"Revenge" on Kaito Kid / You Have to Shear the Sheep Slowly

Over the past few days, he had also investigated and followed the man who killed Chihiro Ayasato in the original story: Xiao Zhongda.

Though the name sounded strange, it really was the man's name.

As the president of an intelligence company, Xiao Zhongda had risen to where he was through all kinds of shady deals. At least according to the game's plot, he had used the intelligence he had gathered over the years to blackmail quite a few high-ranking political officials, and those officials had no choice but to swallow their anger for the sake of their reputations.

To be honest, when Jiang Hang had played the game and watched the anime, he had felt that this guy clearly had the potential to become the final boss, yet his methods were as despicable as those of some minor thug.

In the end, he was just a scumbag with no vision who had gotten this far through dirty tricks and sheer luck. Jiang Hang had no favorable impression of such trash.

After following the man for the past few days, under Eagle Eye's investigation, almost nothing about him could remain hidden.

Jiang Hang was now waiting for the right moment for him to make a move against Chihiro Ayasato, then he would take the guy out in one sweep.

Of course, assassination and poisoning were methods Jiang Hang would never use lightly unless it came down to the very end.

There was no need to use such methods on trash like him.

Setting that matter aside, today was the day Shiro Suzuki had invited him to Suzuki Manor.

Jiang Hang had now arrived as promised to meet Shiro Suzuki.

Shiro Suzuki was already fifty years old. Although the Suzuki Conglomerate was one of Japan's top conglomerates, judging from his appearance and manner of speaking, Shiro Suzuki seemed more like a kind and approachable middle-aged man.

When they met, Shiro Suzuki warmly patted Jiang Hang on the shoulder, called him by name, and enthusiastically introduced his two daughters.

There was no need to mention Sonoko Suzuki, since Jiang Hang knew her quite well. Her older sister, Ayako Suzuki, the eldest daughter of the Suzuki family, appeared far more refined and ladylike.

When facing Jiang Hang, every aspect of her etiquette was impeccable. With such a gentle personality, it was hard not to feel favorably toward her.

As for Shiro Suzuki's wife, Tomoko Suzuki, one could tell from both her appearance and tone that she was a very forceful woman. Seeing her husband and two daughters behaving so obediently in front of her also explained quite a lot.

Jiang Hang believed that if he did not have that Foundation behind him and were merely an ordinary detective, she probably would not have given him a second glance.

Of course, this meeting was not particularly formal. After meeting Jiang Hang, Tomoko Suzuki left with her two daughters.

Shiro Suzuki also did not ask anything about the Foundation behind Jiang Hang. The focus of their conversation was mainly the exhibition.

When the exhibition was mentioned, Shiro Suzuki's expression became somewhat subtle.

"It's a little embarrassing to say this, but for certain reasons, there has been a small accident with the exhibition, so I need to discuss something with you."

Perhaps feeling that this might cause Jiang Hang to misunderstand, Shiro Suzuki waved his hand again.

"Of course, the exhibition will definitely be held at the Beika Art Museum. The accident I mentioned is actually related to my older brother."

When mentioning his older brother, the chairman of the Suzuki Conglomerate could not help revealing a helpless expression.

Just as Jiang Hang was wondering who this older brother might be, a hurried set of footsteps came from outside the living room.

Very soon, Jiang Hang saw a bald head pop out from the living room entrance!

"Jiang Hang, the 'Eagle-Eyed Detective'! This old man has been waiting for you for quite some time!" The next moment, the bald man gave Jiang Hang a thumbs-up.

Jiang Hang looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Very good eyes. As a detective, you must view every sudden occurrence with suspicion. It seems you're a fine young man!"

Who are you?

Jiang Hang frantically complained inwardly about this bald old man who had appeared out of nowhere.

At that moment, the man strode up to Jiang Hang, extended a hand, and revealed a bold smile.

"This old man is Jirokichi Suzuki, a man who conquers the world!"

Hearing that, Jiang Hang's mouth twitched slightly. So the Suzuki family had such an eccentric big shot?

