American Zombie Detective

I received a call from Johnny halfway up the mountain. This guy's luck is just unbelievably good!

He didn't notice the figure waving from the hillside and rushed straight past, just as the roadblocks were being removed when he passed Saint Simon...

So, Johnny the Gecko arrived in Los Angeles without any major incidents and has now begun his journey to make a living, while also making a call to Qin Jin.

It's a bit like a newcomer making an introduction to the authorities!

Qin Jin had a high opinion of this kind of lucky guy, so he didn't reveal his identity as a police officer for the time being. He only said that he would contact him when he got back, and that he would calm Johnny down for the time being.

After hanging up the phone, Qin Jin arrived at the ravine. Most of the corpses had turned to ashes, with only a few scattered fires still burning.

"Qin, what's the next step?" Sheriff Harvey wiped the sweat from his brow and walked towards Qin Jin.

"That remaining guy is probably beyond your capabilities. My sister and I will go," Qin Jin said methodically, glancing at the tightly bound Tong family members.

"Take your men back and imprison them, and have them guarded. Have Uncle Karl lead the others to search in reverse along the path of their escape, following the trail of corpses and bloodstains. There are many corpses killed by the zombie bears along the way; pile them all up and burn them all the way to that big rock to ensure there are no future troubles."

Sheriff Harvey nodded solemnly: "Understood! I'll handle it."

Uncle Karl's expression hardened, and he immediately nodded: "Understood! Keep a close eye on them!"

Soon, the group split into two. Sheriff Harvey led his men, escorting the Tong family members, whose faces were ashen and whose eyes were filled with resentment and fear, as they stumbled and trudged down the mountain toward the town.

Uncle Karl, along with his elite hunters, armed with axes, machetes, and wire, began the ruthless cleanup operation along the bloody path ravaged by the carnage bear.

In the flickering firelight of the mountain valley, only Qin Jin and Alessa remained, along with the acrid smell of burning in the air and the embers on the ground that were about to go out.

"Alright, now it's time to deal with the real trouble."

The two immediately began a thorough search of the mountain hollow, with Qin Jin and Alessa putting their sense of smell to the extreme!

However, because Luke had been active in this area for so long, it was permeated with his lingering presence. There were many clues, but they often disappeared into the wind or circled back after a short time.

Time passed slowly, starting around 11 a.m. and continuing until dusk, almost every hilltop in the surrounding area had been searched.

Several times they tracked it to a crevice or a pool of water in a depression, thinking they had found it, only to discover that it was just a trace of its brief stay, and that the zombie Luke was not there at all.

The afterglow of the setting sun gilded the edges of the mountains and forests with a golden-red hue, and also lengthened the silent shadows of the two people.

Qin Jin frowned slightly. This newborn zombie shouldn't theoretically have such high intelligence; how could it evade his and Alessa's pursuit? Could it be...?

Qin Jin began to reflect, wondering if he had overlooked something!

Just as he was pondering, Alessa, who had been silent all along, suddenly looked up at him:

"Qin! Could it have gone back?"

This simple question was like a lightning bolt that cleaved through the fog in Qin Jin's mind!

Yes, he did overlook one place, which is the outlet of the underground river!

It's highly likely that Zombie Luke found this place after repeatedly searching through the underground river. So, after it drank the blood of its parents, it may have returned to the underground river, quietly waiting for the blood to be absorbed by itself and for it to be reborn!

During the FBI's manhunt, the underground river was the place it felt safest, and where it also had a way to escape!

"An underground river!" Qin Jin's eyes flashed with a sharp light. "It likely escaped along the underground river! We've been going the wrong way!"

Without further hesitation, the two immediately changed direction and ran down the ravine where they had previously discovered a large number of zombie animal carcasses.

There is a stream there that flows into the Pacific Ocean; the water is icy cold and clearly springs from underground.

They went upstream along the stream.

Sure enough, the further upstream they went, the more turbulent the current became, and the narrower the river channel became. On both sides were rock walls covered with slippery moss, and the water vapor and the smell of decaying vegetation in the air almost masked the stench of the zombies.

After walking for about a kilometer, a deep cave appeared ahead, with an underground river gushing out from inside, carrying with it the cold, damp air from below.

"This is it!" Qin Jin entered the cave without hesitation.

The light inside the cave suddenly dimmed, with only a faint ray of sunlight filtering in from the entrance.

