Three days later, Bella had recovered to normal. When she came to find Dr. Harrow, she discovered she'd accidentally brainwashed an extra minion.
"He's lost most of his memories. He's now called Hammerhead, respected miss." Dr. Harrow introduced him with perfect politeness.
"Hammerhead! Hammerhead!" The guy now named Hammerhead shouted excitedly.
Originally five-foot-seven, the steel skull Dr. Harrow had given Hammerhead was shaped like an anvil—flat on top with a third of the cranium missing. Combined with his stocky build, he looked short and squat standing before the tall, graceful Bella.
"Miss, if you let me study your body and brain, I'll increase your abilities to unprecedented levels!" Dr. Harrow's demeanor still carried that deranged quality. Bella couldn't help but shudder. Why was he still like this?
She asked the Apple, which scanned him and said, "This is his genuine thinking, or rather his life goal and nature. It has nothing to do with the brainwashing. Unless you want to turn him into an idiot."
Turn him into an idiot and he'd be useless!
Dr. Harrow had tremendous interest in human body modification and mind control, which he described as a whole new path for human evolution.
He believed future humans would have very strong physical qualities, more or less possessing psionic abilities. Men would be handsome, women beautiful, and lifespans would reach one hundred fifty years.
He thought Bella showed strong future human tendencies—her appearance, physical qualities, psionic abilities, and cellular longevity all matched his expectations.
If Bella would sacrifice herself for medical science, humanity's evolutionary progress could accelerate by a hundred years.
"Say this to me again and I'll kill you!" Bella warned him very seriously.
She also flatly refused Dr. Harrow's suggestion to take her DNA samples and create clones.
Create a bunch of her own clones? That would be sick—she wasn't Mister Sinister.
"Respected miss, you have a bias against medicine! Don't consider external factors too much. Think about the resistance the medical community faced when promoting blood drawing and transfusions? And think about the threats Dr. Carrel faced from doctors and clergy a hundred years ago when performing organ transplants?..."
He actually had a complete theoretical framework. According to his view, he'd never been wrong—the medical community was wrong. Contemporary medicine lacked courage. History would prove he was right!
"Be loyal to me, and only me. I'll find you some experimental materials, but follow my pace. Don't get ahead, but don't fall behind either."
After establishing Dr. Harrow's future action guidelines, Bella finally looked at the buy-one-get-one-free Hammerhead who'd come like a phone plan bonus.
This guy was utterly useless to her. Taking him back to the base as security would be wasteful.
Moreover, she and 006 had a certain understanding.
To enhance her own sense of security, 006 recruited the base's security personnel. If she started adding people, it could create discord.
"Mm, just continue developing your gang business in New York. If there's news or anything comes up, I'll contact you."
Hammerhead was already simple-minded. Now, having lost most of his memories, he'd become a complete blockhead. Besides fighting, Bella really didn't know what he could do. She simply let him stay in New York. After all, Spider-Man was still a kid—they were still far from the days when nine hundred superheroes and supervillains brawled in the streets.
Hammerhead's intelligence was indeed low, but his head could knock speeding cars flying—that was undeniably an asset.
She didn't expect him to unify New York's underworld. Using that ruthless streak to carve out some territory and provide convenience when she returned to New York searching for more independent talents would be enough.
Bringing Dr. Jonas Harrow back to Newton, Texas, this deranged doctor and Professor Miles Warren got along incredibly well—their relationship could only be described as meeting too late in life.
Jonas Harrow excelled in human biology, neurology, and mechanics, plus possessed those god-given skilled hands.
Miles Warren's expertise lay in biology and genetics.
Combining their respective knowledge with the T-virus sample from the Tyrant, plus the Stairway to the Sun Bella had found and Wesker's arm, they planned to design a bioweapon called Rot.
"Rot's touch can decompose organic matter. It can briefly levitate, possesses strength, speed, and endurance beyond human limits, and has minor telepathic abilities..." Professor Miles Warren enthusiastically introduced the concept to his two bosses, while Dr. Harrow displayed a gentle smile beside him.
They planned to clone Wesker as a foundation, then perform entirely new genetic-level modifications and add various superpowers.
The two mad scientists' inspired collaboration left both Bella and 006 somewhat bewildered. This Rot thing sounded really powerful!
Bella quietly consulted with 006 before speaking: "Cloned organs are the current priority. Biologically enhanced humans are Weyland Corporation's future development direction. Moon landing, Mars landing—enhanced humans have far greater value than bioweapons. You both understand what I mean?"
"...Alright, I understand."
"As you command, miss."
She didn't oppose the Rot plan, but didn't approve either.
Just looking at the experimental process showed this couldn't be mass-produced. Whether it could achieve the theoretical design level was also unknown. She wouldn't stake Weyland Corporation's fate on such an unreliable bioweapon.
Even without understanding biology, she could detect their problem—too much wishful thinking. Combining several technologies wasn't that easy. Taking steps too large could hurt yourself.
She hadn't released all the Apple's cloning technology at once. In the company's early stage, she needed to firmly control core technology. In the mid-stage, after exhausting the technology, she'd need to control capital, always keeping herself in a critical position. Only this way could the entire company progress along her predetermined track.
Time entered March 2002.
After three months of work, both the Texas underground research base and the small island in the Caribbean named Clone Island had completed preliminary construction.
Miles Warren and Dr. Harrow, leading their respective assembled teams, had overcome various difficulties in cloned organ technology.
006 used his years of connections to contact wealthy people worldwide—or rather, wealthy people with terminal illnesses.
Cloned organ technology hadn't undergone clinical trials and carried certain risks. But this was essentially a black clinic, black research institute anyway—they didn't need to register with the Food and Drug Administration. Patients had no medical guarantees either. One willing to hit, one willing to take the hit—forget about risks, just do it!
Due to massive investments in the two secret bases and cloning projects, Bella and 006 were almost out of money!