35: All of you are Jiang Xia’s accomplices.
Ran Mouri was originally in a dilemma, whether to decline Sonoko Suzuki's invitation today and accompany Conan to make a statement. Now that Jiang Xia had arrived, the problem was immediately solved.
*****
Soon, Ran Mouri led Conan downstairs. She entrusted the kids to Jiang Xia with peace of mind, then went to the bus stop without any worries, preparing to meet Sonoko Suzuki.
*****
Jiang Xia led the four case magnets alone to the police station.
As a proud member of the spoiler party, Jiang Xia was mentally prepared for the unruliness of the Junior Detective Team.
However, along the way, things went unexpectedly for him.
The kids didn't cling to his legs and shouted, "Treat me to eel rice!" They didn't swarm around him, bombarding him with questions, nor did they run around aimlessly.
Instead, they were well-behaved, stopping at red lights, crossing at green lights, yielding to pedestrians, almost as if they were about to line up and chant "121, march together."
*****
Along the way, Jiang Xia turned his head with a hint of surprise, looking at them several times, almost suspecting that these were a few fake children shrunk by APTX4869.
Then he noticed that the more he looked, the quieter it became around him.
Eventually, even the occasional whispering disappeared.
Jiang Xia: "......?"
Although he didn't know what was happening, he unexpectedly felt relieved.
*****
It had been drizzling all day.
As they approached the intersection, Jiang Xia noticed the hanging little Bai on his shoulder suddenly perked up. It raised its little hand and wiped its mouth, even attempting to grab Jiang Xia's collar to wipe its mouth.
Jiang Xia remained silent for a moment, then flicked it away with one finger.
After landing, Little Bai fluttered back resiliently and climbed back onto Jiang Xia's shoulder.
Soon, Jiang Xia received the message it wanted to convey - a mushroom soup base.
Jiang Xia was taken aback, understanding.
He looked around and saw a man in a black raincoat walking towards them about several dozen meters ahead.
It was Dr. Kazato who smelled like a hotpot.
In addition to the raincoat, Dr. Kazato wore a hat and a mask today. The brim of the hat was pressed low, and the mask was pulled high, covering most of his face, leaving only his eyes exposed.
*****
Although this outfit was somewhat strange, on a rainy day, it was not easy to attract attention when shielded by an umbrella.
Kazato Kyosuke went out today in a tightly wrapped attire, and of course, Jiang Xia was not his target.
He pressed down on the brim of his hat and quickly approached a telephone booth.
There was someone inside the phone booth.
As Kazato Kyosuke approached, the man inside the booth just finished his call and pushed the door open.
At the moment the door opened, Kazato Kyosuke suddenly pulled out a gun and fired several shots at the man.
The person in the phone booth clutched his chest, his face contorted in pain as he collapsed.
Behind Jiang Xia, a series of screams rang out, indicating that the children had also witnessed the scene.
Almost simultaneously, the armed man rushed towards Jiang Xia and the children.
*****
At this moment, Kazato Kyosuke could only run towards them because, in the other direction, several burly men were chasing him.
Among the pursuers were a middle-aged man who had just been buying cigarettes at the store and two bored salarymen who happened to be passing by... However, at this moment, these people chased after the culprit without hesitation, showing remarkable momentum. They didn't look like ordinary bystanders coming to the rescue but like well-prepared undercover agents.
Kazato Kyosuke suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart.
He realized that something seemed to have gone wrong, but he had no idea what the problem was.
Fortunately, those undercover agents had only been following him casually before and hadn't formed a blockade.
As Kazato Kyosuke sprinted away.
He ran wildly: "..." which meant he still had a chance to escape!
*****
Kazato Kyosuke looked at Jiang Xia ahead, focusing on several children beside him. He planned to grab a hostage as he passed by, giving himself some time to escape.
Jiang Xia glanced at the masked man rushing over and said to the four children, "Stand behind me and step aside."
The three children were initially hesitant about whether to rush over and stop the culprit. But when Jiang Xia suddenly spoke, before their brains could react, their bodies instinctively stepped to the roadside.
Conan, however, had no intention of making way. He was planning to grab a potted plant from the roadside and kick it at the criminal to subdue him. However, before reaching the flowerpot, his arm suddenly tightened—Genta and Mitsuhiko grabbed him from both sides and pulled him swiftly to the roadside.
Conan struggled to break free but could only be dragged away by the two. A few days ago, if Conan had shouted "Let go!", perhaps the unruly kids would have listened. But now, with Jiang Xia's words preceding his, anything Conan said was useless. Instead, after shouting "Let go", he had his mouth covered by Genta. Nervously, Genta whispered, "Behave yourself, or you'll end up with a pig's head."
Conan: "...&*%￥#!"
*****
The distance of several dozen meters could be covered by adults at full speed in no time.
Kazato Kyosuke raised his gun and changed his voice to shout at Jiang Xia, "Move aside!"
Jiang Xia took a step to the side.
Kazato Kyosuke secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it seemed that Jiang Xia was just an ordinary person afraid of guns.
As he passed Jiang Xia, the doctor reached out his hand in a long-planned move, intending to grab an unlucky child as a hostage randomly. However, before his fingertips touched anyone, his neck suddenly tightened, and he was flung backward as if the world had turned upside down.
—Jiang Xia grabbed Kazato Kyosuke's collar from behind, using his momentum to swing him out in a half-circular arc, slamming him heavily onto the ground.
With a "thud," Kazato Kyosuke flattened onto the ground, and the bricks on the sidewalk trembled. Stars danced in his eyes, and his head buzzed. Blood trickled down his nose. After several seconds, the blurry vision gradually cleared.
Kazato Kyosuke was both in pain and dazed, struggling to get up.
But at this moment, a shadow suddenly loomed over him—Jiang Xia walked to his side, looked down at him, and suddenly kicked his wrist.
The gun traced an arc as it flew out, landing about seven or eight meters away.
On the ground, Kazato Kyosuke let out a painful roar as he tried to stand up. However, he was struck on the waist again before he could regain his balance, causing him to stumble and fall back down.
*****
Jiang Xia, apart from his initial swing, didn't use much force afterward. His strength was only slightly heavier than that of a massage, resembling a cautious citizen taking a brave action.
But Kazato Kyosuke kept struggling, unable to get up at all.
He lay on the ground, watching the plainclothes getting closer, his eyes turning red with urgency. After another unsuccessful attempt to rise, he let out a roar of impotent rage: "Jiang Xia!!!"
Beside him, Genta and Mitsuhiko were startled.
"...The gunman who killed someone on the street actually knows Brother Jiang Xia, and he's being tossed around like a doll... No, not a doll."
...Choosing to listen to Brother Jiang Xia's words just now was a wise decision.
The two boys glanced at each other, silently holding onto Conan tighter, feeling like they had done a good deed and saved their classmate.
*****
Jiang Xia sensed a strong murderous intent emanating from Kazato Kyosuke's side, feeling quite pleased. And the more he struck, the stronger Kazato Kyosuke's murderous intent became—now, this doctor not only wanted to kill the police but also wanted to kill Jiang Xia, the "bystander" obstructing him.
Jiang Xia had originally planned to continue striking for a while.
However, unfortunately, after Kazato Kyosuke shouted his name, Jiang Xia couldn't pretend not to recognize him anymore...
Thinking of this, Jiang Xia hesitated slightly and retreated a bit, carefully observing the person on the ground.
When Kazato Kyosuke attempted to get up again, Jiang Xia just stood silently by, watching, without intervening.
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