Opening the door, Marquita was scared out of his wits. Half his soul seemed to have left his body when he saw the corpses of the twin girls, now cold and lifeless, lying beside the bizarre props. On the bed, Ned Weiss lay motionless, as if he were dead.
Trembling, Marquita stepped forward to check for any signs of breath, only to confirm that Ned Weiss was indeed dead. The strangulation marks on his neck were clear, with a small whip lying nearby. The cause was obvious—Ned Weiss had been murdered by the twin girls.
Panic set in immediately. The significance of Ned Weiss in the Squid World was beyond question. A man of such high status dying in his private club could trigger unimaginable consequences. Marquita decided to keep it under wraps—he couldn't let it be known that Ned Weiss had been murdered. He quickly arranged for the disposal of the girls' bodies and hastily ended the party.
To those inside, he claimed that Ned Weiss had played too hard, and his heart couldn't handle the excitement. To the public, he fabricated a different story: Ned Weiss had been engaged in academic exchanges at New York University, overworked and sleep-deprived, leading to a fatal heart attack.
But that wasn't all. Marquita owned a private hospital, where he placed Ned Weiss's body. Under the influence of certain people and at the request of Ned Weiss's family, the hospital issued a medical report. However, that report was a forgery—it stated that Ned Weiss had died of a heart attack, omitting the fact that he had actually been strangled to death.
While this preserved Ned Weiss's dignity, a select few insiders knew that he had died indulging in extreme games. However, only a handful of others were aware that it was, in fact, a murder.
The death of Ned Weiss sent shockwaves through the entire Squid World. His body was sent back home, but someone had to take responsibility for what had happened. Marquita had to part with two-thirds of his fortune just to smooth things over.
Meanwhile, Gilbert Landrini Sr the one who had arranged for Nedvis to have the twin girls—became the target of Marquita's resentment. Adding to that, Gilbert Sr had previously engaged in several disgraceful acts. Now, with old grudges and new hatreds combined, the reckoning came swiftly. Gilbert Landrini Sr soon found himself unable to survive in Hollywood and was forced to announce his exit.
But the storm wasn't over yet. Other members of the Squid World who had some knowledge of the events were swayed by Marquita and turned against the Landrini family.
It was during that time that Gilbert's mother lost her life.
Then, on the night of the 1984 NBA Draft, when Michael Jordan was selected by the Chicago Bulls, Marquita was found dead in his Los Angeles estate.
The autopsy report ruled it a suicide. However, one detail was left out—he had been shot in the back of the head, with the bullet exiting through his forehead.
Marquita had failed to escape his fate and ended up dead, without fully understanding how it had all unraveled.
Gilbert Landrini Sr, however, narrowly avoided the same fate. He was deemed a scapegoat. The higher-ups decided that while he was at fault, his sins were not severe enough to warrant death.
Besides, he had already paid the price—his career was ruined, and the woman who had given birth to his only son was gone. That was punishment enough.
Another key factor in his survival was that the old man never knew the full truth of Ned Weiss's death. He had always believed the official story—that Nedvis had simply pushed himself too far.
It wasn't until Marquita's own demise that the old man realized there was more to the story. There were deeper secrets, hidden truths. But he dared not investigate. He dared not even speculate. From that moment on, he chose to live cautiously.
Later, Nate was informed of the truth by those in the know. He understood that if he failed to complete his task, he would likely end up just like Marquita.
This was the past that the old man had kept from Gilbert. In his mind, these were the entanglements of the previous generation—burdens he didn't want Gilbert to carry.
But now, with Nate uncovering these hidden truths, the past was being dragged back into the present. And someone had come all the way to China to issue a warning.
"Do you remember what happened in 1979?" the visitor asked bluntly. "If you don't want to end up like Marquita, then tell your son to go to the island and join us."
The old man was shaken to his core. The details of that incident were known to fewer than five people.
For someone to bring it up now—no matter their status in the Squid World—it was a chilling sign.
The old man was momentarily stunned, but he quickly regained his composure. "You wouldn't dare spread this matter everywhere. It would be a massive blow to the Squid World."
"Of course, we won't publicize it. We just need to let the higher-ups know." The visitor smiled and said, "Your son has already displeased us. He refuses to attend any gatherings, and I heard he only donated five hundred dollars for ice cream.
This has made the big figures very unhappy. Extremely unhappy."
The old man defended, "Gilbert is a liberal. He doesn't agree with your theories. Why can't you just leave him alone and let him make his films in peace?"
"Hmph!" The visitor snorted. "You're still so naive. If Gilbert were just an ordinary person, it wouldn't matter whether he was a liberal or not.
But the problem is that he has enormous influence. The Three Letters need his influence."
The old man felt a sense of despair. After the visitor left, he immediately called Gilbert and explained everything in full detail.
To his surprise, Gilbert didn't care at all. "They want to threaten me? Let them try. I'm not afraid."
"Oh?" Hearing his son's fearless tone, the old man tried to persuade him, "These are powerful people. They control significant forces and have deep connections. What if they launch an all-out attack against you?"
"Don't worry," Gilbert sounded as confident as ever. "Times have changed, old man. Their winner-takes-all mentality no longer applies in the 21st century.
Just watch. They won't, and they don't dare, use this matter to blackmail us."
Although the old man was still worried, seeing his son's unwavering confidence put him somewhat at ease. He continued to hide in China, still refusing to return.
Meanwhile, Gilbert met with Nate's group again at the Twin Towers. This time, Nate's tone was much firmer as he extended another invitation for Gilbert to come to the island and join them.
He also made it clear that the consequences of refusal would be severe.
