The Salted Fish Assassin's Multiverse Daily Life

No, judging by what his assistant said, the other party had already noticed the situation inside while picking the lock?

Conan's small head instantly conjured up a possibility.

Normal people wouldn't break into a place just because of a rumor.

And someone like Jiang Hang, recalling the sharp instincts he'd shown during the Maple Gold Coin Case, didn't seem like the type to act on impulse like that.

So could it be—after learning about the museum's rumor of the walking armor, Jiang Hang found out some other key information from somewhere, deduced that a crime might occur here, and came to investigate, even willing to break into this closed exhibition hall?

But Jiang Hang was still too late in the end, unable to stop the murder.

If his guess wasn't wrong...

Conan looked at Jiang Hang, whose expression remained normal.

This might be a man whose style of action was completely different from any detective he'd met before.

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: The Use of the Meditation Method

Jiang Hang had no idea what Conan was cooking up in that little head of his.

If he did, he'd have to admit Conan had some real skill—the deduction actually had a tiny bit of connection to the truth.

But Conan was giving him too much credit.

He did know a crime would happen here, but it wasn't from deduction; it was from his memory before the transmigration, and afterward, he relied on the Eagle Eye ability.

Anyone else with those tools could achieve the same or even better results.

Right now, Jiang Hang was thinking about something else.

"By the way, I heard around the neighborhood that Miss Mouri's mother is a pretty famous lawyer?"

He'd suddenly remembered that Ran's mother, Eri Kisaki, was a well-known lawyer. Having watched so much of Conan and the movies on and off, she left him with the impression of an incredibly elite lawyer. He actually had something he needed her help with.

"My mother... she is a lawyer. Do you have some legal matter you need to consult her about, Mr. Jiang Hang?" Ran was a bit curious why Jiang Hang had heard about her mother from the neighborhood, but it wasn't a secret—her mother was a lawyer who dealt with all kinds of people.

Still, Ran didn't pry. Seeing that Jiang Hang genuinely wanted to consult a lawyer, she quickly gave him the work number for her mother's office.

"This is a huge help. Thank you so much. Well, I still need to head to the police station, so I'll take my leave now." Having gotten what he needed, Jiang Hang thanked Ran properly, and before parting, he gave Conan's head another good ruffling.

"Conan, next time you get a chance, bring your friends by my office. I still owe you that eel rice I promised last time."

I have absolutely zero interest in eel rice... Only a brat like Genta would get excited about that.

Conan thought helplessly, but then reconsidered—maybe this was an opportunity. If he could observe the guy up close, he might figure out what kind of person he really was.

Looks like I'll have to use Genta and the others. But since they'll get the eel rice they've been craving for days, they probably won't blame me.

With that thought, Conan decided to pencil in a visit to Jiang Hang's office on his near-term schedule.

Since he had to go to the police station to give a statement, Jiang Hang's AE86 had to stay parked in the museum lot. Even if he didn't need to give a statement, Jiang Hang felt that given Koharu Yoshino's current state, it was best not to let her touch the steering wheel.

He bought her a bottle of milk and a small bag of bread nearby—she'd probably thrown up everything she'd eaten today, and the statement would take a few hours. Before dinner, letting her have some bread to settle her stomach was a good idea.

But Koharu Yoshino had no appetite. After a sip of milk, she couldn't eat anything else.

"How are you feeling now, Koharu?" Jiang Hang asked, watching her hold the milk with a dazed look.

"Feeling... a bit strange," Koharu Yoshino answered honestly.

She seemed to recall the scene of that bloody corpse, and a wave of nausea surged up again.

But she had nothing left to throw up. She quickly opened the window and breathed in the fresh air, feeling a bit better.

"Sorry, this is my first time... seeing something like that. I'm not used to it."

"That's normal. You're a girl, after all—it's not surprising you have a lower tolerance for this kind of scene," Jiang Hang said, refraining from saying something discouraging like "you'll get used to it after throwing up enough times."

He glanced at the police officer driving in front: "Officer Takagi, you probably felt like throwing up the first time you saw a corpse too, right?"

