Bremer, the middle-aged man with glasses from Hollywood's Eye, quickly contacted the friend who betrayed Mel Gibson after receiving his assignment.
"The price has gone up now. They're starting to suspect me. I want 1.5 million US dollars, and you also need to arrange for me to go to France," the friend said.
Bremer didn't even need to ask for permission; he immediately agreed: "No problem. As long as your information is useful, a check for 1.5 million US dollars will be issued to you right away."
The friend was delighted, surprised that the other party agreed so readily. He wished he had asked for more.
The two quickly struck a deal. Bremer first handed over a check for 300,000 US dollars and then immediately contacted Craig Evans from Hollywood's Eye.
Craig Evans also had some progress. He found a stripper who had nearly been abused to death by Mel Gibson.
At the time, she wanted to come forward and accuse Mel Gibson, but CAA suppressed the matter and warned her not to speak out.
Although she received hush money, it was nowhere near enough to compensate her traumatized mind.
So, when Craig Evans found her, she told him everything, in full detail.
"Can you come forward and accuse him?" Craig Evans asked.
The stripper nodded firmly, but was worried about the consequences: "What if I come forward and accuse him, but he gets off scot-free? Then I'll be finished."
"Don't worry," Craig Evans said, "This time, a major Hollywood figure is behind this. He's offended the Jewish powers in Hollywood, and he's finished."
"Alright then, I'll come forward and accuse him," the stripper agreed.
"Very good. Someone will make the arrangements when the time is right," Craig Evans said.
Afterward, Craig Evans, as instructed, went to those locations and retrieved some photos and negatives. This wasn't everything, but the most crucial part, involving Sophie Marceau, was found.
What remained unclear was whether Mel Gibson had any other backups.
If he did, Sophie Marceau's situation was still not optimistic.
Mel Gibson might very well drag Sophie Marceau down with him and expose those photos before he went inside, out of revenge.
For retaliatory purposes, CAA might even help Mel Gibson by using the media to sensationalize the scandal.
However, Heena Boone had anticipated this move. To prevent Mel Gibson from making wild accusations against others once he was caught, this matter had to be linked to Hollywood's Jewish community.
As long as the Jewish community intervened, Mel Gibson would naturally keep his mouth shut.
All the evidence was gathered. As June arrived, The Bridges of Madison County, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, and co-starring Meryl Streep, and distributed by Warner, was released.
But that wasn't important, because a major event happened that day.
"Mel, quick, look at ABC News..."
Martin Bob called, and Mel Gibson, who had just finished venting his anger at his cronies, froze and quickly turned on the TV.
On ABC News, a slightly haggard woman was crying in front of the camera: "For years, I've endured, and they told me not to speak out, but I can't. I need to get justice for myself and for those who have also been victimized."
The reporter asked: "So, who harmed you?"
"Mel Gibson." The woman faced the camera and said firmly, "Even though you're free now, I believe justice and the law will surely help us and punish you, you demon."
Shatter... The wine glass in Mel Gibson's hand involuntarily slipped, shattering on the floor, just like his life.
At the same time, Sean Connery, still oblivious to the major events unfolding, was dreaming of winning an Oscar next year and showing it off to Gilbert.
But before his dream was complete, he saw the news and felt an instant bolt from the blue.
His Oscar, his dream, all vanished with this scandal.
An enraged Sean Connery lost his temper and immediately moved to hit his son. His wife was already laid up from his abuse and was recovering, so only his son was nearby.
But while his wife dared not flee, his son did!
His son ran upstairs, and Sean Connery chased after him. However, his legs gave out on the stairs, and he tumbled all the way down.
Sean Connery was wearing red clothes, and as he rolled, he looked like a red fire wheel, quite a spectacular sight.
Although he rolled spectacularly, Sean Connery was, after all, old, and his body was in poor shape from years of alcoholism and drug use. This fall resulted in a fracture.
His son, thankfully, had some filial piety, perhaps not wanting to be accused of murdering his father, and still took him to the hospital.
The x-ray results were not good. Sean Connery had fractured bones, and as an elderly person, his recovery would be slow. He might need to use a wheelchair.
