From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 95: The Curse of Desire

"His Excellency Lincoln left behind five items for us. They are the silver-plated Staff, the Blood Contract Parchment Scroll, a silver-plated mask, a copper compass, and Abraham's Axe!"

Inside a temporarily requisitioned hotel, Gao and Baron were reporting their discoveries to America's top decision-makers through a secure video conference.

"The silver-plated Staff was compared to Lincoln's cane in the Smithsonian Museum. We confirmed they share the exact same design, but this one conceals a silver-plated blade engraved with the Latin phrase 'Vincit qui se vincit', which means 'He conquers who conquers himself'!"

"According to the research conducted by Professor Margaret and her team, this was indeed one of President Lincoln's favorite quotes!"

"The second item, the Blood Contract Parchment Scroll, contains not only a prophecy regarding destruction and revival but also a formula for silver bullets from the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, along with a secret contact code for the Vatican's North American branch!"

"The effects of the silver-plated mask remain unknown. As for the compass, according to Chris, it points directly to President Lincoln's true tomb!"

Gao's explanation was brief, as more detailed information and data had already been transmitted through a secure network, arriving directly before Golden Hair and the others.

Finding this to be a troublesome situation, Golden Hair massaged his temples. "Now that we know about this, what exactly can we gain from it? Just these bizarre artifacts?"

Qian Si shook his head. "Your Excellency, in truth, the only items possessing genuine Transcendent Power are Abraham's Axe and the Blood Contract Parchment Scroll. The rest appear to be completely ordinary objects! What truly requires our attention is the location of that tomb..."

At that moment, the National Security Advisor of the White House suddenly spoke up. "Great Leader, why did President Lincoln place the heart of that Southern Blood Progenitor inside his own chest cavity? Was it because this Vampire Progenitor was too difficult to kill?""Does that mean that, even after a hundred and sixty years, this Blood Progenitor is actually still alive?"

Hearing those words, the expressions of everyone present shifted dramatically. While their faces paled, a flicker of ulterior motives gleamed in their eyes.

"Great Leader, should we head there first and dig that heart out?"

The others nodded in agreement, feeling this proposal was entirely necessary.

Listening to their chatter, Golden Hair pointedly asked a chilling question. "What exactly do you intend to do? Unseal the tomb and release a Monster that could potentially destroy America?"

"Or is it that you all are even less capable of resisting the temptation of immortality than an eighty-year-old man like myself?"

He immediately issued a strict order to Gao and Baron. "Pack the compass and all the items into the Vehicles and bring them to Washington D.C.! Do not hesitate, and do not deviate from your route. I will have the National Guard mobilized to escort you!"

"Yes, Great Leader!"

The video feed disconnected.

Golden Hair narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the group before him. "Now, lock down all communication channels and seal the conference room doors. We will remain right here and wait for their return!"

The command was carried out immediately. The heavy doors to the conference room were shut tight. Under Golden Hair's watchful gaze, everyone's minds churned with conflicting thoughts.

To Golden Hair, even though the people present were his trusted aides and advisors—the vast majority of whom were reliable—he still maintained the utmost caution.

This was no ordinary state secret that could be casually leaked, nor was it idle war room gossip. This was a distant trace of Transcendent Power, and a trace of Vampires at that!

The legends of Vampires were always intertwined with rumors of eternal life. Even if it meant drinking blood, sleeping in coffins, and avoiding the daylight, immortality was still immortality. It was a terrifying, irresistible temptation!

He would never gamble on the loyalty of his subordinates. This was America, the empire of capital. True loyalty simply did not exist here!

So-called loyalty was merely a matter of the price of betrayal not being high enough!

Therefore, he chose to guard this secret himself!

...

Interstate Highway, Illinois.

A convoy of Vehicles cruised down the highway. Every single one was a heavily armored bulletproof car mobilized directly from the Secret Service. Because of their heavy plating, they didn't travel particularly fast, but their pace was incredibly steady.

They hadn't opted to fly. After all, in this day and age, no one dared to place their trust in Boeing, a company where three-quarters of the workforce were allegedly addicts and half the executives were diversity hires from the LGBT community. Many people preferred the longer drive over gambling their lives on a flight.

