Naturally, the plot would then proceed to the cliché sequence, where the protagonist, under the guidance of the former pilot Jin Tian, embarks on their first battle in a human mech.
Although initially, the protagonist, a novice pilot, was thoroughly trounced by the monster, their exceptional talent allowed them to quickly master the operational skills. They then unleashed a flurry of combos on the monster.
According to Huang He's script, this particular battle was meant to be the most resource-intensive, perfectly showcasing the mech's details while striving for the swift and decisive impact of Bruce Lee, the overwhelming power akin to Mount Tai, and the unique combat style of mechs.
In essence, it was a spectacular comeback battle. Initially, the mech was helplessly beaten by the monster, but then, with a sudden epiphany, the protagonist reversed the tide, landing critical hits with every move, ultimately defeating the monster with an exhilarating, crushing combat style.
Huang He himself wasn't entirely sure how to portray this segment; he only had a general feeling for it in his mind. However, that was fine. Huang He only needed to articulate the idea, and a professional team would handle the rest.
As for how this professional team would be driven to either resign or jump off buildings by Huang He, the client, that was no longer Huang He's concern, as he was the one paying.
Once this segment concluded, it moved on to the final climactic sequence.
The protagonist was brought to the base by the Earth United Defense Force. If following the typical conventions of American or Japanese films, the protagonist would usually be reluctant to fight at this point.
Perhaps they would be afraid of combat, traumatized by the death of their parents in a past war, or have some other convoluted, inexplicable reason, but the protagonist would refuse to fight, content to be a coward.
Then, after guidance from a leader, comfort from a girlfriend, and perhaps the wisdom of a prophet-like figure to help them process their inner turmoil, punctuated by tens of thousands of casualties serving as a catalyst, the protagonist's fighting spirit would finally ignite, leading them to pilot the mech for the final showdown against the monster.
However, Huang He very decisively bypassed these scenes of internal emotional development, opting instead for the protagonist to directly activate their fighting spirit and proactively request to pilot the mech.
But the Earth United Defense Force naturally wouldn't allow a newcomer to pilot a mech out of nowhere. Instead, they sent him to pilot school, requiring him to obtain a graduation certificate before joining the battle.
Thus, the mech returned to the hands of its former pilot, Jin Tian, a top pilot who graduated with a perfect score from the academy.
Then came the most climactic part. This time, the deep-sea portal vibrated violently, and a nearby monitoring station reported in terror that two monsters had emerged simultaneously from the portal and were heading towards the United States.
Jin Tian was ordered to engage. Although she fought valiantly, displayed excellent skill, and was full of fighting spirit, even single-handedly suppressing the two monsters for a time, she encountered a problem. While fighting midway through the actual combat, her nostrils began to bleed, causing her to lose control of the mech. The monsters seized the opportunity, ripping off Ranger's left arm, and Jin Tian, in excruciating pain, fainted.
Miraculously, the monsters didn't seize the chance to finish them off. Instead, they discarded Ranger and continued their rampage through the city.
Furthermore, these two monsters had awakened a new ability: they could jointly deploy a defensive field, blocking all incoming projectiles, missiles, and other long-range attacks. This rendered conventional human weaponry useless, making them virtually invincible in the United States.
Within an hour, five cities were destroyed, and over a million people had died.
Meanwhile, the Earth United Defense Force dispatched an emergency rescue team to save Ranger. However, they were attacked by monsters en route, and the rescue team was virtually annihilated. Only the protagonist, piloting the Jianxia, the first prototype mech manufactured by the Chinese, managed to reach Ranger's side, fending off monster attacks along the way and entering Ranger's cockpit to rescue the unconscious Jin Tian.
However, Ranger's main control hub had been completely destroyed, rendering it immobile.
At this point, Jin Tian woke up and revealed a secret to the protagonist: she was the little girl the protagonist had saved years ago. Furthermore, both Ranger and Jianxia were mechs her mother had personally built.
However, these two mechs were no longer machines that could be operated by human-made computers. In the end, her mother sacrificed herself, using her own brain to replace the computer, becoming Ranger's main computer.
Now, her mother's brain had been destroyed in the recent fierce battle, and a human brain needed to be connected to replace it.
This bio-computer system was designed according to her mother's DNA. Therefore, under the circumstances, only she, who inherited her mother's DNA, could become the new core of this mech.
Thus, she had to sacrifice herself to integrate her brain into Ranger. She also wished for the protagonist to be her pilot, as she couldn't accept anyone else entering her mind.