Since the old man was being so proactive, Jiang Hang could only extend his hand and shake his. The moment their hands met, Jiang Hang felt the increasing force in the old man's grip.

Though this old man was at least over sixty, his grip strength was no joke. But Jiang Hang was a young man, so there was no way he could lose to him in that regard.

"Ohhh, you're much stronger than I imagined!" After feeling the strength in Jiang Hang's hand, Jirokichi Suzuki happily patted the muscles on Jiang Hang's arm with his other hand. "Not bad, strong and powerful! Strong and powerful indeed!"

The old man seemed very satisfied with Jiang Hang in every respect.

"I've heard about your Foundation. Giving up your inheritance to come to Japan and become a detective—you have the spirit I had in my younger days. I think very highly of you!"

As he spoke, he placed a hand on Jiang Hang's shoulder and enthusiastically invited him.

"After the exhibition is over, are you interested in conquering the world with me?"

Jiang Hang had nearly mistaken the old man for a mental patient, until he figured out what the old man meant by "conquering the world."

The man was now proudly introducing the various awards he had won around the world over the years.

Champion of the European Golf Open, champion of the United States Bowling Open, champion of a savanna off-road race... There was even a trophy for winning a hamburger-eating contest in some region. Not only were there an enormous number of trophies, but at a glance, Jiang Hang did not spot a single duplicate.

Jirokichi Suzuki was remarkably straightforward about it. "My goal is to climb one peak after another. Only things I have yet to conquer can interest me!"

What, do you think you're the King of Conquerors? Do you want to conquer everything you see?

While mocking him inwardly, Jiang Hang looked at the latest trophy he had received. It was the prize for winning a human-powered aircraft race around the world held last month.

This old man had probably spent most of his life earning these trophies.

By his own account, he had likely once had the chance to inherit the Suzuki Conglomerate when he was young. Instead, he chose another path and merely held an idle consultant position in the Suzuki Conglomerate.

From that perspective, Jirokichi Suzuki really was a man who had "conquered the world."

"Impressive, isn't it? These are the greatest glories of my life. Even now, when I look at these trophies, it feels as if I have returned to my youth." Jirokichi Suzuki proudly boasted about the achievements of his life to Jiang Hang.

"They really are impressive." Thinking that the man was already seventy-two, yet his fighting spirit seemed to remain at eighteen, Jiang Hang truly admired him.

At the very least, he was far more impressive than a young man like Jiang Hang, who had only just entered his twenties.

Remembering the "accident" Shiro Suzuki had mentioned earlier, Jiang Hang looked at him and turned the topic back to the exhibition.

"From what Mr. Shiro Suzuki said earlier, it sounds like you have some other plans for the exhibition at the Beika Art Museum?"

"That's right!" Jirokichi Suzuki gave Jiang Hang another thumbs-up. "I came back here specifically for revenge!"

"Revenge..." Jiang Hang's eyelid twitched. You're already over seventy. What could you possibly need revenge for? Aren't your old enemies practically ready for their coffins by now?

But what he said next left Jiang Hang even more dumbfounded.

"I am seventy-two this year. In this world, there is basically nothing I want that I cannot obtain. These trophies are the spoils I earned through my own hard work."

"And the moment that satisfies me most is when I reap the fruits of victory and have my achievements printed on the front page of the newspaper. Yet... there was a thief who stole my glory. When I won that race around the world, that fellow actually pushed me off the front page! It was the greatest humiliation of my life, so I absolutely cannot forgive him!"

Perhaps having worked himself into a rage, the old man began waving his arms irritably.

The newspaper front page... Jiang Hang could not help rubbing his forehead at Jirokichi Suzuki's words.

No matter how he looked at it, this did not seem like something that required a special "revenge."

Besides, even if nobody had stolen your headline, a race in which you flew around the world did not seem like something that could make the front page anyway!

Fortunately, when he had made the front page because of the art museum, it had not clashed with the old man's competition. Otherwise, the target of his revenge would not have been that guy, but Jiang Hang.

