kvmb Chapter 288 Mechanical Life
Chapter 288 Mechanical Life
In the distance, a huge windmill slowly turned in the weakening wind.
"Please follow me, everyone."
Led by director Saiweng, the group headed to the filming location.
Although the sun has lowered a bit, the outdoor temperature is still very high.
As soon as Bai Li stepped out of the lounge, she immediately felt a hot wind mixed with sand and dust, which still seemed to carry the residual heat of midday.
Ah Hu immediately took out the shawl he had just prepared, gently draped it over Bai Li's shoulders, and then took out a quick-cooling spray, spraying Bai Li from head to toe.
Mr. Li watched in surprise, and asked with some envy, "Mr. Bai, where do you hire your bodyguards?"
Typical bodyguards don't offer such thoughtful service.
Actually, he had been eyeing it for a long time, but he had never mentioned it because of his pride.
After all, he's a grown man; he doesn't need to be taken care of so meticulously.
Moreover, he wasn't a particularly important person, and he hadn't done anything too wrong in his life, so he didn't really need bodyguards.
But seeing Bai Li's bodyguard's 360° flawless and thoughtful service today, President Li really wants to hire one too.
Moreover, if he could hire a bodyguard like Bai Li, he could have another topic of conversation with Bai Li.
There's good fortune in following Boss Bai, so he'd better stick close.
Mr. Li's wishful thinking was going very smoothly.
Sometimes, however, the idea is beautiful, but the reality is harsh.
“Ah Hu and the others are all from my own family, not hired by outside organizations.”
Bai Li's nonchalant reply shattered Mr. Li's hopes into several pieces.
"From your own family?" Mr. Li couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
This answer was truly beyond his comprehension.
In his understanding, hiring a bodyguard is simply a matter of finding a specialized bodyguard training institution or getting a recommendation from a third-party intermediary.
What does a professional private bodyguard team like Mr. Bai's mean?
How much will that cost?
Mr. Li muttered to himself, his appreciation for Bai Li's "luxury" rising to a new level.
He almost forgot that Bai Li was not simply the president of an entertainment company.
She is a top-tier individual with a large cash flow, enough to buy the "Little Crown" outright.
Although he is also the president of a large entertainment company with a net worth of over 100 million.
But it's important to understand that assets are assets, and cash is cash.
Having assets worth over 100 million and having cash flow worth over 100 million are two completely different concepts.
Like him, although he owns corporate land, fixed assets, listed shares and other assets, if these assets were valued, they would be worth a lot, and if they were resold, they could reach hundreds of millions.
But if you asked him to come up with 100 million yuan right away, he simply couldn't.
These assets are unlikely to be sold off in the short term.
Therefore, most of his money is not in his account.
But Bai Li can, and she can produce billions of dollars in cash without making a sound or feeling any pressure.
What kind of terrifying background does she have?
It has probably far exceeded his expectations.
Perhaps only such a company is qualified to cultivate its own bodyguard team.
The more I understand Bai Li, the more I realize the gap between myself and her.
Mr. Li sighed repeatedly.
Bai Li had no idea what President Li was imagining, but she felt that his gaze had become more "admiring" than before.
Bai Li could only pretend she hadn't seen it.
Anyway, there's no harm in it...
In fact, besides the bodyguard team, Bai Li also has a housekeeping team, a horse farm maintenance team, a flight attendant team, and more, totaling over a thousand people.
In other words, Mr. Li didn't know. If he did, he would probably be even more shocked.
While Mr. Li was still marveling at the situation, the other investors also curiously gathered around, asking about the expenses required for Bai Li to train a bodyguard team.
They were all very wealthy and powerful people, so naturally they were very interested in this kind of service that they could use to show off.
But upon hearing about the stringent conditions at Bai Li's place, they all withdrew their plans.
The expenses are too high!
The required costs far exceed those of conventional hiring models.
First, the selection criteria are extremely high.
If selected from individuals with professional backgrounds such as retired special forces soldiers or martial arts champions, the annual salary for a single person would be between 50 and 100 million yuan.
Bodyguard teams like Bai Li's, which offer "360-degree service" and "24-hour shifts," will only be more expensive.
A team of ten people can easily spend over 1000 million a year.
What's even more terrifying is that 1000 million is just the minimum.
Such a bodyguard team also requires investment in professional equipment and resources. The annual expenses could be enough to buy a commercial apartment in the city center.
