American Zombie Detective

Soon, Selena arrived as promised and entered the hotel room. Without even glancing at Alessa sitting on the bed, she went straight to Qin Jin and reached out her hand:

"thing!"

Qin Jin, unusually, didn't waste any words and simply tossed the scroll over, saying, "Here! Check it yourself. I'm known for being honest and trustworthy."

Selena caught it, checked it inside and out, and only after confirming that everything was intact did she breathe a sigh of relief and carefully put the scroll away.

"What's its origin?"

Qin Jin briefly explained the origin of the scroll, and Selena finally understood the reason for the phone call that afternoon. She remained silent for a few seconds:

"Regarding the scroll, I'll inquire with the other elders to see if they know anything about it!"

After saying this, she reiterated her position without hesitation: "I can help you kidnap someone, but only for myself. Our tribesmen will at most help with some investigation; we won't take any action."

"As long as you can help investigate the situation, that's fine," Qin Jin said, spreading his hands and shrugging indifferently.

"The Tong family of Wushengtang, do you see if any of your clansmen or blood servants know anything about their affairs? Tell them first."

Selena hadn't expected Qin Jin's request to come so quickly. She took a deep breath, regretting her earlier rashness, and pulled out her phone to make the call. After hanging up, she sat down by the window.

"Wait."

The wait was quite long. Selena wiped her longsword with silk and velvet, while Qin Jin and Alessa snuggled together watching the soap opera "General Hospital," completely absorbed in the story.

About forty minutes later, there was another knock on the hotel room door.

A man with tattoos on his arm, a headband, and a conspicuous studded belt on his jeans appeared outside the door; he was clearly a street thug, but his face was full of subservience as he entered the room.

This is a typical blood servant, a henchman kept by vampires among humans.

"My lord, I roughly know the information you requested," the vampire thug bowed, his voice laced with obsequiousness.

"In the Tong family of Wushengtang, there is one elder from the previous generation, Tong Kaihu. The current head of the family has three brothers of the 'Zhen' generation. There are seven living members of the 'Shou' generation. Below that, there are about ten or eleven members of the 'Ji' generation. The oldest is 19 years old and the youngest is 3 years old..."

Qin Jin had already seen this information in the police database, and he waved his hand dismissively:

"We know all that. To put it bluntly, what recent events in San Francisco are related to Wushengtang?"

Qin Jin meant to check if anything had happened recently, to figure things out before making any further decisions. If they could use these events to stir up some trouble, wouldn't that be twice as effective?

"Oh, and most importantly, the brother of our leader, Tong Zhenhai, was killed the day before yesterday. A sniper rifle, right in front of his own laundry shop—very professionally executed… Rumors are circulating that it was a hitman hired by the Mexican gang, but who it is remains unclear!"

Qin Jin hummed in agreement; this was indeed interesting. "Tell me more about it."

"The killer is said to be 'Ghost,' an assassin from the dark web. The Tong family has now offered a reward of 50 for bringing him to justice, 20 for providing clues leading to his capture, and 2 to 5 for any other valid clues. The Tong family has declared that they will spare no effort to find him, and the whole of San Francisco has gone crazy."

"A ghost? Is that confirmed? Do you have any information about him?"

The servant glanced at Qin Jin, then quickly lowered his head:

"Sir, regarding the ghost matter... none of us have paid attention to it, so we're not entirely clear on it. If needed... I'll investigate immediately, though it might take a few days..."

"Wait a few days?" Qin Jin thought for a moment, then nodded. "Then let's investigate first. I'll go check it out myself too—by the way, has the Tong family set up a mourning hall? Where is it?"

"The Tong family now has a large group of people guarding Songhe Garden, which is located just outside the city, every day."

Selena looked at him coldly:

"You want to take action in the funeral hall? Fine, find a night, make sure the people you want are there, and I'll help you tie them up and bring them out."

Qin Jin ignored her suggestion and waved to the servant, "Alright, I understand, you can go back now."

The servants, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, bowed deeply to Selena before carefully retreating.

Selena put away the scroll and said coldly:

"Think it over carefully, decide what to do, and then tell me."

After saying that, she didn't linger. She turned around and strode out of the room, as if staying even a second longer would bring more trouble.

The next morning, the weather was gloomy, adding to the somber and sorrowful atmosphere of the funeral.

Outside Songheyuan Cemetery, all kinds of black luxury cars were parked, and men and women dressed in black suits or plain clothes came and went in an endless stream, most of them with solemn faces and a look of grief.

Qin Jin, with Alessa by his side, blended into the crowd of onlookers a little further away, like two inconspicuous shadows.

