Hollywood Immortal Chapter 596 596: Poisoning Incident on Set

[Chapter 596: Poisoning Incident on Set]

The entire catering for the Titanic film crew was supplied by a four-star hotel affiliated with the studio lot. Breakfast and dinner were served daily in the hotel's restaurant. However, since the hotel was a bit of a distance from the soundstage, to maximize shooting efficiency, Jas Caron insisted that lunch be packed and delivered to the temporary dining area set up near the soundstage.

That day at noon, all cast and crew mbers gathered at the makeshift dining area as usual for lunch. Typically, the film crew operated like a strict hierarchical society, with stark differences in treatnt between ranks. This extended even to the als: producers, directors, and lead actors enjoyed significantly better food than others.

Still, despite Jas Caron's harsh and tyrannical deanor on set, he ensured the baseline crew's als were not subpar. At lunch, everyone was served the sa high standard -- the crew's base-level workers ate just as well as the top officials. Each lunch was generously portioned, costing about thirty dollars per person.

That morning's last scene featured a key interaction between Linton and Kate Winslet. By the ti Jas Caron was satisfied with the shots, it was already 1:00 PM, and hunger pangs were loud among the crew. Once the driver announced break ti and al service, the crew sward the dining area to grab their lunches.

Today's nu included steak, roasted fish, fresh bread, salad, and a hearty seafood bisque. The food quality was quite good, and everyone was free to take what they wanted from the food truck.

...

Linton and Kate freshened up briefly in the makeup trailer, arriving slightly later than most. They took their reserved seats in the dining area, where Linton's assistant, Li Xiaoran, and Kate's assistant had already prepared their als. Li Xiaoran had ensured that Linton's tray was fully loaded with every dish, while Kate's assistant opted for a lighter selection -- just a small piece of bread, salad, and a bowl of soup.

Linton invited Li Xiaoran and Kate's assistant to join him for the al. After taking two bites of steak, Linton picked up the seafood bisque and took a sip. Imdiately, he sensed sothing was terribly wrong with the soup. Being at the Celestial Presence stage, he could detect subtle abnormalities in food instantly.

He tasted carefully and concluded quickly: the seafood bisque was poisoned.

Anger surged through him. Who could be so reckless and desperate to poison his film crew? He realized he had been too lenient. But the priority was alerting everyone on set to avoid drinking the soup.

Too lazy to fetch a loudspeaker, Linton summoned so of his spiritual energy to project his voice powerfully: "Attention everyone! The seafood bisque is contaminated. Do not drink it!"

Unfortunately, it was already too late. Because Linton and Kate had spent extra ti in makeup, many crew mbers had already started eating -- and so had even finished their soup. When Linton's warning echoed through, the crew's reaction was mixed. While the symptoms of poisoning had yet to appear, no one dared to drink any more soup after the alert.

...

Linton instructed the producer, Nacho Misi, to summon the resident on-set doctor for testing. Using basic tools, the doctor quickly detected hallucinogens in the soup, though precise identification and dosage required more advanced testing.

The crew was horrified. So had already consud the soup, potentially taking in the poison. Within 20 minutes of Linton's warning, the first symptoms manifested.

A background extra suddenly collapsed without warning, his body convulsing uncontrollably. Soon after, a crew mber burst into tears, crying out, "Lisa, I want to go ho. I miss you so much."

Then, much stranger behaviors erupted, turning the scene chaotic. So grew nauseous, clutching trash cans to vomit or rushing frantically to the restroom. Others broke into loud, carefree singing and dancing, as if at a wild party.

A few exhibited extre agitation -- stripping off their clothes and engaging in explicit displays right on set.

Even the two on-site doctors were caught in the hallucinatory grip, holding onto each other and murmuring incomprehensible words.

Faced with the worsening situation, Linton had no choice but to call for ambulances.

...

Around that ti, Jas Caron wrapped up his tasks and rushed to the dining area. Seeing the mayhem, he gasped, "Linton, what the hell's going on?"

"Jas, soone poisoned the lunch soup."

"What? Poisoned? Who the hell did this?"

"Let's get these people dical help first and deal with the rest later. I've already called the paradics."

...

The studio lot was near Rosarito, a small town with only two ambulances. Soon, the wailing sirens grew louder as both vehicles entered the lot. After quick assessnts, seven or eight of the most severely affected were loaded into the ambulances, while nearly two hundred others with milder symptoms piled onto buses sent from the crew, all heading for the hospitals.

Rosarito's limited dical resources quickly beca overwheld, its two hospitals flooded with patients. Those with severe poisoning were admitted for observation, while others filled the ergency rooms.

The halls echoed with sobs, laughter, singing, groans, and disjointed ramblings. Doctors and nurses rushed about, administering treatnt and conducting tests.

Professional toxicology tests on the soup samples ca back soon after: they revealed a high concentration of PCP, a potent hallucinogen, had been deliberately mixed into the seafood bisque. The dose was staggering -- around a kilo of PCP dumped into the pot.

Such a massive amount could cause severe physical and psychological harm to anyone who consud it.

Linton, Nacho, and Jas Caron were shocked. Had they not acted quickly, lives could have been lost.