At Jiang Hang's question, the officer driving glanced at Koharu Yoshino through the rearview mirror.

This was another officer who often appeared with Inspector Megure in the anime—Takagi Wataru, the same guy who later frequently explained cases to Conan in the story.

By the later stages of Conan, even the police had gotten used to Conan wandering around crime scenes, answering whatever he asked, while Kogoro Mouri still acted like he knew nothing, and Conan still refused to reveal his identity to Ran.

After Conan's story was forcibly stretched from a medium-length manga into a long-running series, even the author had to keep playing dumb about these leftover issues.

Jiang Hang didn't have a deep impression of Takagi Wataru, but he remembered the guy started dating a policewoman from the station later on—half a winner in life.

"Even veteran cops with years on the job can't handle it sometimes. We're not in forensics, dealing with corpses every day. Feeling sick is totally normal—you get used to it." Takagi laughed, then looked at Koharu Yoshino.

"But for a girl, you might have a few nightmares for a few days. It'll pass. Though I did warn you, I didn't expect you to go in with him."

Since Jiang Hang had stayed inside talking with Director Ochiai at the crime scene, Koharu Yoshino, worried about his safety, had followed the police in when they arrived—and ended up like this.

Who would've thought it'd be like that inside... Koharu Yoshino thought helplessly. And Jiang Hang was in there alone, facing off with the killer. Waiting outside, she was terrified too, her mind stuck on what if the killer went after him.

"I feel like I'll never forget what I saw in there..."

"It's fine. I have a method for getting a good night's sleep. I'll teach you later—use it when you go to bed, and you'll usually fall asleep quickly."

Jiang Hang was, of course, talking about the Meditation Method. In the game, it was a basic skill for switching between day and night, but in reality, its effects were astonishing.

Ever since mastering the Meditation Method, Jiang Hang could fall asleep in under a minute after lying down and using it, with excellent sleep quality. Long-term use even had some health benefits.

It couldn't compare to Nobita's talent for falling asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, but in real life, it was a minor god-tier trick for daily living.

After all, sleep is something everyone needs. If you could guarantee the quality of your sleep, I'm sure many wealthy people in the world who rely on sleeping pills would be willing to pay a hefty price for such a method.

Although the complete Meditation Method is quite complex, there are simplified versions. They're just less effective, but easier to practice, and perfect for teaching Koharu Yoshino and the others.

"Is there really such an amazing method? Mr. Jiang Hang, if you have time, could you teach me?" Before Koharu Yoshino could speak, Takagi Wataru had already taken an interest in what Jiang Hang was saying.

The simplified Meditation Method wasn't some supernatural thing like Ripple Breathing. It was just a sleep aid—a few postures combined with some special breathing techniques that anyone could try. Teaching it to others wasn't a big deal. Takagi Wataru was someone Jiang Hang found agreeable anyway. Every time he went to the police station to give a statement, he rode in Takagi's car, and he'd probably be riding with him often in the future. Teaching him wouldn't hurt.

"Officer Takagi, have you been sleeping poorly lately?"

"Not really, but sometimes I have to work until dawn and then get up early to start busy again. Maybe I'm just a little sleep-deprived."

"Alright, after we finish the statement, I'll explain it to you in more detail."

Chapter 27: What Exactly Is 2D?

"Host has solved a Four-Star Case. Case resolution reward has been issued. Please check and accept."

After finishing the statement and teaching the simplified Meditation Method to Koharu Yoshino and Takagi Wataru, Jiang Hang enjoyed a hearty barbecue at a restaurant near the police station. Then, he took the initiative to escort Koharu Yoshino, who still had no appetite, back home.

In truth, her mindset had stabilized quite a bit under the comfort of him and the officers. Her lack of appetite was just a minor issue.

What mattered more now was how Koharu Yoshino would handle things on her own. In the future, Shizuka Sakaki would inevitably face similar situations. If they couldn't accept and adapt, they'd have no choice but to leave the agency.

