Marvel: Awakening the Universe.

Chapter 255 Helen's Rebirth (A 5K-word Chapter!)
Gwen was downstairs preparing dinner.

Hawke, meanwhile, was sitting in George's study, flipping through the files of New York Times reporter Ottos.

Last Christmas, the journalist was found bound to a cross and then burned alive on the banks of the Hudson River.

Once the news was confirmed, the media throughout New York City went wild.

The public was outraged.

Although the NYPD disliked this reporter, he was still a journalist and a colleague in the media, so it was normal for the media to feel a sense of shared sorrow and righteous indignation and speak out for Ottos.

The public is also speaking out, but their feelings are different from those in the media. They believe that Ottos must have uncovered some shady dealings that led to his being silenced.

Success comes from joyful education.

The downfall of "happy education" is also a consequence.

It's called happiness, but in reality it's just keeping the people ignorant.

Well known.

Keeping the masses ignorant can significantly reduce management costs, but if you choose to keep them ignorant, you must be prepared to accept that they can be easily manipulated once they are incited.

This is not.

Most people who still believe the Earth is flat and that there is another world behind the Arctic wall, incited by the media, took to the streets to protest and speak out for Ottos.

It was under these circumstances that Alexander, in the 21st Precinct.

Especially Sheriff George Stacy.

He was under pressure from both the people below and the General Administration above.

In fact, if George wanted to, he could have easily closed the case by finding any dead drug addict.

Don't assume that the federal government doesn't have cases of forced confessions or wrongful convictions.

Even a single murderer with conclusive evidence can walk out of court innocent with the defense of a top lawyer. This glimpse reveals just how many people have been wrongly convicted.

Because the federal government uses a jury system.

Simply put.

In court, you don't need to convince the court; you only need to convince the jury. Even if there's a video of you committing murder, as long as you convince the jury that the video is AI-generated, you can walk out of the courtroom once they believe you.

The same reason.

The district attorney only needs to convince the jury that even if the defendant has an alibi, he committed the murder remotely through thought. If the jury believes this, the defendant will go to jail.

After all, can a defendant who is wrongly accused by the District Attorney afford to hire a top lawyer?

But George refused.

He still had his own pursuits, and even though the Hudson River case wasn't the primary crime scene and there were no surveillance cameras nearby, he still fully supported Detective Mahoney in solving the case.

Finally, after nearly two months, last month, the technical department worked hard to recover some data from the burnt-out laptop hard drive. Then, by following the clues from a name in the data, they found the 'Crimson Apocalypse'.

This is not a person's name, but the name of an organization.

A religious sect.

To be precise, this is a shoe-related organization.

But it's legal.

After all, it's about freedom of religion.

The founder of "Crimson Apocalypse" is named Erani, and it is an organization that believes that "the world needs to be cleansed by the Four Horsemen with blood."

Other than that, no more.

After all, this is a shoe cult, which, although legal, still has a degree of secrecy.

Like journalist Matos, he only managed to find out that the founder was named Errani, and then that was it.

Mahoney acted swiftly and applied to the court for an arrest warrant.

Then--

Someone came forward and confessed to the murder of journalist Matos. Before Mahoney and George could even react, the District Attorney's office reached a plea agreement with the suspect at lightning speed.

Just as Mahoney said, there was a lot of pressure from above regarding this case.

After all, nobody likes wasting a lot of police resources on a reporter who keeps causing trouble for the police station.

George had no choice but to close the case under pressure from headquarters, even though he felt the man who confessed was a scapegoat.

one more time.

If George had compromised, he wouldn't be just a sheriff now.

This is not.

He was investigating in secret.

then……

They got their revenge.

Hawke finished reading all the files, and then looked at the scattered information about "Bloody Apocalypse" online with some speechlessness, but shook his head without much surprise.

In a word.

George has clashed with the Shoe Cult; how can he avoid being silenced by them?

In terms of sheer madness, the Shoe Cult is far more fanatical than Hydra.

After all, Hydra is just a villainous organization; they don't use mind control techniques.

But shoe instruction...

It's all about mind control.

Hawke shook his head, closed the file, got up and left the study, then went downstairs and found Gwen making dinner in the kitchen.

He told Gwen everything he had read in the dossier.

the end.

Hawke smiled and said, "If you want, I'll go and chop this Errani up."

George is the sheriff, so he needs evidence.

Hawke is not.

He usually doesn't look at evidence before he attacks someone; as long as there's some suspicion, that's enough for him to take action.

In a word.

If you didn't do it, why would I suspect you instead of someone else?

Gwen frowned, then shook her head.

"No."

"Ok?"

"This is Dad's case."

As the thought raced through her mind, Gwen almost asked Hawke to chop Errani up several times, but she forced herself to suppress the urge. As she took the steak out of the oven, she looked at Hawke and said, "You believe in substantive justice, but Dad believes in procedural justice. That's why Dad doesn't really like Spider-Man. Besides, this is Dad's case. He almost got into trouble because of it, so Dad should close this case himself."

