"Damn, check that out! Ducati Monster 1100 EVO!"
"Carbon fiber everywhere—that's gotta be a custom track kit."
"Exhaust is modded too. Listen to that growl. Serious work went into this."
"Brakes are fully upgraded. All for the stunt shots?"
"The weight's dialed in perfect. Gadot's gotta feel light as hell on it."
The chatter buzzed across the set. Almost every comment focused on the bike's model, mods, performance, and the special tweaks they probably made for filming.
A couple of the stunt guys started quietly arguing about how this setup would handle real high-speed pursuit limits.
Gal Gadot stood there, helmet still in hand.
Her expression shifted from surprise to confusion, then a flash of annoyed frustration at being overlooked.
She even glanced down at herself, checking the sleek black riding suit.
Nothing wrong there.
She touched her face—makeup was on point.
What the hell was going on with these guys?
By all logic, at least a few of them should've been coming over to flirt or at least steal a longer look.
Instead they were all circling the damn machine like it was the only thing worth staring at.
Sure, the bike was badass. But she was a living, breathing woman and it just stole her spotlight?
She had no idea motorcycles were basically kryptonite for guys like this.
Put a sick bike in front of them and suddenly no one sees the woman riding it.
Even Jordana Brewster, Dom's sister in the movie, was getting ignored.
Gal turned her gaze toward Cassius—the one person who looked the most normal in this situation—eyes asking for an explanation.
Cassius caught her puzzled look and had to fight back a grin.
These Hollywood vets had seen plenty of beautiful women. A properly modded, camera-ready performance machine like this? Rare as hell.
He stepped closer, positioning himself between her and the Ducati that had the whole crew drooling, and spoke low enough that only she could hear.
"It's not that you're not attractive to these guys."
He nodded toward Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, who were crouched down inspecting the front forks.
"See those two? And everyone else around them?"
His voice dropped even more. "In this crew, cars and bikes are basically sacred. Top priority."
"Beautiful women? Hollywood's got no shortage. But a fully tricked-out, high-performance war machine that can do crazy shit on camera? That's the ultimate fantasy that makes them lose their minds."
Gal Gadot's eyes widened in sudden understanding, her expression turning into a mix of amusement and disbelief.
It clicked. She remembered the stunt drivers and mechanics during training—how they'd get the same obsessed look when talking about the bikes.
She just hadn't expected it to be this intense with the leads and crew.
She'd thought arriving on the Ducati would give her an entrance. Instead the bike itself stole the show.
Gal's main motorcycle scenes were scheduled for a higher section of Rio with sweeping views of the city and bay—winding mountain roads perfect for dramatic shots.
Word somehow leaked. By the day of filming, the barricades were surrounded by locals and tourists who'd heard the news. The crowd was massive, packed shoulder to shoulder.
Police and security were on high alert, struggling to keep order.
Today's scenes had Gal as Gisele riding the Ducati on a high-difficulty tracking and information handoff mission.
A few shots required her to show skilled riding at decent speed—precise cornering and quick direction changes on the twisting mountain road.
Gal changed into an even tighter dark riding suit, her long hair pulled into a sharp ponytail.
She swung her leg over the black Ducati. After one final check with the stunt coordinator, she gave Justin Lin a nod.
"Action!"
The Ducati's engine roared to life. Gal shot forward like an arrow into the planned filming stretch.
Her body hugged the tank tight. She leaned perfectly into the turns, tires gripping hard, carving smooth arcs.
On the straights she tucked low, cutting wind resistance, the bike streaking like black lightning.
This wasn't cone drills on flat ground. This was real mountain road with elevation changes and side winds.
She handled several high-speed corners cleanly, showing off the solid results of her two months of intense training.
Especially on one hairpin—she used a technique she'd mastered in practice, shifting her body weight precisely while playing the brakes and throttle. The bike flowed through stable and fast. The camera caught it with raw power and beauty.
"Great! Hold that energy!"
Justin Lin watched the monitor intently.
The crowd outside the barricades held their breath at first, then exploded with massive cheers and whistles.
For Rio locals who loved soccer, samba, and anything with passion, this was pure fire.
A gorgeous, confident woman riding a roaring Italian beast along the scenic coastal highway? Way more impactful than any poster.
Especially the teenagers—their eyes were wide, phones up recording everything, screaming "That's insane!"
"She's like a motorcycle angel!"
"Angel Knight!"
Someone shouted the nickname first and it spread fast through the crowd, mixed with more cheers.
A lot of them started mimicking her low lean through the corners, taking photos with each other, completely hyped.
The mountain wind was strong, howling across the road.
During one shot that needed slower speed for a close-up on her face, the gusts completely messed up the hair poking out from under her helmet. Strands whipped wildly around the edges, some slapping against her cheeks and visor.
The hairstylist frowned and got ready to call for a stop to fix it.
But Justin Lin stared at the monitor, eyes lighting up. He grabbed the walkie-talkie fast: "Don't stop! Gal, stay in it! Ignore the hair! I want exactly this!"
In the lens, Gal squinted slightly against the wind, lips pressed tight as she fought to keep the bike stable.
