Echoes of Hollywood

Among the fan letters that arrive, there are often various oddities—postcards, personal photos, small gifts. Gal Gadot had seen all these before. However, what she felt through the envelope with the drawing of a blood-soaked dagger was a small, oval-shaped hard object, and she immediately had a bad feeling.

Without waiting for Murphy to say anything, she tore open the envelope. A bullet rolled out, landing in her hand.

Most girls would have screamed and thrown both the envelope and the bullet away, but Gal Gadot, having grown up in Israel, had a resilience forged by her environment, even without formal military training.

She frowned, took a deep breath, and cursed, "Damn it! Is this person crazy?"

"A mailed bullet..."

Murphy, though a bit surprised, was even calmer than Gal Gadot. "Someone's not happy with me."

While talking, he took the bullet from Gal Gadot's hand and examined it closely. "A rather boring threat."

"This is no trivial matter!" Gal Gadot glared at Murphy. Though she also thought it might be nothing, she couldn't help but worry about Murphy. "We should call the police."

"Let's see what the letter says first."

Having been in state prison, Murphy had seen all sorts of hardened criminals. A threat like a mailed bullet seemed like a circus act to him. He took the letter from the envelope and unfolded it. "Could it be a fan expressing their admiration?"

Compared to Murphy, Gal Gadot took it much more seriously. "Dear, this is about your personal safety!"

Murphy stopped joking and looked at the letter, while Gal Gadot leaned in to read it too.

The letter contained only one sentence: "Hey, Hitler!"

The signature was a red Nazi symbol, seemingly drawn with blood.

"It's from a Nazi sympathizer..." Gal Gadot became even more concerned. "Could it be a Hitler worshipper? They're fanatics. They..."

She looked at Murphy with worry, but he still seemed unconcerned.

Murphy shrugged. "It could also be a prank."

"I don't care if it's a prank!" Gal Gadot stood up abruptly, never having contradicted Murphy so strongly before. "This concerns your personal safety. We can't take any risks."

"Dear..."

Murphy began to say something, but Gal Gadot cut him off. "Murphy!"

She pointed to her chest. "Do you know how worried I am right now?"

Gal Gadot's brow was furrowed, her expression stern, and one hand was trembling slightly, indicating her anxiety.

Seeing her so worried, Murphy put away his nonchalant attitude and said seriously, "Let's notify Bill first."

"I'll call him right away!" Gal Gadot rushed to the phone and dialed Bill Rossis's number. After explaining the situation briefly, Bill Rossis promised to arrive as quickly as possible.

Half an hour later, Bill Rossis and Grace entered Murphy's villa.

After listening to Gal Gadot's account and examining the bullet and envelope, Bill Rossis took the matter very seriously. "We need to take this seriously!"

He thought for a moment and said solemnly, "This could be a prank, but we can't rule out the possibility that the threat is real. Even a one-in-a-million chance is too much risk for us to take!"

Grace also said, "I agree with Bill."

Murphy nodded lightly. Regardless of anything else, he couldn't let Gal Gadot worry constantly.

"One thing, Bill," Gal Gadot reminded. "The police can't stay with Murphy 24/7."

"That's my second point," Bill Rossis said. "We should temporarily hire a professional security company to provide round-the-clock protection for Murphy..."

He glanced at Gal Gadot. "And for you."

Gal Gadot wanted to say something, but Bill Rossis cut her off. "If the threat is real and they can't get to Murphy, they'll go after the people he cares about."

Hearing this, Murphy didn't hesitate. "Let's do it."

Just as Gal Gadot worried about him, he also worried about her.

The next morning, Murphy and Bill Rossis reported the incident to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. They then met with a police officer in the CAA reception room at Death Star Tower.

In a country like the United States, the identity of the complainant directly affects how seriously the police take the case. The officer who came to see Murphy and Bill Rossis was not an ordinary cop but a sheriff.

"Hello, Director Stanton."

This middle-aged white man greeted Bill Rossis and Grace before approaching Murphy. "I'm Sheriff Gatlin Collins from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department."

He extended his hand, and Murphy shook it lightly, glancing at the somewhat familiar face. "Hello, Sheriff Collins."

As they spoke, Murphy recalled where he had seen this middle-aged white cop before. "We meet again."

Unlike Murphy, Gatlin Collins had known from the start that he was meeting an old acquaintance. "Yes, Mr. Stanton, it's been years, but I'm glad we can still talk face-to-face."

Gal Gadot, standing next to Murphy, glanced between the two men, sensing their complicated history.

Murphy's lawyer Robert was also present. He remembered this sheriff from past events and interjected, "Sheriff Collins, let's focus on our report first."

Gatlin Collins gave Murphy a long look before nodding and moving to a conference table where the opened letter lay.

As his assistant examined the letter and bullet, Gatlin Collins appeared to focus on these items but kept his attention on Murphy.

"Do you know this Sheriff Collins?" Gal Gadot whispered curiously.

Murphy nodded lightly. "He was one of the officers investigating me for something I did in the past. He probably doesn't have a good impression of me."

Hearing this, Gal Gadot immediately understood. It must have been something from Murphy's early days, accumulating his initial capital.

Gatlin Collins's side glance again fell on Murphy, a hint of gloom appearing on his pale face. This despicable, treacherous scoundrel not only escaped punishment but also became a societal figure...

To his injured colleagues, this was the greatest injustice!

"I didn't clearly see their faces; it was too dark. But I could remember someone's build and gait, plus they were carrying... guns!"

"As a journalist, it's my duty. My duty tells me not to ignore such news and not to let the public miss it. They have the right to know."

"You have injured colleagues. I understand why you think that, but it's not true. I didn't do that. My professional ethics wouldn't allow me to make such a mistake."

The words spoken by the other party back then were still vividly remembered by Collins.

A liar, a scoundrel, a murderer, now a world-famous director—it was a mockery.

Frankly, he couldn't reconcile the Murphy Stanton director in front of him with the scoundrel he remembered. He hadn't expected that little punk to become so successful.

A penniless slum rat turning into a big Hollywood director—who would believe that?

This was what Collins couldn't accept.

Back then, he had been keeping a close watch, never expecting that the scoundrel would leave behind his thriving paparazzi career, toe the line of legality, and never engage in anything illegal again, leaving Collins without a chance.

Sure, he knew Murphy had ties with downtown LA's Ross, but no matter how he checked, Murphy hadn't been involved in any underground deals.

This left Collins with no target, watching as a lowlife climbed to fame and fortune.

Could anything be more disheartening?

Although he later gave up the pursuit, and the LAPD stopped mentioning it, seeing Murphy Stanton again brought back old memories for Collins.

The deeper the resentment, the longer it had been harbored.

Glaring at Murphy, Collins vowed that given the chance, he would strike back at this scoundrel.

Usually, handling a report was routine, but under pressure from CAA and Robert, the LAPD took it seriously. Rich and famous individuals enjoyed vastly different treatment from ordinary citizens.

The police would investigate the letter's origin, and CAA connected Murphy with a security company, hiring top personnel to provide 24-hour protection for Murphy and Gal Gadot.

Meanwhile, Bill Rossis repeatedly reminded Murphy not to be complacent. If any public events could be canceled, they should be.

Gal Gadot also persuaded Murphy through her actions. Murphy withdrew from all promotional and PR activities for "Inglourious Basterds."

But when things aren't going well, more problems tend to arise. Even while hiding out in Wave Manor, trouble still found Murphy.

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