The North American Gourmet Demon Handbook

Although the Drummond family is not large in number, it is a giant with abundant resources, and can easily keep everything under control.

However, the situation is now completely reversed.

It was not the Drummond family who caused any trouble, but the people sent by the Drummond family - Romano and Chandrasekhar - who were involved in a brutal attack under the nose of the FBI and with the "assistance" of FBI agents.

The scene where Romano and Chandrasekhar were attacked and kidnapped was almost identical to the scene where Alex Drummond was kidnapped.

Now, don't expect Drummond to clean up Deputy Director Clark's mess.

Even Deputy Chief Clark's display of "friendship" began to look suspicious.

When Kate and her team produced evidence of Deputy Director Clark's procedural violations and their own compliance with orders to evacuate, Deputy Director Clark knew his time at the FBI was over.

Looking at the angry beating of the telephone receiver, Deputy Director Clark picked up the phone with a wry smile.

Author's Note: Thanks to Qianxiao Anran, Xiaopingguo112633, and Shi Aji for their recommendations.

343 Dismissal

Deputy Director Clark took a deep breath and suppressed the irritation, anger, unwillingness, and the stinging feeling of betrayal that was churning in his chest.

When he put the receiver to his ear, his voice was surprisingly calm, even a little detached.

It can be said that Deputy Director Clark already had a premonition of what this call was about.

"Hello, FBI, Clark." Deputy Director Clark was even surprised at his own calmness.

"Hello, Gibson Robbins, White House Chief of Staff." A voice that Clark was very familiar with came from the other end of the phone.

However, unlike the familiar voice of previous friendly calls of brothers, this time, the words of the White House Chief of Staff on the phone were full of a sense of official distance.

On the other end of the phone, the chief of staff's voice was cold and formulaic, as if the two had never met before, as if they were not the ones who had been drinking and chatting happily at countless banquets in Washington before.

No greetings, no politeness, only mechanical statements.

"Deputy Director Clark, the White House has received preliminary reports regarding the serious violence that occurred last night in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the FBI's response to the scene."

The chief of staff spoke at a moderate pace, with clear pronunciation, sounding more like a news anchor, mechanical, with almost no personal emotion mixed in.

"Based on the available evidence, you engaged in serious dereliction of duty, abuse of authority, and violation of the FBI's internal rules and regulations in handling this case."

"In particular, the special pass order you personally signed led to unauthorized personnel entering the controlled area and ultimately triggered irreversible consequences."

Clark listened quietly, without interrupting or arguing.

He knew that these words were not meant to ask him to give an explanation, but to pronounce a verdict.

"Given the seriousness of the situation and the adverse impact on national security and public trust, the Office of the President has decided to remove you from your position as Deputy Director of the FBI, effective immediately."

The chief of staff's voice was flat, as if he was reading a document that had already been prepared: "Mr. Clark, you are fired."

Clark even wanted to laugh.

He recognized the chief of staff's attempt to imitate the White House's catchphrase, "You're fired." That phrase, repeated countless times on reality TV, was used with dramatic effect.

Clark once quite enjoyed watching that reality show.

I like to see the expressions of surprise, anger or despair on the faces of the contestants who were fired.

Appreciating the misfortunes of others is the greatest pleasure in the lives of Americans, otherwise the reality show would not be so popular.

And now, Deputy Director Clark himself has become the "contestant" who has been sentenced, except that his "stage" is FBI headquarters, and his "prize" is disgrace and possible imprisonment.

This huge contrast made him feel an almost surreal sense of alienation. He didn't even feel anything was real and just wanted to laugh.

"Furthermore," the Chief of Staff continued, his voice still cold and mechanical, as if he hadn't noticed Clark's inner turmoil. "The Department of Justice will conduct a full investigation into your actions in this incident and reserves the right to prosecute. Please cooperate with the subsequent investigation and be prepared to face legal sanctions."

"Yes, of course, of course, Mr. Chief of Staff." Deputy Director Clark agreed casually.

Whether he cooperates or not is not up to him, right?

But what exactly went wrong?

Clark closed his eyes tiredly, his mind racing back to the chaos of last night.

Kate McKenzie and the FBI's Special Affairs Division, which she leads, were forced to leave last night under strong pressure from Clark and even the use of executive orders.

The evidence was irrefutable, leaving no room for denial or shirking responsibility. Furthermore, every detective had an alibi...

He was so sure at the time that as long as he got rid of Kate, the "uncertain factor", and let the Drummond family handle their own "family affairs", everything would be under control.

He had gone to great lengths to persuade Kate, a great knight of the Catholic Church, a woman with supernatural powers but a strong sense of justice, to join the FBI and establish the Special Affairs Unit.

