American Zombie Detective

Chapter 231 The Taste That Will Be Remembered

A cold, bluish-gray hue appeared on the horizon, and the crisp, early morning air filled our lungs, dispelling the last vestiges of darkness in the tunnel. It was 4:40 a.m.

The area outside the subway station was deserted and quiet, with only a few cars parked there forlornly.

On the street corner, Qin Jin set fire to the body and old books. He then turned to the two men and said, "John, contact the city and subway departments and have them close the Blue Line, deal with the fallen rocks and repair the tracks. Also, make sure the body is burned completely."

"Okay." Constantine took out his cigarette case, pulled out the last cigarette and put it in his mouth, then crushed the cigarette case and threw it far away toward the trash can.

With a thud, the cigarette box hit the rim of the bucket and rolled a few times on the ground.

"Catherine, go back and deal with Emily's side, then submit a report. Don't let people think we're just wasting our time. If we're doing something, we need to let people know."

"OK!" Catherine agreed. She naturally knew that the key points of the report could be told to Director Frank and Deputy Director Thomas truthfully. Two copies of the report were to be made: one for filing and one to deal with the public.

"As for tonight, come to my house for dinner," Qin Jin said with a knowing smile in his eyes. "I'll get this ready, and everyone can have a share."

With the arrangements finalized, the three went about their tasks. Qin Jin returned to his Dodge and saw Yuanxiao fidgeting in the back seat. As soon as he opened the door, Yuanxiao jumped out, and then—

It ran straight to the roadside and pooped a huge, stinky pile of bear poop!

It even rubbed itself against a roadside utility pole, which could be considered—well, wiping its butt.

When Yuanxiao rushed back, Qin Jin rubbed its head: "Good job, you're getting better and better! Grow up well, and when you become a majestic bear, I'll take you with me when I go out to kill people."

Yuanxiao, overjoyed, stood up and clung to Qin Jin's legs, chattering away. Alessa grabbed his ear and said, "No, you're not allowed to wipe your butt on the telephone pole. It'll cause an electric shock."

Yuanxiao glanced at Qin Jin, then at Alessa, and pressed the first button on the collar.

The Dodge started up, carrying the two people and the bear back to the quiet Grassland community. After a night of fierce fighting, especially after using their primal power, he and Alessa both felt a deep sense of exhaustion and a subtle restlessness.

Back home, he retrieved some chilled pigeon blood from the basement, poured a glass for himself and Alessa, and then had Alessa cut a piece of *Tai Sui* (a type of rare fungus) and put it in the blood. The milky white particles dissolved quickly into the dark red blood. The two raised their glasses and drank it all in one gulp.

A gentle yet powerful warm current immediately spread from my stomach, quickly permeating my limbs and bones.

The subtle emptiness caused by the depletion of power, as well as the bloodthirsty restlessness that was unavoidable after using the ability, were quickly soothed and replaced by a rare sense of fullness.

Aresa put down her cup, her grey-blue eyes looking at Qin Jin, brighter than usual, reflecting the faint light from the window.

"This stuff can only enhance your physical abilities a maximum of three times; after that, it's just a supplement."

Qin Jin carefully observed the changes in his body and said to Alessa, "Not only can it help you recover quickly, but more importantly, it can effectively suppress thirst, and the effect is much better than ordinary blood. Tonight we'll take some to make soup, and give John and Casey a share as well. You can keep the rest."

Alessa nodded seriously and carefully put the remaining Tai Sui core back into the Frankenstein doll's backpack.

After a short rest, and as dawn broke and the city began to awaken, Qin Jin and Alessa went out again to head to the Western Branch.

Here, they met Johnny, who had been detained. With Qin Jin's intervention, Johnny was naturally released, and the case was given a reasonable explanation—or rather, a way to explain the past.

"The case here is closed," Qin Jin said to Johnny. "Go back to rest, and we'll go to New York in a couple of days."

Johnny thanked him sincerely, then left in a hurry, his figure quickly disappearing around the street corner.

Qin Jin and Alessa were also preparing to leave when Supervisor Sean came out of his office, seemingly waiting for them.

"Detective Qin, I have something—well, something I'd like to ask you."

Sean said, then a hint of hesitation and heaviness appeared on his face: "Do you have any special methods or suggestions for finding people?"

"Finding people isn't my forte," Qin Jin said, spreading his hands. "Manager Sean, what trouble have you run into?"

"There's a case involving a serial bomber who's supposedly planning a major incident on the West Coast," Sean said bluntly. "This guy has a personal grudge against me—well, I have a grudge. So I want to take this opportunity to catch him."

"I can't really be of much help," Qin Jin thought for a moment, then added, "However, if you need an arrest or anything else, you can contact me. I'd be happy to help."

A complex emotion flashed in Sean's eyes, a mixture of disappointment and understanding. He nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Detective Qin. I will if needed."

After leaving the Western Division, Qin Jin did not go straight home.

Qin Jin took Alessa to a nearby supermarket and bought a lot of beef, lamb, chicken wings and various vegetables, preparing to have a barbecue party in the yard that evening.

At the same time, he also specially bought some fresh wild mushrooms.

