American Zombie Detective

Alessa came out of the bathroom in her pajamas and found Yuanxiao asleep on the sofa, while Qin Jin was still sitting in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking thoughtfully at the lights of Sacramento.

Alessa walked to Qin Jin's side and stared at him quietly for a while: "Qin, is there trouble?"

Qin Jin glanced back, a slight smile playing on his lips, but shook his head only slightly.

"The problem must lie with those three high school students. Finding their connection will lead us to the cause, but—"

He paused slightly, the faint light from the window casting shadows on his sharply defined face.

"The problem is that this thing is most likely a vengeful ghost from Eastern legends. These things... come and go without a trace, unlike tangible things, so it's a bit difficult for us to deal with them."

Aresa walked to Qin Jin's side, extended a finger, and several wisps of dark red corrosive energy began to extend from her fingertip, instantly corroding her fingertip to a rusty color:

"I can catch them."

Qin Jin patted Alessa's head, then slowly shook his head:

"I know your corruption is powerful, but as I've said before, try not to use this power, as it can become uncontrollable and bloodthirsty. Also, for your corruption to be effective, it must enter someone's body; it can't hold back a pure ghost."

"Should we call her, vixen, come here?" Alessa suggested. "She should be able to."

Qin Jin rubbed his temples helplessly: "Even vixens aren't completely restrained, they're just a little better than us..."

He sighed, "Let's wait until tomorrow to see what they find out. Anyway, it's not far. That guy drives so fast, it'll only take two hours."

Alessa nodded, said nothing more, and simply lay down on the sofa, reaching out to hug the snoring bear cub. Just as Qin Jin was about to turn on the light, she suddenly looked up:

"Qin, you've become weaker."

Qin Jin paused slightly. Indeed, after forcibly suppressing his berserk state with the yin blood of snakes and turtles last time, his strength had weakened somewhat. This was a consequence of the zombie's long-term consumption of animal blood.

Although one may appear more and more like a human, one's strength will gradually weaken, and when forced suppression occurs, one will suddenly drop by a large margin.

He simply smiled and whispered to Alessa:

"Yes, so after the case is closed, we need to find the blood of Jesus to see if it can solve this problem, understand?"

Aresa stopped talking, but simply took Qin Jin's hand, made him place his hand on the sofa, pressed her porcelain-white face against it, and slowly closed her eyes.

Qin Jin leaned forward, watching Alessa's eyelashes flutter slightly as she gradually fell asleep. But his gaze involuntarily lifted, returning to the deep night outside the window, silently calculating something.

The next morning, the air in Sacramento was a bit chilly.

Accompanied by Agent David, Qin Jin and Alessa first visited the homes of the three initial victims: Adams, Mike, and Lin Hao.

All three families were shrouded in immense grief and a lingering sense of oppression; even the magnificent mansions could not conceal the deathly silence.

Qin Jin carefully inspected the boys' rooms and the entire mansion, but neither he nor Alessa found anything unusual. Too much time had passed, and even if there was something, it would have dissipated.

Qin Jin spent the longest time at Adams and Lin Hao's house, asking many questions in an attempt to find some clues. Unfortunately, like all children of this age, they had almost no communication with their families and could not find any useful details.

However, the situation at the home of the last deceased was completely different.

The 11th deceased was a middle-aged painter living in the Oak Ridge community. His house was empty, and his ex-wife was helping with the funeral arrangements. She is no longer with us.

As soon as the car came to a stop on the driveway covered with fallen leaves, Qin Jin's expression changed.

The entire house is filled with a strong aura of coldness, decay, and resentment, commonly known as yin energy. Getting close to it makes people feel uncomfortable, and sensitive people may experience inexplicable palpitations and shortness of breath. There are strong signs of ghostly activity.

"This is it." Qin Jin's voice was deep and certain.

Upon entering the house, the chill was even more intense. The air was filled with a strange smell, a mixture of turpentine and an indescribable musty odor. The gloom was even heavier, and the temperature was several degrees lower than outside.

Qin Jin took the case file from Sheriff Carter and roughly understood the cause of Carter's death. Coincidentally, tonight was the seventh day after his death.

Qin Jin immediately decided that, according to custom, they would welcome the deceased back that night to retrieve their footprints and see what was going on.

"Detective David, I need something," Qin Jin said. David immediately took out his phone to record it.

"Twenty kilograms of flour, white rice, three pairs of red Chinese chopsticks, ten Chinese rice bowls, a bundle of incense, seven pairs of white candles, two pairs of red candles, a jar of yellow wine or rice wine, and have a Chinese person cook twenty or thirty brown sugar eggs, and prepare a few sets of mourning clothes..."

"Understood." Detective David, though unsure of what to do with it, took out his phone to arrange for someone to handle it. Qin Jin added one last thing:

"Have Deputy Chief John contact the painter's family and tell them to come over before 9 p.m. to cooperate with the police investigation."

Agent David immediately made the call, and things proceeded smoothly, then—

Good news has arrived!

Thanks to Detective Carter's efforts, the person who made the call has been located. After being contacted, she admitted to making the call and is now on her way to the police station.

According to the information, the caller was a Chinese woman named Annie Chen, in her forties, whose husband was also Chinese. They were also residents of Rand Park, but now they have moved into another house.

This is the result of a powerful union between the earliest Chinese descendants of Runren. The two now run mines and plantations. Although the profits are average, their stock holdings and business involvement are their main sources of income.

Qin Jin and his team immediately returned to the police station to await Chen Anni's arrival.

Half an hour later, the meeting room door was pushed open, and a woman walked in, led by a police officer.

When they saw her face clearly, everyone present, including Deputy Director John, showed a hint of undisguised surprise.

According to the records, Ms. Chen Anni is over forty years old, but her appearance seems to have been frozen in the youthful years of twenty-five or twenty-six.

Her skin was firm, fair, and smooth without a single wrinkle. Her eyebrows and eyes were delicate, and her long, black hair was smooth and shiny, showing no signs of aging.

"Good morning, officers. I am Annie Chen." Her voice was soft and pleasant, with the gentle tone characteristic of Chinese Americans.

When her gaze fell on Qin Jin's face, she paused slightly, then quickly gave him a smile as if she were meeting a fellow townsman. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Detective Carter posed his question.

"Yes, I did it," Chen Anni admitted frankly, a look of recollection on her face.

"About a month...yes, a month and four days ago, I found out about this, so I called the police station, hoping everyone would know that something strange was happening in the community and that it could be thoroughly investigated...I...I don't want anything to happen to me."

At this point, she gave an apologetic smile: "My words were a bit harsh at the time, maybe...maybe I was just confused for a moment...If a fine is required, I am willing to pay it."

"Who told you that? Or where did you hear it from?" Detective Carter ignored the issue of the fine and continued to press for answers.

"Private channels..." Chen Anni hesitated for a moment, then clearly expressed her meaning:

"I feel I have the right to keep this secret... After all, I helped you, I'm not a criminal..."

That's interesting!

Chen Anni's objection excited everyone in the conference room, as if they had grasped something.

Qin Jin's feeling was different. He was almost certain that Chen Anni was not involved in the death case and that she was hiding some other secret!

Because, right after she sat down, Qin Jin could smell a scent that was being deliberately masked amidst her fragrance—a unique… fishy smell!