The North American Gourmet Demon Handbook

"Then, no matter what you have done before, the Drummond family will be grateful for your help."

"Think of it: under the power of love, the brave Miss Graham, who had lost her memory due to fear, desperately tried to remember what had happened to her fiancé. And then, the power of love witnessed everything. After overcoming numerous obstacles, the lovers finally got married."

"What a perfect script! Hollywood and Broadway will always sing the praises of the greatness of love!"

Theodore Lancaster wrote two checks at once: fame and fortune.

To gain fame, he promised Hollywood and Broadway that Annabelle and Alex's "love story" would be brought to the stage.

If she wants to make money, she can join a family of financial giants. As long as Alex can make some money slip through his fingers, it will be enough for Annabelle to enjoy endlessly.

If Annabell hadn't done something to hold Alex back last night, the generous conditions would have been enough to tempt her.

Annabell even regretted why she lost her mind last night and insisted on grabbing Alex's legs - he couldn't run away anyway, so wasn't she just making an enemy with him for no reason?

Now, if Annabelle wants to live, Alex must die.

Otherwise, wouldn't I become the young lady of the Drummond family?

Annabelle's heart was filled with remorse.

What she didn't realize was that if she hadn't done something like a token of allegiance last night, the mastermind of the kidnapping, Cyrus Morton, would never have let her live.

But now that things have come to this, she can only insist that she doesn't know.

However, Theodore Lancaster saw her hesitation - after all, the greed and regret in this woman's eyes were not concealed at all.

"Even a little bit of additional clue would be helpful," Theodore Lancaster began to persuade. "After the car drove into the forest, anything you saw before you lost consciousness would be helpful and would earn you the friendship of the Drummond family."

"For example, have you ever seen an RV?" Theodore Lancaster's smile became brighter.

"RV?" Annabelle was stunned.

"Yes, the RV. Even such an insignificant clue can earn you hundreds of thousands of dollars in reward. After all, the Drummond family has set up a $5 million reward for any valid clues."

Theodore Lancaster opened his briefcase, which was filled to the brim with stacks of Franklins.

Annabelle was immediately attracted.

She tried hard to look like she was recalling something, but in fact she was frantically analyzing whether telling others about the RV would allow Alex Drummond to come back alive.

But those stacks of dollars were too tempting. After a moment, Annabell gritted her teeth and did it!

At worst, I can take the money and run away to Europe or Asia!

So she said slowly: "Regarding the RV, I do seem to have some vague impression -"

At this moment, the door opened with a creak.

Li Shanze walked in with the FBI badge on his chest.

"Ms. Graham, you need to answer a few more questions for us - who is this gentleman?" Li Shanze looked at Theodore Lancaster curiously.

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

265 Theodore Lancaster

"Theodore Lancaster." The old gentleman walked up calmly and politely, glanced at the badge on Li Shanze's chest, and shook hands with Li Shanze.

He replied, "Hello, Agent Li. I'm the Senior Vice President of Merck's Strategic Investment Department. I'm here to visit Ms. Graham on behalf of the Drummond family."

Li Shanze said thoughtfully: "Oh, you represent the Drummond family?"

Theodore Lancaster sighed deeply. "Yes, after hearing the news of Alex's disappearance, his father, Old Drummond, was extremely worried and even fell ill. I'm sure you can understand his feelings. After all, Alex is his only child."

"As his long-time friend, I have done my best to convey his regards to Miss Graham."

His movements and words were so natural that it was hard to imagine that he was actually carrying a bag of cash and trying to find out something from Annabel Graham.

Li Shanze nodded. "Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Lancaster. If you don't mind, I would like to ask Miss Graham a few questions first. Perhaps you can come visit her later?"

Li Shanze saw the guest off in a rather reserved manner.

Theodore Lancaster did not seem at all unhappy about being interrupted or regretful about the failure.

He smiled and stood up. "No, that's not necessary. Miss Graham probably needs more time to rest. I won't bother her any further."

He then said goodbye to Annabell: "It was a pleasure talking to you, Miss Graham. I admire and am fascinated by your courage and charm, and I think I can understand why Alex was attracted to you. I wish you a speedy recovery, and goodbye."

Annabell's face was pale, and she just managed to curl up the corners of her mouth, which could be considered a smile.

Theodore Lancaster then turned to Li Shanze and said, "We also sincerely hope that the FBI can solve the case and find Alex as soon as possible. Have a nice day."

After saying this, the elegant old gentleman put on his bowler hat, leaned on his cane, and slowly left Annabell's ward.

