Edward's face darkened. These people always loved bringing up the "Best Picture" award as a topic of conversation. Still, with The Truman Show and all the positive reviews that had followed, Edward felt that winning Best Picture was practically a certainty. After all, an entire quarter of the new year had already passed, and yet no other film of outstanding quality had emerged. In this respect, Edward was quite confident.
"But boss, didn't old man Kirk also shoot a film?" Zoroark suddenly recalled something else.
Hearing this, Edward froze for a moment. Right—Kirk had indeed filmed a movie, and Edward had even witnessed the entire shooting process from beginning to end.
However, after watching from the sidelines, Edward still couldn't be certain whether that film was the same Rear Window from his previous life. The title was identical, yes, but Edward couldn't confirm for sure. He understood very well that what one saw at a film set and what eventually came out after editing could be two very different things.
Take The Grudge for example. During filming, it was not nearly as dark and oppressive as the final cut. Many of the scenes were scattered and messy, requiring actors to arrange props themselves on set. The cast was large, and the performers deliberately acted as though they were being frightened, but in reality, no one was truly scared.
Yet when The Grudge was completed, edited, and paired with sound effects, even Takako Fuji—the actress who played Kayako—ended up frightening herself badly when she watched it.
What's more, even with the same footage, a different editor or editing style could create a completely different experience. This was why Edward couldn't guarantee what Kirk's Rear Window would ultimately look like. Just thinking about it gave him a bit of a headache.
Rear Window, after all, was one of Alfred Hitchcock's most famous works. It could be considered a pioneering classic of its genre, and its reputation was firmly established. Naturally, Edward had watched it before. Horror films didn't always produce masterpieces, and rather than risk watching trash films that would disgust him, he often revisited old classics to expand his knowledge and perspective.
The plot of Rear Window was actually not complicated. In short, it told the story of a photojournalist who broke his leg and was forced to stay home. Unable to bear the boredom, he began spying on his neighbors' lives from his window, picking up bits of gossip here and there.
Eventually, he accidentally discovered that one of his neighbors seemed to have murdered his wife. Determined to uncover the truth, he began searching for evidence. After enduring setbacks and danger, he ultimately succeeded in proving the crime and sending the murderer to prison.
Such a short and simple plot, yet it had achieved extraordinary results, earning widespread praise and being hailed as one of the greatest "voyeuristic" films of all time. Its evaluation was extremely high. Judging from the scenes Edward had witnessed on set, he felt that this Rear Window was most likely the same as the one from his past life.
That in itself was rather amusing, leaving Edward with mixed feelings.
The reason he felt conflicted was because Rear Window in this world only existed thanks to him. Originally, old man Kirk had no intention of returning to filmmaking, and in this world Rear Window did not exist. But when Edward introduced his new technologies, it reignited Kirk's desire to make a comeback—leading to the creation of Rear Window.
"That film is indeed excellent. But overall, I still think I hold the greater advantage," Edward said, coughing lightly. He was a little concerned, but not overly so. He knew clearly that Rear Window had certain limitations.
Although the protagonist exposed a murder case through voyeurism and even helped the law bring the criminal to justice, strictly speaking, the act of peeping into others' lives was itself illegal. That alone presented some constraints.
And when it came to the League's Best Picture Award, while the judging was based on artistic merit, one couldn't ignore the fact that this was an official festival organized by the League itself. Matters of public morality inevitably had to be taken into consideration. On that point, Edward's The Truman Show had a relative advantage. Of course, if one insisted on nitpicking, Truman's entire life being manipulated could also be seen as unlawful imprisonment.
"Boss, what's the title of the movie? Kirk still hasn't finished editing it, right?" Zoroark couldn't help asking curiously. It had watched parts of Kirk's work before and had to admit the man's style was remarkable.
"Rear Window," Edward replied calmly. There was nothing secretive about the title. The film was still in editing, and once the old man finished, a trailer could be released. Then again, Edward felt that even without a trailer it wouldn't matter much—Kirk's reputation was more than enough, and news of his return had already made headlines earlier.
Zoroark scratched its head. From the name alone, it could only guess that the movie had something to do with a window, but as for what style or story it contained, it had no idea. It didn't press further either. Asking would only spoil the fun with spoilers, and spoilers ruined everything.
Edward yawned and picked up a folder in his hands. This was something sent over by Devon Corporation for him to review—more precisely, by Kennedy.
Although his father Joseph had returned as company president, it was obvious that age had caught up with him. Devon would need a successor sooner or later. Steven had shown no interest in stepping into the role. If Edward had never been born, then Steven would have had no choice but to take over, giving up his Champion's seat.
But now that Edward existed, Steven didn't need to make such a sacrifice anymore.
"Devon Corporation… hmm? They're planning to branch into new-energy vehicles?" Edward glanced through the documents. Devon's development had always been diverse. With their massive resources, it was natural that they had the money and time to expand in multiple directions.
After skimming through, he set the file aside. He already had some of his own plans for Devon—nothing too outlandish, just ideas inspired by companies from his previous world.
Once Devon's business was settled, Edward clocked off work. Though The Grudge 2 had already entered early planning stages, he still had free time to attend to other matters. One of those was Zinnia's situation—he needed to inform her that the meteorite issue had been fully resolved.
When Edward arrived at the prison, Zinnia was out in the yard for exercise.
When summoned to meet him, her face still carried a look of hatred.
