, Special Investigation Team 2

While the cabin was being set on fire, at Qin Jin's request, Director Edward contacted the headquarters and asked them to go to Chinatown to find incense ash and cinnabar, as well as to buy lime and glutinous rice. He also arranged for two deep-plowing machines to be brought up the mountain to thoroughly plow the area.

Under the fire department's surveillance, the cabin quickly burst into flames, and at the same time, a message came through the walkie-talkie—

Traces of the living corpses were found on the slopes of the eastern mountains, and the two sides began to exchange fire!

The messages on the walkie-talkie came in like a storm, each one jolting everyone's nerves. Chief Edward and other high-ranking officers of the Los Angeles Police Department were smug, while the X Special Team's expressions grew increasingly grim.

"The target has headed east! Repeat, the target has headed east!"

"Fire! Fire! All fire! Don't let it get any closer!"

"Boom boom boom—! Boom!"

"…Damn it! This thing hasn't fallen even after taking so many shots—Attention, Jack's gone up there, everyone cease fire!"

"Good job! Jack broke his arm... Look, it picked it up..."

"It's afraid of light! Everyone stand behind the beam of light!"

The intermittent reports, interspersed with gunshots, heavy breathing, and curses filled with shock and anger, vividly depicted the unimaginable chase in the dense forest of Dongpo.

Large-caliber shotgun shells and rifle bullets can indeed cause physical damage to it, severing limbs and blasting holes, but the resilience and intelligence this thing exhibits far exceed expectations—

It not only knows how to use the terrain to avoid sunlight, but even knows how to pick up severed limbs after being severely injured!

Constantine's voice suddenly cut in, filled with heavy breathing and a hint of disbelief:

"Qin! This thing is tough to deal with. It's very fast and jumps very high every time, we can't catch it! Now it runs away as soon as it sees me. Is there anything else that can take it down?"

"Smash its legs! Once they're broken, it can't escape. Just chop them up... Be careful, the severed head will bite! Anyone bitten or scratched should immediately stop and go back. I've already sent them to find Nuomi!"

Time ticked by in anxious waiting. The sun gradually rose higher, dispelling some of the chill in the mountains and forests, but Luke, now a zombie, continued to flee—

After being hit twice in both legs, it completely gave up fighting back and is now fleeing in a frenzy.

Suddenly, a shout came from the walkie-talkie:

"The pool! It jumped into the deep pool! It went in with a splash! And didn't resurface!"

"The target disappeared into the pool! Repeat, the target entered the pool!"

Everyone around the command vehicle immediately turned to look at Qin Jin.

Qin Jin immediately grabbed a spare walkie-talkie from a nearby agent, pressed the call button, and spoke calmly:

"Attention all pursuers! Once the target enters the water, no one is permitted to enter the water to search! Repeat, no entering the water! Immediately seal off all possible outlets upstream and downstream of the pool! Shine powerful flashlights, especially along the shore, beware of a surprise attack!"

Chief Edward also relayed the order via walkie-talkie: "Obey orders! Qin was just in command; he's a zombie expert. No one is allowed to go into the water!"

The on-site commander immediately followed the orders and deployed personnel to guard the upstream and downstream areas of the pool. Others began to search the water surface one by one with flashlights, closely monitoring the changes in the water.

Waiting became the most agonizing torture; apart from the ripples stirred up by the mountain wind, the water remained completely still.

Time passed second by second, and the deep pool seemed to swallow everything.

Dr. Dana Scully, the woman from Special Task Force X, walked up to Qin Jin, a sincere apology on her face:

"Officer Qin, I apologize for Assistant Chief Skinner's previous attitude. We...we did underestimate the special nature of this incident, and we also underestimated the professional judgment of our local police colleagues. Your warnings and suggestions for follow-up handling were extremely valuable."

Qin Jin merely glanced at her indifferently, nodded slightly, and didn't reply. His gaze remained fixed on the walkie-talkie and the direction of the pool; his attitude was clear:

Now is not the time to accept apologies; our stance must be clear.

On the other side, male agent Fox Mulder also approached the ashen-faced Supervisor Frank and expressed a similar apology:

"Supervisor, it's very regrettable that this happened. Our intelligence and judgment were seriously flawed, leading to irreparable losses. The responsibility lies with us."

Frank simply snorted heavily through his nose, turned his head away, and stared intently in Dongpo's direction with his bloodshot eyes. He didn't need an apology; what he needed was for his fallen brothers to return!

Chief Edward aptly tried to smooth things over, his voice not loud but loud enough for those around him to hear:

"Oh, everyone, don't take it to heart! It's all for the case, we understand..." He then changed the subject:

"As for Qin, he's a young man, full of vigor and hot-bloodedness, so please forgive him, everyone!"

This ambiguous emphasis only made Skinner's face turn even uglier, as if he had swallowed a fly.

Nearly another hour passed.

