American Zombie Detective

Chapter 238 The Neighbor Came

The old man in the crowd had gray hair and deep wrinkles on his face, as if he had been living for many years. He spoke with great enthusiasm and gestures, exuding a sense of authority and charisma.

Qin Jin listened carefully: "—The headless horseman rode his warhorse into the church, brandishing his longsword—a head flew into the air, and just as the headless horseman was about to catch it, suddenly a hanging corpse fell from the church's beams—a snail crawled out of the headless horseman's back, and its shell was actually a human head, while the snail's body was a tongue sticking out of its mouth—"

What nonsense is this?

It sounds like a story, but the story seems—too far-fetched.

Qin Jin pointed to the nearest prisoner: "Hey! You!"

The guy looked like a skinny monkey, with a cigarette tucked behind his ear, his head constantly glancing around. Qin Jin's voice immediately pierced his ears.

The skinny monkey suddenly shuddered, his smile vanished instantly, and his eyes filled with horror. He pointed uncertainly at himself, looking as if he was about to cry.

Qin Jin beckoned with his finger.

Skinny Monkey's skin tightened instantly, but he didn't dare not come over. He could only brace himself and jog to Qin Jin, bowing and scraping as he greeted him: "Hello, Boss! You—you called me? My name is Jerry—"

As he spoke, he casually removed the cigarette from his ear and respectfully offered it to him: "Please have a smoke, sir."

Qin Jin didn't waste any words and gestured with his chin toward the corner: "Tell me about that old man, what's he doing?" Constantin also waved his hand, signaling Jerry to put away the cigarettes.

Upon realizing that he wasn't being targeted for trouble but was being asked about something, Jerry finally felt relieved. He quickly replied, "Oh, oh, oh, you're asking about Old Pete, sir? He's in jail for fraud, been there for seven or eight years. He doesn't have any other skills, but he's incredibly good with his mouth—he makes up stories for everyone every day to get a couple of cigarettes, and also to beg people to protect him—"

"Stories?" Qin Jin seemed intrigued. "What kind of stories are they?"

"Oh, you'll tell me everything!"

Seeing that the big shot was interested, Jerry explained enthusiastically, "It has everything, all kinds of ghosts, monsters, demons—by the way, he used to love reading Eastern web novels, stuff like cultivation and fantasy, he'd just mix and match them together and make it sound pretty convincing. Especially those mystical guys, they loved listening to his nonsense."

Seeing that Jerry seemed to know quite a bit, Qin Jin pointed to another guy with an unfriendly expression: "What about him?"

"Hans? That guy's a psychopath! He's sentenced to life imprisonment, apparently for kidnapping and murder, I wonder how many he's killed—"

"What about this one?"

"That's Brooke! The robber, he was involved in the federal vault heist, killed several hostages, and apparently blew up a police car too."

"Rick, the expert in counterfeiting—"

"Hels, a terrorist—"

"Chris is a doctor. It seems he got in because of the black market for harvesting organs—"

Just then, the temporary team leader, Kaden, walked over.

A hint of caution could be seen in his eyes, unlike Derek's previous arrogance, but also no longer as fearful as he had been that morning, suggesting he had received a warning from his superiors.

"Qin, John," he said calmly, "the job is settled. I'll start in the miscellaneous goods section tomorrow, which is basically—"

"I've taken care of things for you."

He paused, then softened his tone slightly: "Gentlemen, I've kept my promise, and I hope you'll keep yours too. Don't cause trouble—if you really can't stand it, don't make people bleed. Just beat them up, and try not to lose any limbs."

This sounds like a warning, but upon closer examination, it sounds more like a helpless plea.

Constantin chuckled as he pulled cigarettes from his pocket. "Sir, you should tell that to those itchy-handed guys. We're here to be civilized and polite. As long as no one's being a nuisance, we'll be as docile as sheep."

He then stuffed the cigarette into Kaden's pocket, saying, "Here, take the cigarette back."

Kaden stepped back, preventing Constantin from shoving the cigarette in, and waved his hand with a twitching smile: "No need to return it. As long as you two brothers keep your promise, I guarantee you'll have cigarettes every day."

At this moment, Qin Jin suddenly spoke, glancing towards the door: "Another one? Do you send people here this often?"

Kaden frowned. "No! We usually only deliver a few times a year, all at once. Today—" He thought for a moment, then decided not to hide it. "You and the newcomers are all special cases."

Qin Jin hummed in agreement and didn't ask any more questions.

Constantin raised an eyebrow: "A double room?"

"The rooms are the same size, only two people will stay, it'll be quieter," Kaden said succinctly. "The fourth floor is the hardened criminal area, the conditions are relatively..."

Okay. After your outdoor time, I'll take you there.

The whistle signaled the end of the exercise period, and the prisoners were herded back to their cells.

Seeing that Jerry was still obediently staying to the side, Qin Jin figured that the guy seemed to be quite familiar with the prison situation, so he took a pack of cigarettes from Constance Dante and tossed it to him: "Hey, let's go, this is a reward for you."

Amidst the envious gazes of a group of prisoners in the distance, Jerry accepted the cigarette, bowed and scraped as he left. In the eyes of many prisoners, his status instantly rose significantly.

Kaden led Qin Jin and Constantine up to the fourth floor.

The corridor is lined with cells on both sides, with bars on the doors for easy monitoring and early warning. At the back of the corridor are high-risk cells with all-metal doors and only observation and food access holes, where inmates are manic, unruly, or convicted of extremely serious crimes.

These serious offenders do not have to work or have time to exercise; they will remain locked up in their cells until they die.

Reaching the door of a cell in the middle of the corridor, Kaden had the guard open the door.

"This is the room," Kaden gestured for them to go inside.

Before entering, Qin Jin paused for a moment, his gaze quickly sweeping over the two adjacent cells on the left and right.

Qin Jin recognized the people in the cell on the left; they seemed to be two members of MS-13. They smiled and nodded in welcome to Qin Jin and Constanze. On the right, however, was a lone figure.

This person was a typical Chinese man, with black hair and black eyes. He lay in bed, seemingly lost in thought, and didn't open his eyes even when he heard a sound, but his ears—

Qin Jin noticed that the guy's earlobes were twitching slightly, as if he was listening to the sounds outside, and he wasn't as indifferent as he appeared.

On the table was a basin containing a toothbrush, toothpaste, and towel—a complete set of toiletries, which looked brand new.

The two entered their new prison cell.

The space is indeed similar to the one below, but with only two beds, it feels much more spacious.

There was a small window with iron bars high up in the wall, and the light of the setting sun slanted in. The facilities were still simple, but at least they were cleaner, and there were tables and chairs in the corner.

Constantin turned around and placed his and Qin Jin's washbasins on the table, then suddenly realized, "Hey, Team Leader Kaden, something's not right, is it? Why is the stuff next door better than ours? Take a look for yourself!"

Kaden sighed: "John, don't cause trouble! This isn't from Devil's Island. The FBI brought him here today specifically for him. Like you, he's an important prisoner, and we've requested to keep him in solitary confinement—if you want it, just call and have it sent to you. I'm the same."

Give them the green light.

"Oh!" Constantine nodded. "Then forget it, I'm too lazy to bother."

Kaden left with the prison guards, and Qin Jin lay on the bed, his mind replaying the faces, introductions, and mannerisms of the people on the playground, trying to see if he could discover anything.

Just then, I faintly heard a voice from next door, as if someone was looking out the window and remarking, and it was spoken in Chinese: "Oh! Looking at the sky, it looks like it's about to rain!"