Chapter 250: The Unexpected Demise!
Ghast's Strategy
Luke's words made the young man in the mirror slightly calmer. After a few seconds of thought, he asked uncertainly,
"Is Vanessa the proof?"
"Precisely."
Joel Nash gritted his teeth and hissed, "For the sake of the plan, I endured for four years, kept a low profile for four years, and never once used my power. Even contact with you was conducted in absolute secrecy. No one knows I can use magic, and no one knows I am a demon."
"Luke Shaw and his people deciphered the stone jar's secret and guessed my identity, but it is just a guess. There are no witnesses, and no physical evidence. Aside from the mentally insane, who would believe the President is a demon?"
The young man was confused. "But you just now..."
Joel Nash roared, "It was all Luke Shaw's trickery! Department of Defense, CIA, Secret Service... do they genuinely think those people are fools who will doubt the President's identity based on a piece of paper? The purpose of his statements was to provoke me, to make me anxious, fearful, and angry, leading me to make an irrational decision so he could seize leverage."
"The ridiculous human! Does he really think I'm an idiot!"
The young man frowned slightly. "You mean the situation isn't as bad as we thought?"
"Of course not."
Having clarified that one point, the rest of the strategy fell into place. Joel Nash placed his arms behind his back, adopting the air of someone fully in control.
"If the FBI, CIA, Department of Defense, and Secret Service all knew I was a demon, they would have sent troops already. Why would they delay? Without evidence, who would believe the owner of the White House is a demon?"
Setting the tone for the entire affair, Joel Nash became even more confident.
"They are the ones who are most stressed. They can't find witnesses, they can't find physical evidence, and they expect people to be convinced by mere words? Impossible!"
"Their only option now is to target those closest to me: activating Vanessa and Kate. Only if the two of them come forward to confirm I am possessed by a demon will the public believe it."
The young man in the mirror also realized this and said without hesitation,
"Make them disappear from the world."
"No!"
Joel Nash shook his head. "I am the President of the United States. I must have a First Lady."
"Then what are you going to do?"
"Kill the key person."
The young man laughed, his mouth splitting to reveal a mouthful of fangs. "Finally, you're acting a bit like a demon! Leave Luke Shaw to me. I won't let him get away this time."
"No, the one to kill is not Luke Shaw, but Jack Harvey. He is the key to this entire affair. Luke Shaw is just a small pawn, very powerful, but he has no voice. Jack Harvey is different. As the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, if he goes all out to expose my identity, it will cause immense damage. He must die; he cannot be allowed to live."
The young man raised an eyebrow. "You want me to go out and kill that old man?"
Joel Nash said seriously, "You and I are one. In a critical moment, you are the only one I can trust."
The young man in the mirror half-closed his eyes. After a long pause, he whispered,
"Last time. Don't ask me to do these boring things again."
As he spoke, the mirror surface rippled like water, and the person in the mirror vanished.
Joel Nash scoffed, "That wasn't a request. That was an order."
The Final Ultimatum
After settling Vanessa into a hotel, Luke did not stay. He drove along Pennsylvania Avenue to a restaurant, walked up to the second floor, and sat in the innermost corner.
Before long, Jack Harvey appeared.
"How did the conversation go?"
Luke shook his head. "He has more patience than I imagined. He's determined to be President. In this situation, even if we force an attack, he won't fight back, and that's the biggest headache."
Assassinating a President is a serious crime; once committed, Luke would have no standing left in this country.
"What about your end?"
"Also not good," Jack Harvey said somberly. "I showed the materials to some people, and they are all skeptical. No one is convinced unless we provide concrete evidence."
"Evidence?"
Luke sighed helplessly. "What evidence? He managed to hold back for four years; why would he leave any evidence now?"
Jack Harvey also frowned. After a moment of contemplation, he said slowly,
"As it stands, the only path is through Vanessa and the First Lady."
Luke set down his glass. "With all due respect, that road is difficult. Kate Nash is a woman with a strong appetite for power. She loves power more than her own husband. Even if she knows the truth, she may not come forward. If she stays silent, relying only on Vanessa is not enough."
Jack Harvey's face was grim. "She must step forward. We don't have much time."
"To be precise, you have five days. If you don't find a way to deal with them within five days, your death is imminent."
"And you?"
Jack Harvey sneered. "You killed him once and constantly antagonized him. Don't think for a second he will spare you."
Luke raised a finger and gently shook it.
"It seems Director Harvey doesn't know enough about me. When I was young, my grandfather always taught me: When dealing with people and affairs, always leave a margin for retreat. I don't agree with that saying. I believe in another: Always keep a trump card, no matter what."
"Director Harvey, if this entire matter ultimately ends in failure, then I will become the President's ally. In short, don't expect me to solve everything. Don't forget, you are the initiator and the biggest beneficiary."
Luke had been wanting to say these words for a long time. The old man was outwardly rough but inwardly cunning. He did nothing himself but put Luke on the spot, encouraging him to clash with the President, constantly stirring up resentment between the two, likely hoping they would destroy each other.
When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman profits?
Luke let out a hollow laugh, threw down his napkin, and rose to leave.
Jack Harvey did not stop him. He sat alone in the corner, drinking, glass after glass. Soon, half a bottle of wine was gone. When enough time had passed, the dizzy old man left the restaurant and got into his car. His assistant pulled out his phone.
"General Sam Lane called. He wants to know what happened."
Jack Harvey rubbed his brow and said heavily,
"Ask him if he's free tomorrow."
The assistant made the call and reported back a moment later,
"He wants to meet with you at ten a.m. tomorrow."
"Good."
The car started, drove down Pennsylvania Avenue, and pulled up to a villa in the suburbs. Jack Harvey stepped out and whistled instinctively. He waited for a moment, but Hubble, the stray dog he adopted last year, didn't come running.
He shook his head resignedly, guessing it must have run off to play again.
The next second, he suddenly sensed something was wrong. He looked up, and the familiar house was gone, replaced by an endless expanse of mist.
Jack Harvey's expression changed drastically. He immediately turned to run back. After only a few steps, his body went limp, and he collapsed onto the ground.
The nearby assistant and bodyguards were stunned.
"Director! Director! What's wrong with you? Wake up! Wake up quickly!"
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