It was a photo.
The photo angle was similar to a candid shot.
But it was very clear.
His face was pale, his eyes slightly red, and there was a mark in the middle of his right eye.
If one didn't look closely, they might think his right eye had been split in half.
"This is Bruce."
"I'm very sure."
"His right eye was once struck by a sharp Blade; luckily, it didn't injure his eye, but it left a scar."
George pointed to the photo in Hawk's hand, his tone firm: "This is why I secretly reopened the Andrew Kloe case."
At this point.
George paused, then looked curiously at his daughter and future son-in-law sitting in front of his desk: "Now it's your turn. How did you know about this case? No more than six people know that I reopened this case."
Hawk met George's questioning gaze and shrugged.
Although he wanted to tell George that a secret is no longer a secret once a second person knows it, let alone six people.
But... he wasn't very good at lying, so after some thought, he chose to remain silent.
Gwen, on the other hand, changed the subject: "What happened next, Dad? What else did you find?"
George glanced at his shrugging future son-in-law, then looked at his good daughter attempting to change the subject.
Actually, ever since he became a Vampire and then saw Hawk display his power, he knew that the 'wild boar' his little cabbage brought back from the wild was not as simple as it seemed.
However... ever since George learned that Hawk bought a house on Palm Street, he vaguely felt that Hawk was not so simple.
But since the IRS hadn't come knocking on Hawk's door, he naturally didn't need to go looking for trouble with Hawk.
The most important point.
Gwen was very happy.
George could tell that his daughter was very happy every time she came home; it was a genuine happiness, not one intentionally faked.
So!
That was enough.
His daughter was very happy.
His wife was also very satisfied.
The IRS hadn't come looking for trouble. Given this, George didn't need to rush to uncover Hawk's secrets.
Just like after the Vampire incident in the first half of the year.
Hawk didn't say anything.
Gwen didn't say anything.
He also didn't say anything, and the three of them had an unspoken understanding. As an experienced old detective, especially after knowing that there really were Vampires in this World and becoming one himself, he clearly understood that this World was not as simple as it seemed.
Hawk was even less simple than he appeared.
However... his daughter seemed to have known from the start.
That was enough.
George looked at his daughter's attempt to change the subject for Hawk, thought to himself, smiled internally, and followed Gwen's lead in changing the topic.
If his daughter hadn't known, he would have investigated thoroughly no matter what.
But since Gwen knew, then so be it.
George then opened the drawer again and took out some more photos.
Hawk and Gwen each took a few.
However, the main character in the C-position of these photos was always the same person: Detective Bruce, whom George was certain should have died in the line of duty ten years ago.
No.
Now he should be called Vampire Bruce.
Among these photos, some showed Vampire Bruce alone, while others showed him with accomplices.
And in those photos, some individuals were circled in red by George.
Gwen looked up at George curiously.
"Dad, the people in the red circles..."
"They are all Vampires."
George said, then pulled out one of the photos from Gwen's hand, pointing to the man standing with Vampire Bruce in a corner of a bar: "This is Andore, the patrol officer from back then."
Gwen followed George's指 direction, looking at the man in the photo, who appeared to be in his early twenties, and frowned.
"Wasn't he burned to death?"
"Clearly, it was also a fake death."
"..."
Hawk, sitting beside him, thought of another detective.
"What about Gioruno?"
"He's not."
"He's not?"
"No."
George shook his head, looking at Gwen: "I checked. Gioruno retired five years ago and now lives in Jersey City. He has indeed aged a lot, and a few years ago, he was hospitalized for a broken arm."
Gwen breathed a sigh of relief.
Hawk looked at George without speaking.
Because he always felt that at the end of such statements, there was usually a twist.
Indeed.
"But..."
George's tone changed, looking at Hawk and Gwen: "Last week, Hale found a case related to an old case from the 21st Precinct and specifically visited Gioruno in Jersey City. While Gioruno turned to pour tea, she secretly photographed the back of Gioruno's right ear, where there seemed to be a mark similar to that of a blood servant."
Gwen was shocked.
Hawk, on the other hand, smiled.
See.
He guessed right.
Gwen recovered from her shock, taking a sharp breath: "There were only three people. Bruce and that patrol officer Andore became Vampires, and the only remaining Gioruno is also a blood servant connected to Vampires."
As Gwen spoke, she looked at Hawk with a hint of curiosity.
She seemed to be saying... Are you sure you provoked an Angel?
But how does this feel like you've stirred up a Vampire hornet's nest?
Hawk met Gwen's gaze, also frowning.
Angel.
Vampire.
The next second.
Hawk thought of something that could connect Vampires and Angels.
blood god.
