Above the Pure Land of the Underworld.
Helen Stacy awoke from her daze, but her expression was still a bit bewildered as she surveyed her surroundings.
The ground beneath her feet was not the ordinary dirt of the mortal realm; it was a soft, silvery surface that glowed like condensed moonlight.
Greenery stretched as far as the eye could see.
There were countless exotic flowers and plants.
The sky was not the blue of the mortal realm either, but an indescribable clear color, as if polished from the purest crystal.
The dome above gradually shifted in color from a clear hue to a crimson red, from bottom to top.
The Underworld currently had no sun, moon, or stars, yet it was filled with soft, even light everywhere.
In the center of this Pure Land, there stood a sacred temple.
The steps were made of pure white jade, each carved with intricate patterns, inlaid with tiny, sparkling diamonds that refracted a rainbow of colors under the light and shadow.
And at the top of the steps, connected a vast and magnificent temple.
The palace was grand and solemn.
It seemed—
Every inch of this land, every ray of light, silently proclaimed that this was the domain of a God!
Just then.
Helen suddenly saw a girl walk up to her.
Anna looked at Helen, who had arrived in the Pure Land at some unknown time, filled with curiosity.
"Who are you?"
"Helen Stacy."
Helen said subconsciously, looking at the girl in front of her.
But for some reason, she seemed to see the likeness of her future son-in-law in the girl's features.
Wait.
Son-in-law?
In an instant, the confusion in Helen's eyes vanished, and she remembered everything.
She remembered being in a hospital room, having just kissed George's forehead, and then falling asleep on the adjacent bed.
It was then that she heard the voices of Mahoney and Hale, who were guarding her husband outside.
Immediately after, hurried footsteps.
Just as she was about to go out to inquire about the situation, muffled gunshots with silencers rang out, and then the door was suddenly pushed open from outside.
And then… there was no 'then'.
Helen recalled everything, remembering the sight of Mahoney and two other night-shift officers' bodies, also sprawled on the hallway floor outside, at the moment she was shot in the chest.
So—
"Am I dead?"
"Uh…"
Anya thought for a moment, and just as she was about to nod, with a whoosh, she saw the phantom of a Phoenix emerge from Helen's body.
Helen looked at the Phoenix, which had appeared instantly, seemingly ready to envelop her with its wings; it looked ethereal but felt very warm, and her expression was a mix of panic and astonishment.
"What is this?"
"My brother's power."
"Your brother…"
Helen, completely free from the momentary confusion between life and death, looked at Anya, whose features bore a resemblance to her future son-in-law, and subconsciously wanted to ask Anya her brother's name.
The Phoenix's wings had already completely enveloped her.
Like a rebirth from fire.
And then—
Rebirth!
"Ah!"
At this moment, amidst a series of beeping alarms, Helen, lying on the hospital room floor, abruptly opened her eyes, then sat up from the ground, her pupils wide, gasping for air.
The next second.
Helen seemed to remember something, quickly got up, ran to the hospital bed, looked at the flat line on the cardiac monitor, and pressed the emergency call button.
The piercing alarm instantly echoed throughout the entire floor.
Hale, who was with a night-shift officer and had just heard the commotion, coming to check the emergency stairwell, heard the piercing sound, froze for a moment, then her eyes narrowed, she loudly cursed, and quickly turned to rush back to the room.
Then she saw Mahoney and two other officers lying in pools of blood at the entrance of her Sheriff's hospital room not far away.
Upon seeing this, Hale couldn't help but scream and quickly ran towards the hospital room.
The elevator door opened.
After the officers guarding downstairs came up and saw this scene, they also involuntarily gasped in cold air.
Hale quickly ran to Detective Mahoney, and after checking his breathing, she involuntarily let out a sigh of relief.
Just then.
Hawk and Gwen, dressed in pajamas, also quickly ran out of the opened elevator, along with the paramedics who had received the news.
Under the influence of the Reality Stone, these people were not surprised as to why Hawk and Gwen suddenly appeared on TV, because in their sight, Hawk and Gwen had always been there.
The hospital room door was pushed open again, and Gwen, wearing only pajamas, rushed in anxiously; upon seeing Helen, she quickly ran over and embraced Helen: "Mom!"
A Doctor who followed closely behind rushed to the hospital bed, and after a brief examination and a glance at the data on the instrument, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Helen, however, looked at her daughter embracing her, and was stunned for a moment.
"Gwen?"
"Thank goodness, you're alright."
Gwen let out a huge sigh of relief, then looked at the Doctor who had removed his stethoscope.
The Doctor nodded.
George is fine!
Only then did Gwen completely relax.
The Doctor then ran out the door.
The person inside was fine, but there were three people lying outside.
Also wearing pajamas, Hawk helped the officers place Detective Mahoney and the two officers, who were still breathing, onto emergency stretchers, then looked at Detective Hale.
"What happened?"
"The surveillance camera placed in the emergency stairwell just went offline for some reason. I took someone to check, and we found the damaged camera. It was less than three minutes before the alarm went off."
