American Zombie Detective

Los Angeles remains as bustling and peaceful as ever during the day, but beneath this tranquil facade, undercurrents are already surging.

The number of cases is increasing daily, and the number of victims is growing. Although these are not murders or shootings, the consequences are becoming increasingly severe.

The victims were all young, healthy, and energetic men!

Elite students from Ivy League schools, rising stars in law firms or investment banks, talents from technology companies, young doctors, government employees, technical experts...

They were all found in the same condition: first, they were emaciated, as if all their energy had been drained; second, they were in a deep coma and could not be awakened; and finally, they were experiencing automatic physiological ejaculation every few hours, as if they were constantly mating...

The hospital was helpless, only able to barely maintain their vital signs, but unable to wake them up or explain the cause of their illness.

This silent decay terrified the upper class more than bloody murders, and as the list of victims grew, this fear quickly escalated into immense pressure.

The police department was under immense scrutiny and pressure, but Chief Edward was unusually relaxed, and all responses maintained a consistent tone throughout the department:

"This unusual case should have been handled by the special unit established by our Los Angeles Police Department, but the head of that unit was suspended by Simone, the executive director of the Police Management Committee, so... it's like defusing a bomb; we don't have any bomb disposal experts. You can't just send ordinary police officers in to haphazardly cut things up, can you?"

The ball was accurately and mercilessly kicked back to Simeone's feet.

For several days in a row, Simone's office phone and personal cell phone were ringing off the hook with angry questions, subtle pressure, and even blatant threats coming from all directions.

The corridors of the Police Management Committee were also filled with visitors who had unfriendly expressions but were of high status.

Simone was overwhelmed and exhausted, and ultimately chose to avoid the situation, claiming that he was "on official business investigating the disappearance of hearing officer Gleason."

Mayor Matthew was also under considerable pressure, especially after Simone's escape, which put him under even more pressure, almost forcing him to issue a public apology. Just then, Deputy Director Logan knocked on the mayor's office door.

"I have an idea I can try," Logan said, his voice carrying a hint of suggestion, "that might solve our current predicament."

Mayor Matthew rubbed his temples wearily.

"Logan, I'm open to any solution that might solve the problem, even calling an immediate special meeting to dismiss Simone!"

"Simone's dismissal is necessary," Logan said bluntly, "but what needs to be done now is to offer a bounty."

"A bounty? A bounty for what? The killer? We can't even find a trace of that thing!" The mayor frowned.

"No, Mayor Matthew," Logan smiled slightly, a hint of cunning in his eyes.

"The reward we're offering is a token of our sincerity in inviting Detective Qin back."

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts:

"Detective Qin's sister is a bit withdrawn. She is very fond of a little bear cub she acquired by chance, named Yuanxiao, who is a very important source of comfort in her life."

The mayor looked puzzled, not understanding what this had to do with the case.

"You know, keeping such large pets in Los Angeles involves a lot of paperwork and finding the right place," Logan observed Mayor Matthew's expression.

"I know of an old factory building that's about to be auctioned off. It has a small building and a garden, and it's in a remote location, which would be perfect for keeping this kind of pet..."

The mayor seemed to understand something, and his eyes lit up.

"My thought is," Logan lowered his voice slightly, "that..."

"Detective Qin was wronged this time, and it was the police management committee that exposed it. Let them buy this land and put up a reward. All you need to do is sign a special permit allowing Detective Qin to keep bear cubs in Los Angeles. What do you think of that? With this condition, I can have Dolly, oh, that is, my daughter Catherine, try to persuade Detective Qin to come back."

Logan skillfully displayed a touch of 'uncertainty,' demonstrating remarkable political acumen; in reality, he knew perfectly well—

A few hours ago, Catherine called to tell him that the group had begun their return journey and were expected to arrive tomorrow.

He also relayed Qin Jin's requests, including concentrating the patients in a hospital, purchasing Chinese medicinal herbs according to Director Morton's prescription, and finding aged incense ash for future use.

Logan's actions not only helped Qin Jin complete the procedures and environmental matters for raising bear cubs, but also created a perfect opportunity for the mayor to demonstrate his abilities during a major crisis.

