American Zombie Detective

The following afternoon, the Dodge drove into the bustling southern suburbs of Chicago. Qin Jin rolled down the window, a hint of emotion flashing in his eyes:

"Chicago...long time no see!"

Chicago hasn't changed much. The streets he used to walk through countless times, the corners where crimes and secrets were hidden, have been frozen in time at a certain point. Even the smell in the air hasn't changed much.

Instead of rushing back, Qin Jin took Alessa through the buildings, letting her feel the pulse of the city.

We took a cruise on the Chicago River, passed by the enormous Cloud Gate in Millennium Park, went up to the Sky Deck of the Willis Tower, and saw the "All Under Heaven Belongs to the People" plaque at the entrance of Chinatown...

Even on the evening of the following day, Qin Jin parked his car outside the 21st Precinct of the Chicago Police Department for a while, quietly gazing at the familiar red brick building through the car window.

At this moment, two plainclothes police officers with graying temples walked out of the police station. Their steps were steady with age, and their faces were etched with the hardships and the resilience and fatigue brought by their profession.

Qin Jin's gaze softened, a rare tenderness in it...

One of them was Tommy, the hot-headed patrolman from back then, who loved following him and Logan around doing everything for them and calling them "Master, Master" all the time; the other was Levi, a refined police academy graduate, who tried several times to introduce him to his widowed mother.

Time... A very faint ripple swept through Qin Jin's heart.

For him, decades have passed, and it's just another change of identity. But for these once vibrant faces, time is the most ruthless sculptor.

The young men of yesteryear are now old and frail, nearing the end of their careers, and perhaps even the end of their lives.

Tommy seemed to sense the gaze from afar and glanced in confusion in the direction where Qin Jin had parked his car, only to see a blurry outline.

He shook his head and continued walking towards the parking lot with Levi's, their figures quickly disappearing around the street corner.

Afterwards, he drove back to the Peninsula Hotel Chicago, a centrally located hotel with classic and comfortable amenities, exuding an understated luxury that Qin Jin, Alessa, and even Xiong Zai Yuanxiao all loved.

On the afternoon of the third day, Qin Jin was considering whether to inquire about the case in Los Angeles when his phone rang.

"Hey, John." Qin Jin's voice carried its usual languidness.

"Qin, you've arrived in Chicago?" Constantine's voice came through the noisy background.

"We're here. On the peninsula. What's up?" Qin Jin listened to the splashing water in the bathtub; Yuanxiao was having a great time inside.

"There's something I might need your help with," Constantine said, sounding a little embarrassed.

"Tell me about it," Qin Jin said casually.

"I've got my eye on something, the Red King's Seal, also known as the Red King's Mark. It's an authentic alchemical symbol, currently in the hands of the Alchemists' Guild."

Constantine did not hide or fabricate anything: "I want to get my hands on it."

"Whatever, go get it done!" Qin Jin yawned. "What do you need my help with?"

"Given the current situation, the only way to retrieve the Red King's Seal is through the quests they issue. For example, I accepted a wanted quest to deal with an invisible demon—"

Constantine explained his plan step by step:

"As long as I can find specific clues or the whereabouts of the invisible demon, I can apply to borrow the Red King's Seal... After that, you don't need to worry about it, I'll handle it myself."

Qin Jin was silent for a few seconds: "You mean, I'll just help you find this thing?"

"Yes, that's what I mean," Constantin confirmed. "We just need to find it."

"Alright," Qin Jin agreed. Enhancing Constance Dante's strength wouldn't hurt, and besides, he paid for Alessa's rune bullets himself, so it was a favor in itself.

"Bring the documents over, and come over yourself."

Two hours later, the doorbell rang.

Qin Jin opened the door, and outside stood Constantine, looking dejected and tired, but what was even more striking was the woman beside him.

She was tall and slender, wearing an eye-catching tight leather skirt and coat, with long chestnut-brown wavy hair and strikingly beautiful features, especially her amber cat-like eyes, which possessed a natural allure. Her red lips wore a professionally seductive smile.

This appears to be a succubus, and... it seems to be a hybrid?

However, when Qin Jin's gaze calmly fell on her, the succubus's charming professional smile instantly froze!

An indescribable predator's aura instantly filled her with fear. She couldn't quite put her finger on what was on the other side, but the succubus knew perfectly well that killing her would be no more troublesome than killing a spider!

Ellie almost instinctively took a small step back, her high heels making a slight scraping sound on the carpet.

Her eyes were filled with fear and wariness, her body tensed slightly, like a startled cat, and she abruptly turned to look at Constantine beside her—

It was as if it were silently groaning and screaming: "My God! What have you shown me?!"

Constantine was clearly taken aback by Ellie's strong reaction. He paused for a moment, then coughed somewhat awkwardly.

"Uh, Qin. This is one of our own, Ellie, don't scare her... Ellie, this is my friend, Qin. Don't worry, he won't hurt you."

Qin Jin seemed oblivious to Ellie's lapse in composure, stepping aside to let her in, his tone flat and indifferent.

Constantine quickly pulled the still somewhat stiff Ellie into the suite. Ellie tried her best to control herself; the deep-seated fear made her unable to look Qin Jin in the eye, but she immediately saw Alessa petting a teddy bear on the sofa...

This feels even scarier than the last one!

Qin Jin closed the door, slowly returned to the sofa, and then asked:

"Let's not look at it for now, tell me, what's going on..."

Before she finished speaking, Alessa also came over with the little bear cub in her arms, and naturally curled her legs up on the sofa. Yuanxiao blinked and stared at Constance Dante for a long time, then suddenly sat up and started babbling.

Constantin knew that Yuanxiao had recognized him. He reached out, picked Yuanxiao up, and stroked its fur, while beginning to recount the whole story:

The incident began about two weeks ago when the Alchemists' Guild accidentally summoned an invisible Shadow Fiend due to a mistake. No one noticed it until two warlocks died tragically, at which point the Shadow Fiend's whereabouts were discovered.

Therefore, the Alchemists' Guild began to hunt it down, but because the Shadow Fiend is invisible, the capture process was extremely difficult. In the end, they could only issue a mission ten days ago, hoping that someone could kill or capture the Shadow Fiend.

The reward is very substantial. If you kill the Shadow Fiend, the Alchemists' Guild can enhance the weapons you provide in certain ways, that is, add attributes, commonly known as enchanting. If enchanting is possible, you can choose two weapons, or enchant one weapon with two attributes.

Qin Jin thought about it and thought it was a good idea, so he naturally put forward his conditions:

"Okay, I can take care of this for you, but the payment is mine, how about it?"

Constantine agreed very readily, and it seemed that he had already thought it through:

"I think you want to enchant your Bass Magic Armor M-Sword and Alessa's Gru Super Red Eagle, right? No problem, it's a deal!"

After speaking, he pushed the documents in front of Qin Jin:

"This is the recent tracking record and details of Shadow Fiend. Take a look, see where we start..." He hesitated slightly, then added:

"Qin, something's come up... There's not much time left for the mission, we need to hurry!"