I am a necromancer, and I absolutely love America.

Chapter 137 The Extreme Conservatives

Chapter 137 The Extreme Conservatives (9K-word long chapter, please vote and recommend)

After the Catholic Church expressed its stance, all denominations were relieved.

It seems the situation will not worsen.

As a result, various religious sects followed suit.

The Protestant-led National Christian Council issued a joint statement: "On behalf of the Episcopal Church, Baptists, Presbyterians, Evangelicals, and other mainstream Protestant denominations across the United States, we issue this joint and solemn condemnation: The empty cross carries the core testimony of Christ's resurrection and is the common spiritual cornerstone of all orthodox Christian churches. Publicly labeling this sacred symbol as heresy is not only a serious offense to tens of millions of Protestants in North America, but also a deliberate attempt to tear apart the centuries-old brotherhood between different Christian denominations."

"We firmly oppose using inexplicable supernatural phenomena or so-called divine revelation to package religiously discriminatory rhetoric, manipulate public religious sentiment, and create sectarian conflict."

"Faith should be rooted in the Bible and the universal love of loving one's neighbor as oneself, rather than relying on miracles to stage public confrontations of faith."

"We urge relevant authorities to restrict Debbie Dixon's participation in all public sporting events and municipal public activities to prevent the recurrence of religious conflict —"

"We uphold the core values of religious diversity and inclusion in the United States, and safeguard the right of every believer to practice their faith safely and freely."

The Protestant joint statement was arranged neatly on the paper, like rows of neatly trimmed fences, behind which burned a fire that had burned for four hundred years.

The FBI breathed a sigh of relief and warned Debbie: "Under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, citizens enjoy freedom of religion and speech, but freedom of speech does not include the right to publish hate speech against a specific religious group, publicly label mainstream religious symbols as heretical, or incite cross-regional sectarian conflict —"

"We will include the folk religious groups gathered around this religious figure as targets for routine monitoring of local security risks. Investigators will continue to track the organization's large-scale gathering schedule, fund flows, online discourse, and believer management methods to prevent cases of religious extremist violence, illegal fundraising, and mass disturbances of public order."

This warning has provoked discontent among many radical Catholics.

Five minutes later, the FBI's official website was hacked and replaced with an image of the crucifixion of Jesus.

The FBI was immediately thrown into chaos and urgently shut down its official website.

Although the official website was restored an hour later, the negative impact and religious divisions were already unavoidable.

Subsequent investigation revealed that it was a ridiculous farce.

It was the FBI's website administrators who manually changed the official website image; it wasn't a hacker at all.

This man's name is Derek Campbell, and he is an extreme conservative Catholic.

Derek didn't just replace the FBI's official website; he replaced the FBI's face!

Derek Campbell shouted "Saint Debbie" when he was arrested.

The FBI is caught in a bind.

Strictly dealing with Derek Campbell—who knows how many extreme conservatives are still within the FBI?

At least those colleagues who were waiting outside Debbie's house were probably not much different.

If we don't deal with Derek Campbell, will others follow suit in the future?

Derek had just been arrested when the lead lawyer from Eternal Paradise Law Firm arrived to request his bail.

Meanwhile, a large number of Catholic conservatives publicly voiced their opinions: "Why are you being arrested just for changing a webpage!"

"Why can he change the website so easily? Isn't it due to your poor management?!"

"This is persecution of devout believers!"

Just three hours later, Derek Campbell was freed and returned home.

The conservatives demonstrated their significant influence.

The Protestant extremists immediately launched a counterattack.

Derek was shot and seriously injured at home and was taken to the ICU where he remains unconscious.

Soon, several extreme conservatives published declarations of revenge online.

Immediately, a climate of fear and unease arose, with police departments and the FBI across the United States on high alert.

David Hart held the PR letter dismissing Debbie, his fingertips hovering over the signature area, just one step away from signing.

His fingers pressed on the paper as if pressing a grenade without a fuse, ready to blow him to pieces at any moment.

The situation is becoming increasingly chaotic. NFL officials are concerned that Debbie's presence on the field could trigger more intense religious clashes and have instructed the Giants to refuse her entry.

