American Zombie Detective

Startled by the gunshots and screams, the two couples quickly arrived at the motel front desk, followed by Gleeson, who was carrying a gun, and his assistant James…

The sudden gunshots put everyone on edge.

"What's going on? Did you see something?" Gleeson asked loudly, flashing his identification.

Although they were just hearing officers for the Police Management Committee, these two police officers still inspired trust in people.

The tall, thin man at the front desk peeked out from behind the counter, looking around like a rat. The giant chef reappeared in the corridor, dragging a massive boning knife, his cold gaze sweeping over everyone.

Immediately, Gleeson and James pointed their guns at the two extremely suspicious-looking men. "You! What was that sound? What's going on outside?"

Gleason roared, "Speak! Was it you who did this?!"

"Good heavens! We really didn't know!"

The tall, thin man's voice was shrill and urgent; he spread his hands, trying his best to appear innocent.

"We were inside just like you... How could we have known with the rain pouring down outside?"

His explanation was filled with panic, and although it made some sense, it couldn't help but make people suspicious.

"Bullshit!" Walker roared, his face pale, pointing at the butcher. "And what about him? What's he doing with that knife? It's covered in blood!"

"He...he's a chef! Hearing the noise, he grabbed a knife to defend himself, what's so strange about that!" the tall, thin man argued.

But the butcher's inhuman eyes and heavy breathing, along with the blood-stained knife, made his explanation seem utterly weak.

"Something's not right, something's really not right!" James suddenly exclaimed, his eyes fixed on the butcher's massive body.

"This guy blocked the hallway when he first arrived, and now he's doing it again... He's doing it on purpose! There must be something in the restaurant or kitchen!"

Gleeson realized this instantly, and pointed his gun forward:

"James, go check on him!" He then called to George and Walker, "Hey, can you come with him?"

Walker and George immediately and James cautiously approached the corridor, preparing to force the giant to make way.

suddenly!

"roar--!!!"

The butcher, who had been silent all along, let out a huge roar, like a beast that had been provoked. He suddenly stepped forward, pointed his knife at James, and his small eyes were filled with naked killing intent!

Almost simultaneously, the tall, thin man's eyes hardened, and his right hand flashed out to his waist!

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Gunshots rang out deafeningly in the enclosed restaurant!

Gleeson and James fired almost simultaneously, bullets whistling through the air!

The butcher's massive body jolted violently, blood gushing from his chest. The immense impact sent him crashing backward onto the floor, blood spreading beneath him.

The tall, thin man had only drawn half of his pistol when Gleason's bullet struck his shoulder, then his thigh!

He screamed and fell to the ground, clutching his legs and howling in agony!

"Don't move! I'll kill you if you move again!"

Gleeson rushed forward, kicked away the skinny man's dropped pistol, and pressed the muzzle against his temple.

George and Walker rushed over to help, searching under the counter and finding ropes and wires to secure him firmly to the chair. James also checked the giant butcher's pupils, confirming his death.

James then rushed into the kitchen, while Gleason pressed a gun against the tall, thin man's temple.

"Speak! Who else? Was it one of your accomplices?" He had already assumed the gunshots were the work of a criminal gang.

The tall, thin man gasped in pain, tears and snot streaming down his face, yet he gritted his teeth and endured it.

"I...I told you...we don't know what's going on outside..."

Just then, James and Walker rushed back into the kitchen, their faces pale. James was carrying a heavy burlap sack.

"Mr. Gleason!"

James's voice trembled with shock:

"There's a corpse in the kitchen... in the kitchen freezer! Male! He's been... chopped up! And... and this!"

He tossed the bag onto the counter and opened it. Inside, it glittered with necklaces, rings, and various gold ornaments, looking like the inventory of a gold shop.

Gleason's face turned ashen, and he grabbed the hair of the groaning, thin man on the ground:

"Now! You dare say you don't know again?! Who's the dead person in the freezer?! Where did all this stuff come from?!"

