Chapter 323: Searching for Amy

Who is Amy Dunn?

Missing person notices plastered across streets, the internet, television stations, and print media are hard to ignore, especially when many media outlets, five days after the first notice appeared in North America, started asking who this missing woman really is.

While it hasn't caused widespread concern, many people in North America are aware that a woman named Amy Dunn has gone missing, and her husband is searching for her.

No issue can maintain attention indefinitely, and as time passed, interest in this matter has gradually waned. Just as everyone became accustomed to the missing person notices and began to overlook them, new information surfaced on the internet.

"The missing Amy Dunn is the prototype for the female protagonist of the recently best-selling 'Amazing Amy'!"

An entertainment gossip website under 20th Century Fox just revealed this news, and it was widely shared by numerous blogs. Following this, a person in charge at the publishing house of "Amazing Amy" also admitted in an interview with the New York Post that Amazing Amy has indeed gone missing.

This news initially circulated among readers of "Amazing Amy," but the wide-reaching missing person notices had already made Amy Dunn's name a point of focus for many. The latest news once again caught their attention.

Many people found the identity of a novel's protagonist intriguing and naturally sought out more information, leading them to purchase the book and become new readers.

"Amazing Amy is missing!"

"Searching for Amazing Amy!"

"Where has Amazing Amy gone?"

Such news quickly spread from media under 20th Century Fox and News Corporation to other media outlets.

Compared to a regular wealthy individual, the prototype for a novel's female protagonist undoubtedly attracts more media attention and speculation.

On Google, "Amazing Amy" even became a hot search term.

Meanwhile, a blog registered under the name Nick Dunn also came into the media and public's view. Claiming to be Amy Dunn's husband, he publicly wrote for the first time on the blog, admitting his wife, Amy Dunn, is indeed the prototype for Amazing Amy, and requested readers of Amazing Amy to help him find his missing wife.

An official website for Amazing Amy also appeared online, claimed to be built by fans of the book, calling on readers to "Find our Amazing Amy!"

Every step of the marketing campaign followed the plan, with outcomes even better than expected. Murphy, after finishing all post-production work, began editing the first trailer with Jodie Griffiths.

Since the trailer was scheduled to be released later, they had ample time for many trials and discussions.

In the debates about the trailer's editing, Murphy and Jodie Griffiths spent some time reaching a consensus. Initially, they each held their own opinions, and Murphy couldn't completely persuade the more traditional Jodie Griffiths at first.

Murphy could have forcefully pushed his ideas, but he patiently convinced Jodie Griffiths, considering their long-term partnership and the natural differences in their ages and backgrounds. Convincing Jodie Griffiths to fully understand that the advertisement served a series of viral marketing took time.

Throughout the trailer's editing, Murphy insisted that any segment revealing the truth about Amy's disappearance couldn't appear in the trailer. In the trailer, Amy could only appear in flashbacks; he didn't want to see Amy revealing another side of herself there.

The only scene Murphy included was of Amy sinking underwater, serving both the marketing needs and his preference for creating suspense. The suspense could lead to an illusion: did Nick really kill his wife? Not whether something happened to her, but whether he killed her at all.

In coordination with the vigorous promotion, this segment could highlight the mystery of the film, with almost everyone agreeing on the theory "we can't spoil the plot twist."

However, some within 20th Century Fox worried about the potential for promotional issues, wondering what would happen if no one showed up for the premiere.

"You have to agree with this plan. If you don't hide that twist and market this movie as a story about a fool and his crazy wife, then we have no reason to make this film."

Kara Faith convinced the management of 20th Century Fox, reaching an agreement on the trailer: "We must leave the joy of uncovering the truth to the audience!"

All promotional materials, whether teasers, official trailers, or TV spots, only used content from the first half of the story, not touching the latter half at all.

Thus, the future promotional focus became: Did Nick Dunn kill his amazing wife?

