001: Don't Think Too Much
Jiang Xia gently cleared away the dead leaves and fixated his gaze on a half-dried mud footprint on the ground.
The footprint measured approximately 28 cm, while the common shoe size in Japan was 26.5 cm. The footprint had a non-slip tread, and its edges showed signs of wear.
There were similar footprints further ahead. Jiang Xia deduced that a thief had recently passed through.
Today, Jiang Xia had set out for a personal mission. However, he was unexpectedly summoned by his boss halfway through. An important researcher's bag had been stolen within their organization. Jiang Xia's boss, codenamed "Gin," recalled that Jiang Xia was in the area and temporarily assigned him the task of recovering the bag.
Jiang Xia halted his motorcycle and started following the muddy footprints on the ground. An earpiece in his ear transmitted a woman's cold voice: "The robber is half a head taller than me, has red highlights in his hair, and bears a burn scar on the back of his right hand near the thumb."
Shiho Miyano, in a detailed and composed manner, provided this description. She didn't sound distressed, as one might expect from someone who had been robbed and pushed to the ground.
"I see," Jiang Xia replied. Upon hearing the description, he had already identified the thief, given his knowledge of the people in the area. He estimated, "I should be able to recover the bag. It won't take too long. Give me five minutes."
Shiho Miyano responded with a simple "um."
She hesitated briefly, as if to say, "Take care," but by then, Jiang Xia had already ended the call. He didn't want to listen to her voice a moment longer.
Jiang Xia couldn't comprehend the complex emotions of others; he simply aimed to complete his task quickly and return to his own business.
He removed his earpiece, stashed it in his pocket, and navigated several intersections until he reached an old three-story apartment.
The building was painted green, surrounded by a robust barbed wire fence and equipped with a sturdy lockable front door. Security seemed adequate but only against law-abiding citizens.
Jiang Xia scanned the row of mailboxes and confirmed the room number of the Red-Haired Man. He then nimbly ascended the accommodating barbed wire, moved along its edge, and lightly jumped onto the balcony of the third floor, ready to confront the Red-Haired Man.
Jiang Xia was a transmigrant who had kept his name from a previous life, which, with the addition of a Japanese surname, now sounded like "Jiang Xia Kirishi." It was slightly unfamiliar but retained his original name.
The previous occupant's mental state wasn't very stable. Jiang Xia arrived just in time to save him from a failed suicide attempt, leaving behind a well-conditioned physique with superior strength and reaction speed.
This offered Jiang Xia some consolation.
*****
Although his left hand was somewhat slower, Jiang Xia's trained body provided him with an advantage. In less than five seconds, he had landed on the balcony of the Red-Haired Man's apartment.
Inside the apartment, the Red-Haired Man sat in front of the TV, his back to Jiang Xia. He laughed uproariously at a comedy show and counted banknotes in his hand.
The television volume was high. Jiang Xia softly slid open the sliding door, approached the Red-Haired Man from behind, and swung a knife downwards.
The Red-Haired Man's laughter abruptly stopped, and red hair scattered.
The PRADA women's handbag in his lap tumbled to the floor.
In this world, knife attacks never resulted in fatalities. Instead, it was as if everyone had a switch on their neck that could render them unconscious with a single touch.
Jiang Xia bypassed the unconscious Red-Haired Man, picked up the scattered money, neatly gathered it, returned it to Shiho Miyano's wallet, and departed with the bag.
As he left the apartment, Jiang Xia glanced at the electronic watch on his wrist. The time was 15:49:57, still over forty seconds before the "five minutes" he had promised Shiho Miyano.
Jiang Xia passed the time by patting the stray cats that roamed by. Finally, the phone rang after exactly five minutes.
...Gin had sent the meeting address.
Jiang Xia read the email and, as it was programmed, it was automatically deleted. Similarly, the call record from earlier was gone.
*****
This codenamed operative was undoubtedly cautious, but Jiang Xia shook his head and started off, carrying Shiho Miyano's bag. He headed to the location indicated by Gin.
The Black Organization, as the boss-level villain organization in the world of Conan, had a reputation for its mysterious, secretive, and ruthless code-named members. Jiang Xia's observations during this period confirmed that this reputation was well-founded.
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