Directing on Arknights, Success if Not Banned

However, the joint construction of this building did not, as hoped, reduce the family disputes in the city. Instead, everyone wanted this magnificently decorated city hall for themselves. Now, it has become the filming location for Chen Qi's next set of scenes, finally being put to meaningful use for the first time.

As for why Chen Qi and his group arrived in the afternoon... it was because in the morning, Chen Qi and the others were still filming another scene at the manor. In the movie, the Godfather's most proud godson, "Johnny," traveled thousands of miles to attend this wedding and seek help from the Godfather.

It turned out that due to his dissolute lifestyle, Johnny, a famous singer, had a fragile voice. He wanted to transition from singing to acting and had found a script that could be considered tailor-made for him, hoping to make a comeback with it.

However, the film company's boss, due to personal vendetta, did not grant Johnny his wish. He sought help from the Godfather but was reprimanded instead.

"You need to act like a man!"

Madam Sicily, playing the Godfather, showed anger for the first time, even slapping Johnny. This startled Johnny and Texas, who were watching the scene.

This slap was not in the script; it was Madam Sicily's improvisation. But this slap made Texas, Chastisement, and Si Ye feel the "father's" regard for his godson.

It was a slap born of tough love, a manifestation of frustration that he wasn't living up to his potential.

"What's wrong with you?"

"How did you become a sissy like Columbia, crying like a woman?" Madam Sicily grabbed the bewildered Johnny and turned him around. Her movements were somewhat rough but exuded a sense of intimacy.

"Heh—hehe, what should I do? What should I do?"

"—What a joke, ridiculous." Madam Sicily's imitation instantly dispelled the heavy atmosphere, and Texas on the other side couldn't help but smile.

Unconsciously, she felt that Madam Sicily's image before her seemed to become more three-dimensional. She gradually felt that Madam Sicily, disguised in men's clothing, was a real "person," not the aloof and inscrutable Madam Sicily.

Within the camera's view, the plot continued. Si Ye, who had just entered the scene in the story, was glanced at by Madam Sicily, who suddenly asked an unrelated question:

"Do you make time for your family?"

"Of course, I do," Johnny replied without hesitation. At this moment, Madam Sicily's expression finally softened, and she said something that made the hearts of the three tremble slightly.

"Very good. A man who doesn't make time for his family is not a true man."

With that statement, Madam Sicily's image in the eyes of her three "children" became more three-dimensional once again... Their relationship was slowly being built, just as Chen Qi had predicted, through their daily words and actions.

Returning to the current plot, Chastisement, playing Tom, found the film company boss and tried to persuade him to let Johnny star in the film, but was insulted and expelled. Even so, Chastisement did not react immediately, waiting for the other party to understand his identity.

As expected, on the second day of the plot, the film company boss, having learned that Chastisement worked for the Godfather, invited him to his home, which was the city hall where Chen Qi and the others were currently filming.

"It was originally decorated for the imperial palace." Rubio, playing the film company boss who refused to let Johnny star, was showing Chastisement around this magnificent "palace." He also showed Chastisement his personal hobby—racing sand-beasts.

"Come and see something truly beautiful."

"I believe your taste should be excellent?"

Rubio perfectly portrayed the vanity of the film company boss. At this moment, in the sand-beast stable, an assistant led out a tall and majestic racing sand-beast. Its fur shimmered even in the slightly dim environment, showcasing its excellent bloodline.

"This racing sand-beast is worth six hundred thousand—I dare say the Ursus Emperor never spent that much money on a racing sand-beast."

"Datong," Rubio called out the racing sand-beast's name with infatuation. At this moment, his character's image was vividly portrayed in just a few shots.

"Vain, proud, and a blatant hypocrite." Backstage, Texas, who had no scenes, immediately saw through the personality traits of the character Rubio was playing.

"Is this what big bosses in the film industry are like?" Si Ye couldn't help but shake his head and said lightly, "I finally understand why some people forget themselves after becoming famous."