While inwardly mocking the old man whose competitive streak was exceptionally strong, Jiang Hang still asked him a question.

"Then the person who stole your headline... what was his name?"

"Since you are a detective, you should know his name. He is clearly a thief, yet dresses in an excessively flashy manner. No matter how tight the security around the treasure he seeks to steal, he can always break through it with ease, then depart gracefully under the moonlight after taking it." Jirokichi Suzuki clenched his fist tightly and spoke the man's name.

"What I intend to do is personally arrest that thief known as Kaito Kid in front of everyone, and rightfully take back the front page that belongs to me!"

"Kaito Kid..." Jiang Hang had not expected that the person who stole the old man's headline would be him.

To be honest, he was quite interested in Kaito Kid.

After all, Kaito Kid had a rather high profile for most of his appearances. It was just that in the movie released before Jiang Hang transmigrated, Kid had been brutally nerfed by the screenwriter. Not only had he been reduced to a supporting character who pushed the plot forward, but his image had also been greatly diminished.

Of course, that did not affect Jiang Hang's assessment of Kid. Setting aside his flashy magic tricks, that almost fantastical "instant disguise" alone had caught the attention of Jiang Hang, who had only recently paid a huge price to finally master Advanced Disguise.

"How about it? As a detective, you surely want to capture Kaito Kid with your own hands as well, right? To be honest, I think very highly of you. I would not treat an ordinary person this way." Jirokichi Suzuki extended an invitation to Jiang Hang. "Let us aim to capture Kid together and make the newspaper front page!"

I have no interest in newspaper headlines. If anyone is going to make the front page, it can be you.

Even so, Jiang Hang accepted Jirokichi Suzuki's invitation.

"If it is Kaito Kid, then I really am interested. But before that, what do you intend to use as bait?" Jiang Hang looked at him.

Every time Kaito Kid made a move, it was for valuable gemstones. The Beika Art Museum definitely did not have such things, but the Suzuki Conglomerate was enormously wealthy and could casually produce a world-class gemstone.

"Originally, I planned to use the precious gemstones I recently collected around the world to lure him here. But Tomoko is also very interested in Kaito Kid, so this time, we plan to use the Suzuki family's heirloom, Dark Star, as bait. As long as the Suzuki Conglomerate promotes the history of this gemstone, I believe Kaito Kid will be unable to resist making a move once he learns of it."

"Then he will fall completely into the Suzuki family's trap and be captured by me personally! Ahahaha!!"

Apparently imagining the arrogant and untouchable Kaito Kid falling into his hands, the elderly man let out a proud laugh.

Jiang Hang also revealed a satisfied smile.

A world-class jewel, Kaito Kid's ever-growing popularity, and this wealthy old man willingly spending money to promote it—the Beika Art Museum would not need to worry about popularity or discussion for a long time to come.

He was really starting to enjoy dealing with the Suzuki family more and more.

Of course, a large-scale jewelry exhibition was not something that could be held whenever one wanted.

No matter how much effort the Suzuki Conglomerate put into publicity, it would still take at least half a month before the jewelry exhibition could be held.

Most importantly, they had to draw Kaito Kid's attention to the jewelry exhibition.

Otherwise, after a whole group of them spent so much time planning how to trap Kaito Kid and make him walk into his own doom, it would be incredibly awkward if he never even found out that a jewelry exhibition was being held here.

Of course, Kaito Kid had one characteristic: he would send a notice before officially acting. As long as he sent one, that meant their first step had succeeded.

Seeing that the television station had begun advertising the upcoming jewelry exhibition during prime time after only a single day, Jiang Hang once again sincerely thanked Jirokichi Suzuki.

What a wonderful old man. He sought no profit, only fame. Just the initial investment to lure Kaito Kid in must have cost quite a bit, and once the jewelry exhibition was set up, the money spent would only increase.

