The Wolf of Los Angeles-Chapter 445: The Insurance Arrears After the Fire

[Chapter 445: The Insurance Arrears After the Fire]

Inside the exhibition hall were two men. One, wearing glasses, looked like a seasoned scholar specializing in Egyptian culture. The other appeared to be a European traveler, asking questions about Egypt. Nearby, an assistant seemed to be standing watch.

"You haven't been exposed, right?" asked Honey Badger.

Gurg replied quietly, "I've abandoned all my bases in Sudan and Ethiopia. The last hired hand who knew my identity, I poisoned him after leaving Sudan to silence him."

"Good," Honey Badger reminded him. "Stay safe and remain in Egypt for a while. Someone else will handle the work in Sudan."

"Got it," Gurg prepared to leave.

Honey Badger lowered his voice. "Don't use the codename Gurg anymore. There's a bounty for clues about you on the darknet, and the huge reward makes a lot of people take big risks."

Gurg's expression turned serious. Repeatedly buying off people to reach his covert goals had made him realize just how dangerous money could be. In Africa, a land both rich and poor, hiring a group of assassins cost only a few hundred dollars, let alone tens of thousands. Even members of the Big Five good families wouldn't be spared.

For the average African, concepts like Eagle (US) or Giant Bear (Russia) were too distant to consider. They lived for the moment, much like how AIDS was not regarded as an urgent issue in Africa -- a disease that could take years, sometimes over a decade, to claim a life was seen as nothing.

Honey Badger said, "From now on, we'll be in single-line contact. For anything urgent, I'll have Amir get in touch with you."

Amir was the assistant on guard. The two have worked together for many years. Gurg nodded slightly. "Use the backup contact plan."

Honey Badger waved his hand dismissively. Gurg left without looking back.

...

Honey Badger continued his research until the museum was about to close, then headed out. Amir followed from behind.

When the staff saw the Cairo University scholar, they asked politely, "Professor, will you come again tomorrow?"

Honey Badger pointed to his still-open notebook. "I've recorded a lot today. Tomorrow, I'm going to investigate the pyramid area. I'll come by again next week."

The staff smiled politely.

Upon leaving the museum, the two got into a Volkswagen. Honey Badger's phone chimed with a text message -- a notification from the darknet announcing a $1 million bounty on Gurg.

He said to Amir, "Back to the university."

Amir drove back to Cairo University. As he passed the intersection, he glanced in the rearview mirror and spotted Gurg crossing the street, heading west.

...

Back at the university, Amir returned to his single dorm room, took out a laptop, and logged into a secret website. On the homepage was a blood-red bounty notice, amounting to $1 million. Beside the bounty was a photo and description: "Gurg, approx. 40 years old, Caucasian male, suspected Slavic descent..."

Gurg who came today didn't match that appearance, but Amir recognized the alternate face.

This man was worth $1 million.

Amir was tempted. Having served Honey Badger for years, Amir had only received a meager salary from Cairo University and a little startup money when he was first recruited. Honey Badger basically paid him through the university. Everything seemed perfect, and Amir even earned a bit of Honey Badger's trust over the years.

But faced with the million-dollar bounty, his loyalties wavered.

You can't expect a horse to run fast on someone else's grass forever.

When Amir went out for dinner, he deliberately detoured to a public phone on the other side of town and made a call.

...

Two days later, a group of fifteen people split into three teams quietly entered Egypt.

After more than a week, using the opportunity when Honey Badger contacted Gurg, Amir -- the guide -- led Bosque and his men to Gurg's residence.

Originally, Bosque wanted to capture him alive for interrogation. But Gurg was highly alert, and a gunfight broke out. Over a dozen MP5 and Scorpion submachine guns overwhelmed any pistol. Gurg was shot over forty times and killed on the spot.

Amir collected the bounty and left Cairo that night, also passing along intelligence about Honey Badger's status before he left.

Bosque knew Honey Badger was connected to a powerful European faction and was under surveillance, so he held back from making any moves.

---

Los Angeles, Hughes Aircraft Plant.

