The ghost baby dutifully gathered up the murderous aura, rolling it into a little ball like an overachieving dust bunny.
Jiangxia watched the progress and noticed that some of the murderous aura hadn't loosened up yet.
So he picked up his bat and resumed knocking it out of the kidnappers.
Meanwhile, the goons loitering outside the warehouse were still trying to figure out what Jiangxia meant by "the dragon saves the princess."
They peeked inside and saw the scene:
[One small boy covered in blood × 1]
[One tightly bound little girl × 1]
[One half-dead dog × 1]
[One mean-looking man getting beat up by their boss × 1]
Yep, everyone here was from the Detective Conan universe.
Seeing the ingredients, plus the classic "abandoned warehouse" setting, the goons instantly pieced together what must've gone down.
They sneered at the kidnappers for picking on kids. Sleeves were rolled up. They were ready to throw hands.
But then they noticed Jiangxia standing next to the limp kidnapper, whacking away with his bat.
Better not disturb the boss when he's clearly having a good time.
The little girl tied up nearby was frozen in shock.
At first, she was just watching the kidnappers flail around while being beaten.
Then her gaze accidentally drifted upward... and she immediately went still.
…
Off to the side, Conan slowly got up off the floor.
He'd been knocked loopy earlier by the kidnappers.
Now, regaining his senses and taking in the utter carnage, he was horrified—he genuinely thought the kidnapper might be murdered any second.
Conan rushed toward Jiangxia to intervene.
But he quickly realized... he wasn't tall enough.
So, in an act of desperate bravery, he latched onto Jiangxia's leg and tried to pull him back.
"Stop hitting him! Any more and it's a crime!"
Jiangxia paused mid-swing and looked down at him.
The kidnapper took the chance to scramble away in a daze.
Conan exhaled in relief.
But the relief barely had time to settle before Jiangxia walked after the escapee and, like a human whack-a-mole machine, raised the bat again and slammed it down.
The kidnapper spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed.
And Conan's effort to stop any of this had zero impact.
It was like Jiangxia's leg pendant was made of tissue paper.
Conan: "…"
Only when you've lost it do you understand the value of your body weight.
…I will never forgive those two bastards in black for turning me into a grade schooler!
Jiangxia, for his part, wasn't worried about accidentally killing someone.
The Detective Conan universe had some truly unique legal physics.
The locals might not realize it, but Jiangxia—half-outsider that he was—could see it clearly.
For example: in this world, acts of heroism never end in death or legal trouble. You won't be charged for excessive force.
– Even if you kick a thug so hard his skull does a 180 and his teeth form a constellation, once the police arrive, he'll be up and talking again like nothing happened.
Still, after all that whacking, some of the murderous aura remained. Time for a new approach.
Jiangxia paused and pondered.
Conan, seeing this, let out a cautious sigh of relief.
But before he could fully exhale—
He saw Jiangxia raise a hand.
Immediately, the goons at the door charged in with sparkling eyes, surrounded the kidnappers, and began enthusiastically whaling on them.
Conan: "…"
That's instigation. You're leveling up your crimes now.
He stared helplessly at the mob, unable to drag even one person away. His already-throbbing head now pulsed from sheer stress.
He'd heard Jiangxia hung out with shady people, but this was a whole new level.
…When did the neighbors become so extroverted?
Still—was this really not going to kill anyone??
…
Jiangxia stood leisurely by the chaos, calmly observing the progress of the aura cleansing.
Getting beat up by a group really was more effective than solo therapy.
Soon enough, the kidnappers lost all will to fight.
Forget murderous intent—he probably just wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it.
The ghost baby tore off the last thread of murderous aura, wriggled out of the crowd with it clutched in his little ghost hands, and returned to Jiangxia's feet.
Jiangxia pulled out the cigarette case where he stored his ghost mint, tore open the seal, and let the murderous aura waft in.
It was quickly absorbed, filling about half the case.
The ghost baby scrambled back onto Jiangxia's shoulder, rubbing his hands with glee and staring at the cigarette case like it was candy.
Jiangxia flicked one out and lit it.
As smoke curled up, he glanced at the drooling ghost baby and considered trying one himself.
Then a tiny voice piped up from below: "The law says no smoking under 20."
Jiangxia: "…"
He looked down to see Conan still clinging to his leg.
Honestly, if the kid hadn't spoken, Jiangxia might've forgotten he was even there.
After a beat, Jiangxia grabbed Conan by the collar and lifted him up. "Let go. You're all dusty."
Conan, realizing he finally had Jiangxia's attention, clung tighter. "Make them stop first!"
Then, realizing that sounded more like a demand than a plea, he awkwardly added: "…Please."
Jiangxia glanced at the kidnapper, still being tossed around like sandbags.
Now that the aura was handled, it really could stop.
He whistled toward the mob, and the goons immediately backed off with a collective shrug.
Mainly because the kidnapper had been reduced to terrified, limp punching bags. Continuing just felt...boring.
Conan finally relaxed.
He let go, slumped to the ground, and checked on the unlucky kidnapper.
Blue face, swollen cheeks, but still conscious and breathing. Good enough.
At least no one had died…
Jiangxia, having settled his snack situation, suddenly remembered the tied-up little girl.
He walked over, saw that the knot was a dead knot, and couldn't be bothered to untie it properly.
So he pressed the lit cigarette butt to the rope.
The rope sizzled. Jiangxia yanked at it a few times, then tossed it aside.
The little girl stared at him through the smoke, wide-eyed. This mysterious, bat-wielding hero who'd descended from the heavens… he looked better than all the posters at her cousin's house combined.
And the cigarette didn't stink like her dad's—it actually smelled... nice?
She remembered the dramas she'd seen on TV. Pink sparkles began to float around her.
"Big brother…" she whispered.
"Hmm?"
Jiangxia turned his head, just in time to see a small face zooming in toward his.
"…?"
The little girl closed her eyes, puckered up, and gently planted a kiss…
…on the baseball bat.
Glossary:
Leg pendant – Slang describing Conan clinging to Jiangxia's leg like a decorative charm; used humorously to show ineffectiveness.