America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

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Not only did Thomas represent Martin in reaching an agreement with the LAPD, but Warner Television Network also struck a deal with the LAPD.

All television networks were frantically reporting on the news, yet only Warner Television Network possessed the exclusive footage.

The footage shot by Helen contained nothing unacceptable for the LAPD. For the sake of viewership and buzz, the video was deliberately edited into several parts and broadcast at different times during the TV news.

Warner Television Network could be described as utterly ruthless.

Helen, who personally hosted the program, even found the best excuse and reason: Due to the hasty escape, the DV was damaged, and technicians were working overnight to repair the storage disk.

On Warner Television Network's six o'clock evening news headline, they used this commentary—Los Angeles's Hero: Martin Davis!

The broadcasted video was of Martin rescuing people in the convenience store.

Helen teared up multiple times while personally hosting the news broadcast, thanks to the credit from the footage she had filmed on-site.

"I don't know how to thank him. Anyone who can courageously stand up to a gun barrel deserves the title of a hero. He saved sixteen of us, including me!"

There was no need for excessive praise, as Helen's footage said it all!

The four major television networks all followed suit, with rolling news channels broadcasting continuously.

Before Martin left the scene, he deliberately appeared before the media, allowing them to take pictures of him covered in blood.

Now, each of his on-site photos could sell for tens of thousands of US dollars.

Martin Davis's name spread throughout North America in an instant, as the media frantically reported.

Many European media outlets, like BBC and Sky Television, were quick to syndicate the related news. Martin's videos and images from the shooting went beyond North America, causing a massive stir in Europe as well.

Martin had contact with Helen, and that night, multiple related videos appeared on the internet.

From escaping in panic during the gunman's attack to the desperate counterattack when cornered.

The most widely circulated was the moment after Martin had escaped the danger, when picking up a gun from the ground, before rushing out of the convenience store, he looked back and said, "My brothers are out there!"

The comments on the internet could only be described as frenzied.

"That line made me cry!"

"I wish I had a brother like that!"

"For that line alone, I'll never speak ill of Martin in my life!"

The name Martin Davis topped Google's search keyword trends that night.

Countless netizens flocked to Martin's blog to leave messages.

"I saw the video on the news, and though I don't like your movies, you truly are a hero!"

"I used to think that The Hills Have Eyes blowing up the psychotic killer was just movie exaggeration, but now I know it's a true depiction of you!"

"Martin is a real hero!"

The same comments lined up for thousands of rows in the blog section, and by around ten o'clock that night, they had broken through fifty thousand.

Some cheerleaders who narrowly escaped the ordeal were interviewed as they left the school.

NBC broadcast an interview with an ordinary girl.

"We all thought we were done for. My classmate beside me was so scared that she wet her pants," the girl, with a jacket tied around her waist, resorted to typical my-classmate banter, "It was Martin who stood up! He risked hiding behind the counter closest to the gunman, disregarding his own safety to subdue the gunman. When I sneakily watched, I saw him hit the gunman's head with a cola..."

Meanwhile, NBC news channel's head of operations was calling an urgent meeting in his office, shouting at his subordinates, "I want detailed information about Martin Davis! And get in touch with him, get him on our program—not some damn entertainment show—I want him on the prime time news, the most serious news program!"

Atlanta-based CNN, they even called Kelly Gray to try to get an interview with Martin.

Over at ABC, they put their contacts to work overnight, calling Ari Emanuel at WAM.

Ari had already coordinated with Thomas. Martin was too high-profile at the moment to need specifically appearing on programs. Carelessly participating in some shows might even backfire; they directly turned down the offers.

Besides, there would surely be an official press conference from the Los Angeles authorities later on.

At ten o'clock at night in Los Angeles, Warner Television Network's evening news viewership reached a new peak, with tens of millions of viewers across America waiting in front of their TVs for the latest shooting video.

This was a segment showing Martin and two others cornered against a wall.

Since they had both reached an understanding with the LAPD, the narrative turned to Martin and the others waiting for the LAPD to come to their rescue, cooperating with the LAPD to distract the gunman.

The entire thing was a performance by Martin.

"Because I'm the Sect Hierarch of the Cola Cult, I can command cola to attack!"

This statement was broadcast across America through the television program.

In light of Martin using a glass cola bottle to smash the head of another gunman, the title of Cola Cult's Sect Hierarch was well deserved.

The news footage was quickly shared online, spreading rapidly like a virus.

The reputation of the Cola Cult was erected on the internet in just an hour.

Even though Martin maintained his silence online to avoid being interpreted, he still couldn't stop enthusiastic netizens from coming to worship the "Sect Hierarch."

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"How can I join the Cola Cult?"

At first, it was a tentative question, but later it turned into actively seeking to join.

"Sect Hierarch, please accept me into the cult!"

"I want to join the Cola Cult!"

"Begging to join the cult!"

