Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 507 - 486: Reproduction

Chapter 507: Chapter 486: Reproduction

Props must be crafted with care. This is the crucial difference between a professional team and a grassroots crew.

"The watch model is correct, but it looks too new."

The props Alexander brought needed Dani’s thorough inspection, and his first reaction upon seeing the crucial prop—the watch—was that it looked too new.

Alexander shrugged in resignation and said, "This was the best I could find on short notice, we’ll have to manually make it look aged."

At this moment, everyone turned their gaze toward Sith.

Sith voluntarily said, "I’ll do it. I’ll polish it up."

Dani immediately instructed, "Start with coarse cloth, then use leather, and finish with silk for the final polish. You know how to do it, right?"

Sith glanced at Dani sideways and replied, "What do you think?"

"I think... you know how. All right, get started."

Sith, being the go-to handyman on set, took on all miscellaneous tasks. If he was tasked with polishing something, he’d just go ahead and do it.

Dani turned his attention to Gao Yi and Lucy.

"The house is ready; it’s fully furnished and has a lived-in feel. It’s not an apartment—it’s a standalone house. We can head over anytime."

The studio couldn’t be relocated, so the crew had to go to the house.

Dani frowned and asked, "Why isn’t it an apartment? If Ludelins doesn’t have any under-the-table income and lives solely off his salary, he wouldn’t be able to afford a big house in Moscow."

"It’s in the suburbs because Ludelins loves to stay in the countryside whenever he has time. Upon learning this, I immediately found a house on the route back to his suburban villa. Houses in the suburbs are much cheaper, and the rent is more affordable."

Dani’s frown quickly eased, and he nodded, saying, "That’s great, absolutely great!"

Gao Yi realized he hadn’t even considered this. Moscow’s real estate and rental costs were sky-high, yet he had never imagined someone of Ludelins’ stature would factor in such concerns.

This kind of meticulous consideration was definitely Dani’s forte.

The studio arrangements were finalized, and Dani turned to Gao Yi, lamenting, "Now we’re just waiting for the tie clip to arrive. We can start makeup six hours in advance, but as of now, we can only wait. You should practice a bit more."

Waiting for a tie clip meant a 48-hour delay. Originally, two days seemed acceptable, but after Alexander managed to prepare everything else—props, studio, even the main setup—in just two hours, this 48-hour delay felt unusually long.

The entire plan hinged on one tiny tie clip—something that was hard to accept.

"Can’t we make it some other way?"

Gao Yi was puzzled and spread his hands. "Isn’t there a faster option?"

Dani confidently replied, "Creating such an intricate item in 24 hours is already lightning-fast. At best, we can ask them to deliver it quicker, but faster? That’s impossible."

After hesitating for a moment, Gao Yi nodded. "You’re probably right. Still, I’ll ask. Waiting like this feels terrible."

Gao Yi was already considering switching suppliers.

He walked over to one side, pondering for a moment. He knew relying on Huang Haisheng back in Northeastern University was out of the question—production might be quick, but delivery would take too long. Asking Luo Changyou in Moscow seemed more feasible.

Gao Yi had a phone number, but he wasn’t sure if it would connect.

He decided to give it a try, and the call went through easily.

Gao Yi lowered his voice and said, "Mr. Luo?"

"It’s me, Mr. Gao."

"Two things: First, you guys have been exposed; the KGB is monitoring you. Second, I need a small, fairly intricate item made. Do you have the connections for that?"

"What item?"

Luo Changyou didn’t even touch on the issue of being exposed, clearly prepared for it.

"An 18K gold tie clip that’s been used for years."

"That can be done."

"Really? How long would it take?"

"Counterfeiting a tie clip isn’t difficult... Hmm, six hours if it’s urgent. Four hours if we sacrifice perfect replication quality—but it’ll definitely work. If time’s extremely tight, it can be done in two hours, though the aging effect won’t be as convincing—about 70-80% similarity. What do you think?"

Listen to him. These bold claims.

Counterfeiting, replicating, one-to-one precision, aging effects—the folks from Northeastern University really excelled at these. What British and Russian professionals? Honestly, they fell short by miles.

Gao Yi sounded incredulous. "You didn’t even ask what the tie clip looks like... It’s pretty intricate craftsmanship, you know."

"It’s a tie clip—how intricate could it possibly be?"

"All right, I’ll send you a design."

Gao Yi hung up and sent Luo Changyou a screenshot from the video showing the tie clip’s style, along with an isolated image of the fully restored tie clip.

First the design, then the question.

"What do you think? Can it be done?"

"This is easy. Aging will take longer than crafting, but five hours should be enough to finish it."

