Chapter 256: The Fall of the White House (1)
Assassination on Air Force One
As voting day approached, Joel Nash had almost no free time. His schedule was packed every day, forcing him to eat meals even while flying.
He had a campaign rally in Arizona in the morning, a civil meeting back at the White House by noon, a reception for foreign dignitaries after the meeting, followed by two press conferences.
He was trying to squeeze forty-eight hours of work into a twenty-four-hour day.
Finally, evening arrived, but a military strategy meeting awaited him. Joel Nash could only grab a few bites of dinner before boarding the plane bound for Mississippi.
Air Force One left the runway and ascended into the sky. Joel Nash closed his eyes to prepare for the upcoming meeting.
A flight attendant walked up from the galley, placed a cup of coffee on the table, and then—to the horror of the Secret Service bodyguard—picked up a dinner knife and plunged it into the President's throat.
Blood spurted out, staining the brown coffee a grotesque color.
Joel Nash's eyes snapped open, reflecting shock, confusion, bewilderment, and an indescribable fury. I've been assassinated. Who did this? Luke Shaw? No, he's in Hawaii. If not him, then who?
Blood surged out like a spring. Ghast, hidden within the body, could clearly sense the sound of life draining away. He had to do something, or this host body would die.
But using his magic would almost certainly expose his identity.
Damn it!
Ghast gritted his teeth. Feeling the rapidly weakening heartbeat, he had no choice but to pull out the knife and use his dark magic to instantly repair the wound on the President's neck. The incision rapidly healed, and the blood flow slowed, leaving only a blood hole less than a centimeter deep.
The terrified Secret Service bodyguards quickly tackled and subdued the flight attendant, simultaneously ordering the pilot to return. Just then, the plane experienced a violent shudder and began plummeting downward from mid-air. It slid for thousands of feet across the grass before finally stopping at the edge of a forest.
Fortunately, the plane had not reached full altitude or speed, or the emergency landing would have killed everyone on board.
Ron Baker, sensing the abnormality of the situation, escorted the President off the plane. As they exited the cabin, they were immediately met by the sight of countless dark gun barrels.
Under the harsh white lights, a dozen military armored vehicles emerged from the forest, and fully armed Special Forces soldiers swarmed out, completely surrounding the aircraft.
A small, thin old man slowly stepped out from the front of the formation.
Sam Lane!
General Lane, a legend of the Marine Corps (and the father of Lois Lane)!
Ron Baker gasped, utterly shocked.
"G-General, what are you doing? Attacking the President is an act of treason!"
Sam Lane ignored Ron's roar. He looked at Joel Nash with palpable disgust, then raised his wrist to check his watch.
"Eight twenty-five. Five minutes until the agreed-upon time."
The Duel in the Woods
Time rewound to fifteen minutes earlier.
In a remote forest villa in Washington State, the vertical-pupiled young man, who was meditating, opened his eyes and looked coldly toward the front.
Boom!
With a tremendous crash, the front door of the villa was kicked open. Under the bright lights, a figure in mysterious black armor whose limbs pulsed with blue electricity, like a phantom, walked in. Simultaneously, the rear wall exploded, and a monstrous creature with twin horns, like a demon, stormed into the living room.
The black armor and the demon-like creature advanced toward the center of the hall, one from the front, one from the back.
The young man's mouth split into a grin, letting out a poisonous, extremely suppressed snarl.
"Luke Shaw!"
Luke, in the black armor, pressed his left hand to his chest and gave a slight nod. "Hello, Your Excellency Ghast. I'm glad you remember me."
The young man turned his head and stared deeply backward.
"Very good. You even brought the body I meticulously forged."
Luke's mouth curled into a smile. "Your Excellency's magical attainment is astounding. To be able to turn an ordinary person into a powerful demonic existence. That body has ample magical reserves, as well as formidable strength and defense. My servant enjoys it very much. Thank you for your gift.".
The young man narrowed his eyes, suppressing the boiling murderous intent. "How did you find me?"
"The Klytus Red Jar pointed the way."
The young man's eyes narrowed further. "You tampered with the stone jar!"
Luke chuckled. "Would you believe me if I said no?"
"Detestable human. You are courting death!"
The young man erupted in fury. Magic swirled around him, forming an invisible force field. Just then, the floor suddenly cracked open, and countless vines burst from the ground, binding the young man tightly like a mummy.
The phantom armor and Adam the Demon simultaneously lunged, one with a punch, the other with a claw, both aimed directly at the young man in the center of the living room.
Boom!
A huge explosion ripped through the forest. Deep red flames surged out, engulfing the entire villa. Through the firelight, a monstrous figure, half-man and half-serpent, soared into the sky. Behind him, the black armor and the red demon pursued relentlessly.
The three engaged in a wild aerial battle, turning the forest into a warzone. Trees were constantly destroyed by fire, and vegetation was consumed by dark energy.
The young man was clearly driven to true rage, abandoning his powerful magic to fight Luke directly. When Adam nearly ripped open his chest, he didn't dodge. Instead, black light shimmered around his fingertips, radiating a suffocating wave of death.
Finger of Death!
A forbidden, devastating spell in demonic magic.
"Die!"
The young man roared through clenched teeth, thrusting his finger forward. A black beam pierced the sky, tearing through everything in its path, swallowing even the light itself.
A straight corridor of darkness appeared in the air.
One end was connected to the young man; the other pointed directly at Luke's chest.
"I knew you'd pull that trick."
Luke gritted his teeth, erupting a nearly materialized green flame shield in front of him. Simultaneously, a bright green wooden spear burst from the ground and collided with the black beam.
Crack!
The spear tip instantly shattered, the overflowing natural energy transforming into green runes that briefly blocked the black light's path.
The runes only lasted for a second before the black light punched through, slamming with immense destructive force onto Luke's shield.
Boom!
The black light and the green flame shield clashed fiercely. The resulting shockwave destroyed every tree within a hundred-meter radius. The green flame shield, though immensely powerful, was slowly cracking under the impact of the dark beam.
Luke saw his chance and quickly sidestepped the attack.
Ffshh!
The black light pierced the shoulder guard of the phantom armor, grazed Luke's arm, and vanished into the depths of the earth.
A bottomless hole appeared on the ground, small but incredibly deep, looking as if it connected to another dimension.
Luke's scalp prickled, and cold sweat broke out uncontrollably. He had thought the last time the black light hit him was because he was careless, but that was clearly not the case.
This magic is actually that strong!
Furious that he missed, the young man was about to gather his strength for another blast when a sharp pain shot through his chest. He lowered his head in shock, his mind stunned as he saw a hand claw tearing through his body, clutching his still-beating heart.
"H-how is that possible?"
Adam clenched his five fingers.
Splurt!
The heart burst, splattering blood everywhere, raining down as a bloody mist in the air.
Luke seized the opportunity, lunged forward, and, with a powerful yank, an immense, terrifying phantom was torn from the young man's body amidst surging green flames.
Luke spoke chillingly,
"Your Excellency Ghast, this is the second time you've died by my hand. The third will be along shortly."
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