The North American Gourmet Demon Handbook

"I don't know what he knew." Li Shanze shrugged, "But I think he must have misunderstood something."

After that, Li Shanze looked at Alex: "What should I do, Alex? Your father seems to no longer care about your safety."

"He actually took the initiative to hang up the kidnapper's phone." Li Shanze deliberately used a regretful tone, "It seems that you are no longer of any value. Whether to your father or to me."

"No, please! Dad must have hit the end button by accident! Please, call him again! Don't kill me, don't kill me!"

Alex's helpless voice broke.

…………

"You'd better have a good reason to call me early in the morning, Curry!" Marco Giuseppe Romano was awakened by the phone call and was extremely irritable.

Judging by the mess in Romano's luxurious room, he had had a night of debauchery.

"I'm sorry, I don't know much about Italian culture and didn't know that noon is still early morning in Italy." Vikram Chandrasekhar apologized politely in his curry-flavored English.

But these words sounded quite sarcastic to Romano.

"Tell me, what's the matter?" Romano asked, suppressing his bad temper.

"It's time for us to 'do our bit' for the Drummonds," Vikram Chandrasekhar said sarcastically.

"Really? Haha, wait for me in yesterday's meeting room, I'll be there soon. Have you informed that liar Lancaster?" Romano's tone was particularly playful.

“I was just about to call him,” Chandrasekhar smiled.

277 Three-person meeting

"What is our major shareholder dreaming about?" Theodore Lancaster was in a particularly bad mood today.

He hurried into the meeting room, completely failing to maintain the slow and measured superiority of an English gentleman, and instead acted like a rough cowboy.

"I don't think there's anything more urgent than what I'm dealing with," Theodore Lancaster said coldly. "Even if Alex were murdered or the Drummond family collapsed, it wouldn't be more serious than what I'm dealing with."

"What are you dealing with? The side effects of the drug have been discovered by the FDA? The human experiments have been exposed? Or the fact that the new coronavirus vaccine is actually ineffective against the new coronavirus has been leaked by those boring media?" Romano asked.

The portly Italian kept a calm smile. "If you simply need to make the truth disappear, feel free to entrust it to me."

Theodore Lancaster ignored Romano's sarcasm, which was superficially a pleasantry but was actually just a display of his power. "No, it's much worse than that."

Seeing that Theodore Lancaster was indifferent to Romano's ridicule and didn't even bother to fight back, both of them realized the seriousness of the problem.

"Hmph, there's a hospital, a rural hospital called Liuxi General Hospital, that's innovating its medical model."

“Innovation?”

"Yeah, the head of this hospital has this whimsical idea of ​​'patient-centered, symptom-based'. It's simply nonsense!" At this point, Lancaster even poked the floor with his cane to express his anger.

Vikram Chandrasekhar, an Indian who usually smiles, rarely put away his smile and frowned slightly.

He pushed his gold-rimmed glasses and spoke in a calm, almost icy, academic tone, "'Patient-centered'? Mr. Lancaster, that sounds... quite humanitarian, but from the perspective of scientific efficiency, it's undoubtedly a step backward."

"We all know that the essence of modern medicine lies in its complexity and professionalism."

"'Patient-centered'? This is simply a return to the witch doctor stage of the barbaric era. Do they expect patients to receive 'precise' treatment simply by describing their discomfort?"

Vikram Chandrasekhar scoffed at witch doctors with a deadpan attitude, as if he were a medical professional (which he was; he had an MD), not a sorcerer.

The usually smiling Indians were unusually emotional: "What can patients know? They know nothing about their own illnesses! Do these arrogant patients think they can diagnose themselves by just searching on Google?"

"This completely ignores the underlying mechanisms of the disease, biomarkers, and the possibility of multiple complications. This will greatly reduce the 'accuracy' of diagnosis and thus affect subsequent 'intervention'."

"This is anti-scientific and even more anti-human!"

“That seems like a cliché from the era before clinical nurse managers replaced head nurses!”

Theodore Lancaster nodded in agreement, then added, "More importantly, this will seriously interfere with our overall plan for 'health management'."

"If patients focus solely on symptoms, they don't realize they need to make regular, comprehensive, preventative 'health investments.'"

"For example, various expensive screenings, long-term chronic disease management programs, and our newly developed 'targeted' drugs for 'potential risks' are simply stifling the huge market potential of 'treating illness before it occurs.'"

After Romano heard this, a look of understanding and shrewdness appeared on his fat face.

"Oh, 'patient-centered', that sounds like a good PR slogan." He stroked his chin, a calculating look in his eyes. "But if it's really 'symptom-based', then how will our 'disease awareness' program be carried out?"