After hearing this, Gao Yi had an idea and asked, "What if it only needs to look indistinguishable in photos?"

"Just photos? Not for close-up physical examination?"

"Yes, just visible in pictures and video. No actual object will be taken for authentication."

"That’s way easier. I can’t pinpoint the exact time until it’s tested with pictures, but I think three hours will do."

"Perfect! Once it’s done, I’ll send someone to collect it. How are you managing this? Why is it so fast?"

"3D printing, fine shaping adjustments, then coloring. The shades of 18K gold vary, but we use computerized color detection—it’s not difficult. The final product’s texture definitely won’t match the real thing perfectly, but since you only need it for pictures, that part’s simple."

After finishing, Luo Changyou apparently felt his explanation lacked punch, so he reiterated firmly, "This is too simple. Once it’s ready, I’ll let you know. I’ll start arranging it immediately."

With excitement, Gao Yi ended the call and said enthusiastically to Dani, "Three hours, and it’ll be ready."

Everyone turned to look at Gao Yi. He calmly stated, "The tie clip is simple; three hours should be enough."

Dani stared at Gao Yi with suspicion and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely!"

Gao Yi sounded utterly confident.

Dani spread his hands and declared, "Okay, great. I want to see how they produce a usable prop in three hours. You better be certain—because if it’s ready in three hours, I can start your makeup preparation immediately. Advanced disguises aren’t comfortable, and if it doesn’t work, you’ll have to stay disguised while we wait."

Without a second thought, Gao Yi replied, "No problem!"

Gao Yi’s determination remained steadfast.

"Then let’s head to the studio."

Without delay, the crew departed to begin setting up in the studio.

The studio was located in a house in Moscow’s outskirts. Though the place wasn’t particularly large, the surroundings were beautiful, especially in late autumn.

By domestic standards, it would be considered a villa. But here, it was just an ordinary house—perhaps a slightly refined one.

The furniture inside was quite decent. The floor was carpeted, the wardrobes contained clothes, and the kitchen was stocked with jars and cooking tools. Clearly, someone had been living here.

What stood out were the clothes in the wardrobe—all women’s garments, noticeably old-fashioned in style. It was evident that only one woman lived here.

No one asked how the house had been obtained or where its owner had gone.

But Gao Yi couldn’t help himself and quietly asked Alexander, "Where did this house’s owner go?"

"Gone abroad. Left today."

"Really?"

"Really."

Gao Yi couldn’t dig further—Alexander didn’t seem inclined to provide any more details.

"Unpack the makeup supplies."

Dani wandered around the house before choosing a room with a vanity as the makeup area. It looked like it was designed as a dressing room—it was fairly spacious.

Gao Yi sat on the chair in front of the mirror, and Dani extended both hands, unintentionally giving them a quick shake before his first move: touching Gao Yi’s hair.

"The length is fine, but the color will be troublesome. Let me style it first."

With that, Dani went into the next room and came back with a bedsheet, draping it over Gao Yi. Then he grabbed scissors and began snipping away.

Gao Yi assumed Dani would just hastily touch up his hair, but to his surprise, Dani’s skills were exceptionally high-level.

Twenty minutes later, the basic hairstyle was done. After assessing it from all angles, Dani said with satisfaction, "Once we dye and set it, the haircut will be perfect. Let’s move on to makeup."

Alexander placed a large case nearby. Inside were several silicone masks, and body suits that could completely alter someone’s physique.

It’s difficult to turn someone bulky into slender, but turning a thin person into chubby was easy.

While Gao Yi was proficient in makeup to some degree—everyone on the team was—he quickly noticed that Dani’s expertise was on another level.

When a professional does the work, it’s obvious.

The silicone masks Alexander provided were basic versions—they weren’t pre-shaped, leaving room for adjustments.

Dani had Gao Yi first change into a silicone body suit to alter his build, then meticulously applied refined makeup. Aside from Dani’s peculiar habit of flexing his fingers delicately while working, which slightly unnerved Gao Yi, the rest didn’t seem so bad.

Meanwhile, Sith leaned against the doorframe, polishing the watch with rough burlap cloth. Lucy stood with her arms crossed, observing Dani’s technique. Xinfeng and Alexander were outside setting up cameras. Everyone was busy.

An intense, detailed disguise and makeover taking just three hours was impressive. While Gao Yi was still undergoing makeup, his phone rang.

"Give me a second, let me take this call."

Gao Yi answered, hearing Luo Changyou’s low voice. "It’s ready. Should I bring it over, or will someone come pick it up?"

"I’ll send someone to get it."

Checking his phone, Gao Yi smiled and said, "Two and a half hours—quick enough. Thanks!"