Hawke understood what Gwen meant.

George almost died because of this case.

He didn't die.

If you finally wake up and then hear that a cult leader was slapped to death by someone falling from the sky, you'd probably be depressed for a long time.

and so……

George's case, George puts it to rest.

Hawke thought for a moment, chuckled, and took the steak grill from Gwen's hand: "I'll do whatever you say, after all, you're the most educated person in our family."

Gwen is already the Doctor.

As for him, summer vacation is coming up soon, but he still hasn't decided on a company for his summer internship.

Gwen rolled her eyes at Hawke's teasing remark.

"However, I might need your help at any time."

"Of course, the direction you point is the direction I'm heading."

Hawke responded with a smile.

He didn't take it to heart.

It's just a shoe teacher.

Gwen said to leave it to George, so let's leave it to George.

after an hour.

After dinner, Howard and Simon sat obediently in Hawke's Audi A8 and then went to the New Amsterdam Hospital.

There was no loud noise or commotion.

Howard and Simon stood quietly by George's bedside, looking at George, who was lying in bed with a tracheotomy tube inserted. Although he was still unconscious, he was not seriously injured.

Helen, who was eating not far away, was commenting on Gwen's cooking.

"Not bad, your cooking skills are getting better and better."

"That is!"

Gwen listened to her mother's praise, proudly raising her chin like a swan: "I am the daughter of Chef Helen Stacy."

Helen smiled as she looked at her proud daughter, then glanced at Howard and Simon, who were quietly watching their father: "I used to think these two were naughty, but they're actually quite nice."

Gwen followed Helen's gaze and looked at her two younger brothers, who were holding hands and standing quietly in front of their father's hospital bed. She smiled and said, "They're just a little naughty, but they're actually very well-behaved."

“They’re just not good at studying.” Helen nodded in agreement, then changed the subject and looked at Gwen again: “If they had even a tenth of your talent for studying, I would be very satisfied.”

Gwen defended her two younger brothers: "Mom, boys mature later. Hawk was naughty when he was ten."

Hawke, who had been sitting silently to the side, was slightly taken aback when he heard himself being pulled in. He then blinked at Gwen's gaze, looked at Helen, and said with a serious expression, "Yes, I was also very naughty when I was ten years old. I often sang loudly during church services and events."

Helen said with a smile, "You're in the choir, so there's a problem if you don't sing loudly."

Hawke looked at Gwen upon hearing this and shrugged.

Gwen smiled helplessly and looked at Helen: "Mom, you should give Howard and Simon more confidence. If Hawke and I have children in the future, even if they don't have a tenth of Hawke's academic talent, I won't be angry."

Helen glanced at Gwen, who had confidently uttered those words, chuckled, and looked at Hawke.

"Do you believe it?"

"I believe."

Helen smiled and pressed on, "Really?"

Hawke opened his mouth, looked at Gwen who was staring at him, and then at Helen who was smiling at him, his expression helpless: "Helen, don't make things difficult for me."

On one side is his fiancée, and on the other is his future mother-in-law.

Hawke felt he should be outside the door, not here. But…

Having gotten the answer she wanted, Helen smiled without saying a word as she looked at Gwen.

Gwen rolled her eyes at Hawke, then looked at Helen with a serious expression.

“I’m telling the truth, Mom.”

"Yes, I believe it."

Helen nodded with a serious expression.

But she couldn't stop smiling no matter what.

after all……

Only a mother truly understands another mother.

Helen looked at her daughter, whom she was most proud of, who had earned her doctorate at the age of twenty, and smiled.

"Just don't cry to me when the time comes."

"I will not!"

Gwen was resolute.

She's so smart.

Hawke is so smart too.

Even if their child is the worst off, it should still be at least one-tenth as good as the combination of her and Hawke's.

She scored 99 points, plus Hawke's 1 point, which is one-tenth, so that's still 10 points.

Ok.

not bad!

Gwen thought to herself.

Helen then smiled and looked at Hawke: "So, have you decided whether you want a son or a daughter? We'll see."

Hawke looked at Gwen with a smile: "I like anything that belongs to Gwen."

He's already been fooled once, and he's determined not to fall for it a second time.

Hawke didn't want to become part of his future mother-in-law and fiancée's game.

And he was telling the truth.

As long as it's his and Gwen's child, whether it's a boy or a girl, he'll like it as long as Gwen likes it.

If Gwen doesn't like it, he doesn't like it either.

Gwen smiled at Hawke, then looked at Helen with a smile: "One daughter and two sons, this is what Hawke and I agreed upon."

Helen raised an eyebrow, instantly realizing where her daughter had come up with this idea.

She smiled.

"good."

“I think it’s great too.”

Gwen responded with a smile.

Hawke and Gwen stayed in the ward with Howard and Simon until nine o'clock, then took Howard and Simon back to their apartment.

After returning from visiting their father at the hospital, the two little ones were very well-behaved and went to their room to sleep after washing up.