After hearing this, the group all gave up the idea. They looked at each other, their smiles somewhat awkward.
How should I put it? It's like I suddenly realized I don't really need bodyguards anymore...
Seeing everyone gradually fall silent, Bai Li smiled slightly.
Ah Hu and the other NPC team members are all advanced intelligent entities given by the Wheel of Myriad Manifestations. They can not only automatically integrate into the world, but also be indistinguishable from real people.
This means they have basic survival needs; the only difference might be that they don't need to be paid by Bai Li.
Although Bai Li knew that they only looked like humanoid beings, she still regarded them as "people" with independent personalities.
Even in her subconscious, Ah Hu, Ah He, and others had long become "family".
It's one thing that they don't need any compensation, but Bai Li wants to give it.
Bai Li will pay them their due wages based on the normal market price.
The NPC team really helped me a lot; without them, I wouldn't have been able to get anywhere.
In this respect, white pears should not be stingy, nor is it necessary to be stingy.
The expenses are high, but it's really nothing for Shirai.
Especially after Xiao Hao upgraded, he could get 100 million yuan back every day.
The rewards paid to the NPCs were like a tickle to her, utterly insignificant.
On the contrary, it made her feel better.
That's why Bai Li spoke so confidently when faced with questions from several CEOs.
She really treats these NPCs well.
During the conversation, Director Saiweng suddenly pointed ahead: "Gentlemen, the film set is just ahead."
On a relatively flat sandy area, several "ruins" appeared.
Calling it "ruins" isn't quite right, but Bai Li didn't know what word to use to describe it, because it really didn't look like a building that would normally appear on Earth.
Large swaths of translucent gelatinous substance grow wildly on the massive reinforced concrete structure.
These gelatinous substances gleam with a unique, cold, eerie green light, resembling the color of some kind of metal or the shell of some insect. Under the sunlight, they refract a mesmerizing array of colors.
These reinforced concrete structures formed chaotic and twisted shapes, some sharp as spears, others round as eggs, making the whole scene look very eerie.
If it weren't for the numerous cameras around, Bai Li would have had the illusion that she had arrived on an alien planet.
Several investors were stunned by the scene before them and stopped in their tracks.
Director Saiweng explained, "This is a corner of the city after the initial crystallization of the 'symbiote'."
He then pointed to the buildings covered in crystals and continued, "We used a lot of silicone, resin materials, and embedded optical fibers to achieve this sci-fi effect."
Bai Li recalled the basic premise of "The Craftsman".
The story of "The Craftsman" is set on Earth in the near future.
At that time, the Earth was in dire straits due to climate disasters and resource depletion, facing ecological collapse.
The protagonist, Lin Qiu, is a scientist in the field of bioengineering. She launches a cross-species gene fusion project called "Tiangong".
In other words, by extracting the survival codes of native life forms on Earth, such as the extreme tolerance genes of deep-sea hydrothermal vent organisms and the water-locking mechanisms of desert plants, we are attempting to reconstruct degraded ecosystems.
As a result, an unexpected development occurred: the "symbiote," a semi-mechanical life form capable of autonomous evolution.
Therefore, the scene before us is what is known as a "symbiotic organism".
Bai Li's eyes lit up.
The props team put in a lot of effort and actually recreated the biomechanical structures described in the text.
A city crystallized by symbiotes, the cold metallic gleam flowing from mechanical bodies, flesh and blood growing on the wasteland...
The power of real images is unmatched by words.
The massive architectural complex before them seemed to transport everyone into the world of "Tian Gong".
Director Saiweng's tone carried a hint of pride: "This is only a half-finished product. The post-production special effects team will use CG to give these crystals a sense of life-like flow and simulate internal energy fluctuations. The final film will only be more stunning."
Several investors couldn't resist going closer to take a look.
In the middle of the venue, several prop masters are repairing the scene.
Because of sandstorms and hurricanes, these props suffer a lot of wear and tear, so they need to check them before each use and repair any damage.
Upon seeing Director Saiweng, the group stopped what they were doing and greeted him, saying, "Hello, Director."
Seeing the people following behind Director Saiweng, all of whom exuded an imposing aura, they asked with some curiosity, "Director, is there something you need?"
Director Sai waved his hand: "It's nothing, I'm just taking a look. You guys are busy."
The group then continued with their work, only glancing curiously at the group from time to time, trying to guess their identities.
Bai Li only realized the meticulous details of the props after taking a closer look.
