American Zombie Detective

Upon arriving at the coffee shop, Roger and his assistant were already waiting inside, with thick design drawings and budget sheets spread out on the table.

"Detective Qin, Miss Alessa, hello!"

Roger quickly stood up, a professional smile plastered on his face, but a hint of unease lingered in his eyes, clearly indicating a lack of confidence in his design.

The effect presented on the tablet was mediocre. Although they tried their best to imitate that style, it still looked like a hybrid of postmodern and gothic styles, which was clearly far from what Alessa wanted.

Qin Jin leaned back on the sofa and frowned.

"Mr. Roger, to be honest, this style... my sister doesn't really like it."

Roger had almost given up on his design. It wasn't a matter of skill, but rather that his imagination limited his ability to execute it, and he wasn't bold enough, so this was the best he could achieve.

"If it really doesn't work out, then so be it..." Qin Jin sighed, stood up, and prepared to leave.

"Please wait!" Seeing that this big deal was about to fall through, Roger suddenly raised his voice, as if he had made a huge decision:

"Detective Qin, please... please take another look at these documents..."

As he spoke, he began frantically operating the tablet to retrieve the legend, muttering to himself:

"After I got home that day, I had a dream. I entered a small town, and these things appeared there... I thought it was too scary, so I didn't take them out... But... Detective Qin, please take a look..."

What appeared on the tablet was a small town shrouded in thick fog, with ashes floating in the sky. The walls were covered with stains, mottled rust, and blurry figures. The ground was littered with scraps of paper and garbage. In the distance, a triangular-headed figure could be seen appearing and disappearing in the fog!

Aresa's eyes lit up immediately. She turned her head sharply to look at Qin Jin and nodded heavily!

There was a certain uncertain solemnity in Qin Jin's eyes!

He saw it clearly; this wasn't a dream, but a scene from Silent Hill. When he went in as Qin Han to investigate, this was exactly what he saw, especially the Pyramid Head dragging a large machete—

There is no such figure in the painting provided by Alessa. How do you think Roger dreamed about it?

Qin Jin remained silent for a moment, deciding not to tell Alessa about this for the time being, and to deal with the immediate matter first. So he raised his eyes, met Roger's expectant gaze, smiled and nodded, and sat down again.

"Yes, that's the style! It's great!"

Encouraged, Roger immediately clicked on the next picture, which was a rusted underworld, eerie, terrifying, and gloomy, exuding an indescribable sense of the bizarre and oppressive, with a sense of darkness that almost burst out of the painting.

Aresa's eyes grew brighter and brighter...

Qin Jin finally told Roger seriously, "These last few pictures are the style my sister wanted, so I'll give you one more chance. Send them to me in good condition, and the deal will be done. Otherwise..."

Qin Jin spread his hands: "If it doesn't meet the requirements, then I can only apologize."

"Yes, I understand!" Roger gritted his teeth; for this deal, he had no choice but to go all out.

The two sides briefly confirmed a few more details. Before Qin Jin could leave, the phone rang. It was Director Edward calling.

Qin Jin waved for Roger to go first, then pressed the answer button.

"The bureau chief?"

"Qin, there's something here that might need your help with," Director Edward said calmly, but with a barely perceptible hint of caution.

"My old classmate John Harrison, the deputy chief of the Sacramento Police Department, has run into a big problem there, possibly a case involving the supernatural, and they need your help."

"A case involving supernatural phenomena?" Qin Jin went straight to the point: "How was that determined?"

"Here's the thing, in their Rand Park community, people have been dying one after another for the past two or three months. Although the ways of dying are different, it's very regular, with one death every seven days. The victims have different backgrounds and no connection whatsoever, which has caused widespread panic. The FBI went to investigate but found nothing, and then... they came to me."

"One person dies every seven days?"

"Yes. John said that when they were investigating, someone told them it was called 'the seventh day after death, when the vengeful ghost returns to claim the life,' which is an Eastern saying, so... they came to me."

Qin Jin thought about it. If it really was the story of the spirit returning on the seventh day after death to kill someone, then it could indeed be considered a supernatural phenomenon. After considering it, he agreed to Director Edward's request and said:

"I've taken the case. Chief, after this case is closed, I need to take leave for about two weeks. Alessa's school is on holiday, and I plan to take her away for a while to handle some personal matters."

"No problem!" Director Edward agreed immediately, but then added a request:

"By the way, Qin, let Jack stay on this case! After all, something just happened in Los Angeles, and if you all leave... I'm afraid many people will have objections, so let him stay."

"No need for either of them. Catherine is currently studying and can't be delayed. Muse is a newcomer, and I don't dare to take her on," Qin Jin said, seemingly unconcerned.

"I'll just go there directly. After the case is resolved, I'll take Alessa on vacation."

"Okay! Be careful with this case. Sacramento is the state capital, with many governors and state legislators. Be extremely careful," Edward reminded him again, before finally asking:

"When are you leaving? I'll contact them and have them prepare the necessary documents for you."

"They should arrive around six or seven o'clock now," Qin Jin said without hesitation. "Where's the contact person?"

"Go directly to their police headquarters. I'll send you John's phone number."

The Dodge Warhorse drove north and arrived at the Sacramento Police Department headquarters after dinner time. When Qin Jin arrived, Deputy Chief John Harrison was waiting for him at the door, his face showing a mixture of anxiety and anticipation.

"Detective Qin! Thank you so much for coming in person! This must be Miss Alessa? Thank you for your hard work!"

As he led the way, he quickly asked, "Have you eaten? Perhaps we can grab something to eat first, and then we can discuss the case?"

"No need, let's get started," Qin Jin said, following Deputy Director John inside, politely declining the invitation to dinner.

"I'll take a look at the case files first, chat with the investigators, and get some rest before officially starting tomorrow."

"Well... alright, I'll take you there." Deputy Director John led Qin Jin through the corridor to the large conference room at the end. The whiteboard inside was covered with various photos, writings, and circles, making it a mess, clearly indicating that things had been going on for some time.

Just as they went in, the two people sitting inside immediately stood up.

The leader was a white man in his mid-thirties, lean and fit, dressed in a neatly pressed casual shirt and jacket, with sharp eyes and a calm demeanor honed by years of handling serious cases, mixed with a hint of weariness.

Beside him was a young detective in his late twenties, also dressed in plainclothes, with a focused expression and holding a heavy case file in his hand.

"Detective Qin, this is Detective Carter," Deputy Chief Harrison introduced.

"From the beginning of the entire death case until now, Detective Carter has been following it closely. No one knows the case better than him. This is his partner, Detective David."

Detective Carter stepped forward, extending his hand, a hint of shame on his face:

"I'm so sorry, Detective Qin! My colleagues and I haven't been able to solve this case, and we've had to trouble you all to come from Los Angeles to help... It's truly embarrassing!" He then changed the subject:

"But don't worry, Detective Qin, we will absolutely not hide anything from the case or do anything underhanded. We guarantee to cooperate fully. The pressure on the bureau is too great right now, and we can't take it anymore."

Young David Ross immediately nodded in greeting: "Detective Qin, please guide me! Let us know if you need anything!"

Qin Jin shook hands with Detective Carter, feeling the strength and experience in his hand.

These experienced local detectives who are deeply rooted in the cases are a valuable resource.

"Okay. Detective Carter, Agent David, time is of the essence."

Qin Jin pulled out a chair and sat down, while Alessa began taking out cookies to feed the bear cubs:

"What I need to know first is, who told you about the murder on the seventh day after the victim's death?"