Huayu: This director is pretty strong.

Chapter 183 Dimensional Reduction Attack: The Bait of Digital Industry

The tachometer needle swung into the redline.

The Mercedes S600 rushed up behind the coal truck, leaving less than five meters behind.

The driver turned the steering wheel all the way to the right.

The front of the vehicle was pressed against the rear of the truck, forcing its way into the narrow gap between the guardrails on the right side of the mountain.

The sound of metal scraping against metal echoed through the valley, making one's ears ache.

The right side of the Mercedes scraped against the guardrail as it hurtled forward, sending sparks flying backward.

The left-side rearview mirror hit the tire of the coal truck and was instantly crushed.

The train was shaking violently, and a crack appeared on the bulletproof glass.

The driver gripped the steering wheel tightly, his hands taut. The Mercedes, relying on its body and power, squeezed through the gap of less than half a meter.

The rear of the car had just left the gap.

The dump truck that came up behind crashed into two coal trucks that were blocking the road.

A loud bang.

One of the coal trucks was overturned, and all the coal in the truck bed spilled out, scattering black ash everywhere.

The front of the dump truck was flattened, the cab was squeezed into a ball, and smoke began to billow out.

The Mercedes-Benz sped forward for another hundred meters or so before finally coming to a stop on the roadside buffer zone.

The right-side door is deformed and cannot be opened.

The left side of the car body is covered in scratches, some of which are quite deep.

The carriage smelled of burning rubber and gunpowder from the deployed airbags.

Chen Yan pushed aside the airbag pressing down on him and looked at Su Wan first.

Su Wan had a small scratch on her forehead, but nothing else was wrong.

The driver was slumped over the steering wheel, panting, his hands still trembling.

Chen Yan pushed open the deformed car door on the left and got out of the car.

He stood by the winding mountain road, looking at the pile of cars that had crashed together behind him, and the coal dust filling the air.

A mountain breeze blows, making the burnt smell even stronger.

This doesn't seem like an accident.

This kind of reckless, life-risking crash has a very clear objective.

Lu Haiming went inside, and East Asia Trust also bowed its head.

There's only one person left who can find such a desperate criminal and hates him to this extent.

Wang, the comprador.

Chen Yan did not call the police.

In Shanxi, if you report a crime according to normal procedures, the other party has plenty of time to cover up the evidence and then disappear without a trace.

He needs a more direct approach.

Chen Yan took out his phone and dialed the number he had just saved.

The phone rang three times before being answered.

"Who is it?"

Yan Haishan's voice came through.

"Chen Yan".

There was a pause on the other end of the phone.

"Director Chen, is there anything else you'd like to advise me on?"

"Mr. Yan, ten minutes ago, I was almost crushed into mincemeat by three heavy trucks on your turf."

Chen Yan's voice was devoid of emotion. "The location is at the 'King Yama's Nose' bend, less than ten kilometers from your manor."

Yan Haishan's voice turned cold: "You suspect I did it?"

"If you had done it, I wouldn't be calling you now."

Chen Yan looked at the truck driver in the distance, who was climbing out of the deformed cab. "I'm making this call to remind President Yan of something. You're seeking industrial transformation and pulling strings everywhere, trying to clean up Haishan Energy's reputation. If, at this critical juncture, an internationally renowned director who just won the Venice Golden Lion and is receiving official attention dies on your turf in a clear-cut murder..."

Chen Yan paused for a moment.

"Mr. Yan, what do you think the higher-ups will think? Will your political and business connections still answer your calls? Has your plan to clean up your name completely fallen apart?"

All that could be heard on the other end of the phone was heavy breathing.

Yan Haishan quickly understood what was going on.

If someone takes advantage of his territory to cause trouble, and someone actually dies, the blame will be placed directly on Haishan Energy.

"Who did it?"

Yan Haishan lowered his voice.

"Wang the comprador. Lu Haiming's former lackey."

Chen Yan stated his name directly, "He's probably still hiding somewhere on the outskirts of TY City, waiting for news. Mr. Yan, this is your territory. I'll give you half an hour."

"Return to the manor in half an hour."

Yan Haishan hung up the phone.

Chen Yan put away her phone.

Yan Haishan's vital point was hit.

A coal tycoon who could acquire 17 mining areas in the 1990s could find an outside fugitive faster than the police if he really used his local connections.

Twenty-five minutes later.

A new Land Rover Range Rover pulled up in front of Chen Yan.

This is the car that Yan Haishan sent to pick them up.

Chen Yan and Su Wan returned to the antique-style manor.

The door to the reception room opened again.

This time, Li Jianguo did not stand guard outside the door.

In the hall, Yan Haishan was still sitting behind the golden nanmu tea table.

Beside him stood a man with his hands tied behind his back.