Detective Hale also looked bewildered as Detective Mahoney was being pushed towards the operating room for emergency rescue.
Things happened too suddenly; her mind was in a mess right now.
Upon seeing this, Hawk glanced at Detective Hale, turned and pushed the door, and also walked into the hospital room.
Helen sat on a nearby chair, looking down at a bullet in her palm.
She had just found it in her clothes after Gwen arrived and she sat down, and at the same time, she found a bullet hole in her clothes.
Helen's mind was also a bit confused now.
But Gwen was comforting her nearby.
As for George.
George was also fine.
The first thing Hawk did after discovering Helen's Nirvana was to change into his underwear and pajamas, then he brought Gwen, who also hurriedly put on her underwear and pajamas, to the hospital.
He originally thought that after Helen's Nirvana, George would follow suit.
But George did not undergo Nirvana; it seemed that the killer, after killing Helen, ran away before he could lay a hand on George.
But is that possible?
The killer was clearly aiming to silence them, but ended up killing others and not the target. Does that sound reasonable?
Unless… the killer already killed him, but George just didn't die.
But is that possible?
Yes!
Entering the hospital room once again, Hawk's eyebrows couldn't help but twitch the moment his gaze fell upon George, lying on the hospital bed, his eyelashes beginning to flutter slightly.
The next second.
A low groan sounded.
Gwen, who had also seen the bullet in her mother's hand and was comforting her mother while quickly thinking of how to explain if her mother asked, also heard the familiar sound, her eyes lit up, she looked at George slowly opening his eyes on the hospital bed, first stunned, then spoke with surprise.
"Dad!"
"…George?"
Helen, who was wondering whether what she had just experienced was real or illusory, heard Gwen's surprised voice, also reacted, got up and looked at George, who slowly opened his eyes on the hospital bed.
George, lying on the hospital bed, also saw his wife Helen first.
Their eyes met.
Helen subconsciously dropped the bullet she was holding, took a step forward, and grasped George's hand.
"George."
"Dad."
Gwen looked at her Dad George, who had opened his eyes and was looking at her mother, even cracking a smile, and she couldn't help but burst into tears of joy.
Hawk, standing at the foot of the bed, looked at the awakened George, but did not smile along with Gwen and Helen.
He turned and walked towards the room's bathroom, and when he reappeared, he had already returned to the apartment once to retrieve Gwen's phone.
Then he called Katherine.
Katherine Pierce.
The Vampire Queen.
Before he and Gwen returned from Waterfall Town, Katherine had already arrived in New York City.
After Hawk returned, Katherine, who had already learned from Hawk that the Original Vampire Klaus had given up pursuing her, completely relaxed and chose not to leave New York City, but to continue staying in New York City.
No other reason.
Katherine was worried Klaus would go back on his word, and most importantly, New York City was also close to Hawke.
Hawke didn't pay any mind to this.
After all, New York City wasn't his New York City alone; if Katherine wanted to stay in New York City, then she could stay in New York City.
Later, Gwen and Sharon, while out shopping, coincidentally ran into Katherine, who was also at the mall, and the three women even had afternoon tea together.
After a few more shopping trips, Katherine had already become Gwen's friend.
So… Gwen had Katherine's phone number, Hawke didn't.
The call connected quickly.
"Katherine…"
"Katherine, it's me."
"Oh!"
Katherine on the other end of the line heard Hawke's voice, gasped, and then her somewhat lazy voice instantly vanished, replaced by tension.
Hawke didn't mind and directly stated his purpose.
"Find me a Daylight Ring. I'm at New Amsterdam Hospital. As soon as possible."
"…No problem, right away."
"Thanks."
Hawke then hung up the phone, walked out of the restroom, and looked back at George, who was on the hospital bed, his eyes open, even able to speak, and looking quite rosy.
The Doctor from earlier returned to the room because of George's awakening, and seeing George even trying to get out of bed, his expression was somewhat disbelieving.
Gwen was equally disbelieving.
Gwen had now cooled down from the surprise of George's awakening, and seeing George's complexion recovering at a visible rate, she also frowned slightly, then looked at Hawke, who emerged from the restroom with a serious expression, and quickly walked over.
"Hawke, Dad, he…"
"Transition period."
"…"
Gwen, who was about to ask if George had any problems, suddenly froze upon hearing Hawke's "Transition period," then seemed to realize something, her pupils contracting as she looked incredulously at George, who was ignoring the Doctor and propping himself up in bed, then she lowered her voice: "Vampire transition period?"
Hawke nodded.
"Yes."
"How is that possible!"
"Don't Vampires have to drink Vampire blood first and then die once to be turned?"
"Also, Nirvana."
Gwen's pupils trembled: "Dad died, shouldn't he have Nirvana? Mom had Nirvana, why didn't Dad?"
Hawke looked down at Gwen, who was hugging him, biting her lip, and speaking in a low voice: "He can trigger Nirvana if he dies again."
Gwen heard this and stared wide-eyed at Hawke.
"What?"
"Nirvana can only be triggered after death, just like Helen; she went to the Underworld first, and then triggered Nirvana."