The sunlight was already quite dazzling, but the pond remained lifeless.

Finally, Constantine's exhausted voice came through the walkie-talkie again, damp with sweat and tinged with frustration:

"Qin... that thing still hasn't come out! I... I just risked diving down a bit, and this pool of water... connects to an underground river! The current is very strong! That thing might have escaped through the underground river!"

underground river?

That's probably the case. For a zombie with this level of intelligence, escaping by diving is a basic skill; there's no need to guess.

Fox Mulder immediately stepped forward, his tone sincere:

"Chief Skinner, Chief Edward, gentlemen. Now that the target has been confirmed to have escaped via the underground river, please allow us to take over the follow-up investigation. This process may take a long time... We will be transferring personnel from the Los Angeles FBI, and the intelligence will be reported to the LAPD immediately."

Having said that, the meaning is quite clear:

The remaining tracking is a long and arduous task, something they are more professional at, and the Los Angeles Police Department cannot afford to waste a lot of manpower and resources on it. They are willing to take on this hot potato as an apology.

Chief Edward paused for a moment, assessed the situation, and nodded gravely.

"Alright, in that case, I'll leave the rest to you all—Logan, call everyone back and hand the scene over to the FBI."

Then he glanced at Frank: "Frank, those things will arrive soon. Arrange for people to scatter them and turn the soil, as Qin instructed, understand?"

"Yes, Chief!" Frank straightened his back, his voice hoarse but firm.

He was well aware of the current situation; it was no longer possible to take revenge personally, so he had to give up. Fortunately, he was still able to complete the work of dealing with the corpse-raising site, thus indirectly avenging part of the situation.

Qin Jin had to wait for Constance Dante to return and check the agents' wounds before staying behind. Logan came over and patted him on the shoulder without saying anything, but his eyes were full of approval!

Director Edward looked at the regrouping troops, his voice not loud but clear:

"Deputy Director Logan, Deputy Director Thomas, and Frank... Come directly to headquarters after you get back. We need to discuss how to handle Group Two. I'd like to hear your opinions."

Engines started one after another, and police cars lined up in a long queue, carrying the bodies of the victims and the burdens of the survivors, slowly driving away from this cursed mountain valley.

Back at headquarters, an emergency meeting was convened. The first issue was the characterization of the paper doll murder case, which would proceed according to Qin Jin's wishes. Next was the second group's death incident—

The suggestion is to merge this case with the paper doll murder case, and define the sacrifice as a death in the fight against a cult. This way, each family can receive a certain amount of compensation, which also aligns with America's general policy on counterterrorism.

Finally, there was a discussion about Group Two. Several key figures proposed candidates for reorganization and suggested drawing personnel to form a fighting force in the shortest possible time.

Of course, no one forgot Qin Jin, a meritorious official, especially Logan, who proposed to grant him the position of trainee detective, in order to facilitate future case handling.

Amidst the various opinions, Director Edward offered his own perspective:

"Gentlemen, the Canyon Precinct currently has six homicide and major crime units. Reducing one is perfectly adequate for the current workload. Therefore, I think that forming a second unit might not be necessary. Instead, creating a unit capable of handling paranormal cases is the real priority!"

His gaze swept over everyone, his tone somewhat low: "I know, you all know, to varying degrees, that there have been quite a few supernatural cases over the years. The reason I haven't established this department isn't because I'm unaware of the situation, but because I haven't had the right person!"

"But now, Qin's performance this time has given me hope for the establishment of a new department!"

Director Edward raised his voice slightly and said solemnly:

"This time, we'll keep Group Two in place for now, and let Qin take charge. He can choose the personnel. They'll specialize in dealing with these kinds of supernatural cases. As for titles... that's the most troublesome part. Qin's experience is too limited, so I can't let him be the group leader."

"Then let's not appoint a team leader. Let him lead the team as a trainee detective," Deputy Chief Logan suggested from the side.

"As long as he is the commander, his position doesn't matter. They're all from the Los Angeles Police Department anyway. Everyone can just notify their own departments to cooperate privately."

Frank immediately added, "Yes, a temporary appointment. I'll arrange it. Deputy Director Thomas just needs to sign the authorization. It will be used for specific cases or temporary teams, and the term can be a bit longer."

Deputy Director Thomas nodded in agreement: "I have no problem."

With everyone's support, Director Edward immediately made the decision:

"Alright, it's decided! The second group will be retained and reorganized into the 'Second Special Investigation Group,' with Trainee Detective Qin Jin fully responsible for investigating all cases that are initially determined to involve supernatural or abnormal phenomena or are difficult to explain using existing criminal investigation methods!"

"As for the existing cases," Chief Edward's voice lowered slightly, "you are responsible for arranging their transfer to the other five teams!"

"yes!"

Through a series of unfortunate coincidences, Qin Jin has taken another step further away from his dream of a low-key salted fish life.