Chapter 7: Armed Robbery

With this police receiver, Murphy can receive similar messages, select the types he wants, and then rush over to take photographs

On the other hand, after returning to the dilapidated apartment in the early hours of the morning, Murphy would first take a nap. After waking up in the afternoon, he would refine his script or check public job advertisements, leaving no stone unturned in his pursuit of any opportunity that could genuinely lead him into Hollywood

At this point, Murphy had basically abandoned the idea of quickly achieving success through scripts, and his resolve to move forward step by step with a down-to-earth approach became increasingly firm

The voice that came through the receiver was very polite and calm, "Sir, we will contact you after we have reviewed your script"

Nearly a month after his release from prison, Murphy successfully resolved his basic survival issues, but entering Hollywood still remained at the level of a dream

Even though he knew that the chances of selling the new script by the newcomer were infinitely low, Murphy did not give up hope

Just as Murphy pressed the accelerator and the car was just beginning to pick up speed, a hurried female voice suddenly came through the police receiver in the vehicle

Thank you for your support of 20th Century Fox

Upon hearing this, Murphy did not hesitate for a moment, immediately slammed on the brakes, and turned the car around, speeding back down the road at a much faster pace than before.

Although Santa Monica is home to many Hollywood stars, such fortunate encounters are not something one experiences every day. Murphy made a round without any success and had no choice but to leave and try his luck in the Santa Monica Valley.

Whenever an emergency occurs, this police receiver can capture every public communication from the Los Angeles Police Department

Starting the car, Murphy drove towards the San Monica Valley. The public safety in the United States is indeed poor, but that is primarily in the downtown areas. In affluent elite areas like Santa Monica and West Hollywood, the attention and deployment of police forces are significantly better than in Latino or African American communities

Gripping the steering wheel, Murphy incessantly muttered to himself in the car, hoping that something unexpected or violent would soon occur in this quiet residential area, so that he could capture something of value, at the very least to cover the cost of gas for tonight.

Furthermore, he printed multiple copies of the two polished scripts and mailed them to the six major Hollywood studios, as well as dozens of other large and small film companies and studios. As a result, there were no significant surprises; he has not received any responses for the time being

Having purchased this second-hand Ford, the cost of modifying the passenger seat camera mount, along with hiring a lawyer for himself, has left Murphy with very little money. When one is financially constrained, aspirations tend to diminish. In his situation, the most pressing concern is undoubtedly to quickly earn some money again to avoid depleting his resources.

Perhaps it is a turn of fortune, or perhaps a job that does not require him to consider the opinions of others suits him better. Murphy's work life over the past ten days has been significantly smoother than before, having filmed nearly twenty videos related to car accidents, fires, and brawls, most of which were successfully sold to Channel 6 of Fox Los Angeles.

In August, Los Angeles is dry and hot; even when the sun has already shifted over the ocean, the temperature remains frighteningly high. Murphy parked the car beside the Santa Monica Boulevard, and the sea breeze flowed in through the open window, bringing a rare touch of coolness

In addition, Murphy has auditioned for several film crews, but none of the outcomes were particularly favorable. His history of causing issues with a British director and his prior criminal record have made these film crews hesitant to employ him.

Murphy couldn't help but step on the gas, preparing to go over there. After all, it wasn't very far from the map. If he got there in time, he might capture some valuable footage, at least enough to cover his fuel costs.

As night deepens, this is the bustling Santa Monica. The flow of traffic on the streets not only shows no signs of decreasing but rather trends towards an increase. Murphy also made a special trip to stroll through the streets lined with bars and nightclubs, hoping to encounter some luck and witness incidents involving Hollywood stars engaging in drunken antics.

The Ford sedan sped east along Seventh Street in Santa Monica, with Murphy's eyes fixed ahead, his ears constantly picking up every sound emitted by the police receiver. Perhaps his recent streak of good luck had run out, as he circled around Santa Monica without encountering any information worth rushing to capture.

The security in affluent areas continues to improve, while the security in slums is deteriorating. This is the understanding that Murphy has derived from firsthand experience

Unlike the busy tone from ten minutes ago, a formulaic voice emerged, "This is the editorial department of 20th Century Fox."

Since the sale of the first segment of the video, Murphy has spent most of his working hours circulating in affluent areas relatively close to the seaside and valleys, and even when there are emergencies in the city center, he rarely rushes over

That former colleague can be considered a thoughtful person, as the laptop meticulously recorded the types of police codes used by the Los Angeles Police Department and their meanings

The sun finally sank into the sea. After a simple dinner outside, Murphy returned to the car and turned on the police receiver. As in the past few days, he sifted through the police signals for useful information. However, tonight luck was not on his side; even after it was completely dark, he had not obtained any valuable clues.