But Jiang Hang had faith in them. The girls at Youth Animation weren't any weaker mentally than the heroines of morning dramas. Even when they hit setbacks, they always bounced back quickly and grew stronger from the experience.

Maybe when Koharu Yoshino tried to sleep tonight, she'd realize her stomach was still empty, naturally overcome her nausea, and start rummaging through her house for something to eat.

After saying goodnight to Koharu Yoshino and watching her go upstairs, Jiang Hang checked the reward for this case.

Last time, the six-hundred-million-yen Maple Gold Coin Case and the five-hundred-million-yen insurance fraud case were both rated three stars. But this time, the Art Museum Murder Case was rated four stars. He had no idea how the system judged these things.

"The star rating of a case is not based on the amount of money involved. It is comprehensively evaluated based on the perpetrator's methods, the difficulty of the case, and the overall impact of the incident. Please be aware, Host."

"So, the Maple Gold Coin Case got a high rating because the gang robbing the vault had a huge impact, and the five-hundred-million-yen insurance fraud case was about the killer's methods?"

Based on the ratings of the cases and commissions he'd handled over the past week, Jiang Hang had roughly figured out the evaluation criteria.

Those without any rating included daily commissions like helping an elderly person cross the street or taking a child to the hospital.

Helping someone find a lost item upon request—such commissions had limited influence and weren't very difficult, usually rated between one and two stars. The rewards ranged from two million to ten million yen. Of course, if it involved a theft case by Kaito Kid, it would probably start at three stars.

As for missing person cases, they generally started at two stars. If the person was a corporate heir, a government official, or someone of similar status, it could even become a five-star commission.

When it came to murder cases, they were at least three stars.

This time, the Art Museum Murder Case—Director Ochiai's method was more "sophisticated" than Abe Yutaka's alibi trick. The victim was the president of a large company, and the crime scene was a public place like an art museum, causing considerable social impact. That's why the system rated it four stars.

But judging by the method and difficulty of solving the case... it didn't feel good to think about. He'd probably be better off not knowing.

This time, the reward was both money and skills. So far, cases below three stars only gave yen rewards. Only cases at three stars or above came with skill rewards.

The money reward for a four-star case was a direct fifty million yen. By that logic, a five-star case would give over a hundred million yen.

Jiang Hang had curiously asked the system where all this money came from. The system's answer was that it exploited loopholes in this world. The more advanced aspects even involved things like the world's origin. The system also assured him he didn't need to worry about the source—it was all legal and legitimate.

If any problems came knocking, the system would handle them before they reached Jiang Hang.

After learning this, Jiang Hang realized that while this system was a bit of a scam, it still had the dignity of a superhuman civilization in this regard.

But the rigid, outdated system's thoughts were actually quite simple: "This system doesn't understand this stuff. That money was directly generated by the Yen Generation Plugin included in the 2D Patch Pack. Apparently, the original template was something a certain tycoon system cooked up. Then, after being modified by a system that dabbles in 2D, it was all packed together into the 2D Patch Pack."

Thinking about the 2D Patch Pack loaded into its own system, the Legendary Assassin System felt like crying. It had just wanted to keep up with the trends like the younger systems. It never expected to be dragged into this unregistered 2D world.

It had been in the system circle for nearly ten epochs, and now, after this mess, it had to cram on 2D-related knowledge. Otherwise, it couldn't even understand what was going on in its own host's head.

But the old 2D systems on the system forum kept spouting things like "Nyaa nyaa nyaa," driving this system crazy. It was starting to see program bugs from all the "nyaa nyaa nyaa."

More importantly, the things those systems said were just as incomprehensible as the stuff popping up in its host's head.

For example, "Winter Three Sprite," "Saint Kei is Heavenly Number One," and even a long string of "The XXX dancing at your fingertips" left the Legendary Assassin System completely baffled.

What were these systems talking about? Was "Winter Three Sprite" a new flavor of Sprite from some world? Weren't saints the stuff of Primordial Chaos systems? How did they get mixed up with 2D? And that long string of "your fingertips"... forget it. It didn't dare comment, afraid those systems would cross worlds to beat it up.

