The Wolf of Los Angeles.

In the vast banquet hall, countless arms raised glasses of champagne.

Dressed in a suit, Leonardo declared loudly, "Let's raise a toast to the King of the World!"

James Cameron raised his champagne glass high: "Cheers!"

Hawke and Erica joined the others in raising their glasses in celebration. Despite the clichéd story and flat character development of Avatar, its global box office of over $25 billion was indeed a miracle.

From a purely commercial standpoint, James Cameron deserves the title of "King of the World" in the film industry.

Cameron has been known for his arrogance on some occasions, but at this moment he took a wine glass and, together with his longtime partner Jon Landau, thanked the investors.

He will not retire from the film industry; he will continue to make new films.

If someone were to ask Cameron what the most important thing is to make a movie, he would answer without hesitation—ample funding.

From Terminator 2 to True Lies, from Titanic to Avatar, they were all made with hundreds of millions of dollars.

Cameron is no longer the truck driver who forced 20th Century Fox executives to sell his backside and even jump off a building to raise money more than a decade ago; he clearly understands the importance of big investors.

It's a widely accepted rule in Hollywood that directors shouldn't use their own money to make movies.

Cameron approached Hawke and Erica, clinked glasses with them, and said, "Mr. Osmond, thank you very much for your support. The funding from your foundation has enabled me to realize more of my brilliant ideas."

Hawke said with a smile, "This film is truly amazing. Before seeing Avatar, I never imagined that a movie could deliver such stunning visual effects."

Cameron smiled with exceptional confidence: "A whole new era of cinema has begun."

He abruptly changed the subject: "I heard Leo mention something, that you and Elon Musk's SpaceX are researching space travel and landing on the moon?"

Both of these projects were rip-offs, but Hawke's public attitude was even more confident than Cameron's about the movie: "Yes, our satellite technology and launch vehicle technology are very mature, and we are also working with NASA to sort out the technical data of the landing plan from back then. Returning to the moon will take a long time, but it is not difficult for manned spacecraft to cross the Kármán line."

For tech enthusiast James Cameron, the Kármán Line is no stranger; it is the boundary between outer space and Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of approximately 100 kilometers.

Cameron is no ordinary film director. He said, "Back when I was filming Aliens, I had a plan to take the crew to space and make a movie that truly belongs to space when the technology is mature, instead of using a studio, a plane descent, and a water tank."

Hawke would only dismiss such remarks as polite remarks or jokes when others said them, but Cameron is probably serious.

This person personally piloted a submersible down into the Mariana Trench.

Hawke thought for a moment and said, "If it's just a short time to film a space scene inside a spacecraft, it can be done in the next year. But if we want to take an entire crew into space to film, we need a huge space station and six months or even more than a year of professional training."

Cameron said, "The current International Space Station is a joint project of 16 countries, making it very difficult for Hollywood film crews to get into space."

Hawke was aware of this as well: "The Joint Committee does not allow non-professionals and technical personnel to enter."

The huge success of Avatar has made Cameron eager to take on a new challenge, especially on the technical level.

He said, "I don't know if I will be able to set foot on the moon in my lifetime and personally record that breathtaking scene with a camera."

Hawke unconsciously made a promise: "Wait patiently for me for ten years."

The most likely scenario is that it will be another ten years from now.

Cameron said, "Only major advancements in film technology can stimulate my creative desire. Avatar has reached a peak in film technology, and it will be difficult for 3D technology to make further breakthroughs in a short period of time."

James Murdoch then came over from the other side and interjected, "We could totally make a second and a third movie."

But a director of Cameron's caliber is no longer someone that the six major Hollywood studios can control. He shook his head and said, "Unless there is a major breakthrough in technology, I will not consider a sequel."

James Murdoch frowned, but could not force Cameron, and could only say, "I'm not very good at technical things, but whatever you need, Fox will give you its full support."

Cameron blurted out, "I want to take the crew to space."

In this respect, James Murdoch was helpless, as neither 20th Century Fox nor News Corporation were his areas of expertise.

He could only look at Hawke: "Space technology is your specialty."

Hawke said very seriously, "A lunar base and a space station cannot be built in one or two years."

“I can wait,” Cameron said just as seriously. “In the meantime, I’ll be researching new 3D technologies.”

James Murdoch asked, "Is it possible to achieve glasses-free 3D in the short term?"

Cameron said, "This is exactly the direction I'm researching in conjunction with Weta Workshop."

Hawke was also concerned and asked, "How long do you expect it to take?"

"I can't guarantee that." Cameron may be unreliable when it comes to film budgets, but he doesn't make wild guesses about technology: "If things go smoothly, it might take three years; if not, it could be five or even ten years."

He shrugged: "Sometimes, major technological advancements, based on extensive research, often come from a brilliant flash of inspiration."

The investment and returns for the Avatar sequels were agreed upon by both sides as early as when the West Coast Foundation invested in the first film.

Hawke is very interested in the sequel, saying, "I hope to see the sequel soon. The first film's conflict between humans and Na'vi was just a small part of the vast planet Pandora. The complete world view is sure to be more appealing."

Cameron said, "Yes, in my mind, Pandora is a complete world, but to realize it, we need better technology."

Hawke, knowing the immense appeal of Cameron's name, extended the invitation: "Next month, SpaceX will launch a recoverable spacecraft into low Earth orbit from its Texas launch site, marking the beginning of a series of manned spaceflight programs."

SpaceX received substantial subsidies from the federal government and collaborated with NASA, gaining some technical support. They needed to produce some results to demonstrate their capabilities.

Furthermore, the company will go public in the second half of the year, which will help improve market expectations and boost the stock price.

