The North American Gourmet Demon Handbook

"Finally, I happened to negate the witchcraft illusion in the doctor's office and found a clue?"

"You know, the more links there are, the greater the probability of problems."

"I don't think there's such an elaborate conspiracy."

Kate frowned and explained, "The wizards of the Brotherhood of Time Skeletons have prophetic magic, just like the tarot card divination that Charlie once showed me, but it's much more accurate than that."

"So, as long as a high-level wizard or even a great wizard of the time system takes action, they can indeed arrange a very sophisticated plan. I was once involved in a very sophisticated conspiracy..."

Before Kate finished speaking, Li Shanze started laughing.

"Don't forget, time magic doesn't work very well on me. I don't think divination spells can predict my actions very well."

Kate was convinced. She nodded and said, "Well, it seems that this is not a conspiracy."

"Mr. Stroman's surgical records, and even the complete surgical method, are all in this manual." Li Shanze pointed to the notebook in Xia Li's hand, "And our surgeons don't even know who is behind him..."

"Doesn't Prado Miller have another operation? This time it's a child. I think this might be a good opportunity." Kate said with a smile.

…………

Yet Dr. Miller’s reaction was dramatic.

"What? You want to let me go back to perform surgery? No! Please, no! I want to go to jail! Let me go to jail!"

"That was a scam. I was performing witchcraft experiments on living people, not healing people! I violated the Hippocratic Oath. Please revoke my medical license immediately!"

"Agent MacKenzie, didn't you promise to protect me? You can't go back on your word! Agent MacKenzie!"

Li Shanze looked at Kate helplessly.

Well, it seems I didn't scare Dr. Miller just now at the right moment, and I went a little too far, frightening this elite surgeon to death. Now he refuses to leave the interrogation room no matter what.

"Listen, you must cooperate with us, otherwise we will not protect you and will just let you fend for yourself," Li Shanze threatened.

"How can this be! This is different from what we agreed! How can you, the FBI, go back on your word?" Dr. Miller questioned loudly in despair.

In fact, the frightened Dr. Miller did not really trust the FBI.

It was just that this was the only life-saving straw he could grab in a panic, so he didn't want this life-saving straw to turn into foam, he just wanted to hold it tightly.

Li Shanze narrowed his eyes. "What gave you the illusion that the FBI would keep its promise, Dr. Miller? Was it those detective soap operas that praise the FBI?"

Li Shanze ruthlessly burst the bubble of Dr. Miller's fantasy, which made Dr. Miller hysterical.

"No! Since you FBI don't keep your promise, then I don't trust you either! I won't cooperate with you! I won't leave, no matter what!"

Li Shanze smiled. "Of course I can't trust the FBI, but if you're willing to cooperate with us and catch the mastermind, the Grand Knight of the Catholic Church will promise to give you asylum. What do you think?"

"The Catholic Church? The Grand Knight?" Dr. Miller calmed himself down, swallowed hard, and said, "Well... no, words are not enough. I want to see that gentleman first. I want a personal guarantee from that gentleman!"

"You've already seen her." Li Shanze smiled and pointed at Kate.

The holy light shining from Kate soothed Dr. Miller's panic and calmed him down.

Dr. Miller asked tentatively, "Sir, as a Grand Knight of the Church, you promise to guarantee my safety?"

Kate nodded and said, "Yes, Prado Miller, I promise, as long as you cooperate with us to catch the mastermind."

Kate's expression was solemn—no, a more accurate word would be dignified.

Dr. Miller pulled up the corners of his mouth and forced a smile: "Ha, well, what can I do for you, Your Excellency the Great Knight?"

146 Senator's Explanation

Senator Hamilton's home in Washington, D.C.

"Thank you for your hard work, Grey and Miss Novak." Senator Hamilton, who seemed to be suppressing grief and fatigue, nodded to Grey and Angie.

Miranda Hamilton's funeral has ended. After seeing off all the guests, the three of them looked a little tired.