Seeing her like this, Edward knew she still couldn't forgive his family. But he had no intention of arguing on this point. Unless he could go back in time and undo the mistakes his father Joseph had made back then, there was no way Zinnia would forgive him.
"What are you here for now?" Zinnia asked casually as she sat down. She had only a month left before her release.
Her crime wasn't particularly severe, and with some meritorious contributions, she wasn't required to serve a long sentence.
"The meteorite issue is resolved. I found a meteorite capable of resonating with Rayquaza, allowing it to Mega Evolve," Edward said, sipping his tea as he looked at her.
Zinnia froze, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
She didn't think Edward was lying—there was no point in deceiving her. Tormenting her brought no benefit, and Edward wasn't so childish. But it was still hard for her to accept that Rayquaza had acknowledged Edward, resonated with him, and achieved Mega Evolution.
"I came only to tell you this—the crisis foretold in the prophecy of the Draconids has been averted by me," Edward continued.
At these words, Zinnia clenched her fists tightly, her eyes growing cold as she glared at him.
Even after her arrest, she hadn't let go of her desire for revenge. Still, she had revealed the meteorite issue, partly because she hoped to use the League's power to pressure Joseph. After all, while Devon was indeed a leading enterprise, the League ruled this world not through pretty words about coexistence between people and Pokémon, but through pure, overwhelming strength.
Seeing Zinnia's silence, Edward said no more. He wasn't the kind of person who believed "talking" could heal such hatred. Words couldn't erase the pain of losing one's father. He knew he was incapable of that.
He had already learned the truth: when Rayquaza was captured, casualties had occurred, and Zinnia's sister was among the dead. There was no way she could ever forgive Joseph. Knowing this, Edward didn't bother pressing her further.
"Humans…" Edward sighed softly outside the prison, feeling a wave of melancholy.
Some mistakes could be repaired. Others could never be undone. His father had long wished to make amends with Zinnia, but it was impossible. Unless her sister were brought back to life, forgiveness would never come. That was simply who she was.
"Hey, brother, you just got released today too?"
As Edward was sighing, a voice came from nearby. Turning his head, he saw a man.
Huh?
At first glance, the man looked just like Tony Leung. Well, not exactly—there were subtle differences, but overall, he bore a strong resemblance to the actor famous for Infernal Affairs. His clothes, however, were plain and modest.
"You too?" Edward asked with a smile, not revealing that he was only visiting. Pokémon world prisons didn't require inmates to shave their heads, only to keep hairstyles reasonable, so the man hadn't realized Edward wasn't actually a prisoner.
"Yeah. Back in the day I was reckless and foolish, ended up in here for a few years," the man replied with a hearty laugh, his attitude carefree. That actually piqued Edward's interest. He decided to strike up a conversation, curious about this man's past.
The moment he laid eyes on the man, a classic film had popped into his mind: Infernal Affairs.
The status of Infernal Affairs needed no explanation. In the era before Hong Kong cinema declined completely, it stood out as a landmark work. The film even gave rise to many popular lines and memes, like "I want to be a good person," or "There's a mole, abort the deal."
The story took place in 1991. Lau Kin-Ming (played by Andy Lau) was a Triad member planted in the police academy by boss Hon Sam, making him a mole in the police force. Meanwhile, Chan Wing-Yan (played by Tony Leung) was a cop assigned to infiltrate the Triads as an undercover.
Lau steadily rose in rank within the police, becoming part of the Criminal Intelligence Bureau's A-Team, while Chan gradually gained trust within the underworld but remained trapped by his double life.
The film also featured the classic line: "Three years… then another three years."
After a failed drug deal exposed the existence of undercover agents on both sides, suspicion grew, and both men faced identity crises.
In the end, Chan confronted Lau on a rooftop. Lau tried to confess his true identity, wanting to be a good man, but Chan, for the sake of justice, refused to give him that chance. Ultimately, Chan was killed.
Lau survived, but he was left wracked with guilt and torment. This was the essence of the "unending hell" in the title—not a literal hell, but the ceaseless pain and struggle inside Lau's heart, which would haunt him forever.
Infernal Affairs had been nothing short of a phenomenon when it was released, a massive hit. Naturally, sequels Infernal Affairs II and III followed. While their ratings remained strong, they stirred more controversy than the original.
Over a meal at a restaurant, Edward soon learned the man's story.
The more he listened, the stranger it felt.
The man's name was William Mane. He had once entered the police academy, but because of his rebelliousness and unwillingness to follow rules, he was expelled after just a year and a half. He then drifted through society, eventually joining a dark organization, which ultimately landed him in prison.
Though William didn't reveal much, Edward guessed from his expression that his imprisonment had likely been a case of taking the fall for his boss. Since the man didn't say it outright, Edward didn't ask.
But the more Edward thought about it, the more William's life really did resemble that of an undercover agent.
In the Pokémon world, there were dark organizations and Officer Jennys alike, so naturally, undercover work existed as well.
After exchanging contact information, Edward casually revealed that he wasn't a prisoner but a director. There was no need to hide—it was something people could verify at a glance.
"The heir of Devon Corporation?" William's expression turned to shock after looking up Edward's information.
He hadn't expected this young man's background to be so powerful.
During his four or five years in prison, William had completely missed Edward's rise to fame, so he hadn't seen his films.
After chatting for a while, William eventually took his leave. Edward had wanted to invite him, but William declined.
"Could he really be an undercover?" Edward scratched his head, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
(End of Chapter)