American Zombie Detective

Johnny?

Qin Jin raised an eyebrow: "Give him the phone."

There was static on the other end of the phone, followed by Johnny's signature impatient, booming voice, now tinged with excitement:

"Boss?! Oh my god, it really is you! Boss... your identity... that detective didn't lie to me? I... this is amazing..."

Johnny's voice rose eight octaves with excitement and shock; clearly, he found the fusion of Qin Jin's vampire identity and detective profession unbelievable.

"Stop talking nonsense and get down to business!" Qin Jin interrupted him leisurely.

"Oh, right, right! It's important! Boss, I've made some progress on what you asked me to find out!"

Johnny lowered his voice and spoke quickly: "I spent a couple of days hanging out in the Southeast Asian foreigners' circle, drinking and eating snails. Last night, someone was bragging that he knew the old woman on Pine Forest Street killed people to try and create a 'corruption spell,' and then some people started arguing that a guy named Monza had said he knew about the old woman..."

"After the drinking session ended, I gave him $10, found out where Monza lived, and spent another $200 to get there before that guy finally told the truth..."

"The Monza family has been delivering food to the old woman for the past few years. The more they go, the more they see her. He said that once the old woman asked him to move some things inside, and he saw a book on the table that was about the Seven Corpses Transferring Souls..."

Johnny tried to recall: "He said this spell required seven people, using some kind of organ from them to descend into one of their bodies... In the end, it seemed like the soul could come back to life from their bodies or something... Anyway, something like that..."

"That Monza guy also said," Johnny mimicked his tone, "that thing called black magic, we all know a little bit about it! Just like the Chinese, what's this about Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, doesn't everyone know a little bit about that?"

A thought flashed through Qin Jin's mind: according to Johnny, then... many things could be reasonably explained, and everything became logical!

That sorcerer, Zhan Mapeng, knew his days were numbered; he was in the late stages of uremia!

She orchestrated this evil ritual to use a young girl who had been tormented to death by a vengeful ghost as a sacrifice and vessel, so that her own vengeful ghost could eventually invade the girl's body and complete her reincarnation!

He killed people to get the freshest and most beautiful hair;

The purpose of hair cutting is to cast a curse on these people and to select a suitable target for the ritual.

The purpose of cutting hair from one's own head is to mix it with the target's hair so that one's soul can enter the target's body...

All of this is clear, but why did she abandon the final sacrifice? What was the reason the six girls lived? And what about the seventh girl?

"Boss! Boss, are you still listening?" Johnny's voice pulled Qin Jin back from his thoughts.

"Yes. You did a good job, Johnny," Qin Jin said in a deep voice, but the doubts in his heart had not completely dissipated.

"...Why were only six found? The ritual requires seven people."

He looked at Constanze, Catherine, and Alessa beside him, his gaze questioning.

"Could she have succeeded?" Catherine wondered. "She successfully took over the body of the seventh girl and escaped?"

That's one line of thought, and if you really want to explain it, it's not entirely without merit...

But Constantine shook his head, dismissing the guess:

"Organs! The girl's organs are all there; they haven't been removed, so it's highly likely that the spell hasn't even begun!"

He hit the nail on the head right away—

The organs are still there, so the decline hasn't started yet. There are only six people here, so...?

"Not enough people!" Alessa, who had been quiet all along, suddenly spoke up. "There's an error. We don't have enough people to descend, so..."

She looked at Qin Jin with her grey-blue eyes, her voice still calm:

"She wanted to capture Catherine, and after failing, she wanted us to send her back!"

"Send it back, send it back? Could it be—"

A thought flashed through Qin Jin's mind, and he instantly realized a crucial point:

"There's a seventh person in Los Angeles! This person is either a friend of Amy and the others, or a friend of the other three girls. She didn't come, so..."

At this point, Qin Jin paused, realizing a problem with his own words. Quickly, under the watchful eyes of Constanze and Catherine, he reorganized his thoughts and then asserted firmly:

"The seventh person is Amy's friend! Because Amy and her friends are the ones who came here as tourists; the girl behind them must have been kidnapped!"

Catherine immediately understood the basis of Qin Jin's speculation: Amy and her group, who had chosen this location, had obviously arrived first!

This explains why Zhan Mapeng was so enraged that he destroyed the black magic altar!

"Jack, call Ryan and ask if he knows anyone else who was planning to come here but didn't. She also got her hair done!"

After Qin Jin finished speaking, Constanze immediately dialed Ryan's number.

He then turned around, ready to say a few words, but Johnny started yelling urgently:

"What's wrong with you now?" Qin Jin asked impatiently.

Johnny's voice was filled with fear:

"Boss! I... I had a reason I was in such a hurry to get to the police station! I... I got what you asked me to do and came out... Guess who I saw?!"

He practically screamed it out:

"Tong Shouzhong!! He's with men! They've come to Los Angeles, boss! If they can't find the ghost, they'll definitely target me, boss!"

Qin Jin instantly realized why Johnny was locked up for assaulting a police officer—the Tong family had arrived!

That's why he chose to be locked up in the Canyon Precinct jail, voluntarily applying to stay in jail to ensure his safety.

"Okay, I understand. I'll have the officers from the precinct come and take you back right away." Considering how much Johnny had helped, Qin Jin was willing to protect him this time.

"I'll arrange a private room for you, and provide you with good food and drinks. I'll release you when I get back."

After Johnny thanked him, Qin Jin hung up the phone and then dialed the duty room of the Canyon branch, asking someone to bring Johnny back and keep him under separate guard.

By this time, Constance Dante had finished his call. Unfortunately, when Amy and the others were getting their hair done, Ryan had already decided not to go to the holiday home, so he didn't care much about it and didn't know who else was going or who had gotten their hair done. However, he said he could help find out.

After making the call, Qin Jin had no time to waste. He immediately told everyone to pack their bags and set off that very night, hoping to return to Los Angeles in time...

After getting in the car, Alessa asked him somewhat strangely:

"Why the rush? Going back later won't make a difference, will it?"

Qin Jin understood what she meant. What Alessa was saying was that it didn't matter whether they went back sooner or later, as they were going to find and kill the sorcerer Zhan Mapeng anyway. The initial mission had already been completed and the money had been obtained. Whether those girls lived or died didn't really matter. Why be in such a hurry?

Then, Alessa saw a lazy, casual smile on Qin Jin's face, and he said lightly:

"You're right. Once we figure out what happened, I'll be fine. It's not like we absolutely have to kill Zhan Mapeng. As for the six girls, their fate is in the hands of fate; it's not really our concern. But we still don't have enough money to buy a house—"

Seeing Alessa's confused look, Qin Jin calmly said:

"I think if we go back and happen to encounter the second wave of the flood in Jama Phong, and something else happens, then there's a good chance that Amy's dad, that Congressman Michael, will... get more money!"

"That should be enough money for us to buy the house!"