Chapter 55: Flying to Sydney, I Have Been Looking for You

Chapter 55: Flying to Sydney, I Have Been Looking for You

Qin Feng started the engine.

Scarlett leaned back. "Qin, just drive wherever you like. I want to go for a drive."

"All right. Take a nap if you feel tired."

The car merged onto the highway, and Qin Feng kept the speed very steady.

Before long, sleepiness crept over Scarlett, and she drifted off.

Qin Feng tapped the center console and switched to a playlist of soothing English songs.

He glanced at Scarlett and smiled slightly.

The Ford Mustang drove steadily ahead.

Half an hour later, the car stopped in the parking lot of a seafood restaurant.

Scarlett slowly woke up.

"Scarlett, you're awake."

"Mm..."

"Are you hungry? Let's go eat."

"Mm, okay."

The two got out of the car. Scarlett linked her arm through Qin Feng's, and they walked toward the restaurant.

It was an upscale establishment with three waiters stationed at the entrance.

The interior was decorated like an aquarium, featuring fish tanks of all sizes and a wide variety of seafood.

Qin Feng looked around in amazement. Some of the fish and shellfish were creatures he had never even seen before, clearly fresh catches from the deep ocean.

They ordered a rock lobster, tuna slices, a few dishes of sea urchin and shellfish, and two glasses of juice.

Qin Feng picked up his juice. "Scarlett, congratulations on wrapping up your shoot. Both I and people of all races in Los Angeles welcome your return."

Scarlett clinked her glass against his. "I don't care about people of all races. The real question is, did you miss me?"

"Of course I did!" Qin Feng took a sip. "I missed you every single day, my head's been buzzing from thinking about you so much."

"That's just called insomnia, okay?" Scarlett laughed.

Qin Feng scooped a large piece of lobster meat onto her plate.

"However, Scarlett, there is a rather inconvenient piece of news."

"What is it?"

"My movie is starting production, and our crew is heading to Australia the day after tomorrow."

"Huh? You're leaving the day after tomorrow?"

Scarlett furrowed her brows slightly. She had just returned, and now Qin Feng was about to leave.

"Yes."

"How long will you be gone?"

"We expect twenty to thirty days."

"Oh..." She thought for a moment. "It's fine. I'll go home and pack for a few days, and then I'll come to Australia to find you."

"Are you all done with your matters there?" Qin Feng asked.

"All done. I happen to be on vacation right now."

"Mm." Qin Feng nodded. "That's wonderful. We can spend a few more days exploring Australia together, though the crew will be quite busy, so I might not be by your side most of the time."

"It doesn't matter. I've never been to Australia, I can explore on my own," Scarlett said with a smile.

Hearing her words, Qin Feng's mood brightened.

"Miss Scarlett, I wish you a wonderful trip to Australia in advance!"

"Mr. Qin Feng, rest assured, with you by my side, I will definitely have a wonderful time."

The two clinked their glasses again.

...

The production crew took a chartered flight to Sydney, Australia.

Sydney, located on the southeastern coast of Australia, is the country's largest city with a population of 5 million, consisting of the Sydney urban area and 33 suburbs.

Thanks to its prominent economic development, it is hailed as the "New York" of the Southern Hemisphere.

After a 14-hour flight, the plane finally landed at Sydney Airport.

Colleagues from the location scouting department had already arrived at the airport to pick them up and arrange hotel accommodations and other related matters.

The entire crew checked into a holiday hotel in southern Sydney.

After checking in, Qin Feng summoned the heads of various departments for a meeting to discuss precautions and the upcoming schedule.

There was also a local actors' guild that could assist in recruiting background actors and handling the shoot.

The crew needed a day to rest and readjust, and if everything went smoothly, filming could begin the morning after next.

On the second day, Qin Feng, along with the head of the location scouting team and other responsible personnel, went to the city's business district to inspect the filming locations.

This area was bustling and densely packed with high-rise buildings, suitable for shooting the sequence where Neo encounters daytime peril at work before meeting Morpheus.

The parts they hadn't managed to shoot previously could now be filmed.

The locations and buildings presented no issues. The crew communicated the shooting schedule and floors with the building's management and completed the relevant paperwork.

Early on the third morning, all departments were in position.

"B036, Scene 2, Take 1! Get ready... Action!"

Neo was working in his office.

A security guard walked over, holding a document envelope. "Are you Neo?"

"Yes." Neo signed for it and took the document envelope.

After the guard left, he opened it and pulled out a mobile phone.

Close-up: the phone suddenly began to ring.

Neo was startled and answered the call. "Hello?"

A deep male voice came through:

"Hello, Neo. Do you know who I am?"

"You're Morpheus..."

"Yes. I've been looking for you."

"I want to show you something. I don't know if you're ready, but there's no time left."

"They're coming for you. I don't know what they want."

"Who's coming for me?" Neo asked in confusion.

"Stand up and see for yourself. Right now."

Neo stood up.

"Move slowly, toward the elevators!"

He stood up quietly and looked toward the elevators, where several men in black were inquiring around, seemingly looking for someone.

Suddenly, one of the men in black turned and looked in his direction. They all wore sunglasses, looking like agents.

Neo hurriedly crouched down. "Oh, damn it!"

Several agents walked over, led by Agent Smith (portrayed by Hugo Weaving).

Holding the phone, Neo felt somewhat panicked and whispered, "What do they want?"

"I'm not sure. If you don't want to find out, get out of here fast! I can guide you, but you must follow my instructions precisely."

"Okay, hurry up!"

"The cubicle opposite you is empty, go!"

Crouching low, Neo darted across to the other side.

By now, the agents had reached his former workstation, but blocked by the partition, they couldn't see him yet.

Neo pressed his back against the partition, barely daring to breathe.

The agents split up to search.

Morpheus: "Listen to my instructions. Walk to the end of this row, to the office in the corner. Move, now!"

Crouching all the way, Neo sprinted out, evading the agents.

Following the route he was given, he found the corner office and locked the door from the inside.

It was empty.

"Good. There's a window cleaner's scaffold outside," Morpheus said.

"How do you know that?" Neo asked, growing frantic.

"No time to explain. There's a window to your left, open it."

"Climb up the scaffold to the roof."

Neo opened the window and looked out. This was over twenty stories high! "No way! Are you crazy?"

"Either use the scaffold or get escorted out by them. Those are your two choices, you decide."

With that, Morpheus hung up the phone.

Neo gasped for air. "This is absurd! How did I end up in a situation like this... I didn't do anything... I'm going to die."

He hesitated for a moment, then climbed out the window.

The crew had tied him up in advance with safety ropes and a wire harness, with several staff members holding the lines tightly from inside.

Neo looked down, and it made him dizzy.

Terrified, he shrank back inside. "Damn it!"

After steadying his breathing, he inched sideways along the windowsill.

He could already see the scaffolding, but a thirty-centimeter-thick wall separated him from it, forcing him to maneuver around it through the open air.

Medium shot: A sudden gust of wind blew past. Neo failed to get a secure grip, and the phone slipped from his hand and plummeted down.

He hurriedly grabbed the wall surface, completely stunned.

"No! I can't do this!"