Even Chihiro Ayasato, who had been a lawyer for many years, could not help remarking on how outrageously wealthy the Suzuki Conglomerate was after seeing the contract to rent the Beika Art Museum for the jewelry exhibition.

"There is no problem with this contract. I've heard of Jirokichi Suzuki as well. Although he did not inherit the Suzuki Conglomerate, he possesses wealth beyond the imagination of ordinary people and is a world-class collector. I didn't expect that at his age, he would still be such a... spirited person." Chihiro Ayasato hesitated before choosing a more complimentary term to describe Jirokichi Suzuki.

"He's just too competitive. No matter who steals his newspaper front page, he will take revenge by reclaiming it. It just so happens that the one who stole his headline this time was Kaito Kid. That old man will probably spend a long time battling wits with Kaito Kid in the future, losing again and again but continuing to fight."

Jiang Hang casually set the contract aside. Since Jirokichi Suzuki was not here, there was no problem with him saying such things to his legal adviser.

Chihiro Ayasato was somewhat surprised by Jiang Hang's words.

"I heard that Kaito Kid is someone every police officer and detective in Japan wants to capture. But from what you're saying, it seems you have no interest in arresting him?"

Jiang Hang shrugged.

"I'm rather curious about Kaito Kid, but he isn't a real robber. Haven't you noticed? The gemstones he steals basically all return to their original owners. Such an interesting person—if I caught him, wouldn't there be a lot less fun in the future?"

But what Jiang Hang was thinking inwardly was something else entirely.

What was Kaito Kid? He was popularity and traffic. There were even quite a few of his fans online now. Setting aside the fact that Kaito Kid could be considered half a "heroic character," Jiang Hang could never truly put in the effort to catch him with all the attention surrounding him.

Now that he had connected with Jirokichi Suzuki, as long as he put in a little effort on minor details and kept Jirokichi Suzuki recognizing him as the "Eagle-Eyed Detective," while making him feel that he had only been a tiny bit away from catching Kaito Kid, then Kaito Kid and Jirokichi Suzuki could both become even more useful tools than Officer Takagi.

Of course, wool had to be sheared slowly. Shear it once this month, then wait until the art museum's popularity died down and shear it again. That was what sustainable development meant.

After repeating that process a few times, wouldn't his industry level rise rapidly?

I'm really a business genius. Jiang Hang shamelessly gave himself a thumbs-up.

Chihiro Ayasato covered her mouth and laughed softly after hearing Jiang Hang's words. "It seems, Mr. Jiang Hang, that you think capturing Kaito Kid would be very easy as long as you wanted to?"

Jiang Hang did not fall for her provocation at all.

"I'm not, I didn't, don't make things up!" After throwing out the standard triple denial, Jiang Hang refused to say another word about Kaito Kid.

Chihiro Ayasato did not take Jiang Hang's words seriously either.

After reviewing the contract, she prepared to return to her law office.

When Jiang Hang saw the trace of weariness appear on her face as she stood, he frowned slightly and asked, "It seems Miss Ayasato has been busy with something recently?"

"I've been dealing with some personal matters lately. Since they're almost wrapped up, I've been a little busy. It will be fine in a couple of days." Chihiro Ayasato did not say what personal matter she was currently occupied with.

Controlling one's facial expression was an important part of disguise skills, so Jiang Hang naturally noticed the fleeting strain on Chihiro Ayasato's face.

"Miss Ayasato, I'm afraid you're doing something dangerous right now. Do you need my help? I think I'm rather good at dealing with such matters. As for the commission fee, I can give you a friendship discount."

"Mr. Jiang Hang truly lives up to the title of Eagle-Eyed Detective. Nothing can escape your eyes, can it..." Chihiro Ayasato did not deny it, then gently shook her head. "It is not actually that dangerous. I just need to be a little more careful. In any case, there is no need to trouble Mr. Jiang Hang with it for now. I will handle it soon, and it will not affect the work here."

"If I really encounter any danger, I will definitely ask for Mr. Jiang Hang's help." As if to reassure Jiang Hang, she deliberately added that.