The North American Gourmet Demon Handbook

Anjie took a deep breath, looked at Gray seriously, and then forced a smile: "Have a good rest, Gray, you've worked hard. I'll go to Washington with you tomorrow."

After comforting Grey with kind words, she finally left Grey's room.

The moment the oak door closed again, one person inside and one person outside the door breathed a sigh of relief.

Gray stared blankly at the ceiling.

The unhealed scratches under the silk nightgown awakened in the warm air of the air conditioner, and Li Shanze's caress and Anjie's hug started a micro-civil war on the skin.

The wounds on my lower body and buttocks still hurt.

She looked blankly at the nearly one hundred prisms hanging from the crystal chandelier on the ceiling. Each refraction point was replaying a different version of herself.

A daughter who has always been loved by her parents.

A younger sister who follows her brother closely.

History lovers don't have to worry about legal risks at all.

A rebellious senator's daughter who goes against the wishes of her conservative father.

An eloquent and invincible elite lawyer.

A daughter devastated by her mother's death.

He almost became an addict after finding drugs in the refrigerator.

The deceiver who marinated his lust with betrayal in Li Shanze's arms.

The lying Madonna pretending to be chaste in Anjie's arms.

These afterimages were being strung together like a gallows string by the moonlight that barely seeped through the curtains, and were being squeezed into her throbbing temple.

She suddenly felt like vomiting. She curled up like a fetus in the womb, endured the burning pain, and pressed her knees against the new bruises on her lower abdomen.

Li Shanze's bestial breathing and Anjie's worried comfort welded and merged on the eardrum, as depressing and gloomy as Sibelius's symphony.

Amidst this blurry and interwoven noise, the reflection of Gray reflected in the prism was gradually peeling away, until only three remained.

Gray took the mint candy that Anjie bought on the streets of New York with a smile, and used the coolness to burn her lying tongue.

The other Grey was kneeling and licking the blood rust on the barrel of Li Shanze's gun, swallowing it vigorously and forgetting everything else, as if it was the formula for a panacea that could bring her mother back to life.

The third Grey lay on the bed, watching all this absurdity with cold eyes.

When the morning light finally pierced the darkness, before falling completely into sleep, they finally became one.

Author's words: Thanks to Polar Bear for the monthly ticket and recommendation ticket

119 Test

Hamilton Manor at night was like a stopped clock, and the three people were like the three hands of the clock, lying quietly in positions that did not intersect with each other.

Anjie was either angry that Li Shanze cheated on the flight attendant Claudia, or she was unwilling to openly cheat on her in front of her lover Gree's house, or she was tired after driving for several hours.

All in all, nothing else happened between Anjie and Li Shanze that night, and she didn't even talk much with Li Shanze.

Angel walked towards the guest room, stepping on the silver spots woven by moonlight on the Persian carpet. She paused in front of the door for a few seconds and then slammed the bolt, causing the portrait of the Hamilton family's ancestors on the wall to tilt slightly, blocking Li Shanze from entering.

Li Shanze didn't have any problems with his willingness, but he first vented most of his energy on Claudia, and then comforted Gray, so naturally he didn't have any needs.

So the whole night passed in silence, and Li Shanze slept until dawn.

When Li Shanze woke up, Anjie was still sleeping soundly.

Li Shanze called the female cleaner who got up early to work and asked her to clean Grey's room carefully.

The trash can devoured the remains of last night in big mouthfuls - including scattered alcohol-soaked carpets, broken bourbon bottles, Grey's torn pearl necklace, and a nightgown stained with dried dark red blood. Li Shanze hesitated for a moment and asked the female cleaner to keep the nightgown.

Li Shanze didn't feel relieved until he confirmed that there were no more loopholes in the room.

When Gray woke up, it was already afternoon.

Grey silently endured the pain and put on her solemn black winter clothes. Then she and Angie went to the airport together and flew to DC. They were going to attend the funeral of Grey's mother, Miranda Hamilton, the wife of the senator.

(Note: DC refers to the capital of the United States, Washington, District of Columbia, which will not be explained later)

The senator's wife's body will not be returned to Philadelphia, but will be buried at Capitol Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

"I can't wait to see Daddy's expression." Gray forced herself to joke.