The messy, flying hair didn't hurt her presence at all. It added a wild, untamed beauty that perfectly matched Gisele's mysterious, unpredictable vibe.
It was real, raw charisma that had nothing to do with polished packaging.
"Cut! Perfect! That take was gold!"
Justin shouted excitedly. "Gal, that's the exact feeling I wanted—wild and free. The hair going crazy was pure magic!"
Gal stopped the bike, caught her breath, and smiled when she heard the director.
She pulled off the helmet and casually ran her fingers through her tangled hair, giving the director a thumbs-up.
The relaxed, slightly tired move triggered another wave of cheers from the crowd.
More teenagers shouted "Angel Knight!" from below.
Cassius stood near the director's monitor, watching the entire sequence closely.
His eyes weren't just on Gal's riding. He studied her micro-expressions in the close-ups—the subtle tension in her face from the wind interference, the focused determination, the sharp look after overcoming the difficulty.
He also paid attention to her line delivery and rhythm when she interacted with the other actors later—how she delivered the probing, testing tone.
Right then, a purple orb dropped from Gal:
[Probing Dialogue +6]
Cassius absorbed it like always.
[Lines Leveled Up! Lines: Lv5 (2/1000)]
All his attributes had finally hit Level 5!
Cassius felt something shift inside him.
When the orbs merged into his body this time, they didn't slot into separate experience bars like before.
They seemed to combine together.
He could feel his understanding of every aspect of acting—body control, line delivery, emotion transmission, rhythm, aura—fusing and deepening at a speed he'd never experienced.
Boom!
It felt like a barrier deep in his consciousness completely shattered.
In his vision, the clear individual panels for Lines, Body Language, Expression, Eyes, Emotion, Rhythm, and Aura with their experience bars began to merge!
When the flashing light finally settled, an extremely clean new panel appeared:
[Acting Realm]
Level: Standout Performer
Progress: 60%
Description: All basic performance attributes have reached Level 5 or higher, meeting the threshold for "Standout Performer."
From now on, any acting-related attribute orbs, experience, or insights will no longer be divided into categories. They will directly contribute to raising the overall [Acting Realm] level and progress.
Performance is no longer limited to stacking individual skills. It becomes a holistic, organic, and creative form of artistic expression.
Every realm advancement will comprehensively strengthen your integrated understanding and application of the performing arts.
Unlocked Feature: [Skill Fusion Panel]
Description: You can now actively view and attempt to fuse skill attribute orbs absorbed from different performers, exploring your own unique acting style and techniques.
Note: Fusion has a success rate and may produce unknown evolutionary results.
Cassius stood frozen.
For a second he wasn't sure if he was in a movie or cultivating to immortality.
I absorb attributes long enough and I might actually ascend to heaven one day!
But the system upgrade gave him a huge pleasant surprise.
It meant his future learning and growth would change fundamentally.
He wouldn't have to obsess over how many experience points each specific stat still needed. Instead he would improve [Acting Realm] through constant observation, practice, absorption, and reflection.
The newly unlocked [Skill Fusion Panel] opened a door full of possibilities.
He had already absorbed quite a few skill orbs: Jackie Chan's [Action Comedy Essence], Carlos's [Street Driving Instinct Package], Hank's [Wilderness Combat Foundation].
Now he could try fusing them into something that was truly his own.
This was a qualitative leap for Cassius!
Before he had been learning from others, absorbing their performance essence. Now he had the ability to create his own signature style.
Cassius took a deep breath, pushed down his excitement, and brought his focus back to the set.
Gal's filming continued.
Cassius watched intently. Now when he absorbed orbs, the process felt smoother.
Any orbs related to line rhythm, eye contact, posture—they all flowed straight into the overall [Acting Realm] progress bar.
The growth was slower, but he could feel himself improving as a complete performer.
The next two days had no scenes scheduled for Cassius.
Normally an actor would rest or stay at the hotel.
But given the special situation in Rio, security chief Harper and the production strongly recommended that all principal cast members stay within the heavily protected hotel or set areas unless absolutely necessary.
Cassius thought about it. Instead of staring at the ceiling in his hotel room, he might as well hang around the set, observe more, learn, and study his newly upgraded system.
The set was shooting some dialogue and interaction scenes with Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and Gal in a temporary hideout interior.
Cassius let Justin Lin know, then found an out-of-the-way corner, used the script as cover, and sank his mind into the new attribute panel.
The progress was only at 61%.
It had only gone up 1% over the past few days. Slow going.
He sat on set watching the others perform.
Attribute orbs still dropped constantly, but they all fed into the overall realm progress.
Cassius's main focus was on the newly unlocked [Skill Fusion Panel].
On the left side of the panel, several glowing skill icons with different colors caught his eye:
[Jackie Chan – Action Comedy Essence (Gold)]
[Hank – Wilderness Combat Foundation Composite (Purple)]
[Carlos – Street Driving Instinct Package (Gold)]
The skill orbs now had color grades too.
Different skill levels apparently had different rarities.
"Let's try this first!"
Cassius's mind moved. He dragged [Jackie Chan – Action Comedy Essence] and [Hank – Wilderness Combat Foundation Composite] into the fusion zone on the right.
