45-46

Chapter 45: TV Series Filming

  *Knock, knock!*

Detective Zhou stepped out of the "John Charlie" restaurant.

He glanced around briefly before approaching a black car parked nearby. Tapping on the window, he asked, “So, did you find anything out?”

The window rolled down, revealing a man with tanned skin and a hooked nose. His thick curry-accented voice replied, “Did you get any information?”

“It seems like he’s just an ordinary guy who happened to be at the scene of the incident,” Detective Zhou shook his head at his Indian colleague’s question.

“He’s no ordinary person.”

“Do you know how much one of his Hollywood movies made at the box office?”

“Over $200 million—faster than any bank heist!”

“When will I ever earn that kind of money? The FBI hasn’t raised salaries in years! We do the most dangerous jobs, but the department won’t even give us a proper casework bonus…”

Listening to his colleague’s relentless complaints, Detective Zhou kept his usual silence, unbothered by the rant.

His gaze fell on the cross in his colleague’s hand, and he raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“I thought you were a Hindu? What’s this about?”

“Who can guarantee those creatures respect Lord Vishnu?”

Without a hint of embarrassment, the Indian agent held up the cross and offered a prayer. Then, from the passenger seat, he pulled out a collection of religious pendants, praying to each in turn.

“Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your Kingdom come…”

“La ilaha illallah, Muhammadur rasulullah…”

“Guan Shi... Yin Pu... Sa... Bao You… Guan Shi... Yin Pu... Sa... Bao You...”

“Infinite... Longevity... Infinite Longevity…”

“If God hears your prayers, the first thing He’ll do is punish you,” Detective Zhou muttered as he shook his head, bemused by the religious spectacle.

---

*Inside the "John Charlie" restaurant.*

As the self-proclaimed FBI agent left, Allen forked a piece of slightly cooled beef into his mouth.

His alibi was rock solid—so solid that even the FBI couldn’t find a flaw.

For now, the FBI might still have the luxury to investigate every suspicious individual involved in supernatural incidents, searching for any clues.

But when such events became frequent and undeniable—when they appeared before the eyes of ordinary people worldwide—what would the FBI do then?

Finishing the last piece of smoked meat on his plate, Allen wiped the sauce from the corner of his mouth with a napkin and left the prepared payment and tip on the table.

“John, hurry up!”

“Mr. Allen is ready to leave,” Charlie, who had been observing the dining area, called out to the kitchen.

“Coming.”

“For table nine.”

With a grunt, John, a burly man, brought out a platter of steak. He rang the service bell at the counter, signaling to the staff before wiping his hands on his apron.

“Mr. Allen,”

Charlie, smiling awkwardly yet politely, dragged the burly chef to Allen’s table.

“We hope you were satisfied with the meal.”

“It was excellent—smoked beef like this is hard to find in Los Angeles,” Allen replied, glancing at the mismatched duo.

Hearing the compliment, Charlie and John exchanged a pleased look.

“Well, Mr. Allen,” Charlie began cautiously, holding up a camera.

“Would it be possible to take a photo with you? I promise it will only hang here in the restaurant.”

Allen agreed readily, and under the guidance of a staff member, he stood between the two for the photo.

As the camera lens focused on him, his thoughts drifted elsewhere.

Being a celebrated Hollywood figure and adored by fans—it wasn’t a bad feeling.

---

*Los Angeles, a temporary filming set.*

A man and a woman sat on a couch, speaking to the camera as if being interviewed.

“I was almost a total delinquent growing up…”

The woman turned to her husband with a helpless smile. Dressed like a typical housewife, she shook her head and addressed the camera again, “I just don’t want my kids to make the same mistakes I did. As long as Haley doesn’t wake up hungover on a Florida beach, I’ll consider my mission accomplished.”

“Our mission,” the husband corrected her.

“Right,” she replied flatly before continuing, “our mission.”

“Cut!”

The director watched the performance closely through the monitor before shouting the command and swiftly moving on to the next scene.

The tight shooting schedule for the first episode of the series left little room for error, especially with so many child actors involved. Every planned scene had to be completed on time, or risk repercussions from both the Actors Guild and child protection agencies.

---

In another filming area on set, Allen observed a scene involving two actors with a noticeable age gap.

Unlike typical American TV shows, Modern Family didn’t have a single protagonist. This mockumentary-style series avoided focusing on one character to prevent uneven storytelling and awkward pacing.

The documentary-style lens acted as the audience’s eyes—constantly shifting perspectives and weaving small stories together.

This narrative technique was what made Modern Family stand out as a mockumentary. The post-production editors handled the task of piecing together the storylines, while the crew shot scenes separately for each of the three families in the script.

As the show’s writer, Allen naturally chose one group to follow during filming.

Why Gloria’s group, you ask?

Well… no particular reason. Really.

---

*Chapter 46: Reaction*

The filming of the first episode of Modern Family was an intense endeavor.