Li Shanze smiled cooperatively and expressed his intention to go to DC to pay his respects, but was declined by the haggard Grey.

"Dad wants to keep things simple. Besides, this ancestral home can't be left unattended. We'd like to ask Mr. Li to help look after it for a few more days."

At this time, Gray became a polite girl from a large family. Even when she was declining or inviting others to stay overnight, she could say it as asking for a favor.

When saying this, Gray looked at Li Shanze through the black veil with a very complicated look.

In Li Shanze's eyes, the lawyer lady was completely different from the wild, broken and gnashing-teeth image she had been last night.

Li Shanze watched the extended Lincoln start up and waved from a distance.

The bulletproof windows filtered the Philadelphia twilight into a cool gray-blue.

Angel and Gray sat side by side in the back seat of the Lincoln. They each secretly glanced at the increasingly smaller figure through the rearview mirror and were speechless for a moment.

Silence fell on the luxurious Lincoln.

When Li Shanze's figure completely disappeared from the rearview mirror, someone finally broke the silence.

Gray suddenly spoke up, "Remember the broken statue of Athena at the Metropolitan Museum of Art? The restorer used Paros marble to fill the gap, but they could never close the eternal cracks left by the war."

Anjie turned her head and glanced at her lover. "Yes, repairs always leave traces, just like the lipstick shade you just added - as obvious as the blush on the nymph in Botticelli's "Primavera" that was repaired and we saw in the Uffizi Gallery."

(Note: This is a fictional setting, OTL did not have this problem)

Gray took out a makeup mirror from her handbag. She saw the bruise on her collarbone left by Li Shanze in the makeup mirror, and pulled the scarf calmly.

After finishing her makeup, she pursed her lips and smiled. "Do you know what the new director of the Louvre wants to do with the Venus de Milo? I heard he wants to use AI and 3D printing to restore the arm. How stupid."

"Is the source of this information reliable?" Anjie raised an eyebrow. "Maybe we should go to Paris and see the Venus de Milo one last time."

Gray raised her phone. "Dad's friend sent me condolences about Mom, and mentioned this incident in passing. I thought, maybe he just sent his condolences in passing."

"I thought you would receive this news after we attend the funeral." Anjie shrugged. "How long will it take?"

"At least we won't rush into action for a few months. There's still time." Gray sighed helplessly, "It seems that ever since Dad made that call to the National Guard, some information can no longer be concealed."

"Look at it from a bright side, at least I have more potential employers," the bounty hunter said nonchalantly. "This failure has really damaged my reputation."

Gray smiled for the first time since getting in the car. "I think it's better for the ring to fall into the hands of that great knight than into the hands of your weird and evil employers."

"You are slandering my employer. I can't pretend I didn't hear it." Anjie also laughed.

"You could have your employer sue me."

The two smiled at each other, and the originally stiff and awkward atmosphere was dispelled.

After laughing, Gray asked curiously, "Seriously, if that ring is purified by the church, can the people controlled by it break free from their slave contracts?"

…………

"It's no use, Charlie, it's no use." Kate shook her head. She sighed helplessly and returned the ring to Charlie. "I used holy light to completely purify it and turned it into an ordinary ring. But the contract is still there, just slightly weakened. I'm afraid we have to find another way."

Charlie took the ring and put it away as if it were her treasure. She put her index finger on her chin and said in distress, "Well, until we come up with a solution, isn't it best for Li to avoid you..."

Kate took out her phone and glanced at it, then shook her head. "I'm afraid it's going to be hard to avoid him. He just sent Miss Hamilton and Miss Novak away half an hour ago and has already driven to the police station. He said he wants to discuss something about immortality technology with me."

As soon as the knight finished speaking, Li Shanze pushed open the door and walked in.

He looked at Charlie and Kate, who were also a little listless, and asked in surprise, "Didn't you sleep well last night?"

Charlie covered it up with a smile and said, "Well, yes, Kate and I had such a great time chatting last night that we didn't go to bed until very late!"

Neither of them wanted to reveal that they had spent the entire night studying the ring.