He separated two pieces of the abalone, packed them in a food storage container for Constantin and Catherine, cut off another piece and refrigerated it to make soup that evening, and left the rest untouched for Alessa to put away.

No matter what kind of refrigerator or safe it is, it's not as safe as Alessa's doll pocket.

A pot of soup was made with wild mushrooms and two slices of ginger. When everyone arrived in the evening, the Tai Sui (a type of fungus) would be added directly. As for the other ingredients, Qin Jin had them all pre-packaged and refrigerated. Since there was no need to eat anything, how good could Qin Jin's cooking skills be? So, he only bought pre-processed semi-finished products, at most opening a plastic bag, nothing more.

As for Darwins, who disappeared after undergoing gender reassignment surgery, Qin Jin had long forgotten about him.

Just after 2 p.m., Constantine arrived first, still smelling of shower gel, and his clothes had changed: "I was afraid I'd fall asleep at home and miss the time, so I decided to sleep here for a while. Do you mind?"

He yawned, looking tired, but he didn't hold back at all.

"It's up to you. Find a place for yourself, whether it's the living room sofa, the second-floor guest room, or even the basement."

Qin Jin didn't even look up, curled up on the sofa with Alessa scrolling through their phones, while Constanze lay down on the leather sofa. A few days later, around 5 p.m., Catherine arrived, looking equally exhausted. She reported on the progress: "Emily was lucky, she didn't die, and we've sent her home. The report has been submitted, and those two said we can arrange our own rest; it's okay if the files are submitted a little later."

Qin Jin nodded, approving of the approach, and then casually mentioned Supervisor Sean: "By the way, Supervisor Sean asked me to help him find someone today, and I wanted to ask about that terrorist he mentioned—someone he has a personal grudge against. What's going on?"

Catherine knew all too well about the Los Angeles Police Department; she gave a brief overview:

It turns out that Sean's hatred for the terrorist named Keith Troy has lasted for many years. Seven years ago, Keith shot and killed Sean's son, which escalated from a business matter to a personal feud. The two have been entangled ever since, but until now, neither has been able to do anything to the other.

As dusk fell, wisps of smoke rose from the barbecue grill in the yard, filling the air with the aroma of meat.

Qin Jin placed the last piece of Tai Sui he had prepared into the mushroom soup that had been simmering and had developed a rich aroma. Like a piece of ice thrown into hot water, it disappeared without a trace in just a few dozen seconds. The whole pot of soup became even more mellow and warm in color, and emitted an indescribable fragrance.

Qin Jin divided the soup equally among everyone, giving each person a large bowl.

After Constantine and Catherine drank it, they both reacted strongly. "Wow!" Catherine exclaimed in surprise, feeling the changes in her body. "This feeling—it's amazing! It's like—it's like all the fatigue in my body has suddenly disappeared, and I feel—more energetic?"

She subconsciously clenched her fist, feeling a significant improvement in her flexibility and energy.

Constantine savored the experience, his eyes shining: "It's not just physical strength, Qin, I feel even some damage to my mental state has been nourished. It's fantastic!"

As Qin Jin flipped the meat skewers on the grill, he explained, "However, this stuff has its limits in improving physical condition. It can only work for a maximum of three times per person, and the effect gradually decreases. After a few more uses, it becomes useless."

He got up and took out two pre-prepared food containers from the refrigerator, each containing a fist-sized piece of Tai Sui.

"Here you go, one serving for each of you. Take it back and freeze it in the refrigerator. After seven or eight days, take out another piece, boil it in water until it dissolves, and drink it. It will greatly improve your physical condition; consider it an extra benefit from this mission."

The barbecue dinner lasted until after 10 p.m., and everyone was very satisfied. Constantine and Catherine brought Qin Jin...

They left after giving a generous gift.

Seeing that it was almost time, Qin Jin led Alessa back to the tunnel. The entrance was not completely sealed off; it was only temporarily nailed up with wooden planks. Obviously, the detailed construction plan had not yet been finalized.

Qin Jin easily pried open the wooden plank, and the two stepped back into the dark cave.

Many messy, fresh footprints can be seen on the ground, clearly left by municipal and engineering personnel during the daytime survey.

However, as they ventured deeper and approached the original location of Tai Sui, Qin Jin and Alessa stopped. They clearly saw a line of barefoot footprints mixed in with the ground! It was definitely not left by the four of them yesterday.

The air was filled with a strange, extremely faint, slippery smell that had never been there before, like some kind of cold secretion, which made my nasal cavity very uncomfortable.

Alessa looked up at Qin Jin, who snorted softly, "I knew it. This matter was resolved a little too smoothly. The power of the story's rules, that source of power that was close to the Dao, we still couldn't find it. It was indeed hidden very deeply; it still got away."

Aresa's nose twitched slightly, her voice cold and certain: "I remember, I remember its taste."

Qin Jin nodded: "Me too—I'll be more careful in the future; this thing might still be left in Los Angeles."

That indescribable being was indeed intelligent enough, but it did not know that Qin Jin's caution and insight, which allowed him to survive for thousands of years and escape from the Celestial Master's hands several times, far exceeded its imagination!