3D printing could not be described as new technology. Even though the proliferation of its uses had indeed only spread several years ago, in terms of its secrets and technology, it certainly was not a recent discovery.
For example, the film crew. Even though not every film crew would apply for a 3D printer, renting one for the purpose of designing and manufacturing props was relatively common. The technology would be able to come up and replicate a model quickly and could recover the original look of a prop as demanded by the director. It was quick and effective, and on top of that, it saved money.
Since it was so common, Luo Mingxin had not thought that it would be relevant to the case before this. As a big celebrity who wandered among the most professional film crews, seeing the usage of 3D printers at the set was nothing new for Luo Mingxin.
However, even though the machine itself was not that exciting, the connection it might have to Madam Grace was. It would not be easy to use a 3D printer to manufacture a pistol. All the components, like the barrel, magazine, and so on needed a precise corresponding CAD file, only then would the printer come up with the pieces to be combined and used.
In other words, if one did not have these necessary files, even with the most advanced 3D printer on the market, one would not be able to craft a pistol out of midair.
When Luo Mingxin said that, Han Chu’s hands froze as he reached for a utensil, and he raised his head to ask, “Your team has access to a 3D printer?”
Luo Mingxin nodded and sighed. “The materials and machines that we have are the best of the best. It is definitely a professional model, and it would have no problem manufacturing a pistol. I know because I’ve heard our director gloat about it before. The 3D printer utilized by the crew is borrowed from an American company that specializes in special effects. In fact, I believe the one we have is the most technologically-advanced 3D printer in all the of the country.”
In other words, if the pistol used by Madam Grace yesterday had been made in China, then it most likely came out of the printer with Luo Mingxin’s film crew.
Luo Mingxin thought that this was fairly obvious—there was a prop manager associated with the crew that had been arrested, and now there was a 3D printed pistol that Madam Grace was carrying. It just so happened that their film crew that the best 3D printer in the nation…
With so many coincidences, even if Luo Mingxin wanted to lie to himself that they were not connected, even he felt that argument was flimsy and weak.
As Luo Mingxin suspected, Han Chu frowned deeply and, after a moment’s silence, asked, “Which computer does your crew normally use to edit and design the blueprint? And who is the designer?”
“Who else can it be?” Luo Mingxin sighed. “The director used so much money to hire the prop manager and rented such a high-grade printer. Naturally, the printer was given to the manager to handle, to produce the best quality prop for the movie… The computer was the manager’s own laptop, and I believe it was taken away by the police after he was detained. I don’t think you’ll be able to access that so easily.”
When the two men spoke, Ye Shuang finished cooking the bowl of dumplings. She carried it over with three plates of bamboo vinegar. She placed one before each guest and chimed in naturally, “I don’t think this is the most imminent problem that we face. After all, this kind of printed pistols is not that powerful; the biggest advantage is to escape metallic detection, but it cannot be used as the main firepower. The key issue is where your prop manager keeps the military firearms.”
“3D guns are in violation of the gun law, so if there is a blueprint to this weapon, the manager will have kept it in a well-hidden location.” Han Chu frowned. “Most people would keep all of their sensitive information at the same spot, so in other words, if the manager really has the blueprint for the 3D guns, then the location where he keeps this information will be where he keeps other sensitive information as well.”
“Brother Han, do you mean that once we locate the blueprint for the 3D guns, we will also find the information related to the military arms?” Ye Shuang picked up a well-filled dumpling and popped it into her mouth. She chewed on it as she commented, “But like Brother Luo said, the laptop has been confiscated already. If the sensitive files are really inside the laptop, why would the law enforcement still go through the trouble of planting a plainclothes inside the film crew?”
“Two possibilities,” Han Chu said. “Either the police aren’t good enough to unlock the secrets hidden inside the computer, or there are other personal effects belonging to the manager that haven’t been found. He has hidden his truly important things somewhere else…” He paused to take a bite out of the dumpling. “The local police might not be good enough with technological stuff, but they could have easily asked for support from somewhere else, so personally, I don’t think it’s possibility number one; most likely, the prop manager still has stuff that he’s hidden away.”
