The Salted Fish Assassin's Multi-Fandom Daily Life Chapter 41

"Kaito Kid?" Conan blinked, seeming to have some impression of the fellow.

He frowned slightly. "Before I shrank, when I was handling another case with Inspector Megure, he pulled me along to solve a riddle left by that guy. Although we didn't catch him in the end, he was certainly an interesting thief."

He seemed to recall their brief previous encounter, thinking back to his life before he shrank, then looked at Jiang Hang. "I saw the advertisement for your museum's jewelry exhibition on TV before. Does that mean you also want to catch that Kaito Kid?"

Chapter 98: Chapter 97: Kaito Kid Appears!

Kaito Kuroba, 17 years old, a high school student who wasn't quite ordinary.

His father was the renowned magician Toichi Kuroba, and his hidden identity was a super thief who had been appearing around the world for the past eighteen years, committing crimes with magical flair – Kaito Kid.

However, his father had mysteriously disappeared eight years ago, and it wasn't until six months ago that Kaito Kuroba discovered his father's true identity.

To investigate his father's whereabouts, he chose to become the second Kaito Kid.

And tonight was the night he would act again.

The Beika Art Museum was his target.

He had already spent the past few days investigating the museum and its owner.

A private detective who had recently debuted but came from a wealthy family, who had recently bought the Beika Art Museum, and an old man from the powerful Suzuki family who, for some reason, had taken an interest in him.

Honestly, when he first learned about these two, he wondered if they might have concocted some formidable trap together.

However, after eavesdropping and observing them for the past few days, he felt that his operation this time shouldn't encounter too many problems.

That detective named Jiang Hang seemed to be all talk. When he had been watching him these past few days, he was either playing on his computer in his office or handling all sorts of trivial, minor cases. There was no sign of a master detective about him at all.

And the Beika Art Museum he had purchased, while not small, was merely a neighborhood museum. If it weren't for the new wealthy owner, this jewelry exhibition wouldn't have been held here.

To Kaito Kuroba, this old museum had too many flaws. He could even move through it freely without being discovered.

As for the old man named Jirokichi Suzuki, he was even more arrogant. Knowing that he was coming to steal the Suzuki family's heirloom, he didn't bother calling the police at all, as if he planned to rely on the Suzuki Conglomerate's strength to stop his actions.

Moreover, Kaito Kuroba knew very well that even if the old man didn't call the police, Inspector Nakamori, who had been pursuing Kaito Kid for over ten years, would surely bring his men.

Therefore, to be safe, he had made many contingency plans for this operation.

He even felt that if it were too easy to resolve, it would be rather boring.

He glanced at the current time; it was almost the time stated in the advance notice. He prepared to make his move.

The Beika Art Museum's original operating hours were from 9 AM to 6 PM. However, due to the jewelry exhibition held in the past few days and Kaito Kid's advance notice, the Beika Art Museum's popularity had skyrocketed, causing visitor traffic to reach an all-time peak.

As a result, the Beika Art Museum had extended its closing time to the evening during this period.

Of course, because Kaito Kid was scheduled to appear today, no more visitors were allowed into the Beika Art Museum after 8 PM. All the staff inside the museum had become exceptionally vigilant.

And now it was 9 PM, but outside the museum, there were still quite a few onlookers waiting for Kaito Kid's arrival.

As time ticked by, the atmosphere inside the Beika Art Museum grew tense.

Under Jiang Hang's instructions, everyone had to exchange a password when they met. Furthermore, anyone who discovered Kaito Kid's whereabouts would receive an additional bonus commission afterward.

Jirokichi Suzuki was currently guarding the exhibition hall where the Suzuki family's heirloom, the world's largest black pearl, "Dark Star," was displayed, waiting for Kaito Kid's arrival.

Under his powerful aura, almost no one dared to approach him to converse.

If Jiang Hang were present, he might have been able to exchange a few words with him at this critical moment. However, Jiang Hang was currently inspecting the safety of other passages and was not here.

"Time is almost up. If that Kaito Kid doesn't show up soon, he'll have failed," Jirokichi Suzuki muttered to himself, looking at the Dark Star.

Jirokichi Suzuki glanced again at the security around them, which consisted of professional security guards hired by the Suzuki Conglomerate.

If Kaito Kid dared to appear before him, he would make sure the thief would never return!

"Search more thoroughly and don't let any strangers enter this exhibition hall!"

He said this, but in the very next moment, the lights in the entire exhibition hall suddenly went out!

"It's Kaito Kid!" someone shouted in panic from the darkness, and the people present instantly became agitated.

With no one visible around, Jirokichi Suzuki let out a loud command: "Don't panic! The museum has backup power, and someone will activate it soon. Take out your lighting equipment now, and exchange the password with the person next to you. Don't let Kaito Kid succeed!"

Under Jirokichi Suzuki's command, the chaos was quickly suppressed, and the security guards on the side took out their lighting equipment and began their checks.

