"It's ...... Mr. John Stillman? ”

Howard, who has been in and out of the Pentagon for many years and occasionally attends White House banquets, recognized the man in the photo at a glance.

The other person is none other than the president's right-hand man, John Stillman, who is the chief of staff in the White House.

The seat he sits in, known as the "second president" and "gatekeeper of the White House", is arguably one of the politicians closest to the center of power in Washington, D.C.

"Who's the other guy? Still a man – is there something wrong with Stillman's sexuality? That's big news! ”

Howard has always had a talent for getting anything down to his lower body.

"But in politics, it shouldn't be nothing. As far as I know, Hoover of the FBI, he was still bisexual. ”

"Luke, you know, the big guys, who claim to be the upper class, are actually very dirty."

"Please, when you use mean language to sarcastically mock them, please don't pick yourself out."

Glancing at Howard, who was drifting off topic, Luke got up and walked to the wine cabinet and pulled out a high-end whiskey from Stark's mansion.

"As the boss of Stark Industries, an arms tycoon with a deep background...... Don't forget, Howard, you're also part of that high society full of nasty people. ”

"And, in a way, you're still the backbone!"

Dangdang!

The ice cubes hit the walls of the cup with a crisp sound.

An amber liquid is poured in, rippling in circles.

"Would you like a drink?"

Luke asked, turning his head.

"Entertain me with my collection, you're really good at business! No wonder those guys on the budget committee have a headache when they see you! ”

Howard, who was unforgiving in mouth but honest in body, reached out and took the glass of whiskey.

"By the way, why did you notice Stillman?"

Iron Man's father was a little puzzled, he had the impression that Lieutenant General Superman was not very interested in politics, and even more so in politicians who played with power.

Otherwise, the previous president would not have had to refuse so quickly.

Luke took a sip of the cold liquid, his eyes flashed, and he said softly, "According to the theory of six degrees of space, the distance between you and any stranger you want to contact will not exceed six people. ”

"That is, theoretically, you can get to know every stranger in the world with a maximum of six intermediaries."

Howard narrowed his eyes and pouted: "It sounds like a very nonsense statement, but it does have some meaning, and its logical trap is that no one knows who those six strangers are, and they lack the conditions to designate targets, so they can force it down." ”

He lifted his chin and commented.

"Howard, why do you always miss the point?"

Luke shook his head helplessly, pointed his finger at the other man in the photo, and said: "I just want to say that if you want to explore a person's true identity and political position, you can start from his social circle, who he knows and is close to, to a certain extent, it represents his class and position." ”

"John Stillman is ostensibly the president's henchman, the gatekeeper of the White House, and the number two man in Washington's privilege, but he secretly meets with a vampire, and the two stay for a long time."

"Vampires?"

Howard's voice raised a few degrees.

He was impressed with this.

"Yes. According to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s investigation, the person who met with Stillman was called Gaitaro. ”

Luke pushed the information on the table over and said meaningfully: "The pure-blood descendant of Grand Duke Dracula, and one of the leaders of the vampire council on the North American continent. ”

"It may sound incredible, but those nocturnal creatures who walk in the dark and dare not face the sun have a social system and power structure similar to that of humans."

"The Vampire Council, which is probably equivalent to the cabinet of the White House, has great power and can mobilize the family's resources at any time."

"White House Chief of Staff Colludes with Vampire Parliamentary ......"

Howard tasted it and seemed to have a little taste.

"I've heard you say before that vampires call themselves immortals, and humans may seem to them to be just a short part of a long life."

"So, Stillman wants to live a little longer?"

Come to think of it, the most tempting chip for vampires to humans is only the legendary immortality.

Everyone is afraid of death, hoping that the cruel time will show mercy to their men.

"Not all right. Vampires also age, just much slower than humans, far from immortality. ”

Luke corrected Howard's misconceptions, and then continued, "As for Stillman's private contact with the Vampire Council, I'm starting to see it as a quid pro quo, like you. ”

"But as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents investigated further, I found out that it wasn't that simple."

Speaking of this, Luke paused, looked at Howard, who was aroused, and asked with a smile, "Have you ever heard of the 'Ha Ghost Clan'?" ”

"Some kind of underground group that worships vampires?"

