I'm a Director in Arknights, Success if I'm Not Banned

Texas had now completely abandoned the script, and every reaction on the scene could be said to be what Texas herself would do when facing such a crisis.

In the hospital, with no equipment or filming crew, the silence was filled with an aura of crisis. Isolated and helpless, everything around her made Texas's mind race, contemplating the best solution.

In this moment, Texas felt as if she were personally standing on the eve of her family's destruction – if, on that day, she had truly been her current age and had the ability to protect her family, what would she have done?

Now, Texas felt she had the answer. Even if she were isolated and helpless, she would do her utmost to prevent all of this from happening.

And soon, Texas gained her first external support – a Syracusan named "Enzo," who claimed to have been helped by her father.

"If there's trouble, I'll stay and help you, for your father, your father."

It was the first time Texas truly understood the value of the connections and help her father had left behind. It was ironic, in a way, that the police, symbols of justice, were in cahoots with the mafia, while a pitiable man who had been helped by the mafia understood gratitude and was even willing to risk his life to repay that kindness.

"Wait for me outside, okay? I'll be down in a moment."

Texas instructed Enzo. What she needed to do now was to protect her father as much as possible. With Enzo guarding the door, it might even deter the attackers...

Thinking this, Texas returned to the hospital room and looked at Madam Sicily, meeting her slightly open, hazy, and tired eyes.

Texas didn't know when Madam Sicily had woken up, but at this moment, she no longer saw the elder in front of her as Madam Sicily...

As if to soothe the regret in her heart, Texas felt like she was doing something she hadn't been able to do before, something she wanted to try her best to accomplish – protecting her family.

"Rest well, Dad. I'll take care of you, I'll be by your side."

Texas held Madam Sicily's aged hand, her voice gentle yet firm. Madam Sicily, whose appearance had aged by ten years, didn't speak but offered a relieved smile.

The elder, having just escaped a life-threatening situation, lacked the strength to speak, but as a cloudy tear rolled down her eye, the relief and slight reluctance in Madam Sicily's smile were enough to further solidify Texas's resolve.

She would protect her family, no matter the cost.

What Texas didn't know was that her current actions had subtly convinced Madam Sicily that Texas, both in her role and in person, was the most suitable successor to be the next "Godfather."

Before Texas arrived, Si Ye, who had also received news of Madam Sicily's "assassination," had managed to regain his composure after a period of frantic activity, performing well but still falling short of Madam Sicily's standards.

As for Giovanna... as the second daughter in the film, she was understandably terrified by the sudden turn of events and was clearly not up to par.

Only Texas, in this situation where everyone was improvising without preparation, was the first to calm down. It was less that she had blended into the role, and more that she was inherently similar to the character.

"The successor to the family... it's a shame she's not my child. Otherwise, with such a successor, there would be nothing left to regret."

After Texas left, Madam Sicily murmured a few words, and a peculiar thought arose in her mind.

She had no children in her life, and the Sicily family had no heir. What if... she could choose a suitable successor for the family...

At the hospital entrance, Texas stood with Enzo. Texas's current task was to wait for Si Ye's reinforcements to arrive, stall for time, and create the impression that the guards had re-secured Madam Sicily.

"You'll be alright," Texas reassured Enzo beside her. She wasn't nervous, even without a weapon. Her confidence in her own abilities made Texas unconcerned about the arrival of assassins.

Just then, a car slowly passed by the hospital entrance in the distance, and someone inside poked their head out slightly.

Even in the pitch-black environment, even with her disguise making her almost unrecognizable, Texas recognized the person in the car by instinct – her friend, Croissant!

No, to be precise, the Croissant in the film at this moment was no longer the friend Texas knew. She was a drug lord, the one who had assassinated her father, the one she had to kill.

If she didn't die, Madam Sicily would never be safe. Texas's eyes were chillingly cold, not looking at a friend, but at Croissant in the car as if she were an enemy who had killed her father.

After a brief exchange of glances, Croissant showed a rare hint of fear and ducked her head slightly. In the end, the car did not stop but drove directly away from the hospital.

"...You did very well."

Texas breathed a sigh of relief. However, the actor playing Enzo was quite shaken. This extra was found by Chen Qi on short notice, and it was his first time facing the conflict between mafia members so directly. Even knowing it was an act, the atmosphere had terrified him.

Enzo took out a cigarette from his pocket and tried to light it with a lighter, but his hands were shaking so badly he couldn't even light it. Fortunately, Texas helped him.

"You helped us today, and we will repay your kindness in the future," Texas said to Enzo beside her. Breaking the atmosphere, however, was the clear sound of a police siren.

As the police car approached, Texas pushed Enzo aside and walked forward alone. Within a few steps, she was quickly apprehended by several police officers.

"I thought I had locked up all you thugs. What are you doing here?"

In the darkness, only the halo of a Sarkaz glowed faintly, but even so, the light seemed incredibly dim, unable to dispel the surrounding darkness.

