Chapter 7: Top Secret News

Five days later, Salt Lake City.

Hawk, dressed in a gray suit, carrying a black briefcase, and wearing non-prescription glasses, walked into the “Jazz” internet café. He ordered a coffee, sat in front of a computer, and started browsing the web.

From his suit and dress shoes to his bag and phone, everything was cheap second-hand items he had bought. Compared to a few days ago, Hawk’s previously bloated face looked slightly slimmer, and his entire demeanor had changed. He had transformed from a scruffy, down-and-out bearded man to an ordinary office worker entering the corporate world.

Walking down the street, he blended in, unremarkable among the crowd.

In the past few days, Hawk had been traveling around, unable to sleep soundly at night as even the slightest noise would wake him up—dinosaur blood had become his original sin. Unless he dealt with those bastards, he wouldn’t be able to rest peacefully.

Hawk also quietly used his driver’s license to look up the social security number and criminal record for “Hawk Osmond.” This identity was squeaky clean, which allowed him to open a bank account without issue.

Taking a sip of his coffee, Hawk opened a website, logged onto a blogging site, and created an account, selecting the entertainment and film category to publish his first blog post. The persona he was crafting for “Hawk Osmond” would be that of a media industry professional, an entertainment and film blogger.

Since 9/11 last year, blogs have become a major force in instant news, driving the trend of the new media industry. Some major entertainment bloggers have even become VIPs at movie and TV premieres.

Hawk downloaded some publicly licensed promotional photos from the official Sundance Film Festival website. He added the caption: “Starting my Sundance Film Festival journey, wish me luck.”

After posting, he opened Google, searched for information on four people again, and continued memorizing and deepening his impression. Freddy had mentioned four individuals: Robert Downey Jr., Bro Derek, Barack Burnham, and Buddy Ackerman.

Buddy Ackerman was a billionaire living in Los Angeles, owning multiple companies including Ackerman Pictures, Ackerman Entertainment, and Ackerman Investments. He was also the largest donor to several non-profits, including the Ackerman Charity Foundation.

Robert Downey Jr., known as Iron Man in his previous life, was now a famous Hollywood star, with both father and son known for their drug issues.

Bro Derek was a top executive and producer at Ackerman Pictures, married a few years ago to Hollywood actress Sarah Parker, who starred in the hit TV series “Sex and the City.”

Barack Burnham, chairman of the Ackerman Charity Foundation, was hailed as an angel for the children of California and had received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award.

All four of these Jewish men were wealthy elites.

Regardless of whether he could take them down, even if Hawk managed it, he would spark an enormous uproar across the United States and face top-level pursuit by the LAPD and FBI, forever becoming a fugitive.

Therefore, preparing a dish as complex as stir-fried squid required excellent cooking skills and perfect timing.

Hawk checked the time, finished his coffee, cleared his browsing history, paid the bill and tip, picked up his briefcase, and left the internet café, heading to the bus stop.

The platform was crowded and chaotic, filled with a cacophony of various conversations.

As Hawk walked, he suddenly stopped. Among the nearby crowd, there was a brown-haired man around his age, talking loudly to a pretty girl next to him about the film festival and Park City.

It was mostly the man talking loudly while the girl listened impatiently.

After listening for a while, Hawk figured out that the two were college classmates. The brown-haired man was from Park City and claimed to know people on the film festival committee, boasting about getting lots of tickets and eagerly inviting his classmate to join him. However, the girl was not interested and firmly declined.

The bus arrived, and the man had to give up, slinging his laptop bag over his shoulder and heading toward the front door.

Hawk quietly followed him, boarding the bus and moving to the middle section.

After the man found a seat, Hawk slowly approached and pointed to the empty seat beside him, asking, “Is this seat taken?”

The man replied, “No, go ahead.”

Hawk sat down, buckling his seatbelt.

As he considered how to start a conversation, the man spoke first: “I’m Brandon Keane from Park City. Your accent doesn’t sound local.”

Hawk smiled politely, “Hawk Osmond, from Wyoming.”

Brandon, finding Hawk friendly-looking, gave him a quick once-over and asked, “You here for the Sundance Film Festival?”

“How did you know?” Hawk asked, pretending to be surprised to keep the conversation going.

Brandon laughed, “Park City’s a small place. This time of year, if you're not here to ski, you're probably here for the festival.” He glanced at Hawk’s suit and briefcase. “You don’t look like you’re here to ski.”

Hawk extended his hand. “I work in media, focusing on entertainment and film blogging. I’m hoping to find some opportunities at the festival.”

Brandon eagerly shook his hand, impressed. “So, you’re in the movie business.”

Brandon, naturally talkative, continued without needing Hawk’s prompting, “We’re kind of in the same field. I’ve been involved in community theater since sixth grade and always participated in local performances. I even considered studying acting in college but ended up choosing electronic engineering at the state university.”

Hawk followed up, “Why did you give up acting?”

As the bus started moving, Brandon continued, undeterred, “Two reasons. Mainly, the community scene was mediocre, so the theater group was always broke, couldn’t afford quality teachers, and had no permanent venue. The talent level wasn’t great—it was more like a group of lazy people gathering to eat and drink.”

He sighed, “Acting’s a passion of mine, but the job prospects are uncertain, and the industry is extremely polarized. You might still be paying off student loans by retirement. At least with electronic engineering, I have a fallback.”

Hawk complimented him, “Makes sense.”

Brandon suddenly lowered his voice, “Here’s a little secret: a friend from L.A. once told me there are tons of throat and proctology clinics around Hollywood.”

He gave Hawk a knowing look, “You get what I mean?”

“Yeah, I get it,” Hawk nodded, playing along. “I’ll definitely share this on my blog when I get there.”

Brandon, excited by Hawk’s enthusiasm, pulled out his laptop. “Why not post it now? Use my laptop.”

Not wanting to refuse Brandon’s enthusiasm, Hawk agreed, “Alright, I won’t hold back.”

Brandon opened his laptop, connected to a wireless card, and handed it to Hawk. “You’re an industry insider—got any exclusive scoops?”

The internet was painfully slow, but Hawk considered his persona and the need to build rapport. After a brief pause, he leaned in as if sharing a big secret, “Winona Ryder’s a chronic shoplifter; she can’t stop stealing.”

“The Winona Ryder? The one Depp was crazy about?” Brandon’s eyes widened in disbelief. “But she’s not short on cash, right?”

Hawk explained, “Kleptomania—it’s like an addiction.”

Brandon nodded in understanding, “You haven’t posted this on your blog?”

Hawk shrugged, “No photos or videos to back it up, so if I publish this gossip, I could get sued into bankruptcy.” He cautioned, “This is a bombshell I’m working on—don’t tell anyone.”

Brandon mimed zipping his lips, “Don’t worry, my lips are sealed.”

He didn’t know why, but he liked Hawk even more.

The webpage finally loaded, and Hawk logged into his blog, uploading a picture of the Hollywood sign and quoting Brandon’s line:

“There are tons of throat and proctology clinics around Hollywood.”

It took several minutes for the post to go live.

Brandon pointed to the laptop screen, “Mind if I take a look?”

Hawk turned it toward him, “Go ahead.”

Brandon skimmed through and noticed there were only two posts. Scratching his head, he asked, “Just started?”

“Didn’t want to be exploited by the capitalists anymore, so I quit,” Hawk casually explained, adding, “I’m here at Sundance to make some money and strike out on my own.”

Having just shared a big secret, Brandon immediately offered, “I’m from Park City. I can be your guide.”

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