Aresa hugged her teddy bear, oblivious to the sadness and tension that permeated the air.

Qin Jin scanned the faces, whether genuine or feigned grief, and the gang members who were clearly scanning their surroundings with suspicion, searching for a suitable person...

Suddenly, a figure caught Qin Jin's attention.

He was a short, mixed-race man, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, wearing an ill-fitting, cheap black suit, which made him stand out among the group of Tong family members and guests, some of whom were burly and others solemn.

He moved like a slippery eel, weaving in and out of the crowd, his face plastered with an almost fawning smile. He bowed and scraped to everyone he met, eagerly offering cigarettes and smiling obsequiously.

The people around him, especially those who were clearly gang thugs, were extremely cold and even disgusted with him.

Some people waved him away like a fly, while others made no attempt to hide their contempt.

But the short man seemed unconcerned. After hitting a wall, he immediately turned to the next target, his smile still bright, but a hint of anxiety and cunning lurked deep in his eyes.

Qin Jin subtly approached the middle-aged Chinese man beside him, offered him a cigarette, and asked in a casual tone:

"Hey friend, that kid pacing around doesn't look familiar! Is he also from the Tong family?"

The man in the jacket took the cigarette, curled his lip in disdain, and said:

"Him? Pshaw! Someone like him doesn't even deserve it! That's Gecko Johnny, some kind of mixed-race guy, Johnny Lee, I think? Who knows! Just a third-rate information broker making a living on the streets of San Francisco, can't fight him, doesn't dare kill him, cowardly as a mouse, all he does is scramble for gossip to sell for money. He's trying to take advantage of the Tong family's funeral to see if he can squeeze some money out of them or hook up with someone. Look at him, who would respect him?"

"Oh, Johnny Gecko... an information broker..." Qin Jin nodded, a look of realization on his face. "Thanks."

Qin Jin and Alessa quietly observed from a distance. When Gecko Johnny finally left and reached an intersection, Qin Jin drove his Dodge to block his way.

"Get in the car, Johnny, let's talk business."

Johnny looked at Qin Jin warily, then glanced at the little girl in the passenger seat who was clutching a stuffed animal and had a blank expression. He instinctively sensed something was wrong and forced a professional, fake smile.

"Huh? Boss, you've mistaken me for someone else. My name isn't Johnny..."

Qin Jin's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes sharpened: "Get in the car. This is a big deal; are you sure you want to miss it?"

Johnny's eyes darted around as he continued to back away with a forced smile.

"Boss, I'm so sorry, you've got the wrong person! I'll treat you to coffee another day..." He turned around and tried to slip away.

Just then, the back door opened, and Alessa nimbly jumped in front of Johnny. Without saying a word, she simply raised her right hand and pointed her massive Gru Super Red Eagle directly at Johnny's body.

Johnny's fake smile froze, and cold sweat poured out of his face.

He looked at the weapon, which was bigger than his palm, and then at the emotionless gray-blue eyes of the little girl holding the gun. A chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

He chuckled twice, trying to ease the tension:

"Hey...hey, little angel, this isn't a toy, it's dangerous. Put it down quickly, and Uncle will buy you candy..."

Before the words were even finished!

Alessa moved! Not by firing a gun, but by taking a lightning-fast step forward, her small left fist, with a force beyond her physique, precisely striking his abdomen!

"Awooo—!!!"

Johnny let out a piercing scream, like a chicken being choked. His body suddenly arched into a shrimp-like shape. The intense nausea and suffocation made him lose all his strength in an instant. He collapsed to his knees in agony, drooling uncontrollably.

Alessa withdrew her fist and raised the enormous revolver again, this time pressing the cold muzzle directly against Johnny's tear-streaked forehead.

Her voice was flat and emotionless, yet it carried a chilling coldness that could freeze one to the bone.

"Get on the bus, or die."

Johnny shuddered; the excruciating pain and extreme fear completely shattered his last shred of hope.

He could clearly feel the hard, cold metal pressing against his skull, and he could also clearly read the murderous intent in the little girl's eyes, which was by no means a joke.

He had no doubt that if he made another unnecessary sound, his head would explode like a rotten watermelon in the next instant.

"Get in! Get in..." Johnny struggled to his feet and crawled into the back of the Dodge. Alessa holstered her gun and smoothly sat down beside him.

Although her gaze wasn't on him, Johnny had no doubt that if he made the slightest move, this girl could blow his head off in the car!

The Dodge turned the car around and started driving toward the Blood Moon Bar in San Jose.