Chapter 57: A Mighty Massacre! An Absolutely Shocking Gunfight

Chapter 57: A Rampage of Destruction! An Absolutely Breathtaking Gunfight

Qin Feng thought for a moment and nodded. "Very well, since Mr. Jackman has requested it, observing is not a problem."

"Today, we are mainly shooting an action sequence in the lobby, where the male and female leads find themselves surrounded and go on an absolute rampage."

Ahead of them stood an abandoned three-story building, though only the ground floor would be used for filming.

The set design crew had previously redecorated the ground floor, and the pyrotechnics team had planted small explosive charges at the designated locations.

Upon hearing this, Hugh Jackman immediately grew interested. "That's wonderful! I certainly picked the right time to visit!"

Qin Feng said, "Keanu, Carrie, please go touch up your makeup and get harnessed into your wires. We will resume shooting shortly."

"Understood."

"Got it, Director Qin."

Qin Feng sat back down in front of the monitor and picked up the walkie-talkie. "Attention all departments! Pyrotechnics team, watch the charges. Safety must always come first."

Hugh Jackman pulled over a chair and sat behind Qin Feng to watch.

"Props team, please double-check the prop firearms."

"Makeup artists, touch up Keanu and Carrie."

"Mr. Collin, the upcoming action sequence is crucial. Please check the wires thoroughly."

As soon as he finished speaking, the walkie-talkie crackled with responses:

"OK." "Received." "Understood."

Ten minutes later.

"B042, Scene 2, Take 3! Get ready... Action!"

The ground floor lobby of the building.

Agents and security guards stood on high alert, guarding the area closely.

A close-up shot: the revolving door slowly turned, and Neo walked in.

The camera panned up. He was dressed in a long black trench coat and sunglasses, looking incredibly dashing, and carrying a long duffel bag in his hand.

He placed the duffel bag onto the security scanner.

A security guard approached to pat him down. "Please remove all metal objects from your person."

Neo opened his trench coat, revealing various firearms strapped all over his body.

The guard was utterly shocked. "What the hell—!"

Bang! Neo struck him with the palm of his hand, sending him flying.

A medium shot: the guards on either side were dumbfounded.

Neo swiftly drew two guns and opened fire in both directions!

One guard collapsed to the ground, then frantically scrambled back up to dial a phone. "Backup! Requesting backup!"

Cutting to another angle, Trinity walked in.

She was also dressed in black with sunglasses, looking heroic and fierce. With just two shots, she took down a guard.

She picked up the duffel bag and joined Neo.

At that moment, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the space.

More than a dozen heavily armed soldiers rushed out from inside the building, holding assault rifles and taking cover as they advanced.

Their gun barrels all pointed directly at the pair. "Don't move!"

Neo and Trinity exchanged glances, split to the left and right, and opened fire simultaneously.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

For a moment, the lobby was filled with the continuous roar of gunfire and a barrage of bullets!

Bullets struck the pillars, walls, and floor on both sides, kicking up countless fragments of stone and plumes of dust.

These effects were entirely produced by small explosive charges handled exclusively by the pyrotechnics crew.

A close-up shot: Neo swiftly swapped to a pair of new guns.

During the filming process, the cameras paused for a brief moment.

Crew members checked the props and explosive charges.

The cinematographer adjusted the lenses.

Ten minutes later, "Action!"

Suspended by wires, Trinity kicked off the wall, spinning mid-air as bullets whizzed past her.

This sequence was all about sheer coolness!

Taking advantage of the soldiers' pause to reload, Trinity surged forward from the side, unleashing a ferocious flurry of kicks that knocked two soldiers unconscious.

Just then, Neo burst out from behind a pillar, dual-wielding and firing simultaneously, tongues of flame spitting from the barrels.

Crack, crack, crack!

A close-up in slow motion: spent bullet casings rained down onto the floor.

These were all props used to build the atmosphere.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

The small explosive charges embedded in the surrounding pillars went off one after another. Dirt and stone blasted apart, with debris flying everywhere, maximizing the visual impact.

Neo sprinted between the concrete pillars.

