The North American Gourmet Demon Handbook

Now, Li Shanze began to feel that all this was most likely the work of Senator Hamilton.

105 Epidemic

"Wait, Ella, what about the disease you cured Charlie before?" Li Shanze frowned and thought about the abnormality of the matter, and soon found another unclear detail.

So he looked at the elf: "Is the deadly virus left by the witch doctor the one you exorcised for Charlie?"

Ella shook her head. "No. It's just a common illness... well, the kind humans usually call a cold. Charlie has been weak lately, so she caught a cold."

Okay, so the elf just cured Charlie of a cold.

Li Shanze nodded. He was now certain that the witch doctor had not actually come into contact with Xia Li.

So, about her so-called plague...

At this time, Li Shanze's cell phone rang.

"Hello, Lee, you're at Senator Hamilton's house, right?" Kate's voice was urgent. "Can you please dissuade Senator Hamilton from coming to the Philadelphia Police Department to view Dr. Wilder's body?"

"What's wrong? What happened?" Li Shanze asked curiously, "Before Gray and her father leave, you'd better give me a reason to convince him."

"A dangerous virus was detected in Dr. Wilder's body. To be precise, this virus was the real cause of her death. Now, I have sent people to take samples from the Delaware River for testing!"

Kate's voice sounded gritted through her teeth on the other end of the phone.

Li Shanze raised his eyebrows. He felt that he probably understood who the witch doctor's plague had inflicted.

"It appears this matter involves the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PHPD), the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), and the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Department of Environmental Protection."

"At the federal level, the CDC, EPA, FEMA, and the Department of Homeland Security will probably call me to ask if they need to intervene. I'm already doing everything I can to keep the news under wraps. So, please, Senator, please don't cause any more trouble!"

At this point, Kate was already a little exasperated.

"I guess this should be the plague virus left by the voodoo witch doctor." Li Shanze said.

"Ah. That's good." Hearing Li Shanze's words, Kate's voice immediately regained its composure. "Li, I hope to hear you explain the true ins and outs of all this tomorrow. Now, at least I have a reason to take full charge of this matter."

After saying that, Kate hung up the phone neatly.

It seems that even the Grand Knight of the Catholic Church, who wields the Holy Light, cannot avoid the battle with the bureaucratic octopus.

Listening to Kate listing off so many bureaucratic agencies like a dish, Li Shanze felt overwhelmed.

Li Shanze shook his head and walked out.

Before the Hamilton family of three left the house, Li Shanze found them on the helicopter pad.

"Ah, thank you, Li, and thank you to FBI Agent McKenzie." Senator Hamilton thanked Li Shanze without changing his expression. He extended his hand and shook Li Shanze's. "You are all good friends of the Hamilton family."

Gray said sarcastically, "No wonder it's a helicopter, Dad. I'm afraid our destination isn't the Philadelphia Police Department morgue, but Washington, right?"

Oh, it turns out that Senator Hamilton had obtained the top-secret information from somewhere and was preparing to run away - this gave Li Shanze a very intuitive understanding of the federal senator's information channels.

However, on the surface, Li Shanze pretended not to hear what Gray said and still shook hands with Senator Hamilton enthusiastically.

Senator Hamilton remained calm and said, "Hello, my dear daughter, please don't forget that your father is a federal senator and is stationed in Washington, D.C. to participate in congressional affairs. Mother and I are just back in Philadelphia to celebrate the Christmas holiday."

"I just received an urgent call from Congress. I have to rush back to Washington to vote on the bill for next year's federal budget. If you don't believe me, ask my mother." The senator testified while holding his wife.

"Well, dear, I just heard with my own ears the call your father received from the Congressional Secretary's Liaison Office." The senator's wife said with a smile.

"Okay, in order to keep the federal government running, I wish Dad a smooth vote." Gray didn't pursue the matter. She smiled and stood next to Li Shanze.

Senator Hamilton asked, "Gray, aren't you coming with us?"

"As a small lawyer, I can't help much with the Senate vote." Gray smiled.

The senator's wife spoke at the right time: "Grey, Mom wants to stay with you for a few more days. The helicopter has a lot of space, and you can take your friends to Washington. Or, you can ask Dad to send another helicopter to take you to New York..."

"No need! I decided to stay in Philadelphia and help my dad deal with that Calvin Hope. That's what we agreed on." Gray smiled, but her tone was extremely firm.

Seeing that the Hamilton family drama seemed to be endless, Li Shanze quickly stepped forward to make a guarantee.

"Don't worry, you two. As a friend, I guarantee that Gray will not be affected by any disease."

Whether Grey's decision was out of rebellion against her father or out of loyalty to her friends, after hearing about the outbreak of the voodoo witch doctor's disease, her resolute decision to stay in Philadelphia was enough for Li Shanze to regard her as one of his own.

Regardless of whether this behavior was used as a bargaining chip to persuade her parents to take Li Shanze and Xia Li with them, Gray did not choose to abandon them and run away with her parents, but instead stood by them.

