Chapter 270: Unscientific Education
The Mechanics of Intimacy
This question was unbelievably profound, touching the very depths of the soul and reaching the pinnacle of philosophy. Luke genuinely didn't know how to answer. He couldn't just say that "sleeping" involved back-and-forth movements and certain auxiliary limb actions.
Even if he explained it that way, Adam wouldn't understand. How could an undead creature comprehend human pleasures?
To ensure Adam grasped the basics quickly, Luke had Ava download over a dozen classic romance-action films, using the videos to visually teach him the meaning of "sleeping."
The result: after an hour of instruction, Adam was unchanged, while Luke was thoroughly exhausted and uncomfortable.
"Now you should understand what 'sleeping' means, right?"
Adam gave a faint, flat "Mhm."
"Do you feel anything?"
Adam shook his head blankly. He understood the process but was clueless about the meaning, let alone the result.
Luke sighed in frustration. "The key to that kind of thing is passion. Forget it, you're fundamentally incapable of feeling passion. Since you lack passion, you'll have to control your hormones. Your soul is strong; you can fully control the secretion organs. I'll have Ava prepare a physiology document for you later. Study it well and try to achieve... never mind, I won't say it."
Luke sighed again, mentally drained.
"Starting tomorrow, stop pretending to be a fool. Appropriately demonstrate your cognitive and reasoning abilities. Let your supporters see hope. As for the public opinion, I'll take care of it for you."
"That's enough for today."
The screen vanished. Luke lay in bed, carefully contemplating his next move. A moment later, he murmured,
"It's time to go back to Metropolis."
The President 'Recovers'
The following day, Vanessa came to visit her father and suddenly discovered that her previously silent father was actually reading a book. She gasped, quickly running to call her mother into the study.
The mother and daughter stared intensely at Adam, who was sitting in the chair reading, too shocked to speak.
"Joel, you... you..."
Adam turned around and said in a cold voice, "You are..."
"Kate. Kate Nash. Your wife. Do you remember anything?"
The First Lady was tense and hopeful. Vanessa's nerves were also taut. Adam thought for a few seconds, then asked in confusion,
"What is a wife?"
"A wife is... is..."
The First Lady sputtered, unable to explain, waving her arms in distress. Vanessa patted her mother's arm, calming her down. She walked up to her father, glanced at the books on the table, and asked, pretending to be curious,
"Do you recognize the words in the book?"
Adam turned a page and pointed to an English passage.
"I recognize some, but not others. For example, this section feels strange."
Vanessa took a look and smiled. "That sentence means, 'The horns on a buck's head resemble branches on a tree trunk.' It uses a condensed style of writing."
Adam nodded in understanding.
"So it is a buck!"
Vanessa suppressed the elation in her heart and whispered, "Which other parts don't you recognize? I can explain them to you."
Adam turned the book to different pages, pointing out the sections he didn't understand, one by one.
Seeing this, the First Lady snapped back to reality. She rushed out of the room to call the chief physician. Soon, several top brain specialists arrived at Blair House. After examining Adam, they reached a surprising conclusion.
The President had successfully moved past the cognitive disorder stage and had entered the learning phase.
The news detonated throughout the entire building. Everyone expressed disbelief. Yesterday, he was staring blankly like an idiot; today, he was recovering. It seemed unbelievable.
Officials from the Department of Defense and the Senate rushed to Blair House as quickly as possible. When they saw the President studying, little by little, with the help of his daughter and a tutor, their expressions were priceless.
Events were unfolding too fast; they barely had time to react.
Since the President had regained cognition and started learning, it meant that given time, he would eventually return to a normal state. As long as he was a mentally sound, functional person, no one could strip him of his presidential authority.
Hyde Clym and Kylek's faces were as dark as a coal scuttle. They even entertained thoughts of murder. Once ambition is sparked, it never disappears. They had made many small moves to secure the presidency. Abandoning the effort now would be like putting their necks on the chopping block.
After briefly greeting the President, the two men left Blair House in a hurry.
The key generals from the Department of Defense and the military, however, remained. They needed to assess the President's intellectual status to prepare for future events.
With the election looming, many high-level officials preferred a stable transition of power before considering anything else.
If Joel Nash could return to normal, it wasn't impossible for him to continue as President. Of course, a significant number of people opposed this, as he had been controlled by a demon for years, and no one could guarantee the dead demon hadn't left behind a contingency.
The two sides engaged in a fierce argument, neither able to convince the other. However, overall, Joel Nash still held the advantage. He was the President, at the very top of the hierarchy of power. Unless someone leaked the story of his demonic possession and provided irrefutable evidence, even the Supreme Court couldn't force him out of office.
But if the truth were leaked, the country would descend into chaos, possibly even civil division. After all, if the President was possessed by a demon, who could guarantee that no other high-ranking officials were compromised?
The consequences were too terrifying. Even the ambitious Hyde Clym and Kylek did not dare to speak the truth.
The Military Dilemma
Pentagon, top-floor office.
Norman Gant, the exhausted Secretary of Defense with dark circles under his eyes, held a cigar in one hand and unsweetened black coffee in the other, his face solemn.
Sitting opposite him, Sam Lane and several powerful generals were also frowning deeply.
Norman Gant sighed lightly. "Stop the brooding. Let's talk about it. How should we handle this situation?"
One general spoke heavily, "I do not agree that Joel Nash should continue to serve as President. So many soldiers died because of him. If we pretend nothing happened, we can't answer to those poor soldiers."
A general next to him disagreed. "The one who killed the soldiers was the demon Ghast. In essence, Joel Nash is also a victim."
"You are correct, he is a victim. But do not forget he was parasitized by a demon and bears the mark of the Devil inside him. How can we let such a person hold the presidency?"
"The final voting day is in four days! Based on current public support, Joel Nash is 100% certain to be re-elected. What can we do? Tell the public the US President was possessed by a demon and they shouldn't vote for him?"
That question struck at everyone's core dilemma, and the air fell silent once more.
Norman Gant took a drag from his cigar and said wearily,
"Sam, whose side do you support?"
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