"Cut!"
The director's voice boomed through the pier's megaphone, shattering the night.
Within moments, Qi Li saw the crew—lighting, camera, makeup, wardrobe, props, and sound—swarming in from every direction.
Paying little mind to the corpses on the ground, they set to work with practiced efficiency, touching up his makeup, restyling his hair, and briskly dressing the set for a new scene.
"Hey, Bronze, we've still got a few pick-up shots to grab..."
The director hurried over, script in hand, rattling off the upcoming shots at breakneck speed.
Reality rarely made for great cinema on its own.
Qi Li's operation tonight was destined for an anti-terrorism propaganda piece broadcast across Vought's media network, which meant it had to look flawless.
The terrorists from Shining Light certainly hadn't stuck to a script.
Naturally, now that the real raid was over, it was the production crew's turn to step in and shoot the necessary angles and dramatic one-liners.
Qi Li noticed several Southeast Asian extras hired by Vought taking their marks under the continuity supervisor's direction.
Dressed as terrorists, they looked quite convincing.
As for the actual surviving members of Shining Light, everything had gone smoothly. Vought Security had already hauled them away for overnight interrogation by Vought investigators drawn from the FBI, CIA, DHS, and DEA.
The goal was simple: to give Qi Li's promo a much more satisfying climax.
"...Got all that, Bronze?" the director finished.
Letting a stylist squeeze a generous dollop of pomade into his hair, Qi Li nodded. "Of course."
"Great! Five minutes to places!" The director flashed a satisfied smile, turning away to hustle the rest of the crew.
His manager, Monica, who had come in person and stayed up through the night with him, gingerly stepped over a body that was still faintly warm. Keeping her eyes straight ahead to avoid looking at the carnage, she hurried to Qi Li's side and muttered under her breath, "They sure are 'professional,' aren't they?"
She was discovering firsthand that a Hollywood film crew and a Vought crew were entirely different beasts.
In Hollywood, no one ever heard of shooting a scene over a pile of actual corpses.
Qi Li smiled. "You didn't have to come."
Monica gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "As your manager, I need to justify my existence somehow, don't I?"
There was no helping it—stars landed gigs far better than their managers did.
Of course, Monica didn't just come to make an appearance. Handling coordination with the production team, addressing post-production notes, and overseeing editing were all on her plate, sparing Qi Li from getting bogged down in mundane details.
She also handled his personal affairs.
For instance, she had arranged for Anya Taylor-Joy, who missed Qi Li terribly, to shake off the paparazzi and slip discreetly into a hotel, and...
Once the coast was clear, Monica lowered her voice. "When did you get involved with a German actress named Lily Krug?"
The image of a youthful, studious blonde flashed through Qi Li's mind. He shrugged. "Oh, you know. Back at the 22nd Manhattan Short Film Festival. I attended the opening ceremony as a guest. It was a hot, wonderful day..."
"Okay!" Monica cut him off, speaking quickly. "Unfortunately, she arrived at the exact same time. I put her and Anya in the same hotel. You can budget your own schedule."
Did that even require budgeting?
First half of the night for one, second half for the other.
Time and stamina were in abundant supply.
While Qi Li didn't suffer from combat-induced arousal, it was much like a post-meal cigarette. Since he never smoked, a post-battle night of recreation served as a rather pleasant way to unwind.
"By the way!" Monica reminded him. "Pull your punches later. Those guys aren't real terrorists."
She had heard more than once from colleagues about superheroes failing to hold back during filming and accidentally killing actors.
"Don't worry," Qi Li said with a nod.
Nothing went awry, and the rest of the shoot proceeded without a hitch.
Once everything wrapped up, Qi Li took two room keycards from Monica, said his goodbyes, and vanished into the sky with a sharp sonic boom.
Soon after...
Wearing the same yellow dress from the day they first met, Lily Krug looked at Qi Li with wide-eyed reverence. "Teacher, I need your careful guidance!"
Qi Li recalled that his old pal Steelclaw Man had still been alive back then.
As a USC student majoring in psychology and acting, the newly arrived Lily had kept him company for a while, and he had taught her plenty about local customs—hence the title "teacher."
Now she had arrived on the unfamiliar East Coast, and it was only right for him to fulfill his duty as her instructor once again.
***
In the second half of the night.
Qi Li assumed Anya would already be asleep.
Instead, when the lights came on, she was lounging on the sofa with her legs crossed, sporting wavy blonde bobbed hair and wrapped in a loose bathrobe.
Flick!
A flame flared, lighting a slim cigarette.
With a gentle exhale, Anya blew a hazy ribbon of smoke that drifted lazily across Qi Li's face...
***
The following morning.
Qi Li woke up feeling completely refreshed. As usual, he coolly deflected Anya's morning advances.
While washing up, Vought sent over the latest update on Shining Light.
One had to admit: except for their superheroes, Vought's other departments were remarkably proficient.
In just one night—or rather, within an hour or two—Vought's criminal investigators had cracked the surviving Shining Light members and extracted the identity of their top operative in New York.
That was Qi Li's target to wrap things up today.
Shortly after, a Vought liaison called to brief him. "We've secured law enforcement clearance from the local police in Homecrest. A DSNG truck will be tailing you. This will be a live broadcast of an active raid, and a cameraman will be embedded right beside you in real time. Bronze, there are a few key guidelines you must keep in mind..."
After listening patiently, Qi Li frowned slightly. "A cameraman glued to my side the entire time? Bullets don't have eyes. I can't guarantee his safety."
"Don't worry," the liaison replied. "Joseph is an experienced former war correspondent..."
Fair enough.
He had already stated his disclaimer. If anything went wrong, no one could pin the blame on him.
Qi Li agreed.
With the schedule set, he prepared to put on his battle suit.
However, he discovered that both women had been a little too enamored with the suit the previous night. While the suit wasn't damaged in the slightest, they had left behind quite a few commemorative marks.
Qi Li had no choice but to give it a quick wash first.
Fortunately, the suit was made of special fabric—exceptionally breathable and quick to dry—so it cost him no time.
After saying goodbye to both women, Qi Li headed up to the hotel rooftop. With a thunderous boom, he turned into a black streak and shot across the sky.
Chapter 57