The short vacation ended, and Anton returned to work.
He directed the film crew to the new research facility and continued filming Cyborg.
Meanwhile, Quentin Beck and his team started their new jobs, and Anton immediately brought them to Hollywood to oversee the special effects for Cyborg.
Also, it was worth noting that the Lizardman incident in New York had sparked a cult of personality surrounding Batman.
The center of Manhattan Bridge, where Batman had brutally defeated the Lizardman, became a pilgrimage site for countless people.
Even the Daily Bugle, which had a close relationship with Batman, became a "holy site" for these fans.
Seeing this, Eddie simply set up a Batman standee at the entrance of the Daily Bugle, allowing the visiting fans to take photos.
After learning about this, Anton specially ordered a Bat-Signal and instructed Eddie to install it on the roof of the Daily Bugle building.
At night, the Bat-Signal shone throughout the Manhattan sky.
The huge bat symbol even made the moon seem dim.
The Bat-Signal stayed lit for a full seven days, much to everyone's delight, and they cheered in celebration.
But after seven days, the Bat-Signal went out completely and didn't light up again, even though people kept calling the Daily Bugle, they couldn't get a satisfactory answer.
Many people didn't understand.
However, that's a story for another time.
In short, the Daily Bugle benefited greatly from Batman's popularity.
Not only did it become a sensation, but the Daily Bugle's newspaper sales also skyrocketed daily, making other newspapers green with envy.
But they could look but not imitate. The Daily Bugle had a close relationship with Batman, especially since the newspaper's behind-the-scenes boss, Anton, was also the director and screenwriter of the movie Mystery of the Shadow. He was blatantly and naturally leveraging Batman's popularity.
If other newspapers tried to follow suit, not only would they be ignored, but they'd probably be flamed into oblivion by the public, making it a losing proposition.
Anton was somewhat moved by this.
In this world, the Bat-Signal was no longer just a signal for James Gordon to summon Batman; it had become a popular spot for social media check-ins.
However, in the days to come, New Yorkers would eventually realize that when the Bat-Signal shone, it meant Batman was in action.
Time flew by, and another month passed.
The scene at the research institute wrapped, and Anton transitioned from New York back to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.
At this point, the film's production was entering its final phase.
Anton had underestimated his own filming speed.
Looking at it now, he estimated that the movie would wrap up in at most another half month, taking less than 80 days in total.
Furthermore, Mysterio, Quentin Beck, who he had sent to Hollywood earlier, was making great strides in the special effects department.
Beck and his team applied the holographic system technology they had developed directly to the actors, achieving illusion-like transformations through light and shadow effects, and then filming on location to achieve an extremely realistic effect.
Of course, the current technology level was not nearly as exaggerated as it would be after Tony's death, but for Hollywood right now, it was a huge breakthrough.
This almost raised Hollywood's special effects capabilities to an unbelievable level.
It was like the shift from 2D to 3D technology.
Countless special effects professionals regarded Quentin Beck as a great scientist, like Einstein, and followed him around like a shadow.
A string of special effects orders, begging and pleading, found their way to the Mysterio special effects studio, established by Anton under the DC Company and led by Quentin Beck, which was quite fruitful.
Here, Quentin Beck not only made money but also finally found the sense of belonging he had been missing for so long.
He was increasingly grateful to Anton, thinking he had found a good job.
And when Anton saw Beck's results and estimated the progress, he realized that the film could be completed in at most a month and then be released smoothly.
Calculating the time, a month in advance, which was now, they could start the promotion!
That day, after the filming ended, Anton found Jim. "It's time to prepare the promotion plan!"
As soon as they met, Anton spoke frankly, "Cyborg will be wrapped up in at most half a month. With Beck's new technology helping with post-production, we can finish this film within a month. Jim, give me a promotion plan for Cyborg as soon as possible."
"What? You're almost done filming?"
Jim looked bewildered.
Although he knew Anton was a fast worker, he didn't expect that after only two months, this guy would already be considering promotion.
He had been running around with the other two film crews, Superman and The Dark Knight, and had only had a short time to not be in contact with Anton about the progress. Anton was actually about to finish the film.
This gave him a dreamlike feeling.
Just like when Anton told him the film was finished when filming Mystery of the Shadow a few months ago, that was the feeling he had inside.
A curse was stuck in his throat, unable to be uttered.
It's complicated.
I didn't think so at the time, but looking back, that feeling was a good one.
If he could replicate the success of the last time, it would mean that Jim joining DC Company was the best decision he'd made in the second half of his life.
"I'll go back and coordinate the publicity work."
Jim knew that he never had any say in the cooperation with Anton.
So he nodded and then asked, "Do you have any suggestions about the promotion?"
"Movies are a popular art form. I have confidence in the quality of this film. As long as it's promoted according to the normal process, the box office won't be bad."
Anton thought for a moment and said, "However, this movie is starring a black actor. As long as it can generate recognition from the black community while being properly promoted, this movie has no possibility of failure." Then he added with a profound meaning, "Jim, you know what to do."
"I understand."
Jim smiled. As a frontline producer, he completely understood Anton's meaning.
After a brief conversation, Jim bid farewell.
Anton returned to the hotel arranged for the crew. He enjoyed a relaxing bath and was about to rest when his personal assistant, Betty, knocked on his door.
"Hey, it's late!"
Anton was quite surprised.
Naked from the waist up, he raised an eyebrow at Betty, who was looking straight ahead, and smiled. "I just warmed up the bed for you. Interested in sleeping together?"
"Nice abs."
Betty glanced at Anton, her face betraying no emotion as she casually ignored his suggestive remarks. "There's something I think you'll find very interesting."
Anton was curious. "What is it?"
Betty said, "Tony Stark isn't dead. He was found in the desert in Afghanistan by the military. He's probably already at the military airport now!"
"Tony was found?"
Anton was taken aback, then he collected himself, a smile spreading across his face.
Calculating the time, it was about right.
From the release of Mystery of the Shadow to the nearing completion of Cyborg, about three months had passed, which was the approximate duration of Tony's ordeal in Afghanistan.
"Stark Industries just released a statement. Tomorrow morning, Tony Stark will hold a press conference at the Stark Industries branch in Los Angeles."
Betty's expression was calm. "Tony Stark might say something at the press conference... Also, Eddie and Phil have already flown in overnight. They think the Daily Bugle can't miss this press conference."
She paused, then looked at Anton. "Anton, if you're going to the press conference tomorrow, I'll have someone prepare an extra ticket for you."
"Why not?"
Anton nodded without hesitation, smiling. "I wouldn't want to miss a classic moment."
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)