After chatting for a while, James Murdoch went somewhere else first.

Cameron waited a while until his wife, Susie Amis, finished talking with Erica before saying goodbye to Hawke.

Erica came over and said, "I always thought these two would get divorced soon, but I never expected Susie to actually bring Cameron, with his fiery temper, back to family life."

Hawke shrugged. "Perhaps this is the perfect match." Erica smiled and said, "I've consulted Susie quite a bit..."

Hawke said, "I don't have a bad temper."

Erica knew this perfectly well; Hawke's anger never manifested in his temper. Those who truly offended him died without even knowing how.

For example, Cialie.

"Hi, Hawk." Leonardo walked over with his new female companion and introduced Hawk and Erica: "This is Erin Heatherton."

Someone he would specifically introduce must be his official girlfriend.

Hawke and Erica each exchanged a polite remark.

Leonardo was eager to talk to Hawke about his exhilaration.

The two arrived at a terrace, where he proactively said, "I met Director Eric a few days ago and heard that he is preparing a biographical film about Sillari. If needed, I can appear on screen with my real face and name."

Hawke understood his feelings and said, "There's no need for that."

But Leonardo's hatred for Hillary was deeper than Hawke imagined: "I heard from director Eric about the film's content and themes, about my real-life character, which only I could play!"

He almost gritted his teeth: "That slut, I'll nail her to the pillar of shame and make the whole world despise her."

Hawke nodded slightly: "Since you insist, go talk to Director Eric." He glanced at Leonardo's protruding belly and reminded him: "Lose weight, you need to increase your persuasiveness in the film."

"Sirius is finished, I don't need to ruin my looks and figure anymore." If taking the initiative to stand up and denounce Sirius's misdeeds and participate in pushing Sirius's election defeat, it allowed Leonardo to get rid of the dozens of tons of gutter oil burden weighing on him.

So, after the London bombings, Leonardo completely let go of all his worries and felt that he was good again, no longer the 11-second 100-meter runner.

The pressure from gutter oil not only destroyed Leonardo DiCaprio's physique and appearance, but also his confidence in matters of love and sex.

Leonardo added, "According to the news reports, you're planning a low-Earth orbit space travel program with Musk, right? If there are no technical or safety issues, I can participate."

This is to promote the plan.

No one can ignore Leonardo DiCaprio's influence; in terms of public opinion alone, the average wealthy person cannot compare to him.

Hawke said, "If the opportunity arises, I will invite you to participate."

Leonardo said with a smile, "I've already started my fitness program, and it won't be long before I'm back to my best."

First Cameron, then Leonardo, both were drawn to SpaceX's space travel propaganda and developed considerable interest.

But Hawke and Musk's main target in devising this plan was Mr. Dong, who liked to make a fool of himself.

As a result, Mr. Dong didn't catch anything, but he caught two extra-large mandarin fish in a row.

Hawke didn't know what to say.

So, after Leonardo left, Hawke specifically looked around the banquet hall and found Musk.

When Musk saw him, his first words were filled with excitement: "Many people have been asking me about manned spacecraft launches. They are all very interested in space travel, and some of them are even planning to visit our reusable spacecraft launch in Texas next month."

“That’s great news, very beneficial for the company’s IPO.” Hawke looked around and asked in a low voice, “Has my target fish shown no signs of taking the bait?”

This plan initially came from Hawke's wild ideas, but Musk took the lead in implementing it.

The latter shook his head slightly: "There has been no response so far, and we can't attract too much of his attention, so we can only use normal publicity methods."

Hawke didn't expect the plan to succeed either, saying, "We'll promote it according to the normal plan. If it attracts him, great; if not, we shouldn't force it."

He has also been making preparations in other areas.

As the celebration party drew to a close, someone came over to Hawke and whispered a few words to him.

Hawke gave Erica some instructions, then followed the others out of the banquet hall and into the adjacent lounge.

James Murdoch was waiting for him and asked, "Have you settled all your trade with the Indians?"

“The main agreement has been signed.” Hawke sat down next to him, recalling James’s phone call a few days ago, and asked, “Is there something very important to discuss?”

James Murdoch's expression gradually turned serious: "News Corp. has been working with your Twitter group for the past few years."

Hawke echoed his words, "That's right, we've always been close partners."

"Both I and my father are very satisfied with the cooperation between the two sides, and we have both benefited from it." All of James Murdoch's previous words were paving the way for this last sentence: "Now, someone at Fox Television wants to break the win-win cooperation model and undermine our alliance."

Hawke also had his own sources of information and had heard some rumors, so he wasn't in a hurry: "I'd like to hear more details."

James's words were aimed directly at News Corp.'s biggest rival within the company: "I have confirmed that Roger Ailes is in talks with 'Full of Stories' in preparation for acquiring the social media company, pushing Fox and News Corp. into the social media industry."

Hawke thought for a moment and said, "There's something you might not know: Roger spoke to me on the phone before contacting this media outlet."

His words were grand and dignified: "The social media market is big enough to accommodate Twitter and LinkedIn, and it can also accommodate stories."

James suddenly laughed: "But Roger certainly didn't tell you the main business strategy after the acquisition was completed."

Considering Fox News's consistent stance and Roger Ailes's personal style, Hawke had a general idea, but he deliberately said, "Roger wouldn't let this social media go down the Cthulhu route, would he?"

“How is that possible!” James shook his head and chuckled. “Within Fox Television Network, there is a well-known shortcut to advancement, which is to go to Roger’s chairman’s office.”

Hawke nodded: "I've heard about it."

James revealed the answer: "Roger intends to bring this website back to traditional values ​​and take the path of the anti-LGBTQ movement." (End of Chapter)