American Zombie Detective

The paper bride was clearly no match for Qin Jin. Seeing how decisively Qin Jin left, she became somewhat anxious.

"Wait! I... I have some information that I can offer as payment; you definitely need it!"

"Oh, miss, are you so sure I need this?" Qin Jin stopped, turned around, and stood still.

"Tell me about it first, and see if I'm interested."

"I know where to find the blood of Jesus, at least three drops, right here in America!" The paper bride dropped a bombshell:

"After I kill that entire family, I'll tell you how to find it!"

This sudden news made Qin Jin's heart, which had never been beating, twitch. Jesus' blood... Could this be possible?

Qin Jin and Alessa stared intently at the paper bride, but they couldn't discern any expression or flaw on her face. However, she seemed... very real, not like a lie!

After a moment of silence, Qin Jin asked, "What if it's not real, or what if it doesn't exist?"

"I swear!" the paper bride said firmly, "I guarantee it's true, unless I'm eaten..."

Jesus' blood was consumed? That's impossible. It's practically poison to Western vampires and werewolves; they can't eat it at all. Even Qin Jin would have to go to great lengths to consume it. But, since she could swear an oath—

It seems this news is true!

"Okay! I'll take care of all those dozen or so for you, but we still need to wait a bit," Qin Jin said, calming himself down and quickly reverting to his nonchalant, lazy demeanor.

"Here's the deal: I'll bring one to you within three months and deliver it to the pond for you to handle yourself, okay? After that, at least four every year, we'll do it in installments. I guarantee I'll deliver them all to you!"

The open space fell silent once more. The paper bride seemed to be weighing her options.

"My dear aunt, after all, our family is scattered in different places. It's quite a hassle for me to tie you up and deliver you here!" Qin Jin frowned, putting on an act of 'it's difficult for me too':

"Besides, even if it's four a year, it would only take five or six years to kill them all. If you were to kill enough people and then go out to take revenge, it would take at least twenty years, right?"

"……good."

The cold voice finally rang out again, carrying a hint of weariness and desperation: "Deliver the first one within three months!"

"Give me the message after you've killed half of them, and I promise to kill the rest," Qin Jin stated his demand. "I can swear on it."

"...Deal." The cold voice seemed to carry a hint of speechlessness.

She raised her pale hand and gently waved it towards Luke, who was hanging from the tree. His body fell softly and landed on the fallen leaves with a "plop".

At the same time, the red-clad figure began to shake violently, turning into countless snow-white paper scraps. Her stunningly beautiful face also twisted and decomposed, eventually reverting to a stiff paper doll face painted with white powder and blood-red rouge.

The empty eye sockets glanced at Qin Jin one last time before the entire body, along with the phantom, completely disintegrated, transforming into a chilling whirlwind that swept up withered leaves and cinnabar powder, howling towards the grave in the pool before disappearing without a trace.

On their way back, Qin Jin and Alessa walked lightly through the woods, the sound of their boots crushing dry branches particularly clear in the silence.

The third time.

Qin Jin suddenly turned around, and Alessa's small face immediately turned away, her porcelain-white profile gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

The zipper on the Frankenstein doll in her arms was wide open, revealing half of a gun barrel.

"Alessa?" Qin Jin slowed his pace. "What...is there to say?"

There was no response. The little girl just walked mechanically, her red leather shoes crunching over a clump of weeds, the tips of her shoes glistening with dew.

After walking for another half hour, Qin Jin finally stopped when he caught sight of that gaze for the fifth time.

Alessa bumped into his back unexpectedly, and the Frankenstein doll fell to the ground with a "thud".

"What exactly are you—"

Qin Jin bent down to pick up the doll and suddenly met Alessa's wide eyes. Those usually empty eyes were now gleaming, like a stone suddenly thrown into a still lake.

Alessa quickly ducked down, snatched the doll back, and zipped it up with a loud bang.

Even after getting into the driver's seat of the Dodge, Qin Jin could still see Alessa peeking at him in the rearview mirror.

Her knuckles turned white as she held the doll, and her lips were pressed into a thin line.

Amidst the roar of the engine, Qin Jin finally couldn't help but turn around: "Alessa, you've looked at me twenty-seven times."

The little girl's body visibly stiffened.

"So," Qin Jin tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, "what exactly are you trying to say?"

Aresa's lips pursed slightly, an expression so rare on her face it was like a flower blooming in the snow. Her porcelain-white face scrunched up, and she suddenly spoke slowly and deliberately in Chinese:

Why haven't you invited me yet?

Qin Jin was stunned.

"Murder." Aresa's speech suddenly quickened, her fingers gripping the loose thread of the doll.

"I'm waiting for you. Invite me to go with you to kill someone."

She looked up, her grey-blue eyes glistening with tears. "I...I can help."

The carriage was so quiet you could hear the hum of the clock on the dashboard. Qin Jin suddenly chuckled and reached out to ruffle her soft, golden hair. The strands were cool to the touch, like moonlight swirling around his fingers.

"My goodness, you're upset about this? How could I not invite you? It's just that the time isn't right yet; I'll invite you then—"

Qin Jin looked at Alessa's small face, suppressed a laugh, cleared his throat, then turned around and solemnly placed his hand on Alessa's shoulder:

"Miss Alessa Qin, I plan to kidnap the men of the Tong family within three months and hand them over to the Paper Bride to be killed. I now formally invite you to participate in the operation, to poison, kidnap, kill, and even blow up things..."

He asked the question earnestly, in a tone so formal it was almost like a vow:

"Would you like to join me and become my ally?"

The doll fell onto the car seat. Alessa's eyes shone brightly; she nodded vigorously, her golden hair dancing in the moonlight.

"I'm willing! I can help you kidnap people, poison them, kill them, and even blow them up!"

She paused, then added, "I can also help you bury the body!"

Qin Jin laughed loudly as he started the car: "Invitation confirmed! Now you can come with me to kidnap and kill!"

Aresa's eyes curved into crescent moons!

As the Dodge roared to life, screams echoed throughout the camp, and those trapped in the hallucinations finally began to awaken!

John Constantine jerked his body up like a stranded fish, his overcoat covered in scraps of paper and dirt.

He coughed violently, vomiting large clumps of wet paper balls, followed by white pulp.

"A terrifying Eastern monster..."

He wiped his face and found his palms were covered in cold sweat. If these paper figures hadn't suddenly disappeared, he would have almost suffocated to death inside the paper cocoons.

A faint scent drifted on the night breeze, and Constantine suddenly froze, his nostrils flaring—

It was a strange yet slightly familiar scent, one I had only recently caught…

He staggered to his feet, and instead of chasing after them along the way, he turned and rushed toward the steep slope to the side.

His leather shoes slipped on the gravel, and he almost rolled down twice, but when he raised his binoculars from the high point, he indeed captured the familiar old Dodge slowly driving away from the mining area.

"It really was you! My strange friend..."

Constantine squinted.

In the footage, the Dodge roars as it speeds along the rugged mountain road. It looks old and worn, but when it roars out, it is full of power and has a kind of awe-inspiring crushing feeling!

Constantine put down his binoculars, his expression becoming complex:

"Neither an angel, nor a demon, nor a wizard or medium... what are you then, my friend?"

He suddenly laughed, put a cigarette in his mouth, and said, "Interesting."

Constantine brushed the paper dust off his trench coat, turned and walked along the mountain path towards the mine entrance. Thinking about his near-death experience earlier that day, a weary smile appeared on his face.

"Consider this a debt I owe you! Let's grab a drink sometime next time."