However, Debbie brought unimaginable popularity to the Giants, with searches for the Giants surging by more than 500% last night.

Of course, this also brought a lot of trouble.

David Hart is under pressure from all sides.

Extreme Catholics have already set up tents outside the Giants' stadium in preparation for a pilgrimage, while Protestants have set up tents opposite them demanding the destruction of the stadium.

The two sides were separated by Giants security personnel, and a fight could break out at any moment.

Meanwhile, Giants' stock is falling.

What's more troublesome is that several GG sponsors have already sent official letters stating that if the Giants allow Debbie to appear as an NFL cheerleader, they will withdraw their investment, even if it means losing money.

The team's newest players, led by core quarterback Roderick Martin, expressed strong dissatisfaction and submitted a request to the team opposing Debbie's inclusion as a cheerleader. They stated that they would refuse to play if Debbie played.

However, David ignored all of the team members' requests.

A group of workers actually threatened their boss?

However, he could not ignore the threat from the NFL officials.

The NFL's official requirement is very simple: "Any factor that could potentially incite religious conflict should be eliminated, otherwise the Giants could be banned from the game due to the NFL's Rule 3 on tolerance of multiple religions, and their opponent would automatically win the championship —"

Even if the NFL loses the entire year's Super Bowl, it wouldn't dare take such a risk.

Extremist religious elements are extremely terrifying when they take action. Even the wealthiest capitalists are helpless against a believer who is willing to sacrifice his life for his faith.

David Hart harbored an even greater fear: Debbie.

Or rather, Saint Debbie.

Yesterday's events were too bizarre.

He called Langdon into his office and gave him a severe dressing-down. Langdon eventually admitted that he had arranged only the flower ball and the lighting.

He didn't arrange for the cross to fall, and he won't take the blame for that.

In other words, that thing is a real miracle?

Langdon personally had the cross nailed on and even checked its load-bearing capacity with the workers.

The worker himself admitted to it.

David Hart even personally inspected the cross and the wooden paneling behind it, but found nothing.

It is indeed possible for the nail to fall off, but the chances are extremely slim, and it would only fall off right after Debbie finished speaking, the timing is perfect, what are the odds of that?

Debbie is a saint! David Hart was already starting to believe it.

He is preparing to leave Judaism and convert to Catholicism!

I was wrong!

Your Highness!

So it turns out that you Catholics really do have a God!

The group of people outside made it sound simple: they said they got Debbie into the Giants' cheerleading squad just for the money.

—Okay, it was for money before.

But life is important too!

During the incident at Princeton Chapel, thirty-nine people died, but she was unharmed; all the bullets fired at her by the killer jammed.

In other words, it's terrifying that Debbie or God wouldn't hesitate to kill someone to put Debbie in a position of power.

Miracles cannot be prevented simply by increasing security.

What if his bodyguard's gun accidentally went off?

What kind of trouble would it cause if Debbie were rejected by herself?

Will those crazy followers launch a death charge against me?

However, if Debbie were to join the cheerleading squad—

He also had tremendous psychological pressure, not to mention the various oppositions from the outside world, and what God really thought.

Put a saint of God in a group and make her dance with her thighs exposed, do you want to die?

"This is so hard for me!"

David Hart was about to crack.

God, please say something!

He looked at the PR letter dismissing Debbie as if he were reading his own will.

"This is a bit strange!" Alex stared at the video, looking at it from left to right, up to down, but he couldn't find any flaws no matter how he looked at it.

What happened yesterday was so shocking; even a Tokyo University international student like him, who doesn't care about religion, was bombarded with a bunch of videos by a video app.

Richard's girlfriend is causing more and more trouble.

Will this get Richard killed?

Alex thought for a moment and said, "Dude, your girlfriend is a bit strange. You need to be careful."

Richard quickly replied, "I'm fine, I should be alright."

Alex was worried, as Richard seemed to misunderstand what last night's events meant: "Dude, you might not understand Western religious views. What happened last night could be very troublesome, extremely troublesome! I'm not kidding."