His face was bruised and swollen, like a lump of mud.

Wang, the comprador.

When Wang, the comprador, saw Chen Yan enter, he shrank back slightly.

"They found it in an abandoned repair shop in the south of the city."

Yan Haishan, holding his teacup, spoke as casually as if it were a trivial matter, "He bribed three unlicensed taxi drivers with criminal records. The money has been recovered. Should I hand the man over to you, or should I handle it for you?"

"Give it to the police. Along with the transaction records."

Chen Yan sat down in the chair opposite Wang, the comprador, without looking at the man on the ground. "Lu Haiming's case is not closed yet. He has a lot of leads on him. Officer Liang Qinian will be happy to accept this great gift."

Yan Haishan waved his hand.

Two bodyguards stepped forward and dragged Wang, the comprador, out.

The hall fell silent.

Yan Haishan personally picked up the purple clay teapot and poured Chen Yan a cup of tea.

"Director Chen, your phone call was like pulling me back from the brink of disaster. I, Yan Haishan, acknowledge this favor."

Yan Haishan put down the teapot. "But one thing is one thing. Friendship is friendship, and business is business. I still can't invest in that 400 million yuan sci-fi film."

"I didn't come back this time to talk to you about movies."

Chen Yan picked up his teacup and blew away the floating leaves on the water. "I'm here to discuss a big deal with you. A deal that will allow you to completely shed the label of 'coal boss' and rightfully take a high-ranking local official position."

Yan Haishan stopped what he was doing.

He looked at Chen Yan without saying a word.

Chen Yan turned to look at Su Wan.

Su Wan placed the combination lock box on the table, entered the password, and unlocked it.

Instead of the film proposal, she took out a slim Sony laptop and a document stamped with an official English seal.

Chen Yan turned the laptop screen toward Yan Haishan and pressed play.

A video appeared on the screen.

That was sent by Richard Taylor, behind-the-scenes footage of special effects work within Weta Digital.

In front of a green screen, actors wearing motion capture suits are performing various movements.

The scene quickly switched to the computer screen. On the screen were code and models, rendering rows of machines running on the farm, and alien landscapes and large machinery gradually taking shape.

Yan Haishan frowned as he looked at the screen.

"What is this?"

he asks.

"Digital special effects industry"

Chen Yan pointed to the screen, "This is currently the world's most advanced film industry technology. Weta Digital in New Zealand just used this technology to complete the production of the Hollywood blockbuster 'The Lord of the Rings'."

Chen Yan pushed the document with the official English seal in front of Yan Haishan.

"This is the preliminary cooperation agreement between Weta Digital and us. We will invest 15 million US dollars. They will not only be responsible for the special effects production of 'The Wandering Earth,' but more importantly, they will send their core technology team to China to establish a full-process digital special effects industrial base."

Chen Yan crossed his arms and rested them on the table, looking at Yan Haishan.

"Mr. Yan, you've always wanted to change your image, but you've chosen the wrong direction. You think investing in a martial arts film by Director Zhang will whitewash your image? But in the eyes of the authorities, that's still just the stuff of actors. But what if you built Asia's first world-class digital effects industrial park in Taiyuan, or in Beijing?"

Yan Haishan's breathing slowed down slightly.

Chen Yan's voice was clear in the hall: "This isn't filming a movie, this is a high-tech industry! This is a physical heavy industry that fills a technological gap in China! Once this industrial park is established, it will attract film and television special effects orders from all over the country and even the whole of Asia. More importantly, it can bring you preferential policies from the local government, tax breaks, and national-level science and technology industry subsidies."

Chen Yan tapped the English letter of intent with his fingers.

"By then, Yan Haishan, you will no longer be a nouveau riche from coal mining, but a technology entrepreneur who introduces top international technologies. You will be a founder who promotes the industrialization of Chinese cinema. Local leaders will treat you as an honored guest, and your Haishan Energy will complete its most magnificent transformation."

Chen Yan closed his notebook.

With a snap.

"The Wandering Earth is just the first product of this industrial park, a project to showcase our technological prowess to the world. Mr. Yan, what I need is not a 400 million yuan film investment."

Chen Yan looked at Yan Haishan and said, "I want you to invest in this future digital industrial empire."

No one spoke in the hall.

Yan Haishan stared at the letter of intent on the table, his hand holding the agarwood bracelet frozen in mid-air.

He quickly went through this matter in his mind.

The entertainment industry has been transformed into a high-tech industry, and box office revenue sharing has become a policy and a subsidy.

Chen Yan's argument hit Yan Haishan right where it hurt the most.

Yan Haishan placed the bracelet on the table, leaned forward slightly, and stared at Chen Yan.

"Director Chen."

Yan Haishan's voice was a little hoarse, "How much of this industrial park do you want?"