American Zombie Detective

After taking his seat, Roger turned on his tablet and first introduced the overall layout of the factory area:

According to Qin Jin's request, the first floor was converted into two large and one small bedrooms, followed by a living room, dining room and kitchen;

The second floor is designed as a home theater, two suites of guest rooms, and a study;

The basement needed to be transformed into a completely secluded space, with a huge workbench in the center and rooms on the sides that needed to be reinforced. Although their purpose wasn't specified, sturdy iron doors were installed, making it resemble a series of secure storage rooms, or even prison cells...

As for the steel shed factory building, it only needs to be cleaned up for now. Its purpose is yet to be determined. Qin Jin himself doesn't know what it can be used for, so it will remain empty for the time being.

Finally, there is the garden, where all kinds of fruit trees were transplanted around the old building, leaving only a lawn of two or three hundred square meters in front of the building, with a stream brought in to create a pond.

The bottom of the pond needs to be covered with pebbles so that Yuanxiao can bathe in it when she grows up, and also catch fish in it!

After pointing out a few inappropriate aspects, the overall structure was considered complete. Next came the design of the interior decoration. Qin Jin looked at Alessa—

She pulled a stack of printed pictures from the doll's belly and silently pushed them over.

Roger and Catherine looked down at the same time:

The top image is filled with a terrifying and eerie atmosphere. The main subject of the image is a huge, rusty metal spiral staircase, with a wall peeling away to reveal gray-black cement in the background. Pipes are exposed and dripping with unknown water stains.

The lighting was dim, with only a few dim wall lamps providing illumination. The furniture was covered in signs of corrosion and rust, and stains, bloodstains, and gray shadows of people stood out on the walls.

The whole scene exudes an eerie atmosphere of oppression, decay, and inhumanity, which is completely out of place with the concept of home.

Roger's professional smile froze instantly, his lips twitched slightly, and his eyes were filled with confusion and disbelief.

He looked up at the expressionless Alessa, then at the eerie painting, and finally looked to Catherine for help. Catherine picked up the first painting, revealing the picture below.

This picture shows a wall covered with rusted wire, with burning flames casting ghostly shadows on its surface. The adjacent wall is covered with writhing tentacles, like a spreading calamity...

"Qin!" Catherine hesitated for a moment, "Are you sure?"

Qin Jin glanced at Alessa, then turned back and nodded leisurely:

"According to her plan, all decorations need to be drawn up in drawings. Once Alessa confirms that there are no problems, construction can begin."

Roger's Adam's apple bobbed, and he swallowed hard.

"Detective Qin, this would be a huge workload and very expensive..."

"Budget is not a problem. Send me the initial bills," Qin Jin interrupted him. "The important thing is time. I hope you can finish the maps for all areas within a week, referring to the maps Alessa gave you."

Roger took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, picked up the tablet again, his fingers trembling slightly:

"Okay...okay. We...we will try our best to recreate that feeling."

He created a new folder on the tablet called "Special Rust Industrial Style" and carefully put away the stack of drawings.

All the details were finally finalized. Roger wiped non-existent sweat from his brow, put away his tablet and documents:

"Detective Qin, Miss Alessa, Detective Catherine, thank you for your trust! We will prepare a detailed budget and renderings based on Miss Alessa's...style requirements as soon as possible, and then report back to you."

Roger left in a hurry, his departing figure carrying the haste of escaping something indescribable.

After finishing their business, Catherine took a sip of coffee and hesitantly made a small request to Qin Jin:

"Qin, there's something I'd like to ask you for help with..."

"Hmm?" Qin Jin looked up, and Alessa looked over at almost the same time.

"I think my combat ability... is a bit off!" Catherine stated the problem she was facing directly:

"After this period of fighting, I've realized... in our group, it seems I'm not very useful except for completing reports, so I think..."

Qin Jin looked at her silently, waiting for Catherine to continue.