How many times has she and her team turned the tide in cases that ordinary people could not understand, and nipped in the bud those dark forces that tried to infiltrate reality.

She is like a double-edged sword, extremely sharp, but also difficult to control.

Clark has been carefully balancing the need to use her abilities while also restraining her "sense of justice" from overstepping the boundaries of federal law—more precisely, from uncovering something that would be unacceptable.

Clark was very careful in his papering, and Kate could have touched upon deeper darkness many times, but he cleverly covered it up.

If it weren't for Kate's series of investigations into New York's Eternal Life Technology, he wouldn't have been so impatient to send Kate to Philadelphia.

Speaking of which, this is thanks to the FBI agent who called Kate McKenzie in Philadelphia... Otherwise, Clark really had no good reason to ask Kate to rush to Philadelphia overnight.

Just like Clark has been racking his brains to transfer Kate away from the Drummond family case, but doesn't know how to start - unfortunately, they are just collaborators, not a real superior-subordinate relationship.

Once the stubborn knight made up his mind, it would be difficult for Clark to shake it.

As for Romano and Chandrasekhar, the men sent by the Drummond family, shouldn't they be experts in dealing with such supernatural events?

As high-level wizards, shouldn't they know more about the witchcraft world than FBI agents and know how to deal with those strange attacks?

The result? They were attacked and kidnapped using the same tactics that had been used to kidnap Alex Drummond.

This is ridiculous. I think the Drummond family is doomed!

The more Clark thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt, and a nameless anger burned in his heart.

The people sent by the Drummond family were complete rubbish! Not only did they fail to solve the problem, but they became new victims, leaving all the mess to the FBI and to Clark!

Now that Clark has been dismissed from his post, countless sycophants who have been eyeing this powerful position are waiting to take over.

Clark hoped that his successor would carefully control Kate Mackenzie, the Grand Knight of the Church, and make sure she was not scratched by this sharp double-edged sword.

Clark suddenly felt like laughing at the joke.

He thought that he and Kate MacKenzie had a tacit understanding in their cooperation. Those weirdo bootlickers from Washington - especially those lucky flatterers around the President who only knew how to flatter him - had no idea how the world worked.

Once they have power, they will take things for granted, and then they will not respect the laws of things and eventually mess things up.

They would throw Special Affairs into disarray, causing the supernatural crimes Kate had suppressed to resurface, causing Agent Kate McKenzie to refuse to cooperate, and throwing the entire FBI into even greater chaos.

By then, when the situation is completely out of control and those flatterers are overwhelmed and helpless, maybe... maybe they will remember him, Clark.

He even began to picture in his mind the scene where White House Chief of Staff Gibson Robbins, or some higher-up figure, would call him late at night, with a touch of embarrassment and pleading, asking him to come back “for the good of the country.”

He would put forward his conditions in a leisurely manner, and then, like a savior, turn the tide.

Just as Clark was immersed in this fantasy with a hint of self-mockery, there was a light knock on the office door.

"Come in," he said calmly, as if he was just waiting for a routine report.

The door opened, and two agents in FBI uniforms walked in. They had blank expressions on their faces, and their eyes were filled with obvious indifference and alienation.

One of them stepped forward, his voice filled with routine and mechanical, devoid of any warmth: "Mr. Clark, we have been ordered to escort you away. Your personal belongings have been packed, please cooperate."

Clark looked at them; those two young and unfamiliar faces were like two cold sculptures.

He knew that this was the last dignity and also the last humiliation.

He didn't resist, nor did he say a word. He just stood up slowly and adjusted his collar and cuffs.

Then, he was "escorted" by two agents and walked out of the office that once belonged to him without looking back.

The door closed gently behind him, isolating him from all the noise and power. He knew that he was now just an ordinary citizen who had been fired, a suspect waiting to be tried.

And the joke he was expecting had just begun.

Clark was expecting Kate Mackenzie, the great knight of the church, who was still on the front line in Philadelphia. She was smiling and turning away the reporters.

Meanwhile, a secret investigation into FBI Special Affairs agents has just begun.

Take a day off

I had a bad stomach yesterday and had diarrhea all night, so I couldn't type a single word. Please forgive me...

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344 Drive away

The smile on Kate's face was very faint, hiding a barely perceptible coldness, as if she was looking at a group of noisy flies.

In fact, Kate was already very impatient.

She stood in front of the cordon, her posture straight, her golden ponytail fluttering slightly in the wind, her eyes so sharp that they seemed to be able to penetrate people's hearts.

Behind her were the busy figures of FBI agents, who rudely kept the swarming reporters outside the yellow cordon.

"Agent MacKenzie! What on earth is going on in there?!" a reporter carrying a camera shouted at the top of his lungs, his face flushed red and sweat dripping down his forehead.