This enraged Sean Connery, who wanted to stand up and beat the doctor, but he couldn't and instead fell to the ground.
His wife and son were both cold and did not help him up.
Despite his anger, Sean Connery understood one fact: for the rest of his life, after this fall, he would only be able to eke out an existence.
Thinking of this, Sean Connery looked at his wife and son, a little afraid, because he was no longer in control...
And this interview, once aired, immediately caused an uproar. The media began to report extensively, seeking the truth behind it.
Was it a baseless accusation, or was there really something to it? Both the media and the public were very curious.
If it were an ordinary person, there wouldn't be such widespread attention, but the person involved was Mel Gibson, a top-tier Hollywood action superstar.
The media naturally chased hot topics, and there was no reason for them to miss this explosive story.
Of course, without the initial hype, this incident wouldn't have blown up, just like a few years ago when the media would have ignored this stripper.
But now that ABC had reported it, anyone with eyes could see that someone was out to get Mel Gibson.
At CAA, Martin Bob certainly wasn't going to sit idly by. He knew Gilbert's side had started their move, so he quickly contacted the media they happily worked with to clear Mel Gibson's name.
At the same time, he counter-sued the stripper for slander.
As long as there was no evidence, they could claim it was a baseless accusation.
This wasn't decades later, when to thwart a certain "red tie," a rape case from the mid-nineties with no concrete date or evidence could still lead to a successful conviction decades later.
At that time, North America was still relatively normal; if there was no evidence, one couldn't simply prosecute Mel Gibson.
But the real problem was that the photos Mel Gibson had stored suddenly vanished without a trace. They were gone.
Mel Gibson erupted in fury. Only a few of his close confidantes knew about the photos. Then he saw that one of his friends, who had been with him since Australia, was gone.
Mel Gibson understood everything. He slumped onto the sofa in despair, then erupted in anger, venting in the room, smashing things.
The remaining friends looked at each other and all fled, leaving only one last friend, who helped Mel Gibson clean up the room after he had finished venting.
"Harry, why are you still here?" Mel Gibson asked, panting, from the sofa.
The friend named Harry said: "Mel, everything I have was given to me by you. I can't just abandon you."
"It's no use, go. I'm finished. Just go, quickly."
"Mel..."
"Just go, escape from here, as far as possible."
Harry was chased out of the mansion by Mel Gibson. As he left, he heard Mel Gibson saying, "Gilbert, you are a devil, a devil, a devil..."
Harry cried. He was unwilling for Mel Gibson to fail like this and vowed to get revenge for him.
But he had no real abilities, only himself.
So Harry got a gun; acquiring firearms in North America was quite easy. Gilbert would be hard to kill, so killing the traitor first would be good.
He then began searching everywhere for the traitor, planning to target the traitor first, and then seek revenge on Gilbert.
Meanwhile, the media that had been supporting Mel Gibson suddenly turned their guns on him, thoroughly condemning him.
CAA also completely abandoned him. Due to the negative publicity, Braveheart, which wasn't doing well to begin with, saw its box office plummet and was forcibly pulled from theaters.
The film's investors, Paramount and 20th Century Fox, remained silent, saying nothing. Even the media outlets owned by the parent companies of these two film giants began participating in the sensationalization of Mel Gibson's sexual assault scandal.
This was no accident. Mel Gibson's past insults and hostile remarks toward Jews had been reported to Hollywood's Jewish power circles.
The Jewish forces controlling media conglomerates naturally wanted to teach Mel Gibson a lesson, otherwise, anyone would dare to disrespect them in the future.
On June 5th, shortly after the scandal broke, Mel Gibson was taken into custody by the police at his home.
However, this wasn't the most desperate moment. Mel Gibson's lawyer visited him in prison and delivered a message: "Mr. Martin Bob says not to say anything out of line and to take full responsibility for the charges."
Mel Gibson was consumed by grief and indignation. He wanted to burst out, grab a rifle, and shoot Gilbert to death.
But he understood that if he took the blame, he would at most go to prison, but if he spoke out indiscriminately, he would only face death. So, he nodded sorrowfully.