Baron and his team were naturally unwilling to take that gamble either. Moreover, they were securely holding onto Lincoln's relics. Outside of The Church, this was the only Transcendent Power they could currently grasp in their own hands, meaning they had to be extra careful.

Inside the car, Baron was still fraught with confusion. He asked Gao, "Mr. Simmons, why is it that neither you nor my father wanted to investigate His Excellency Lincoln's tomb first? Why was your immediate reaction to leave?"

Looking at Baron's expression, Gao realized the young man didn't understand at all. After pondering for a moment, he explained, "Lord Baron, think about it. If you were a dying old man lying in a hospital bed, needing constant blood transfusions and organ transplants just to stay alive, what would you do?"

"Me? I would put my affairs in order, I suppose. I would talk to my children?" Baron replied, still thoroughly perplexed.

Gao continued, "And now, what if you were presented with a chance to live? What would you do? Even if the Price for that opportunity was incredibly steep?"

"I'd be dying anyway, so what else could I do? I'd take the chance to live first, and then figure out the consequences later..." Baron answered instinctively, before suddenly coming to a realization. "Wait! Are you saying... someone is already plotting to target Lincoln's tomb and that Blood Progenitor's heart?"

Gao nodded. "Yes. You have to understand that our country isn't truly managed by the Government. In reality, power far greater than ours rests in the hands of major families and corporations. Those financial conglomerates are the ones who truly control this nation..."

"So tell me, once they catch wind of this news, do you think they'd dare to take that gamble?"

Baron's face turned pale with horror. Having been personally mentored by Golden Hair, he was well aware of just how audacious those politicians and Old Money families could be!

Take his father's opponent from a few years ago, for instance—that old witch. Anyone who accused her, exposed her, or investigated her affairs would inexplicably die shortly after!

This was the truly unscrupulous methodology of old-school politicians. They controlled the core underlying logic of the nation, enabling them to suppress any damaging incidents.

It wasn't until his father emerged, wielding a completely different set of rules, that these establishment politicians suffered a heavy blow, forcing them into temporary submission.

Yet Baron also knew that these people had merely retreated; they weren't dead. They lurked in the shadows, waiting for any opportunity to deal his family a fatal strike. Signs of their scheming had already surfaced when they impatiently attempted to push California toward 'independence', seeking to exploit the resulting conflict for greater profit!

This broad-minded young man instantly understood his father's intentions. They were racing against time. If they could just get out of here and return to Washington D.C. before those factions could react, they would be safe and sound.

But if those people did manage to react in time...

"Screech!" Suddenly, the lead vehicle slammed on its brakes, forcing the rest of the convoy to violently hit their brakes in a domino effect!

Gao immediately grabbed his communicator. "Chris, what's the situation?"

"Sir, the road ahead has been cut off! Massive stones are blocking our path forward!"

"Rearguard takes the lead, vanguard to the rear! We're turning back, now!" Gao barked loudly. How could such massive stones suddenly appear on an interstate highway? Anyone with half a brain would know this was an ambush!

However, from behind them, two heavy trucks had already pulled up, cutting off their escape route.

As for the open fields on either side of the interstate, numerous Vehicles had also appeared, completely sealing off any thought of a clean getaway.

At that moment, Baron tried to call his father directly. Unsurprisingly, the call wouldn't connect.

The signal was jammed. They were like fish in a barrel.

Once the Vehicles finished their blockade, dozens of people stepped out. Leading them was none other than the man who had negotiated with them earlier—the Mayor of Springfield City, Tim Darren!

"Lord Baron, Mr. Gao!" Tim Darren seemed to know exactly which car they were in and walked straight toward them. "There is no bad blood between us, but... taking away the relics of President Lincoln that rightfully belong to us, without the explicit permission of Springfield City, isn't that a bit rude?"

This was naturally just a High-Sounding excuse. In reality, everyone knew the true reason they had come!

The moment the news of the "Vampire Heart" was exposed, the curse of desire had already settled heavily above their heads, following them like an inescapable shadow!