Patience, stay patient, hold your breath. Harry was fully in the zone, like a professional photographer capturing the movement of a hummingbird deep in the jungle.
Then—
Whoosh!
The figure launched into the air from below, light as a feather, reaching its peak with a graceful 360-degree front flip, feeling the pull of gravity as it began to fall.
But then, he paused mid-air, shot out webs from his hands to secure a point, and with a swift pull, propelled himself forward in a rapid descent.
He shot forward like a torpedo, spinning like a propeller, heading straight for Doctor Octopus.
This!
It was dazzling, stunning!
His form, his movements, his posture—elegant and agile, graceful and fluid, transforming the imagined scene in Harry's mind into reality.
For a moment, Harry couldn't believe his eyes—
Without the aid of computer effects, he was witnessing such a high-difficulty action sequence live.
And not just a good version, it was even better—more creative, more stunning.
Now, Harry finally understood what they had been rehearsing earlier.
Instinctively, he held his breath.
But this time, Harry didn't forget the shutter. His fingers moved quickly, snapping frame after frame, capturing the entire sequence.
Click click click click.
The shutter went wild, pounding in Harry's ears, his heart skipping a beat. Then it hit him—
The flash!
Harry could hardly believe it. He had made such an amateur, careless, rookie mistake—he forgot to turn off the flash, revealing his position.
Stupid, absolutely stupid.
Then, a commotion erupted outside.
"Who? Who's using a flash?"
Sean Graham held tightly onto the wire rig, his whole body leaning back as if in a tug-of-war, using his weight to maintain control. Without this effort, there was no way he could support Anson's weight alone—working even with four people was a challenge.
Fully focused, sweat pouring down, Sean didn't allow his attention to slip for a second.
At that exact moment, a series of blinding flashes went off from the corner of his eye.
Damn it!
Sean instinctively shut his eyes. His first reaction was to grip the wire rig tighter, leaning back to prevent any mishaps. But in that brief blink, sweat stung his eyes, causing a momentary lapse.
By the time Sean realized he had lost control of the rig, there was no time for regret, panic, or fear. His immediate instinct was to grab onto the wire.
But it was too late.
The wire slipped through his gloved hands, burning as it tore through his grip, leaving his palms stinging.
Finally, Sean caught the wire, but his balance was already lost. His feet couldn't stay grounded, and he was yanked forward, dragged by the rig.
Sean: It's over.
"Oh God, Anson!"
It all happened so fast, so unexpectedly, no time to react.
Anson's body hung in mid-air, momentarily stunned, and in the next second, he lost balance. Gravity pulled him violently, like a leaf dangling in a tornado, trembling fiercely.
He was neither up nor down, floating in mid-air, unsupported—falling.
Harry's heart sank.
The next moments were a blur. Five seconds seemed to vanish, like a time jump. Anson lay on the ground, looking up at the heads gathered around him, the crowd buzzing as they surrounded him.
Alfred was pale, his face drained of all color.
"Move aside, everyone move aside, he needs air!"
Alfred shouted loudly.
"Anson, Anson? Are you okay?"
"Anson, can you hear me?"
Anson: I'm fine, don't worry.
He thought he spoke, but no sound came out. He wasn't even sure if his mouth moved.
His entire back was numb, like a current running through it. It didn't hurt—just a faint numbness, making him feel like he was okay. But why couldn't he speak? Why was everything so chaotic?
Breathe, breathe deeply.
Anson reminded himself, taking deep breaths, trying to pull his mind back from the numbing silence.
Boom.
Like pulling a plug from a sink, the noise rushed back in, pouring over him like a waterfall, making his throat seize.
Cough cough.
"I'm fine…"
Finally, Anson spoke, waving his hand to calm everyone down.
"I'm fine. I just need to rest a bit."
The buzzing crowd finally quieted, watching Anson with bated breath, afraid to make a sound.
Anson smiled slightly.
"Really, I'm fine. It's just a fall—everyone falls sometimes."
Sam looked pale and called out, "Anson!"
Anson saw Noah standing there, eyes filled with tears, looking panicked and helpless. He couldn't hold it back anymore.
"Ha, God, Noah! I didn't see angels or Lucifer, so there's no need to worry."
Noah stayed silent, staring at Anson with deep concern in his eyes.
Anson sighed softly. "Are you all just going to watch the leading man lying here without offering a hand? I must've failed as a person."
But Alfred wasn't in the mood for jokes. "Are you sure? No pain at all?"
They were worried about Anson's condition and didn't want to move him unnecessarily, just in case.
Anson laughed. "Ha, really, I'm fine."
Without waiting for help, he reached out, preparing to sit up on his own.
But then, from the base of his spine—or maybe his lower back, hard to pinpoint—a sharp, numbing pain shot through him like a lightning bolt, cutting off all sensation before he could even sit up. The pain, like a tidal wave, choked his breath.
Every muscle in Anson's body tensed, his vision went black, the world fractured, and his hearing faded into a dull roar.
Thud.
He barely started to sit before collapsing back onto the ground, lying there like a mummy.
A second—just one second, but it felt like an eternity.
"Sorry, Sam, I think I might need a doctor."
The crowd went dead silent.
A wave of fear clenched Sam's heart, regret and panic crashing into him like a punch to the chest. His eyes were wide with dread, his mouth open but no sound coming out, frozen on the spot.
Luckily, Alfred's experience kicked in, and he shouted immediately.
"911, call 911! We need an ambulance here!"
"Where's the on-set medic? Check on Anson right now! What are you all doing? Run! Move! Now's not the time to freeze up!"
"Get moving! Haven't you ever dealt with an emergency? Stay calm! We need to stay calm!"
The sound of rushing footsteps echoed from all directions, chaotic and frantic. But amidst the noise, Anson felt the pain slowly ebbing away, fatigue pulling him down into a bottomless darkness.