Chapter 945 - Mercenaries

Even if South Africa had indeed improved, Laila had no intention of dragging this filming trip into unknown dangers.

"Let me put it this way: if it were just me, I'd go. But now, so many people depend on me for their livelihoods. I have to take responsibility for their safety!"

Leonardo was left speechless by her words.

Yes, why should anyone follow him into such a dangerous place for months? If they were ordinary people, a little disguise might suffice. But they were bringing an entire crew, and Laila was one of the most famous directors in the world. Every move she made could captivate the hearts of countless people globally.

While the general public in South Africa might not care about a big Hollywood director coming to their country, the government certainly would. After 'The Lord of the Rings', Laila inadvertently boosted tourism in two countries. It was clear that appearing in her films had a hugely positive promotional effect on any location.

Promotion would attract tourists and adventurers, which in turn would drive local economic growth—something any country would welcome. Not just the government, but anyone with a bit of economic sense would be thrilled to have Laila and her team visit.

But that was only if no one recognized Leonardo and Roy. If those who had previously taken on the bounty hunting mission spotted them, would they simply give up on reclaiming the diamond? Would they back off just because the diamond had been turned into a ring? No! They'd only see a raw diamond worth millions transformed into a treasure worth tens of millions!

Perhaps Laila's status would make those people think twice, but let's not forget—this wasn't the U.S., the East, or any other advanced city. Laila didn't want to test the greed of those local bosses with her luck.

"Laila, there must be a way," Leonardo insisted, unwilling to give up his closest shot at an Oscar for Best Actor. "If those people want money, we'll give them money! How much could the raw stone sell for in their hands? I can find them and offer them a sum they'd be satisfied with. What do you think?"

After all, they had only purchased the raw stone. If spending a few million could help him achieve his dream, it wouldn't be a big deal.

Laila felt the same. That kind of money was a drop in the bucket for her. Their budget was in the hundreds of millions; spending a few million extra would be like hiring one more actor. If it ensured the film could be made smoothly, it would be worth it.

With this in mind, she called Xiao Ye back.

After hearing their plan, Xiao Ye agreed that it was a good idea and might pacify the boss who had lost the diamond. But! Their generosity would only fuel the greed of other bosses. You could buy off one, but could you buy off everyone?

Fine, even if you could bribe the big players, what about the small ones? As the saying goes, "It's easy to deal with the king of hell, but hard to handle the little devils." If you had to deal with wave after wave of them, no amount of money would be enough.

"If you're set on filming there and are willing to spend the money, I have an idea."

Laila, seeing his "sincere" smile, immediately guessed his thoughts: "Help your friends make some money?"

"Ahem." Xiao Ye, who had been about to present his "completely selfless, only thinking of the crew" plan, choked on his saliva when his boss called him out.

#Help, internet! What do you do when your boss can always see through your schemes?#

He glanced at Leonardo, who was completely lost, then awkwardly grinned at Laila. "You know, my friends are all broke. Since you're not short on cash, and they're top-tier professionals, why not hire them? Keep the money in the family, right?"

"What are you two talking about?" Leonardo asked curiously, looking at Laila. Their conversation had been in Chinese, which he didn't understand.

Speaking Chinese was deliberate. Xiao Ye didn't want too many people to know about his past work, and Laila felt the same. If it got out, it could cause a lot of trouble for her and the company.

So Laila translated, "Xiao Ye said he knows some mercenaries who can protect the crew."

"Mercenaries!" Leonardo's eyes lit up. As someone raised on American heroism, he still retained a bit of that adolescent fascination with mercenaries, pirates, and spies—figures straight out of a superhero story. The idea of hiring mercenaries immediately excited him.

No matter how rich he was, he didn't want to be a sheep constantly shorn of its wool. If, as Xiao Ye had said, bribing one boss would only lead to more, he might as well save the money and hire mercenaries for protection. It sounded way cooler.

"That's a great idea! But are the people he knows reliable? Could they just be a bunch of weaklings?" In Leonardo's mind, Xiao Ye was just a makeup artist with some magical skills. Even if he knew a few mercenaries, could he guarantee they were the real deal?

Xiao Ye wasn't offended by his skepticism and smiled. "Whether they're weaklings or not, my word doesn't matter. If you're interested, I can bring a couple of them over for a demonstration. If you like what you see, we can discuss it further. How's that?"

Laila trusted the people he recommended, but when it came to matters of life and safety, no amount of caution was too much. She didn't want to influence others' opinions, especially Leonardo's, as an outsider.

"Alright, set up a time for us to meet them," she decided.

"Leave it to me," Xiao Ye assured her, patting his chest.

He acted quickly, bringing two men over on the morning of the third day. They were tall and burly, especially the dark-skinned one, whose arms were as thick as Laila's legs.

Unlike Xiao Ye, who looked more like a college student, the two men immediately earned Leonardo's trust with their imposing builds. Just the sight of their muscular arms and towering frames exuded strength. And when they demonstrated their shooting skills at the firing range, any remaining doubts vanished.

This left Xiao Ye feeling a little hurt. He wanted to say that he was also very capable—how could they judge by appearances?

As Leonardo excitedly recounted the two men's prowess to Laila, she could only feel a mix of amusement and exasperation. She knew Xiao Ye's abilities well, and anyone he recommended was likely to be just as competent.

Most importantly, his point made sense: keep the money in the family. Why hire outsiders when you could hire someone you knew well? If something went wrong, at least you'd have peace of mind, knowing they wouldn't take the money and run.