Thus, with Mel Gibson's cooperation, the prosecution officially filed a lawsuit against him.
At this point, the women who had suffered harm and sought compensation also came forward, suing Mel Gibson and demanding compensation from him.
When this happened, Gilbert was taking Sophie Marceau to climb the Great Wall at Badaling.
Looking at the distant mountains, Gilbert seemed to be inspired and recited a poem: "One day I will ascend to the summit, and behold all mountains as small!"
Li Jianshe, the director of Beijing Film Academy who was accompanying them, complimented him: "Du Fu's poem! I didn't expect Director Gilbert to know it. It's perfectly fitting here."
"Haha, just showing off a little. I only know a line or two," Gilbert laughed.
Gilbert's display of language proficiency and cultural knowledge greatly increased Li Jianshe's favorable impression of him.
"Director Gilbert, we're planning to host a lecture in a couple of days, and we sincerely invite you to participate."
"Sounds good, no problem at all! It's all about exchange!" Gilbert readily agreed.
Thinking about lecturing future entertainment superstars and big directors, who would have to be respectful, Gilbert, who had enough of big stars in his previous life, felt a surge of excitement.
It was a pity they weren't "idols," otherwise Gilbert didn't know how much fun he'd have berating them.
He imagined scolding those "idols" in the audience, then their fans rushing at him, and then the fans getting attacked by netizens. The scene would be spectacular, and Gilbert couldn't help but chuckle.
"What are you thinking about? You look so happy?" Sophie Marceau asked.
"Nothing," Gilbert changed the subject. "Sophie, what are you planning to do after this is all over?"
Gilbert had no intention of a long-term relationship with Sophie Marceau; once was enough. That's why he hadn't contacted Sophie Marceau since then, which puzzled her greatly.
Sophie Marceau said, "I don't know. Maybe I'll try to make it in Hollywood, or maybe I'll go back to France."
Gilbert vaguely remembered that Sophie Marceau had appeared in a James Bond film, so he said, "Go appear in a 007 movie!"
Sophie Marceau looked at Gilbert with her beautiful eyes and asked, "Will you direct it?"
"Me?" Gilbert shook his head. "No..."
Famous directors generally don't take on 007 films. If it's successful, it's not their credit; if it's not successful, they get criticized. Only new or small directors looking for a directing opportunity would take it.
Thinking that things in North America were mostly settled, Gilbert planned to return to North America after the lecture.
He was quite busy. Facebook and Banana were set to go public in July and August, respectively, and he couldn't miss those events.
After that, he also had to prepare for the big World War II project, talk with Tom Hanks, and Leonardo DiCaprio had also kept a slot open for him.
Back in North America, although the trial was still ongoing, everyone knew that the Mel Gibson of old was finished.
The process of becoming famous is arduous, but a tall building can collapse in an instant.
It seemed like just a few weeks, or perhaps days, and Mel Gibson went from being a top-tier star to a reviled criminal, a truly regrettable turn of events.
As for Harry, he found the friend who planned to flee and betray Mel Gibson, and shot him twice—once in the chest, once in the head.
The friend who betrayed Mel Gibson lay in a pool of blood, watching helplessly as the 1.5 million dollar check in his hand fluttered into the air.
And Harry, the shooter, was caught by police, who arrived quickly after hearing the gunshots, not long after he made his escape.
Premeditated murder is a serious crime, and with irrefutable evidence, he would face severe charges.
As for the 1.5 million dollar check, it had mysteriously vanished from the crime scene, leaving no trace.
The front pages of major newspapers all reported on the Mel Gibson case, while the Harry shooting incident only received attention from local tabloids in Los Angeles.
Shootings occurred daily in the streets of Los Angeles, and everyone was accustomed to them.
But was this incident truly as simple as Harry seeking revenge and then being caught by the police? Of course not.
At the very least, no one knew that, at the same time as the shooting, a crucial 1.5 million dollar check mysteriously disappeared from the crime scene.
Just like the cold tone of the local tabloids, the police simply arrested Harry, at least they caught the killer.
As for any other conspiracies behind it, the police didn't know, nor did they bother to investigate.
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