[Chapter 213: Elimination]
After leaving Thunder Base, Piero settled in the town of Parker County. That night, he found a public phone on the street and called his superior, Bro-Arwick, to report that he had failed the assessnt.
"What? With your physical fitness and tactical skills, how could you possibly fail?"
"Sir, the problem isn't with my physical fitness or tactics -- I'm ranked at the top in both."
"Then why didn't you pass?"
"They said my values didn't align with their requirents, but they wouldn't provide specifics. Maybe they found sothing during the background check."
"Are their selection assessnts really that strict?"
"Very strict. The elimination rate is high. Most candidates are cut due to poor physical or tactical performance. Only a few are rejected for ideological reasons."
"Seems like they're cautious. Alright, take half a month off and rest outside. Then return. I'll assign a new mission."
---
After hanging up, Bro-Arwick imdiately called a secure line in Washington.
"Ma'am, regarding Linton's Thunder Guards -- our infiltration plan has failed."
"Any idea why?"
"Their screening is rigorous. Even the slightest suspicion leads to elimination."
"So cautious? Alright, let's hold off for now. Whether the candidates pass or not, we'll find more reliable people later. During the next recruitnt round, we must ensure the placent is flawless."
He ended the call, then instructed his subordinates to pause all current infiltration efforts. Preparatory work would continue, but actual deploynt was to wait for further instructions. Identifying qualified targets would be the next step.
---
After Bro-Arwick's orders, Piero was told to take a vacation. On the seventh day, he flew to Los Angeles, then transferred to a flight to Hawaii.
While vacationing recklessly in Hawaii, Piero seed unaware of the danger. On the morning of September 17, he was playing tag with a young blonde woman on the beach when--
Bang!
His head burst open. White brain matter splattered across the beach and onto the nearby blonde woman.
Screams and cries erupted. Tourists scattered in panic.
When police arrived, the beach was chaotic. Piero's identification was found among his belongings, and his family was notified.
---
That sa morning, on a Miami beach, a similar scene unfolded.
Kentrey, who had chosen to vacation there, was playing beach volleyball with a group.
Bang!
His chest exploded. He fell to the ground stiffly, instantly dead.
Just like in Hawaii, the Miami police intervened, secured the scene, and inford Kentrey's family.
---
Naturally, Gray Wolf Security's Bro-Arwick was inford of both killings. He imdiately dispatched two senior operatives to Miami to investigate Kentrey's death, and two others to Hawaii to confirm Piero's.
"Bro-Arwick, you called last night. What's going on?" a commanding female voice asked on the phone.
"Bad news."
"What happened?"
"Two agents -- gone. Eliminated with precision. The Thunder Guards must have uncovered them."
Seven days later, the teams returned with full reports. On September 19, both Hawaii and Miami police held press conferences, confirming that Piero and Kentrey were killed by sniper fire -- shots to the head and chest. The killers remained unidentified.
---
Backtrack one week earlier: on September 15, the Thunder Base project had stabilized. Winnie remained on-site to oversee the construction.
anwhile, Linton returned to Los Angeles with his assistant ena and his bodyguards, preparing to resu promotion of the Flying album under Universal's schedule.
---
In the film industry, the North Arican box office had cooled. Step Up 2's daily weekday revenue slipped to $1.2 million.
By September 14, the film's cumulative North Arican box office reached $112.93 million, with a projected final gross of $130 million -- not likely to surpass the first installnt.
Universal launched the film's global promotion campaign, planning a 15-day tour across Japan, Korea, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Brazil.
While Leo and Jennifer promoted the movie overseas, its international box office hadn't yet crossed $100 million.
---
Linton arranged for financial and legal teams to finalize revenue settlent with Universal and to negotiate full global rights transfer for Step Up 2. He then spent five days touring seventeen U.S. cities to promote the Flying album.
---
Speed was pulled from theaters after an eight-week run, finishing with a dostic gross of $193 million, second only to Jurassic Park.
The film continued to screen in nearly 50 countries, with international box office earnings exceeding $212 million. It had crossed the $400 million global threshold, and was expected to finish with around $470 million, ranking seventh for the year.
Even more impressive was the rchandise performance.
In the North Arican market alone, all the prepared inventory was sold out, with sales reaching $88 million, including $40 million for minibus models, $40 million for movie-image dolls of Linton, and $8 million for movie-image dolls of Catherine.
Linton had officially beco a Hollywood phenonon. More importantly, his rchandise appeal stunned the industry. The $40 million in doll sales eclipsed even Tom Cruise's numbers.
For his next project, Linton would command $20 million plus a share of the box office as the lead actor -- an unprecedented deal.
Catherine also rose to near A-list status. Her $8 million in doll sales proved her comrcial potential. She was now in high demand, appearing in nurous promotional campaigns and brand endorsents.
---
anwhile, Jurassic Park was dominating worldwide.
Its North Arican release earned $353 million, breaking multiple records. Overseas, it brought in over $530 million, with the final global box office expected to exceed $950 million.
Universal Pictures and Spielberg's Amblin Entertainnt were reaping massive profits.
Director Steven Spielberg had negotiated a legendary contract: 15% of the film's first-dollar gross revenue, and 50% of the remaining profit (via Amblin) after Universal recouped production, marketing, and distribution costs.
This deal earned Spielberg over $250 million from Jurassic Park -- setting a record for the highest earnings by an individual from a single film.
Linton, though deeply impressed, didn't feel envious. Not yet.
"Give two or three more films," he thought, "and I'll get there."
*****
spatreon/Sayonara816.
Reviews
All reviews (0)