Hawke and Gwen were in the living room entertaining Detective Mahoney and Detective Hale, who had come with them from visiting George at the hospital.

Detective Mahoney looked at the paper with the letters 'BU' written on it that he had found in George's study, still completely baffled.

Detective Hale, sitting to the side, also frowned deeply: "I went back to the precinct this afternoon and checked the informant database. There are no names related to this BU, not even the slightest connection."

Gwen, who was sitting next to him, asked, "Is it possible that he is an informant from another branch office?"

Becoming an informant isn't something you can just decide to do.

After all, in the federal government, informants also enjoy some special rights. For example, when an informant is caught committing certain crimes, the district attorney's office can choose not to prosecute, and the clues collected by informants can also be used by the court.

Unlike police officers, who can refuse to use items found without a search warrant.

However, such informants must be registered.

Hale had also considered this: "The deputy sheriff is coordinating with other precincts, but there's no news yet."

Gwen nodded and said nothing more.

Hawke then asked the two men about any clues they might have about the gunman.

Generally, Mahoney and Hale do not disclose relevant information to people unrelated to the case, especially the victims' families.

But Hawke and Gwen were not ordinary cases, and the victim was none other than their precinct sheriff.

Especially what Helen said to them when she left the hospital.

and so……

They weren't discussing the case with Hawke and Gwen; they were reporting the case to the sheriff's wife.

After all, George was only injured, not dead, and he was still the sheriff of the 21st Precinct.

There's really nothing to report.

because--

The suspect is dead.

"After Hale and I found footage from the surveillance cameras showing what appeared to be the gunman fleeing the scene, we immediately issued a statement."

"Killing a police officer is a major case."

“The entire New York Police Department was mobilized, and half an hour later, patrol officers from the Third Precinct reported that they had found the motorcycle the suspect used to escape.”

"However, the motorcycle has also been burned."

"The technical department recovered the VIN as quickly as possible and identified the suspect in the vehicle."

"But by the time we arrived at the suspect's residence, he had already hanged himself."

"There was a suicide note on the table."

"But whether it was a real suicide or a staged suicide, the forensic doctor from the 21st Precinct has taken it back and is currently conducting an examination."

"..."

Hawke and Gwen listened to Mahoney's story and looked at each other.

Gwen frowned: "Could this suspect be BU?"

Hale shook his head: "The suspect's name is Ethan Thomson, abbreviated as ET, not BU. A handgun was also found in the bag where he committed suicide, and it is being tested, but the bullet caliber matches."

"Followers of the Crimson Apocalypse?"

"The investigation is ongoing, but based on the on-site inspection, no connection has yet been found between the suspect and the Crimson Apocalypse."

"is it?"

Hawke felt a surge of curiosity upon hearing this.

But not much.

He wasn't a professional detective after all; at least in terms of investigation and solving cases, his skills were even inferior to Gwen's.

But once again.

He doesn't need evidence to solve cases; suspicion is enough.

Moreover, Gwen had told him that he didn't need to get involved for the time being, so although he was interested in the George shooting, he wasn't very interested and just listened along with Gwen.

However, Gwen is not a professional; she can only be considered one of the top amateurs.

So after exchanging information, the three of them couldn't come up with a new solution for a while and could only wait for the forensic doctor and the testing center to confirm the deceased's identity.

As for this BU.

We'll probably only know for sure after George wakes up tomorrow.

The question is whether the mastermind behind this will send a gunman to the hospital to try and kill George again after learning that he has been rescued.

and many more.

Silence?

Hawke raised an eyebrow, looked at Gwen who was seeing Mahoney and Hale out of the house, and then asked the question.

Gwen smiled as she looked at Hawke upon hearing this.

Hawke was puzzled.

Gwen laughed and said, "That's the difference between amateur and professional, Hawke. The precinct had already thought of that. Detective Mahoney and Detective Hale will also be at the hospital to keep Dad company later."

Hawke's expression suddenly dawned on him.

Right.

The injured officer wasn't just any ordinary police officer; he was a precinct police chief.

Hawke shook his head and smiled.

"So we don't need to worry?"

"Yes."

Gwen nodded and smiled, saying, "Dad will wake up tomorrow and then he'll know who this BU is. If Dad finds him and that person escapes, then you'll have to step in, Hawke."

She said she would leave the case to George to solve when he woke up.

But if the suspect absconds, that's a different story.

If he had stayed in New York City, obediently been arrested by his father, and then been tried according to his father's procedures, that would have been the best outcome.

But if he dares to run away, then she shouldn't blame her for sending Hawk.

Gwen thought to herself, and then the two of them returned to Gwen's original bedroom to prepare for sleep.

About an hour later.

Hawke's movements abruptly stopped.

Lying on the bed, Gwen sensed Hawke's sudden and abrupt movement and looked at him with somewhat dazed eyes: "What's wrong?"

Hawke snapped out of his reverie, lowered his gaze, and looked at Gwen with a serious expression.

"Boom!"

"Helen has been reborn."

"..."

(End of this chapter)