Knock, knock, knock~
In the bathroom, Richard got up, wiped his hair, changed into a clean tank top and shorts, and opened the door. He saw Mike, who was carrying a bag, looking dusty and weary, like a miner.
"Ah, I'm exhausted."
Mike put down the bag, grabbed a bottle of water, and gulped it down.
"Did you find any gems?"
Richard laughed. He had heard that there were gemstones near the mines around the dungeon, so Mike had found a guide today to take him outside to dig for stones.
"Haha, not bad, though not as good as the ones sold in the market."
Mike chuckled.
"That's normal. The surrounding mines have been mined for nearly a century, and all the good stones have been extracted."
"Not necessarily. Among the few gems I found today, there are two with decent quality. Look, these are raw stones. Once processed, they'll be quite beautiful."
Mike opened the bag and took out two fist-sized stones. Under the light, the stones shimmered with colorful hues.
These stones are called opals, formed from the precipitation of silica gel. High-quality stones are semi-transparent, like crystals, with brilliant and vivid colors, resembling a rainbow in the sky.
The stones Mike found were relatively small and unprocessed, looking quite ordinary.
The stones at the local gem market, however, were very beautiful. The largest ones were four or five feet long, with most being the size of ping pong balls or quail eggs. There were thousands of them, each with different colorful patterns.
Some contained "auroras," others had rainbows, some contained "starry skies," and some even contained fossilized creatures, turning them into the famous "petrified jade stones."
Richard had visited the market a few times and picked out more than ten stones as gifts for Bundchen, Theron, and little Ava.
"This time was too short; I didn't get enough digging in. Next time, when I have more time, I plan to go into the mountains. I'm sure I can find better stones."
Mike said, holding the stones.
"Great, once we finish filming, let's go together. I'd like to experience the thrill of gem hunting too."
Richard laughed.
"Hey, Richard, Mike, did you guys go mining today?"
Naomi Watts pushed open the door and walked in. She was wearing a V-neck T-shirt, white sports shorts, and her blonde hair was loose. She held the script of Pitch Black in her hands, and she looked curiously at the stones on the table.
"It was Mike. He went treasure hunting today."
Richard smiled gently and invited her into the room.
"How was the haul?"
"Not bad. Are you two going to rehearse? If so, I won't disturb you."
Mike picked up his bag and left the room.
"Shall we rehearse?"
Richard took out the script and said.
"Sure!"
After joining the cast, whenever there was a scene with long dialogues, the two of them would rehearse together in advance, giving each other pointers.
Tomorrow, they had a long dialogue scene to film, so they needed to rehearse in advance. The scene involved the fugitive Riddick harassing and threatening Captain Carolyn.
They put down their scripts and stood in front of a mirror.
"Riddick, what are you doing here?"
Naomi stood up from the chair and suddenly turned to see him.
"Why not test the engine drive? Did he tell you about my past escape?"
Richard folded his arms and slowly approached.
Riddick was an interstellar fugitive with a history of hijacking starships. Some were worried he might take over this ship, so they hadn't hurried to install the battery.
"A simple and ugly story."
Naomi stared at him and said.
"Are you worried history will repeat itself?"
Richard smirked.
"It crossed my mind."
Naomi then turned off the wall lamp as if she were pressing a switch on the starship.
"Then what are your true thoughts?"
Richard stepped closer, now standing in front of Naomi.
"Cut!"
Naomi raised her hand and laughed, "You're too tall; I need to stand on something."
"All right!"
Richard took out a small stool and placed it at her feet.
Naomi, who was 165 cm tall, stood on the stool, almost eye level with him. This way, they could maintain eye contact during filming.
"Tell me what you think of me!"
Richard smirked like a rogue.
"You make me feel afraid. Is that what you wanted to hear? Now, can I get back to work?"
Naomi stared at him fearlessly, then turned to face the mirror.
