The Wolf of Los Angeles

Chapter 469 - 469: The New Parasite Plan

[Chapter 469: The New Parasite Plan]

The reckless mistakes made in the past, if not handled properly now, could lead to a massive crisis.

Even though in Hillary's memory, in the recovered video, her husband never showed his face, the original surveillance footage did.

This was a political sensitive matter, and she dared not take any chances.

Hillary didn't rush, get angry, or panic. She calmly thought for a moment and said, "Mobilize our covert personnel to first investigate the source of the email."

She slowly added, "The sender claimed the video ended up in the hands of Hawke Osment and the Ferguson family. The material might indeed be with them, but how did it get to them? And how does the sender know that?"

Abedin, thinking, said, "Could it be that Hawke Osment or his people accidentally leaked the news, or that his subordinates were unhappy with his actions?"

"That's possible," Hillary said somberly. "But there's another possibility - someone might be intentionally stirring things up to provoke a direct conflict between us and Hawke Osment and the Ferguson family, so they can profit from it."

Abedin asked cooperatively, "Who would do that?"

Hillary took a copy of The Washington Post and pulled out a page with a report on the Occupy San Francisco movement.

She said, "The conflict between Los Angeles and San Francisco is intense. The Ferguson and Newsom families are vying for the California governor's seat. They've attacked each other already, with San Francisco currently at a disadvantage."

Abedin asked, "The Newsom family from San Francisco?"

In politicians' eyes, these mutual attacks were common tactics, but they had to yield profits.

Hillary said, "Whether it's them or not, the Newsom family is untrustworthy. Then there's Hawke Osment and the Ferguson family. Regarding the Hudson River crash incident, we pinned the blame on the Russians, who now surely suspect Hawke. I got word from the UN that Hawke was attacked by South Sudanese militias while in Africa..."

She was no fool and didn't think the other side was naive. "Los Angeles will definitely suspect us. No proof is ever needed for these things. Given Hawke's personality, he will retaliate fiercely."

Abedin was puzzled, "We had a good relationship with Hawke and Twitter back then."

Hillary sneered, "What Hawke and Twitter did couldn't be reversed short-term. They're definitely on the opposite side. To win the 2008 election, we must confront them!"

Abedin already knew there were no permanent friends or enemies in politics.

Hillary gave her instructions: "Notify the overseas private defense companies. Send capable personnel to Los Angeles and San Francisco to monitor Hawke Osment and Gavin Newsom's activities."

Abedin prepared to make a call.

Hillary stopped her, saying: "Tell those going that without my orders, no reckless moves, especially don't get too close to Hawke. He's extremely dangerous."

Abedin was aware of Hawke's history - multiple shootings where he escaped unharmed and even killed assailants. All his masterminds met tragic ends.

Hillary picked up the phone and called her husband, Bill: "Come home tonight. There's something very important."

...

That night, in their mansion in New Georgia district, Hillary and Bill had a fierce argument. Starting with mutual blame, it soon turned into revealing old grievances.

She accused him of always messing around.

He accused her of having dozens of lovers and rotten crotch.

In the end, as usual, Bill couldn't withstand Hillary's onslaught and backed down.

He was furious but avoided a direct confrontation and decided to send his men to California to investigate.

Early next morning, he flew to New York and met with Anton LaVey, the leader of the Satanic cult, asking him to use hidden cult members in Los Angeles to secretly investigate the video matter.

---

Los Angeles, Beverly Hills.

On another hill not far from Tom Cruise's home stood the Satanic cult's secret villa.

Saint Jayne Mansfield had just received a personal call from cult leader Anton. She immediately gathered several trusted followers for an emergency meeting.

She detailed the situation.

An older man with a goatee said: "Our only connection to Hawke Osment was the Russian spy case where Rekoba, working for World News Weekly, was caught by the FBI for bribing contractors to install bugging devices and was later sentenced."

A man wearing a goat mask added, "Also, Hawke's girlfriend Erica once investigated several abandoned body cases linked to us."

Jayne noted, "The ones at the Los Angeles rituals?"

"Yeah," said the goat mask. "They were eventually suppressed."

The goatee man said, "That won't help. The ritual cases have a beginning and an end. Rekoba won't be out for another three years."

The goat mask added, "The Ferguson family has regained power in Los Angeles. Hawke Osment is also tough; he has great influence over the LAPD and FBI. If we act rashly, we might fall into danger."

Everyone knew that was true. Hawke was a formidable figure in L.A.

Jayne suddenly said, "I know a legitimate way to get directly connected to Hawke Osment."

