The cardiac monitor showed a flatline.
Ding—
George looked at the image on the cardiac monitor, seemingly recalling something, and instinctively placed a hand on his chest.
His heart had stopped beating.
Yet, he was still alive.
Clearly.
From this moment on, George was no longer Sheriff George of the 21st Precinct, but Vampire Sheriff George of the 21st Precinct.
Gwen subconsciously looked at Hawke.
Meeting Gwen's gaze, Hawke nodded slightly.
Gwen gasped, then looked at George, who was sitting on the bed, clutching his chest, his expression somewhat dazed.
"Dad—"
"Thump!"
The ward door was pushed open by a night shift Doctor, breathing heavily.
Then… the night shift Doctor looked at Hawke and Gwen standing there, then at George sitting on the bed, looking at him with a very hollow gaze, and finally, his eyes fell on the continuously alarming monitor, and his mouth twitched.
The next second.
He didn't speak, but walked directly to the monitor, canceled the alarm, then turned off the machine, and finally turned to walk towards the door. When he reached the door, he turned his head, and said with a somewhat speechless expression: "Is holding your breath fun? We're very busy."
After speaking.
The night shift Doctor turned and ignored the two police officers who had rushed over, walking out with a displeased expression.
The two police officers who had rushed over, seeing George was fine, breathed a sigh of relief, then one of them looked at Hawke.
"Mr. Phoenix."
"I am."
"There's a Ms. Katherine Pierce downstairs. She said you called her over."
"Yes."
Hawke's eyes lit up, and he nodded: "Has she arrived?"
The police officer nodded, then held his walkie-talkie, and while turning to leave the room with his companion, he contacted his colleagues who had completely sealed off the area.
The police officer downstairs received the message and walked towards Katherine Pierce, who was standing not far away, just outside the cordon.
"You can go up now."
"Thank you."
Katherine smiled and said thank you, then, under the police officer's watchful eye, entered the inpatient building.
Soon.
The elevator arrived.
Ding!
After Katherine exited the elevator, she hardly had to look for which room she should go to. Following the lingering Vampire scent and the scent of a newly turned Vampire, she easily arrived at George Stacy's ward.
The two police officers at the door exchanged glances and opened the door.
Katherine thanked them again, and after entering, she immediately saw the new Vampire George, who was currently sitting on the hospital bed, his expression somewhat disheartened.
Then she immediately shifted her gaze to Hawke, who was standing not far away.
"Mr. Phoenix."
"Hawke."
Hawke said with a smile: "You and Gwen are friends, so you are also my friend. Have you found the Daywalking Ring?"
He didn't know if Katherine's encounter with Gwen was accidental or intentional.
Hawke didn't need to know either.
It was still the same saying.
Judge by actions, not intentions. Regardless of Katherine's intentions in approaching Gwen, at least for now, Gwen didn't dislike Katherine, and had even included Katherine in her shopping team.
So… Gwen's friends were his friends.
Katherine nodded and took out a Daywalking Ring from her pocket.
Just as she was about to speak, Gwen, who was beside her, had already embraced Katherine and said, "Thank you."
Gwen was still curious why Hawke would call Katherine here, but after hearing about the Daywalking Ring, she understood. After hugging Katherine, she took the Daywalking Ring from Katherine's hand and then ran to the bedside.
Just as Gwen still felt the Daywalking Ring was a bit small, it automatically expanded the moment it touched George's finger, then smoothly and perfectly fit onto George's finger.
The next moment.
George, who had been sitting on the bed, motionless as if petrified, suddenly had his pupils rapidly contract as he came back to his senses, lowering his gaze to look at his hand on his chest once more.
It was simple.
Because he once again felt the heartbeat that had just stopped, but was now beating again.
The "Daywalking Ring" forged by Witches not only allowed Vampires to walk in daylight, but also enabled Vampires to regain a heartbeat and body temperature indistinguishable from ordinary people.
After all, in the era of the Holy Inquisition.
Witches would be burned to death.
Vampires would also be burned to death, and it was precisely for this reason that Witches and Vampires would band together.
George looked at the Daywalking Ring on his left-hand finger, which had brought him a heartbeat again.
"This is…"
"This is a Daywalking Ring."
Gwen explained: "Dad, after you wear this ring, you won't be afraid of the sun, and Mom and others won't notice that you've become a Vampire."
George looked up at Gwen.
Gwen looked nervous, her eyes seeming to hold a hint of pleading as she looked at George.
Their eyes met.
Hawke looked at this scene, then at Katherine beside him, and whispered: "Blood Apocalypse, it seems to be an organization that worships Vampires. Have you heard of them?"
Katherine was slightly stunned.
"Blood Apocalypse?"
"Yes."
"No."
Katherine shook her head: "But finding them won't be difficult."