However, in the next moment, a museum staff member suddenly pointed at the display stand where the Dark Star had been placed, looking somewhat panicked. "Dark Star, the Dark Star is gone!"

"What?" Jirokichi Suzuki's expression changed drastically. "That Kaito Kid... how did he do it?"

From the sudden power outage to the restoration of order, the entire process took at most a minute or so. That display stand was made of special materials by the Suzuki Conglomerate. By what means did Kaito Kid steal the gem in such a short time?

Just then, another employee at another exit spotted a fleeting white figure with a flashlight and immediately shouted at Jirokichi Suzuki: "I saw Kaito Kid! He's over there!"

In almost an instant, four or five well-trained security guards rushed towards the figure!

But in the next moment, Jiang Hang's voice came from the person's mouth.

"You've got the wrong person, it's me! I saw the sudden power outage and rushed over to see what was happening. Did Kaito Kid appear!?"

Under the flashlight's illumination, it was clear that the person was Jiang Hang.

However, he happened to be wearing a white outfit today, which is why he was mistaken for Kaito Kid.

At this moment, Jirokichi Suzuki walked over, looking at Jiang Hang, who was being held by several people and hadn't been released yet.

His expression was serious. "Kaito Kid can easily disguise himself as anyone. Unless you tell me the secret code that only you and I know, I can't confirm your identity."

Jiang Hang nodded at him, indicating there was no problem.

Jirokichi Suzuki leaned closer, and Jiang Hang whispered the secret code they had previously agreed upon into his ear.

"1412, that's Kaito Kid's criminal identification number assigned by Interpol."

Upon hearing the code, Jirokichi Suzuki seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Jiang Hang also took a deep breath and said to him, "Hurry up and have them let me go. I ran all the way here, and now you've caught me like this, I can barely breathe."

"What's happening with Dark Star? I heard some commotion over here, has Kaito Kid made his move? Don't waste any more time on the investigation!"

As he spoke, Jirokichi Suzuki, who had just relaxed after hearing the code, suddenly burst into laughter.

While Jiang Hang was still wondering why, Jirokichi Suzuki took out a pair of handcuffs from behind him and directly cuffed the hands of "Jiang Hang"!

"What is this—?" "Jiang Hang" looked at him in disbelief.

"Jiang Hang had already told me that given Kaito Kid's personality, he would very likely try to gain trust by impersonating me or himself, using the secret code only he and I know."

"I didn't quite believe it at first, but now it seems all your actions were predicted by Jiang Hang," Jirokichi Suzuki said with a triumphant glint in his eyes, then loudly announced to the person.

"The Kid's game is over. Surrender obediently, Kaito Kid!"

Chapter 99: Chapter 98: Kaito Kid's Retreat

Jirokichi Suzuki himself hadn't expected that the infamous Kaito Kid would be captured so easily by him.

This was world-shattering news!

For eighteen years, countless police officers from various countries had tried to capture Kaito Kid, but not a single one had succeeded in this feat.

But he, Jirokichi Suzuki, had successfully captured Kaito Kid!

He had already imagined how the reporters from various newspapers and television stations would swarm him for interviews later.

And then, first thing tomorrow morning, when everyone woke up and saw the newspapers or news, the first thing they would see would be the headline: "Jirokichi Suzuki Captures Kaito Kid On The Spot"!

Although this plan was largely implemented with Jiang Hang's help, and his own prepared methods hadn't even been used before Kaito Kid was apprehended, which made Jirokichi Suzuki feel a little regretful.

But it didn't matter. After all, he was the one who executed the "Kid Capture Plan," so he was definitely going to get this headline!

Moreover, outside the museum, there were many fans of Kaito Kid waiting for his appearance. Soon, he would be the one to personally shatter their beautiful illusions of Kaito Kid, and at the same time, tell those who admired Kid that he, Jirokichi Suzuki, was the man truly worthy of worship.

Thinking of this, the old man Jirokichi Suzuki, who was already over 70, laughed like a 7-year-old child.

Of course, laughter aside, he couldn't let his guard down with Kid. He issued orders to the security guards: "Without my command, you are absolutely not to release Kaito Kid. If he shows any intention of resisting, deal with him harshly. Do you understand!"

He looked at Kaito Kid, who was still wearing "Jiang Hang's" face, and couldn't help but rub his hands together. "I heard that for eighteen years, no one has ever known Kaito Kid's true appearance. It seems I'll be the first one to see it today."

However, what bothered him slightly was that even though Kaito Kid was now in his grasp, his expression showed no signs of distress.

Jirokichi Suzuki suppressed the smile on his face and reached out, intending to directly remove the disguise from Kid's face to see the true appearance of this legendary thief!

But just as his hand touched "Jiang Hang's" face, "Jiang Hang" made his move. He tapped his left heel with the tip of his right foot.

Then, almost instantly, a smoke with a strong pungent smell emanated from his heel and spread throughout the surrounding space!

The security guards restraining him were completely unprepared for this. After inhaling the smoke with its strong, irritating smell, they all began to cough violently.

