American Zombie Detective

Chapter 171 The Hunt Begins

"Wow! Looks like our game has encountered its first variable!" Clara exclaimed dramatically. "Now, I need to wait for Mr. K's decision, to see if he's willing to take in this lost lamb, to have mercy on you, and turn you from prey into hunter—wait!"

Clara temporarily left the pillar of light.

Inside the SUV, Alessa's little hand had already reached for the stitching on the doll: "Qin, shall we do it?"

Qin Jin's gaze was fixed on the shadowy castle on the electronic screen, and a dangerously slanted smile slowly appeared on his lips in the shadows: "No, no!"

He gently pressed Alessa's hand down, his voice low and filled with the pleasure of discovering prey: "I suddenly thought of something even more fun."

He tilted his head slightly and whispered to Alessa, "Look at the location of that castle—the more I look at it, the more it seems to resemble the monastery we're looking for."

About five minutes later, Clara excitedly rushed back into the pillar of light: "Our great Mr. K has accepted your offering! Twenty million US dollars will transform you from prey into hunter. Mr. K will help you find a team that will accept you and choose a code name for you! Of course, if the money isn't enough—"

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was self-evident.

The man who emerged from the darkness unlocked Luigi's handcuffs, dragged him along, and led him to the stands almost like a dog, not daring to look back at his former friend.

George and Luc watched his betraying back as he turned away, letting out a desperate, trapped beast-like wail.

Finally, Clara returned to Qin Jin's car. She rhythmically tapped the window with the tip of her whip, her face filled with an utterly cruel curiosity: "So what about you? My dear policeman, and your little darling, what are your—last wishes? Tell me, and maybe I'll soften?"

Inside the car, Qin Jin silently watched the inhuman, mad drama unfold outside through the twisted steel bars and the glass covered in weld marks.

Instead of showing any fear, a cold smile slowly spread across his face.

In a clear, penetrating voice, he calmly asked, "My wish is simple. I'm just very curious, if—I mean, if it were your turn to be hunted, what would you—think?"

The revelry upstairs came to an abrupt end.

The hunters paused for a moment, then burst into even more hysterical laughter, as if they had heard the most absurd joke in the universe.

"What nonsense are you talking about? What if we're hunted down?"

"If that day ever comes, you can cut off my XX and shove it into my mouth!" The chainsaw killer laughed maniacally as he downed his drink.

"Hahaha! My head is yours to chop off as you please!"

"Hanging, burning, it's all fine! Hahaha!!!"

The people in the four private rooms started shouting excitedly, their tone flippant, crazy, and arrogant, as if they were mocking the biggest joke in the world.

Qin Jin suddenly grinned, revealing a mouthful of bright white teeth: "I really love this game!"

"Yes!" Alessa nodded emphatically, her eyes filled with joy. "Their suggestions were wonderful!"

Although she couldn't hear what he was saying, Qin Jin's reaction and expression still made Clara's facial muscles twitch involuntarily!

She suppressed her momentary discomfort, forced a maniacal smile back, and tried to regain control of the situation: "Wow! Looks like our policeman has provided us with some extra entertainment!"

She screamed at the top of her lungs, trying to drown out the awkward silence: "Honorable hunters, please note that our total prize pool has changed!"

She waved her arm, pointing at Luigi, who had just betrayed her: "This generous gentleman spent twenty million dollars to buy himself a hunter's seat! This means that our original total prey value of 100 points is now vacant!"

"To make up for these precious points, we have no choice but to bring in a different prey—"

She beckoned into the darkness.

Two masked cleaners brought up a man with a black hood over his head and his hands tied behind his back, and re-cuffed him to Luigi's pillar.

As Clara pulled off her hood, a face was exposed in the beam of light—

It was outside Sibiu Airport that the ugly-looking young man who snatched Luigi's backpack was.

His face was covered with bruises and wounds, but his expression was one of deep sorrow, and his eyes held a complex mix of emotions.

Qin Jin understood instantly—

At the time, it wasn't robbery at all, but a warning by chance. He wanted to lure Luigi and his companions away by pretending to steal their backpacks, to warn or persuade them to leave.

The reason—well, most likely it's because he saw Clara and knew about the Hell Hunting Grounds, so he wanted to do his best to save these people.

Qin Jin's logical thought process clearly and coldly completed the deduction and arrived at the conclusion.

As for the goodwill it contained and the tragic outcome that followed, for him, it was merely knowing this information.

"This is our newest addition to the hunt, the local idiot Happy, worth 15 points," Clara announced loudly. "He will take the place of the previous prey, and according to the rules, he will also trigger a special bonus. If our dear Mr. Luigi kills him, he will also receive 1.5 times the points!"

Without giving anyone a chance to speak, she abruptly raised her hands: "I declare! The Hell Hunt—begins now!"

A tremendous roar of engines came from overhead, the roof of the factory shed slowly slid open, and a rugged military helicopter lowered its sling, precisely hooking onto the reinforced frame of the off-road vehicle.

"First, let's send off our main course!" Clara sneered and backed away.

The helicopter quickly ascended, lifting the welded off-road vehicle like a toy, and drove it out of the factory, disappearing into the dark night sky of Transylvania.

The helicopter flew at an oppressive low altitude, almost skimming the tops of the dense forest canopy.

The vehicle swayed and spun violently in the air for nearly two hours, which seemed to be torture, but it didn't bother Qin Li and Alessa.

Furthermore, due to the altitude, Qin Jin was able to locate the distant rivers and lakes in the darkness of night. By comparing his location with the map he had seen in the factory shed, he was able to roughly determine his position.

Finally, a cracking sound came from the steel cable; it snapped, and the off-road vehicle plummeted straight down.

Snap! Crackling sounds!

Amid a series of loud cracking sounds as tree branches snapped, the vehicle's downward momentum was gradually slowed, and it miraculously became wedged between several thick tree branches, teetering precariously.

The impact stopped, and the vehicle hovered on a tree about seven or eight meters above the ground.

Qin Jin kicked it with a loud bang, and the welded car door was kicked away, along with the welded steel bars on it.

"Yuanxiao!" Qin Jin called out, and Yuanxiao immediately crawled over from behind. Qin Jin hugged him and pointed to the tactical backpack next to him. Then he stepped out of the car and fell straight down.

With a thud, as if a boulder had fallen to the ground, Qin Jin's feet sank deep into the humus layer of the forest, making a dull thud that shook the surrounding fallen leaves.

He casually put down the glutinous rice ball, then reached out and grabbed the tactical backpack that Alessa had thrown down.

As Alessa floated down like a feather, the sound of her landing was minimal, and her knees slightly bent to dissipate all the force.

He drew his own scimitar, then handed over Qin Jin's Bass Armor, followed by his Glock 19 and his own Super Red Hawk—

Alessa then looked up at Qin Jin and asked, "Are we going to the middle?"

"I'm planning to go take a look. What's wrong?" Qin Jin answered readily.

"Then, can I play by myself?" Alessa raised her porcelain-white face, filled with a strange expectation.