Richard: "Is it more troublesome than your live stream? You seem to be getting more and more famous now."

Alex was both amused and exasperated: "I'm really not kidding you."

Richard: "Don't worry! Thanks for reminding me!"

Alex scratched his head, unsure whether Richard had taken it to heart or not.

There was nothing he could do; he completely understood Richard's idea that as a student of Tokyo University, he didn't care about religion.

But this is America, the most superstitious developed capitalist country.

Clara waited all night, but still didn't see the Giants announce that Debbie had passed the interview.

She asked expectantly, "Daddy, what are they waiting for? Debbie is a saint. Why didn't they choose her?"

Aaron gave a wry smile.

Although Clara is seventeen years old, she has had very little contact with the outside world due to living in the hospital for a long time, and is almost out of touch with society.

Her understanding of society is very close to that of a thirteen-year-old girl—extremely naive.

He could only explain gently: "The Giants are under a lot of pressure, and they are probably still struggling with their decision."

He knew that with the Catholic Church's statement that it would not fully support Debbie, Debbie's hopes of joining the Giants' cheerleading squad were extremely slim.

At best, he'll be a substitute and won't play, which would be a satisfactory outcome for both sides.

"What pressure? God has already made the choice, hasn't He?" Clara asked, looking completely bewildered.

The underground chamber of St. Joseph's Private Club in Manhattan's Upper East Side, New York.

The heavy, painted, soundproof wooden door was locked, isolating it from all outside noise.

The room was filled with candlelight, had almost no modern appliances, and an ancient crucifix hung on the wall.

The 16 core board members of the North American Conservative Catholic Lutheran Federation sat around a long table.

The candlelight cast a play of light and shadow on the dozen or so faces.

The chairman of Eternal Paradise Group, the chairman of St. Mary's Medical Group, the head of the Domino's family, the helmsman of the Wall Street Catholic Trust, and all ten major local Catholic enterprises were present.

There are also several extreme conservative archbishops in the Vatican, including the Archbishop of Guri.

This is the core of the conservative Catholic community in the United States.

Today's topic is singular: "Should we do everything in our power to ensure Debbie Campbell makes it to the Super Bowl and complete her cheerleading performance?"

They no longer disputed whether Debbie was a saint.

In public, as a prospective saint, she directly denounced the heretical false cross, which directly caused the false cross to fall to the ground and break in two.

After this incident, even if Debbie is fake, she has to be real.

The first to speak out was the most respected old bishop who headed the New York Ancient Diocese.

Clutching the centuries-old rosary beads, his tone carried an unquestionable, authoritative authority: "I object."

The old bishop's gaze swept over everyone present, and he spoke each word with deliberate emphasis: "Debbie is a saint personally confirmed by God, a vessel for revealing truth in this world! What kind of place is cheerleading? Short, knee-length uniforms, public dancing to please a secular audience, exposing legs and figures—it's frivolous and vulgar, a departure from the dignified duties a saint should have!"

"We can speak out for her, we must support the saint in fighting Protestant heresy, we can help her deal with the online slander, and even help her clear her name of extremist accusations. But she absolutely cannot dance in a short skirt, especially in front of tens of thousands of young men and women during the Super Bowl, on national television, and under the gaze of the world!"

"That's blasphemy against the Church's millennia-old precepts. Every saint should be physically pure, especially her Asian boyfriend! It's unacceptable! Worldly desires will taint her holiness and corrupt her faith. We should make her withdraw from the competition and return to the Church; we cannot allow God's chosen one to become a plaything for the entertainment of the arena!"

"I urge you all not to desecrate the holiness of God's chosen people for the sake of public attention!"

Upon hearing this, four directors from established families and two ascetic archbishops immediately echoed his sentiments.

The atmosphere in the enclosed room was somewhat tense.

The abstinence and propriety faction has already won more than a third of the votes, and the resolution is nearing its end.

The others wore solemn expressions, deep in thought.

Just then, Grant Montgomery, sitting in the head seat and the helmsman of the Wall Street Catholic Trust, who controlled a trillion-dollar Catholic investment fund, spoke up.