Gilbert, however, burst into laughter. "Are you talking about the Ned Weiss incident?"
Nate was stunned. "You know?"
"Of course, I know. My father told me everything. I must say, you guys are truly twisted. You even have the stomach for such young girls." Gilbert's tone alone was enough to irritate Nate.
But he wasn't done. "No chest, no curves, no skills whatsoever. What's the point? Are all the big shots into such perverted hobbies?
The most ridiculous thing is that you went too far and ended up playing yourself to death.
Didn't my father give up his turn to Ned Weiss? What crime did he commit?"
Nate breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Gilbert didn't know that Ned Weiss had actually been murdered.
But in a way, that was good too. So Nate sneered, "Since you understand, you should know what would happen if I spread the word about what your father did."
Gilbert didn't get angry. Instead, he laughed. "Perfect. I've been annoyed with the old man for a long time. Go ahead and spread the word. I'll even help you. I own shares in several media outlets and can push the news online."
Nate was caught off guard. "Aren't you afraid the Landrini family will be ruined?"
"Why should I be afraid? I didn't do anything. Why would I care?" Gilbert looked completely indifferent.
After all, he was just someone who came into the family halfway. He wasn't even truly named Landrini.
He only gave the old man respect because the man had helped him a lot in the early days of his career. But he wasn't his real father.
Nate never expected Gilbert to be so ruthless—even indifferent to his own father's reputation.
Gilbert then changed the subject. "Go ahead and expose it. I bet you won't dare let the public know all the details. But I will. I'll tell the whole world exactly what kind of filthy people you are.
I might even make a movie about it, so the entire world can see what you truly are.
You can silence one or two voices, but can you silence millions of people?"
"You—"
"What, you?" Gilbert's tone softened, as if he were an elder giving a heartfelt lecture to a junior.
"You people, you don't read enough. You call yourselves God's chosen people, yet you have no wisdom."
Nate's face turned red with anger. He already had a bad temper, but since they were on Gilbert's turf, he didn't dare act rashly.
But Gilbert wasn't finished. "Have you read Romance of the Three Kingdoms?"
Seeing Nate's confused expression, Gilbert wasn't surprised. "Of course, you haven't. No culture. Not even familiar with Three Kingdoms. There's a story in it about Liu Bei visiting Zhuge Liang's home three times, humbling himself to gain his support.
And you guys? You show up with an arrogant attitude, demanding that I join you—or else.
Who do you think you are? No respect at all, yet you call yourselves God's children.
If God saw the kind of people you've become and the crimes you've committed, He would've punished you a long time ago."
Gilbert's words made Nate's face turn red and then pale. He hadn't expected such sharp verbal attacks.
What Nate didn't realize was that in their world, power determined the narrative. Everyone had dirt on their hands, so the side with more influence usually won.
But Gilbert wasn't one of them. He was a regular person, which automatically put him in the morally superior position. That stripped Nate of his usual justification.
Unless they smeared Gilbert's reputation the way they did with Michael Jackson or took him out physically, there was nothing they could do.
But taking him out wasn't an option. Markita had been taken out because he had committed an unforgivable sin—indirectly causing Nedvis's death and then covering it up.
What crime had Gilbert committed? None. He was innocent.
If they could physically eliminate even someone like Gilbert, that would set a dangerous precedent. It would mean that anyone could use such tactics. Why bother with wealth and connections when a single bullet could do the job?
And that thought terrified the big figures on the island. No matter how powerful they were, they were still human. And humans could die.
They weren't mythical beings—just ordinary mortals wrapped in an illusion of invincibility.
With threats proving ineffective, Nate quickly reported back. When the big figures heard about Gilbert's arrogance, they were furious. If they didn't teach him a lesson, no one would take them seriously anymore.
Just then, a letter arrived from Gilbert.
It read:
"The situation has escalated to this point, perhaps due to some misunderstandings. I don't want to see it continue. If we had started with a respectful discussion, we wouldn't be here now.
I hope we can sit down calmly and talk openly, free from threats or temptations.
We are all children of God. We shouldn't hold prejudices against one another…"
The letter continued for quite a while, but its main point was clear—he proposed a meeting on the night of September 10th, at the top of the Twin Towers in New York.
This was his way of showing strength. It forced them to take him seriously and drop their arrogance.
"Nate, Gilbert is right. We can't act superior with him. He's different from others. We need to be more respectful this time." One of the big figures said.
Nate nodded. "Don't worry. I've figured out his temperament. He responds better to kindness than threats. This time, I'll make sure we get results."
"Good. Go."
After Nate and Marvell left, the big figures had a private discussion.
"Should we tell Nate about that matter?"
"No, we shouldn't. The liberals are already unhappy. If we take down Gilbert, they'll be furious.
Right now, we need unity. We can't afford internal conflicts."
"What about Gilbert? Should we warn him? Tell him not to go to the tower?"
After some thought, the leader replied, "Gilbert must not die there. Steven and George are old. The future belongs to Gilbert.
Let's use Nate's life to save Gilbert's. Besides, Nate knows too much. He needs to die, and his name will be honored. It's a fitting end."
Why did knowing the truth about Ned Weiss's murder mean death? There were deeper reasons—ones that couldn't be spoken.
With a few words, Nate's fate was sealed. He was discarded, a sacrifice to appease the liberals.
But the real question remained—would Gilbert join them and become a devil, or would he continue making films in peace?
It all came down to this final meeting.
(A/N "Sigh, my writing state is terrible. I feel like what I wrote is a pile of crap. What should I do?")
[T/N: That's what he said]
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