American Zombie Detective

Qin Jin's gaze swept quickly across the information provided by the Alchemist Association.

When he saw the keywords "imbalanced sulfur-mercury ratio", "failure of the ancient summoning ritual", and "invisibility with moisture", the lazy smile on his lips deepened. When he saw the sentence "manifest the true form with the Red King's Seal", he was already reassured.

"Hidden Weave... Demon!"

Qin Jin murmured the name, as if he were savoring a familiar yet slightly amusing name.

In an instant, an image flashed through his mind: decades ago, in the cold, damp basement library of Chicago, the old president of the Alchemy Society, with a huge pipe dangling from his lips and unusually sharp eyes—

Augustus von Kleist.

Augustus was not just a friend of Qin Han's when he was a sheriff in Chicago, but more like a mentor who led him to glimpse another side of the world.

During those fireside chats, old Augustus imparted knowledge about various otherworldly creatures, including those summoned through alchemy or as "byproducts" of accidents, to Qin Jin in an almost boastful manner.

This includes the Hidden Weaver, a minor troublemaker who slipped out from the cracks of the demon world due to an imbalance of sulfur and mercury.

Besides the characteristics described in the data, such as "invisibility," "a faint sense of moisture," and "brief possession," Qin Jin also clearly remembered the details that old Augustus added with a mischievous smile:

"...This little thing has a strange quirk, Officer Qin Han! It has an almost morbid fascination with certain fermented things that have a strong sulfurous smell...like the mixture of rotten fish and gasoline...like a cat smelling catnip. Ironically, the sulfur that summons it is also the bait that attracts it."

The image of that stubborn old man flashed before Qin Jin's eyes, but the man was gone.

Qin Jin barely glanced at the lengthy tracking reports and casualty analyses in the middle, and went straight to the last few pages of the data.

The document details the location of the summoning ritual, situated in Chicago's South Industrial District, which is close to the entrance to the demon's favorite underground pipe network. Judging from the movement patterns, the likelihood of entering is very high.

"Alright, got it." Qin Jin closed the documents and casually tossed them onto the coffee table.

"The operation will take place tomorrow morning, at 10:00 AM. Meet here again. Constantine, contact Catherine and have her come too."

"Casey?" Constantine was taken aback. "She's in Chicago too?"

"Yes, this is Deputy Director Logan's home turf." Qin Jin's tone left no room for argument.

"We're short-handed, we need her help."

"Understood." Constantine immediately took out his phone and started making a call.

Qin Jin turned to Ellie, his gaze calm yet carrying an all-knowing power:

"Ellie, give Constantine a 'Kiss of Deception' before tomorrow's operation."

"What?!" Constantine had just hung up the phone when he heard this and turned around in astonishment.

Ellie froze, her amber cat-like eyes instantly narrowing as she stared at Qin Jin in disbelief, as if her deepest secret had been easily exposed.

How could he know about the Kiss of the Shattered Illusion? How is that possible?!

"Qin, what is that?" Constantine asked in confusion.

"The succubus race's innate magic," Qin Jin looked at Ellie and answered for her:

"It can only be condensed once every ten years or so. Those branded by this kiss can break free from one powerful illusion or mental charm applied to them. The effect lasts..."

He paused, as if recalling some ancient rule: "...it lasts a long time, until the next Friday, which is also the night of the full moon, comes, and then it will dissipate."

Ellie's face turned even paler. Qin Jin not only knew the name, but also its core rules!

This made her feel a palpitation she had never experienced before.

"The effect this time—" Qin Jin added, his gaze sweeping over Constantine:

"It'll probably last five and a half months, enough time to go back and deal with that mess in Chicago!" He looked at Ellie: "You know what to do."

Ellie nodded with difficulty, her eyes filled with complex emotions, a mixture of awe and resignation.

"Now," Qin Jin stood up, "John, come with me to buy some things."

They went to the Chinatown seafood market and, after much effort, finally found a few dozen rotten fish that reeked of decay, which they packed into sealed plastic bags for Constantin to take back.

"Find a hot and humid place to ferment it as much as possible, and get a barrel of gasoline. Bring it tomorrow morning. Oh, and you can go to the Alchemists' Guild to apply for your stuff. Tell them you need it by tomorrow morning."