"We have the right to know the truth! This is the public's right to know!" Another female reporter held up the microphone, almost poking Kate in the face.

Kate just looked at them quietly, with a polite smile on her face, but without any warmth.

She didn't answer, but just stretched out her hand, signaling the agents behind her to push the cordon forward a few steps and force the reporters back a farther distance.

"This is simply an atrocity! You are violating the freedom of the press!" A bespectacled male reporter pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose and shouted in a voice as sharp as a cat whose tail was stepped on. "Agent MacKenzie! Have you forgotten the First Amendment to the Constitution?! We have freedom of speech! We have freedom of the press! You have no right to stop us from reporting!"

"That's right! This is America! Not some dictatorship!" another reporter chimed in, even citing historical figures. "Who do you think you are? Richard Nixon?! Even he wouldn't dare to suppress the media so blatantly!"

The smile on Kate's face finally disappeared, replaced by a suffocating coldness. Her eyes swept over every clamoring reporter, as if she were examining a group of ignorant ants.

"Listen." Her voice was quiet, but it carried an undeniable authority that instantly drowned out all the noise. "This is an FBI crime scene, and we're conducting a highly confidential investigation. Every question you ask, every flash of your camera, constitutes obstruction of official business."

She took a step forward, and the powerful aura of the Great Knight erupted instantly, pressing down upon the reporters. They subconsciously took a step back, expressions of horror on their faces.

"The First Amendment gives you freedom of speech, but it does not give you the freedom to obstruct a federal investigation." Kate's voice became deeper, and every word was like a cold knife.

"As for Richard Nixon...are you hinting at the current president?" Kate said, naturally using the president's words to gain publicity. "Do you hope that these words will reach the president's ears?"

It would have been fine if Richard Nixon was not mentioned, but as soon as Richard Nixon was mentioned, Kate's mood became extremely bad.

Originally, Kate had a neutral opinion of Nixon, but during a casual chat with Li Shanze (actually, Li Shanze was using the chat to indirectly inquire about the contemporary history of the world), Li Shanze's words changed Kate's opinion.

Richard Nixon, despite his self-proclaimed Woody Wilson-style moral diplomacy, knew very well what diplomacy was and was actually quite pragmatic.

As the President of the United States, Nixon disregarded his personal gains and losses, took over a mess that no one was willing to take over, took risks that the United States, a country that was not worthy of learning, cleaned up the mess for John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, and pulled the United States out of the quagmire of Vietnam, which was causing it to continue bleeding.

In Li Shanze's view, Nixon's act of disregarding his personal political future for the sake of the country made him a true politician. Nixon could have learned from Lyndon Johnson and continued to invest in Vietnam until he lost the Cold War. After all, it was the country that was ruined, not his own reputation and votes.

But what did the Americans give Nixon in return?

It was the Watergate scandal and the "worst president of the United States."

In this regard, Li Shanze commented that a country that is extremely selfish does not deserve a president who is willing to sacrifice his personal interests for the country.

American journalists, in particular, even regarded the overthrow of Nixon as a great achievement, showing off from time to time, as if they really thought they had grasped some kind of fourth power.

Little did they know that after getting rid of Nixon, a president who was willing to step on the brakes on the downhill road, the only candidates elected by the United States are those who are willing to step on the accelerator.

Li Shanze even believes that if the winner was not the bombastic John Kennedy but the pragmatic Richard Nixon, the United States might not have stepped into the quagmire of Vietnam.

As a Chinese, Li Shanze often has a detached, God-like perspective when evaluating historical figures.

Especially when it comes to Nixon, Li Shanze believes that the United States has betrayed a politician who was beneficial to the United States, and there is some regret in his words.

To Kate, an American, these words seemed very fair and convincing.

Kate had never thought that Nixon could be viewed from this perspective before. She had been living in an atmosphere created by the media that regarded Nixon as a laughing stock and a trophy until she met Li Shanze.

Especially the so-called "public right to know" of the media. Kate initially used this cliché to deal with Li Shanze, but found that Li Shanze fundamentally scoffed at the political "public right to know".

"Public politics can only move towards political polarization. This is the problem with the American democratic system!" Li Shanze even fundamentally denied the American paradise on earth.

"The American democratic system was only suitable for the era of newspapers. With the advancement of technology and the advent of radio and television, candidates have been forced to extremist their speech for the sake of their personal image and exposure, because any rational and objective voice cannot attract voters."

"And the internet has greatly accelerated political polarization."

"So, in the age of live television you elected John F. Kennedy, and in the age of the internet you elected Barack Obama and Donald Trump, and this failed practice itself is a fundamental denial of the very idea of ​​high-visibility mass politics."

"I'm not saying that politics doesn't need public oversight, but the electoral system designed by the United States over 200 years ago is clearly no longer relevant to the times."