Luo Mingxin groaned. “Please find someone to clean this stuff away and return my professional and quiet film set, okay‽”
He was done with the adventure and did not wish for the film crew to get dragged into another dangerous mess. One prop manager was messy enough—what if more dangerous characters decided to join the crew in the future?
Ye Shuang and Han Chu shared a look, then the former brushed her nose and said, “How about I follow you back to the film set later today?”
She had been too focused on the little plainclothes earlier to really commit to a search. If she had known what she knew now, she would have been a lot more attentive.
Han Chu chewed on the dumpling and was silent for a while. “…I’ll look over the information that we received earlier. Perhaps something useful might jump out.”
After assigning the task, before they could finish their breakfast, Luo Mingxin’s assistant came begging for mercy. The assistant was not sad because his boss looked down on his cooking and refused to eat his breakfast, but when he went to retrieve the car, he realized that his boss’ ride had mysteriously disappeared.
The assistant, who assumed that this was his mistake, was overwhelmed with panic and fear. He summoned all the courage to come to apologize, but then he was told that it was Luo Mingxin himself who lost the ride.
After hearing the truth, the assistant did not sigh in relief but cried even harder. “Brother Luo, that was an Audi. Can you be more cautious in the future?”
Luo Mingxin silently turned his eyes to the real culprit that made him lose his car. Ye Shuang lowered her head to focus on her breakfast.
Seeing that the culprit showed remorse, Luo Mingxin could only suffer the loss silently and changed the subject. “It’s only a car—I’ll just buy another one!”
Losing a car was better than losing his life. Who would have cared about a car during the situation yesterday?
The assistant wiped his head. “The car is fine, but the important thing is that the original and copy of your itinerary are in the car!”
Without the itineraries, how was he going to remember when was his boss supposed to go for a photoshoot and when should he prepare for an interview‽
The situation could not have been worse!
3D printing could not be described as new technology. Even though the proliferation of its uses had indeed only spread several years ago, in terms of its secrets and technology, it certainly was not a recent discovery.
For example, the film crew. Even though not every film crew would apply for a 3D printer, renting one for the purpose of designing and manufacturing props was relatively common. The technology would be able to come up and replicate a model quickly and could recover the original look of a prop as demanded by the director. It was quick and effective, and on top of that, it saved money.
Since it was so common, Luo Mingxin had not thought that it would be relevant to the case before this. As a big celebrity who wandered among the most professional film crews, seeing the usage of 3D printers at the set was nothing new for Luo Mingxin.
However, even though the machine itself was not that exciting, the connection it might have to Madam Grace was. It would not be easy to use a 3D printer to manufacture a pistol. All the components, like the barrel, magazine, and so on needed a precise corresponding CAD file, only then would the printer come up with the pieces to be combined and used.
In other words, if one did not have these necessary files, even with the most advanced 3D printer on the market, one would not be able to craft a pistol out of midair.
When Luo Mingxin said that, Han Chu’s hands froze as he reached for a utensil, and he raised his head to ask, “Your team has access to a 3D printer?”
Luo Mingxin nodded and sighed. “The materials and machines that we have are the best of the best. It is definitely a professional model, and it would have no problem manufacturing a pistol. I know because I’ve heard our director gloat about it before. The 3D printer utilized by the crew is borrowed from an American company that specializes in special effects. In fact, I believe the one we have is the most technologically-advanced 3D printer in all the of the country.”
In other words, if the pistol used by Madam Grace yesterday had been made in China, then it most likely came out of the printer with Luo Mingxin’s film crew.
Luo Mingxin thought that this was fairly obvious—there was a prop manager associated with the crew that had been arrested, and now there was a 3D printed pistol that Madam Grace was carrying. It just so happened that their film crew that the best 3D printer in the nation…
With so many coincidences, even if Luo Mingxin wanted to lie to himself that they were not connected, even he felt that argument was flimsy and weak.