However, news from slums holds little value unless there are large-scale gang conflicts or serial murders. The general public enjoys witnessing the misfortunes of elites or the wealthy, reflecting an anti-elite culture and mentality, which is the same in North America as in any other country in the world

All units located at 17 Bill Road, Valley District, Santa Monica, have reported a 211 incident! I repeat, this is a 211 incident ... ...

The Ford sedan was like a black lightning bolt, and Murphy, who was driving, was not only spirited but also evidently a bit excited

For example, incident 148 represents refusal to arrest, incident 187 represents homicide, incident 211 represents armed robbery, and so on

In the following half month, Murphy quit his job at the auto repair shop, and his life was divided into two parts. After dinner, he would set out in his car with a handheld camera and a police scanner, driving around West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and near Santa Monica, searching for any valuable news leads. Whenever he received useful information from the police scanner, he would rush to the scene as quickly as possible to capture footage. Murphy's previous familiarity with the entire Los Angeles area played an extremely important role.

The person just now didn't even ask for the name of the script he submitted

The improvement of public safety in affluent areas has led to a decrease in the frequency of such news appearing on television, yet it also highlights the value of Murphy's work, as scarcity is what drives high prices.

I apologize for the interruption, I am a screenwriter. Murphy stated as simply as possible, "My name is Murphy Stanton, I am a screenwriter, and I submitted a script to your company. I would like to inquire about the results of your review."

With a relatively stable source of income, Murphy's first action was to repay his debts, returning the car, the borrowed mobile phone, and the dollars in full to Ross. He then purchased corresponding substitutes from the second-hand market, particularly a second-hand Ford sedan, in which he specially modified a mount for a camera on the front passenger seat to enable filming while driving

The distance from Bill Road to the main road he is driving on is not far, with only three intersections in between

The phone was thrown onto the passenger seat, and Murphy felt somewhat displeased, "Why do all movie companies do this?"

In particular, he was exceptionally lucky to have captured a video of Madonna Ciccone dating British director Guy Ritchie in West Hollywood, which was introduced by Carla and sold to Fox Television's entertainment channel, earning him a total of three thousand dollars

Hello

The 211 incident signifies armed robbery; if he remembers correctly, the residents near Bill Road in the Valley District are all very wealthy people

He slept until the afternoon, went downstairs to casually buy some fast food to solve the problem of eating, and returned to the dilapidated building. Sitting in front of his laptop, he focused intently on typing away at the keyboard, continuing to refine the script he had been working on for a long time.

After reviewing the police codes and studying the usage of the police receiver for a while, Murphy could no longer resist the urge to fight his drowsiness and went to another room to sleep

The residents of the Santa Monica Valley are all affluent individuals, and for those engaged in professions like Murphy's, purchasing property here is out of the question in the short term

Without connections, without money, without fame, and without any tangible capital, even for someone with such a unique background, the difficulty of shining in the incredibly pragmatic realm of Hollywood within a short period of time is beyond epic proportions

When Murphy returned home, a hint of fish belly white had already appeared in the eastern sky, yet he felt no drowsiness. He went to his workspace, opened his laptop, and took out the police receiver he had retrieved from the car. He began to browse through the user manual stored on his computer, as well as the police codes of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Murphy drove slowly along the main road, and the entire valley area appeared unusually quiet. While ordinary people might appreciate this tranquility, he did not.

What kind of high price can be fetched for news about armed robberies of extremely wealthy individuals

Hurry up and let something happen, even if it is a burglary.

Things did not go as hoped. It was not until we were about to drive out of the San Monica Valley that the police receiver had not transmitted any valuable clues. Instead, in the West Hollywood area, a vehicle had crashed into a streetlight, prompting the police command center to summon nearby patrol cars to hurry over.

Murphy wanted to say something else, but the other party politely responded with a couple more sentences before hanging up the phone

For instance, in the case of the car accident last night, if someone had called the police at that time, the police control platform would have contacted the nearest officers via the vehicle-mounted receiver, enabling them to arrive at the scene as quickly as possible

The memory left by the previous Murphy told him that in order to make money through the profession of a freelance journalist, this is an indispensable tool

After checking the time, Murphy picked up the phone again and dialed a number.

However, the police often use codes that are incomprehensible to those who do not understand them

A script by a newcomer has attracted countless individuals and companies vying for it; is there a more ridiculous joke than this

Today, Murphy, who has been feeling somewhat anxious lately, made calls to several film companies. The responses he received were largely similar to those he had just heard; the person answering the phone was very polite, and their words sounded like a routine procedure

Here we go again

Watching the sun draw closer to the horizon in the west, Murphy let out a long sigh, essentially concluding that the path of submitting scripts was highly unreliable. The chances of a newcomer being assigned a new script were no greater than winning several million dollars in the lottery.