It was the drama that Hawk initially mistook for Mephisto's trap, but later discovered was Jehovah's scheme of sowing discord.
In Mephisto's words.
blood god Madola had been possessed by Jehovah's people a long time ago.
But George didn't know about the blood god.
So—
Hawk looked at George.
"Deacon Frost's blood servant?"
"No."
George shook his head, pulled out a piece of paper, and drew a symbol similar to the letter K on the white paper.
Hawk frowned at the letter K on the paper.
George looked at Hawk.
"Do you recognize it?"
"No."
Hawk shook his head, then, meeting George's seemingly disbelieving eyes, smiled and said: "Low-level Vampires like these, for me, focusing my attention on them is meaningless except for wasting time."
This wasn't disdain for Vampires.
This was a fact.
After he became a Bronze Saint, he no longer saw Vampires as a threat.
Even more so with Silver Saints, having gained the Face-Face Fruit.
Now!
He was a Gold Saint.
He had condensed his timeline, awakened his Seventh Sense, and was known as the Saint Seiya closest to a God.
The God here did not refer to the various Marvel deities whose divine bodies were comparable to mortals.
But the main Gods!
Odin of Asgard.
Zeus of Olympus.
Once he awakened his Eighth Sense and materialized his Little Universe, let alone Vampires, even dimensional Gods like Mephisto, he would feel that looking at them was a waste of time.
"However..."
Hawk, taking advantage of George preparing to ask a question, also changed the subject, looking at George: "But I know someone who should know."
George smiled and shook his head: "If you're talking about Katherine, there's no need to ask, because I've already asked, and she doesn't know."
Yes.
George knew the Vampire Queen Katherine.
This was very normal.
After all, George's daylight ring was given by Katherine, and Katherine was also Gwen's friend.
The most important point.
After George became a Vampire, Gwen asked Katherine to help George learn how to be a Vampire hidden among humans and how to control his constant craving for blood.
Speaking of which, among the less than six people George mentioned who knew he reopened these cases, Katherine was one of them.
His first partner after becoming a detective, and now a retired journalist, was Ben Urich.
In fact, it was Ben Urich who told George that he saw Bruce, who should have died ten years ago, at a Vampire bar this time.
Recently, the 21st Precinct had successively received several reports of missing homeless people.
Ben Urich suspected that the Vampires, who had been silent for a while after Deacon Frost's death, were causing trouble again.
Sure enough, the Vampire bar had secretly revived at some point.
George went to that bar after receiving information from Ben Urich and then found Bruce.
The remaining people who knew the inside story were only his right-hand men.
Hale and Mahoney, two elite detectives from the 21st Precinct.
As for the other person, it was a friend from the headquarters whom George had known for many years.
Reopening old cases required authorization from the headquarters.
This was procedural justice, and George had always been a defender of procedural justice, so he naturally wouldn't take the lead in breaking procedures.
Getting sidetracked.
Hawk chuckled as George spoke of Katherine.
"I wasn't talking about Katherine."
"Then who?"
"The Original Klaus!"
Hawk said with a smile, looking at Gwen: "Call Klaus."
He didn't have Klaus's phone number saved.
Gwen did.
After all, he himself rarely used his own phone; in comparison, Klaus calling Gwen made it easier to reach him.
Gwen, reminded by Hawk, also remembered the Original Klaus. She took out her phone and called Klaus directly.
Soon.
Klaus's slightly roguish voice came through the phone.
"Klaus Mikaelson."
"Hawk."
Hawk took the phone, said hello, and then briefly described the symbol K that George had drawn on the white paper: "Do you know which family this blood servant mark represents?"
Klaus on the other end of the line thought for a moment, then spoke the name of a family.
"Corvinus!"
"Their family residence is Corvinus Manor in the suburbs of Paris."
"A self-proclaimed pure-blood family."
"After the pure-blood council in New York was defeated by Blade, it is said that the Corvinus family attempted to take over New York City."
"But that's just a rumor; I'm not responsible for it."
"After all, I'm not of their kind."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Hawk then hung up the phone and, meeting George's gaze, smiled slightly: "Thank you."
He already had a lead.
Next, it was time to go and have a good chat with the Corvinus family about the story that happened in a certain alley twenty years ago.
Solving the case?
Solving my ass!
Hawk looked at Gwen: "I'm leaving."
Gwen nodded.
George was slightly stunned at the words.
"Wait, where are you going? We haven't planned yet."
"..."
Before he finished speaking.
Hawk had already disappeared from the chair.
Gwen smiled, looking at George.
"Dad."
"Hawk doesn't need any plans!"
"..." (End of this chapter)
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