"How much money have we spent to convince people that a headache is not a headache, but a precursor to a migraine, requiring long-term use of our special medicine? That a cold is not a cold, but a viral respiratory infection, requiring a series of auxiliary treatments?"

The Italian spread his hands and said with a hint of helpless exaggeration: "If patients only focus on symptoms, they will think, 'Oh, I'm just a little uncomfortable, I'll be fine after a rest.' This is simply cutting off the root of the problem!"

"How can we explain to shareholders why our sales of chronic disease management and preventive medicines have plummeted? This is like destroying the health anxiety system we worked so hard to build overnight!"

"That's right!" Lancaster slammed the table hard, making a dull sound, as if seeking resonance for his point of view.

"They even proposed reducing unnecessary tests and medications! This is simply inhumane! How much R&D funding did we invest to make those 'unnecessary' tests and medications 'necessary'?!"

"How much effort did we put into convincing doctors that their professional value could only be demonstrated through complex diagnostic processes?"

He stood up and paced around the conference room, his tone becoming increasingly agitated.

"This is not just a matter of profit, it's a challenge to the 'professionalism' and 'authority' of the entire medical system!"

"If patients can rely on symptoms, what is the value of medical professionals? How can we sell our complex diagnostic procedures, sophisticated instruments, and drugs that require long-term use to 'maintain' results?"

“They even want to reform doctors’ performance so their bonuses are no longer tied to the bills they write!”

"This is the end of civilization, dragging the great modern medicine back to the quagmire of the Middle Ages!"

Lancaster stopped abruptly, his gaze sweeping across the two men, his words unmistakable and resolute: "You two, this time we must unite and cooperate sincerely to prevent this decline of civilization."

Romano took a long drag on his cigar. "I'll be in charge of guiding public opinion."

His fat face was obscured in the smoke.

"I will convince the public that this model is 'irresponsible', 'lacks scientific basis', and may even lead to 'delayed treatment' and cause 'irreversible health damage'."

"Hmph, if necessary, I can find a few 'victims' to testify."

Romano's signature welcoming smile appeared on his face again.

"For the safety of our patients, we must 'correct' this 'misguided' step backward. I will ensure that public opinion is convinced that this 'innovation' is essentially a dangerous step backward and an irresponsible act towards human life."

"Don't worry. Ever since we improved doctors' compensation incentives, their default medication policy has become to use the most expensive drugs. Each of them earns an average of $300,000 per year from this progressive, scientific, responsible, and unparalleled medication system."

"I believe I can organize enough doctors to denounce Willow Creek General Hospital, saying that they, especially the director, have betrayed the Hippocratic Oath!"

Theodore Lancaster nodded and turned his gaze back to the Indian.

He knew that, unlike Romano, this Indian was used to disguising himself as a second-class Kshatriya, and had even become somewhat paranoid.

As a white Brahmin in his eyes, he must be given orders - of course, how the orders are carried out depends entirely on the Indian's self-awareness.

So Theodore Lancaster spoke without hesitation, as naturally as an English nobleman instructing his Indian steward.

"Chandrasekhar, from an academic perspective, you should write some 'authoritative' reports, pointing out the 'limitations' and 'potential risks' of this model, and emphasizing the importance of 'precision medicine' and 'early intervention'."

"Remember, use the most rigorous scientific terms to package the most absurd conclusions. I'm going to contact those 'independent' medical associations and experts and ask them to issue a 'warning' and emphasize how destructive this model is to the 'medical order.'"

Chandrasekhar finally nodded slightly, his eyes flashing coldly behind his glasses.

"I will ensure that our scientific evidence is impeccable and sufficient to prove the irrationality and potential harm of this model. After all, science is the best weapon, especially when it is properly guided."

Lancaster looked at them with satisfaction, his tone regaining some of the composure of an English gentleman.

"Good. Remember, we are protecting the future of medicine and the health of humanity. This isn't about profit; this is about principle—the noble principles we uphold as guardians of medicine."

He emphasized the word "principle" as if that was really the only driving force behind their actions.

"Well, I'm glad we've reached a consensus on the truly important matters." Theodore Lancaster relaxed, his hands resting on his crutches. "Now, we can talk about unimportant matters, such as our chatterbox shareholder and his unfortunate son."

There was even a smile on the British gentleman's face.

The portly Italian also laughed. "Don't say that. After all, he's still a major shareholder in our pharmaceutical companies. He controls the wealth. I think we should have the most basic respect for him."

"What matters is not who owns the wealth, but who uses it," Chandrasekhar said naively in his curry-flavored English.