In return, Li Shanze would naturally let Ella protect Grey from the plague.

"Of course, I believe Li's promise." Senator Hamilton looked at Li Shanze deeply. "Li, you are a good friend of the Hamilton family. Is this your first time in Philadelphia?"

"It's my honor. This is indeed my first time in Philadelphia." Li Shanze said with a smile.

"Well, if the matter in Congress wasn't so urgent, I should take you around Philadelphia and see Liberty Bell Square, Independence Hall, the historic Philadelphia City Hall, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art."

Senator Hamilton was very familiar with the famous sights of Philadelphia, as if he really regretted not being able to entertain Li Shanze in person.

"It's a pity that the people have placed such an important responsibility in my hands, hoping that I will have to sacrifice my personal time for the public good. I have no choice but to prioritize state affairs."

The senator sighed deeply, as if he had really made a great sacrifice, and completely ignored his daughter's exaggerated expression as if she was about to vomit.

"It's okay, I understand." What else could Li Shanze say? At this moment, all he had to do was smile.

So, with Li Shanze's smile, the senator's helicopter soared into the sky and flew away.

"Now, you know why I don't want to go home to see my parents." Gray looked helpless. "Even though I enjoy all the benefits of being a senator's daughter, I'm just ashamed to mention them."

After all, Grey is the senator's daughter, and they are a family. Li Shanze cannot make any comments, so he can only continue to smile.

…………

The roar of the helicopter rotors created a deafening noise in the cabin, making people feel depressed.

The senator's wife's Chanel scarf danced wildly in the air current, looking like a dying white dove.

Senator Hamilton suddenly pulled off his noise-canceling headset, letting the red light of the alarm light flow across his already aged cheeks, especially the nasolabial folds.

He looked at his wife, leaned over, and asked over the noise of the helicopter, "What are you doing, Miranda? Who are you going to call?"

The senator's wife looked at her husband. In the dim cabin, the phone screen cast a dim light on her face.

"Russell Gilead, CEO of Pfizer, don't we have a lot of Pfizer's medical preferred shares? They are like cedar forests soaked in gasoline, all it takes is a spark." The senator's wife made a fire gesture.

"Do you really think those chemical formulas in Pfizer's lab can seal the witch doctor's blood curse? Miranda." Senator Hamilton stroked the leather seat of the helicopter.

The senator's wife said matter-of-factly, "By the time everyone realized Pfizer's drug was ineffective against the epidemic, we had already sold our shares."

"No, you are too anxious, Miranda. It is still not certain that the epidemic will become an epidemic." Senator Hamilton shook his head.

"So I should call the New York Times first, Kurt?" The senator's wife didn't get angry, but said slowly, "Remember when Lehman Brothers was in the subprime mortgage crisis, how you taught me that 'panic is liquid gold'?"

"Don't be impatient, Miranda, don't be impatient. Let's first see whether this epidemic can spread and what effect it will have." The senator said meaningfully, his eyes staring straight at the dark night sky, wondering what he was thinking.

"If we're sure it'll become popular, we'll release the news?"

"No, on the contrary, if it can become popular, suppress the news and let it become popular. If it cannot become popular, release the news and create panic." The senator suddenly lowered his head and looked below the helicopter.

In the night, interstate highways spread like blood vessels, eventually leading to the heart of this empire, Washington.

The Senator laughed. "I think, if used properly, this plague can help me kill Calvin. Now, we just have to wait for the inside scoop from our little ogre friend."

106 blood samples

"Are you suspecting Gray's father?" Charlie looked around, lowered her voice, and asked in surprise.

Early in the morning, Charlie got up in high spirits and looked like she had had a good rest.

However, after hearing Li Shanze's account of the series of events that happened last night, Miss Witch still expressed sadness about the news of Dr. Wilde's death.

"Yes, this isn't your blood sample." Li Shanze opened the refrigerator and showed it to Xia Li. "I'm not sure who has your blood sample. In times like this, it's always right to suspect the most powerful person."

Charlie chuckled, seemingly unfazed. "Don't worry, no one can use my blood sample to do anything to me."

"Oh?" Li Shanze breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Xia Li say that. "What do you mean?"

Charlie looked a little proud: "Don't forget, I absorbed a part of Buchaska's divinity and power."

Li Shanze recalled his previous confrontation with Benjamin, and suddenly realized: "Confronting God is essentially confronting abstract rules?"

"Yeah, so they can't do anything to me with just my two bottles of blood." Xia Li suddenly snuggled into Li Shanze's arms, her head resting on his chest. "Hehe, but thank you so much, Li. Thank you for worrying about me all night and being so busy for so long."

Miss Witch smiled sweetly.

In a sense, Xia Li can be considered a god, but if she catches a cold, she will catch a cold...

Li Shanze, on the contrary, felt that he was becoming increasingly confused about the rules of this world.

"So you knew this a long time ago, Ella?" Li Shanze asked the elf while holding Charlie.