It is worth noting that Huang He also added a remark here: "[Note: There is a hidden foreshadowing here. When the protagonist first piloted the Gundam, it was with Jin Tian's mother's approval that they were able to pilot Ranger. The reason was to protect her daughter inside the mech, so even though her brain was removed, she still had consciousness and was alive, just existing in a different form.]"
The protagonist naturally couldn't accept this outcome, but it was the only option available. Soon, another rescue team from the World United Defense Force arrived, bringing complete surgical equipment and brain-replacement machinery. Clearly, this rescue team was prepared to replace Ranger's brain.
Ultimately, persuaded by Jin Tian, the protagonist had to accept the reality of her sacrifice for Ranger's rebirth. Finally, piloting Ranger with one arm missing and retrieving its weapon, the alloy greatsword from Jianxia, the protagonist charged towards the two monsters.
The outcome of the final battle was, of course, a foregone conclusion. Fueled by rage, the protagonist unleashed an unimaginable amount of power. Even with only one arm, one sword, and all long-range equipment rendered useless or depleted, they swiftly dispatched both monsters in just three minutes.
Finally, a low-angle shot against a setting sun provided a sense of divine descent. [Note: The effect of divine descent must be achieved, or payment will be withheld.]
Well, regardless of how professional screenwriters viewed this script, Huang He believed it was a perfect first installment. If any screenwriter dared to alter his outline, he would "alter" the screenwriter. (PS: Here's a survey, what do you all think of this script's plot? Rate it in the chapter comments from 1-10, with 10 being the highest!)
Of course, from the perspective of many people in later years, this script was undoubtedly terrible. It lacked ideological depth, its plot had few twists, and it concluded with the extremely melodramatic concept of a human brain replacing a computer, which could be described as melodrama upon melodrama.
However, one must admit that the script, as a whole, had no dull moments, nor did it feature excessive exposition. It contained a climax roughly every ten minutes, with a quarter of the entire runtime dedicated to combat.
More importantly, the protagonist showed no weakness, nor were they a typical Japanese high school student who was only kind. Instead, they were an overpowered, strong-willed, ruthless, and astonishingly talented male protagonist who blazed through the narrative.
Notably, during the battles, there were no instances of friendly fire betrayals or being beaten down by enemies. Aside from the initial failure when first piloting the mech, the subsequent battles were all crushing victories. Even the final two monsters posed no threat to the protagonist; their combat prowess was god-like.
In conclusion, watching this movie would be an incredibly exhilarating experience. Throughout its 120-minute runtime, there was nothing to make the audience feel uncomfortable.
Of course, you wouldn't need to use your brain, and Huang He certainly didn't want you to, because if you started thinking, the movie would appear quite foolish.
Fortunately, most people in the world don't like to think; those who do are usually found reading novels on Qidian.
Ahem, getting back to the point, Huang He completed this script in a single day and immediately had Hu Jing forward it to Marvel Studios in America, instructing them to begin preparations for the film. He wanted the movie to be released by 2008 at the latest and generously allocated a budget of $200 million, adding, "If it's not enough, I'll add more."
Well, $200 million is equivalent to 1.6 billion yuan. Subtracting 1.6 billion yuan from 50 billion yuan leaves 48.4 billion yuan...
"My heavens, how am I supposed to spend all this money!" Huang He lamented in despair after only a brief moment of satisfaction. The overwhelming despair of having too much money to spend was a feeling ordinary people could never experience; it was truly despair-inducing.
Helplessly, Huang He continued to seek inspiration from the newspapers and news articles Hu Jing provided.
Unfortunately, after reading the remaining newspapers, Huang He still hadn't found any ideas for large expenditures. On his desk were only a few issues of Zhiyin magazine.
"I have to read Zhiyin now?" Huang He had enjoyed reading Zhiyin for a period in his past life because it featured many emotional stories and occasionally contained content that was quite sensational for its time.
Huang He recalled being around 12 years old, feeling confused and curious about "that kind of thing" but having no idea what it was.
He often saw news reports about crackdowns on illegal discs, which made him wonder where he could buy such discs, but he couldn't find any leads.
Later, he wanted to find books, but that proved even more difficult. Although some old bookstores might have had such books, Huang He lacked the courage to actively search for them under the watchful gaze of the sleeveless-shirt-wearing old men in the stores. This continued until Huang He stumbled upon a Zhiyin magazine with a headline that read, "Naturally Cold, How to Have a Romantic Married Life."