"I've always wanted to talk to you alone—without the handcuffs."Richard took another step forward, looking at the side of her face. "Do you think William is a trustworthy man?"
"Why do you ask? Did you hear something?"
Naomi blinked her eyelashes and looked forward again.
"Well, if he didn't play tricks, why didn't he kill me? He's not the kind to go soft. So, there's only one reason—I'm more valuable alive than dead. You didn't know that?"
Richard stood behind her, inhaling the scent of her hair as he spoke.
"Cut! Richard, you can get closer. Don't worry about offending me. You're too far away; your face barely shows in the mirror."
"Alright, let's do it again!"
Richard moved closer, his chest pressing against her back as he half-embraced her, saying, "He's not the kind to go soft. So, there's only one reason—I'm more valuable alive than dead. Didn't you know? William isn't a space cop. He has a badge and a uniform, but he's just a hunter. He wants to trade me for money. He didn't kill me because he's greedy."
"…"
"Naomi, what's wrong? It's your line."
Richard looked puzzled at Naomi in his arms and noticed her cheeks and ears were flushed, her breathing slightly rapid.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot my line."
Naomi fanned herself with the script, slightly lowering her head, her face turning even redder.
"Are you okay?"
Richard handed her a bottle of water.
"I'm fine. Why is your body so hot? It's like a heated iron plate."
Naomi blinked as she held the water bottle.
"I've been eating too much seafood and game lately, so I'm a bit heated."
Richard spread his hands. Lately, he had been eating a lot of meat, and with the dry, hot environment, just holding her for a while made him feel parched, his body somewhat off.
That's why he needed to keep one hand in his pocket during the performance.
Naomi gave him a curious glance, her face still flushed as she turned away.
"Let's continue!"
"Sure!"
Richard moved behind her again, leaning close to her ear as he whispered, "He wants to trade me for money. He didn't kill me because he's greedy."
"Stop wasting my time. No matter what you say, we'll never agree."
Naomi's face reddened as she took a step forward, forgetting about the small stool underfoot and stumbling.
"Careful!"
Richard reached out to support her waist.
"Mm-hmm~"
Naomi let out a soft hum as she fell into his arms.
——
"Morning, Naomi!"
The next morning, Richard kissed the woman beside him, got out of bed, and walked down. After a night, most of the heat in his body had dissipated, and he felt refreshed and full of energy.
He headed to the road outside the dungeon, ran for over an hour under the sun, worked up a sweat, returned to the hotel for a shower, and then brought two breakfasts into the bedroom.
Naomi lay on her side under the blanket, her face flushed with a charming glow. Her skin was like jelly, not at all like a woman in her thirties.
"Naomi, time to get up."
Richard stroked her cheek.
Naomi blinked her eyelashes, her blue eyes hazy. When she saw his face, she smiled slightly, "What if I can't get up?"
"How about I carry you?"
Richard smiled gently, wrapping her in the blanket and lifting her up. With her short blonde hair and petite figure, she looked like a Barbie doll.
"Don't do that, put me down!"
Naomi wiggled her legs.
"Don't be shy. I've never met a woman who blushes as easily as you."
"I didn't; I realize I've been tricked."
Naomi laughed.
"What tricked?"
Richard set her down on the sofa.
"Does this count as a Q rule?"
Naomi blinked and smiled.
"No, it's a perk."
Richard smiled lightly and handed her a cup of milk.
After breakfast, they continued filming on set.
Thanks to Naomi's guidance, Richard performed valiantly on set. As they moved forward, the filming became smoother, with many scenes done in one take.
By the end of September, 90% of the shooting in Coober Pedy was complete, with only two major scenes left—the battle between Richard and several monsters.
For this scene, Richard, Director Twohy, and a few others discussed and prepared for half a month. When it came time to shoot, the entire crew was on edge.
"Richard, ready?"
Director Twohy called out.
"OK!"
"Scene 324, take 1, action!"
——
(End of Chapter)