Constantine pinched his nose and agreed with a bitter face:

"Yes, sir... Uncle Qin." He resignedly drove off, carrying the barrel of foul-smelling bomb that reeked of hell.

The next morning, Catherine appeared on time, still as shrewd and capable as ever, but a hint of wariness flashed in her eyes when she saw the succubus in the room.

Constantine arrived, bringing a large, tightly sealed insulated box, but the suffocating, mixed stench still stubbornly wafted out from the gaps.

Ellie's face was still somewhat pale, but she had regained her composure. Constanze had a rhomboid red spot on the side of his neck, like a hickey.

Qin Jin drove them away from the peninsula and found a well-ventilated, secluded place. There, he poured the fermented fish and gasoline into a large, pre-prepared barrel and had Constantin mash it up.

A nauseating, viscous mixture of rotting protein, entrails, and a strong gasoline odor formed in the barrel—

The smell was so intense that Constantine and Ellie, who were closest to the smell, instantly turned pale, felt their stomachs churning, and retreated.

Yuanxiao scrambled to the upwind side, whimpering incessantly.

Qin Jin took out several large, wide-mouthed bottles with excellent sealing properties and directed everyone to fill them with the sticky, disgusting mixture from the insulated box and tighten the lids.

The smell was mostly sealed off for the time being, but the bottle walls seemed to be faintly emitting "poisonous gas".

Then, Qin Jin unfolded the detailed map of Chicago's underground pipe network.

His finger swept quickly across the map, first designating the center, then directing them to scatter bait in the four directions in turn.

"The operation locations are entrances to the sewers near these nodes, such as manhole covers or maintenance hatches," Qin Jin emphasized.

"Every few hundred meters, dip a cotton swab in the bait from the bottle and go in. It doesn't need to be too precise, just make sure you get to the center. I'll be waiting for you in the parking lot at the very bottom of this abandoned building. You must be back within three hours."

"Understood." Catherine replied crisply, her eyes sharp.

"Understood." Constantine nodded, his expression turning serious.

"Okay," Ellie replied softly, carefully gripping the bottle.

Each person drove off like four arrows released from a bow, scattering in different corners of Chicago.

Pry open the heavy manhole cover or maintenance opening, and venture deep into the dark pipes that reek of mold and sewage. In those deep, damp, and dripping ancient labyrinths, a bait is thrown out every so often.

The faint yet persistent odor molecules began to quietly diffuse and drift through the pipe network, like bread crumbs scattered in a dark forest.

Qin Jin and Alessa were the fastest. He drove the car while Alessa was in charge of dropping the supplies. They would often find the entrance to the maintenance well on the road and drop the supplies in. They completed the dropping in just over an hour and arrived at the designated ambush point.

The renovation of this old building was at a standstill. The guy guarding the construction site had just shown his face when Qin Jin knocked him unconscious.

The parking lot below the old building was deserted and empty, with no building materials even stored there. Outside the broken security door was the entrance to the underground cable pipes. Qin Jin parked the car on the second basement level and walked there with Alessa, smashing the bottle directly in the middle of the parking lot.

Soon, Catherine emerged from the shadows, followed by Constantine, and finally Ellie. Everyone seemed to have adjusted somewhat, and their faces were all equally grim.

The three of them poured the remaining liquid and Qin Jin's pile of supplies together. As the amount of this substance increased, a terrifying odor, stronger and more aggressive than yesterday, seemingly capable of corroding the soul, suddenly erupted like an invisible tsunami!

The smell was so strong that a layer of pale green mist was almost visible to the naked eye, swirling around the ground!

An overwhelming stench permeated and accumulated in the lower level of the parking lot, seeping into the dark world below through the ventilation ducts and gaps connecting the old pipe network.

In the nauseating atmosphere, Qin Jin told everyone to scatter and hide. Immediately, almost everyone rushed towards the safety passage or entrance leading upstairs. But when they got there, they found that Alessa was already sitting at the door with Yuanxiao in her arms.

Only Qin Jin stood expressionless in the shadows, motionless. As time passed, he seemed to slowly merge with the darkness, gradually becoming blurred, like…

He was originally part of the shadows!