Okiya Subaru had never thought Jiang Xia was a frightening person. In his eyes, this sunny, righteous detective had always been a symbol of "hope"—if he were ever falsely accused of murder, Jiang Xia would surely uncover the truth and find the real culprit.
But theory was theory. In reality, the moment he saw Jiang Xia—especially the Collapsible Baton in his hand—Okiya Subaru's intuitive alarm began blaring.
He abruptly hurled the bundle of rope in his hand at the detective who had entered the room, then instinctively turned to run.
Yet that tangled, fishing-net-like bundle of rope failed to obstruct him in the slightest. Jiang Xia casually swept it aside with the extended Collapsible Baton in his hand.
Then a hand reached for him from behind.
"!!!"
Though he could not see what was behind him, as Jiang Xia's hand drew closer, Okiya Subaru felt his scalp about to explode. For some reason, he thought again of his first meeting with Uzo—of that inhuman superior pressing his head down from behind and making him admire the half-decayed skeleton buried beneath the Cosmos.
The aura of death attacking from behind was so intense that Okiya Subaru's survival instinct made him dart to the side. He actually dodged the grab.
But the next second, his foot suddenly caught on something. Caught off guard, Okiya Subaru lost his balance and hit the floor with a smack.
He wanted to scramble up at once, but before the thought could become action, a foot heavily stomped onto his back. Like a wedge pinning down a specimen, it nailed Okiya Subaru in place. Before he could fully cry, "Help me!!" a squelch escaped from beneath the foot, and his voice died at his lips.
In the chaos, all he could see was the shadow on the