Upon entry.
The photo resembles a candid shot.
But it's very clear.
Pale complexion, slightly reddened eyes, a mark in the middle of the right eye that, if you don't look closely, seems like his right eye was split in half.
"This is Bruce."
"I'm very sure."
"His right eye was once slashed by a sharp blade; luckily, it didn't damage the eye, but left a scar."
George pointed to the photo in Hawk's hand, speaking confidently, "That's the reason why I secretly restarted the Andrew Chloe case."
At this point.
George's tone paused, then he curiously looked 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, my restarting of this case is known by less than six people."
Hawk met George's probing gaze and shrugged.
Even though he wanted to tell George that once a secret is known by a second person, it can no longer be called a secret, let alone six people.
But...
He wasn't very good at lying, so he thought it over and chose not to speak.
Beside him, Gwen diverted the topic, "So what did you find later, Dad?"
George glanced at his shrugging future son-in-law, then looked at his obedient daughter trying to change the subject.
Actually, ever since he turned into a vampire, and saw Hawk showing off his might, he knew that the boar his little cabbage brought back from the field wasn't as simple as it seemed.
However...
Since George knew Hawk bought a house on Palm Street, he had a vague feeling that Hawk wasn't simple.
But since the IRS hadn't gone to trouble Hawk, he naturally wouldn't bother to go searching for Hawk's secrets.
The most important thing.
Gwen was very happy.
George could see that his daughter was genuinely happy every time she came home, not pretended or forced.
So!
That's enough.
His daughter is very happy.
His wife is also satisfied.
The IRS didn't come knocking, so George had no need to investigate Hawk's secrets.
Just like the vampire incident earlier this year.
Hawk didn't mention it.
Gwen didn't mention it.
He didn't either, and the three of them just tacitly agreed, as a seasoned detective, especially after knowing that vampires really exist and becoming one himself, he knew that the world wasn't as simple as it seemed.
Hawk was also not as simple as he seemed.
But...
His daughter seemed to have known from the start.
That's enough.
George watched his daughter change the subject for Hawk, thinking to himself, smiling inside, and followed Gwen's words to change the topic.
If his daughter didn't know, he would definitely investigate.
But since Gwen knew, then forget it.
George then reopened the drawer and took out some more photos.
Hawk and Gwen each got a few.
However, the protagonist standing in the center of these photos is the same person, the one George was certain should have died in the line of duty ten years ago, Detective Bruce.
No.
It should now be Vampire Bruce.
And in these photos, some are just Vampire Bruce, while others include accomplices.
In those photos, some of the people were circled in red by George.
Gwen looked up at George curiously.
"Dad, the people in the red circle..."
"Are all vampires."
George said, then pulled out a photo from Gwen's hand, pointing to the man standing with Vampire Bruce in a corner of the bar, "This is the patrol officer from back then, Andor."
Gwen followed George's finger and frowned at the photo of the young man who looked about twenty-five years old.
"Wasn't he burned to death?"
"Obviously, it was a fake death too."
"..."
Hawk, sitting to the side, thought of another detective.
"What about Joruno."
"He's not."
"He's not?"
"No."
George shook his head, looking at Gwen, "I checked; Joruno retired five years ago, now living in Jersey City, and he indeed looks much older, broke his arm a few years ago and was hospitalized."
Gwen let out a sigh of relief.
Hawk looked at George without speaking.
Because he always felt that at the end of such talks, there would usually be a twist.
Indeed.
"But..."
George changed his tone, looking at Hawk and Gwen, "Last week, Hale was investigating a case related to an old case from the Twenty-First District and specifically visited Joruno in Jersey City. While Joruno was turning to get tea, Hale secretly took a photo of the back of Joruno's right ear, which seems to have a mark similar to that of a Blood Servant."
Gwen was shocked.
Hawk smiled.
See.
He guessed it right.
Gwen, recovering from the shock, took a deep breath, "There were only three of them, Bruce and the patrol officer Andor became vampires, and the only remaining Joruno is a Blood Servant related to vampires."
While speaking, Gwen curiously glanced at Hawk.
It seemed to say...
Are you sure you provoked an angel?
But why does it feel like you stirred up a vampire's hornet's nest?
Hawk met Gwen's gaze, also furrowing his brows.
Angel.
Vampire.
In the next second.
Hawk thought of something that could link vampires and angels.
Blood God.
