Tom Clancy

The next day, the Hollywood sun shone brightly as usual.

Tom: Kalinske's mouth hasn't closed since he got on the bus.

He was full of energy at that moment, as if he had inexhaustible strength.

"Takuya, my friend, I was laughing in my sleep last night!" Kalinske waved his arms exaggeratedly, almost hitting the driver in front of him. "Spielberg! Michael Clayton! Dinosaur! My God, I'm already looking forward to it!"

Takuya, who was watching the palm trees rushing past the window, simply smiled and said, "Tom, we haven't gotten the copyright yet, it's too early to be happy."

"No, no, with Spielberg's connections, it's almost a done deal!" Kalinske leaned closer, lowering his voice, but his expression was like that of a child who had stolen candy. "You know what? I got three phone calls this morning, all from friends in the industry subtly inquiring about it."

They asked us if Sega had some big plans in Hollywood. The news has already started spreading!

He looked at Takuya, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration. "They'd never guess, our real trump card is Crichton's unpublished novel. Takuya, how did you know? Does Japan have divination?"

"Trade secret." Takuya uttered those four words, successfully shutting down Kalinske's remaining words.

Bernard, standing nearby, spoke up at the opportune moment, breaking the tension in the car. "Gentlemen, we've arrived at the Hollywood Walk of Fame."

Since there were no business meetings scheduled for today, the three decided to experience the joys of being tourists.

Bernard was a competent guide, leading the two through the star-shaped medals engraved with names and telling them interesting stories behind each name.

On the third day, the group bid farewell to their leisurely tourist days and drove to Paramount Pictures in the afternoon.

The enormous blue sky and cloud backdrop, along with the renowned Paramount Arch, excited Tom Kalinske once again.

"Look here, Takuya! This is the heart of Hollywood!" He opened his arms as if to embrace the entire studio. "Our Sonic will one day burst through this door and charge into the world!"

Takuya glanced at the staff members who were rushing around, their faces showing either joy or worry, and gave a faint reply.

Bernard had already made the arrangements and led the two through several somewhat old office buildings.

"They had an internal screening of ' The Hunt for Red October ' today, it just ended," Bernard whispered. "The producer we met with, Mr. Mace Newfield, is currently handling follow-up distribution meetings."

Tom's eyes lit up. "<The Hunt for Red October>? Tom Clancy's novel! I've read it, it's fantastic!"

As they spoke, an assistant led them to a small meeting room.

Not long after, a man who looked to be in his fifties, with slightly curly hair and a somewhat tired look in his eyes, pushed open the door and entered.

Tom Kalinske?

Tom stood up enthusiastically, extending his large hand. "Mr. Newfield, it's an honor to meet you! I'm Tom Kalinske from Sega, and this is our executive director, Nakayama Takuya."

Mace Newfield's gaze swept over the two men, finally settling on Takuya, seemingly somewhat surprised by this overly young "executive director."

He simply nodded politely and sat down, saying, "I'm sorry, I've been quite busy today. I've kept you both waiting."

"Not at all! We should be the ones apologizing for taking up your precious time." Tom sat down, leaning slightly forward. "I heard you just finished a screening of <The Hunt for Red October>? Congratulations! It's absolutely a masterpiece!"

"Oh?" Mace raised an eyebrow and smiled politely. "Tom has read the novel too?"

"Of course! But I'm not talking about the novel," Tom immediately chimed in, then realized his mistake and quickly added, "The novel is great too! I mean, the movie is definitely even better!"

This somewhat clumsy compliment deepened Mace's smile, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

He had seen too many partners trying to cash in on Paramount's film library, and their excuses were all pretty much the same.

Mays' smile was polite but distant; clearly, he had heard this kind of opening line far too many times.

Tom Kalinske wanted to say something more, but found himself at a loss for words, and could only grin awkwardly.

The air in the reception room seemed to freeze for a moment.

Just then, Nakayama Takuya, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, "Mr. Newfield, Mr. Clancy devoted a great deal of space in the original work to describing the acoustic characteristics of the 'tracked' propulsion system, as well as the unique cracking sound emitted by the titanium alloy hull of the Soviet Union Alpha-class Nuclear Submarine during deep dives. These details are the true soul of <Red October>."

His words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.

Mace Newfield's polite smile vanished instantly, replaced by a scrutinizing surprise. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp as he fixed on the unusually young Japan: "You're quite knowledgeable about submarines?"

"It's not really research," Takuya replied calmly, "I'm just fascinated by the realistic and tense world that Mr. Clancy created. As a visual art, film sometimes struggles to fully capture the imaginative space created by words, such as the oppressive silence inside a submarine, and the tension of a sonar operator being able to distinguish friend from foe in the deep sea with only a faint background noise in his headphones. I'm curious how film handles this."

Upon hearing these words, Tom Kalinske secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and his gaze toward Takuya deepened with even more admiration.

He almost killed the conversation, but Takuya managed to capture the entire attention of a seasoned producer with just a few words.

Mays' expression completely changed; his fatigue vanished, replaced by a hint of excitement at meeting a worthy opponent.

"We hired naval experts as consultants, and the sound team spent three weeks recording in a real submarine," he said, his speech quickening as he discussed his work. "To achieve the 'silence' you mentioned, we even removed some background noise that the audience is used to during the mixing process, just to create that claustrophobic feeling. It seems you're a true book lover."

"We at Sega hope to become Mr. Clancy's most loyal 'game fans'," Takuya chimed in, revealing his true intentions.

"A game?" Mace was taken aback.

"Yes," Takuya's gaze was steady and firm, "Mr. Clancy's work possesses an extremely rigorous and grand worldview, which is exactly what video games need most now and in the future. We don't just want to be an accessory to a movie, but hope to have the opportunity to communicate with Mr. Clancy in person and explore the possibility of systematically constructing his military world into a completely new form of interactive entertainment."

Mr. Newfield, would it be convenient for you to introduce us?

The meeting room fell silent again.

Mace Newfield leaned back on the sofa, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the armrest, his gaze shifting back and forth between Takuya and the silent Bernard.

He was assessing the risks and value of this referral.

Finally, his self-illumination landed on Bernard.

Bernard didn't say anything, but gave him a reassuring look.

"Ha," Mays suddenly laughed, shaking his head, "Young people these days, they're all so daring."

He picked up the phone on the table, dialed a number, and said briefly into the receiver, "It's me. Connect me to Tom Clancy's agent and tell him Mace Newfield needs to speak with me."

After hanging up the phone, he looked at Takuya and Tom, who was practically jumping for joy, and said slowly, "Don't get too excited. Tom Clancy is a stubborn Maryland. He doesn't give us filmmakers a friendly look, let alone you 'electronic toy' makers."

He paused, then a meaningful smile spread across his lips.

"For Bernard's sake, I can help you make the appointment. But whether you can persuade him is up to you."