"No, besides showing off, he's also sending a signal to Tom (Chastisement)."

Madam Sicily, the most experienced among them, saw through the other party's true intentions and said lightly, "He is flaunting his wealth, so by expressing his riches, it shows that he cannot be bought by Tom with money."

"Clearly, Tom's matter this time cannot end peacefully... Am I right, Director Chen Qi?"

"Absolutely correct, as expected of Madam Sicily." Chen Qi, who was intently observing the camera feedback, couldn't help but nod in admiration.

"...Would he really do that? Knowing that Tom works for the Godfather, he dares to refuse a second time?"

Si Ye found it somewhat unbelievable. Although Texas didn't speak, her attitude was clearly the same. Both of them only had their own scenes and were unaware of this part of the plot, so they could only guess based on their feelings.

However, soon, as filming continued, the plot unfolded exactly as Madam Sicily had said. The character played by Rubio flew into a rage, explaining to Chastisement why he was targeting Johnny.

"Johnny Fontane ruined the company's most valuable actress! We spent five years grooming her, teaching her to sing, act, and dance. I invested countless money in her! I planned to make her a big star!"

"She's young, beautiful, and innocent! I have women all over the world, and she was the best among them!"

"Then he appeared, with his magnetic voice, used his charm, and lured her away—this embarrassed me greatly!"

"Someone of my status cannot be insulted like this!"

"Now, get out of here immediately!"

After the scene ended, Chastisement was berated by Rubio but showed no signs of reacting, simply leaving silently. Chastisement's reaction made Si Ye and Texas understand—this person was doomed.

"Too foolish... to antagonize someone as influential as the Godfather over a woman." Si Ye shook his head. Texas, however, did not think so and said lightly, "But if they kill him, Johnny's matter won't be resolved, so they should find a way to threaten him... I just don't know what method would be best."

"Very good, you're improving." Madam Sicily smiled and praised Texas's words, agreeing with her guess.

"So, this set of shots is finished. Tomorrow is the end of the revenge shoot?"

"That's right. Everyone might have to get up early tomorrow; filming might start in the morning."

At this moment, Chen Qi, after confirming through the walkie-talkie that this set of shots was approved, turned to them with a smile and said, "We will notify everyone an hour in advance before filming tomorrow. Get some good rest tonight."

"Ah, right, Jun Jun, go tell Mr. Rubio that he acted very well and can wrap up tomorrow. Thank him for his performance."

"Okay." At this moment, Executioner, who clearly knew the subsequent plot, had a hint of cunning flash in her eyes as she disappeared like a phantom.

Texas and Si Ye, who noticed all of this, had no idea what Chen Qi's objective was. Only Madam Sicily, combining the camel head brought by the film crew earlier, seemed to have thought of something, a mysterious smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.

"It seems... we'll have to pray that Mr. Rubio isn't scared unconscious tomorrow."

The next morning, Rubio, who was sleeping in a guest room at the City Hall, was unaware of what Chen Qi and the others had plotted the previous day. He was sleeping soundly, completely oblivious to the fact that equipment and filming crew, camouflaged to blend in with the surroundings, had already been set up around him.

"Alright—Mephisto, use your Originium Arts to wake up Mr. Rubio."

"Okay, Brother Chen Qi."

Outside the door, Mephisto, with a hint of a devilish smile, began to manipulate his Originium Arts into the room as if playing a prank.

Mephisto's Originium Arts could stimulate the Originium within a Terra human's body. Most Terra humans had some degree of Oripathy; the difference between infected and non-infected individuals was merely the severity. Mephisto's Originium Arts, through meticulous control, could stimulate it without causing the condition to spread.

Soon, under Mephisto's Originium Arts, the peacefully sleeping Rubio unknowingly awoke. However, upon waking, Rubio immediately tensed up—he thought he had overslept and missed today's scene.

But soon, Rubio felt something was wrong... Why was his lower body sticky? And wet?

