Chapter 13 Real Gunfight

Perhaps due to the late hour, the restaurant wasn't crowded. Apart from the table occupied by the two assailants, there were only four or five other customers in the corner. With the waiters standing near the counter, the situation inside the restaurant was clearly visible through the transparent glass curtain wall, ensuring the effectiveness of the filming.

As Murphy dialed 911, he also activated the recording function on his phone. It never hurt to be prepared.

"911, what's your emergency?" a woman's voice came through the receiver.

"Hello, I'd like to report something," Murphy said, his gaze fixed on the two men through the glass curtain wall. "The whereabouts of two criminals who committed a robbery resulting in death on Bill Road in Santa Monica Valley last night."

"Where are you?"

"I'm following them," Murphy had prepared his script in advance. "They just parked their car at the intersection of Ronald Avenue and 7th Street in Beverly Hills. Now they've entered a chain pizza shop called 'Moe's,' and I can see them ordering food inside."

"Okay," the operator confirmed, "Moe's chain pizza shop at the intersection of Ronald Avenue and 7th Street in Beverly Hills, right?"

"Yes, that's correct!"

Seeing the waiter serving food to the two men in the restaurant, Murphy paused for a moment and continued, "I can confirm that these are the perpetrators from last night, it's them!"

"Can you briefly describe their features?"

At this, Murphy smirked, "Of course! One black man wearing a striped jacket, and the other wearing a beige shirt. They're both bald, around thirty years old, and there are only these two black men in the store."

"Sir..."

Perhaps due to the mention of a reward, the operator asked again, "What's your name? How can we contact you?"

"Murphy, Murphy Stanton," Murphy replied immediately, "and this is my phone number."

He added deliberately, "I saw them carrying guns!"

"You said they're armed?"

At this point, Murphy didn't intend to continue, "Sorry, I have to hang up, I think they've noticed me."

Of course, this was just an excuse. After hanging up the phone and putting away his mobile, Murphy took the handheld camera from the passenger seat, skillfully turned it on, and aimed the lens through the rolled-down car window at the position of the two men in the restaurant.

He watched intently, trying to focus and ensure a high-quality recording of the scene he was directing.

The incident occurred in the affluent area of Santa Monica, and now it was happening in Beverly Hills. Murphy was confident that the police would not ignore the information he provided and would send reinforcements immediately.

Would the two criminals surrender peacefully?

Based on last night's scene, this possibility was almost zero. Such ruthless individuals would surely resist arrest by the police.

Although Murphy hadn't seen the two men carry guns, he guessed that a shootout was highly likely.

Just imagine, this was an incredibly realistic police-criminal shootout. Michael Mann's "Heat" was praised for its classical realism, but compared to what might happen next, could that scene be considered anything?

Even before entering Hollywood, Murphy had the chance to film a super-hot gunfight scene. How rare was that?

More importantly, once he filmed the police-criminal shootout, how much could he sell the news video for?

The traffic on the road was getting sparse, and the surroundings were gradually quieting down. Occasionally, the night breeze blew into the car, bringing a hint of coolness to Murphy's forehead. He had already sweated a lot, even though the scene was going exactly as he had planned. As the climax approached, he still felt nervous.

Time seemed to stand still, and Murphy held his breath, watching the two men through the camera lens. They were still dining and wouldn't leave for a short time.

A police car silently turned into the street, approaching from the opposite direction. When it was about to reach the location of the pizza shop, it stopped by the roadside, and two officers got out, walking towards the restaurant's entrance.

"They're finally here!" Murphy muttered to himself, switching the camera to wide-angle mode. When the two officers reached the restaurant's entrance, he framed them into the shot.

The two officers entered the restaurant, seemingly not noticing the two black men, and walked straight to the counter, as if they were ordinary customers coming for a late-night snack.

However, their appearance clearly aroused the vigilance of the two men. Through the camera lens, Murphy could see clearly that both men reached for something inside their clothes. The heavier-set one even took something out and placed it under the table.

The parking spot Murphy had chosen was carefully selected. From this angle, he could clearly see what was happening under the table. Murphy immediately switched to a close-up shot, and on the small screen of the handheld camera, he could see a black M9 pistol, with its muzzle pointing towards the two officers.

With precise control over the camera, Murphy alternated between wide-angle and close-up shots, just like a meticulous director and cinematographer, capturing all the exciting moments.

So far, the location, filming background, and the main actors on both sides were all in place. Murphy only waited for the final gunfight to begin.

