American Zombie Detective

In short, the first victim was the one who went treasure hunting in the mining area with the scarred man and encountered the paper bride.

The second victim's situation was similar; however, he had driven up the mountain with friends to drink before everything happened.

The friend he was drinking with was also the man with the scar.

As for the third victim, the one who lived behind Qin Jin's house, it was because she participated in a hiking group and encountered the paper bride—

The whole process was actually similar to Luke's, the only difference being that he brought the paper bride home, while Luke was spared death by chance due to Qin Jin's interference.

The paper bride's narration came to an abrupt end, and a cold silence once again enveloped the edge of the pool.

Qin Jin stood still, his fingertips unconsciously twirling, but his brain was like an engine running at overclock, piecing together and verifying the fragmented information provided by the paper bride with his previous deductions about the 'Five Elements Evil Arts'!

Completely unexpected!

His hastily fabricated conjecture unexpectedly aligned perfectly with the truth, and all the clues converged instantly, pointing to the mysterious and dangerous scarred man!

Perhaps Qin Jin himself didn't realize that he had changed identities many times in America, working as a cowboy, a pioneer, a Texas Ranger, a patrolman, a major crime detective... These countless experiences in solving cases and cracking crimes had subtly imprinted many things into his bones.

Although the Five Elements sorcery was just a flash of inspiration, it was logical, deductive, and based on various signs, and was no more outrageous than the results of other people's careful analysis.

Simply put, it's a kind of police intuition.

"The boss of the Big Guys Hiking Association..."

Qin Jin muttered to himself, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, like a predator eyeing its prey:

"Or at least the core organizer! Only he could frequently organize people to go to the mining area, and only he could accurately select targets and guide the paper bride to complete the killings with talismans!"

With a lazy confidence on his face, he nodded to the paper bride: "Alright! I know how to handle it, let's go—"

"Wait!" A piece of blood-red jade flew out of the paper bride's hand and landed on the grass by the pool.

"Once you catch someone, or if they need to contact me, just put them in running water, and I'll be able to sense it," the paper bride's voice was filled with a sense of unease.

"Don't come here unless it's absolutely necessary!"

"Okay, sure!" I got rejected again.

After saying goodbye to the paper bride, Qin Jin and Alessa drove back. Just as they entered the canyon road, their cell phone rang. Qin Jin glanced at it and instantly frowned—

It was that troublemaker and unpredictable accident-maker again, Deputy Director Logan Miller.

Qin Jin answered the phone listlessly, looking utterly dejected. Sure enough, before he could even speak, Logan's booming voice rang out, making the car windows rattle.

"Well done, Qin! Frank just called me and raved about you! Five Elements Evil Arts? Good lad, you can't hide that from you. Just like your dad... Haha, keep it up! All that grassroots experience is bullshit. Solve a few big cases, and a promotion and raise will be just around the corner."

Qin Jin's lips twitched involuntarily. He'd rather die than think about a promotion and a raise. He just wanted to live a quiet, uneventful life, get Alessa's certificate sorted out...

Although he was internally ranting and raving, he could only offer vague and perfunctory responses aloud:

"Uncle Logan, you flatter me. I'm just lucky; I happen to know a little bit about it..."

"What luck? That's skill! It's genetics!"

Logan interrupted Qin Jin's self-deprecation, his tone shifting to one of unwavering certainty, as if he had already seen through Qin Jin's facade:

"Frank also said you don't want to work with those old foxes? Well, you're right! Those guys are always trying to steal credit, and you're too honest; you definitely can't compete with them. You just can't work with them!"

Hearing Logan's effusive praise, Qin Jin's heart skipped a beat, but before he could speak, Logan had already unveiled his new plan:

"Your Uncle Logan has taken care of this for you..."

"No!" Qin Jin almost cried out, "It really doesn't need to be resolved, Uncle Logan, please!"

"Why are you being so polite with me?"

