After taking a short break, Ethan returned to work. The next step was to complete the film's visual effects and post-production.
For this, Ethan practically lived in the post-production room at Digital Domain, barely leaving the building. Even at night, he stayed in an apartment near the company.
Speaking of this New York apartment, it wasn't a villa or the penthouse of a skyscraper, but Ethan had put in considerable effort to buy it.
In fact, besides owning large villas outside the city, New York's wealthy elite also maintained residences in the city center—typically high-rise apartments.
Many people mistakenly believe that American billionaires exclusively live in private mansions or hop between luxury villas around the world. While that's partly true, for Wall Street executives and top-tier New York elites, driving half an hour back to a suburban mansion after work isn't exactly practical.
That's why high-end residential communities in Manhattan have become prime real estate for the rich.
In America, about 75% of these city-center properties operate under cooperative housing models, especially in high-end neighborhoods.
Residents of these co-ops don't actually own their apartments. Instead, the entire community is owned by a corporation, and buying a unit is akin to purchasing shares in the company. The board of directors, essentially a private club, can reject any applicant without explanation, free from legal oversight.
These neighborhoods serve as exclusive hubs for New York's old-money elite. Once admitted, residents find themselves surrounded by business magnates, company executives, and even senators—making it an ideal place to build connections.
However, gaining entry into such co-ops is notoriously difficult. Fame alone doesn't guarantee acceptance—celebrities like Madonna and Mariah Carey have been turned down.
Wealth isn't always enough either. For example, the billionaire Blavatnik, originally from Ukraine, amassed his fortune during the Soviet Union's collapse and later obtained a British knighthood. With an estimated net worth of over $30 billion—ranking among the world's top 20 richest—he still faced rejection twice.
This wasn't due to his background, but rather because New York's old-money elites looked down on newly rich outsiders.
In short, it was a case of aristocratic snobbery, where legacy wealth saw itself as superior and dismissed foreign billionaires.
Ethan himself was initially rejected when he tried to purchase property there.
Fortunately, with an introduction from James Cameron—who was already a member of the co-op—Ethan was eventually admitted into the high-end community. He now used this apartment to store important documents and film negatives.
Speaking of negatives, Ethan had printed out photographs he had taken over the years.
These included pictures of Anne Hathaway, Jessica, Scarlett, Avril, Taylor Swift, Kyoko Fukada, as well as Kayden and Cindy.
If these negatives ever leaked, the fallout would be comparable to the infamous celebrity photo scandals.
But Ethan wasn't careless. He never stored these pictures digitally, keeping them solely as physical copies locked in a safe—only taking them out occasionally to admire.
As for theft?
The security in high-end communities far exceeded that of ordinary neighborhoods. Besides, Ethan had hidden the photos inside a wall. No thief would go to the trouble of dismantling a house while breaking in.
Due to the extensive number of visual effects shots in Lucy: Final Curtain War, progress was slow.
Even so, Norton's Eye unexpectedly released a short teaser on their official website.
With no official marketing push, only a handful of dedicated fans who monitored the website closely noticed it—including Vincenzo.
When Vincenzo discovered that the new Lucy trailer had dropped, he immediately sat in front of his computer and clicked play without hesitation.
"What is the secret of this world?"
The trailer opened with Scarlett's voice, accompanied by a breathtaking view of Earth from space.
"What is the true nature of the universe?"
The camera zoomed out to reveal the entire Milky Way galaxy.
"And how do we reach the real cosmos?"
The scene shifted to Morgan Freeman's character, who was leading his team through a series of complex calculations.
"Latitude 28°10′ to 32°13′, Longitude 105°17′ to 110°11′."
After tireless computations—assisted by Lucy—the team finally pinpointed several coordinates.
Morgan Freeman turned to the Lucy squad and solemnly declared, "These locations… are where the Veil resides."
"We split up!"
Peel twirled his gun playfully and smirked. "Let's see who gets there first."
But the next moment, the screen cut to Peel and Reese surrounded by military forces. Amidst the hail of gunfire, Peel cursed, "FXXK! We're definitely not first this time."
What followed was a montage of intense action sequences and scenic landscapes.
Vincenzo noticed that several different cities appeared in the trailer, prompting him to whistle in appreciation.
"Big-budget production!"
As the teaser neared its end, Lucy and her team stood at the final Veil anchor point, looking up at the Earth's sky before destroying the anchor.
Suddenly, the sky darkened, plunging the entire world into blackness.
Then, an eerie, ancient, and otherworldly sound echoed—before the trailer cut to black.
Vincenzo felt his curiosity peak. He immediately rewatched the trailer.
Afterward, he recorded a new video while wearing a face mask, announcing, "Lucy has just released a new teaser! This is incredibly exciting, and the amount of hidden details is staggering. Let's break it down together."
"First, the coordinates. After cross-referencing them, I found that they correspond to New York, Iceland, and Chongqing. This means the film was shot in multiple locations. With so many filming sites, we can expect a longer runtime and a more expansive story."
"Second, the enemies. The trailer introduces a military force distinct from Arasaka. After zooming in and analyzing the footage, I noticed that their armor and gear resemble military-tech designs. Could this mean military corporations are teaming up with Arasaka to fight against Lucy's group? It's a huge mystery and an intriguing setup."
"Next, take a look at this frame—amidst the smoke and debris, there's a massive silhouette. It looked oddly familiar, so I rewatched Lucy 2, and guess what? This shadow belongs to Adam Hammerr!"
"That's right—Adam Hammer might be revived in Lucy 3 and make a comeback."
"Finally, there's the mysterious voice at the end. It hasn't been heard before, but it sounds immense—almost otherworldly. Based on this, I have a theory: this voice belongs to the colossal entity that briefly appeared at the end of the first Lucy film."
"From what I can tell, this creature may have been dormant on Earth all along. When the Veil was destroyed, it could have been awakened. But whether it's a friend or foe? That remains a mystery."
"One thing's for sure—this film is shaping up to be even more thrilling than the first two. I can't wait!"
....
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