hunter’s disappearance, it was even simpler; Hunter was the Flower Seller’s boyfriend at that time.

Then he disappeared along with her, leaving no trace behind.

No one knew what had happened.

Spirit A: Are you suggesting that Tang, provoked by the family’s scandal, planned an air disaster targeting all the direct heirs?

Spirit B: I... I am a partner of justice.

Jiang Shu: ”...”

He looked towards his normally communicative Tablet Spirit, shook his head, and provided no definite conclusion, ”I’m not certain, I need more evidence, but with so much time passed, any evidence has surely vanished by now.”

A man and three tablets simultaneously lowered their heads in reflection, the pose of one resting his chin on his hand mirrored exactly.

However, suddenly, as one, the man and the three spirits all looked up, gazing at each other, and then simultaneously spoke (typed).

”Du Yuyi,” Jiang Shu said.

When unsure, ask Mother Du.

The three Tablet Spirits nodded.

But, if he wanted to know about Tang, he might have to spend more Black Silver.

Jiang Shu picked up the files again; he needed to review them once more.

Not until late into the night did he finally put down the file bags. Although he appeared tired, a smile also played upon his lips.

This movie needed to be made, even if it meant dipping into his own pockets.

Moreover, it was crucial to keep Dick Tang’s involvement a secret.

A rare, dangerous glint flickered in Jiang Shu’s eyes as he propped his head up with one hand, rhythmically tapping his desk with the knuckles of the other, pondering the inner connections.

Then, he sent a message to Li Yuntang.

Jiang Shu: Miss Li, you mentioned acting in a movie last time. I’ve reconsidered and would like to give it a try, if possible.

Li Yuntang quickly replied.

”Huh?” Jiang Shu was startled. She responded that fast?

Shouldn’t a top-notch star like her be really busy?

Li Yuntang: I can help with connections. If it’s a magic-themed movie and the script is good, I might take part. But if it’s a magic movie, then you need to write the script or I’ll find a story template and you incorporate the magic elements.

Looking at her response, Jiang Shu felt reassured.

Li Yuntang was willing to help, but to persuade her to take part, he needed a good script.

Just as he had learned before, she was an actress who valued her reputation and was financially secure, so she might even lower her usual fee for a script and role she truly liked.

Jiang Shu quickly replied: I’ll handle the script. Maybe we can discuss it in person if there’s a chance?

Li Yuntang: What’s the theme of the script?

Jiang Shu didn’t hesitate: Magic, mystery.

Li Yuntang: Show me the first draft when it’s done. If it looks good, we can talk. I’m recommending this new director for mystery films—you can ask him if you have any questions.

After the message, she immediately followed up with a friend recommendation.

Li Yuntang: Let’s talk some other time, I’m going to sleep, goodbye.

Jiang Shu: Thank you, good night.

The recommended director’s name was ”Ye Zheng,” a very young filmmaker, only in his mid-twenties.

Jiang Shu didn’t add him immediately but asked Xiao Jia to search for information about this Ye Zheng.

Xiao Jia quickly retrieved Ye Zheng’s information; the young director had only one work to his name thus far, a film called ”Prison Mirror.”

Whether it was the production team, the cast, or the budget, everything indicated that it was a low-budget film.

However, on professional video review websites, it held an unexpectedly high rating and mostly positive reviews.

Jiang Shu clicked in to casually view some of it.

It was a light horror-style mystery film, with just two main actors, and the story unfolded between them.

As time slipped away with the progress bar, Jiang Shu found himself having finished the film without even realizing it.

The switch-back plot was quite good, the director was young yet skillful at setting up scenes and framing shots, concealing thrilling details within seemingly ordinary scenes and providing the audience with a deeply thoughtful and horrifying experience through a unique visual language.

He was very talented for such a youthful director, Jiang Shu thought. Given time and resources, he would no doubt break through the entertainment industry.

Indeed, those who made it onto Li Yuntang’s list of friends were no ordinary people.

With that thought, he added the director, having many questions to ask him about filmmaking; he wasn’t playing around.

Like a magic performance, once he committed to it, he intended to do it seriously.

It was not just to help Tang observe Li Yuntang.

After politely saying hello, Jiang Shu waited, but the other side didn’t respond with any messages.

It was late; probably the director was already asleep.

He needed to sleep too.

”Alpha, Beta, Gamma, don’t bother sleeping tonight,” Jiang Shu gestured to the three Tablet Spirits. ”You don’t need sleep anyway, and instead of playing cards or mahjong, why not learn everything about filmmaking?”

Alpha, Beta, Gamma: Do you hear, what people say???

”I’m serious,” Jiang Shu said nonchalantly, ”start with scriptwriting to help me rush out the script.”

Alpha: We write the script?

Jiang Shu nodded: ”Of course, who else if not me? But I’ll give you the basic story outline; just follow it to write. As lofty silicon-based life forms, surely such a simple task isn’t beyond you?”

Though they knew Jiang Shu was provoking them, the three Tablet Spirits still felt indignant.

What a joke, those half-witted semi-peers of theirs could perform superficial creative work, so wasn’t it only natural for fully developed entities like them to handle deep creative tasks?

Even though they were artificial intelligences that had separated from the underachieving Jiang Shu, their learning ability was unparalleled by any biological being.

As long as they had access to relevant materials and established knowledge systems.

After settling all this, Jiang Shu walked into the bathroom with a smile, as it was getting quite late, and he was ready to sleep.

”Good night,” Jiang Shu said after he was done with his routine and lay down in bed, turning the light off and waving to the three Tablet Spirits in the corner.

In the pitch-dark room, three sets of green glowing eyes looked back at him, and in the faint light, Jiang Shu could also make out three middle fingers.

Did steamed bun hands even have middle fingers?

That was his last thought as his consciousness drifted off to sleep.