The surface of the crystal is not smooth, but designed to have holes that appear to be formed by natural erosion. Through these holes, one can even see the faint texture inside, like that of a circuit board.
In order to reflect the elements of the "old-era" city, some steel bars are also mixed with distressed "small commodity posters".
The dedication is not only reflected in the overall design, but also in such small details.
Bai Li could already foresee that after the movie was released, there would definitely be "detail-obsessed" people who would watch it frame by frame.
Hopefully, these little details will bring them some surprises.
"It's...it's amazing." President Li repeated the word "amazing" several times. He originally wanted to use a more advanced adjective, but in the end he could only manage to say "amazing".
He had intended to reach out and touch a crystal prop that emitted a ghostly green glow, but fearing he might break it, he ultimately withdrew his hand: "This is all completely beyond the realm of imagination."
Another investor pointed to a huge, hatchery-like building not far away and asked, "What's that?"
“That’s the core laboratory of the ‘Skycraft’ project—the Nest of Creation, which will also be the filming location for a while.” Director Sai’s eyes gleamed. “In the end, in the movie, it will be a colossal object floating in an underground cavity. What you can see now is just its entrance and part of its internal passages.”
At this point, Director Sai smiled mysteriously: "Let me add something else: this nest is alive, as you can see."
Director Saiweng pointed to the thick pipes on the surface of the nests. These pipes meandered and were covered with a biomimetic outer skin, looking like the bulging veins of a human.
"Later on, these channels will pulsate like blood vessels, carrying energy and gene solutions."
After listening to Director Saiweng's introduction, the investor who had just asked the question looked at the circular building again and found it hard to look at. The bulging pipes on it were made so realistically that they really looked like some kind of blood vessel.
This extraordinary thing caused him to experience an uncanny valley effect, making him feel uncomfortable all over.
"Ew—" He finally couldn't help but shrink his neck and shiver in the high temperature.
Looking at the circular building in front of her, Bai Li couldn't help but feel a chill, but she understood that this surreal feeling was the unique charm of "Tian Gong".
In fact, the original novel of "Tiangong" is not long. Teacher Huang Wen only spent a small amount of ink describing these mechanical creatures with life.
Therefore, Director Sai Weng consulted the original author, Mr. Huang Wen, repeatedly in order to fill in the details that were not fully described in the text. Then, he brought them back to the film crew and presented them meticulously.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of the props team, the film set now resembles a giant sandbox filled with the atmosphere of a futuristic wasteland and biotechnology.
The prop masters, dressed in overalls and wearing protective masks, looked as if they were already working there. Although they were making final adjustments to the props, they looked like they were repairing these mechanical living things.
The air was filled with a unique industrial smell, a mixture of resin, paint, and dust.
Being there gives you a profound sense of time travel.
Bai Li took out her phone, found the right angle, and took a few photos.
Other investors naturally shared the same feelings as Bai Li.
However, while they were amazed, a completely new idea had already arisen in their minds.
Some people looked at these colorful buildings, their eyes shining brighter and brighter, as if they were looking at some kind of luminous gold.
Finally, someone couldn't help but suggest, "President Bai, it would be such a waste to dismantle this set after filming is finished. We could definitely make use of it."
His words immediately resonated with others: "Yes, if we renovate this place and do some marketing, it will be easy to develop tourism. After the movie is released, it can also drive a surge in traffic."
Bai Li silently thought to herself: These "old guys" have a really high level of business acumen, after all, they've honed it for half their lives.
In fact, what they could think of, Bai Li, who possesses [business acumen], had already thought of long ago.
Bai Li smiled and said, "I already have plans in that regard."
"Then I'll participate too!" President Li quickly raised his hand in support. "I must lend a hand to President Bai here."
Although he knew that President Bai had no shortage of funds or people to develop the business, he still wanted to participate because he believed that there would be benefits to be had by following Bai Li!
The other investors who had been beaten to it rolled their eyes inwardly, cursing this guy surnamed Li for really knowing how to seize an opportunity. While cursing, they also hurriedly expressed their support.
Bai Li found it amusing. These investors were now investing in her projects without any hesitation. They trusted her too much!
The tourism industry is something these investors have never done before, nor is it their area of expertise, yet they are all so enthusiastic.
"Don't worry, everyone here is a shareholder of 'Tiangong,' we're all in the same boat." After saying that, Bai Li gave a polite smile.