Faced with the cold reality and the glaring evidence of stolen goods, the tall, thin man's mental defenses completely crumbled, and he confessed incoherently:

"Yes...it was us...the three of us...Mike, Big Guy, and me...we robbed...a jewelry store in Feynman City...Mike got shot...we ran...runned here...and found this run-down hotel...just an old couple..."

He was breathing heavily, his eyes filled with despair:

"The big guy killed them...chopped them up and threw them into the cornfield...we wanted to hide for a couple of days to recover...but then Mike died this morning...we were going to chop them up too, bury them and leave...but then people came...we couldn't leave..."

"So, guests numbered 9 through 12 arrived?" Gleason finished for him, the missing key on the counter indicating the number of rooms occupied.

He couldn't afford to ask where the elderly couple was buried for the time being; the unknown threats outside were more pressing.

He spat, found the first-aid kit the tall, thin guy and his accomplices used to treat Mike, roughly sprinkled styptic powder on the wounds on Mike's shoulder and thigh, and haphazardly bandaged them, temporarily stopping the bleeding. The tall, thin guy groaned in pain.

The seven people, now slightly calmer, were in the relatively safe center of the restaurant, temporarily away from the kitchen and the darkness outside. Except for the tall, thin man, Gleason and the other six introduced themselves to each other, their tense nerves relaxing a little.

"Wait a minute," Walker suddenly remembered something, his voice trembling with fear, "and that brother and sister! The Asian couple who lived in room number 1! We didn't see them!"

George nodded in agreement:

"Yes! They're gone! I was just about to say that not only is room number 1 empty, but the rooms at the end of the corridor—numbers 9, 10, 11, 12…—are also empty with their doors open… I'm afraid…"

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Gleeson's heart skipped a beat! Asian siblings?

He immediately pressed, "What do the Asian siblings look like? Describe them in detail!"

Walker gave a brief description: Alessa's features were so distinctive—a black gothic dress, a Frankenstein's monster doll, and that whimpering little bear—

On the way there, Gleason had already asked about all of these things.

"How's room number 1? Have you checked it?" Gleeson asked urgently.

"I saw it!" George exclaimed quickly. "The door...the door is open! It looks like it was forcibly broken open from the outside, there's no one inside...there's nothing there!"

Gleason felt a chill run down his spine. Qin Jin was gone? In this godforsaken place?

There are still unknown assassins active outside! He must confirm Qin Jin's whereabouts! This might be his only chance to complete the mission!

"James!" Gleeson abruptly turned to his assistant:

"Go check room number 1 and see if Detective Qin has left any traces... Go and come back quickly! Be careful!"

James immediately grabbed his gun and went to the door, peered around, then rushed down the hallway towards the room.

Just as he had run halfway and was about to reach the corridor of the room area!

"Ugh—!"

A sharp, piercing sound of air being torn apart came without warning from the darkness beside the corridor!

puff!

A sickening, metallic thud that pierced flesh!

Under the horrified, frozen gazes of the crowd at the restaurant entrance, a massive iron hook, gleaming with a cold, icy light, flew from the darkness like a venomous fang shot from the depths of hell, instantly piercing James's chest!

"Ugh—!"

James only had time to let out a short, extremely painful, and incredulous scream before his eyes bulged out as he looked down at the cold, blood-stained iron hook tip on his chest!

Fresh blood gushed out like a fountain!

"James!!!"

Gleeson let out a heart-wrenching roar! The scene before him, completely beyond his comprehension, left his mind blank!

Whoa!

The thick iron chain connecting the hook suddenly straightened and retracted!

Amidst the horrified screams of everyone in the restaurant, James was suddenly dragged off the ground by an irresistible, terrifying force and instantly pulled into a darkness that seemed capable of swallowing everything!

All that remained was a glaring, ever-expanding, bright red drag mark on the corridor floor, and the heavy, pungent smell of blood permeating the air.