Rubio was a bit suspicious. Although he was getting on in years, he wasn't so old that he would wet the bed. But soon, as Rubio reached down, he saw his hand... the dark red blood.

...Blood? Why was there blood on the bed?

Rubio was slightly taken aback, then instinctively pulled back his bedsheets. As he did, the bloodstains under the bed became more apparent and concentrated, making his nerves tense up again.

"Crash."

With the final pull, the tense Rubio saw the most horrifying threat he had ever experienced in his life!

—The severed head of a racing camel, lying at his feet, still oozing blood.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

The next moment, a piercing scream of absolute, primal fear and horror echoed through the room, lingering within the City Hall.

What was even more horrifying was the deeper implication of the racing camel's head... In his own territory, someone had managed to silently decapitate his beloved racing camel and deliver it to his bed.

If that person truly wanted to kill him, would the next head to fall be his?

And this was the most realistic, but by no means the only, terrifying threat displayed by the Mafia. The Mafia's methods, their reign of terror, and the threat to anyone's life were all vividly portrayed in this shot, enough to shock anyone.

And this scene would undoubtedly become a famous, shocking moment in Syracuse's future. This was the first time a film had brought such a realistic Mafia-style threat to the big screen.

The shock it brought was no less than any intense firearm battle or combat, and this was the "realistic" charm of this film.

Chapter Ten: Madam Sicily's Assassination Scene?

"I finally understand what you meant by 'real reactions'..."

A few days later, Talulah was supervising the editing of the filmed scenes. Upon seeing Rubio on the screen, nearly driven to insanity by the racing camel's head, she couldn't help but shake her head and say to Chen Qi, "You really scared the poor guy badly. Luckily, we prepared a medical team in advance, and a few medical operators used their Originium Arts to help him recover. Otherwise, he might have had a heart attack from the fright."

"Well, everyone will have to get used to it. The upcoming scenes will become more tense, and there will likely be many scenes that cause actors' hearts to stop."

Chen Qi was also busy with recent matters. The last few scenes were quite intense, and all the scenes related to the wedding were not yet finished. Filming such large-scale scenes was always very difficult.

However, fortunately, the filming of the wedding was nearing its end. Texas and Sora, the "couple," had begun to cooperate more smoothly. Texas's own relationship with Madam Sicily, Si Ye, and Chastisement had improved during this period of filming.

Although Texas still felt a bit awkward around Madam Sicily, Chen Qi felt it was perfect—after all, in the movie The Godfather, from the moment the second Godfather arrived at the wedding in his military uniform, it already indicated his complicated feelings towards his family and his father.

Therefore, Chen Qi felt that Texas's current portrayal of this slight desire to distance herself from the family, yet being forced to acknowledge it because it was her home, was just right.

In addition to the wedding scenes, the character Chen Qi had promised Croissant had also appeared recently—the notorious drug lord Solozzo, nicknamed "Minos," negotiated with the Godfather, played by Madam Sicily, hoping for financial and legal assistance for her drug trafficking, but was refused.

However, in this plotline, Sonny, played by Si Ye, became interested in the profits generated by this dirty business. He even interrupted the Godfather, leading Solozzo, who was ignorant of Syracuse's family values and had no moral bottom line, to believe that Sonny intended to usurp the Godfather's position.

Therefore, she colluded with the Tartaglia family, with whom she had a vested interest, and planned an assassination attempt on the Godfather to facilitate Sonny's rise to power and his subsequent cooperation with her...

"But you only gave the script to Madam Sicily and didn't show it to everyone else, did you?" Talulah looked up at Chen Qi, as if realizing something, and asked with a hint of horror in her voice, "...Are you planning to have them perform reactions as if it were a real assassination scene?"

"Why not?" Chen Qi waved his hand. This time, to incorporate everyone's genuine reactions into the performance, he had fully utilized his film crew's advantages.

A normal film crew wouldn't have such complete tactical gear for filming. Therefore, without careful observation, others wouldn't easily notice, even after filming began, unless they were exceptionally skilled.