Kate even changed the subject directly: "Li, you said you wanted to discuss something with me about immortality technology?"

Li Shanze thought that Xia Li and Kate were just having an ordinary gathering with their best friends and didn't take it to heart. He nodded and said, "Yes, according to Gray, Mrs. Hamilton died from a blood curse."

Li Shanze hesitated for a moment and did not tell Grey that she wanted revenge. He felt that it might not be a good idea to say this in front of Kate, a genuine FBI agent.

Kate nodded. "They've already left for the funeral, haven't they?"

"Yeah, he's probably on the flight to DC by now."

"Wait, DC?" Kate frowned, suddenly realizing something was wrong. "The funeral is in DC? Where did the senator's wife find favor with the Lord?"

Li Shanze asked in surprise, "Uh, the senator should be at his home near DC, right? Is there any problem?"

"DC is a mystery-free zone. Although I don't know how it's done, almost any non-scientific power is ineffective there." Kate said, "Either the senator's wife didn't die in DC, or she didn't die from the blood curse!"

Li Shanze's face changed, and he quickly took out his cell phone and dialed Gray's number.

Shut down.

Li Shanze called Anjie's number again.

Shut down.

"Clay!" Kate had already shouted, "Go check Angie Novak and Grey Hamilton's tickets! Philadelphia to DC! See what flight they're on!"

"PCI-DCA... Angie Novak, Grey Hamilton... Got it. They're on an American Airlines AA-145, ERJ-175, with a flight distance of 225 kilometers..."

"Check the latest FAA and airline regulations to see which flights allow cell phone use during flight!"

"The FAA has allowed the use of electronic devices, including cell phones, at all times since Google's launch. Only medical equipment weighing more than two pounds needs to be turned off at all times."

During takeoff and landing, Delta Airlines requires all electronic devices to be turned off; United Airlines has a new policy for the year, allowing only tablets; Southwest Airlines has a special policy that prohibits the use of external keyboards.

Li Shanze and Kate looked at each other.

Immediately afterwards, Li Shanze took out his cell phone again.

120 Exposed

Li Shanze took out the mobile phone on which he had installed the communication app of Aikou.

The APP is called TeleGhost.

Li: Can you locate Grey's phone?

Iko: (The hacker cat is wearing night vision goggles and eating popcorn, with a big question mark on his head)

Iko: What happened?

Lee: Grey and Ange have lost contact.

Li: The FBI just found out that they didn't actually board the AA-145 flight from Philadelphia to Washington that they were scheduled to fly. Do you have any way to track their cell phone signals?

Ai Kou: This kind of thing can be handled by the FBI Information Technology Department, right?

Li: To add, when we call their numbers now, they are turned off.

Aikou: High-end mobile phones all have independent power supply systems for baseband processors. Obviously, Gray's mobile phone is the most high-end.

Ai Ko: Don't forget, Grey is using an iPhone. If nothing goes wrong, the FBI will be able to track it.

Li: The people at Quantico responded that they couldn't trace the two phones.

Ai Kou: ...Interesting. If you have a warrant from the FBI, I can check it for you.

Li: I've already obtained the authorization for you. I'll send you the authorization document later.

Aikou: (Panda head typing furiously: Checking, checking.gif)

Ai Kou: They boarded the plane at PHL (Philadelphia International Airport), right?

Li: Yes.

Iko: From Grey's house to PHL, you take Highway 95 southwest... along the Delaware River, past the Philadelphia Navy Yard, onto the Delaware Expressway, over the Girard Point Bridge, and across the Schuylkill River. (Bloodhound runs, pipe in mouth)

Lee: Philadelphia Navy Yard?

Iko: Not sure, but it's very likely. I need to investigate the entire route. Are you sure you can bring the FBI's warrant? (Pathetic) (Pathetic)

LEE: Agent Kate McKenzie is already signing off.

Aikou: I called up NASA and Starlink satellites, and currently I have only found a section of road in the Philadelphia Navy Yard where there is no electromagnetic signal. In such a place, if you make a call, you will be prompted that the phone is turned off.

Lee: Let me guess, Seponic Parkway, right?

Iko: That’s right.