As the new week began, the overseas promotional tour led by Gal Gadot concluded. Murphy personally drove to the private tarmac VIP lounge at Los Angeles International Airport, awaiting the arrival of the Gadot.
The plane had arrived in Los Angeles but was circling above the city, waiting for a landing slot due to the heavy air traffic.
Standing by the large floor-to-ceiling windows made of transparent glass, Murphy watched the runway as a small business jet landed and slowly taxied.
"How much longer?" he asked an airport staff member nearby. The staff contacted the control tower and replied, "No more than twenty minutes."
Murphy nodded lightly and returned to his seat, patiently waiting.
Perhaps out of boredom, his thoughts drifted back to the IMDb rating war between "The Dark City" and "The Shawshank Redemption." He couldn't help but shake his head at how fanatical both sides had become, much like the rivalry between "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" fans, each viewing the other as arch-enemies.
However, the situation between "The Dark City" and "The Shawshank Redemption" mirrored that of "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" in that the former significantly outmatched the latter. This morning, before leaving, Murphy had checked IMDb. "The Dark City" still firmly held the top spot on the TOP250 list, while "The Shawshank Redemption" had quietly slipped out of the top ten under the relentless attacks from numerous fans.
The rating war affected more than just "The Dark City" and "The Shawshank Redemption." After the latter's fans expanded their range of attacks, the top five films on the TOP250 list were all impacted. Fans attacked each other, turning IMDb into a mess and severely disrupting the site's normal operations.
If this continued, it would undoubtedly harm the site's reputation, making it impossible for IMDb to maintain any semblance of fairness.
On his way here, Bill Rossis had informed him that IMDb planned to suspend all user rating privileges for the top ten films on the TOP250 list today, hoping to calm the fervent fans and restore normal order to the site.
This seemed like the best solution.
"Mr. Stanton…" The same airport staff member approached and reminded him, "The Gadot is about to land."
Murphy ended his idle thoughts and stood up. "Let's head to the tarmac."
Unlike the regular terminal, the private tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport allowed customers to enter. Murphy had rented a dedicated tarmac for the Gadot, allowing him to drive directly onto it.
Standing by his car at the edge of the tarmac, Murphy didn't have to wait long before the Gadot taxied over and parked smoothly. Once the plane stopped, the cabin door opened, and a flight attendant came down first, followed by Gal Gadot.
Even before she got off the plane, Gal Gadot spotted Murphy. She quickened her pace and walked over, Murphy stepped forward and opened his arms to embrace the almost running Gadot.
They ignored everyone else present and kissed passionately.
After a long moment, they finally pulled apart. Murphy stepped back slightly and asked, "Was everything smooth?"
"Mm." Gal Gadot nodded with a smile, clearly in high spirits. "Both North American and overseas box office numbers are booming. We're now the third highest-grossing film of all time!"
Behind her, a flight attendant brought Gal Gadot's luggage. Murphy opened the SUV's trunk and loaded the luggage. Just as he was about to close it, Gal Gadot came over with another large bag.
"Let's take Margot along too," she said. Behind her, Margot Robbie was dragging a suitcase over. Murphy glanced at her and took the bag from Gadot. "Of course."
"Hurry up, Margot!" Murphy called out to her. "Why are you moving so slowly?"
"Coming," Margot Robbie said, but she didn't quicken her pace.
Gadot's expression was momentarily odd before she quickly turned back, grabbed Margot Robbie's suitcase, and brought it over to Murphy.
Murphy lifted the suitcase and put it in the trunk, then asked Gadot quietly, "What's wrong with Margot?"
"Nothing," Gadot smiled. "Maybe she's just tired from all the promotional events."
As Margot Robbie reached the car, Murphy called out, "Let's go."
He got into the driver's seat, Gadot took the passenger seat, and Margot Robbie finally climbed into the back.
Murphy started the car and drove off the tarmac. As they passed a construction area near the airport, the car jolted, and Margot Robbie suddenly let out a low cry.
"Ah!" She seemed to jump off her seat.
Murphy, puzzled, glanced at her through the rearview mirror and asked, "Margot, what's wrong?"
"Uh…" Margot Robbie scratched her head and asked, "My thigh feels uncomfortable. Do you have any softer cushions?"
As the car approached a turn, Murphy didn't respond immediately. Gal Gadot said, "There are down cushions in the middle storage box."
Margot Robbie opened the middle storage box of the back seat, took out a white cushion, and placed it on the seat, feeling much better.
"I heard on IMDb," Gal Gadot changed the topic, "The fans of 'The Dark City' and 'The Shawshank Redemption' are clashing fiercely?"
"Yeah," Murphy nodded. "It should end soon. IMDb is reportedly taking measures today."
"A bunch of overconfident idiots!" Margot Robbie leaned on the back of Gadot's seat. "A few days ago, I went to IMDb specifically to rate 'The Shawshank Redemption' a one."
Murphy, without turning his head, said, "You have too much free time."
Margot Robbie shrugged. "No good deed goes unpunished."
As the SUV approached the junction near the airport, Murphy asked, "Margot, where to?"
Margot Robbie had properties all over Los Angeles.
"Beverly Hills," she said decisively. "I'm planning to settle down there."
"Great," Murphy was pleased with this longtime Australian friend. "It'll be convenient for you and Gal to meet."
He knew Gal Gadot didn't have many friends in Los Angeles, and Margot Robbie was her only close friend.
Margot Robbie's eyes sparkled. "Then I'll often come over for meals. Your chef is really good."
Murphy laughed. "You're always welcome."
Focused on driving, he didn't notice Margot Robbie winking at Gal Gadot, who ignored her.
After dropping Margot Robbie at her Beverly Hills house, Murphy and Gadot quickly returned to the Wave Manor. They didn't engage in any of their more adventurous games, just indulged in tender reunion.
As the sun set, south of Beverly Hills, near the highway to Long Beach, a man wearing a red baseball cap walked out of a small, ordinary restaurant.
He reached into his pocket, feeling the thick wad of cash, and a smile appeared on his lips. This money was really easy to earn!
Leaving the restaurant, he took off his cap, smoothed his hair, and put it back on before walking to his car. He glanced enviously at the parking lot of a gun club ahead, where over twenty luxury cars, including supercars and SUVs worth tens of thousands of dollars, were parked.
The man in the red baseball cap couldn't help but swallow. Like many Americans, he loved cars but couldn't afford such luxury ones. The annual maintenance and insurance costs alone were daunting…
"I need to make more money," he thought. "Making more money will make life more comfortable."
As he was about to get in his car, he saw the gun club door open, and a girl with short blonde hair walked out and got into a luxury SUV. The distance was too great to see her face clearly, but seeing a young girl with such a nice car made him more envious. He continued to stand there, watching the car drive towards him.
"Church work pays well…" he mused. "As long as Murphy Stanton keeps clashing with the church, my income is secure. Maybe I'll drive a car like that next year."
As the SUV passed by, he thought the girl glanced at him.
The man with the red baseball cap opened his car door and got in.
Daisy, driving her SUV, glanced in the rearview mirror at the man with the red baseball cap getting into his car. She quickly hit the brakes, pulled over, and continued watching him through the mirror.
Though she had only glanced, she recognized him clearly. He was the one who had attacked Murphy at the Santa Monica shopping center, only to be beaten by her and later continued to attack Murphy and his films online!
After a long search, she hadn't found him, and now, by chance, she saw him here!
Having spotted him, Daisy wouldn't let him go. Once his car started moving, she turned around and followed at a safe distance.
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