She had been to New York City before, and was very familiar with it, but that was already last century.
This time in New York City, Katherine wasn't as flamboyant as she was last century.
After all, Hawke was in New York City.
During her time in New York City, she spent most of her time consolidating the assets she had placed in various parts of the Federation over the centuries. After selling off many assets, she also purchased a property near Palm Street.
This was to be closer to Hawke, in case the Original Vampire Klaus attacked without warning, she could come to Hawke for shelter immediately.
Katherine truly didn't know about this Blood Apocalypse that Hawke mentioned.
But it was fine.
Although she hadn't done much in New York City during this time, she still knew some Vampire gathering points.
So, if this Blood Apocalypse was related to the Vampires of New York City.
Katherine said she could find them very quickly.
Moreover, this was an opportunity.
Smart girls knew how to take the initiative.
So… after Katherine finished speaking, she looked directly at Hawke: "After I find them, I'll notify you immediately?"
Hawke glanced at Gwen, who was still silently staring at George, and nodded.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Katherine smiled and said, then glanced at Gwen, but chose not to say hello, instead turning directly and leaving the ward.
After Katherine left the ward, Hawke looked at George, who seemed somewhat disheartened, and coughed, attracting Gwen's attention.
"Gwen."
"Hmm?"
"Later, we'll go to Howard and Simon's school, withdraw them, and then have them attend public school."
"Hmm… Huh?"
Gwen blinked, looking at Hawke who had suddenly said this.
George also looked up at Hawke at this moment.
Hawke, with his hands in his pockets, looked at Gwen and continued: "Oh, and that apartment where Helen, Simon, and Howard are living now, remember to contact a real estate agent first thing tomorrow morning, so it doesn't get auctioned off by the court next year because we can't afford the property tax."
Gwen's expression went from initial confusion to quickly understanding, and she cooperated with Hawke's act.
"How could we not afford the property tax next year? Dad's salary and the police department's subsidy can easily cover that cost."
"You only get a salary if you're alive, what if George doesn't want to live?"
"…If you can't speak properly, don't. How could Dad not want to live?"
Gwen listened to this, rolled her eyes at Hawke, and couldn't help but say, then looked at George, who was sitting at the head of the bed, staring at Hawke: "Right, Dad."
George didn't speak, just looked at Hawke.
"See."
"He didn't speak."
"So, as early as possible, sell what needs to be sold. The money from the sale, give it to Helen for her retirement. And if Howard and Simon really can't make it, just put them into the foster care system."
"Anyway, I won't take care of them."
"If you insist on taking care of them, I'll even have to seriously consider whether we should get married at all."
"After all…"
"A sister who supports her younger brothers is very scary."
"…"
Hawk ignored George's gaze and spoke to himself. When he mentioned 'brother-supporting demon,' his expression showed genuine fear, not faked.
After all, it was the truth.
It was well-known.
A 'brother-supporting demon' was truly terrifying.
Just then, George spoke, his voice as deep and serious as ever.
"Hawk, you don't need to provoke me."
"Provoke?"
Hawk was slightly stunned. He looked at George, who had spoken, and said with a smile, "I'm not provoking you. You're not even planning to take care of your own family, so why should I eagerly take on a responsibility that should be yours?"
George was expressionless: "You won't have to bear it."
Gwen, standing nearby, watched George nervously.
"Dad..."
"Don't worry."
George came back to his senses, smiling as he looked at Gwen. Then, under Gwen's gaze, he pulled off all the instrument connecting wires stuck to him, got off the hospital bed, and hugged the nervously watching Gwen. His movements were not too fast or too heavy, and his voice was gentle.
"How could I possibly abandon you and Mom and leave?"
"Dad!"
Gwen hugged George tightly, her gaze on Hawk, giving him a big thumbs-up with her expressive emerald eyes.
Hawk smiled slightly.
Just then, the ward door was pushed open again. A police officer, who had been guarding the door, walked in holding his phone and looked at George, who was already off the bed and hugging his daughter: "Sheriff Stacy, a man named Ben Urich is asking for you. He says he's your good friend."
George raised an eyebrow, tried to reach for the phone, but suddenly reacted and froze in place.
Seeing this, Hawk took the phone from the officer, gestured to him, and after the officer left, he set the phone to speaker mode and placed it in front of George.
George glanced at Hawk, who had just said that if he dared to die one second, he'd dare to break up with his daughter the next. His gaze fell on the phone in Hawk's hand. After organizing his thoughts, he spoke in a deep voice.
"This is George Stacy."
"Sheriff Stacy, that's great! It seems you've recovered."
The voice on the other end of the phone was young, but with a hint of incongruous age, giving the strange impression of an old man speaking in a very young voice.
George frowned.
"Who are you? Where's Ben?"
"I am... Heh heh, Sheriff Stacy, now that we're the same kind of people, don't you know who we are?"