"The White House Chief of Staff's eulogy was very appropriate." Grey said as if to make conversation, her eyes red under the black veil.

"Yes, I have to thank him seriously." Senator Hamilton replied casually.

The Senator's hand went to his black silk tie, as if trying to loosen it.

But just as his hand touched the tie, he seemed to remember something and stopped.

This action was like some kind of signal, and the senator's staff, who understood the meaning of the music, tactfully left the room one after another.

Anjie also wanted to leave, but just as she was about to stand up, Gray held her hand.

So the bounty hunter lady forced a smile at Senator Hamilton and sat down again.

As if in protest, Gray tightly grasped Anjie's hand, their fingers intertwined.

The Senator's eyelids twitched, but he said nothing, but he also did not undo his black silk tie.

A silent and somewhat awkward atmosphere spread in the room, and time seemed to have stopped.

In this atmosphere, Anjie felt a little uneasy, and Gray's hand tightened.

So Anjie shook his hand back encouragingly.

Perhaps it was Ange's support that gave Gray strength. She took a deep breath, lifted her veil, and broke the silence that shrouded the three of them.

"Dad, did Mom really die because of the blood curse?"

Gray stared at her father with red and swollen eyes.

Senator Hamilton was surprised to hear his daughter's direct question.

He raised an eyebrow, leaned forward, and then sighed slowly.

"Ah, yes, I'm so sorry, my dear daughter. Why do you ask?"

Grey angrily took out her iPad, swiped it a few times, and then showed it to Senator Hamilton.

"Lies! DC's anti-supernatural barrier is calibrated and maintained every 72 hours by the Pentagon, the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Church, and the Chief Wizard of the Federation."

"This is a copy of yesterday's maintenance log that I asked a friend to get."

"So, how could Mom die in DC from the blood curse?"

Senator Hamilton smiled with relief as he looked at his daughter, who was acting aggressively like she was questioning a witness in court.

"That's a good question, but I'm not your prisoner, my dear daughter."

The senator stood up, opened a locked side cabinet, pulled out several documents, and handed them to Grey.

"Autopsy report number USAMRIID-Quaker-691, Miranda Hamilton..." Gray said in surprise, "Is this my mother's autopsy report?"

"Page 17, blood toxicology analysis section," said Senator Hamilton.

Gray flipped the pages quickly, and the papers in her hands made a rustling sound.

"Three independent tests on blood samples ruled out 132 known toxins and 78 known supernatural toxins...but a lack of blood vitality was detected? What does this mean?" Gray raised her head and looked at her father.

"Remember? Miranda had an operation for heart problems in Facebook." The senator's expression was filled with suppressed anger.

Gray nodded. "Yes, I remember Mom had heart surgery three years ago. Isn't that a very common surgery?"

"Yeah. I thought so before." Senator Hamilton said angrily.

"But that damn Dr. Miller! Something went wrong during the operation, so he had to resort to witchcraft and ended up using a blood curse to stabilize Miranda's heartbeat!"

The senator's eyes turned bloodshot with anger and sadness, and he looked like a lion that couldn't wait to kill.

"How dare he hide such important information from me! After arriving in DC, because the blood curse failed, Miranda's blood lacked vitality, which eventually led to her suffocation and death!"

…………

"Agent Li, are you kidding me? How dare I tamper with the senator's wife's surgery? That was the most serious surgery I have performed in recent years!" Dr. Miller shook his head.

Dr. Miller looked at Li Shanze, who was wearing a white coat and disguised as a medical assistant.

Under Li Shanze's questioning gaze, he took out the surgical records and showed them to Li Shanze.

"I swear, that was the only surgery in my entire medical career that wasn't normal. I haven't done witchcraft since I got tenure!"

Li Shanze flipped through the surgical records and questioned, "But this operation happened right after that witchcraft operation. It's hard not to be suspicious."

Dr. Miller defended himself angrily.

"Listen, I became famous because of my paper on Prado-mirror myocardial disorder. Not only did I get tenure, but I also became a famous expert in cardiac surgery."