Mayor Matthew stared at Logan for a few seconds, quickly grasping the meaning. This way, both he and Qin Jin would benefit; the only loser would be the police management committee member.

Who cares! They caused the trouble, so shouldn't they be the ones to suffer? Let's take this as a warning!

"Alright!" Mayor Matthew slammed his hand on the table, having made his decision.

"Logan, I agree! Contact Dolly immediately to confirm, and I'll issue a bounty right away. Meanwhile..." He took a deep breath:

"Tell Simone that if he wants his son to live, he should hand in his resignation by today!"

That evening, word spread among the upper echelons of Los Angeles:

Detective Qin, who was suspended from duty due to persecution, accepted the mission immediately after the phone call was connected, out of support and respect for Mayor Matthew, and is on his way back!

Meanwhile, Simone, the executive director of the Police Management Committee, also formally submitted his resignation, which was approved by the mayor.

A war without gunfire ended with a resounding victory for Qin and Jin.

…………

Dodge arrived in Los Angeles at around 4 p.m. the next day. Despite driving for more than 30 hours straight, Qin Jin showed no signs of fatigue. He led his men straight to the Los Angeles County Public Hospital and headed straight for the special floor where patients were gathered.

The materials were already prepared, and Chief Edward, Deputy Chief Logan, and Deputy Chief Thomas were all waiting here. Even Mayor Matthew, who had received the news, was on his way.

Qin Jin took the incense ash and black sesame oil, quickly mixed them into a paste, and handed it to Catherine:

"Apply the ointment to everyone's forehead, chest, and three inches below the navel, uh, about two finger widths wide, all over."

Then the Chinese medicine was handed over to Constantin to be boiled:

"Keep an eye on it, make sure it's cooked for too short a time or the wrong amount is added. After it's done, put ice water underneath to cool it down, and give each person a bowl."

He assigned tasks in a simple and direct manner, without even explaining the underlying principles.

Miracles happen in silence.

After all this was done, the patients stopped spraying one by one, their pale faces began to regain color, and their heavy breathing became steady.

Then, the patients gradually began to wake up, the fastest being only half an hour later.

Two hours later, the last patient opened his eyes; it was Simone's son, Mark.

When the young man weakly opened his eyes and saw his surroundings, Simone himself was hiding in a corner, watching everything with a complicated expression. In the end, he lowered his head and did not go forward.

Then came the administration of traditional Chinese medicine. By the time everything was finished, it was already past 8 p.m., and the entire floor was filled with a sense of weary relief.

Mayor Matthew, Chief Edward, Deputy Chief Logan, along with several municipal officials who rushed to the scene and relatives of some important victims, practically escorted Qin Jin, who still had a somewhat languid expression on his face, as he entered.

"Detective Qin! Thank you so much!"

"God bless them! They are saved!" Exclamations of gratitude rose and fell.

Mayor Matthew excitedly shook Qin Jin's hand:

"Detective Qin! You saved us! Now... that... that root cause..."

He lowered his voice, his tone filled with extreme unease, "Do you... have a way to completely resolve this? We need to make sure it never happens again!"

All eyes were on Qin Jin, filled with hope and immense pressure.

Qin Jin's gaze swept indifferently over the crowd, finally settling on the mayor and Chief Edward. He still looked rather listless, his voice slightly hoarse from just waking up:

"Disaster."

A single word seemed to lower the temperature in the surrounding area by several degrees.

"This thing," Qin Jin narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly choosing his words carefully, "is very difficult to deal with. To be honest, I don't have a direct grasp on how to handle it; I can only try my best."

"Then... what should we do?" Director Edward's voice was a little tense.

"Let's put it off for now and see later!" Qin Jin shrugged, his tone tinged with a helpless laziness.

"Increase nighttime patrols and issue another warning to discourage people from wandering around at night, especially young men. Tell them..."

Qin Jin paused, then added, "Boys especially need to know how to protect themselves!"

"And then?" Mayor Matthew pressed.

"Tomorrow I'll have Catherine conduct questioning to determine the specific characteristics, then distribute the information to all police stations for a full-scale screening tonight. The priority is to find this thing..."

Qin Jin stretched his neck and forced a smile:

"That's it for today, everyone can go home. We can't take it anymore after more than thirty hours."