To shoot The Los Angeles Fires, the production rented half of the plant for set construction.

Set designers and prop masters recreated several neighborhoods devastated by last year's massive Los Angeles fire in a 1:1 scale. One of these was the community destroyed by arsonists.

It was an ensemble piece with no absolute protagonist. Tom Cruise and Eric Emerson invited some Hollywood stars who had lost homes in the fire to make cameos. Some had already agreed to appear as themselves.

One key reason was that their homeowner's insurance for unexpected events had not yet paid out. Some insurance companies did pay, while others cited clauses excluding claims for fires intentionally set by humans.

According to joint investigations by the fire department and LAPD, the fire was ignited by a few fired firefighters. Claiming these payouts required lengthy civil litigation.

Less scrupulous insurers quickly compiled client lists as the fire spread and found more victims, starting to transfer assets and declaring bankruptcy soon after the fire was out.

The wealthy and corporate executives they couldn't afford to cross naturally received payouts.

As for Hollywood stars? They were a group even ordinary investment managers or accountants would dare to defraud.

...

Hawke, accompanied by investors from an Abu Dhabi consortium, visited the Hughes Aircraft Plant to check on the shoot's progress. Tom Cruise mentioned the insurance issue.

"I had a house burned down in Malibu Hills," Tom Cruise was very good at dealing with people, and his words were particularly charming. "At first, the insurance company made all kinds of objections, but when I mentioned you, they quickly fell silent. They paid up within a week."

Of course, Hawke didn't believe this and laughed, "Tommy, you're Hollywood's face."

Eric Emerson chimed in jokingly, "Yesterday, I got a call from someone wanting to join our crew."

"Who?" Tom had a bad feeling.

"Nicole Kidman's new agent," Eric joked straight-faced, "Nicole's house in Sherman Oaks burned down in the fires..."

Tom punched Eric's arm, "So you don't want to come to the next party, right?"

Eric zipped his lips, grinning mischievously.

Hawke didn't ask about the party and said, "Turn her down."

Tom thought Hawke's decision was partly due to personal feelings and laughed.

Hawke's main concern was Nicole Kidman winning an Oscar and becoming a box office poison. Her roles in art-house films were okay, but her involvement in higher-budget commercial movies mostly ended badly.

The Los Angeles Fires project, although largely funded by Malaysian and Abu Dhabi investors, had potential for both commercial and awards success, which would help Hawke secure more funding.

The Abu Dhabi guests wanted photos with Tom Cruise, who headed to the sets.

...

Hawke asked directly, "When will the film be completed?"

Eric pointed to the outdoor set. "Setup is basically done; all actors are present. We start filming after the New Year holidays, expect to shoot for 45 days, then six months post-production. Barring major issues, a North American release is planned for October or November, followed by Oscar season competition."

Hawke nodded, "Perfect timing."

The film's schedule was carefully coordinated, also aligned with Brian's campaign events.

Eric smiled, "The budget's very generous -- $160 million plus California government tax rebates. Now I understand why Spielberg films so quickly -- with ample funds, a lot gets easier."

But Hawke's visit brought trouble: "Find a suitable supporting role, doesn't need much screen time, but plays a part in a big fire scene."

Eric nodded slightly. "This movie is an ensemble, there are many such roles."

"You know what a queer is?" Hawke used a more precise term, "A bisexual transvestite."

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Eric remembered that during the last Oscars, Hawke had successfully knocked out the gay-themed film Brokeback Mountain.

Hawke guessed what Eric wanted to say, "That was someone else's movie. This one's ours."

After all, this couldn't be BlackRock's fringe community initiative.

Eric thought for a moment, then said, "Easy. I'll tweak a character's scenes and make him a firefighter?"

Hawke nodded and added, "Make him the Stars and Stripes savior."

Such last-minute changes were common during filming, and Eric handled it naturally, instantly picturing the scene: "He has a beard, dressed in women's clothes, saves the Stars and Stripes, runs out of the fire. The wind blows, the flag ripples..."

He paused then continued, "The flag has burn holes and at the end glows with embers!"

*****

/Sayonara816.