"But George's soul didn't even go to the Underworld; he came back to life because of Vampire blood. How could he trigger Nirvana?"
Hawke leaned down and whispered to Gwen, explaining the mechanism of Nirvana.
Vampire transition happens before the soul goes to hell.
After all, once the soul goes to hell, if it could still come back and turn into a Vampire, that would be outright stealing food from Mephisto's hands.
Hawke had such a hard time snatching it, let alone a so-called Vampire.
And his Nirvana is triggered after death.
Even Hawke, the first time he experienced Nirvana, his soul also took a trip to Mephisto's tavern first.
So—
George actually died, but before his soul even went to the Underworld, because he had drunk Vampire blood within the past twenty-four hours, he would revive after being killed and enter the Vampire transition period.
"Now there's only one problem."
"What?"
"When did George drink Vampire blood?"
"Also…"
Hawke paused here, looked at Gwen in his arms, and lowered his voice: "How are you going to convince George to drink human blood in the next twenty-four hours?"
Gwen's pupils widened again.
Oh, right.
The Vampire transition period is only twenty-four hours; if he doesn't drink blood during this time, George will still die.
No.
Gwen shook her head.
"Isn't there Nirvana?"
"Yes, but dare you bet?"
Hawke looked somewhat strangely at the Doctor, who was examining George with an astonished expression, and whispered: "George's current state is already in a superposition of human and Vampire; what if after Nirvana rebirth, he's still in this current state?"
After all, he only had two Nirvana Phoenix Feathers in total to this day.
Both were given to George and Helen as Christmas gifts after returning from Waterfall Town last year.
Moreover, the Nirvana Phoenix Feathers he gave away were different from the Nirvana he possessed himself.
He first possessed "Immortality" and then "Nirvana."
This is why every time he experiences Nirvana, he revives with full health and his strength increases somewhat.
"Immortality" is the core of his Phoenix divinity.
But he couldn't bestow "Immortality" on others.
"Nirvana" could.
However, the effect of "Nirvana" without "Immortality" as its core was like Helen's.
It was merely resurrection, without even any special effects.
Therefore, his Nirvana Phoenix Feather could only guarantee that a human who died and underwent Nirvana would still be human, and a Vampire who died and underwent Nirvana would still be a Vampire.
But George was currently in a quantum superposition of human and Vampire; in this state, Hawke couldn't guarantee what state George would be in after Nirvana.
Again.
He only had two Nirvana Phoenix Feathers in total; he might be able to find a superposition experimental subject, but he was reluctant to part with them.
Gwen frowned as she listened to Hawke's explanation.
"What do we do now?"
"I don't know."
Hawke spoke truthfully to Gwen: "But I just called Katherine and asked her to send a Daylight Ring. Take it for now, just in case. For now, let's figure out where George drank the Vampire blood."
Gwen heard this and steadied herself.
Soon.
The Doctor, who had returned after examining George, removed his stethoscope and looked at George on the hospital bed with some incredulity.
Helen on the side looked at the Doctor nervously.
"Doctor, George…"
"Sheriff Stacy is recovering very well, better than ever. Don't worry, we'll arrange a detailed examination when we're back at work tomorrow."
The Doctor heard this, came back to his senses, and smiled at Helen.
Helen heard the Doctor's confirmation, and all worry on her face completely disappeared, then she saw the Doctor out.
George, sitting on the bed, was preparing to pull off the instruments on his body.
Gwen saw this, gasped, and quickly ran over, holding George down: "Dad, what are you doing? You just woke up."
George tried to get out of bed.
"Mahoney is still in the operating room. I need to see him. I'm fine now. I feel better than I ever have."
"No, you're not well."
After entering the Vampire transition period, it is the beginning of a decline from peak health. If human blood is not consumed within the next twenty-four hours, organs will gradually deteriorate until death.
It can be understood as a twenty-four-hour adrenaline rush.
You're poisoned, but your adrenaline stimulates you, giving you twenty-four hours to find the antidote.
The antidote is blood. Drink blood, and you'll be completely fine, but if you can't find the antidote, once twenty-four hours pass, the adrenaline disappears, and you'll be dead.
George had just revived and was currently in peak condition.
Hawke, however, was somewhat curious about George, who was just in a human-Vampire superposition but now seemed to have taken a step closer to being a Vampire: "George, are you investigating a case related to Vampires?"
George, who was trying to persuade his daughter to let him get out of bed, heard this and subconsciously looked at Hawke, his eyes slightly narrowing.
Their eyes met.
Hawke's expression was calm.
Gwen glanced at her mother, Helen, who was still at the door, and also lowered her voice: "Dad, do you want something to drink now?"
George heard this and looked at his daughter, whose voice sounded somewhat mysterious.
"Something to drink?"
"Mm."
"Gwen."
Hawke's gaze shifted upwards to the blood bag hanging by the bed, steadily and slowly transfusing blood into George: "He's already drinking."
Hawke's mouth twitched.
He knew it.
George clearly hadn't drunk blood, so why did it feel like he was already transitioning towards being a Vampire?
Turns out, he was already drinking…
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