American Zombie Detective

The next morning, the power of Marduk's arrival was laid bare before everyone.

The first case occurred in a community in western Los Angeles.

A neighbor who was walking his dog early in the morning discovered that the door to the house next door was wide open and there were traces of blood at the entrance. He called out several times but no one answered.

He peered through the family's window and what he saw made him vomit on the spot—

The house was covered in blood. The woman lay in the middle of the living room, her arms and legs gnawed down to the skeleton, her internal organs dragged all over the floor. The man had vanished without a trace!

Because the scene was too horrific, the local police sent people to verify it and immediately handed it over to Qin Jin. He was just about to send Constanze and Catherine to investigate when the second case arrived.

This case occurred in an apartment building in the canyon area.

Early in the morning, residents across the street saw from their windows that a man across the street had broken down the door of his neighbor's apartment like a madman and torn apart the couple who were trying to resist with his bare hands!

Even more terrifying, he tore off one of the men's lower limbs, carried him on his shoulder, and then his limbs suddenly stretched and deformed, like a giant spider. He used both hands and feet to climb up the outer wall and disappeared from the rooftop!

All of this was clearly recorded by his phone.

Qin Jin immediately instructed Constanze and Catherine to separate and each borrow people from Group 1 and Group 3 to investigate the scene.

However, the nightmare had only just begun; this day was like opening Pandora's box of hell.

Qin Jin's phone rang almost non-stop, with news of various horrific cases pouring in from all directions, intermittently, totaling more than ten:

A convenience store was violently broken into. Surveillance footage showed the attacker devouring the night shift employee like a wild beast before crashing through the back wall and escaping, leaving behind a wall splattered with blood and shattered internal organs.

Park management discovered a mangled body with torn sportswear scattered around it and large claw marks near the body.

In a shopping mall warehouse, a night shift employee was found dead deep inside, her naked body covered in teeth marks...

Qin Jin, Constantine, and Catherine rushed from one bloody scene to another like firefighters.

Every scene was permeated with the same insane, brutal, and inhuman atmosphere. The methods were so cruel and bloody that they were nauseating. Without exception, the victims were all cannibalized.

The attackers displayed extraordinary strength, speed, and bizarre ability to deform their limbs before quickly disappearing into the shadows of the city.

In the afternoon, when they dragged their heavy steps back to the Canyon Branch Office, everyone's face was unusually grim, even the usually lazy Qin Jin became unusually serious.

"Jack! This is definitely related to Marduk yesterday," Qin Jin said, holding a cup of cold-brewed tea, his expression unfriendly.

"You know demons better than I do; it's up to you to find the reason!"

Constantine stubbed out his cigarette sharply, then lit another one for himself.

"I understand. So, I told my friend about it at noon, and now I'm just asking..."

As he spoke, he quickly dialed a number and turned on speakerphone.

After a few busy tones, a voice with a heavy nasal tone came through:

"Hey! I found the information you were looking for—this phenomenon is recorded in the Dark Echoes! This is called 'Awakening of Demonic Power,' a very dangerous phenomenon."

"Get to the point, Beaman!" Constantine urged.

"Listen!" With a rustling sound of pages turning, Beaman began to explain:

"When a lord-level pure-blooded archdemon avatar, such as Marduk, successfully descends to the mortal realm, he can unleash his primordial demonic power, much like... well, the magical radiation of a certain kind of demon, half-demon, or hybrid demon."

He paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts:

"This demonic power, bearing its unique 'source essence' imprint, creates a massive, forced resonance field! All demons of the same origin within this field, no matter how weak, feeble, or of diluted bloodline, will be forcibly awakened and ignited by this magical power!"

"Simply put, this is a lord-level demon summoning its possible servants and minions in the human world! This is some kind of deliberate act; all awakened hybrids and half-demons are its forcibly recruited and controlled hounds. They will be gathered and attracted by the lord!"

"The best way to stop this behavior is to kill Marduk and send him back to hell!"

The information over the phone was very detailed, and it also explained the current predicament to everyone.

Marduk's actions undoubtedly indicate that he is preparing to cause some trouble, but it is unknown whether it has anything to do with the mysterious fox spirit Qingqiu!

Just then, the office door was pushed open.

Frank came in with his phone, lowering his voice: "Qin! It's the mayor on the phone! He's online... He's about to collapse, I think you should talk to him yourself!"

