Laila shot a subtle glance at the doctor. He nodded slightly, his expression growing even more serious. "I think the safest course of action is to run a proper examination. The other guy's hand injury was visible, which made it easier to handle. But yours is internal—if you're dealing with internal bleeding, this isn't something to take lightly. Next time, don't hide it just because you're young and think your body can take it!"
"I understand," Roy replied with a wry smile, resigned to the scolding and willing to follow their instructions.
The island was equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment, designed to serve both the staff working there and the VIPs who occasionally visited.
After dragging Roy through a full round of tests and confirming there was nothing serious, Laila finally let him off the hook.
As for the filming… with both lead actors injured, how could she possibly continue shooting? Instead, she gave the entire crew a few days off so they could enjoy the beauty of the island.
Although she felt guilty toward her injured leads, the rest of the crew was overjoyed by the unexpected break. Up until now, they'd only had brief moments of leisure. With actual time off, everyone was eager to explore this exotic island that most people could only dream of setting foot on.
Laila took advantage of the downtime to carefully review the footage already shot and put together a rough cut, saving all the scenes she thought were worth keeping. For a 90-minute film, the raw footage is typically at least twice as long—sometimes much more. Give the same footage to a few different editors, and you could end up with completely different movies.
Laila's editing skills had already been recognized by the Oscars. For every film she directed, she had never once hired an external editor—not because she looked down on Hollywood's professional editors, but because she believed only she could cut the film in a way that matched her precise vision.
As she revisited the material, she once again found herself captivated by the performances of her two leading men. Watching two equally talented actors go head-to-head in scene after scene was a thrilling experience—not only for her, but for everyone on set. The story seemed to pull the entire crew into its emotional current. Laila was confident: if the two could maintain this level of performance, Silence would become a true cinematic classic.
A week later, at the strong request of both leads, the filming resumed. This time, Laila doubled down on safety protocols. No matter what, the previous accidents could not happen again.
Fortunately, the second shoot on the cliffside went much more smoothly. The wind was calmer, and there were no signs of impending rain. Even better, during the shoot, they caught a glimpse of the massive bird of prey the island staff had previously mentioned.
It was a beast. Soaring overhead, it looked more like a giant military drone than a living creature—except its aura was far more commanding.
Seizing the opportunity while the cameras were still rolling, Laila ordered the crew to film the eagle in flight. Perhaps she could use the footage in the final cut. No matter how sophisticated CGI gets, it can never match the raw power of a real creature. Especially the way that eagle dove through the air—Laila was convinced no special effects could truly replicate that. It was the kind of majesty only nature could deliver.
After wrapping up for the day, while most of the crew relaxed or explored the island, Laila had no such luxury. She still had matters to attend to with the VFX team.
But something lifted her spirits—the sky carrier that had haunted her memories had finally been brought to life.
Back when The Avengers was still in its early planning stages, she had personally gone to the VFX company to provide input. She sketched out what she could recall most clearly from memory. As a director, she wasn't a designer and could only offer a general outline. The only reason she remembered it as vividly as she did was because she had loved that sky carrier so much in her previous life and had watched those scenes countless times.
Still, the VFX team had given her a massive surprise. When she saw the scene on the screen—the sky carrier rising majestically from the sea, powerful and awe-inspiring—she couldn't stop herself from getting teary-eyed.
"It's perfect! Even better than I imagined!" she said, overwhelmed with joy. It wasn't just that she had recreated something almost lost to this world—it was that she had improved it, building a version that was even more unforgettable than the original.
"This… this is my sky carrier!" She watched the one-minute clip over and over again, as if she could never get enough of it.
And in truth, she couldn't. She felt like she could watch that short scene a thousand times. In her past life, she had loved that effect to begin with. Now, seeing a version that surpassed even her old favorite—it stirred emotions she couldn't put into words.
The VFX team beamed with pride, delighted to see her so thrilled.
"Boss, you brought us all the way here. If we still couldn't deliver what you wanted, then we wouldn't deserve our pay—or the beautiful skies over our heads," one of them said jokingly.
All of them were truly grateful to Laila. Outsiders might not understand, but they knew better than anyone how tough life could be for a VFX artist—even in Hollywood. It was a cutthroat profession. One step behind, and you could fall ten steps behind within months.
People often knew that visual effects were expensive. What they didn't realize was how much time and labor it demanded. Like animated films, every minute of VFX required immense effort behind the scenes. And even with all that work, the pay wasn't especially high—because there were always cheaper artists willing to undercut you just to get a foot in the door.
To create the best possible effects, you needed cutting-edge tools. Without funding, there was no way to bring in new technology or recruit top-tier talent. If you couldn't beat your competitors with innovation, your only choice was to go low-budget. And low budgets meant more work, less pay, and constant burnout.
But in Laila's company, there was no such atmosphere of fear. The VFX artists worked in a relaxed, comfortable environment where they didn't have to worry about their jobs being poached by cheaper freelancers. Laila wasn't stingy—she was more than willing to pay generously for hard work.
Of course, she wasn't foolish either. She wasn't going to waste money on mediocrity. But if you had the skills, you'd never have to worry about being replaced for the sake of cutting costs.
What's more, Laila invested heavily in her company. If someone proposed a new technology or tool and backed it up with solid reasoning, the company would almost always approve the funding. As long as it was something that could push VFX forward, she'd never hold back the money.