American Zombie Detective

The next morning, the atmosphere in the Sacramento Police Department’s Special Investigations Office was somewhat tense.

Sheriff Carter brought a family of three:

An impatient white man, an anxious middle-aged woman, and behind them, a defiant young Tagore wearing a baggy oversized hoodie.

It was because of his girlfriend that the high school boy who fought with Mike was tall and strong, just like his name.

Tagore's father entered the door and immediately began complaining to Detective Carter, his voice loud and full of hostility:

"I told you! My son has nothing to do with that kind of nonsense! What boy hasn't been in a fight when he was young? Do you Los Angeles detectives have so much free time? Our time is valuable too!"

He kept babbling on and on, his spittle almost hitting Carter's face, while Tagore's mother quietly tugged at his sleeve.

"Honey, please don't do this, cooperate with the officer..."

Qin Jin leaned against the bedside, deep in thought. Last night, he searched through a lot of information but couldn't find any trace of the ghost, so he resorted to his old method—

This time, however, he changed his approach. Instead of posting on Xiaohuangshu (a Chinese adult website), he directly sought help in Penglai Ghost Stories. This was something that [Xianyun Yehe] had told him about last time, saying that there were many experts in this community who knew about obscure and niche ghost stories.

He's currently browsing through the replies; there are quite a few, but so far no one has hit the nail on the head...

Inspector Carter didn't tolerate Tagore's father's complaints and nagging. He stepped forward, frowning, his face serious.

"Mr. Davis! This is the police station! We're dealing with a serial murder case... Now, you and your wife go outside and wait, okay? Otherwise, I can put you in jail until you shut up!"

Tagore's father was taken aback by Carter's tough attitude and wanted to argue, but seeing Detective Carter's unyielding gaze, he finally just let out a heavy "humph" and was dragged out by his wife, half-persuading and half-pulling, while cursing.

The door was closed, shutting out the outside noise, leaving only Qin Jin, Carter, David, and a somewhat awkward Tagore in the office.

Qin Jin then slowly turned around, walked to the chair opposite Tagore, and sat down, still with that signature languor. But when their eyes met, Tagore felt a chill run down his spine for no reason.

"Don't be nervous," Qin Jin said in a calm tone, as if he were talking about the weather.

"We called you here not because we suspect you of murder. Their deaths have nothing to do with you, and we know that."

Tagore visibly relaxed, his tense shoulders slumping slightly.

"But..." Qin Jin changed the subject, leaning forward slightly and resting his elbows on his knees:

"After a fight, if you want to get revenge, at least... you need to know what the other person has to do with it, so you can have something to hold against them next time."

He paused, as if recalling some distant and blurry scene, and in the end, he only managed a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth:

"So, I think you must know some of Mike's secrets, or rather, the secrets of the three of them? The kind that no one else knows?"

Tagore paused for a moment, then nodded subconsciously: "...Yes, a little bit."

"Well then, tell me," Qin Jin leaned back in his chair, somewhat casually.

"I don't need to know the source. Even if some of it is illegal, it's not our business. You know, when it comes to serial murders, everything else is trivial."

"Uh... I've inquired about it a little."

Tagore acknowledged it, and his voice became smoother:

"Mike's a pervert, pretty disgusting. He's always going to streetwalkers...doing that kind of thing, you know! Lin Hao's the same way, he's hooking up with Lily, the DJ at the 'Hellfire' bar on Wutong Avenue, that bitch, almost 30!"

Tagore curled his lip, his tone laced with disdain:

"Lin Hao has spent a lot of money on her, and he often skips classes to see her. His allowance is never enough. I heard..." He lowered his voice:

"He recently got beaten up for taking money from home! His pockets are empty now."

Qin Jin silently noted down the keywords he mentioned, and then asked:

"And what about Adams? Do you know anything about him?"

Tagore shook his head: "Adams is just a reckless fool, all he knows is cars, girls, and smoking opium... By the way, they all listen to Lin Hao," he frowned.

"Lin Hao must be the leader of the three of them!"

Tagore seemed to feel there was nothing more to say.

Qin Jin didn't press further and nodded: "Okay, thank you for your cooperation, Tagore. You can go back now."

Detective Carter gestured for David to escort Tagore out.

The boy walked to the door, his hand just touching the doorknob, when he seemed to remember something. He hesitated for a moment, then turned around and said to Qin Jin:

"Detective, there's something else... Lin Hao is smarter than he looks! Many people misunderstand him; you'll see if you investigate... I've never met anyone smarter than him... Everyone has misjudged him!"

Tagore spoke very seriously, as if he were announcing something, or emphasizing or proving something.

The office fell silent.

Qin Jin's lips twitched almost imperceptibly upwards, and sure enough—

Just like the jokes circulating online, no matter the era or place, as long as three men get together, one of them will inevitably evolve into a so-called strategist...

This seems to be an ironclad rule etched into group behavior, a low-level version of intelligent division of labor.

Qin Jin analyzed the clues provided by Tagore and felt that Lily's side wasn't suspicious for the time being, but to be on the safe side, he called Detective Carter.

"Have someone inquire about the female DJ incident and see if there's any news. Also..."

Qin Jin paused for a moment: "How are the other two things going?"

"You mean, should we visit the remaining students and conduct investigations in Chinatown? I'll ask right away."

Carter left the office and returned about ten minutes later, with David following him in.

"The visit over there is over," Carter reported.

"I asked the last few students. One of them said that about a month ago, he saw Lin Hao holding a small booklet and drawing something. It looked a lot like the drawings on those yellow papers pasted on the foreheads of zombies in Eastern movies. When Lin Hao noticed him looking at it, he immediately put it away."

"Oh?" Qin Jin's eyes sharpened instantly. Could this be a talisman? Lin Hao knows these things? This seems to connect to his fortune-telling...

"What about the things? Was it among the belongings?" Qin Jin pressed.

Carter shook his head: "I asked my colleagues who were searching, and they didn't find anything like that."

"Alright, let's put this matter aside for now. What about the other group?" Qin Jin noted this information down for the time being.

Detective Carter's helplessness became even more apparent:

"The progress is not going well. The police officers who were dispatched reported that many shop owners and passersby either said they didn't recognize the person or didn't know them, and were clearly unwilling to cooperate with the police. Perhaps... they didn't want to cause trouble?"

Qin Jin was not surprised by this result. Chinatown has its own rules of operation and its own closed nature, making it extremely difficult for outsiders, especially official forces, to delve into its secrets.

This is indeed a problem. If all else fails, I'll have to take Aresa there myself.

Just as Qin Jin was about to go to Chinatown for a stroll, Detective Carter continued:

"There's something else! Detective Hansen just called about that private restaurant. He said something seems strange and asked if you want to go check it out or send it for testing directly?"

Qin Jin stopped moving, and Alessa, who was sitting next to him looking bored, immediately raised her head as if she had seen some interesting toy.

"What kind of strange thing is it?" Qin Jin raised his eyes.

"Hansen said the whole building was very cold, and the house was even colder. The meat grinder, cutting board, and knife they found were all in a strange box, and there was an oriental mirror hanging in the room..."

Carter recalled Hansen's description:

He said the whole kitchen was filled with a strange, fishy smell, not the stench of meat and seafood, it was very strange... it made him feel inexplicably cold and uncomfortable.

Nourishing soup, a strange fishy smell, a Bagua or house-protecting mirror, knives sealed in a box...

A knowing glint flashed in Qin Jin's eyes:

"In that case, let's go take a look, and while we're at it, let's meet that female DJ. Then, we'll go to Chinatown!"

Qin Jin made a decision: given the current situation, he had no choice but to take matters into his own hands.