Chapter 15: You're a bit thick-skinned. Please vote for the monthly ticket

Chapter 15: Your Face is a Bit Tough. Please Vote for the Monthly Ticket (σ≧▽≦)σ.

The Ghost Infant gripped the kidnapper's killing intent, diligently rolling it into a small ball.

Jiang Xia watched the Ghost Infant's progress, only to discover with surprise that a small portion of the killing intent on the kidnapper remained unyielding—it seemed to be a newly surged murderous intent directed specifically at him.

Thus, Jiang Xia swung his baseball bat and continued to whack the kidnapper.

At the warehouse entrance, the lackeys were initially curious about what Jiang Xia meant by "the dragon saving the princess."

After surveying the warehouse, they discovered that besides their boss, there was: [one small boy with a bloody, battered head], [one little girl tied up tightly], [one dying dog], and [one man with a mean face currently being beaten by their boss].

...Everyone here was a resident of the Conan-verse.

Looking at these elements and considering the "dilapidated warehouse"—the standard setting for a kidnapping—they immediately guessed the backstory.

The lackeys sneered at the kidnappers for bullying children, rolled up their sleeves, and prepared to jump in for a group beating.

However, seeing Jiang Xia standing beside the kidnapper—who couldn't even get up—happily delivering blow after blow, they hesitated.

...They couldn't disturb the boss's mood.

...

The little girl nearby was staring blankly, stunned.

At first, she was watching the kidnapper rolling around in pain.

Later, her gaze inadvertently drifted upward, and when she saw Jiang Xia's face, she froze instantly.

...

A little further away, Conan slowly crawled up from the ground.

He had been knocked dizzy by the kidnapper just moments ago.

As his senses returned, he saw the kidnapper in such a miserable state that he looked like he would be beaten to death in the next second, and he was instantly shocked.

Once he regained his composure, Conan rushed to Jiang Xia's side, wanting to stop him.

But as he got closer, he realized his current height was insufficient; he couldn't even reach Jiang Xia's arm.

So, he could only risk his life to grab onto Jiang Xia's leg, attempting to pull him back: "Stop hitting him! If you keep going, it'll be a crime!"

Jiang Xia's raised hand paused slightly as he looked down at him.

Taking advantage of the opening, the kidnapper scrambled away through the chaos.

Conan breathed a sigh of relief.

However, before he could fully exhale, Jiang Xia walked toward the rising kidnapper without hesitation and, like playing Whac-A-Mole, raised his hand for another strike.

"@#%*..."

The kidnapper spat out a desperate curse and rolled back onto the ground.

Throughout the entire process, Conan failed to provide any assistance whatsoever.

It was as if what was hanging from Jiang Xia's leg wasn't a person, but a weightless feather ornament.

Conan: "..."

Only through loss can one appreciate the value of weight.

...He would never forgive those two bastards in black who turned him into an elementary schooler!

...

Jiang Xia wasn't worried about beating someone to death.

The Conan-verse had many unique laws.

The natives might not realize it, but as a half-observer, Jiang Xia saw it quite clearly.

For instance, in this world, when acting out of justice, one didn't need to worry about killing someone or being convicted of excessive defense.

—Even if a criminal's head was kicked crooked or their teeth were knocked out of alignment, they would still come back to life the moment the police arrived.

...

However, after beating him for so long, some killing intent still wouldn't come down... he might indeed need to change his method.

After a moment of thought, Jiang Xia stopped his hand.

Seeing this, Conan secretly breathed a sigh of relief again.

Then, halfway through his exhale, he suddenly froze.

—He saw Jiang Xia raise a hand in a beckoning gesture.

Immediately following, the lackeys at the entrance ran over excitedly, surrounded the kidnapper, and began a frantic group beating.

Conan: "...?"

*Inciting a crime... that's an aggravated offense, right?*

He stared blankly at the crowd of people he was incapable of pulling away. His already aching head grew even more painful from the sheer frustration.

Conan: "..."

Although he had heard that Jiang Xia often hung out with delinquents, he truly hadn't expected this kind of "one call, everyone responds" level of influence.

...His neighbor had become extroverted in a very strange way.

But... is it really going to be okay if this continues? Won't someone die??

...

Jiang Xia stood leisurely beside the kidnapper, inspecting the progress of the falling killing intent.

The sense of oppression caused by being beaten by one person versus being surrounded by a crowd was worlds apart.

Before long, the kidnapper completely lost his will to fight.

Forget murderous intent; right now, he just wanted to find a hole to hide in.

The Ghost Infant successfully tore away the last wisp of killing intent, hugged it, and struggled through the crowd to run back to Jiang Xia's feet, the entire ghost radiating the joy of a bountiful harvest.

Jiang Xia pulled out a cigarette case containing Ghost Mint and tore a small slit in the sealed packaging.

The killing intent was quickly drawn in, gradually filling half of the cigarettes in the box.

The Ghost Infant climbed back onto Jiang Xia's shoulder, rubbing its hands expectantly while looking at the cigarette case.

Not letting the ghost down, Jiang Xia tapped out a cigarette and lit it.

As the smoke rose, Jiang Xia glanced at the happily feasting Ghost Infant and was about to take a puff himself.

Suddenly, a faint voice drifted up from his feet: "The law states that smoking is prohibited for those under 20."

Jiang Xia: "..."

He looked down and saw Conan.

If this kid hadn't spoken up, Jiang Xia almost forgot he had a leg ornament attached to him.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Xia grabbed Conan by the collar, intending to pull him away: "Let go, you're covered in dirt."

Seeing that Jiang Xia had finally noticed him, Conan immediately hugged on tighter: "Make them stop first!"

After a thought, he felt his tone was too harsh and didn't sound like he was pleading.

So, he added a dry, trailing suffix: "...please."

Jiang Xia gave a thoughtful "Mm" and glanced at the kidnapper who was still rolling around on the ground.

Now that the killing intent was secured, he could indeed stop.

He let out a whistle toward the crowd. The lackeys were incredibly cooperative; they stopped in unison and stepped back one step in perfect synchronization...

Mainly because the kidnapper was already scared senseless and had acted like a punching bag without any resistance the whole time, making it quite boring to hit him.

Seeing this, Conan finally managed to finish his sigh of relief.

He let go and sat on the ground, exhausted, turning his head to observe the unlucky kidnapper.

Finding that although the kidnapper was bruised and swollen, he was still conscious and breathing, Conan felt slightly relieved.

At least he didn't kill the man on the spot...

Having resolved his food problem, Jiang Xia suddenly remembered there was still a little girl tied up nearby.

He walked over to inspect the knot and found it was a dead knot. Too lazy to untie it, he pressed the lit cigarette against the rope.

The rope was burned through, and Jiang Xia reached out to pull it apart, tossing it aside carelessly.

Through the swirling smoke, the little girl stared blankly at Jiang Xia, feeling that this hero who had descended from the heavens was more handsome than all the posters in her cousin's house combined.

The smoke in his hand didn't smell as pungent as her father's pipe; instead, it had a fresh, herbal fragrance...

Recalling the TV dramas she had seen before, pink bubbles began to drift around her head.

She called out hesitantly, "Big brother..."

"Hmm?"

Jiang Xia turned his head, only to see a tender little face rapidly enlarging in his field of vision: "..."

The girl shyly closed her eyes, leaned forward, and gave a loud *mwah*.

...She kissed the baseball bat.

(End of Chapter)