Under the camera's lens, the halo, which appeared dim even with the halo on her head, seemed to foreshadow the identity of the approaching police officer – Exusiai, in disguise, walked up to Texas with a stern expression.

"Why is no one protecting my father?" Texas, pinned down, glared at Exusiai in front of her. She could barely recognize Exusiai's face.

Perhaps it was due to the special makeup applied to Exusiai's halo, which made Texas subconsciously feel that the person in front of her wasn't Exusiai, or perhaps the current image of Exusiai was too different, making her unwilling to believe that the Sarkaz in front of her was her friend, the lively Exusiai.

"—You little punk, how dare you interfere in my business? I drove them all away, so you stay away from the hospital!"

Exusiai, her voice altered by a voice changer, continued to recite her lines according to the script: "Someone, take him away!"

"I won't leave unless someone protects my father—" Texas tried to break free but failed, gritting her teeth as she said to Exusiai:

"How much did they pay you to frame my father?"

"—Hold him tight and make him stand steady!"

Texas's words, however, "enraged" Exusiai. Because according to the script, the police officer she was playing had indeed accepted a bribe and removed the Corleone family's guards.

However, due to Texas's interference, the other party believed her work had gone wrong, and she had put in a lot of effort without earning a single cent.

Now, Texas's words were like adding fuel to the fire, directly causing Exusiai, playing the police chief, to want to lash out in anger.

"Sorry, Texas, I'll treat you to apple pie after this scene is finished!"

With an apology in her heart to her friend before her, Exusiai didn't slow her punch at all.

"Bang!"

The fast, muffled punch was too quick for Texas to even react. However, it landed solidly, but for Texas, a Lupo, the Sarkaz's physical strength wasn't enough to knock her unconscious with a single blow.

Therefore, after this punch, Texas didn't fall unconscious as per the script Chen Qi had written. Her head turned slightly, and her icy eyes, filled with killing intent, stared at Exusiai before her.

At this moment, in Texas's heart, if the person before her wasn't her friend, if this wasn't an act, then her actions would have been enough to make her die countless times over.

At this moment, even Exusiai was startled by Texas before her, revealing a rare expression of timid fear...

"Cut! Perfect shot, everything is perfect! Exusiai, you did great!"

"Right, medic! Hurry and tend to Texas's injuries! Notify Rob Rata! Texas's makeup will need swelling effects afterwards!"

And finally, what broke the calm was Chen Qi's voice, filled with joy, coming through the equipment. Instantly, as many hidden cameramen appeared, the tense atmosphere was completely diffused.

"Texas, are you okay?"

Exusiai also immediately shed her serious and fierce demeanor, stepping forward to support Texas. Looking at the bruise on Texas, which she had caused with her punch, Exusiai clasped her hands together apologetically:

"I'm so sorry, so sorry, so sorry! I didn't mean to hit that hard! Texas, you won't blame me, will you?"

"It was necessary for the scene. I originally wanted to control my strength, but when I threw the punch, I remembered how you used my apple pie money to buy Pocky a few times, and I got a little angry, so I hit harder—no, no, I don't mean revenge, really!"

"...I'm fine, Exusiai, don't worry about it."

With the help of Mephisto, who walked over, the injury on Texas's face quickly faded. She looked at Exusiai before her, a faint smile returning to her lips, and said to Exusiai:

"I won't mind these things, Exusiai. Let's finish this take and get ready to go back."

"Ah, r-really?"

Exusiai's heart immediately relaxed upon hearing that Texas wasn't blaming her—but at this moment, Exusiai didn't understand Texas's smile.

Generally, a smile of relief appears in two situations: one is when all grievances are resolved... and the other is for the deceased, whose word is final.

Yes, even though Texas hadn't read the script, she knew that Exusiai's character was destined to die.

And the one who would personally exact revenge would definitely be her. She would get revenge for this punch sooner or later.

Chapter 13: Texas "Shoots" Exusiai and Croissant

"The most important thing to me is that no one is trying to threaten my father's life."

"How can I guarantee that for you, Mike? I'm the one being chased right now!"

Some time had passed since Madam Sicily's assassination scene, and during this period, the crew's filming had been going quite smoothly—especially the most important parts. Without the Godfather, everyone's performance in the family scenes had been excellent.

What pleased Chen Qi the most was how, despite having just built some rapport, the lack of an important person immediately left them with nothing to talk about, creating a heavy atmosphere. This was exactly what Chen Qi wanted them to portray.

And now, the scene had reached the first climax of the plot. Currently, Mike, played by Texas, and the drug lord Sorozzo, played by Croissant, were negotiating in a restaurant. Because Sorozzo had orchestrated the assassination attempt on the Godfather, he was being fiercely retaliated against by the family, forcing him to bribe Exusiai, who played the sheriff, to be his bodyguard and negotiate with the Corleone family, represented by Mike.

But what she didn't know was that this time, Mike had never intended to negotiate. This time, he wanted to eliminate the threat once and for all; only by killing Sorozzo would his father be safe.