Nacho sighed with relief, patting his chest, "That was terrifying. Thank God you spotted it in ti. Plus, our proximity to the hospital really helped."

Jas Caron clenched his teeth, furious. "We have to report this. I'm going to find out which bastard did this."

Linton calmly placed a hand on both their shoulders. "This is xico. Calling the cops won't do much. Trust , I'll find out who poisoned the soup. For now, focus on damage control -- making sure the shoot stays on schedule and enforcing a strict dia blackout. If the press gets hold of this, it will be a nightmare."

Thankfully, those treated received care promptly. By afternoon, many recovered and returned to set. Of course, those who had consud more of the soup needed days of continued hospital care.

...

That afternoon, Linton gathered all kitchen and delivery staff at the hotel for questioning. Using his Soul Induction ability, he forced them ntally, "Who poisoned the seafood bisque today at lunch?"

Under the spell, everyone claid ignorance, proving the culprit was among the crew's ground-level support team.

That evening, Linton secured a large conference room at the hotel. Apart from the dozen or so still hospitalized, the remaining 727 crew mbers were summoned in batches to be questioned. The crew totaled 739. No one had fled, suggesting no guilty party tried to escape.

The room could only seat 110, so staff entered in seven shifts. Without wasting words, Linton used Soul Induction again, "Whoever poisoned the lunch, stand up and own your actions."

The room fell into uneasy silence. Most thought Linton's mind might still be affected by the hallucinogen, doubting anyone poisoned would admit it.

No one answered during the first batch. Five minutes later, they left; the second batch was questioned, then the third, and so on.

Amidst whispered speculation that Linton should seek dical help himself, an unbelievable event occurred during the sixth round: a man stood up willingly and confessed.

He was a bottom-tier crew mber, a young 23-year-old black stagehand nad Frost.

"Why did you poison the soup?"

"Because I couldn't take it anymore. Endless overti, and Jas's brutal demands. One little mistake, and he'd publicly humiliate without rcy."

"If you hated it so much, why didn't you quit like Shirick? Why poison everyone?"

"I planned to quit after I got this week's paycheck. But after all they put through, just leaving felt like defeat. I wanted everyone to suffer like ."

"Did anyone else make you do it?"

"No."

"Did anyone encourage you?"

"No. It was my own grudge against Jas."

"Did you think about the consequences?"

"What consequences? With so many people on set, who would ever know it was ?"

The situation was clear: Jas Caron's obsession with perfection, his relentless high-pressure managent, endless overti, and unforgiving public beratings had pushed the vulnerable Frost over the edge. Filled with resentnt, he took drastic revenge by poisoning the crew.

...

Jas Caron stood beside Linton the entire interrogation. At first, he laughed off the questioning -- thinking Linton was just hallucinating and causing a scene. But when Frost clearly recounted where and when he purchased the PCP, he was stunned.

He never imagined he inspired such hatred.

For the first ti, his expression betrayed uncertainty. "Linton, what do we do now?"

"Report it to the police and hand Frost over to the Rosarito police station."

"But will they even care? They'll probably fine him and let him go."

"That's not our problem. He'll face his consequences. You need to focus on managing the crew better and ensuring the film's success."

"Fine. I didn't expect Frost to be this extre."

Linton asked Nacho and the bodyguard, Danny, to contact the local police. He then turned to Jas Caron: "Co with to my room. We need to talk."

...

Linton had avoided interfering with crew managent before, but after such a serious poisoning incident -- especially with over $300 million already invested and endless ti and effort poured in -- the film had to succeed, no matter what.

Back in his room, they discussed next steps.

First, Linton praised Jas Caron's high standards and tough demands, expressing his wish that he maintain his rigorous approach to make the film a classic.

However, after the poisoning incident, Jas acknowledged that relentless overti and oppressive pressure were unsustainable, even compensating extra wouldn't fix the harm caused.

Linton also reminded him that, since there was no fixed release date and investnt wasn't frozen, the intense overti wasn't necessary. Jas agreed to limit filming to a regular eight-hour day moving forward.

Lastly, on Jas Caron's habit of harshly berating the crew -- while common for directors worldwide, if unchecked, it could spiral out of control. Linton wasn't opposed to so venting but demanded limits: insults and scoldings must not exceed three minutes, and targets must be chosen carefully.

Managent and departnt heads could be disciplined more severely, but the lowest-level workers deserved so compassion.

...

The next day, though the crew remained unsettled after the poisoning, filming resud. With Linton's support, Jas Caron kept firm control but eased the intensity, canceling overti and limiting verbal abuse.

Within three days, the crew atmosphere lightened noticeably, morale improved, and work efficiency surged.

Five days later, as the severely poisoned returned fully healed to set, the production was back on track.

On that day, bodyguard Danny reported quietly to Linton: as expected, after squeezing Frost dry financially, the Rosarito police released him after five days in custody.

"Boss, Frost dared to sabotage your production. We can't just let him go."

"Let him go? Of course not. People like him deserve only one fate -- death without rcy."

"Should I take care of it? Dump him in the Pacific, feed the fishes?"

"Exactly."

*****

spatreon/Sayonara816.