The panel immediately popped up a prompt:
[Attempting Fusion: Gold Skill – Action Comedy Performance Essence with Purple Skill – Wilderness Combat Foundation Composite]
[Estimated Fusion Cost: Because it involves a Gold skill, base cost is $1,000,000. Purple skill adds $500,000. Total: $1,500,000]
[Success Rate: Based on current Acting Realm level, estimated success rate ~60%. Failure may cause skill downgrade, partial trait loss, or unknown effects.]
[Confirm payment and begin fusion?]
"Fuck!"
Cassius almost jumped out of his chair.
He quickly covered his mouth, checked that no one noticed, but his mind was reeling.
One point five million dollars?
And that was just the estimate.
Success rate only two-thirds!
Was this system running a black market scam or what?
Straight-up robbery!
He had the box office bonus from The Hunger Games plus the advance from Fast & Furious 5 in his account—a huge sum.
But dropping one and a half million at once was like the down payment on a nice house or several top-tier supercars.
Just to try fusing two performance skills?
It hurt.
Cassius stared at all those zeros and felt his heart twitch.
After the system upgraded, how did it suddenly pick up the stench of capitalism?
Money-grubbing bastard!
But the skill fusion function was tempting. It itched at him.
He had absorbed these skills before, but they always felt like they belonged to someone else. He could use them, but there was always a slight disconnect.
Jackie Chan's techniques made fights look good and memorable. Hank's made them real, lethal, and efficient.
If he could fuse them successfully, his future action scenes would become a major strength.
Plus Cassius had a feeling that successful fusion might give his body a huge boost. These combat techniques wouldn't just be for performance anymore—his real-world fighting ability should improve too.
In a chaotic place like Rio, boosting his own capabilities was also self-protection.
Life comes first!
Cassius gritted his teeth.
Fuck it!
Money is made to be spent, right?
Especially when it's spent on himself.
It was worth it.
If it failed—he'd treat it as a bad investment and make it back later.
Actors made money fast anyway!
After this movie wrapped he'd have plenty more coming in.
He made up his mind and mentally selected [Confirm Payment].
Instantly he felt a faint electric current pass through his body, but it also felt like nothing happened.
In his vision the fusion zone flared with bright light. The two skill icons began spinning, merging, colliding and throwing off tiny sparks—
The process lasted about ten seconds. Cassius was so nervous his palms were sweating.
The light faded.
Nothing.
The fusion slot was empty!
Cassius's heart sank.
Failed?
He quickly checked the two original skill orbs.
They were still sitting in his skill list, unchanged.
Even with 60% success rate he failed!
Guess today was unlucky.
After the first try, the second didn't hurt as much.
Cassius went straight for it again.
Familiar electric current. The fusion zone lit up brightly.
He clenched his fists.
This time when the light faded, a brand-new golden glowing skill icon appeared.
The shape was more complex than before, somehow combining a dragon's fluidity with the sharpness of a combat knife.
[Fusion Successful]
[Acquired Unique Skill: Cassius – Practical Action Performance Essence (Gold)]
[Skill Description: Perfectly fuses the rhythmic feel, surprise factor, and visual appeal of action-comedy with the efficiency, instinctive reactions, and real destructive power of wilderness combat. This skill not only dramatically improves the performance level and credibility of action scenes, but also deeply implants some real combat reactions and body control techniques into the user's instincts, allowing limited use in non-performance situations.]
[Note: Strength and effectiveness of instinctive application depends on the user's base physical condition and actual circumstances.]
It worked!
And the result far exceeded expectations!
Cassius felt a complex stream of information flood into his limbs and deep into his brain.
It wasn't knowledge he had to recall anymore—it had become pure body instinct.
He carefully examined his new personal skill.
It contained ways to make a takedown look realistically dangerous on camera while subtly adjusting angles so the audience could clearly see key details.
How to weave a character's unique rhythm into continuous strikes that was hard to notice.
More importantly, his body had memorized efficient power generation, vital point strikes, and emergency response methods.
They were now sunk deep into muscle memory.
Ready to be called upon at any time!
And when called, it happened almost without thinking, as natural as breathing.
The money was well spent!
Cassius felt the changes in his body. The pain of spending faded under the huge rush of excitement.
He stood up and moved around a bit, feeling like he had a much more precise understanding of his own body.
Cassius really wanted to test it on someone right now.
The opportunity came soon.
During an afternoon break.
His security captain Rafael finished his usual perimeter check and came back to the edge of the set to rest, stretching his wrists.
Rafael was a former Brazilian cop. His skills were real—honed on the streets and in the favelas, not showy techniques.
Cassius walked over and spoke in a relaxed tone: "Hey Rafael, got a minute? I've been working on some close-quarters moves for the character. Wanted to test the feel and reactions with someone experienced—just light sparring, find the rhythm. Cool?"
Rafael looked at Cassius, then at the director and leads resting nearby. Deciding it was within safe bounds, he nodded. "No problem, Mr. Cassius. We'll keep it light."
He was actually a little curious. This lead actor had been impressive during combat and driving training. He wondered what his real hand-to-hand level was like.