"You overestimate me, kid." At this moment, Croissant, playing Sorozzo, looked like a truly vicious and unscrupulous drug lord thanks to the makeup. She didn't promise to spare the Godfather and said to Texas:

"I'm not that capable. All I want is a ceasefire."

With those words, Croissant made it seem as if she were the victim, and before the unseen cameras, Texas's eyes were chillingly cold.

At this moment, Texas had just retrieved a firearm hidden by the family from the restroom. At such close range, she could guarantee killing the two people before her if she fired.

She appeared to be hesitating, her gaze shifting, as if nervous about killing someone at such close range for the first time... but in reality, she was just bothered that her targets were her real-life friends.

Texas was still convincing herself, telling herself it was just acting. The person before her... wasn't the slightly greedy Croissant from Penguin Logistics, but an unforgivable drug lord from a movie.

And the other wasn't Exusiai either... but a despicable police officer in league with the mafia, devoid of justice and morality, and someone who had almost dislocated her jaw with a single punch.

She had to kill them, she had to!

"Hoo!"

But finally, Texas made up her mind. Her gaze hardened, she stood up abruptly, raised the firearm in her hand, and aimed it at the somewhat bewildered Croissant.

"Bang!"

With a gunshot, Texas "shot" her friend before her almost without hesitation. On the other side, Exusiai, playing the sheriff, seemed not to have reacted yet, and Texas's gun was already aimed at her.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two more shots, one hitting her throat, the other striking her forehead. Exusiai immediately fell, overturning a table full of food and wine, her body collapsing powerlessly to the ground.

At this moment, Texas, not yet out of the shock of "shooting" her friend, was uncharacteristically flustered. Her body stiffened as she quickly walked towards the door, belatedly dropping the firearm. Her every move was exactly the reaction of someone killing for the first time.

Outside the door, as a car arrived, Texas immediately got into the car and fled the scene. With this, the scene officially concluded.

"Cut! Excellent! Texas! You acted really well. I was worried you'd act too skillfully and not like a first-time killer, but as expected, having familiar people play the villains made your reaction closer to the script."

And at this moment, as Chen Qi's announcement fell, all the filming crew and equipment were revealed. Croissant and the sheriff, who had been "shot" by Texas, both smiled as they removed the blood packs from under their fake skin.

"Everyone gets a good meal today, paid for by the crew's budget. Don't miss out!"

"Hooray!" XN

Following Chen Qi's words, everyone from the Integrated Cultural Troupe, who had worked hard all day and were still working overtime into the night, let out a cheer.

On the other side, the panic on Texas's face had just subsided. Watching Croissant, who was removing her makeup with makeup remover, walk towards her, she hesitated and spoke:

"…Croissant, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. More importantly, Texas, your expression when you were acting scared me." Croissant casually wiped the makeup off her face with a damp towel. She had only joined the acting for fun, but she couldn't resist teasing Texas:

"When you pointed that firearm at me earlier, Texas, I really felt like you wanted to kill me in your eyes."

"But you wouldn't actually kill me, right? Texas." Croissant waved her hand dismissively. However, she didn't immediately get a response from Texas, who was only joking. She subconsciously turned her head and saw Texas looking at her with a relieved expression.

"...Croissant, I'm glad this was all just acting."

"What?"

"—If this wasn't all planned by the movie, if you had actually planned to assassinate my 'father,' if you were truly an unforgivable drug lord… even if you were my friend, I would definitely kill you."

As Texas said this, the pressure that had been building up inside her eased considerably. She smiled at the utterly bewildered Croissant and said:

"Let's go, let's go grab a drink."

"—Hey! Texas! What did you mean by that just now?! You don't actually have thoughts of killing me, do you?!"

"I, I only borrowed a little bit of money from you, and maybe forced you to buy some unsellable goods, but it's not like it warrants such ruthlessness, right? Texas! Texas!!"

However, Texas's words made Croissant feel a chill creep up her spine in hindsight. She felt that Texas's words were absolutely genuine. If she were truly like the character Sorozzo she was playing, Texas would definitely kill her.

But admittedly, while Croissant was greedy, she knew that a gentleman loves wealth and obtains it righteously. Even if she resold things, she wouldn't gouge customers to such an extreme. Her usual side hustle for pocket money was just a legitimate small stall, at most without a business license.

But today, Texas's words had definitely served as a wake-up call for Croissant, ensuring that she would never, ever get involved in such behavior as Sorozzo's for the rest of her life.

Meanwhile, Exusiai only got up from the ground belatedly. Her face still held an expression of lingering excitement, clearly unsatisfied with her own performance just now.

It was over already? She had been so looking forward to it, she thought she and Texas would have a gunfight in this small restaurant, how could she be done filming already!

No, something must be wrong! Exusiai stood up from the ground and stared in the direction Chen Qi had left, following him secretly with great dissatisfaction in her heart.

After filming wrapped up, Chen Qi didn't go to Croissant's wrap party immediately. Instead, he went to find Madam Sicily first. During this period, due to the assassination scenes in the plot, Madam Sicily could relax for a few days.