American Zombie Detective

After Johnny scrambled away, Qin Jin took Alessa out of the Blood Moon Bar and plunged into the labyrinthine Chinatown of San Jose and San Francisco.

He bought all sorts of strange things—

Wigs, trench coats, and sunglasses in different colors; fish glue made from fish bones; stage makeup; silicone fillers; and even some flour and watercolors...

Selena looked at the pile of junk that Qin Jin had bought back, her eyes filled with confusion. She didn't understand what Qin Jin needed these things for, and only knew that this guy was plotting something strange again.

However, she didn't say much, but quietly observed Qin Jin and Alessa's reactions.

Although they had been in contact for quite some time, Selena still didn't know what they were. Demons? Hybrids? Otherworldly beings? Fallen angels? ...

Aresa was somewhat alright, with a lingering aura of evil, but Qin Jin's scent was almost nonexistent, completely undetectable!

However, after observing for most of the day, Selena still found nothing.

Around 7 PM, Johnny the Gecko returned to the Blood Moon Bar, his face pale. He was then taken to a motel, where he pulled out a USB drive hidden in his shoe, his eyes pleading.

"B-Boss! This is all I could find... The police and the dark web don't have it... I spent a fortune to get this..."

Qin Jin inserted the USB drive into the hotel computer. The contents were indeed limited, but they contained clues unknown to outsiders:

Photos of the ghost in his youth, police summaries and conclusions about the cases he committed, surveillance video screenshots of the ghost from other cases, and a list of the ghost's possible relatives and early associates...

"That's all?" Selena glanced at the screen, looking at Qin Jin with disappointment and doubt.

"With these things, it's difficult for us to find anyone. We can only send people to the black market in San Francisco to see if there are any fortune tellers there. That might be a try..."

"No need!" Qin Jin's lips slowly curved into a strange smile as he spoke to Johnny and Alessa instead.

"Wait."

Qin Jin carefully studied several photos of the ghost from his youth, especially the relatively clearest half-length portrait, observing his detailed contours. Then he returned to the bathroom, faced the mirror, and began creating with the pile of junk he had bought that morning.

Selena was initially confused, but when she saw Qin Jin's fingers skillfully applying, kneading, and pasting the fish glue mixed with oil paint to cover and shape her face, gradually changing the contours of her cheekbones, the lines of her jaw, and the shape of her nose...

As a blurry outline with a certain quality began to appear, she suddenly realized what Qin Jin was about to do!

Her eyes widened instantly, filled with disbelief and astonishment!

Qin Jin did not attempt to completely copy the photograph—that was absolutely impossible!

However, he captured the spirit and several key features of the young ghost in the photograph:

His face was slightly thin, with prominent cheekbones, tightly pursed thin lips, and the outline of his eyes, which conveyed a sense of gloom and numbness that could be felt even through the photos.

He used a wig to create a similar hairstyle and hairline, and cleverly used glasses to modify his eyes.

More than half an hour later, when Qin Jin turned around again, Selena and Johnny both gasped!

He was a stranger who was around thirty years old, with a cold face and eyes that were somewhat sinister and tired. He looked remarkably similar to the young ghost!

Especially his aura, although different from that of the young Ghost, is more in line with his current identity as an assassin!

Qin Jin adjusted the collar of his trench coat in front of the mirror, revealing a stiff smile befitting an assassin:

"Why bother looking for him? Since no one else can find him, why don't I just impersonate him? Once this news gets out, the Tong family will naturally follow!"

Looking at Qin Jin's feigned coldness and then at the familiar cunning glint in his eyes, Selena felt a chill mixed with intense apprehension rise from the bottom of her heart.

It turns out that my self-righteous understanding was actually far from the other person's true plan. This person's wisdom and insight into human nature were simply like a devil!

"A madman... a genius madman," Selena murmured, her voice filled with shock and apprehension.

"As long as it works, that's fine."

Qin Jin shrugged indifferently, reverting to his lazy nature, but at this moment, he appeared particularly strange under his disguise.

"Johnny, now it's your job! I told you, I'd make you enough money!"

Johnny shuddered:

"You...you say it!"