However, Madam Sicily knew the script in advance, but the others didn't. This would make the "assassination" in this scene appear real to everyone else.

"I specifically had Texas and the others film in different locations from Madam Sicily to ensure Texas wouldn't know about Madam Sicily's 'assassination' in advance."

"Then, we'll release a fake newspaper, and when Texas sees it casually, she'll know what to do next."

"...You're going to scare all the families in Syracuse silly with this." Talulah didn't know how to comment on Chen Qi's scene. It was practically planning a real assassination. If Chen Qi truly intended to assassinate Madam Sicily, he could have used this information gap to ensure Madam Sicily's death in the next scene.

Shouldn't Madam Sicily have agreed to this? It was unexpected. Did she trust Chen Qi so much that he wouldn't harm her?

"Don't worry, this 'assassination' scene involves only our crew members. All the firearms are toy versions, and Madam Sicily is wearing a bulletproof vest and has blood packs. There absolutely won't be any accidents."

Chen Qi knew very well that filming such an assassination scene in Syracuse could easily turn into "real acting." Therefore, for every assassination scene, he had the members of the Integrated Cultural Troupe participate, never using people from other families.

"Alright, get ready. I'm going to call Madam Sicily to signal that she can start acting."

"...I hope Giovanna won't actually be scared silly," Talulah thought to herself, feeling a wry smile for Madam Sicily's only 'bodyguard' at the moment.

A while later, on the other side, Madam Sicily couldn't help but smile after receiving Chen Qi's communication. She then walked out the door, where a Lupo girl with long golden hair was waiting for her.

"Let's go, Fredo."

"Okay, Dad."

The Lupo girl waiting at the door for Madam Sicily was named "Giovanna Rossetti." She was also a former family boss, but she had since abdicated and become a screenwriter.

After her family returned to Syracuse from Columbia, they brought the technology for building mobile cities, which earned them one of the seats among the Twelve Families. Incidentally, she was also Texas's good friend when Texas was in Columbia.

This time, Giovanna was one of the people Chen Qi managed to recruit with Texas's help. She was playing the role of the Godfather's second daughter, "Fredo," a character who was a bit timid and honest, not quite suited to being born into a Syracuse family.

Giovanna strongly approved of Chen Qi's "realism" and "immersive" filming, so she had no objections to calling Madam Sicily "Dad."

As a creator, she was very compliant with Chen Qi's rules and was always in character, making her a very dedicated actress.

—And now, Giovanna's dedication was about to face its first test. She didn't even know the filming had already started; she was still completely relaxed.

"Have Pauli bring the car out," Madam Sicily said, reciting her lines from memory, but she knew Pauli wouldn't actually show up.

"Pauli's sick today, let me drive, Dad." As expected, Giovanna replied without hesitation. Madam Sicily feigned surprise with an "Oh?" but Giovanna calmly responded:

"Pauli's a good kid, I don't mind driving myself."

The reason Giovanna wasn't cautious was twofold: firstly, she didn't know they were filming, and secondly, the person playing "Pauli" was an actor from her own family and had already briefed her beforehand.

Furthermore, the news of Madam Sicily starring in "The Godfather" had resulted in an overwhelming number of bodyguards secretly assigned to the Sicily family. No one would dare to make a move on Madam Sicily, so Giovanna had no reason to worry.

However, what Giovanna didn't know was that her nonchalant demeanor, captured on camera, appeared to observers as complete carelessness. The absence of bodyguards around a family boss subtly hinted that something terrible was about to happen.

Giovanna drove for a while. Madam Sicily, sitting in the back seat, looked around at the street and felt it was about time. She then asked:

"It's quite lively lately."

"Yes, Dad, the festival is coming up, everyone's buying gifts," Giovanna replied casually, her eyes fixed on the road ahead to prevent any traffic accidents.

She didn't realize that at that moment, Madam Sicily's eyes were scanning everyone on the side streets. Soon, upon spotting a Sarkaz and a figure resembling a Lupo, Madam Sicily knew they had reached the filming location.