Chapter 141: Murderous Tool

  There are many businesses near Hollywood that make a living by renting and customizing props, these businesses were not large in scale before the 1920s and 1930s, basically scattered and struggling to make ends meet; however, with the rapid development of Hollywood films, these businesses began to flourish more and more, and by the 1970s and 1980s, many had sprouted up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

  However, the competition between these prop houses is fierce, and in order to win over big clients, they use all sorts of tactics. As a result, these companies have developed deep connections with the seven major Hollywood film studios behind the scenes. Whenever a studio starts filming a new movie, the prop house immediately provides them with the necessary props, saving them a lot of trouble and time.

  Don't underestimate the prop industry, it's actually a lucrative business. For example, when Yifeng was filming "Saving Private Rachel" not long ago, he rented German Nazi uniforms for over $100 per day, calculated by the hour and minute. And these props are often rented from one house to another, from film to television, unless you're not shooting war scenes.

  As an old customer, Yifei Yang came again to that prop shop which was relatively fair in price compared to the last time.

  The store is neither large nor small in size, with a wide range of products and a considerable scale. Many film companies like to rent or customize their own props here.

  Yi Feiyang walked into the store and roughly explained his intentions. The boss, a small Jewish old man with a comical little hat on his forehead, said to Yi Feiyang: "I'm very sorry, dear friend, we don't have that kind of prop ready-made here. If you don't mind, I can help you find some similar props as substitutes. If you're satisfied, I can also give you an appropriate discount... after all, we are old friends, aren't we? Hehe."

  No wonder he is Jewish. He is good at doing business.

  But Yi Feiyang didn't plan to find a substitute, in the words of James Wen beside him, if even props use substitutes, then this play can only be a fake after filming.

  "Sorry, we need the props to be exactly these things..." Yi Feiyang said, pointing at the patterns on the drawing, "These are the necessary tools for us to shoot the film, and also the original props of this play. So they can't be replaced."

  "Well, in that case, I'll have to place an order," the old Jewish man said. "I can give these designs to our prop master at the store, he's a fantastic mold maker, and some great things have come from his hands, like Freddy's terrifying claws in 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' and the eerie puzzle cube in 'Hellraiser', haha, all those things were made by him."

  "How long will it take?" Yì Fēi Yáng didn't ask about the price, but rather inquired about the time.

  "This... will take at least a week, yes. These patterns of yours are a bit too complicated..." The old Jew said as he looked at the draft paper.

  "Can it be done within three days? We are in a hurry."

  "Oh, I'm afraid I can't make the decision on this one. That master craftsman is notorious for being picky and attaches great importance to his own work, so it takes a bit more time."

  "In fact, we don't have high requirements for these props, as long as they are original, it's okay if they're a bit rough." Yi Feiyang couldn't help but speak his mind.

  "Well, since you put it that way, I can introduce you to another master who does this kind of thing very quickly and at a low price. Only, as you said... it's quite rough!" The old Jewish man blinked his small eyes and said.

  "Excuse me, where is he?"

  "This, well..." The old Jew rubbed his fingertips together, "Dear, you understand, time is money, isn't it?"

  Play with a set!

  Yi Feiyang directly took out 10 US dollars and handed it to him, "Tell me, where is he?"

  ……

  According to the address given by the old Jewish man, Yi Feiyang and James came to a "grocery store" together.

  Yes, this is a grocery store, but it doesn't sell daily necessities. Instead, it sells some very strange movie equipment, including wooden puppets, swords, helmets, old photography equipment, cameras, projectors, VCRs, and all sorts of miscellaneous items.

  The whole place was packed to the brim with stuff, leaving Yi Fei Yang and James Wen no room to even move their feet. Helpless, they could only stand outside and shout in: "Hey, buddy, is anyone inside?"

  No news.

  Yi Feiyang had no choice but to rush inside and shout again: "Hey, I'm asking, is anyone here?"

  This time the grocery store had some "rustling" sounds, and then a thin-cheeked white-haired old man with a cigarette in his mouth came out from inside.

  Yes, he emerged, like an old lynx slowly crawling out of a dark cave.

  "Who are you? Are you here to buy something or rent something?" The old man with white hair looked at Yì Fēi Yáng and James-Wynn with a pair of very profound eyes.

  "Excuse me, is this Mr. Max?"