Qin Jin glanced at the phone Frank handed him, took it, and pressed the speakerphone button so everyone could hear:

"Mayor, I am Qin Jin."

"Detective Qin! For God's sake! Tell me, what exactly happened? And how can we stop all of this?... I don't care what method you use, you must stop this immediately! Right now!"

Mayor Matthew's voice had lost all its composure, reduced to hysterical fear and commands.

Qin Jin's voice was unusually calm:

"Mayor, preliminary confirmation is available. Last night, it was the demon lord Marduk who descended, actively releasing his primal power to forcibly awaken and enrage all the latent hybrid demons of the same bloodline within the Los Angeles area. The root cause of today's series of cannibalistic attacks lies here. This is a spreading disaster deliberately instigated by the demon lord."

He paused for a second, then clearly stated his conclusion:

"As for how to stop it... there's no way for now! Unless we can increase patrols and find this guy. Once we find him, I'll take the second team and take him out. Otherwise... I have no other options."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Mayor Matthew's resolute voice:

"Okay! I'll contact Edward right away and organize all the firefighters, FBI agents, and security companies for a full-scale search to scrape this thing out for you..."

"Leave the rest to me!" Qin Jin replied calmly.

"Okay! I believe you!"

………………

Perhaps due to increased patrols, Los Angeles suddenly became quiet for the next few days.

The demon lord Marduk vanished without a trace, and the chilling forced awakenings did not occur. Even Qingqiu and her eerie RV disappeared completely into the shadows of the city, and no new victims appeared.

The panic seemed to have subsided temporarily.

Unaware of the truth, citizens and media began to attribute the bizarre resolution to the police's decisive actions.

The praise even reached Mayor Matthew's office, and the mayor himself called Qin Jin, his tone carrying a sense of relief at surviving the ordeal and a barely perceptible hint of self-aggrandizement.

"Detective Qin! Well done! I knew entrusting this important task to you was the right decision! This peace... it didn't come easily! The citizens are all grateful to you!"

Mayor Matthew paused, then, remembering his previous promise, his voice became even more enthusiastic:

"Oh, right! Regarding the bounty... all the documents for that old factory building, along with the small house and garden, are ready and just waiting for signatures. Once you finally resolve the Qingqiu issue, I'll immediately have someone process the property rights for you, and the breeding documents will be sent over as well! I mean what I say."

On the other end of the phone, Qin Jin listened to the mayor's lighthearted tone, but he didn't feel relaxed at all.

He's been so busy lately that he hasn't even had time to go to the paper bride to ask for clues about Jesus' blood. The day after he cured the patient, he had Chase, Dante's little apprentice, take Alessa to the mining area and throw the towel stained with Tong Zhenjiang and Tong Jizong's blood into the pond.

Yes, after Constanze received the Red King's Seal, he officially recruited him upon returning to Los Angeles, adding a small unofficial member to the second team.

Qin Jin gave the mayor a few vague words and hung up the phone.

Qin Jin silently gazed at the twilight sky outside the window, the golden-red light now casting an ominous shadow over his eyes.

Alessa sat in her office holding Yuanxiao. The exam was over, and the results would be released tomorrow. Qin Jin now kept her by his side every day, not letting her leave for even a moment.

Dante was smoking and dozing off in front of his computer...

It's said that Ellie the succubus has also come to Los Angeles. He's been staying at her house for the past few days and hasn't gotten tired of her yet.

Of all the people in the office, Catherine was probably the only one who was really focused; she was still studying the distribution of the crime scene, trying to find Marduk's hiding place.

Everyone was on standby in the office 24 hours a day, ready to face any demons that might appear at any time. To this end, the Los Angeles Police Department specially arranged for a helicopter to be parked on the roof for Qin Jin's team to use.

Time passed slowly, and as evening approached, another day was drawing to a close...

suddenly!

The communicator hanging on the wall suddenly burst out with urgent calls:

"Second group! Second group!"

"Patrol car Alpha-7 has detected a large-scale conflict on the east side of Vistakhmosa Natural Park! Repeat, a large-scale conflict! Both sides... There's a carriage in front! Repeat, you heard right, a carriage in front, and on the roof... there's a woman! Chasing after them... God! They've confirmed it, they're chasing a demon! A demon! Requesting backup! Requesting backup!"