Eren glanced at the doctor rushing past before withdrawing his gaze.
He walked over to the ambulance where Helen lay. She was hooked up to various monitoring devices. Quietly, Eren activated his spiritual vision.
However...
As soon as he saw Helen's aura, Eren's brows furrowed deeply.
In the perspective of spiritual vision, Helen's aura, though not indicative of life-threatening danger, was still in poor condition.
The outer layer of her aura, representing health, which was usually a bright white, appeared extremely dim. Her lower legs, in particular, had an aura that was erratic and chaotic, as though the area had suffered severe trauma.
Internally, her astral body, which was closely tied to her mental and emotional state, also appeared dulled. It seemed that Helen had suffered some mental strain before falling unconscious.
The paramedics called by the NYPD were relatively skilled. After a round of examinations, they quickly assessed Helen's condition.
"The patient's lower legs are fractured, likely due to blunt force trauma..."
"The patient's heartbeat is erratic, and upper-body trauma cannot be ruled out..."
"A piece of rusty metal was found embedded in the wound on the patient's forehead..."
One piece of bad news after another turned George's face pale as he sat inside the ambulance. Looking at Helen, who wore an expression of faint pain and occasionally twitched even in her unconscious state, George's heart felt as though it were being torn apart.
At that moment, George wished he could take Helen's place on that stretcher. If he could, he would willingly endure the pain on her behalf.
The masked doctor, who appeared to know George, patted him on the shoulder and said, "The patient is not in immediate danger, but her condition is critical. I need to take her to the hospital right away. You'll need to step out, George."
George shook his head. "No, Helen is my wife. I'm not going anywhere. Drive; I'll go to the hospital with you."
Although George wanted nothing more than to tear the perpetrator apart, he knew Helen needed his presence now more than anything.
The doctor glanced at Helen, lying on the stretcher, and nodded. "Alright."
After discarding his bloodied gloves, the doctor replaced them with a clean pair and prepared a syringe to administer a painkiller to Helen.
Just then, a burly officer with a thick beard approached the ambulance. Peering inside, he asked, "George, how's Helen?"
George's eyes dimmed, and he shook his head. "Her condition isn't great. You're just in time, Vinnie. I'm going to accompany Helen to the hospital. I'll leave things here to you."
George's longtime partner, Detective Vinnie from the NYPD's 13th Precinct, gave Helen a worried look. After a moment of silence, he nodded firmly. "Don't worry, George. I've got this. The department has already issued an arrest warrant for Abbott. We'll catch that bastard."
Abbott—the owner of Abbott Freezing Company and the prime suspect in the case.
After learning Helen had been locked in Abbott's cold storage facility, George immediately looked into the company. He quickly discovered that Abbott's owner, Junior Abbott, lived just a few floors above their apartment. The man had even exchanged pleasantries with George on multiple occasions.
Though not close neighbors, they would sometimes encounter each other during their commutes.
George could hardly believe that the polite and courteous Junior Abbott could be capable of such a monstrous act.
"Thanks, Vinnie. I owe you one."
Vinnie shook his head. "No need for that between us. I'll also assign a few officers to keep an eye on Gwen and send a team to the hospital with you. With his base of operations compromised, who knows what that lunatic might do next? Better safe than sorry."
"Good idea."
After speaking with Vinnie, George turned to Eren and expressed his gratitude. "Eren, thank you for your help. Without you, we wouldn't have found Helen in time."
The memory of the horrific scene inside the cold storage facility sent a chill down George's spine, but it also made him deeply grateful for Eren's assistance.
Eren waved dismissively. "No need to—"
Before he could finish, the doctor interrupted with irritation. "Alright, that's enough chit-chat. If you're going to talk, do it outside. I need to take the patient to the hospital. George, if you want your wife to get better soon, shut the door so we can leave."
"Right away!"
George quickly complied, and as the ambulance door shut, the vehicle roared to life and sped off toward the hospital.
After George left, Eren turned to Vinnie. "Detective Vinnie, may I take a look inside the cold storage?"
Vinnie frowned. "That place is a bloodbath. It's not something someone your age should see."
Seeing Vinnie's reluctance, Eren tried a different approach. "I just want to examine the cold storage for clues. If I can figure out the culprit's location quickly, I can get a good night's sleep. You know, I'm the one who found Mrs. Helen in the first place."
Vinnie's expression grew serious. He studied Eren for a moment before nodding reluctantly.
Although he didn't want to admit it, Eren was indeed talented at tracking. Despite leading a team of over ten officers for hours, Vinnie hadn't found a single lead. Yet Eren had located Helen and gathered detailed information about her confinement in less than thirty minutes.
Hoping that Eren's instincts might also lead them to Junior Abbott, Vinnie decided to give him a chance.
"Fine. Follow me."
Walking through the side door, which had been violently broken open, Eren entered the dimly lit cold storage facility. As soon as he stepped inside, a heavy gloom seemed to settle over him, casting a shadow on his heart.
(End of Chapter)
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