This steward-like value seems to be rooted in the bones of Indians.

After these words were spoken, the three of them laughed together, and the conference room was filled with a happy atmosphere.

It was obvious that none of the three of them actually took James Drummond seriously.

The three people, who are full of contradictions, can only reach a consensus when maintaining the current medical system and making fun of their major shareholders.

Therefore, the atmosphere of this closed-door meeting was very different from that of previous meetings and was very enjoyable.

Author's words: Today's second update is a little late. I forgot to upload the manuscript. I have to work overtime tonight, so I'm not sure when I can get home to upload it...

278 The missing homeless man?

"What should we do now, dear?" Xia Li seemed to have lost her appetite and asked curiously to Li Shanze who was eating heartily.

"Do nothing, just wait." Li Shanze smiled, cut off a piece of steak and put it into his mouth.

"wait?"

"Yeah, wait." Li Shanze chewed the steak thoroughly and swallowed it. "Just wait. We've completely pissed off Drummond, and now it's his turn to make a move."

"I want to see who he can send out."

"Drummond is busy dividing his soul every day - according to Cyrus Morton and his performance, this will cause long-term memory loss and inability to manage."

"Therefore, Drummond's medical empire must have actual executors responsible for its operation. These executors possess considerable power, can mobilize a large amount of resources, and are very familiar with the internal operations."

"Especially, his and Suffocreath's core soul containers are stored in laboratories in New Jersey's Pharmaceutical Valley, so he must have relatively trustworthy 'stewards' in these pharmaceutical factories."

"What we have to do is wait for these 'stewards' to jump out and then continue to cut off Drummond's tentacles that control these pharmaceutical companies."

"After the key tentacle was severed, he would naturally find a way to transfer his core soul container to a safe place in order to protect himself."

"That's when it came time to deliver the killing blow."

Li Shanze smiled and said, "Besides, we can use this opportunity to investigate the cause of your teacher's death. Two people who covet this RV have already jumped out, right?"

"And Mr. Cyrus Morton. Even though he's managed to find a loophole to circumvent the soul contract protecting Alex, he won't have that many loopholes to exploit in the future. He'll have to put in a lot of effort."

"He can't just sit back and enjoy the fruits of our battle with Drummond."

After saying that, Li Shanze cut another piece of steak and chewed it slowly.

…………

"What did you say? Agent Mackenzie, you said Cyrus Morton has been found?" James Drummond asked impatiently, furious. "Where is this bastard? Let him come to see me!"

Drummond's tone on the phone was anxious and sounded like he was gritting his teeth, but in fact his eyes were cold.

Kate Mackenzie is also a great knight of the church. Is she also involved in this kidnapping?

Two days ago, Paul Fitzgerald, the retired Archbishop of Boston, was assassinated. She was not transferred back to investigate the incident, but continued to work in the FBI. What does this mean?

Does this mean there's some kind of unspoken agreement within the Catholic Church that this is directed at me?

Drummond quickly outlined in his mind a complete and huge conspiracy against him.

"Sorry, Mr. Drummond, I'm not your subordinate." Kate's voice was neither salty nor bland, and she mocked Drummond.

"That's Cyrus Morton, your son's witchcraft advisor. We found him in the homeless shelter."

"What did you say? Homeless shelter?" James Drummond couldn't believe his ears. He was a wizard, how could he get into a homeless shelter?

Kate's voice continued to ring out, answering Drummond's doubts at the right time.

"It was a Philadelphia patrolman who found Mr. Cyrus Morton. At that time, he had already lost his memory."

"Under Pennsylvania's Section 5150, homeless individuals with amnesia are subject to an immediate 72-hour involuntary psychiatric detention."

"Medical intervention within the golden 72 hours, with emergency treatment through brain CT scans and memory-restoring drugs - unfortunately, Mr. Cyrus Morton's memory appears to be fragmented."

"Even short-term memory was failing, with problems repeating three random words: 'apple/Route 35/blue'."

Is Cyrus Morton's memory failing? Is his soul shattered because he failed to fulfill his contract to protect Alex?

Or is this some kind of ruse?

Drummond's mind raced.

"The police were able to confirm his identity by comparing it with the DNA database."

"Please send a car to the Philadelphia Police Department to pick up Mr. Cyrus Morton. The bill for the medical examination will be sent to you within six weeks."

Kate spoke in a businesslike tone, as if she didn't want to say another word to Drummond and was about to hang up the phone any second.

"Wait a minute, Agent McKenzie." Drummond applied pressure through his words. "What have you learned about Alex's kidnapping?"