As Luo Mingxin suspected, Han Chu frowned deeply and, after a moment’s silence, asked, “Which computer does your crew normally use to edit and design the blueprint? And who is the designer?”
“Who else can it be?” Luo Mingxin sighed. “The director used so much money to hire the prop manager and rented such a high-grade printer. Naturally, the printer was given to the manager to handle, to produce the best quality prop for the movie… The computer was the manager’s own laptop, and I believe it was taken away by the police after he was detained. I don’t think you’ll be able to access that so easily.”
When the two men spoke, Ye Shuang finished cooking the bowl of dumplings. She carried it over with three plates of bamboo vinegar. She placed one before each guest and chimed in naturally, “I don’t think this is the most imminent problem that we face. After all, this kind of printed pistols is not that powerful; the biggest advantage is to escape metallic detection, but it cannot be used as the main firepower. The key issue is where your prop manager keeps the military firearms.”
“3D guns are in violation of the gun law, so if there is a blueprint to this weapon, the manager will have kept it in a well-hidden location.” Han Chu frowned. “Most people would keep all of their sensitive information at the same spot, so in other words, if the manager really has the blueprint for the 3D guns, then the location where he keeps this information will be where he keeps other sensitive information as well.”
“Brother Han, do you mean that once we locate the blueprint for the 3D guns, we will also find the information related to the military arms?” Ye Shuang picked up a well-filled dumpling and popped it into her mouth. She chewed on it as she commented, “But like Brother Luo said, the laptop has been confiscated already. If the sensitive files are really inside the laptop, why would the law enforcement still go through the trouble of planting a plainclothes inside the film crew?”
“Two possibilities,” Han Chu said. “Either the police aren’t good enough to unlock the secrets hidden inside the computer, or there are other personal effects belonging to the manager that haven’t been found. He has hidden his truly important things somewhere else…” He paused to take a bite out of the dumpling. “The local police might not be good enough with technological stuff, but they could have easily asked for support from somewhere else, so personally, I don’t think it’s possibility number one; most likely, the prop manager still has stuff that he’s hidden away.”
Luo Mingxin groaned. “Please find someone to clean this stuff away and return my professional and quiet film set, okay‽”
He was done with the adventure and did not wish for the film crew to get dragged into another dangerous mess. One prop manager was messy enough—what if more dangerous characters decided to join the crew in the future?
Ye Shuang and Han Chu shared a look, then the former brushed her nose and said, “How about I follow you back to the film set later today?”
She had been too focused on the little plainclothes earlier to really commit to a search. If she had known what she knew now, she would have been a lot more attentive.
Han Chu chewed on the dumpling and was silent for a while. “…I’ll look over the information that we received earlier. Perhaps something useful might jump out.”
After assigning the task, before they could finish their breakfast, Luo Mingxin’s assistant came begging for mercy. The assistant was not sad because his boss looked down on his cooking and refused to eat his breakfast, but when he went to retrieve the car, he realized that his boss’ ride had mysteriously disappeared.
The assistant, who assumed that this was his mistake, was overwhelmed with panic and fear. He summoned all the courage to come to apologize, but then he was told that it was Luo Mingxin himself who lost the ride.
After hearing the truth, the assistant did not sigh in relief but cried even harder. “Brother Luo, that was an Audi. Can you be more cautious in the future?”
Luo Mingxin silently turned his eyes to the real culprit that made him lose his car. Ye Shuang lowered her head to focus on her breakfast.
Seeing that the culprit showed remorse, Luo Mingxin could only suffer the loss silently and changed the subject. “It’s only a car—I’ll just buy another one!”
Losing a car was better than losing his life. Who would have cared about a car during the situation yesterday?
The assistant wiped his head. “The car is fine, but the important thing is that the original and copy of your itinerary are in the car!”
Without the itineraries, how was he going to remember when was his boss supposed to go for a photoshoot and when should he prepare for an interview‽
The situation could not have been worse!