"Now, immediately, go outside for some fresh air. Tell them that you, Johnny Gecko, have top-secret, exclusive information about the assassin Ghost. With the information, you're guaranteed to find Ghost's whereabouts. The price... let's set it at $3000 per document, cash only!"

"...$3000 a serving?!" Johnny's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, then a wave of immense fear washed over him.

"This...this is too expensive! And this kind of fake information..."

"No, it's definitely not fake!" Qin Jin interrupted him:

"You just need to lure them over, take the money, and I'll show up and kidnap them—tell me, wouldn't that count as finding a ghost? You weren't lying!"

Johnny was completely stunned by Qin Jin's plan, but thinking about what he had witnessed that morning, and considering the immense temptation of becoming a vampire, he finally decided to take a gamble while he was still human:

"So, where exactly? I'll arrange for them to come over directly!"

Qin Jin looked at Selena, who rubbed her temples, completely stunned by Qin Jin's series of actions. It seemed he wasn't just planning to kidnap her, but also to make a quick buck.

"Isn't this commotion a bit too loud...?"

"I'm just killing time anyway, might as well do it!" Qin Jin spread his hands, his smile revealing a shrewd, mercenary air.

"Don't worry, I'll give you a commission!"

Now Selena understands. Although Qin Jin said it was just a side project, he definitely had his own plans and intentions. Behind the seemingly ordinary money-making scheme lies a deeper meaning!

So Selena thought about it:

"Coming from San Francisco, near San Jose, there's an abandoned 'Jenny's Dad' restaurant on the side of the road. It's still basically usable."

Johnny nodded emphatically and left the motel to go for a walk. Qin Jin, along with Alessa and Selena, arrived at the abandoned restaurant and began preparations.

As night deepens, the underworld of San Francisco is stirred by the news released by Johnny the Gecko.

Information that guarantees finding the ghost's whereabouts, 3000 per document!

The price was outrageously high, but it also highlighted its value and scarcity. Various gangs, thugs, bounty hunters, private investigators, and more contacted Johnny, hoping to get a piece of the pie!

Following Qin Jin's instructions, Johnny ordered everyone to carry only cash and set off from San Francisco towards San Jose. Three kilometers from the restaurant, after Alessa confirmed the license plate and the number of people, she relayed this information via walkie-talkie before Johnny would reveal the exact transaction location. Then…

Everyone who came to the restaurant with cash was terrified when they handed the money to Johnny and what they saw made them instantly lose their minds!

From the shadows of the abandoned restaurant, the "Ghost," dressed in a dark trench coat, with a cold expression and holding a long sniper rifle, slowly walked out, looking exactly like the legends!

His emotionless gaze swept across the room, exuding murderous intent, while beside him stood a tall woman in a leather jacket, radiating an equally cold and terrifying aura!

"Get down! Hands behind your head! Or we'll shoot!"

The buyers reacted in various ways: some were paralyzed with fear, some tried to resist, and some even knelt down and begged for mercy. But all of them were simultaneously hurling insults at Johnny.

Johnny spread his hands, looking at them with innocent eyes, his voice full of grievance:

"Our deal was for you to spend $3000 to find the ghost. Did I deliver? Huh? Answer me! It's your own fault for not being able to handle him. What does it have to do with me?!"

Except for a few who were shot by Qin Jin for resisting or had their hands cut off by Selena, everyone else was tied up and stuffed into the restaurant's abandoned storage room, all of them tied to water pipes.

This absurd yet efficient double-cross continued until 3 a.m. When the last buyer was dealt with, Qin Jin roughly calculated that he had cheated 24 groups of people, earning a total of $72000!

Qin Jin patted the bag of money in his hand, "It's hard-earned money, not easy to come by!" He looked very satisfied.

Just then, Johnny's phone rang, and a cold Chinese accent came from the other end:

"Gecko Johnny? I'm Tong Shouyi. I heard you can find people? I'll pay 50,000 to send the information over!"

The third generation of the Tong family, the son of Tong Zhenhai, and also the rumored heir of the Wusheng Hall, is in charge of this hunt for the ghost.