All eyes turned to their elder saint.

Jayne said, "I have reliable info that my ex-husband Frank, during his wanderings in Hollywood years ago, met young Hawke Osment. Because they had similar temperaments, Frank helped Hawke several times during his startup phase. They became friends. After Hawke founded Twitter in Silicon Beach, Frank moved his RV to Venice Beach to stay close and kept contact with Hawke and Twitter."

The goat mask asked anxiously, "Do you still keep in touch with Frank?"

"No, but I got this info by chance and thought it might be useful," Jayne's voice lowered. "A few girls of mine joined the Feminist Majority Foundation early on. I asked them to use those contacts to join Venice Beach's EMS to get close to that bastard Frank."

She paused to regain composure and added, "When Hawke rose fast, I feared it would disrupt L.A.'s balance and laid this plan early. I didn't expect we might actually need it now."

The goatee man said, "Saint, you're thorough."

Jayne waved off the compliment, "It's still early. I'll have them gather intelligence discreetly."

---

Santa Monica, a plaza burned to the ground years ago, remained undeveloped as a memorial site with charred ruins.

A monument stood there, inscribed with the date of the Los Angeles Fires and the names of victims.

The cast and crew of Los Angeles Fires and investors gathered there under many media's watch to lay flowers at the monument.

Some fire victims also showed up, laying flowers spontaneously.

After a short ceremony, Tom Cruise checked that Hawke didn't come forward and called director Eric Emerson to the temporary media stage.

"Today, besides remembering that tragic moment, we have a few announcements," Tom, the biggest star, was fit to lead.

To the mic, he said, "The first trailer for Los Angeles Fires is out today, now on Twitter Video for all of you to watch."

The crowd was quiet, no applause.

Tom continued per plan, "After the fire, many faced insurance disputes. To help, the crew will establish the Los Angeles Fires Charity Foundation. All North American box-office profits from the film will be donated to aid victims."

That earned loud applause, including from fire victims.

Tom added, "We mustn't forget this fire. Memorials help prevent future tragedies. At October's premiere, all who helped fight the fire will be invited free!"

Then came the interview session.

Eric told reporters a biopic based on the Philip incident was in the works, still a collaboration with Tom Cruise.

This caught media attention amid the raging Occupy San Francisco movement - a hot topic for movie adaptation.

...

After this special press conference, Los Angeles Fires entered its final promotional phase.

Only two years after the blaze, unresolved insurance disputes kept memories fresh in Californians' minds.

The trailer surged into Twitter's top ten trending news within two days.

Paramount held three internal screenings, with fans, media reps, and theater managers mostly praising the film.

...

Meanwhile, The Departed entered its own promotional phase.

But strange news and opinions surfaced online and in print -- not attacks, but some truths.

Hollywood Reporter's front page spotlighted the film.

"Directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson, The Departed is a complete remake of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, which won huge acclaim in the Asia-Pacific with seven Golden Horse Awards including Best Picture, Director, and Actor!

Such a hugely successful original, Scorsese's reworking undermines his stature as a top Hollywood director. It seems he's lost his mind chasing Oscars, potentially damaging Hollywood's big four directors' reputations."

...

At Burbank, Appian Way Productions, Martin Scorsese read the article angrily. "These bastards clearly don't want me to get an Oscar statuette!"

Leonardo said calmly, "Don't worry. There's always a way to respond."

Leonardo was Appian Way Productions' largest shareholder. Experienced, Scorsese knew the game: "The awards season hasn't even started; our rivals have already struck."

Leonardo was mentally ready after talking with Hawke on the phone: "Let's adjust goals - focus mainly on Best Actor and Best Director; forget Best Picture for now."

Best Actor was Leonardo's target; Best Director was Scorsese's urgent wish.

Best Picture was secondary.

The crafty old Marty asked, "Someone contacted you?"

Leonardo nodded silently.

Usually outsiders meddle like this, and Scorsese was uneasy. "Even if these wealthy newcomers come into Hollywood for Oscars, they must follow our rules ..."

Leonardo interrupted, "This man has the ability to change the rules. In front of him, we are at best talking pawns."

Scorsese understood and immediately changed his statement, "Originally, our main goal is Best Actor and Director, the rest can wait."

He was responsible with five or six kids and four ex-wives to support, plus future films to make, so better not offend the wrong people.

Martin was smoother than he appeared.

Leonardo never obsessed over Best Picture; he'd won that in other films before. His Oscar dream was Best Actor.

As for profitability, Leonardo was not worried. Hawke had communicated with him and would introduce him to an investor from Malaysia when the time was right.