Howard thought for a few seconds, combined with the literal meaning, and gave the correct answer.

This was true of the predecessor. Human beings are very complex creatures, and they sometimes need some kind of concrete image as a spiritual support. ”

Luke raised his wine glass, stared at the amber liquid, and said lightly: "The more empty the heart, the more you need spiritual support - but this is just a belief within the normal range, it belongs to personal freedom, and there is nothing wrong with it." ”

"But when it comes to worship, that's a different story."

"There is the cult of money, the cult of male organs, and the most common idolatry in the world – all sorts of things."

"People always like to attach some kind of strong desire, or need, to something concrete."

"And the Ha ghost clan is the pursuit of eternal life, the pursuit of immortality, the pursuit of a young body, and a fresh vitality...... A group of people, who later slowly developed, worshipped vampires, wanted to become vampires, and even considered themselves slaves of vampires, and humans were low-level creatures. ”

"Oh, pathetic short-sighted fellow."

Howard had a look of contempt on his face.

With his insight and pride, he naturally doesn't look down on these guys.

More precisely, he thinks that because he is not strong enough, he gives up thinking about himself and gives up this power to other people - he can be classified as a fool.

Of course –

Except for personal beliefs, there is no such thing as worship.

Howard himself was not a devout Christian.

"I didn't expect Stillman to be a ghost who secretly worships vampires. He graduated from Duke University's law school, and I thought that those who studied law should be more rational than normal people. ”

"Don't label people randomly, before I met you, I also thought that MIT geniuses were probably the kind of nerds who were not close to women, and I also thought that scientists were always serious and stereotyped."

Luke's retort left Howard speechless.

His harsh and poisonous tongue seemed to have no effect when he put it in front of the other party.

"Stillman has been in contact with the Vampire Council since I left Washington, D.C., and he hasn't shown the slightest bit of anomaly until then."

Luke flipped through the information on the vampire council Gaitaro, and the content was relatively simple, not at all as detailed as White House chief of staff John Stillman.

Through this, it can be seen that the agents and agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. may be okay in the face of ordinary people.

But dealing with a creature like a vampire is a bit inadequate.

"Actually, it's not just Stillman, judging from the information I have and the results of the investigation, maybe one-third of the members of Congress are Ha ghost tribes, or have close contacts with them."

Luke uttered a shocking truth.

This is equivalent to the upper layer of the pyramid of state power, which is almost completely infiltrated by vampires.

Howard, who realized the seriousness, finally restrained his cynical flirtatious expression.

"The vampires of the North American continent seem to be a little better developed than Europe."

He took a sip of whiskey and wondered.

"It's not the same on both sides. Grandduke Dracula's [Bayi Chinese Net] pure-blood descendants know more about unity, and they are very closely connected with human society, while the situation in Europe is more chaotic. ”

Luke made a brief introduction.

"Coupled with the fact that the New York Sanctuary is not very strong against dark creatures, this gives the Vampire Council a chance to survive."

Over the years, pure-bloods have infiltrated the business and political worlds with considerable intensity.

At its peak, half of the top executives of large financial institutions on Wall Street were members of the Ha Ghost clan.

That's why Wall Street elites are called "vampires."

In a literal sense, it's actually true.

"Howard, remember what I mentioned about Kang the Conqueror?"

Closing the information in his hand, Luke's eyes flashed with a sharp light.

Howard, who was sitting opposite, frowned and asked, "That guy who can travel through time and space and pretend to be a historical celebrity everywhere?" ”

"That's right. At first, I thought that if Kang the Conqueror had to choose a leader of high enough status and power enough, he would probably have his sights set on the Soviet Union. ”

Luke tapped his fingers on the side of his glass and whispered, "If you really do this, and turn yourself into the Kremlin one, even if he wants to provoke World War III, it may not be a problem." ”

"But when I came back to New York, to Washington, D.C., I saw the chief of staff colluding with the Vampire Council, and I saw Mr. President, who lived in seclusion...... I couldn't help but have another thought. ”

"What if Kang the Conqueror was not in the USSR, but - in the White House?"