The ward was quiet for a moment.

Li Shanze looked at the bunch of light yellow carnations on the bedside with interest. After seeing the set of "Ashmeet", Li Shanze felt a little nervous about these plants.

Li Shanze subconsciously thought that they might be the spies of the plant-based wizards of the Root Man Esoteric Cult.

In particular, Theodore Lancaster, who came to visit Annabell, did not hide his identity as a wizard at all, and he was also an executive of Merck Pharmaceuticals.

This is different from Marco Giuseppe Romano of Johnson & Johnson, who almost openly sent a private detective to investigate the whereabouts of the RV.

Theodore Lancaster of Merck Pharmaceuticals pretended to be a close friend of the Drummond family and tried to find out about the RV in a roundabout way.

After hearing Theodore Lancaster's almost blatant questions to Annabelle about the RV, Li Shanze could be sure that the wizard's main purpose was still the RV.

Johnson & Johnson and Merck already have representatives on the scene, and the only one missing from the three major pharmaceutical companies mentioned in Teacher Xia Li's last words is Novartis Pharmaceuticals.

Things are becoming more and more interesting, and are starting to get on the right track.

Li Shanze showed a playful smile on his face.

Whether it is to find out the cause of Teacher Xia Li's death, to keep this coveted RV, to help Kate kill the devil who spreads the plague, or to realize the way to get rid of the soul contract from the struggle with the devil, this time I am afraid we will have to confront those giant pharmaceutical companies.

Annabell was now becoming increasingly frightened.

Because she was shocked to find that the villain who killed the security team and "kidnapped" Alex last night had turned into an FBI agent.

Annabell was first "discovered" by the police, and then the case was handed over to the FBI's Special Affairs Division after it involved wizards. Kate's people went to the "investigation scene" and never met her.

Therefore, Annabell also didn't know that Kate was from the FBI, she only knew that she was a "Grand Knight".

Regardless of whether this terrifying man in front of her is pretending to be an FBI agent or is really an FBI agent, it is terrible news for Annabelle.

Annabell would rather the man was an FBI agent in disguise—because daring to kidnap the heir of the Drummond family was already heinous enough, and compared to this, pretending to be an FBI agent was really no big deal.

But if this man is really the FBI, then this matter is probably very complicated.

The scene of Li Shanze being baptized by the mercenary team's metal storm of various light and heavy firepower for several minutes under the moonlight was deeply engraved in Annabelle's mind.

She was afraid that she had been involved in a huge conspiracy... Annabelle had completely given up.

"Agent Li, you--" Her lips trembled as she tried to speak tentatively.

Li Shanze was unexpectedly kind: "Don't be afraid, Ms. Graham, you are in the hospital now, protected by layers of security. You are absolutely safe."

Safety is bullshit, you just let a wizard in!

Annabell roared in her stomach - of course, Li Shanze was much more terrifying to her than the wizard Theodore Lancaster, so she only dared to say these words in her stomach.

Li Shanze, like a real FBI agent, introduced himself as usual, informed Annabelle of her condition, announced that she was now officially taken over by the FBI Special Affairs Division, and even took out a formal document for Annabelle to sign.

Annabelle saw that these details definitely did not seem fake, and her despair grew even worse.

"Oh, you don't have to be so scared, you are safe now, it's okay, you are safe, Ms. Graham." Li Shanze acted like a confused FBI agent doing his routine, comforting the extremely frightened Annabelle.

After a moment, Li Shanze sighed: "It seems that your current mental state is not suitable for accepting our questions. You should rest for a while. I will come back later."

After saying that, Li Shanze called the nurse, asked the nurse to inject Annabell with a sedative, and then left the room.

…………

Theodore Lancaster had deliberately left his low-profile Audi A8, its tires smeared with the still-dry mud of the Palm Beach wetlands, in the shade of the ginkgo trees west of the inpatient ward.

A black shadow covered the obsidian car, as if trying to hide it.

Theodore Lancaster, who was always accustomed to controlling the steering wheel, no longer had the pretended gentleness on his face. His eyes were as sharp as a vulture staring at its prey.

However, the information overheard by Carnation made him very disappointed - Annabelle seemed to have exhausted all her courage in resisting his threats, and she didn't even have the strength to deal with the FBI agents normally.

Originally, Theodore Lancaster had hoped to obtain more information through the FBI's questioning.

If there was any news about Alex Drummond, it could be used to offset the almost endless harassment from the Drummond family.