When Murphy included the shot of a presumably deceased Amy Dunn slowly sinking to the riverbed in the trailer, he explained to Jodie Griffiths the necessity of doing so, "Audiences might reject the character because they think the blonde woman will die. When you promote a movie, you must try to attract audiences into theaters, sometimes hinting at the direction of the plot, but doing so can backfire, leading audiences to enter the cinema with preconceived expectations."

As July approached, more and more people became interested in the disappearance of Amazing

 Amy, and the official website for Amazing Amy saw a surge in traffic.

It's unclear who proposed it, but a message was prominently displayed on the website: "Head to Missouri, find our Amazing Amy!"

This initiative received considerable support.

A week later, an event titled "Searching for Amazing Amy" officially kicked off in St. Louis, Missouri, with over a thousand people attending and a coordination committee established.

Meanwhile, some people consulted the police, but the police gave a vague response, stating that no one had formally reported a disappearance.

Furthermore, Nick Dunn and Amy Dunn's parents, who were previously confirmed to attend the event, were nowhere to be found.

This caused significant dissatisfaction among those genuinely wanting to help Amy.

But soon after, an open letter allegedly from Amy's parents appeared on the official website of Amazing Amy. They apologized to the helpers, stating their absence was due to more pressing matters that held them back—matters involving suspicions that someone had harmed their daughter, Amy Dunn!

"We met with Nick Dunn, who refused to attend the event. Then, a neighbor of Amy's approached us, telling us Amy had often suffered domestic abuse from Nick and was pregnant before she disappeared. She suspects Amy was either accidentally killed or murdered..."

This open letter was first shared by a gossip website under 20th Century Fox and quickly spread across many media outlets.

"Amazing Amy wasn't just missing; she was murdered, and the killer might be Nick Dunn..."

Using the internet as a platform, this information spread like wildfire, drawing increasing attention to Amazing Amy and whether she was missing or murdered...

Subsequently, the alleged parents of Amy published another open letter through the internet, harshly criticizing Nick Dunn, claiming he maliciously destroyed all of Amy's photos, including those they had, leaving only incomplete images of Amy to seek support from the media and the public.

In the open letter's conclusion, nearly ten photos were attached, showing a girl whose face and neck had been scratched out, only revealing her tall, alluring body...

Public opinion on the internet was thoroughly stirred up, with some leading the charge, resulting in an unprecedented frenzy on the internet this year.

"Why aren't the police investigating Nick Dunn?"

"Nick Dunn is a jerk; he actually abused Amy."

"Kill that son of a b*tch!"

Simultaneously, a not very clear video appeared on the official website of Amazing Amy, showing two police officers questioning a pregnant woman who claimed to be Amy's close friend.

"Ever since moving here, Amy's life has been very difficult. Nick lost his job, only indulging in drinking and hiding at home playing games, completely unable to take responsibility for the family. He became irritable and often argued with Amy. I visited Amy a few times when he wasn't home and saw bruises on her face. I asked Amy, and she was reluctant to talk, but I know she must have been experiencing domestic abuse..."

This video directly implicated Nick Dunn, "A while ago, Amy told me she wanted to leave Nick. In the following days, I saw new bruises on Amy's face, which made me feel very sorry for her. Their house, their car, their daily expenses, Amy has always been responsible for them. Once Amy leaves, Nick will become penniless."

"Also, Amy was pregnant, and Nick probably didn't know. I saw a new life insurance policy on Amy's desk a while ago, with Nick Dunn as the beneficiary..."

The emergence of this video caused an uproar among all those following the case, making Amazing Amy the number one trending topic on North American internet this summer.

"But this trending topic still had no face to show."

In their home in Santa Monica, after reviewing the information online, Gal Gadot asked Murphy, "Doesn't anyone suspect anything?"

"Of course, people are suspicious."

How could there not be suspicions? So far, other than a few life photos of Charlize Theron with her features erased, everyone else involved in the incident has remained unseen and unheard. However, Murphy was confident in the marketing, "The public opinion manufactured by 20th Century Fox, especially online, has enveloped most people. Those few voices of doubt can't make any waves."

He smiled, "Before those doubts grow louder, we'll take new measures."

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