American Zombie Detective

When Qin Jin entered the office, Catherine was tidying up her desk with a girl whose back was to the door. Their desks were directly opposite each other. Hearing footsteps, the two turned around.

Catherine immediately introduced them: "Qin, you've arrived. This is Muse Chen, of Chinese descent, our trainee agent..." She stepped aside and continued, "Muse, this is our boss, Inspector Qin, this is her sister Alessa, and this is our adorable Yuanxiao."

After saying that, she picked up an apple from the table and stuffed it into Yuanxiao's mouth. The little bear cub, with the apple in its mouth, turned around and climbed onto the sofa, starting to crunch and gnaw on it.

The girl sitting in the chair stood up.

She was not tall, only about 1.6 meters, and wore a well-fitting plainclothes police uniform that accentuated her well-proportioned and energetic figure.

With delicate features and smooth skin, especially her clear and bright almond-shaped eyes, she exudes a touch of shyness and just the right amount of curiosity, typical of a young Chinese woman just starting her career.

"Hello, Inspector! Hello, Alessa, I'm Muse Chen." Her voice was clear and melodious, with a hint of California sunshine, and her smile was sincere.

However, the instant Qin Jin's gaze met hers, an extremely strange feeling rose within him—

Wait a minute! This girl seems...familiar to him!

Qin Jin suddenly realized something, and the usual laziness on his face vanished instantly, leaving only a cold scrutiny and a hint of incredulous astonishment.

The air in the office seemed to freeze for a fraction of a second.

Catherine keenly noticed the drastic change in Qin Jin's expression and was about to ask him a question.

"Muse Chen? Very good!" Qin Jin's expression gradually returned to normal, and he turned and walked towards his office: "Come to my office."

"Huh? Oh... okay, boss." Muse seemed a little flustered by Qin Jin's sudden sternness. She glanced at Catherine for help, then nodded obediently and followed Qin Jin to his private office.

Alessa's grey-blue eyes quietly swept over Muse's retreating figure, then glanced at Catherine's confused expression. Clutching her Frankenstein doll, she silently followed and stood guard at the office door.

The door closed behind him, shutting out the curious gazes from outside.

Qin Jin sat in the chair, picked up Muse's resume and introduction, flipped through them casually, then tossed them on the table. A playful glint in his eyes, he suddenly spoke in Chinese:

"Qingyin, when did you change your name to Muse?"

Muse Chen's smile froze instantly. The naivety and shyness of someone just starting out in the workplace receded like the tide, disappearing without a trace. In its place was an understanding, a hint of cunning, and... the relief of being exposed.

She sighed softly, and her entire demeanor underwent a dramatic change.

The deliberately restrained friendliness dissipated, and a touch of worldly wisdom and allure quietly appeared in the depths of her clear almond eyes, like a fox hidden deep in the forest opening its eyes.

Wearing a police uniform adds an indescribable allure and unique charm.

"Tsk, what a keen nose."

She spoke, her voice no longer that of a clear muse, but rather the unique rhythm and slightly languid tone of Qingyin, responding in fluent Chinese as well.

She shrugged, the gesture naturally exuding a natural allure that clashed horribly with her police uniform.

"It seems your insight far surpasses that of your people."

"What do you want to do? Become a policeman, impersonate someone, and infiltrate my team?" Qin Jin's tone was unfriendly.

"Are you deliberately trying to drag me into your troubles?"

"Oh dear, don't be angry, Detective Qin, be careful of your wound." Qingyin wasn't afraid at all; instead, she took a half-step forward, a sly smile on her face.

"I never intended to drag you into this. I was just living a low-key life in my own way, and incidentally seeking a sense of security."

She pointed to her police uniform and said matter-of-factly:

"I just want to have a police officer's identity to protect myself, is that wrong?"

Looking at her matter-of-fact attitude, Qin Jin felt a surge of anger rush to his head, yet he also felt an absurd sense of powerlessness.

He practically spat out the words through gritted teeth: "Then why did you join our group...?"

"I'm helpless too, dear Detective!" Qingyin showed a lazy, resigned expression, but her eyes were full of mischievous laughter:

"It's all thanks to Detective Catherine's keen eye and discerning eye! I didn't use any illusions to influence her choice, I just went through the normal process of submitting my resume and going to the interview. Who knew she'd choose me?"

She spread her hands, looking innocent: "See, how can you blame me? I was surprised too."

Qin Jin stared intently at her smiling face, feeling a throbbing pain in his temples.

He felt that his carefully crafted, low-key plan was being turned upside down by this fox in an extremely bizarre way.

"...Understood!" Qin Jin took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to throw the vixen away.

He understood that if things escalated now and he caused a scene at the police station, the consequences would be even more uncontrollable.

He gritted his teeth and whispered:

"Good...very good. Muse Chen, right? Fine, then you'd better be your 'Muse Chen' properly! Remember your promise! Don't give yourself away! Don't use any sorcery to influence others! And don't cause me any trouble! Otherwise..."

"Okay, okay, Detective Qin, oh no, boss!"

Qingyin immediately adopted a standard salute posture, her smile radiant:

"I promise to abide by police discipline and keep a low profile—no, I mean, keep a low profile like a fox! Please rest assured, sir!"

Perhaps because her identity could no longer be concealed, Qingyin completely let loose, becoming completely different from her initial self, which made Qin Jin feel incredibly exhausted.

He waved his hand weakly, as if shooing away flies: "Get out! Report to Catherine and familiarize yourself with the procedures!"

"Yes, boss!"

Qing responded loudly, a victor's smile on his face, and turned around and opened the office door with light steps.

Outside the door, Catherine was waiting anxiously. Seeing Muse emerge, she immediately asked:

"How did it go? What did Qin say?"

"My boss just told me to work hard and follow the rules."

Qingyin reverted to her shy, newcomer demeanor, carefully patting her chest and revealing an admiring expression:

"The detective is really, really cool!"

Watching Qingyin blend into the office outside without any apparent change, Qin Jin slowly sat back in his chair, pressing his throbbing temples with his fingers.

Aresa walked in silently, her grey-blue eyes looking at him.

"Alessa..." Qin Jin's voice carried an unprecedented sense of helplessness and absurdity, "We have... a vixen in our group now."

Alessa was silent for a few seconds, then silently took out the repaired Gru Super Red Hawk from the pocket on the back of the Frankenstein doll, placed it in front of Qin Jin, and looked at him with piercing eyes:

"Kill her!"

Qin Jin glanced at Super Red Eagle, then at Muse chatting and laughing with Catherine outside, and shook his head.

"Not now! This fox means no harm; we don't need to deal with her, not even..."

He suddenly shook his head with a wry smile: "I really can't stand it if we let her do things for us instead of ordering her around."

Aresa looked at Qin Jin's expression, tilted her head, and seemed not to understand.

Qin Jin's smile gradually relaxed. He turned his head, lowered his voice, and said softly:

"Now that we can't avoid the trouble, why don't we just use her? Let's treat her as a free henchman and use her however we want!"

He leaned back slightly in his chair, slowly regaining his composure:

"Only in this way can we minimize our losses!"

The nine-tailed fox demon Qingyin thus became the fourth official member of the Qin-Jin Special Operations Team under the identity of "Muse Chen".