On the phone, Logan took Qin Jin's pleas as mere politeness and continued without further explanation:

"Among this year's new recruits, there's another guy similar to you. That kid is extremely knowledgeable about Western supernatural beings! The Bible, demons, angels, evil gods... Although his approach is different from yours, you're similar—both are special talents! Don't worry, he'll definitely be a surprise!"

"No! No, Uncle Logan, listen to me..." Qin Jin was still trying to interject, but unfortunately, he couldn't get a word in edgewise.

"Listen to me!" Logan didn't give him a chance:

"I've taken that kid to the Homicide and Major Crimes Unit. We'll form a temporary team, with you two as the leaders! Let's solve this case first, and I'll figure out the rest..."

"Uncle Logan, this...this isn't quite appropriate, is it? After all, what about Supervisor Frank's side..."

"Why are you bothering with Frank? Our relationship means the same thing—alright, it's decided then. Do a good job, and don't embarrass me and your dad! Bye."

"Beep...beep...beep..."

The dial tone rang mercilessly. Qin Jin gripped his phone, suddenly realizing that impersonating his own son was a huge mistake, but what was even more egregious was that he had actually saved Logan back then…

"Damn it!" In the end, he could only mutter weakly.

Alissa, standing beside her, tilted her head, a rare hint of clear confusion showing in her gray-blue eyes.

"Troublesome?" she asked softly.

"A huge problem..." Qin Jin groaned.

"We haven't gotten rid of one problem yet, and now an even bigger one has appeared... Hey, hey, hey, not the kind of problem you're thinking of. Can you put the gun away, my little darling?"

The atmosphere at the Canyon Precinct's Homicide and Major Crimes Division was somewhat tense the following day.

As soon as Qin Jin stepped into the office, he was stopped by his supervisor, Frank.

"Qin, you've come at the perfect time!"

Frank remained as decisive and efficient as ever, but the way he looked at Qin Jin now clearly held a hint of camaraderie.

"I thought about it yesterday. Your approach is unique, but we can't abandon the original direction of the investigation. So, you'll investigate this case on your own. As for your partner—we've brought in a new recruit, just like you! We'll use the small conference room for the office. Go ahead, he's already here."

Will, standing next to him, also patted his chest and guaranteed:

"The boss is right! These kinds of things are best investigated separately to find clues faster than by grouping them together. Remember, you're still part of our team two. If you need support or information, just ask. This is, after all, a case for our team two!"

Qin Jin thanked him and walked towards the small conference room with the feeling of going to his execution.

Pushing open the door, a faint smell of dust wafted out. The room was small, containing only two tables, two chairs, a filing cabinet, and a simple storage cabinet.

A slightly thin man dressed in a casual suit was moving a table with his back to the door. Although his short brown hair had been washed, the strong smell of tobacco emanating from him was overwhelming.

That back view... why does it look so familiar?

Qin Jin's ominous premonition instantly amplified to its extreme. He cleared his throat:

"Hi! Hello, I'm Qin Jin."

The man turned around at the sound, and then time seemed to freeze. Qin Jin's eyes widened instantly, and he froze completely.

That face!

That face, marked by its signature weariness and sarcasm, always with a cigarette dangling from its lips, the face that changed a tire with Qin Jin, and the face that nearly suffocated to death by a paper doll!

"John...?!" Qin Jin's voice rose three octaves, a rare occurrence.

When the man—John Constantine—saw Qin Jin, a hint of obvious surprise flashed across his face, but it was quickly replaced by a wry smile!

He curled his lips into a familiar, slightly roguish smile, raised a finger to his lips, and made a shushing gesture.

"Sh-!"

He lowered his voice, walked quickly over, and closed the office door behind him, preventing any possible prying eyes from outside.

He leaned closer to Qin Jin, his eyes filled with a warning and a hint of helpless amusement, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Here, my friend, please call me Jack, Jack Travin. John Constantine... that's the name I use when I'm out there doing business, it's not really convenient here. You know, some... outside jobs require a different identity."

Looking at John's face, Qin Jin's lips twitched, and he murmured:

"So, this is the fucking surprise!"