The moon was veiled by a thin cloud.
Lying on the living room couch, Mr. Kote started to shiver. Elizabeth knelt before him, gently stroking his face while Sana softly touched Elizabeth's hair.
"Dad, don't worry, you'll get better," Elizabeth continually whispered to Mr. Kote.
Mr. Kote suddenly cradled his arm, slowly stretching his body, which was gradually changing. His arm became furry, and fluff appeared on his body.
"Shhh—" The sound of clothes tearing echoed.
Mr. Kote's clothes ripped apart as his body gradually enlarged. His head swayed uneasily, emitting a cracking sound reminiscent of breaking bones.
A colossal wolf lay on the couch, much larger than a grizzly bear and far bigger than the werewolf form Elizabeth had transformed into that Joseph had previously seen. However, this wolf could only lie still on the couch, its rising and falling stomach indicating it was still alive.
"Is...is this okay? Is he alright?" Joseph anxiously regarded Elizabeth and the listless Mr. Kote nearby.
"I don't know. Dad has never been like this before. You...you don't seem scared or surprised. Did you know about my father?" Elizabeth suddenly reacted, previously too dejected to ask this question. She glared at Joseph, though not out of malice.
Joseph was the father of her best friend, Lisa. Lisa knew about her secret, so Joseph knowing wasn't a concern. She was just confused if Lisa had told Joseph about her family's secret, causing her some discomfort.
She trusted Lisa, but it seemed Lisa hadn't kept her promise.
"At Jason's house, I saw Mr. Kote transform into this form. It scared me, but I don't care who he is. I know he's my friend," Joseph said, looking at Elizabeth. "So...Elizabeth, I understand."
Relieved, Elizabeth realized Lisa was still her most trusted friend. However, seeing her father in this state made her worried again. "Uncle Cox, my father's physique has always been excellent. Why has he become like this?"
Joseph relayed the entire evening's events, then said, "Your father is a hero."
Elizabeth was emotionally stirred. She held Mr. Kote's hand again and lowered her head in sadness. Mr. Kote was now unconscious, deeply asleep—unresponsive.
"Why don't we ask Mr. Jason for help?" Elizabeth suddenly lifted her head, looking at Joseph. "Everything was orchestrated by Mr. Jason, whether it was the female zombie or the lightning that killed the zombie. I believe if anyone can revive my father, it would be him."
Joseph immediately realized that he'd forgotten about Jason. Standing up, he said, "Don't worry. I'll go find him right away. It seems he's the only one who can help now!" He was about to leave when two bright headlights approached their direction. Elizabeth quickly reached for the double-barreled shotgun hanging in the living room.
"Wait, Elizabeth—" Joseph grabbed the shotgun from Elizabeth, excitement on his face. "If I'm not mistaken, it must be Jason."
It was indeed Jason. A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of the villa. Jason got out of the car and walked straight into the living room.
"I'm glad to see you. I was just about to find you, and here you are!" Joseph smiled at Jason. "Mr. Kote is not doing well. He's unconscious and his condition is getting more serious." He then narrated the entire sequence of events to Jason.
Jason sighed, "This is my oversight. I thought she wouldn't evolve so rapidly, but the speed of her evolution was faster than I anticipated. That's my mistake. That's why I came here." He then walked over to the couch where Mr. Kote was lying, taking a seat next to it.
Elizabeth made way for him. She stared at Jason, finding him incredibly mysterious, full of secrets she longed to uncover. Yet, her foremost concern was her father's condition. Jason reached out, placing his finger on Mr. Kote's wrist. His face expressionless, he said, "He's simply drained a lot of internal energy. He'll be fine." With that, he tapped several points on Mr. Kote's wolf body and then took out a pill and popped it into the wolf's mouth.
"He'll be alright after a good night's sleep," Jason assured, nodding at Elizabeth. "Let him lie here. Alright, I need to go. The matters here are settled, and I have my own business to attend to." With those words, he began to walk towards the exit.
"Hey, Jason!" Joseph stood up, calling out to him. "Can I be of any help? I feel you might have things…"
"No one can help with my matters. Joseph, is that six-whiskered catfish corpse burnt yet? I hope Chief Louise can provide me an answer. I'm serious." With that, he walked out, got into his car, and sped off. He left swiftly, with no fuss or delay; as quickly as he came, he went.
"Is that it?" Sana interjected from the side.
"What else?" Elizabeth responded with a huff. "Mom, I'll stay with Dad tonight. I know for sure he'll be fine. Uncle Cox, I think there's nothing left to worry about here. Everything will be alright."
Joseph nodded, stood up, and prepared to leave. Since Jason assured that everything was fine, he trusted that things would indeed be alright. Trusting that Mr. Kote would wake up the next day refreshed, he said, "Alright, Elizabeth. Call me if you need anything."
Elizabeth nodded.
Joseph left, his presence here not of much utility anymore. He drove straight to the police station, parking the police car right at the precinct's entrance before heading inside.
Chief Louise was seated in her office. In the lobby, officers were scattered around, some sitting, some chit-chatting in hushed tones. As Joseph entered, one officer stood up and started to approach him.
"Hold on, let me handle this!" Another officer quickly approached from the other side, stopping the first officer and walking briskly to Joseph to shake hands.
"I told you, you could have returned the car later." The officer was Patton. "If you want to say hello to the boss, she's in her office." He led Joseph a few steps, pointing toward an office before patting Joseph on the shoulder.
"You did great tonight!"
"We did…" Joseph patted Patton's arm in return and chuckled. "I have a question to ask. It's from Mr. Jason. Do you need to hear it too?"
"If it needs my attention, I'll be there." Officer Patton was quite enthusiastic, especially upon hearing Jason's name. He was eager to know what the matter was.
Inside her office, Chief Louise listened to Joseph's query with a stern face. She frowned, shaking her head in frustration, "Boys, what now? What was supposed to be incinerated has now become a trophy for those guys. They've dissected it and moved it to the lab…"
"I think... you should talk to him directly about this. Here's his number." Joseph scribbled a number on a piece of paper from her desk. "I'm heading back now. Officer Patton, would you mind giving me a lift?"
"Of course, I'll take you!" Patton nodded, and they both left the office.
Once they left, Chief Louise sighed and picked up the phone, dialing Jason's number. "Hello, Chief Louise…" Jason's voice came through.