He didn't talk about observing rituals or precepts; he simply stated a very practical question: "We have observed rituals and practiced abstinence for hundreds of years, yet has the faith of our Lord been restored on earth?"

Upon hearing this, the faces of several ascetics and Archbishop Guli turned grim.

of course not.

If they did, they wouldn't be huddled in this corner negotiating; they should be proclaiming the glory of the Lord in a magnificent church.

"If we send Debbie back to the church to live in seclusion as you demand, regardless of Debbie's own wishes, even if you could send her back, it would only create another ascetic. What use would she be in spreading the faith and glory of our Lord?"

He tapped on the screen, and the image froze on the live recording from the New York venue: "St. Debbie declared the cross a heretic, and in full view of everyone, the untouched cross fell to the ground and broke in two—a confirmed miracle!"

"This matter has been verified by the Vatican envoy, the Giants, the New Jersey police, the FBI, and our envoy. Neither the cross nor the wooden board behind it shows any signs of human manipulation. It cannot be explained by physics. This is an indisputable miracle! Absolutely conclusive, witnessed by millions of believers across the internet!"

"God's will is crystal clear! What is there to doubt? Do you really need God to pry open your pedantic ears and tell you to declare war on blasphemous heresy before you'll take action? Are you even qualified to listen to God's teachings?"

"When Debbie was selecting cheerleaders, God first showed his support with a pom-pom, and then warned the believers with a false cross as divine punishment. God himself did not object to the saint participating in the cheerleading team, so why should we deny it? Are you sure you are carrying out God's will? Is it possible that you are going against God's wishes?"

"Otherwise, shouldn't God have warned Debbie on her way to the Giants cheerleading arena, or even stopped her from going to the interview? God's affection for Saint Debbie is unquestionable; his gaze has always been fixed on her. So if he wanted to stop her, he certainly would have. The fact that he didn't stop her means he approved!"

If this statement were only made in public, it would only invite ridicule from ordinary people.

But in the eyes of these extreme conservatives, this is very beaver-like.

No one can deny that Saint Debbie received God's greatest favor.

So, what does it mean that God was watching Saint-Debbie closely and helping her get into the cheerleading squad?

This means that God approves of, or even endorses, her joining the cheerleading team!

"This is a perfect miracle!"

"The commandments you keep are man-made rules, but God himself has sent forth new decrees."

"Thousands of years ago, when the saints established the commandments and rules, they did not foresee the situation we face today. We only need to follow God's guidance and teachings, and move forward in the direction He has shown us, without making unfounded judgments! His vision is infinitely far-reaching, and we mortals can never understand it!"

Grant Montgomery rested his fingers on the table.

These words caused everyone else to fall into deep thought.

In fact, he kept repeating the same sentence: God's revelation, just believe it, why think so much?

To uphold the old system or to uphold God's will?

Needless to say, it's about obeying God's will.

The old order is called the old order because it was the will of God in the past.

So when God gives a new will, they should obey the new will, not cling to the old one.

Moreover, after nearly a thousand years, who can guarantee that those so-called rituals are truly the will of God?

Who can guarantee that those classic texts haven't been altered?

This is the end of faith: since God hasn't objected to my changes, it means He agrees.

Unfortunately, God has now spoken.

Grant Montgomery cleared his throat and continued, "Saint-Debbie spoke and pronounced judgment on the false cross, and the false cross fell and shattered."

"This is not a debate on theology among mortals; this is a miracle in this world. It is God's own confirmation that what she said is true. God has tacitly allowed her to stand before all people, God has exalted her to witness to the truth, and God has approved her choice. By what right do we stand in her way?"

"In the past, saints were martyred in public squares and preached in the streets; they never hid behind church walls. Today, the Super Bowl, the pinnacle of American viewership and the focus of the entire nation, is the best place for missionary work!"

"Her dancing in a short skirt wasn't a sign of succumbing to worldly ways, but rather a demonstration to millions what is orthodox and what is heresy!"