Many Southeast Asian investors were flush and didn't care about profits; partial returns sufficed.

---

Coastal Tower, Edward hurried into Hawke's office: "Boss, just got the news: Schwarzenegger couple divorced."

Since Eunice Insurance's contract scandal leaked, everyone knew Schwarzeneggers were headed for divorce; it was only a matter of time.

The insurance company's timinged bankruptcy allowed funds to flow into Maria Shriver's foundation via charitable donations. Legally unsettled, but Schwarzenegger's decades of reputation were ruined.

Hawke checked Twitter news - it already broke.

Reporters caught Maria moving from Sacramento, the governor's mansion area, back to Boston on the East Coast.

California's main support bases, the Ferguson family and Silicon Valley's eBay faction, plus Maria's backing, had helped Schwarzenegger win the earlier recall election.

Now he'd lost those three pillars - unlikely to run for governor again, having lost party support.

...

Brian called Hawke.

Brian talked about Schwarzenegger's divorce: "Arnie called me ten minutes ago wanting a private talk."

Hawke guessed, "He wants to quit voluntarily?"

"Not explicitly, but it's implied," Brian said quickly. "He mentioned past cooperation with the Ferguson family, and how you and I broke the deadlock in that recall election, leading to later victories."

Hawke asked directly, "What's your take?"

Brian paused, then said, "I plan to meet Arnie privately. If he wants out, no need to press. We should change strategy to win his camp's support."

When the situation shifts, tactics follow. He added, "If Arnie quits, he'd become a target to woo. We should let him exit with dignity."

Hawke pondered, "Arnie isn't eligible for the presidency. Will he run for Senate, or...?"

Brian probed, "He wants to return to Hollywood, do movies again."

That matched Hawke's expectations: "If he wants to act again, our foundation can co-produce a big movie with him. He's been away for years and needs a commercial comeback film."

Brian, who hung in Hollywood circles and claimed success with actresses but knew little about production, asked, "Do you have ideas?"

Hawke said: "Let's get his old rival for a retro action flick - two action legends' first formal collaboration, a big selling point."

Brian got inspired: "That Stallone guy can write and direct, seems promising. Let's try."

"Both facing career decline, teaming up makes sense," Hawke said, knowing their '90s rivalry could be sidelined for mutual benefit.

"Talk to Schwarzenegger first. If he's interested, then bring Stallone in for talks."

"Arnie will be in L.A. in two days; I'll contact him first and see."

They hung up.

---

Hawke left for the supercomputer room and chatted with Harland about the Manhattan AI Project's progress.

It wasn't about project details, but how to craft a congressional report that looked good, passing annual audits smoothly.

This directly affected the release of the project's second development fund.

The president was unchanged; midterm elections hadn't happened. As long as the annual report wasn't ridiculous, funds would flow quickly.

The project had real progress. Twitter used algorithms and supercomputers to sift info globally with unprecedented speed and accuracy.

But these served only Twitter internally, advancing Hawke's interests.

Once second funding came, the Manhattan AI Project would have sunk over $50 billion. Even if opposition parties rose in midterms and presidential elections, stopping it would be tough.

With Twitter controlling the plan, Hawke could team up with parasites to continuously bleed the government dry, blocking federal support for competing AI programs, keeping AI advances under his control.

[T/N: The actual goal was to block America's AI plans so that China can be ahead.]

---

The next day, Hawke convened a meeting with Steve Nutt, chairman of Osment Foundation Pierce Madden, and West Coast Investment Foundation director Roger Keene.

They were to develop funding lists and nationwide plans based on the LGBTQ movement's development.

This was another parasite plan - not to leech off LGBTQ groups but use their groundswell to pressure federal government into special funding allocations.

There was precedent; if done well, billions could be obtained annually.

Frankly, just struggling with Twitter and commerce yielded slow profits compared to federal subsidies.

Without such plans, they'd have coffee mugs worth hundreds, screws worth thousands, pushcarts worth millions.

Besides, Hawke planned initial unmanned driving and AI robotics projects within Twitter.

These hollow projects drew initial funds from the Manhattan AI Project, rolling out gradually.

Targets not only federal but also California state government.

Hawke supported Brian's campaign for California governor. If Brian won, state subsidies would follow.

No doubt, Twitter now rivaled established firms in tech.

Hawke avoided traditional fields like energy and military industry dominated by old companies.

America's manufacturing wasn't hollowed out yet, but in decades, even Navy aircraft carrier maintenance would be outsourced to other countries.

*****

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