Some even ambitiously asked, "Is there still a spot for Vice Sect Hierarch or High Priest? Can you save one for me?"

......

Due to the time difference, it was still early morning in Los Angeles, while people in Atlanta were already at work.

At the Coca-Cola headquarters, the marketing director Brody had just arrived at work when his subordinate Justin knocked on the door and entered his office.

"Boss, big news!" Justin entered holding a USB stick. "Take a look at this, there was a shooting in Los Angeles."

Brody picked up the USB drive, plugged it into a laptop and said, "Heard about it, Burbank Middle School, significant casualties."

Justin said, "Hollywood star Martin Davis, who came from Atlanta, saved more than ten people. He's amazing, he used our Coca-Cola to knock down the shooter."

Brody responded quickly, "Really? Can we leverage this for a marketing angle?"

Justin continued, "There's more, Martin Davis claims he founded a Cola Cult, calling himself Sect Hierarch..."

Brody had already started watching the video. There were two clips, one showing Martin Davis using a bottle of Coca-Cola to take down a criminal, and another of Martin using the supposed Cola Cult to distract another criminal.

The more he watched, the more fascinating it became to him, and he wondered about the existence of such a thing as the Cola Cult.

Justin waited until his superior finished watching and said, "The online reaction is explosive."

Brody opened a browser, and on Google's search page, three out of the top five trending search terms were related to yesterday's shooting, with the top two being Martin Davis and Burbank Middle School.

The Cola Cult was fifth!

Brody clicked on related links, and many web pages had comments from netizens clamoring to join the Cola Cult. He couldn't help but ask, "Is there really a Cola Cult? Or did Martin Davis just say it on the spur of the moment?"

"It's not very clear at the moment." Justin recalled something a friend had mentioned, "Since last year, there has been a rumor in Atlanta's beverage industry about someone calling himself the Cola High Priest, going around buying up Coca-Cola produced in 2003."

Brody was puzzled, "What would they want with Coca-Cola from 2003? It's all expired by now."

He shook his head, getting back on topic, "You're showing me all this because of the endorsement deal?"

Justin explained, "He is one of the outstanding young stars under 25 in Hollywood, with a North American box office of over a hundred million for movies in which he's the absolute lead. Last week, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo had announced that he will be the second lead in their new film 'Infernal Affairs'."

He pointed to the USB stick, "Besides, among the young male stars in Hollywood, who could be a better spokesperson for us than him?"

Brody had a similar opinion; Coca-Cola got a huge exposure along with the video of Martin subduing the assailant.

The Cola Cult Sect Hierarch plus Coca-Cola, a perfect match!

Justin continued, "Martin Davis hails from the birthplace of Coca-Cola! Think about it, we have so much material to work with for advertising!"

Brody thought for a moment, then said, "You're in charge of gathering information related to Martin Davis. In the upcoming meeting, I'll propose that he be the new spokesperson for Coca-Cola. With the buzz around this incident, it's very likely to pass, and your team should prepare for the related negotiations."

Justin acknowledged, "Boss, I'll handle it."

In the subsequent meeting, there was virtually no resistance, and a preliminary resolution was passed to contact Martin Davis, inviting him to be the new spokesperson for Coca-Cola.

......

After fermenting overnight, on the following day, the front pages of North America's three major newspapers—the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and Washington Post—all featured the Burbank High School incident.

The authorities intentionally controlled the narrative, with the most prominent parts of the newspapers carrying large featured images of Martin's rescue.

Mainstream media outlets downplayed the sensitive detail of the casualties, emphasizing instead, in bold and enlarged fonts, the heroics of Martin saving people.

This was a common journalistic practice in the aftermath of a tragedy.

The Los Angeles Times headline was concise and to the point: "Los Angeles' City Hero: Martin Davis!"

The New York Times headline read, "Martin Davis: He's a hero, more so than any in a Hollywood movie!"

The Washington Post went even further, "Yesterday, Martin Davis was the spirit totem of America!"

Warner Television Network's news channel kicked off the morning with a special segment on the shooting, with the eyewitness Helen becoming a sensation, specifically discussing why Martin was able to overcome the assailant.

"Every shooting incident takes innocent lives, and Burbank Middle School was no exception, but this time someone stood up, someone unexpected: Martin Davis, a Hollywood star."

"Due to a movie promotion, he just happened to be there. At the beginning of the incident, like everyone else, he was panicked. During the escape, he did not forget to remind others to flee for their lives. When cornered by the gunman, while others awaited their fate, Martin stood up."

The morning news had a very high viewership due to the shooting and Helen's story.

Helen specifically mentioned, "Martin was preparing to star in an action-shooter film adapted from the comic 'Wanted Order', and had undergone extensive firearms training to better portray the lead character. It was precisely this rigorous training that allowed Martin to fight back and subdue the criminal in a desperate situation!"

Countless people remembered 'Wanted Order'.