"Of course Lady Ella knows." Ella folded her arms proudly and turned up her nose. "Li Shanze, come and praise Lady Ella!"

Li Shanze thought to himself that it was good enough that I didn't scold you, as you made me worry all night.

"Then why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Huh? Didn't Li Shanze ask Lady Ella to bless Gray with immunity to the plague?" Ella retorted confidently, "Lady Ella was so exhausted after blessing her that she fell asleep immediately!"

Li Shanze thought about the elf who was indeed very tired and fast asleep after blessing Gray last night, and was speechless for a moment.

It seems that next time before asking Ella to cast a spell, I should first ask her everything I want to know.

Li Shanze took this lesson to heart.

…………

The morning light penetrates the blinds, casting shadows like prison bars on the piles of coffee cups. A crumpled candy wrapper still has half a police badge with a tooth mark stuck to it.

"Aren't these two blood samples from Charlie?" Kate also looked in good spirits. Her high ponytail made her look capable and heroic. From her expression, it was impossible to tell whether she had worked late last night.

However, looking at the temporarily requisitioned office in the Philadelphia Police Department, with a table full of coffee cups and FBI agents trying to keep their spirits up, Li Shanze suspected that they had been working around the clock.

"When I got it from the witch doctor last night, I thought it was Xia Li's blood sample, but it's not." Li Shanze shrugged and asked casually, "What happened to our Mr. Romeo who has a wife and a fiancée? What about the two Juliets?"

A wife and a fiancée? Charlie pricked up her ears.

"I prefer to call him Don Juan." Kate smiled. "Charlotte and Maturina were only cooperating with our investigation. After the investigation was completed, they naturally left."

"To be honest, I'm more interested in who called Mrs. Stroman than the two ladies themselves. Why does he know who the wife of this bald wizard whose identity we can't figure out is?" Li Shanze leaned back in his chair.

Kate's mood didn't seem so good. She let out a long sigh: "We checked all the phone numbers that contacted Mrs. Stroman. There was only one number that matched the time, but it was just a public phone from the corner. Unfortunately, there is no surveillance on the street."

"As for Mr. Don Juan, my people are still investigating Eternal Life Technology. We haven't figured out why he used an alias to apply for a job there." The Knight shook her head slightly, her high ponytail swinging nimbly like a playful wild horse. "Perhaps it's like Don Juan using the alias Don Louis to avoid being hunted down?"

At this point, Kate changed the subject: "We've confirmed that what's in Dr. Wilder's body isn't a simple blood plague. More precisely, it's a voodoo blood curse."

"Blood curse?" Li Shanze asked curiously.

"Yes, a blood curse," Kate replied affirmatively. "It's completely different from the blood plague caused by vampires, but it's much more powerful."

"Fortunately, there is no blood curse in the Delaware River. This is because this blood curse can only be transmitted through direct contact. It will first cause dizziness and vomiting, followed by fever, auditory hallucinations, loss of direction, and finally, cardiac arrest." Although introducing the terrible blood curse, Kate still had a smile on her face.

Li Shanze guessed that it was because this blood curse could not spread quickly and on a large scale, which made Kate breathe a sigh of relief.

This probably explains why Kate was in such a good mood so early in the morning.

It was a joyful relief.

"Let's talk about these two bottles of blood samples. Since you found them from the witch doctor, I think you don't mind letting my people take them for testing?"

"Also, I want to know all the details of what happened last night. My people can't fully reconstruct the scene. They can't imagine what you did just based on the horrific scene."

Even if she just listened to Li Shanze's simple retelling of last night's scene, Xia Li's eyes were full of brilliance.

When Miss Witch thought that Li Shanze was fighting for her, the brilliant smile on her face bloomed almost without any concealment.

Unlike Charlie, Kate listened to Li Shanze's description, asked a few questions about the details, and then fell into deep thought.

Kate held her forehead with her left hand, frowning, her long and strong legs in jeans crossed together, and the pen in her right hand tapped the paper in front of her unconsciously. Suddenly, her expression changed and she threw the pen away.

Then the Knight made a phone call with a serious expression on her face, and as the call continued, her expression became more and more serious.

After hanging up the phone, Kate whispered in a voice that only Li Shanze and Xia Li could hear, "The most important thing to do now is to retrieve Xia Li's blood sample."

Li Shanze was surprised to hear Kate suddenly throw the whole case aside.

Xia Li widened her eyes in surprise: "Huh, why?"

"Charlie, in a sense, your blood is divine blood, and it is the divine blood of the local indigenous gods. If voodoo uses your blood to create a blood curse, it will probably be countless times more powerful than the blood of an ordinary witch doctor." Kate said seriously.

"I just spoke on the phone with Paul Fitzgerald, Archbishop Emeritus of Boston, who was a bishop in Florida and spent most of his life dealing with these voodoo cultists hiding in the swamps. This is his opinion as well."

Now Li Shanze understood why Kate suddenly made finding Charlie's blood sample the top priority.