If it was news about the RV that Barnum left behind, that would be great.

Unfortunately, Annabell was so frightened that she had to receive an injection of sedative and is now in a coma.

Theodore Lancaster drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, remaining patient, and decided to wait.

The old wizard looked around aimlessly. He had already recognized several private detectives' cars - those tattered cars with NJ license plates mostly belonged to private detectives.

Oh. Marco Giuseppe Romano, that flamboyant Italian, he was always in the back, he never understood how important it was to have the steering wheel in his own hands.

Theodore Lancaster thought scornfully.

Compared to Marco Giuseppe Romano, Theodore Lancaster was more afraid of the Indian from Novartis.

Theodore Lancaster felt that he could not understand any Indian at all and didn't know what was going on in the minds of these stupid Indians.

But no matter what, Theodore Lancaster was sure that he would be the ultimate winner and would be able to obtain the RV left by the previous great wizard, thus becoming the undisputed great wizard of the Boiling Sage School and ending the chaotic situation of the Boiling Sage without a leader.

What Theodore Lancaster, who was commenting on his opponent, didn't know was that the RV that he was obsessed with was actually not far away.

"You mean, the wizard sitting in that car is an executive of Merck Pharmaceuticals and one of the people who covets the RV?" Charlie frowned and looked at the black Audi A8.

Isn't Theodore Lancaster, who firmly believes in his identity as a hunter, also a prey?

Author's words: I forgot to set the timer to publish, but I found it in time, Orz

266 A nap before dinner

"Yes." Li Shanze nodded to Xia Li. "I think the people in these pharmaceutical companies who knew about this RV are probably related to your teacher's death."

Charlie nodded in agreement, her eyes blazing with fire, and she wished she could catch Theodore Lancaster in the black Audi A8 the next second and torture him harshly.

However, she still forced herself to suppress the urge and asked Li Shanze, "Then what should we do? Catch him?"

"Of the three pharmaceutical companies mentioned in your teacher's last words, Johnson & Johnson and Merck have now appeared, leaving only Novartis... We can let them stay active for a few more days before we figure out what a certain Novartis executive is up to."

Li Shanze was not too worried about the wizard. After all, he could just overturn the table to invalidate the wizard's power.

However, the devil listed as an imaginary enemy by Kate, the plague spreader Suffocres, his power may not be so useful - after all, Li Shanze cannot forcibly invalidate Alessia's soul contract.

Therefore, Li Shanze believed that before confronting the devil Suffocres head-on, he should make every possible preparation. However, these wizards were not in a hurry to deal with them.

What's more, the wizard from Novartis hasn't shown up yet.

"Shouldn't we worry about Theodore Lancaster?" Charlie asked worriedly, "Will Miss Annabell Graham be in danger?"

Xia Li knew that Li Shanze looked down on Annabel Graham, so she could express her sympathy for this woman without any scruples.

"Don't worry, Mr. Theodore Lancaster is very controlling - he doesn't even trust others to drive his car."

"As a Merck executive, such a controlling individual probably won't have much time left in Philadelphia. He doesn't trust anyone or anything."

Li Shanze said decisively.

Sure enough, not long after Li Shanze made his judgment, the black Audi A8 started quietly in the shadow of the trees and drove out of the hospital in a hurry.

"What should we do? Should we follow?" Charlie continued to ask.

"No, we shouldn't follow them. Mr. Theodore Lancaster is desperately looking for this RV, so let him be anxious for a while." Li Shanze shrugged, "Although from what the Vitali brothers said, we can tell that they don't recognize this RV at all."

At this point, Li Shanze took out his phone and said, "I'd better ask a professional to follow. I just saw the Vitali brothers' shabby car."

Claudia looked a little apprehensive—witches were a very distant and powerful concept to the average American.

Although Claudia knew very little about wizards, she knew that they were extremely dangerous - especially since her mistress, the Mafia lady, was also a wizard, which only heightened the danger in her mind.

Claudia felt uneasy when she thought that her two brothers would take the risk to track down the wizard.

But she forced herself to suppress her fear and did not plead for her brother.

In Claudia's view, since her two brothers were rescued from the FBI prison by the "Godfather" Li Shanze, they naturally have to repay the "Godfather".

So she bit her lip and just said, "I'm going to start preparing dinner, Master."

Upon hearing this, Li Shanze nodded with satisfaction.

It was great to have a cook and a waiter in the RV. Now Charlie didn't have to eat those low-quality Snickers bars full of nutrition and additives.