However, the two black men were somewhat restrained. They couldn't be sure why the police were here, as they might really just be coming to buy pizza for a late-night snack.

Another police car approached from the opposite direction and stopped near the first police car. The two officers got out and walked towards the restaurant.

These two officers were moving very slowly. When they passed by, they even took out their guns to check, although they ultimately returned them to their holsters. But they had clearly prepared to use their firearms.

Murphy temporarily shifted his focus away from the restaurant and aimed the camera at the two officers, then followed them back into the restaurant.

Although the two police officers also headed towards the counter, seemingly just coming for a late-night snack, the demeanor of the two men changed. In the close-up shot captured by Murphy's camera, it was evident that they exchanged a few words, and then the heavier-set man stood up first.

"Oh, my God!" Murphy could clearly see that as the heavier-set man stood up, he raised the hand holding the M9 pistol and aimed it at one of the approaching officers.

The police reacted quickly. As the man stood up, they also reached for their holstered guns.

"Bam! Bam..."

Gunshots rang out, and one of the police officers was hit, falling backward onto the ground. The two men fired their guns, targeting the officers, while the remaining officers drew their weapons and returned fire.

The heavier-set man became the second casualty, as a bullet seemed to hit him in the head, causing a large burst of blood to spray onto the glass curtain wall behind him, staining a large area red.

Only then did the terrified customers in the restaurant start screaming.

Perhaps because they had received some education in a country where firearms were rampant, the frightened customers didn't run around, but instead, one by one, hugged their heads and ducked under the tables, thus avoiding being hit by stray bullets.

Although his mouth uttered the words "Oh, my God," Murphy's hands remained steady, capturing each moment meticulously.

The gun fight in the restaurant was more realistic and brutal than anything shown in a movie.

In just a few seconds, the second police officer was shot, and blood spurted from his body as he fell to the ground. The scene was so vivid and dazzling that it could easily capture everyone's attention.

The remaining criminal was extremely fierce. After shooting down the second police officer, he turned and fired a shot at the glass curtain wall behind him, causing it to shatter like broken ice. He then rushed to that side of the restaurant and jumped into the alley where the car was parked, opening the door of the black sedan and getting in.

The police officers continued to fire, but unlike in the movies, it was extremely difficult for them to hit the occupants of the rapidly moving vehicle.

The black sedan drove out of the alley, turned onto the road where Murphy's Ford was parked, and Murphy saw more police cars arriving to provide support, directly pursuing the criminal. After capturing the last wide-angle shot of the restaurant, Murphy quickly mounted the handheld camera on the passenger seat bracket at the fastest speed, aiming the lens forward to continue filming, and hurriedly started the car to follow.

At the front, the criminal driving the car was fleeing in panic; in the middle, a police car was closely following; and behind, Murphy was following closely, with the camera still recording.

The speed of the cars kept increasing, and in the blink of an eye, they were approaching a speed of seventy miles per hour. But neither the criminal nor the police, nor Murphy himself, showed any intention of slowing down.

In an instant, the black sedan at the front reached an intersection, but encountered a red light. The man was definitely not going to stop, and without any deceleration, he rushed into the intersection.

This was Beverly Hills, a bustling area even late at night, and despite the late hour, there were still plenty of vehicles coming and going.

In the movies, running a red light at such an intersection always seemed thrilling but safe, but reality was not a movie.

The black sedan rushed into the intersection, but halfway through, it was hit by a Chevrolet SUV speeding from the right, unable to stop in time.

The piercing sound of metal colliding rang out, and the black sedan, hit by the much heavier SUV, lost its balance and rolled sideways out of control.

This was an intersection, and there were other vehicles passing through. The rolling black sedan immediately triggered a chain reaction of collisions, with vehicles of all shapes and sizes crashing into each other like bumper cars in an amusement park, creating chaos.

Murphy stepped on the brakes, and his Ford barely stopped outside the intersection. Seeing the scene inside, he quickly took the handheld camera from the passenger seat, switched to manual recording, and went to find a suitable angle to film the rare accident.

At this moment, the black sedan, which was the epicenter of the accident, had its deformed door kicked open from the inside, and a blood-covered figure staggered out, using his empty hand to support himself on the ground, seemingly trying to stand up.

Murphy was not the only one getting out of the car; the police officers from the pursuing car also got out. Seeing the blood-covered black man trying to climb out of the overturned car, both Murphy and the approaching police officers immediately pulled the triggers...