Chapter 267: The Amnesiac President!
The Spoils of Victory
The month-long mission had finally concluded. Although it had involved many twists and turns, the outco was decent: Jack Harvey was dead, Joel Nash was dead, and the demon Ghast had lost its life.
One plus one equals two.
Overall, it was a net neutral result. However, for Luke, he was undeniably the biggest beneficiary.
Setting aside the treasures and magic notes he acquired from the Pyramid of the Sun God, the presidency alone was enough to benefit him for life.
Who could imagine that the soul inside the President of the United States was that of a Corpse Puppet?
Who could imagine that the master of that Corpse Puppet was a seventeen-year-old boy?
By controlling the Puppet, he effectively controlled the entire nation. Though the risk was imnse, the greater the risk, the greater the reward.
Upon returning ho, Luke enjoyed a sumptuous al and then slept soundly until noon the next day.
He turned on the television. Unsurprisingly, the news was dominated by reports of the mysterious light sphere that had appeared over Washington State the day before, along with the Presidential attack. Reporters from every major network were swarming the gates of the White House, desperate for firsthand information.
After several hours of stonewalling against the insistent dia, the White House spokesperson finally held a press conference.
At the conference, he ticulously described the attack and the origin of the mysterious light sphere. When the audience learned that the attack was launched by aliens, the entire room erupted.
Reporters vied to thrust their microphones forward, demanding in-depth information—including the President's health status, the upcoming election, the statents from the Departnt of Defense and the Senate regarding the incident, and so on.
The White House spokesperson refused to answer these clearly targeted questions, stating only that the President's condition was stable and that he was expected to wake up soon.
The press conference was hastily convened and quickly concluded, but the information released shocked the United States and the world.
How long had it been since the Vice President was kidnapped? Now the President himself had been attacked by aliens using a mysterious light sphere as a weapon. Were they planning to invade Earth? Was this the start of an interstellar war?
Considering the consequences of an interstellar war, nations worldwide beca uneasy, urgently contacting the White House to inquire about the details of the attack and the proposed solution.
Naturally, many people were skeptical, but the mysterious light sphere and the apocalyptic landscape left by its destruction gave them no room for argunt.
Any fool could see that the sphere's attack was beyond current Earth technology. Only aliens could create such a terrifying weapon.
The internet was alight with discussion about the incident and the unconscious President. Given that Joel Nash’s campaign slogan was to protect the US from alien invasion, and this had now occurred, people logically directed their anger at the aliens. They reasoned that the aliens, displeased with the great President, had launched a retaliatory attack intended to destroy the United States.
As the narrative took hold, Joel Nash’s approval ratings soared. Large crowds even stayed up all night outside the White House to pray for the President.
After this event, Joel Nash had transcended the role of President to beco a hero. Of course, this heroism was relative; to the inford mbers of the FBI and the Departnt of Defense, the "hero" was rely a pathetic man controlled by a demon.
Having watched the news report, Luke was speechless. He had expected the Senate to pin the bla on Middle Eastern terrorists or rival nations like China or Russia. He hadn't expected them to go for a far more audacious choice: aliens.
On reflection, the choice was correct. If they blad Russia or China for the attack, the mysterious light sphere would be inexplicable—that kind of destructive power clearly wasn't from Earth. If those nations had such technology, why would they tolerate US dominance? Aliens were different. To most Earthlings, aliens represented mystery, the unknown, and formidable power, and they were too diverse to question directly. Aliens made for the perfect scapegoats!
The President Wakes
Washington D.C., White House Residency.
Vanessa, who had rushed back from Hawaii, collapsed into her mother's arms.
Mother and daughter embraced, weeping uncontrollably. Onlookers sighed and shook their heads. The First Lady continuously consoled her daughter. After a while, Vanessa looked up, her eyes tearful.
"Father, how is he?"
"Co with ."
Kate Nash led her daughter to an empty room and closed the door.
"Do you know everything that happened?"
Vanessa wiped her tears. "They told Father was possessed by a demon. Is it true?"
Kate Nash smiled bitterly and nodded, the dark circles under her eyes revealing her exhaustion. As the First Lady, no one knew the emotional strain she had endured over the past day.
Vanessa asked anxiously, "Then Father—"
"He's fine now. The demon inside him was driven out. It's just..."
Kate Nash hesitated, seemingly struggling to share sothing difficult.
"Just what? Tell !"
The First Lady wiped the tears from her daughter's face. "Vanessa, my child, you need to prepare yourself. Even when your father wakes up, he might have mory loss, or even reduced ntal capacity."
"How is that possible?"
The girl was stunned, filled with shock. "The demon was expelled! Why would this happen?"
The First Lady sighed, explaining slowly, "The explanation they gave is that during the process of expelling the demon, your father's soul suffered severe trauma. Soul damage can lead to a series of after-effects, such as amnesia, loss of cognitive function, loss of motor skills, or becoming a vegetable."
"What did the doctors say?"
"The dical team perford a comprehensive examination of his body. Everything else is fine, except for his head." The First Lady sighed again, her worry evident. "His brain waves are extrely chaotic. It's been a full day, and they show no sign of stabilizing."
At that mont, the door was pushed open. A staff mber rushed in and said hastily,
"Madam, the President is awake."
Both won were ecstatic and hurried to the hospital room.
On the bed, the unconscious Joel Nash slowly opened his eyes, revealing cold, calm, and utterly emotionless pupils. Seeing those eyes, the people around him felt an inexplicable chill, a fear as though they were being watched by Death itself.
Vanessa, too overwheld to notice the subtle strangeness, threw herself onto him, sobbing loudly.
"Father!"
Joel Nash turned his head and stared at her coldly, his eyebrows twitching slightly, as if puzzled.
"Who are you?"
The simple question echoed in the room, and then all other sounds vanished. Everyone stared blankly at the President on the bed. Vanessa stopped crying, her beautiful face streaked with tears, but her eyes were filled with shock.
The First Lady could not endure the blow. She covered her mouth and fled the room. The others exchanged bewildered looks.
The worst-case scenario had co true: The President had amnesia.
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