"...Vampires!"
George's voice was deep with a hint of anger: "You turned Ben into a Vampire too?"
The person on the other end of the phone chuckled.
"Yes, we are Vampires."
"No choice, Sheriff Stacy kept chasing us."
"You wanted the killer, we gave you the killer. But you're still not satisfied. Since that's the case, we can only fulfill your wish."
"Ben Urich is much smarter than you."
"But only a little."
"Although he was secretly investigating very discreetly, we knew about it all along. It's just that he never thought of contacting anyone, so we were too lazy to bother with him."
"Until now."
"You're giving us a headache, Sheriff Stacy."
"But..."
"We admire you very much, and even want to befriend you. So, rest assured, Ben Urich has not become a Vampire."
The man on the other end of the phone said in a lingering tone, then changed the subject: "However, although he hasn't become a Vampire, whether he lives or dies depends on you, Sheriff Stacy."
George's face was gloomy, without any wasted words.
"What do you want?"
"Of course, we want to be friends with you, Sheriff Stacy. Don't be angry; becoming a Vampire is a precious thing that many people in your precinct yearn for, and we easily gave it to you."
This was the truth.
Why did the legend of Vampires persist and even have a huge market in Hollywood?
Wasn't it because the public liked them?
Once again.
Although Vampires had many side effects, after becoming one, as long as those side effects were avoided, the first and foremost benefit was enjoying eternal youth and endless life.
So... there were far more people who liked, admired, and even wished to join Vampires than those who detested and wanted to eliminate them.
So, from a certain perspective, the Vampire on the other end of the phone was not wrong.
For most humans, becoming a Vampire was a gift, and they easily bestowed this gift upon George.
But... George was not most people.
Most belonged to the 'immortality is a pursuit' type of person, while George belonged to the 'immortality is a curse' type.
George was a Catholic.
He pursued justice, partly because he upheld his professional ethics, and partly because he believed that if he upheld justice, he would return to Heaven after he died.
There, he would be with Helen, become an Angel, and eternally be by God's side.
As a result... he became a Vampire.
How could he possibly go to Heaven now? He could dream on. He was going straight to Hell, and as a VIP of Hell at that.
So George's mindset exploded.
Just now, he really had thoughts of suicide.
But it wasn't Hawk who enlightened him.
It was because suicide was also a sin, a sin that would also lead to Hell.
The most important point.
He saw Gwen's anxious, pleading gaze at him, and then heard that scoundrel Hawk say that if he dared to die, he would break up with his beloved daughter. This finally completely dispelled his suicidal thoughts.
Now, George had only one thought in his mind.
This was perhaps God's test for him.
Yes.
A test.
God allowing such a devout believer to become the most despised Vampire surely wasn't because he had done something wrong, but rather a test for him.
God didn't let him die, which meant it wasn't his time to die yet.
Since that was the case.
Then he would thoroughly find these Vampires hidden in the dark corners of New York City, root them out one by one, and in the name of God, completely eliminate this group of evil Vampires.
George's eyes flickered, then he looked at the phone in Hawk's hand: "Alright, we're friends now. You can release Ben."
The Vampire on the other end of the phone laughed heartily.
"Sheriff Stacy, that's not how friends are made. We've bestowed upon you unprecedented power. In return, you should also give us something."
"What do you want?"
"This storm began with you, and naturally, it should end with you. I deeply apologize for your wife's death, but you will personally bring closure to the unfortunate event of your wife's death. At that time, someone will come forward to surrender. After you personally close this case, then we can meet."
...
George listened to the Vampire's words, his pupils contracting. Just as he was about to lose control, the door opened.
Helen, returning from the operating room entrance, walked in. Seeing George already off the bed, she subconsciously opened her mouth.
Seeing this, George looked at Helen with her mouth open and shouted loudly.
"Good!"
"Bang!"
...
Hawk raised an eyebrow, looking at the phone shattered in his palm by George's slap.
At the same time, Helen's voice followed closely.
"Oh my goodness!"
"George, your injury..."
"I'm fine."
George looked at Helen, who had come to him with a shocked expression, her hands on him, trying to pull him back to bed. He quickly spoke, then his gaze swept over Helen, finally keenly settling on a very familiar bullet hole in the chest of Helen's outer jacket.
"This of yours is..."
"This..."
Helen looked at her husband's gaze fixed on the bullet hole in her chest clothing and also reacted, taking out a bullet from her pocket that 'should' have fallen from her.
George, as carefully as possible, controlled his seemingly unfamiliar strength, took the bullet from Helen's palm, and then looked at Helen.
"This is..."
"I don't know either."
Helen shook her head, full of confusion.
"I felt like someone entered the room, shot me in the chest, and then I died."
"But..."
"I seem to have come back to life."
...
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