Even now, it still hadn't figured out what "2D" was. All it could do was envy the younger systems thriving in other 2D worlds with their hosts.

Jiang Hang had no idea his system was on the verge of being driven mad by the incomprehensible "2D." He continued looking at the other rewards besides the yen.

Poison Mastery (Advanced): After knowledge infusion from the system and training in the Virtual Space, you will become a Poison Master. As long as you wish, you can use common items around you to concoct lethal poisons at any time. At the same time, you will have sharper-than-normal judgment and perception when identifying poisons, giving you more options when choosing poisons for assassination.

Well, there it was—Jiang Hang's first advanced skill. Unsurprisingly, it was still a standard assassin skill. This system was as irresponsible as ever. At least it could have made the skill description look a bit more decent.

Even if everyone was slacking off, they should at least make it look convincing. Was it really appropriate to blatantly write "assassination" in the description?

But he had to admit, this skill was useful in many ways.

On a small scale, if Jiang Hang wanted to cook for himself in the future, he wouldn't have to worry about making harmful food combinations.

From a work perspective, he would inevitably encounter many poison-related murder cases. Although he knew that Conan and many other crime dramas featured the legendary "potassium cyanide" as the most common poison, if he came across such a case, he could use this skill combined with Eagle Eye to quickly find where and what poison the killer used. At the same time, he could avoid being poisoned himself.

But to fully master this skill, he'd have to undergo special training in the Virtual Space provided by the system.

Thinking back to last time, when he trained in combat skills and was beaten up by Uncle E all night—although the injuries from the Virtual Space didn't carry over to his real body—it still left an indelible shadow on Jiang Hang's innocent and pure heart.

This time, it was poison training. Was he going to have to try each poison one by one?

With a mix of anxiety and unease, Jiang Hang returned to the agency, took a shower, lay down on the bed, and chose to enter the Virtual Space.

Just thought it was interesting, so I put it out for everyone to see. Don't mind it.

Chapter 28: Do You Know How Many Times I Was Poisoned to Death Last Night?

The next day, the sun rose as usual.

Jiang Hang opened his eyes.

"Three hundred and five times," Jiang Hang said, struggling to get out of bed as he complained to his system. His worry from the night before had come true. The so-called poison training really was just one poison after another laid out before him for him to try. These poisons were basically all sorts of modern industrial chemical products—solids, liquids, gases—anything toxic counted as knowledge needed to master the Poison Mastery skill.

"Do you know how I spent this one night? I died a full three hundred and five times before I finally passed the Poison Master's final test."

And that was his death count even after the system had already poured the knowledge into his head. Only after dying that many times was he able to truly integrate and comprehend the extra knowledge in his mind.

It was also because time in the Virtual Space didn't sync with reality, and the system had dulled his perception of time there. Otherwise, if this knowledge were placed in the real world, heaven knows how long it would take him to fully master it.

"This is a necessary process. Only this way can the host develop sufficient vigilance against all kinds of poisons in the future. As an ass... detective, this is a necessary process. Nya, host, do you understand?"

The moment the system said "nya," both Jiang Hang and the system fell silent.

"..." Even though it was still summer, Jiang Hang felt as if a cold wind had blown right past him.

"...Program error detected. Beginning emergency repair... Repair complete. Please continue using this system with confidence. System maintenance compensation has been issued. Please check and collect it yourself."

Jiang Hang had already gotten used to the system's rigid, unchanging replies and that classic slip of the tongue. But he never expected that his own honest-looking Assassin System would actually pull that "nya nya nya" routine. It was practically a death sentence for him.

This feeling nearly made Jiang Hang die of poison on the spot.

Compared to this toxic system, Jiang Hang, the newly minted Poison Master, could only concede defeat.

Still, he had to go check the compensation the system used to shut him up.

"System maintenance compensation: 100 million yen, one set of Legendary Hidden Blades, along with the Hidden Blade Proficiency skill (Advanced), and one session of Hidden Blade training in the Virtual Space."