American Zombie Detective

The boss leaned closer, his eyes showing a mixture of probing and shrewdness:

"If you need fresh chicken blood, chicken giblets, etc..." He rubbed his fingers together, his buck teeth protruding from his lips:

"I can do it for you directly, just $3 a set, guaranteed clean and fresh, much more convenient than doing it yourself, how about it?"

This is such a pleasant surprise!

Qin Jin's eyes lit up; this was much better than the hasty meal he had expected!

He immediately flashed a knowing smile:

"That would be great! You know, we really like this kind of stuff!"

The buck-toothed boss chuckled and handed over his business card: "Next time you call, ten or eight sets at a time is no problem. Just tell me how you need it done."

"Thank you in advance!" Qin Jin put away the business card that read "Zhou's Fresh Poultry" and waved goodbye to Boss Zhou.

He drove to the end of the street and waited for about five minutes. A teenager rode over on a bicycle and handed him a black plastic bag through the window.

The two immediately drove back. Just as they left the streets near the community and were turning, Alessa suddenly reached out and pointed into the distance:

"That, the mark."

"What?" Qin Jin instinctively slammed on the brakes, slowly veering the car towards the side of the road. "What marking?"

Alessa drew a circle on the dashboard, then precisely made several horizontal and vertical lines inside it, and labeled the rest with letters.

Qin Jin immediately recognized the mark; it was... the logo on the backpack of the deceased from yesterday!

They're here?

Qin Jin didn't go over immediately. Instead, he stopped the car and started analyzing the situation for Alessa, counting on his fingers:

"Tell me, is it still necessary for us to investigate now?" He began to raise each finger one by one, arguing:

"First, we don't need bounties; I have plenty saved up. Second, with Logan, the background check shouldn't be a problem. Third, this thing is indeed a bit dangerous and strange, you tell me..."

Aresa stared at Qin Jin with her porcelain-white face, expressionless, but clearly enunciating each word of the Chinese phrase, instantly causing Qin Jin to surrender:

"Qin, since we're already here..."

Holy crap! Where did they learn that?

Qin Jin stared at Alessa in disbelief, never expecting that she would have such a hidden skill.

After thinking for a while, Qin Jin suddenly remembered that Alessa seemed to have recently been on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), so maybe...

Forget it, let's go take a look. Anyway, Qin Jin is actually quite interested in this matter. After all, not everyone can encounter an Eastern mystery in America. To say that he's not tempted would be a lie.

He looked around and immediately drove in the direction indicated. However, when he passed through a seemingly deserted alley, Dodge turned in and found a shop with its door locked and covered in thick dust. He was carrying a black plastic bag in his left hand and then took a suitcase out of the trunk.

Aresa quickly got out of the car and took out another box from the trunk.

Upon entering the shop, Qin Jin took out a stainless steel basin and a small knife, deftly grabbed a chicken, and nimbly plucked a small patch of downy feathers from its neck.

With a flash of the blade, the blood vessel was cleanly and efficiently cut open.

Warm, dark red blood with a strong, rusty smell gushed out and flowed into the steel basin below, and the chicken's struggles quickly weakened.

Aresa's throat bobbed uncontrollably.

Qin Jin followed the same method and quickly finished processing the four chickens, filling two basins with warm, fresh chicken blood.

Alessa opened her box, took out two glass straws, and the two immediately submerged the straws in the basin and began to suck.

Fresh chicken blood enters the mouth, the warm liquid slides down the throat, the strong fishy smell still lingers, but the vitality it contains brings a strange sense of satisfaction.

The taste is not exactly delicious; it's more like a rough but substantial food. In human terms, it's like a cold steamed bun soaked in boiling water.

However, it tastes infinitely better than the frozen beef blood in the refrigerator that smells of medicine and rust.

He let out a long sigh of relief, feeling the gradually intensifying hunger begin to subside rapidly.

Aresa's face remained expressionless, but her furrowed brows had noticeably relaxed; fresh blood was also essential for her survival.

Soon, the basin of blood was emptied.

Neither of them spoke; a faint smell of blood and an eerie stillness filled the air.

Having solved the most basic survival needs, my tense nerves relaxed a bit.

Qin Jin stood up, threw some discarded items into a garbage bag, and carefully cleaned up the bloodstains at the scene.

He took a small bottle of sodium citrate solution from the car, poured it into another basin of chicken blood, stirred it well, and then divided it into several sealed glass bottles.

He put the empty bottle into the insulated box of the car, and then put it into the car refrigerator.

As for the trash, I casually threw it into the trash can when I left.

Feeling satisfied with their full stomachs, the two began driving in the direction Alessa had indicated, and soon they appeared in front of a commercial building.

The words "Big Guy Hiking Association" were written in both Chinese and English on the second-floor exterior wall, next to which was the light blue mark that had been seen on the deceased's bag.

Qin Jin and Alessa walked up, their eyes immediately drawn to a poster on the bulletin board—

West Forest Hiking Tour!

A Chinese-American girl approached with a beaming smile and asked enthusiastically:

"Gentlemen, are you... interested in this hiking activity? It's a newly developed project of ours, and it's quite good!"

"Yes, we are very interested. Could you tell us more about it?"

"Our group usually consists of about ten people. We will send a guide and a safety officer to participate. In the morning, everyone will meet at Xisen Mine by car, pass the abandoned mine entrance, old cedar trees, and old forest ranger's hut, and then hike to the water pool..."

As she spoke, she pulled out a brochure from the side, which clearly showed the approximate mountain terrain and route, spanning about ten kilometers:

"Sometimes we'll choose to rest and picnic at the pond and return in the afternoon, and sometimes we'll stay there to camp and come back the next day. It will definitely leave you with an unforgettable experience."

"Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?" Qin Jin patted Alessa, looking quite interested.

"When can I participate? Is it anytime, or do I need to be notified? When is the next scheduled time?"

"Oh dear, what bad luck!" The girl shrugged regretfully.

"A team set off this morning and should be here by now... They're camping today and will be back tomorrow. As for when the next one will be..."

She smiled and took the notebook and pen: "You can leave your phone number, and we'll call you back to confirm."

"Is this time not fixed?"

The girl smiled and replied, "I don't know about that. Our boss chooses the dates. You know, hiking is very much dependent on the weather. If there's a downpour or it's too hot, it's not suitable."

"I see!" Qin Jin showed an understanding expression, and readily gave his name and phone number. But just then, he unexpectedly saw a familiar name ahead of him—

John Constantine!

Judging from the date, it seems to have been left a few days ago.

"Oh, shit! John's here too!" Qin Jin pointed exaggeratedly at the name and looked at the receptionist:

"Did this guy...go today?"

"Oh! You know John!" The waitress's eyes lit up instantly, seemingly with great interest. She nodded seriously, "Yes, he's one of today's participants. John is really..."

At this point, she seemed a little embarrassed, biting her lip and lowering her voice slightly:

"Hey, Qin..." She glanced at the name Qin Jin had left behind, her eyes full of laughter.

"Could you tell me something about John? Like, what kind of person is he? And does he have a girlfriend...?"

This is an unexpected bonus!

Following his own ideas, Qin Jin fabricated some unsubstantiated stories and told them to the waitress. At the same time, he also managed to extract some information about their boss from her.

Since he chose the time and location for the hike, it could be a coincidence, but the possibility that he planned it cannot be ruled out...