Chapter 212: A Bar Brawl

Successful Acquisition of Chelsea

And it cost much less than expected.

Martin decided to invest the remaining money into the upcoming transfer market and handed the club's market department a list: "Ronaldinho, Kaká, Ribéry, Klose, Ronaldo, Messi, Rooney…"

It included both "immediate assets" and "potential talents." Regardless of whether they could secure any of them, the plan was to spend first and ask questions later.

While the acquisition of Chelsea was still a hot topic across the Taiwan Strait, Martin's attention had completely shifted back to filming.

"Peter, remember: with great power comes great responsibility!"

"No~!"

"Cut, that's a wrap. Fantastic."

"Are you talking about Spider-Man, or his uncle?" joked Cliff Robertson, who was playing Ben Parker.

"You're all fantastic!"

Director Sam Raimi was genuinely pleased.

Martin's acting was exceptional!

Though this was a superhero movie that didn't demand much acting, Martin had nailed the few moments where his skills could shine, showing impressive depth.

Just like that previous scene, where Martin conveyed grief, regret, and anger through his expressions, body language, and eyes—it was so powerful that Raimi nearly teared up himself but managed to hold it back.

Raimi was confident this scene would move countless viewers when it hit the big screen!

Producer Ian Bryce agreed with Raimi's sentiment.

Inviting Martin to play Spider-Man had been the right decision.

"Scene 102, Shot 23, Action!"

Under a heavy downpour from a fire hose, Scarlett approached the side of the building, lifting Martin's mask that was hanging upside down on the wall.

But she stopped halfway through.

Then, gently cupping his face with both hands, she kissed him lightly on the lips.

The rain was torrential!

The two figures—one upside down, one right side up—seemed to belong together, creating an unexpected harmony, as though it was always meant to be this way.

In that moment, Scarlett felt a strange sensation rising within her—at that instant, she was Mary Jane, and Martin was Spider-Man. Mary Jane had fallen for Spider-Man…

The Bourne Identity Set

"Hey folks, filming's over! How about a drink? My treat!" Matt Damon called out.

"OK!"

"I'm in!"

"Can't say no when someone's buying."

Matt Damon's invitation was met with unanimous approval.

In the evening, after filming wrapped for the day, the main cast of the film set off for a nearby bar—Matt Damon, Chris Cooper, Franka Potente, Julia Stiles, Ben Affleck... a large group.

This wasn't the first time Matt had treated the group. Ever since joining the crew, he'd made a point to build good relationships, often inviting everyone out for drinks or meals, while showering praise on Martin alongside Ben Affleck.

Soon, everyone knew that these two had resolved their previous conflicts with Martin and that their relationship had improved significantly.

Matt Damon's social skills were paying off, and the atmosphere among him, Ben, and the rest of the crew had become much more relaxed.

"To dear Martin, may this film be a huge success!" Matt raised his glass.

"To the success of this film!" everyone chorused.

Meanwhile, across the bar, a man with dirty dreadlocks was staring at them.

A moment later, he received a phone call and exited the bar.

A black Cadillac was parked by the roadside, and the man quickly got into the car.

In the spacious backseat sat a man wearing a gold chain, gold bracelet, and gold teeth—clearly someone with a certain reputation.

After the dreadlocked man entered the car and the door slammed shut, he asked:

"Is it confirmed? Those two guys?"

"Yeah, it's them—Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. But there are others around."

"How many people?"

"Eight, including two women."

"So, six others. We have eight men, so it's just a few actors. Let's send in our guys. Remember, we're making this look like a bar brawl, no one should get killed. And don't forget who the main targets are!"

"Got it, Boss Poyet."

The dreadlocked man got out of the car, whistling.

A few big men gathered around him on the street. Eight in total. They followed him back into the bar.

The man called Poyet, the boss, calmly opened the car door and watched the bar entrance, waiting silently…

Soon, a shout was heard from inside the bar. "Damn you, you dare bump into me!"

Then, Ben Affleck's angry voice responded, "What are you talking about? You bumped into me!"

"You damn son of a—come on then!"

Next, there was the sound of shattering glass, chairs being knocked over, and shouting and cursing from people.

But—

Why were his own men the ones screaming?

Poyet frowned in confusion.

"Thanks, Captain Carl. We'll take them from here."

Jeff Raymond led the group of actors out of the police station. A swarm of reporters quickly surrounded them.

"Matt Damon, could you explain why you got into a bar brawl? Was it over a woman?"

"Ben Affleck, is this another outburst from your temper?"

"Jeff Raymond, did Martin already hear about this incident? How will he handle the situation with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck? Will this affect the filming of the movie?"

Jeff smiled and stopped.

"This wasn't caused by anyone in our crew," he told the reporters. "The police have the bar's security footage, and they'll be releasing it shortly."

He gestured to Matt Damon, who nodded in agreement.

"Yes, we were provoked. They started it, and I suspect someone might have been trying to sabotage The Bourne Identity."

The reporters perked up. A brawl involving sabotage of the movie's production? That was juicy!

"Matt Damon, do you have proof of this?"

"Matt Damon, who do you think was trying to sabotage the film?"

"Matt Damon…"

Matt Damon didn't continue to answer the questions. He simply said, "You can watch the police footage," before walking away with the group.

Later that evening, the police released the footage, with officers providing commentary.

"This is the security footage from the bar where the brawl took place."

"Here you can clearly see that the dreadlocked man deliberately bumped into Ben Affleck. They started arguing, and shortly afterward, these men began attacking Ben Affleck and Matt Damon…"

The footage confirmed that Matt and his group had been the ones provoked.

At first, they were at a disadvantage, but other bar patrons, apparently tired of the bullies, came to their aid.

The attackers were outnumbered and quickly subdued.

But the story didn't end there.

"The actors from The Bourne Identity noticed something odd after the police got involved. The dreadlocked man seemed familiar, like they had seen him at previous gatherings."

The video froze, with the provocateur highlighted in a red circle.

The officer continued, "We then pulled up footage from previous gatherings of the Bourne Identity crew…"