Ever since it was revealed that Gilbert would serve as the artistic advisor for next year's Olympics, the Chinese internet had been buzzing with activity.
Most people welcomed the idea of Gilbert taking on this role, given his widely recognized achievements in the film industry.
There were also rumors that Spielberg had been considered, but at this point, it was hard to say whether Gilbert or Spielberg was the better choice.
However, choosing a director who had a positive view of China and was more approachable clearly seemed the more advantageous option.
After the draft ended, media coverage varied. U.S. outlets focused mainly on Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, while discussions about who was the best rookie of the year continued to circulate.
Chinese media, on the other hand, focused on Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue, while also discussing Gilbert's role as Olympic artistic advisor.
This was an important matter. Since the start of the year, international voices had been constant. Having an international friend standing on their side was a tremendous encouragement.
In the past, Gilbert would not publicly take sides on certain issues; he had only wanted to make money and make films.
But the more he stayed neutral, the more others would perceive him as weak and easily exploited.
So, given the circumstances, it was better to face it head-on and make a statement!
After a simple birthday celebration, Gilbert departed for China with Ivanka to attend a preparatory committee meeting.
Meanwhile, Edgerunners continued to dominate the broadcast schedule. The release of Die Hard 4 on July 4 was hit hardest.
Frankly, the style of this action film felt somewhat outdated for the current era. The movie offered no surprises and earned only $33.6 million in its opening weekend.
Bruce Willis, the star, seemed to be losing his momentum, leaving uncertainty over whether the series could continue.
Rumors suggested that Fox intended to make the film a classic franchise like 007, but the box office performance clearly dashed those plans.
Having two movie failures in a row, 20th Century Fox's performance this year was unlikely to look strong.
Two days later, Pixar released Ratatouille. The film received critical acclaim but grossed only $47.02 million, which was not outstanding.
For the animated market's most important merchandising, Ratatouille contributed little. Recovering costs would likely take a long time.
However, Pixar enjoyed considerable creative freedom, and Disney had little interference, aside from subtle reminders to prioritize commercial appeal in their animated films.
Pixar, in turn, assured Disney not to worry, noting that Kung Fu Panda fully met these criteria.
That same week, Edgerunners aired episodes seven and eight. In these episodes, Lucy was captured by Arasaka personnel, and David Martinez teetered on the edge of cyber-psychosis due to overusing his cybernetic enhancements.
After the high-energy thrill of previous episodes, the story suddenly took a dark turn, leaving viewers on edge. Dorio died, and David departed during a fight between Maine and the Terrorist Response Unit.
Audiences were both captivated and enraged, cursing Gilbert for arranging such a sorrowful plot.
But the audience's despair came too early. By the last week, episodes nine and ten had drawn 32.2 million viewers across the U.S., once again setting a record in the North American TV market.
In episodes nine and ten, the tension reached a new peak.
After Lucy was captured by Arasaka, David resolved to risk falling into full cyber-psychosis to rescue her. Rebecca decided to accompany him, drawn by her feelings for David, fully aware that this was likely a suicide mission.
At this point, David was already hallucinating, seeing his mother when he looked at Rebecca.
This was why Gilbert had Julia Roberts cameo as David's mother, while Emma Roberts, playing Rebecca, was her niece.
Over the past few weeks, Emma Roberts had gained countless fans thanks to Rebecca, arguably becoming even more popular than Scarlett, who played Lucy.
The young actress was thrilled, but the role reached its conclusion this Friday, and in a brutally tragic way.
"Mom! Thank you, I will… I will climb to the top of Arasaka Tower."
Looking at David in his hallucinations, Rebecca closed her eyes and sighed: "Alright, let's go. All the way to the top."
Meanwhile, Lucy was taken by Faraday for a handover to Arasaka personnel. At the critical moment, David arrived in his cybernetic suit and rescued Lucy.
At the same time, Adam Samsher appeared, and the two engaged in combat. David, with his inhibitors failing, had already descended into madness.
At that moment, Avril Lavigne's theme song began playing. David and Lucy escaped Arasaka Tower, and a single kiss from Lucy awakened David, who was on the verge of becoming a cyber-psychotic.
On screen, the moon appeared especially large, fulfilling Lucy's long-held dream of going to the moon. The scene was breathtakingly romantic, with viewers praying for Lucy's safety and the team's survival.
"Lucy!" David exclaimed upon seeing her.
"David," Lucy said sadly, "you installed the cybernetic suit again!"
"Yes!"
"I actually knew you would do this, and I also knew that wearing it could kill you. That's why I didn't want you to do it—I didn't want you to die."
"But I… I want to protect you. This is the only way."
"I don't want your protection. I want you to live well."
This dialogue tightened the viewers' hearts. Could it be that David's final fate was death? However, the first to face death was Rebecca.
"I'm glad you're okay. David will be happy." The young girl said this with a fierce tone. Lucy looked at her, and her expression suddenly changed.
Adam Samsher descended from above. Enraged, Rebecca opened fire at Adam Samsher, but it was useless. Adam Samsher crushed Rebecca into a bloody mess—Rebecca was gone.
Viewers across America who saw this scene were filled with rage. Every elegant word imaginable was directed at Adam Samsher, and of course, Gilbert, as director and screenwriter, was not spared.
Even more extreme, to emphasize the tragic death of Rebecca, the scene was repeated several times, making it almost unbearable to watch.
However, the audience had still jumped the gun. Seeing this, David was furious and immediately engaged Adam Samsher in battle.
Yet, in terms of combat skill, physical ability, and cybernetic enhancements, David was no match for Adam Samsher. He was battered all over. After having his gravity device removed, he couldn't even stand.
While David fought Adam Samsher, Falco drove Lucy to safety. This was David's final request.
"Falco, go back quickly."
"No," Falco said heavily, "David asked me to do this. If I turn back, he would have died for nothing.
"This time, I received my payment for the mission, and he wanted us to split it.
"Also, he wants me to tell you…"
The scene returned to David. He lay heavily on the ground as a voiceover of David's words sounded: "I'm sorry. We can't go to the moon together."
The scene began interspersing flashbacks, revisiting moments from the time they first met, all the experiences they had shared.
Maine, Pilar, Rebecca, Dorio, and the others who had died—all appeared in memory.
Then came the promise to go to the moon.
Finally, Adam Samsher said to David: "You're impressive. You're suitable to become a consciousness unit."
"Hah, I would never let Arasaka treat me like a dog, especially not someone like you."
"Is that so?" Adam Samsher no longer held back, stomping David to death with several kicks.
The final showdown was thrilling, exciting, and yet profoundly tragic. Irene watched Rebecca's and David's deaths in succession, crying uncontrollably, burying her head in Zhao Jack's chest.
Johnny almost smashed the television, but Paul stopped him just in time.
Zoe and Doug kept cursing, insulting every ancestor of Gilbert imaginable.
Even more extreme, many distressed viewers flocked to Dwayne Johnson's social media accounts, launching furious attacks.
The story ultimately froze on Lucy arriving on the moon, seeing David's smile, and ended there.
Yet the lingering resonance of the story left a lasting impact, deeply memorable and powerful.
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