She took a breath and finally, with some difficulty, expressed her thoughts:

"I... I want to find a way to improve my combat power. After all... after all, we're facing those kinds of things. I... I don't want to be a burden to everyone."

"Hmm, that's a good idea!" Qin Jin approved of Catherine's suggestion. "Do you have a concrete plan?"

"Jack introduced me to, um, a master, who used to be an exorcist. I'm thinking of spending a week studying under him, and then going back to study for two afternoons each week, so..."

She raised an eyebrow: "Things have been relatively calm lately, so I'd like to get started right away."

"That's not a problem, go ahead. But the problem is, if you leave, Jack won't be around either, and I have some things to take care of..." He spread his hands, saying helplessly.

"Then our office will be empty!"

"Let's add another person, Qin!" Catherine suggested. "We're already short-handed, and I..." A sly glint flashed in her eyes:

"...Actually, I don't really like staying in the office."

Qin Jin finally understood Catherine's little scheme. After experiencing this series of bizarre events, she could no longer contain herself and wanted to participate more deeply in this mysterious world.

"Fine!" Qin Jin thought for a moment, then shamelessly threw the whole matter back at her:

"You submit the application, then we'll select the personnel, and we'll add one more person to our team!"

………………

Catherine's efficiency is beyond question. She completed the reporting and approval of the personnel application that afternoon, and sent the recruitment notice to various police stations before leaving get off work.

Qin Jin was happy to have some free time. In the evening, he called Johnny, left Alessa and Yuanxiao at home, and went out to a park to meet the lucky koi who had just returned to Los Angeles.

I had just parked the car next to the park when a dark figure darted out from the shadows beside the car, pulled open the passenger door, and got in.

"Boss, you wanted to see me?" Although he wasn't as fearful as before, there was still some tension in his voice.

Seeing Johnny's cautious demeanor, Qin Jin smiled:

"Johnny, you're really lucky. Things just calmed down in Los Angeles, and you're back from Las Vegas? You've run out of money?"

Johnny rubbed his hands together and chuckled dryly twice.

"Boss, you're wise! My luck... I was a bit off, didn't make much of a name for myself over there, and came back after spending almost all my money. Is there... something you need to tell me?"

"Well, there's something I need you to do," Qin Jin said, pulling out a few rolls of banknotes and tossing them to him.

"Ten thousand dollars. Go back to San Francisco and investigate something for me."

Johnny's eyes were instantly drawn to the colorful US dollars, but upon hearing the words "San Francisco," his face immediately fell.

"Boss, going back to San Francisco? The Tong family will kill me! Can't I just not earn this money?"

"What do you think?" Qin Jin's voice was flat, but his tone was very steady.

"I sent you to gather information, not to risk your life, so what are you afraid of? Besides, so many members of the Tong family have died; how much strength do they have left? Do you think they're still so arrogant?"

Qin Jin glanced at him, his tone slightly teasing:

"Besides, you're so lucky, and San Francisco is your territory, nothing bad will happen!"

Johnny looked at the thick roll of banknotes, thought of his empty pockets, and then thought of Qin Jin's unfathomable methods. The scales in his heart finally tipped.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Alright! Boss, you trust me, so I, Johnny, will go all out! Tell me, what do you want me to investigate?"

"The Tong family has a book that might just be an ordinary antique to them, but it's very important to me," Qin Jin explained in detail.

"This parchment manuscript has a cross and scales drawn on the cover, but no words..."

He paused, then pointed out the possibilities: "This thing is either in the possession of that elder of the Tong family, or it's in one of Tong Zhenhai's antique stores; either is a possibility. If there's some kind of secret room or treasure vault, it's most likely in there."

"Understood, boss!"

Johnny stuffed the banknotes into his pocket and nodded vigorously:

"I'll go tomorrow, and I'll report back to you as soon as I have any news."

Qin Jin nodded without saying anything more. Johnny quietly pushed open the door and left, disappearing into the night in the park.