American Zombie Detective

With a helpless expression, Qin Jin followed Frank out of the house, through the corridor, and into an office with a sign that read "Murder and Major Crimes Unit 2". Pushing open the door, he found the office filled with the smell of coffee and fast food, and exhausted detectives frantically searching for files.

It's clear that not only Supervisor Frank is under immense pressure because of the "Paper Doll Murder Case," but also the entire second team responsible for the case.

Before Qin Jin could see who was inside clearly, Frank's footsteps had already alerted them.

"Hey! Everyone, stop for a second!"

Frank clapped his hands, the noise in the office disappeared, and everyone's eyes turned to him.

The next second, the glass partition separating the team leader's office next door opened, and a man with a thick beard, red eyes, and a tired and weary expression walked out: "Boss, what's up?"

All eyes fell on Qin Jin's face, and he could only force a smile to respond to the stares.

"Will," Supervisor Frank gestured to Qin Jin with his chin.

"We've found an expert for your case. Qin Jin, a new recruit this year, will start working today."

He succinctly introduced Qin Jin directly.

Team leader Will Reed was visibly taken aback, staring at Qin Jin's unbelievably youthful face and his kind, harmless smile:

"Today? Boss, the assessments aren't even over yet..."

"Special approval!" Frank waved his hand, interrupting again, "Talented people don't need to follow those stupid rules..." He pointed at Qin Jin and emphasized:

"Don't underestimate him just because he's a newcomer. His dad fought his way up in Chicago with Deputy Chief Logan and is now a Texas sheriff. His performance in the assessment is even better! In shooting alone, none of you can beat him! And most importantly—"

Frank's hand unconsciously slapped towards Qin Jin, who resisted the urge to dodge, letting Frank's large hand slam heavily onto his shoulder twice.

"He's a Chinese-American folklore expert! You know? He knows all that mystical stuff!"

"A folklore expert?!"

The detectives in the office had a bright look in their eyes. Clearly, everyone had been struggling with this case lately, and finding someone who understood these things would be a huge help to everyone!

Only Qin Jin's lips twitched slightly. Just as expected, this seemingly innocuous case had come full circle, but in the end, he couldn't escape it...

This is going to be difficult!

"Now, take out the case file and show it to Qin. Let's see if we can find anything!"

Frank seemed quite pleased with his opening and positioning:

"Give him everything—files, documents, photos…especially those that haven't been released to the public! Let him see them!"

After saying this, he turned to Qin Jin and gave the order:

"You have one hour. See if you find anything! I'll come back for your report then. That's all."

After saying that, Frank didn't give anyone a chance to ask questions or object. Like a gust of wind carrying the smell of gunpowder, he turned around and strode out, slamming the office door shut with a loud bang.

A brief silence fell over the office.

All eyes were on Qin Jin, some with curiosity, some with doubt, and some with a hint of... relief and relaxation.

Team Leader Will rubbed his temples, clearly annoyed by the commander's forceful approach of forcing people into the team and setting out outrageous deadlines, but military orders were paramount.

He sighed and said to a young female police officer wearing glasses next to him:

"Amy, bring all the files on the 'Paper Doll Murder Case' to...Qin."

He then nodded to a table next to him, indicating to Qin Jin, "This table is yours. Take a look at the files first, and I'll have someone prepare the materials later."

"Yes, thank you, team leader." Although Qin Jin was reluctant to get involved, things had come to this point, and he could only take it one step at a time. He would first review the case files, then think about how to cover up the case and find a scapegoat to settle things...

Qin Jin thanked them, lazily pulled out a chair and sat down. His gaze swept over the two people opposite him, and what he saw almost made him lose his composure—

Sitting behind the table opposite him was Detective Davis, and diagonally opposite him was his partner, Detective Thomson. It was the two of them who came to visit his home that day.

Detective Davis and Agent Thomson also recognized Qin Jin. They smiled and began to go about their work, but their eyes held a hint of disdain and complete distrust of Qin Jin.

This is normal!

Like other places, the police station is based on seniority. For a rookie detective like Qin Jin to gain recognition from others, in addition to being highly capable, he also needs to know how to get along with people.

Qin Jin sighed silently to himself; this start was truly perfect.

He suppressed his turbulent thoughts and forced himself to focus on the pile of files in front of him that exuded an ominous aura.

Qin Jin quickly flipped through the case file. All three victims were of Chinese descent, and the case information was largely similar to that in the news, only with more detailed information:

The first one is a Chinese-American man named Song Weihe, 33 years old, a new immigrant who has been in the United States for about five years. He is unemployed, divorced, and now lives alone.

The cause of death was being crushed to death by a sculpture in his home; his head was smashed so badly it resembled a rotten watermelon.

He had called 911 before his death, claiming that a paper monster had appeared in his home;

The second is a Chinese man named Li Yi, 28 years old. He immigrated with his parents nearly 20 years ago, works for an electric company, and is unmarried and lives alone.

The cause of death was that he was burned alive while lying on a gas stove; when the police arrived, his head was already charred.

The day before his death, he called a friend to boast that he had found a beautiful woman who was willing to live with him;

The third one, the one in the third row behind Qin Jin's house, is Tommy Liu, 30 years old, a second-generation immigrant born to his parents who came to America. He is unmarried, and his parents live in San Francisco.

Cause of death: head severed, nearly half of it was cut off.

Before his death, he called 911, claiming that his girlfriend had turned into a monster.

The case files included numerous photos of the crime scenes for all three cases, but only the last one had surveillance footage showing Tommy Liu returning with the paper figure.

The other two are not located near Song Weihe's residence, and although there are surveillance cameras on the street where Li Yi lives, he drove directly into the automatic parking garage, so the situation inside the car was not clear.

Furthermore, while the case file does mention the hikers' association, this only applies to the third deceased; the first two victims have no record of joining the association…

Qin Jin thought for a moment and immediately understood—

Indeed, if these three men were all members of the Big Guys Association and were killed while hiking, the police should have discovered it much earlier. Their failure to conduct a thorough investigation of the hikers' association only proves one thing:

Hikers are just one part of the paper bride hunt; others may not have participated.

Qin Jin's current situation is like taking an exam. He already knows the final answer to the question, but he still needs to put in some effort to understand the entire calculation process.

The best way is naturally to ask the paper bride, since as the person involved, she knows far more than others.

The most troublesome thing now is how to find a scapegoat to take the blame and solve this case!

Frank only gave me an hour; I was eager to hear his insights.

He had to immediately come up with a reason that sounded professional, reasonable, and could temporarily divert the police's attention, or even allow them to temporarily suspend their in-depth investigation!

That way, he could meet the paper bride and then conspire... It's ridiculous! Conspiring with the murderer to find someone to take the blame, what kind of nonsense is that!

His gaze inadvertently fell on the file, and suddenly, he noticed something strange:

Why were the ways these three people died so different?

His mind raced at an unprecedented pace, combining the details in the dossier with his knowledge of Eastern folklore... A vague but highly misleading framework quickly took shape in his mind.

At least, it's enough to fool these guys!

Just as Qin Jin closed the file and began to consider his words and words, the office door was pushed open. Everyone first looked at Director Frank who had entered the room, and then they all turned to look at Qin Jin!

They knew that the moment had come to witness a miracle, or to witness a disgrace!