"What you're concerned about is whether the saintess shows her legs or not, whether she adheres to worldly customs and etiquette. But what we follow is the will revealed by God. Mortal precepts can never supersede divine revelation!"

This statement garnered support from even more powerful investors.

They are indeed devout Catholic conservatives, but at the same time, they inevitably come into contact with a large number of young people and the real world in their business dealings.

Times are changing, and the world is developing.

They know how to win the favor of young people and the general public.

But I didn't dare to do it before.

Now that Saint-Debbie has arrived, it's dawn!

"Yes, our goal is to spread the glory of the Lord. The Lord does not consider exposing one's thighs to be blasphemous."

"Is it possible that we have misunderstood the doctrine?"

"I suggest that the uniforms be modified so that nuns can appropriately expose their bodies in the summer, and men should also keep themselves cool and comfortable."

The old bishop's face turned ashen, but he was powerless to stop the vote.

The other party stated clearly: "We've been following your demands for hundreds of years, and then what?"

True devout believers are huddled in a corner, and their numbers are dwindling.

Now God couldn't stand it anymore and chose a saintly woman to set an example for you. If you still don't repent, then you are ungrateful.

"We can put pressure on the Super Bowl to change the cheerleaders' attire."

"No, that would cause even more controversy. Since the Lord chose Saint Debbie, it proves that her past actions were not wrong!"

"Raise your hand to vote."

After everyone had given their suggestions, a vote was held by raising hands. The resolution to support Debbie joining the Giants' Super Bowl cheerleading squad was passed with seven votes against and nine votes in favor.

After the resolution was passed, the question became how to get her into the cheerleading squad.

That's one good thing about conservative groups; they'll implement policies even if they're unhappy about them.

No one is holding us back.

Their power was already small; if they were to fight amongst themselves, they would be completely finished.

"We will face multiple problems. First, the NFL has a huge opposition to and concern about extreme religious conservatives, fearing it will affect revenue or cause religious divisions—this is a point we can use to put pressure on the NFL."

"If the Giants' owner is worried about impacting revenue, could we simply acquire the Giants and restructure them?"

"Sure, but we'll have to proceed slowly. David Hart is a greedy guy; it'll be difficult to get him to give up the Giants right now. We can accumulate shares privately and then make our move when the opportunity arises."

"What do we do now? The Super Bowl is just around the corner, and the NFL must be putting a lot of pressure on him. GG will probably threaten to withdraw its investment."

"Let him convert to Catholicism, and we can protect him. By the way, what's the total annual revenue for an NFL team?"

"Stadium naming rights, sideline sponsors, naming rights for various VIP boxes, player tunnel, parking lot, home training facility"

Jersey GG, etc., totaling between 25 million and 50 million. The Giants are a strong team in New York, probably in the highest tier, earning around 45 million annually.

"Poor bastard! Give him—$180 million, a three-year contract, a guaranteed exclusive sponsorship deal. He'll keep the rest, we'll cover the difference. Anyway, a guaranteed $60 million a year, he'll definitely be willing to do it!"

"If we portray this event as St. Debbie giving a public speech, and tens of millions of devout Catholics around the world locking in Super Bowl tickets and returns, we should not lose money, and may even make a profit."

Faith is important, and so are gold coins.

Without gold coins, one cannot maintain a devout faith.

Grant Montgomery touched the lucky gold coin in his pocket, a commemorative coin he bought in Rome fifteen years ago, which he had always carried with him.

What if religious conflict leads to bloodshed?

"Let the consortium's insurance company step in. All economic losses, legal liabilities, and media damages caused by Debbie's participation, including Protestant marches, sectarian conflicts, stadium disturbances, brand withdrawals, lawsuits, and personal injury losses, will be fully borne by the consortium."

"Our only hard requirement is that the Giants must not dismiss or restrict Debbie for any reason, must ensure her full participation in the Super Bowl performance, and must give her the center position."

"What about the NFL?"

"Threaten them! Since all denominations enjoy equal freedom of speech, why restrict our saint? This is an insult and discrimination against us conservatives! If Debbie isn't allowed to play, we'll launch a fifty-year legal battle, and they won't have a moment's peace for fifty years. The NFL is a bunch of cowards! They'll back down!"