Seizing this opportunity, Kaito Kid broke free from the security guards.

He seemed to realize that it was time to retreat and couldn't play any longer. He loudly said to Jirokichi Suzuki, who was still coughing violently, "I admit I underestimated you this time, but I've already obtained my target, so I'll be taking my leave!"

In the darkness, accompanied by the thick smoke, other security guards outside the smoke dared not approach easily. Jirokichi Suzuki, still coughing, called out from within the smoke, "Kaito Kid is heading towards the east gate! Hurry up and chase him, don't let him get away!"

Some security guards on the edge of the smoke, not too affected, followed Jirokichi Suzuki's instructions, held their breath, closed their eyes, and rushed through the smoke to pursue the fleeing Kaito Kid.

Alarms from the guards and security personnel immediately filled the entire museum.

At this moment, Jirokichi Suzuki, whose tears and snot were streaming from coughing, finally emerged from the smoke and was helped to sit down by several security guards who hadn't pursued.

"Damn it, I didn't expect Kid to have such a trick up his sleeve! This infuriates me! Hurry up and chase him! That's our Suzuki family's heirloom, we absolutely cannot let that Kid steal it!" Jirokichi Suzuki said furiously.

The security personnel who stayed behind to look after Jirokichi Suzuki hesitated for a moment before following in the direction Kaito Kid had fled.

The entire exhibition hall appeared empty, with only a few security guards who had been incapacitated by Kid's anesthetic gas in the smoke remaining.

Of course, the handcuffs used to restrain Kid were also left behind.

Jirokichi Suzuki sat there, taking a long time to recover his breath.

He wiped his face, then slowly moved his stiff limbs, and got up from the ground. Under the light of a flashlight, he looked at the display stand from which Kaito Kid had stolen the jewel.

He slowly walked over, seemingly wanting to get closer to the display stand to examine how Kaito Kid had managed to steal the black pearl named "Dark Star" in just half a minute.

Just as he approached the display stand, the museum's emergency power finally kicked in, and the entire exhibition hall was once again brightly lit.

Jirokichi Suzuki squinted slightly, unaccustomed to the sudden burst of light.

Then, a familiar voice came from behind him.

"Because someone just told me on the walkie-talkie that there was some commotion behind the museum, I went to check it out, and then the museum lost power... Are you alright now?"

Jirokichi Suzuki turned around and saw Jiang Hang, dressed all in white.

"Just as you predicted, Kaito Kid was impersonating you. According to our original plan, we had already caught him, but I didn't expect Kid to have tear gas on him. In the end, not only did he escape, but we also failed to protect 'Dark Star'," Jirokichi Suzuki said through gritted teeth, his face full of indignation.

"This was an accident, but next time, next time if I'm just a little more careful... Kaito Kid, you won't be so lucky today. You just wait and see!"

Jirokichi Suzuki said this, and seeing Jiang Hang walking towards him, he suddenly seemed to remember something and quickly stopped Jiang Hang from approaching him.

"Wait, I just thought of something. Everyone's chasing that Kid fellow right now, maybe he's disguised himself as you and come back here. I won't make the same mistake again. Kid doesn't know our secret code. You say the code first, and once I confirm you're the real Jiang Hang, then you can come over!"

Seeing the inquiry from the other party, Jiang Hang smiled and then shook his head.

"The code is that there is no code. Now you can confirm if I'm Jiang Hang, right?"

Chapter 100: Chapter 99: Kaito Kid's Disguise

Hearing Jiang Hang's answer, Jirokichi Suzuki breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much more relaxed. However, his expression soon turned anxious again.

"Then did you see anyone suspicious on your way here? Kaito Kid somehow managed to steal Dark Star, we need to find the gem quickly!"

Looking at Jirokichi Suzuki's anxious gaze, Jiang Hang simply shook his head slightly, then looked at the display stand. "Isn't the gem right there?"

"What?" Jirokichi Suzuki quickly turned his head to look at the display stand, but he still saw the empty stand. A look of disbelief was on his face. "How is that possible? Why can't I see anything?"

"It's just a simple illusion," Jiang Hang said, looking at the empty display stand. "Kaito Kid just stuck a special film on it that distorts vision, using the darkness to deceive the security guards' sight, creating the illusion that the gem had already been stolen."

"Plus, at that time, Kaito Kid quickly disguised himself as me and appeared, drawing their attention. As a result, no one carefully observed the display stand. I have to say, Kaito Kid is indeed very skilled in this regard."

Jirokichi Suzuki's eyes widened slightly as he listened to Jiang Hang's analysis.

He immediately turned his head to look at the display stand.

He hadn't noticed anything wrong before, but now, with Jiang Hang's hint, Jirokichi Suzuki finally seemed to feel that the display stand did look a bit strange.

He quickly walked up to the display stand. When he was further away, he couldn't see it clearly, but now that he was closer, the distortion of his vision was particularly obvious.

At this point, anyone could tell something was wrong.