Chapter 54: Anguished Tears
Translator: BeetleBarker Editor: Tennesh
This old man still held the most seniority in the Renault family. Despite having stepped down from power quite some time ago, all his glory and titles still remained, and people treated him as such. Nowadays, he was no longer involved with the government, but people still respectfully acknowledge him as "Old General Renault."
As one aged, one's bodily functions deteriorated. Ever since Old General Renault had stepped down, the amount of idle time made it easy to ponder. He thought about his family, wistfully remembered his late wife, and reminisced about his old comrades-in-arms.
That was not a beneficial situation, and thus his doctor had recommended that he should head out more for some fresh air. Staying at home made it easy for him to overthink, which was not necessarily a good thing for someone his age.
As for where to go, after some thought, Old General Renault decided to pay a visit to the great-grandson who was always causing trouble for the other members of the Renault family. In front of Old General Renault, the other members of the family only mentioned tactfully that the little brat was "lively." The truth, though, was not hard to find out. Although Zaro might have been slightly pampered and prone to trouble, as long as his behaviour was not out of line, Old General Renault would turn a blind eye.
Awhile back, when Old General Renault went online, he had found that the internet was abuzz with news regarding Zaro. Thus, when he went out for some fresh air, he decided to pay his great-grandson a visit.
The personal doctor tagging along was a little concerned. He just hoped that Zaro would not upset his great-grandfather too much. Originally, the doctor had only planned for five members from the dedicated medical team to come along, but after a little consideration, he had decided to increase it to seven for some added insurance. Of all the relatives he could visit, the old master just had to pick the Zaro that could not go a day without stirring up the media.
The old master rejected the housekeeper’s suggestion to call Zaro over. Instead, he walked in the direction pointed out by the housekeeper. He wanted to personally see for himself what his troublemaker great-grandson got up to normally. He also wanted to see the younger generation in their true form.
The door to the projection room was slightly ajar. Someone had not closed the door properly after a visit to the washroom. The sounds of rowdy heckling and jeering mixed with the jarring sound effects were seeping out into the doorway.
The housekeeper followed behind closely, keeping his head down. His hands were grasped tightly as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. In his heart, he was praying, Young master, you must absolutely keep your mouth shut, do not say anything out of line. Even if you have to talk big, please do not do so now!
The old master stood in the doorway, leaning on his crane. Even though his aged figure made him appear hunched, standing there, he seemed like a huge boulder that could not be shaken.
His personal doctor was paying close attention to his every expression. He knew what that bunch were like every other day and was worried it would affect the old master.
More than ten people stood outside the doorway, not making a single sound. The tension in the entire house was stifling. The staff in charge of cleaning were shaking with fear and every single action was done cautiously. Thus, the sound of activity coming from the projection room was clear and distinct.
Inside, the oblivious Zaro was bragging about his own acting experience.
"I don’t mean to show off, but when I was acting, I think I displayed the same demeanour as my great-grandfather back in those days! Aren’t they alike? Not everyone can act out the vigour!"
The others hooted in agreement as Zaro continued his bragging. Yet they clearly knew what they had seen; the figure that just leapt into the flying vehicle was obviously the body double!
In the movie, numerous troops were heading for the disaster zone. The other movies that Zaro had worked on might have lacked logic, but for this movie, with all the real military equipment and weapons, they could not afford to be careless. Of course, the real equipment only accounted for a small portion, as computer generated special effects made up the rest. Having actual military equipment according to the scale of the movie would have been considered a military operation rather than shooting a movie.
The scene now showed all sorts of aircraft and flying vehicles dispatched by the Air Force. As the grand spectacle unfolded, a timpani started beating in the background, gradually rising in volume. A shrill whistle from some sort of horn abruptly rang out, jolting the senses of audiences everywhere. As if an electrical current had just run through them, the languid audience was now alert and excited.
The roars of the aircraft, together with an orchestra in the background, created a vast, majestic atmosphere. A brass march frantically alternated with a woodwind score to the clash between humans and monsters. The realism was stunning and, when combined perfectly with the accompanying music, was a nonstop auditory and visual barrage for the viewers.
"Haha! How is it? Can you feel the ‘God of War’ vibes? Ah, here it is! I'm exiting the plane!"
Everyone in the project room straightened up and watched the scene attentively. The door of a transport aircraft opened, revealing the soldiers inside who were armed to the teeth. A close up of Zaro’s character followed before he donned a pair of goggles and led his squad to rappel out of the aircraft.
And after that? There was no after.
Only half of Zaro’s face had been shown when he was exiting the aircraft. The following stunts of rappelling out of the aircraft had been done by the body double.
No matter how badly the others in the projection room wanted to ridicule Zaro, all that came out from their mouths was praise.
Outside, the doctor could guess what all the flattering was about. Oh, right. The young master’s movie was called "God of War"? How thick-skinned can he get? How could the soldiers in the movie measure up to the real "God of War" division? Hmph. The real "God of War" is right here.
The housekeeper dropped his head even lower, hoping the ground would open up and swallow him.
The personal doctor glanced quickly at the old master’s face. Any traces of a smile had all but disappeared off his face. However, he did not look angry. Rather, he seemed deep in thought. He was not paying heed to the young master. Instead, the old master was deeply engrossed in the sounds that were coming out.
He might have been old, but he certainly was not deaf. Even without watching the movie, he could differentiate the models of aircraft, fighters, and bombers just from the roars of the engines. From the explosions, he could tell the cannon model and the armour plating of the tanks as well as the type of munitions that were being used.
Even after leaving the battlefield for a long time, he still kept an eye on the happenings in the military. Expecting to have forgotten all these, the memories that came back were clear as day.
Beside him, the equipment for monitoring the health of the old master started beeping out warnings.
"General?" The doctor realized something was amiss.
Veins were appearing on the hands tightly gripping the cane. That wrinkled face was trembling slightly as if he was enduring an immense pain.
"General? How are you feeling?" The doctor was worried. The old master’s recent mental state had not been great, and at his age, even the doctor did not know how such a change might affect him.
Old General Renault just stood there, not making a sound. It seemed like he could not hear the doctor’s words. He stood gazing into the distance, as if attentively listening to something, as if reminiscing. His eyes were red and watery. As the background music and sound effects reached a climax, he closed his eyes as the tears freely flowed. His entire body started trembling uncontrollably.
The doctor was at a loss. Ever since he'd taken over the job from his own father, he had never seen the old master in this state before.
F*ck! This is bad!
"Medical team! Hurry!"
Only the personal doctor had followed the old master. The rest of the medical team were on the transport standing by.
Upon receiving the call, the medical team rushed into the house.
As the door of the projection room was not closed, the sudden commotion could be heard by those inside. Zaro had a bad feeling about this. Stepping out into the doorway and witnessing the scene, he felt an icy-cold wind running through him. His legs turned weak as he knelt down in the doorway.
It’s over. I’m finished , Zaro thought to himself. He had made the most senior Renault shed anguished tears.