Not only did the production team need to work quickly and efficiently, but they also had to ensure the quality of the episode, leaving no room for major mistakes.

The success or failure of this episode often determines whether the entire show survives or not.

If the episode succeeds, everyone rejoices.

If it fails, all the effort put in by the crew goes to waste.

Fortunately, Universal was well-versed in the TV network's procedures.

All the necessary public relations work had already begun as soon as they obtained the Modern Family script from Allen.

CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) explicitly declined interest, citing their experience with two single-camera sitcoms, Hollywood Laughs Apartment and The Unlucky Son-in-Law, both of which failed to last beyond a single season. They weren’t ready to invest in another large-scale production.

Meanwhile, NBC (National Broadcasting Company) already had two similar mockumentary-style sitcoms, The Office and Parks and Recreation, and wasn’t interested in adding another show of the same genre until those had run their course.

However, ABC (American Broadcasting Company) expressed interest in the Modern Family script and purchased the first episode for $350,000 from Allen.

ABC's willingness to pay such a high price stemmed from Allen’s rising fame in Hollywood. While his experience in television was limited to working on sitcoms in the past, his success with two blockbuster movies made ABC cautious about offering too low a price.

Additionally, Universal’s legal team ensured that ABC wouldn’t get away with a lowball offer.

After negotiations, both sides settled on $350,000—a price that wasn’t the highest but was acceptable to both parties.

For Allen, securing a higher copyright fee was naturally a welcome outcome.

---

Meanwhile, on the set of Modern Family, Allen was deeply engrossed in overseeing the shoot.

At the same time, all the details of the recent werewolf incident in the forested Devil’s River region of Texas were being swiftly relayed to the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, D.C.

“Can someone explain this to me?”

At FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., Director Robert Mueller glared at the gathered department heads, his tone stern.

“Ladies and gentlemen, how am I supposed to explain what happened in Texas to the President of the United States?”

“Werewolves and demon hunters were spotted in Texas. This isn’t a scene from a movie; it happened in real life.”

The department heads exchanged uneasy glances before the head of the Forensics Division, an African American official, finally spoke up.

“Maybe you could just tell the President directly, sir.”

“Do you think I don’t know I have to report this to the President?”

Director Mueller’s sharp gaze fixed on the speaker. If it weren’t for the person’s politically advantageous background, his words might have been far harsher. Taking a deep breath, Mueller asked, “What about follow-up investigations? Are there any leads on the demon hunter or the missing werewolf?”

“We’ve deployed numerous agents from field offices and local branches to search for both, but so far, no clues have surfaced,” said the head of the Criminal Investigation Division, shaking his head in frustration.

“As for supernatural forces like demon hunters, the FBI has no prior experience handling such cases. We don’t even know where to start looking for them.”

“What about the Church?” Mueller asked.

“If there are demon hunters and werewolves, shouldn’t the Church know something about them?”

“We’ve sent agents to various churches across the region, but unfortunately, most priests seem unaware of demon hunters and werewolves—except in the context of movies and TV shows.”

Priests learning about werewolves from movies—such a notion might have amused Robert Mueller in the past.

But not today.

Sitting in the FBI’s conference room, he felt a throbbing headache and even began to regret accepting the position of FBI Director.

“Perhaps we should call the Vatican and ask the Pope?”

Mueller’s sharp eyes once again locked onto the Forensics Division head, whose suggestion he found ludicrous. Suppressing his growing irritation, he gritted his teeth and replied,

“Then tell me, Minister James, how should I phrase the question? Should I ask, ‘Your Holiness, what are your thoughts on werewolves?’ or ‘Is the Church secretly hiding knowledge of supernatural forces, and if so, why hasn’t it been shared with the world?’

“We’re the FBI, not a tabloid news outlet.

“Even if the Church knows something, they won’t divulge it to us willingly. This Pope, in particular, is far more ambitious than people realize.”

Mueller rejected one proposal after another, and the atmosphere in the room grew tense and silent. Everyone knew that speaking up now would only invite the Director’s wrath.

Surveying the room, Mueller collected his thoughts. While he wasn’t entirely disappointed in the meeting, he understood that supernatural entities like werewolves and demon hunters were unprecedented challenges for the FBI.

Taking another deep breath, he addressed the room, “From now on, all phenomena related to demon hunters and werewolves are to be classified as top-secret. Any unauthorized attempts to access related files will be thoroughly investigated.

“I will report everything to the new President at the White House. Pending presidential authorization, we will establish a specialized unit dedicated to investigating supernatural cases.

“This new department will initially be on par with existing divisions and directly answerable to the federal government. It will have nationwide jurisdiction and investigative authority across state lines.

“To prepare for any potential crises, members of this department will be selected from top FBI agents and exemplary local law enforcement officers. We need not only brilliant minds but also those with extensive field experience, as we’re now facing threats the FBI has never encountered before.”

(End of Chapter)