Stark tried to regain the initiative. "Can you tell me how you cracked this cipher?"
There was nothing she needed to hide, so Bella started from "KILL" and repeated what she'd said at the LAPD headquarters.
Stark understood it right from the beginning. It couldn't be called simple, but difficult? Not really.
He thought as much and said as much: "It seems that once you grasp a few tricks, the calculation is quite easy."
Bella certainly wouldn't let her efforts be dismissed. "Wrong. Deciphering this code requires mastery of several languages, a broad education, and most critically, a deep understanding of human nature."
The two were already speaking different languages. Stark wore a sneer at the corner of his mouth. "Human nature? Your social security number, your student ID, your medical insurance, and your consumption records combined can simulate and calculate your future trajectory. What part of that has anything to do with the so-called 'human heart'?"
Bella nodded. "That is exactly what's most terrifying. Adam and Eve walked out of the , yet modern society is trying to lock people back in."
Stark frowned. "Are you anti-science?"
"I am against using your science to drag everyone forward before the majority is ready."
"After World War II, under the guidance of science, human civilization is moving toward glory. Look around us; how many brilliant scientists are there?"
"After World War II, under the guidance of science, human civilization is moving toward destruction! Look around us; exactly how many madmen are trying to blow up the Earth?"
Bella and Stark's first conversation ended there.
One was a science supremacist, the other an idealist. Stark thought Bella was ignorant and foolish; Bella thought Stark was arrogant and conceited... The two couldn't chat at all. The gap in their philosophies was simply too wide!
Since they couldn't see eye to eye, there was nothing left to say. Stark wrote the check without hesitation, and Bella took the money and left directly!
On her way out, she ran into a young man. He looked a bit nervous, sandwiched between two Stark bodyguards as if being escorted. As he walked, he carefully sized up his surroundings.
His gaze was suddenly attracted to Bella. He dazed out for two seconds, then nodded ingratiatingly.
If Bella returned the greeting every time a random man nodded at her, she wouldn't get anything done all day.
Her eyes swept over the young man—not arrogant, but not friendly either. She calmly left Stark's mansion.
Bella had taken a taxi here earlier. Although she had asked the driver to wait, she hadn't expected to wait inside Stark's mansion for so long. By now, the taxi driver was long gone.
There was hardly any traffic near Stark's mansion. If it were a woman he had chatted happily with, the billionaire would have sent a car to drop her off. But since the conversation with Bella was definitely not pleasant—send a car? Figure it out yourself!
The sun was a bit harsh. Bella stood at the gate for five minutes without seeing a single car.
What now? Walk back?
Just as she was pondering, a voice came from behind. "Hey, hey! I heard Mr. Stark say you were the one who deciphered the Zodiac Killer's code?"
Bella turned around and found it was that young man from before. She remained silent, not answering.
She'd explained it to the police out of public duty, and to Stark for the money. There was no reason to explain anything to a total stranger. It just wasn't worth the effort.
Seeming to realize he was being abrupt, the young man looked left and right, then suddenly woke up to reality. "Are you waiting for a car? My car is just ahead. Let me give you a ride!"
Bella gave him a strange look. "You aren't the Zodiac Killer, are you? I heard he specifically targets women who are alone."
The young man's mouth opened wide, his eyes full of astonishment. He waved his hands repeatedly. "No, no, no! I'm not a killer. I'm Quentin Beck. Currently a comic artist for the San Francisco Chronicle..."
Seeming a bit embarrassed about his current profession, his voice slowly lowered.
Bella sized him up curiously for a moment. "Quentin Beck? Didn't I hear you were doing special effects in Hollywood?"
The other party was a bit puzzled by her question. "Do you know one of my friends? I do indeed want to develop in Hollywood. I've loved movies since I was a child, but I'm currently still in the learning phase."
It really is you! Bella matched her memories with the young man before her.
This guy was Mysterio! It was hard to imagine that this shy, nervous young man would tell a monstrous lie in the future and deceive the entire world.
Marvel Survival Rule No. 5: Never underestimate the quiet ones. Once a guy who never lies finally snaps, he can even fool aliens!
Bella estimated this guy wasn't the Zodiac Killer. To be fair, Mysterio's achievements were much higher than a serial killer's!
"Hmm, what do you want with me?"
"Get in my car; we can talk on the way." The current Quentin Beck had zero social skills; it was easy to misunderstand him as having evil intentions.
However, Bella didn't want to wait here like a fool. After thinking about it, she nodded in agreement.
Quentin Beck was extremely interested in the Zodiac Killer—not out of worship, nor a desire to imitate, but a kind of obsession.
He had also tried to decipher that code. Honestly speaking, he was on the right track, but he was still missing a crucial step.
Bella repeated the process she had already recounted twice today to Quentin Beck.
This "honest guy's" reaction speed was slower than the CIA agent's, and even more inferior to Stark's. Perhaps due to nervousness, or perhaps due to the importance he placed on it, he hurriedly pulled over, took out pen and paper, and recorded Bella's words verbatim.
"If I write a book about the Zodiac Killer in the future, I will definitely cite your analysis. I have to say, Bella, your analysis was amazing!"
Entering downtown Los Angeles, Bella politely bid farewell to Quentin Beck. The other party's words touched her a bit. Writing a book? (Plagiarizing a book?) Seemed like a way to make money? She should look into the bestsellers here later.
...
The Christmas holiday of December 2000 was spent in panic by the people of California.
The Zodiac Killer didn't attack a school bus. Instead, he attacked a couple in a park; both the man and the woman were killed this time.
The police hadn't found the criminal after a long delay, not even a single lead to go on. Citizens didn't know if the passerby next to them would instantly turn into a pathological serial killer. The atmosphere of the entire Christmas season was quite tense.
After the Christmas holiday ended, Comrade 006, in accordance with their agreement, went to Israel to help Bella investigate the truth behind Prosperity, Arizona. By now, there were some preliminary clues. The two decided to meet at a safe house belonging to 006 on the outskirts of Los Angeles.