They are very confident in this regard.

Extreme conservatives have the right to point fingers and call anyone a coward.

People say that launching a decades-long legal battle is something you can brag about.

But when extreme conservatives say something, you'd better believe them.

They've fought in religious wars for a century, so what's fifty years of litigation compared to that?

Moreover, should the NFL worry that if they lose the lawsuit, these religious fanatics might take up the scepter?

If you can't win an argument in court, you resort to physical persuasion?

Soon, a cooperation agreement that no businessman could refuse was completed, and it was reviewed and revised by the order's dedicated lawyers.

Half an hour later, the email was sent to David Hart's inbox.

Henry was sitting in the coffee shop.

He sat in the corner, with his back against the wall, a position from which he could monitor the entire café.

A cup of untouched coffee sits on the table, the spoon resting on the edge of the saucer.

A man in a trench coat walked over and sat at the table next to Henry. Without looking at Henry, he said directly, "Isabella and O'Connor have been in frequent contact. The two of them have been to a motel three times in the past week."

Henry narrowed his eyes: "What did they do?"

The man in the trench coat said in a deep voice, "Each session lasts an average of one hour and fifteen minutes."

No, what do you mean! Henry's face darkened, feeling insulted: "—That's not what I was asking. This just makes you seem very unprofessional."

"I don't know, they change hotels every time, so I can't arrange things in advance. But I got O'Connor's recent shopping list, which he bought through different channels. He's probably hiding something. I think you should be interested."

After saying that, he left a cigarette box and departed.

Henry glanced at the other seats in the cafe and casually took the cigarette case.

The cigarette pack reads: "Six silencers, six individual night vision goggles, six handheld walkie-talkies, two diving breathing apparatuses, a trauma first aid kit, and a high-capacity drum magazine —"

Henry's eyes narrowed; clearly, O'Connor and Isabella were up to something big.

The number of people involved in the operation was approximately six.

What does he want to do?

They can't just raid the NYPD and kill themselves, can they?

Henry's heart was racing a little.

Diving breathing apparatus —

Was there water where they went?

That wouldn't be the NYPD headquarters.

Henry breathed a sigh of relief.

Is it an island?

Only two were prepared, indicating that they were only for emergency survival.

Night vision goggles indicate that you should work at night.

Wait, water?

Samuel!

Henry immediately understood.

O'Connor's target was Samuel, which was perfectly normal, since Samuel was in his way.

But why did Isabella join?

Isabella had been investigating Samuel before, but she stopped herself. Why is she getting involved again this time?

She couldn't possibly go to great lengths to help O'Connor get to the position of Commissioner General, could she?

That bitch isn't that kind of person.

What benefit could she possibly gain from O'Connor killing Samuel?

Unless—she discovers that O'Connor has gotten into some kind of scandal and is using it as a stepping stone for her own advancement!

That bitch!

Henry cursed under his breath.

You're already the Chief of General Affairs at IAB, where else do you want to go for promotion?

What an insatiable bitch!

Henry tore off the paper from the cigarette pack, burned it with a lighter, and then got up and left.

Isabella must die!

Henry walked out of the coffee shop coldly.

How could the director of the NYPD remain unmoved when threatened by a woman? He just hadn't found a good opportunity yet.

Isabella was, after all, the IAB's Chief of Staff. If she died under mysterious circumstances while in office, it would attract a lot of attention.

This time, Henry seemed to see a glimmer of hope.

If Isabella wants to go on an adventure with O'Connor, he doesn't mind using the opportunity to send her to hell!

First, we need to figure out what Isabella is doing.

Furthermore, since they want to deal with Samuel, then I can cooperate with Samuel.

Valerie Pierce stood timidly on the subway platform, her face completely obscured by a mask and hat.

"O'Connor, what exactly do you want to do? I won't agree until you tell me."

O'Connor, wearing large sunglasses that covered half her face, said, "You don't need to know, I just need your help."