  "Yes, I am. There's only one person here called Max, no one else." The old man said with a cigarette in his mouth and spat out saliva.

  "I heard your prop-making skills are quite good, so we came looking for you."

  "My craftsmanship is so-so... but the things I make are really useful," said old man Max with a self-satisfied smile.

  "That's good, this is our draft, take a look and see if you can do it?" Yì Fēi Yáng handed over the prop sample, the old man took it, "Oh, damn it, why don't we go in first? My old glasses fell inside... getting old is really useless!"

  Yi Feiyang shrugged and followed James-Wen behind the old man's butt into the hole.

  The space inside the grocery store is very large, and it can even be said that it's so big that it exceeds the imagination of both Yi Fei Yang. In a room with an area of over 100 square meters, there are all sorts of film equipment everywhere, including cameras, timers, clappers, lighting devices, and more.

  "You guys take a look first, I'll check your prop drafts... Oh, damn it, where's my glasses? I just remembered putting them here..." Old man Max searched everywhere on the counter for his reading glasses.

  Yi Feiyang and James were bored, so they looked around at the scattered equipment to see if there was anything interesting.

  "Hey, look at this, boss, it's the lightsaber from Star Wars..." James-Win said with a laugh, waving a plastic electronic sword.

  "Yes, but it doesn't look like the real thing, more like a fake." Yì Fēi Yáng said casually.

  "The original one won't show up here, you know? The original is now worth over $8,000 and has been collected by those Star Wars fans." Max, who found the old flower-shaped glasses, said. "But this one isn't bad either. If you want it, I'll give you a 20% discount, just $80!"

  Yi Feiyang shrugged his shoulders, he wouldn't collect these trashy things, even if they were very cheap.

  Old Max put on his beloved old flower glasses and began to carefully look at the prop script given to him by Yifeng Yang.

  James Wen rummaged through the pile of props, looking at each item with great interest.

  Yi Feiyang seemed bored and casually glanced at the props, but his gaze was drawn to the many retro and nostalgic movie posters and photos on the wall of the store.

  There are many old photos on the wall, densely and disorderly pasted, with a young man in bright clothes, and those who take pictures with him are either beautiful actresses or directors and studio bosses, among whom there is even the famous Oscar-winning actor Marlon Brando!

  "Were you an actor before?!" Yi Feiyang asked, turning his face.

  Max, who was looking at the prop script, said without lifting his head: "Oh, buddy, just take a look at those two posters on the west side and you'll know."

  Yi Feiyang looked up and saw that there were indeed two very old movie posters hanging on the wall, which had been carefully framed.

  The first poster features a Jesus-like man wearing linen clothes walking in the desert, with "King of Kings" written below. Needless to say, this actor playing "Jesus" is a young Max, and I must say, he was quite handsome when he was younger.

  The second poster is also very old, compared to the first one's sacred atmosphere, this one is full of evil. Only see his fierce appearance, like a devil running out of hell. Under the poster, it was written in small words "Seventh Seal" drama photo. Needless to say, the one who played this "devil" was also Max.

  He's a talented actor, playing both Jesus and the devil, this old man is quite skilled!

  Yi Feiyang couldn't help but praise him secretly and asked: "You must have been very popular before, acting in so many plays. The roles are so different?"

  "I suppose so, but that was a long time ago." Old Max didn't seem very interested in the topic.

  "Why don't you act anymore?"

  "What's the point of anything anymore? Of course, I'm no longer popular, there are no more films to shoot. Look at me, my eyes are dim and blurry, it's a chore just looking at scripts, who would want an old man like me?"

  Yi Feiyang turned his head back and couldn't help but re-examine this "old star" who was unassuming in appearance but had many stories behind him.

  "Alright, I can help you guys get what you need." Max looked away from the manuscript and said to Yifei Yang.

  "How long?"

  "Five days for $600; three days for $1,000!" The old man said briskly.

  "Then three days, $1,000!" Yì Fēi Yáng also handed over the check very succinctly.

  "Oh no, no, no, I never accept checks, only cash, yes, that's my rule," Old Max said suddenly.

  Yi Feiyang smiled slightly and said: "How about this, I'll let my friend go get the cash for you, and you can tell me a story from your past?"

  Max thought for a moment, "Alright, although I'm reluctant to bring up that damn past."