With a side cartwheel, he scooped up a firearm from the ground.

Throughout all the action sequences, neither of the two lead actors used stunt doubles.

Filming continued for another two hours or so.

Today's schedule was finally finished.

The lobby was left in absolute shambles.

Fortunately, this building was slated for demolition soon anyway.

Qin Feng let out a breath. "Everyone, you've worked hard!"

"Please thoroughly check the props and explosive charges. We have to continue tomorrow."

Sitting behind them, Hugh Jackman was utterly dumbfounded.

Although the action sequence he had just witnessed consisted entirely of gunplay, it was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

"Oh, my God! That was explosive!"

"Keanu and Carrie were so cool just now!"

Qin Feng turned around with a smile. "This wouldn't have been possible without everyone's hard work. Whether it's the pyrotechnics team, the props department, the martial arts choreographers, or the stunt actors, we've actually been rehearsing for this single scene for quite a long time."

"It's incredible, Director Qin!" Hugh Jackman stood up and applauded enthusiastically. "You've completely opened my eyes!"

Seeing that it was getting late, he added, "I'm so glad I came today, Director Qin. Thank you for allowing me to visit, but I must be going now."

Qin Feng stood up as well. "Alright, I'll walk you out."

Hugh Jackman waved goodbye to Keanu in the distance and started heading toward the exit.

"It was truly breathtaking. I am so looking forward to seeing this movie in theaters."

He continued to express his amazement.

Qin Feng gave a faint smile, then seemed to remember something. "Mr. Jackman, there's someone I'd like to ask you about."

"Oh? Who is it?"

"Do you happen to know Mr. Geoffrey Rush?"

He needed to start preparing for his next film.

Now that he had already met Johnny Depp, since he was in Australia, he should also inquire about Geoffrey Rush, who was an Australian actor.

He was, after all, the absolute best choice to play Captain Barbossa in *Pirates of the Caribbean*.

"I do. He should still be in Australia right now."

"Really? Do you happen to have his contact information? I need to speak with him about something."

"I do, let me look for it..."

"By the way, Director Qin, let's exchange phone numbers as well."

He flipped through his phone and found a phone number.

Qin Feng noted it down in his own phone.

"That's fantastic, thank you so much."

"Not at all, Director Qin. Feel free to reach out whenever you need anything."

"Yes, definitely."

The two men bid each other farewell.

After seeing Wolverine off, Qin Feng returned to the set.

The ground floor lobby was currently impassable, but since filming had to resume the following day, he could only ask the crew to clean up briefly.

Qin Feng spotted Ray Park—wait, Zou Zonglong (Collin Chou). "Mr. Chou, your scenes are tomorrow. You'll be playing the Oracle's protector, fighting a bunch of agents to cover the Oracle's evacuation."

Collin Chou flashed an OK sign. "Got it, Director Qin."

...

The lobby scenes were filmed over three days, with every single day kept on a tight schedule.

On the afternoon of the third day, Carrie-Anne Moss accidentally injured her foot. She stepped into a pile of rubble, causing her foot to bleed and swell up significantly.

The on-set doctor immediately rushed over to apply first aid and ice.

Trinity's action sequence was almost finished, so she gritted her teeth against the intense pain and insisted on completing the shoot.

The moment it finally wrapped up, Keanu Reeves hurried over and immediately steadied her.

Qin Feng walked onto the set and asked with concern, "Carrie, is your foot alright? I'll have someone take you to the hospital."

Sweat beaded on Carrie-Anne Moss's forehead, but she offered a faint smile. "I'm fine, Director... I can still fight."

The doctor intervened, "You cannot continue filming! You need to go to the hospital immediately!"

Qin Feng nodded. "Carrie, we've shot more than enough footage here; we have more than enough to work with. Getting you to the hospital comes first."

He then called over two female staff members and the on-set doctor to accompany her to a nearby hospital.

Watching them leave, Keanu Reeves looked deeply worried. "Director, now that Carrie is injured, what should we do next?"

"Don't worry..."

Qin Feng sighed. "We'll just adjust the schedule and shoot out of order. Let's film Morpheus being tortured."