American Zombie Detective

Then, the three quickly dealt with some of the tailings—

The blood-drained stag carcass was thrown off the cliff by Qin Jin and disappeared into the jagged rocks and dense bushes without a trace.

Qin Jin and Alessa washed the bloodstains off their hands and faces upstream. Alessa's small face returned to its porcelain white color after washing.

Finally, Qin Jin returned to the stable, knocked out a stag, tied it up, stuffed it into the trunk of his Dodge, and prepared to take it back to eat...

The waiting time wasn't long, but it certainly wasn't short either. By the time the sirens sounded, it was already completely light, nearly four hours had passed since the battle began.

Supervisor Frank personally led the team, with Group Two, Group Three, and the forensic team rushing over. Looking at the signs of battle outside the cabin, the lingering smell of sulfur, the burn marks, and the scattered remains of Chen Xue, everyone gasped in shock.

Qin Jin succinctly explained what had happened:

In an attempt to resurrect his deceased daughter, Chen Bonian used ancient Five Elements magic, which accidentally awakened a demon from hell. Ultimately, Chen Bonian was devoured by the demon, and Chen Xue self-destructed...

This is the "true situation" that Qin Jin emphasized. He said this only because he and Jack were "honest" and "unreserved" with their own people in the police force, and it was also the truth that the insiders needed to know.

However, his suggestion for the report was to write that Chen Bonian used a cult ritual to cause the explosion, which shattered his and Chen Xue's bodies. As for the paper doll killings, he claimed that it was all a smokescreen he designed, a fake illusion created using magic.

Frank and the others present, observing the bizarre phenomena scattered across the floor, knew very well that perhaps this was the best explanation for the entire case.

For ordinary people, it's better to remain unaware of many things.

In any case, the case is now resolved. Both the authorities and the public have a reasonable explanation, and the whole matter is finally over.

He sighed heavily and patted Qin Jin's shoulder forcefully:

"Good job, Qin! Well done! And you too, Travin!" He turned to Constantine, who was pointing out Luke's body to the forensic pathologist:

"Just do as you said, submit the report... tomorrow! Tomorrow! Today's the day off, you all go home and rest, I'll handle the situation on-site!"

Qin Jin reminded Frank of one last thing:

"Supervisor, this place... hmm, something's not right! I suggest..." He thought for a moment, then earnestly expressed his meaning:

"I suggest burning the wooden house down. It would be best to also get some cinnabar and lime and sprinkle it on top, otherwise, something else will happen here in the future."

He explained the situation regarding the cadaver farm, which Frank understood and agreed with:

"I understand what you mean, but burning it requires some procedures... But don't worry, I'll take care of it."

Qin Jin and Kang Shidanting started the Dodge to return, leaving only the second and third teams to inspect the site and carry out the final cleanup work.

About half an hour later, Frank's phone rang:

"Hello, Chief... what?"

During the phone call, Thomas Ihhar, the deputy commissioner of the Los Angeles Police Department and also the head of the Canyon Precinct, gave an immediate order:

"Protect the scene, take photos, keep things as they are, and have someone guard them—the FBI just called, they're sending someone from Washington to handle the tail end of this case, um, that special 'X Team'."

"When we first submitted the case, they ignored us, but now they're all showing up after we solve it?" Frank complained.

"Hey, Boss Thomas! You can't just agree to this so easily!"

"They're willing to offer 200,000 as a reward," Deputy Director Thomas didn't elaborate, only pointing out the key point:

"You can arrange how this money is distributed, okay?"

"Then there's no problem, I'll get right to it." Frank said with a laugh.

"These guys have finally shown some backbone for once!"

"Alright, get on with the arrangements. Their people will arrive tonight." He hung up the phone.

Frank immediately gathered everyone together, first announcing that there would be a large bonus this month, and then, amidst the cheers of the two groups, instructing everyone to leave the scene intact.

Team Two was kept on, since this was originally their case, and they needed to take photos and organize documents before the FBI took over, as materials for the subsequent case closure.

Will generously arranged for Thomson and Amy to drive off and get some pizza, fried chicken, drinks, and a charcoal grill to meet everyone's needs for the day, with the cost coming from the group's reserve fund.

The rest of the day was spent in a deliberately created relaxed atmosphere.

After all the work was finished in the afternoon, everyone started barbecuing in the open space next to the cabin, making harmless jokes, even next to the corpses—

There was actually only one and a half bodies here. Luke's body was intact, but Chen Xue's body was in pieces.

However, as the sun completely sank behind the mountain ridge, and the last ray of light was swallowed by the deep blue-black night, the atmosphere around us began to feel strange.

The generator in the cabin started up, and the extension cord lit two lamps. The pale light barely dispelled the nearby darkness, but in the pitch black of the distant mountains and forests, it seemed as if countless eyes were flashing.

"Hey, boss!" Detective Davis said casually, flipping the chicken wing skewers in his hand.

"There are so many animals here... I just saw a fox, and now wild dogs are here too... Are those crows or something on the roof?"

Will sipped his hot coffee and chuckled dismissively, "It's perfectly normal to have some animals in the mountains at night! Look at you, you've scared Amy!"

Everyone chuckled. Amy calmly stood up, picked up the leftover chicken bones, and threw them at the stray dog ​​not far away, then responded with a smile:

"Then Inspector Davis will be disappointed. I grew up on a farm; I've seen plenty of these things..."

The stray dog ​​sniffed warily, picked up the bone, and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Time passed second by second, the night grew deeper, and the mountain wind carried a biting chill.

Everyone wrapped themselves tightly in their coats or emergency blankets and sat around the fire. Somehow, silence spread, and the previous ease vanished.

A sense of oppression and inexplicable anxiety grew in the air.

Officer Thomson suddenly stood up, staring at the body bag in the distance, and shouted, "Hey, get out of here!" As he spoke, he had already picked up several stones.

The crowd looked in that direction and saw a black cat circling the body bag containing Chen Xue's dismembered remains, sniffing it repeatedly and even trying to pry it open with its paws.

Thomson rushed over quickly, the stone flew out and landed with a thud next to the black cat.

Startled, the black cat turned around abruptly, arching its back high, its fur bristling like a hedgehog's quills!

It let out a low, threatening growl from its throat, and its emerald green cat eyes gleamed fiercely under the light, staring intently at the approaching Thomson, its fangs bared, as if it were ready to pounce and tear him apart at any moment!

Thomson was startled by the wildcat's fierce appearance, and then threw the other two stones in his hand at it.

The black cat nimbly leaped to the side, the stone grazing its body as it flew past, then swiftly leaped over Luke's body bag, landing lightly on the other side, before darting into the deeper darkness without looking back and disappearing from sight.

Thomson watched the black cat disappear, then turned and walked back, grumbling...

suddenly!

"BOOM—!!!"

Without warning, a muffled clap of thunder boomed, seemingly right above everyone's heads, startling everyone!

Thomson was so startled he almost fell. Still shaken, he patted his chest, cursing the awful weather, and walked back to the crowd to sit down, trying to appear calm.

"What the hell! It's not raining, yet it's thundering..."

Everyone was startled by the rumble of thunder and looked up at the sky, where there were hardly any stars. They complained about the sudden change in weather and teased Thomson for his haste. He tried his best to defend himself, and the air was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

However, no one noticed that at the very instant that deafening rumble of thunder sounded, Luke's body bag suddenly sank slightly, then strangely bulged out, then sank again, then bulged out again...

As the black cat leaped over, the contents of the body bag seemed to begin to breathe faintly!