He placed a roll of money in front of Valerie.

The money was tied with a rubber band, the edges were neat, and it was all old bills.

Valerie took a look.

So thick!

At least ten thousand!

A glint of greed flashed in her eyes, along with a hint of fear.

The more money you have, the bigger the problem becomes.

She didn't dare answer and quickly said, "O'Connor, you're a police inspector, and I'm just a junior field officer at OCME. What exactly do you want? I can't help you much."

O'Connor smiled faintly: "You can do it. You're the OCME's mortuary overseer, responsible for supervising the legal handling of OCME bodies, such as transporting them to Hart Island. A ship will be taking the bodies there tomorrow, right?"

Valerie looked at O'Connor cautiously: "Go on, what are you trying to say! This is just a worthless, low-paying job."

"I need you to transport me and a few other people to Hart Island without letting anyone else know. If you do that, all this money is yours, plus another ten thousand."

That's twenty thousand now—Valerie's inner scales swayed wildly.

"Listen, Valerie, this is a big case," O'Connor began to exaggerate. "I've been nominated by Henry to be the Superintendent of Police."

In any case, only the NYPD's top management knows about this for now, and he's not worried at all that Valerie will find out the truth.

"I've been investigating this case for years. I suspect the KOM and the maritime police have been bribed. Get me up there, and the rest is none of your business. When I become the Superintendent General, I'll owe you a favor!"

Valerie was smitten.

Of course it wasn't for some so-called big case; that's definitely fake. What kind of bullshit case would require a police inspector to bribe OCME employees?

If it were a real case, all it would take to get her to comply is a simple "Please assist in the investigation."

However, she didn't want to interfere too much.

As long as I make money!

"I'm afraid—"

"Twenty-five thousand!"

"make a deal!"

Soren sat in a leather chair in the studio, with his back against a dark blue backdrop.

He changed into a brand new shirt he had just bought, with the label creases still visible on the cuffs.

He would tug at his collar every now and then, feeling something choking his neck; he never dressed so formally.

He glanced at the studio camera; a group of people surrounded him, making his palms sweat and his heart pound.

I want to be famous!

Soren took a deep breath.

Sitting across from me was Miller, Fox's star anchor, blond and with a friendly smile, but his questions were sharper than ever: "Soren, are you sure everything you just said is true?"

Soren took a deep breath: "I'm sure. Langdon gave me $1000 in cash and told me to turn off all the lights when Debbie entered, leaving only one spot on her. He called that a visual anchor."

"$1000?"

"Yes." Soren pulled a roll of old banknotes from his pocket. "This is the proof. I deliberately kept it unspent."

Langdon said he'd get another $1000 after it was done, but he still hasn't given it to me!

Damn Langdon!

He spread the banknotes out on the table, and the camera zoomed in, making the serial numbers on the banknotes clearly visible.

Miller appeared calm on the surface, but was inwardly overjoyed. He knew that this scene would be played out repeatedly by countless people.

This episode of the interview is sure to get fantastic ratings!

Soren continued, "I thought it was just a regular PR show, but who knew it would turn out like that. The pom-poms and crosses have nothing to do with me, and I don't know who did them. But I guess they were faked, after all, Langdon is capable of anything."

"You suspect it's also a fake?"

"Of course," Soren said confidently. "The flower ball was definitely made of steel wire, and the empty cross must have a mechanism. Their methods are sophisticated; I just don't understand them. I was only in charge of the 'miracle of lights' part."

Soren held up two fingers, making a quotation mark gesture.

After he finished speaking, there was a two-second silence in the studio.

Then, the show cut off.

Miller laughed and said, "After GG, the excitement continues!"

This is too good to be true; social media has exploded.

Fox News' website received nearly 10 million visits within half an hour of the program airing, before crashing completely.

Seven out of the top ten trending topics are related to Debbie, with the top three being:

#Soren's Testimony#

#FakeLightsMiracle#

#ArtificialSaintess#

The comments section was polarized, but the buzz overshadowed all other news.

Langdon's personal cell phone was bombarded with calls from the media before the show even ended.