Which was initially mistaken by Hawk as Mephisto's trap, but turned out to be Yahweh's instigated drama.
According to Mephisto.
Blood God Madola was possessed by Yahweh's people long 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, took out a piece of paper, and drew a symbol resembling the letter 'K' on the white paper.
Hawk frowned at the letter 'K' on the paper.
George looked at Hawk.
"Does it ring a bell?"
"No."
Hawk shook his head, then, meeting George's somewhat skeptical gaze, smiled and said, "Vampires of such a low level, I waste my time looking at them, it's meaningless to me."
This wasn't meant to belittle vampires.
It was a fact.
Ever since he became a Bronze Saint Warrior, he hadn't put vampires in his eyes.
Even more so now, having obtained the Face Fruit.
At this moment!
He was a Gold Saint Warrior.
Having compressed his timeline, awakened the Seventh Sense, he's known as the Saint Warrior closest to God.
And here, "God" doesn't refer to Marvel's various god-like beings comparable to mortals.
But the Main Gods!
Odin of Asgard.
Zeus of Olympus.
Once he awakens the Eighth Sense, manifesting his Little Cosmos, vampires aside, he would even deem looking at gods like Mephisto as a waste of time.
"However..."
Hawk took advantage of George preparing to ask a question and shifted the topic, looking at George: "But I know someone who should know."
George shook his head with a smile: "If you mean Catherine, then there's no need to ask, because I've already asked her, and she doesn't know."
Indeed.
George knew the Vampire Queen, Catherine.
This was very normal.
After all, George's Sunlight Ring was given to him by Catherine, and Catherine is also Gwen's friend.
Most importantly.
After George became a vampire, it was Gwen who asked Catherine to help him learn how to live as a vampire hidden among humans and how to control his constant vampire cravings.
Incidentally, among those George mentioned who knew about his reopening of these cases, Catherine was one of the fewer than six people.
His first partner after becoming a detective, who is now retired and working as a journalist, Ben Urick.
In fact, George could see Bruce, who supposedly died ten years ago in the vampire bar, because Ben Urick informed him.
Recently, the Twenty-First District had received several reports of missing homeless people.
Ben Urick suspected that those vampires, who had been quiet for a while after Deacon Frost's death, were causing trouble again.
Sure enough, it was found out that the vampire bar had secretly revived at some point.
George went to that bar after receiving information from Ben Urick and found Bruce.
The rest, who knew the inside story, included only his left and right arms.
Hale and Mahoney, the two elite detectives of the Twenty-First District.
As for the other one, he was a longtime friend of George's at headquarters.
Reopening old cases requires headquarters' authorization.
This is procedural justice, and George has always been a defender of procedural justice, so he would never take the lead in breaking the procedure.
Went off track there.
Hawk laughed when George mentioned Catherine.
"I wasn't talking about Catherine."
"Then who?"
"Ancestor Klaus!"
Hawk said with a smile, looking at Gwen: "Call Klaus."
He didn't save Klaus's number.
Gwen did.
Because he rarely used his own phone, it was easier for Klaus to reach him through Gwen.
Gwen, reminded by Hawk, also recalled Ancestor Klaus, took out her phone, and directly called Klaus.
Soon.
Klaus's slightly roguish voice came through the phone.
"Klaus Michaelson."
"Hawk."
Hawk took the phone, said a greeting, then briefly described the 'K' symbol that George had drawn on the white paper: "Which family does this Blood Servant mark represent, do you know?"
Klaus on the other end of the line thought for a moment, then gave a family's name.
"Kovinus!"
"The family resides at the Kovinus Manor in the Paris Suburbs."
"A self-proclaimed pure-blood family."
"After the Blade Warrior crushed the New York pure-blood council, it's said the Kovinus family tried to take over New York City."
"But this is hearsay, not definitive."
"After all, I'm not of their lineage."
"Thanks."
"No problem."
Hawk then hung up the phone, and meeting George's gaze, smiled slightly: "Thanks."
He had a lead now.
Next, he'd go have a good chat with this Kovinus family about the story twenty years ago that happened in a certain alley.
Solve the case?
Solve the heck!
Hawk looked at Gwen: "I'm leaving."
Gwen nodded.
George was slightly taken aback at those words.
"Wait, where to, we haven't planned it yet."
"..."
Before the words fell.
Hawk had already disappeared from the chair.
Gwen smiled, looking at George.
"Dad."
"Hawk doesn't need any plans!"
"..."