The roar of the water echoed deafeningly in the narrow passage. The cave walls were slippery and cold, covered with thick moss and lichen, but the edges were dotted with stalactites and stalagmites.

There were clear claw marks and stomping marks on it, and although it had been washed away by the turbulent river, the faint fishy smell could not be dispelled.

Qin Jin immediately followed these traces deeper. After several hundred meters, the sound of the flowing water seemed to be blocked by the rock wall in front of him, becoming somewhat muffled.

They arrived at a relatively open cave space, which resembled a huge cave hall, with many stalactites hanging from the ceiling and wet pebbles and pools of water on the ground.

Bubbles churned continuously from the pool below, clearly indicating a connection to the depths of an underground river, and the stench of decay permeated the entire area.

The fishy stench became exceptionally strong here, almost solidifying into a tangible substance.

Qin Jin and Alessa stopped to listen, and soon discovered a rustling sound behind a stalactite, accompanied by chewing and sucking sounds!

found it!

Qin Jin gestured to Alessa. The two separated like ghosts, silently flanking the massive rock from both sides, clinging to the cold rock face.

After bypassing the obstruction of the rocks, the scene before them confirmed their judgment.

Deep inside the cave, in a relatively dry recess near the cave wall, a figure was curled up with his back to them.

Its clothes were already tattered, revealing skin that was bluish-black and covered with livid spots. It was still holding a dead bat in its hand, sucking on it desperately. The ground was littered with the corpses of bats.

Seemingly sensing something approaching, or perhaps it was the aura emanating from Qin Jin and Alessa that made it instinctively feel fear, the zombie abruptly stopped its biting motion and stiffly turned its head.

Sure enough, it was Luke Lee, the jumping corpse Qin Jin was looking for!

"roar--!"

The moment Luke saw Qin Jin and Alessa, it let out a low growl filled with threat and fear. It stiffly stood up and leaped more than ten feet toward Alessa!

Qin Jin was closer to it, but it chose Alessa, who was farther away... This thing has already developed rudimentary intelligence and can even distinguish the strength of its enemies!

Unfortunately, even zombies can't avoid judging people by their appearance!

Just as he landed, before his second jump had even left the ground, Alessa's Gru Red Eagle fired!

boom!

The deafening gunshot echoed through the enclosed cave. The bullet pierced Luke's leg, severing it completely, so the guy crashed heavily to the ground as soon as he jumped up.

Following...

Boom!Boom!

After a few clean and swift shots, his two legs and one arm were immediately broken, and he fell to the ground. Although he tried his best to get up, Qin Jin, who had followed up, cut off his last arm with a single stroke!

Having lost both arms, Luke lay sprawled on the cold, damp ground like a lump of mud, thick black blood flowing from the severed wounds.

It writhed in vain, making a hoarse, bellowing sound in its throat as it tried to retreat, but only managed to rub against the rock wall in vain.

Just as Qin Jin was about to chop off its head, Luke's throat made a booming sound, like rusty metal scraping together.

"Spare me...spare me...I want...I want to live..."

Qin Jin paused slightly.

He looked at the mangled, twisted, and foul-smelling monster on the ground. It had indeed gained some intelligence; it was no longer just a pure beast.

But this low intelligence only taught it to beg for mercy in the face of absolute power.

Qin Jin's gaze remained unwavering as he looked down at Luke, his voice clearly drowning out the sound of the flowing water:

"Want to live?"

"You're in this pathetic state only because you can't beat me."

"You begged to live, but when you ripped open your parents' throats and sucked their blood dry, did you ever ask them if they wanted to live?"

"Deep down, you are a cruel, bloodthirsty monster, only knowing how to kill and evolve! Your very existence is a threat to other life!"

"so……"

Qin Jin's blade moved forward slightly, and the cold metallic touch sent a desperate shiver down Luke's remaining consciousness.

"You can only die."

The moment the words left his mouth, the kukri transformed into a merciless, cold glint!

"Snap—!"

The sharp blade severed Luke Qing's black neck without any resistance.

The headless corpse twitched violently a few times, then remained completely still.

Qin Jin expressionlessly shook off the bloodstains on his blade, sheathed it, and Alessa put down her Super Red Eagle and picked up her teddy bear again, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with her.

After dragging the body out of the cave and setting it on fire, burning it completely to ashes, Qin Jin finally breathed a sigh of relief...

Just then, a sudden gunshot rang out from the direction of the town of Saint Simon, carried by the night wind to Qin Jin and Alessa's ears!