"What's that look in your eyes? Although there are some problems with this process, I believe my medical skills are definitely worthy of this praise!"

"After that, all kinds of important people started to find me, and the first one to find me was the senator's wife."

"The operation went smoothly. There was absolutely no mistake! I guarantee it with my reputation!"

Li Shanze was amused by Dr. Miller's words: "Your reputation has been completely destroyed in the first witchcraft operation, Prado Miller."

"No, please, please don't say that." Dr. Miller shook his head painfully. "Haven't I already cooperated with you? Please, I still need my reputation!"

Li Shanze sneered, "Then you'd better get used to this dishonorable life and be cursed by others. Don't forget, the Grand Knight only promised to protect your personal safety, not your reputation."

Dr. Miller gnashed his teeth, wishing he could fight Li Shanze to the death. He held his head in agony with both hands: "No, you can't do this to me, you can't!"

People always want more after getting something. After obtaining security, Dr. Miller began to fantasize that his reputation could also be preserved.

But this bubble of fantasy was ruthlessly burst by Li Shanze, which plunged him into immense pain.

Li Shanze took advantage of Dr. Miller's fever and almost losing his mind and asked abruptly, "Do you know the blood curse?"

"What blood curse? What is that?" Dr. Miller asked, looking up with a confused look on his face.

"That's a blood-related curse from voodoo. It's very convenient for killing people." Li Shanze made a sinister expression and looked at Dr. Miller.

Dr. Miller's face turned pale all of a sudden - it took almost a split second for him to change from the red-faced Guan Gong to the white-faced Cao Cao, almost as fast as the face-changing in Sichuan Opera.

"No! You promised to protect me! Don't use the blood curse on me, no!"

In a distant other world, Dr. Miller performed an opera art from his hometown and successfully made Li Shanze laugh.

However, this embarrassing performance also made Li Shanze convinced that Dr. Miller did not do anything to Miranda Hamilton's surgery.

At this time, Charlie, wearing a nurse's uniform, also walked in. She nodded to Li Shanze. She carefully examined the surgical video of Miranda Hamilton's operation and made sure that no signs of witchcraft were detected in the video.

…………

"So, Dad, you just gave a long speech with so many details about witchcraft. To sum it up, Mom suffocated to death because the blood curse failed, right?"

Gray's lawyer's occupational disease came back, and she asked her father a confirmatory question, just like the last question before the concluding speech in a court debate.

"Yes, that's right." Senator Hamilton gritted his teeth. "I'll make that damn Miller pay!"

"But, Dad, how do you know so many details about witchcraft?" Gray still had doubts in her heart. She felt that the father in front of her was a little strange.

So she couldn't help but ask.

Senator Hamilton's hand reached for his black silk tie again, and he turned to Angie politely.

"Excuse me, Ms. Novak, could you please leave for a moment? Gray and I have some private conversations between father and daughter."

"Yes, of course. Senator." Anjie stood up with a smile, nodded to Gray, and then quietly left the room.

Anjie left this space to the father and daughter.

Then she quietly hid in the shadows and silently guarded the door.

Author's words: Thanks to book friends 30600563, Silver Thirteen, Original Soundtrack Chicken, and Polar Bear for their recommendations

147 past

Senator Hamilton finally relaxed when only he and Gray were left in the room.

He reached out to untie his black silk tie, shook his head, and let out a long breath.

"What are you trying to say, Dad?" Gray demanded. "You haven't answered my question yet. Why do you know so much about witchcraft?"

Senator Hamilton smiled, as if avoiding the question: "Gray, do you remember your brother John?"

A smile crossed Gray's face as well, her tone sharp.

"I told you not to mention that name."

"My poor brother, while interning at the Supreme Court, stumbled upon a secret deal between the Senate and the Catholic Church to prevent the release of historical records on clergy sexual abuse cases."

"Out of caution, he did not tell anyone about this and chose to go home and discuss it with his family."

"In order to fight against the Republican evangelical church, you chose to win over the Catholic Church and prevented your brother from speaking out."