Inside a filming studio at BBC headquarters in London, England, Bruce accepted a cup of hot coffee from his assistant and smiled at him.
A blonde female producer came over, shook Bruce's hand, and said, "Thank you so much, Mr. Wayne. If it weren't for you, this variety show project probably wouldn't have reached the public for another five or six years."
"No need. I had similar ideas myself, which was why I set up the Black Diamond puzzle years ago. Being able to work with the BBC, see outstanding talents from around the world, and compete for the title of millionaire is a wish fulfilled."
The female producer smiled, gripped Bruce's hand firmly, and said, "It's an honor to work with you... Oh, the script is ready. Let's begin."
Bruce nodded, made one final adjustment to his suit, then, under the director's guidance, looked into the camera and flashed a perfect smile.
"Hey, viewers. I'm Bruce Wayne.
"Yes, that 'rich bastard' you're always talking about. I know nobody wants to see me on such a beautiful morning—but what if I add a million dollars behind me?"
"Good news, folks. I've always wanted to watch you poor bastards slaughter each other for money, so a few years ago, I cut a precious black gemstone into a thousand pieces and buried them all over the world. In this program, you'll see experts from every field pull out every trick in the book to compete for this million dollars."
"The conditions for victory are simple. Find the fragments and bring them to me. Whoever brings back the most wins, but there's one condition: all one thousand fragments must be recovered. Not a single one can be missing."
Bruce stood and walked toward the camera, lowering his voice.
"According to the rumors I