A second ago, Kimura Tatsuya had been pinching his mouth and smiling smugly at his wit.
The next second, he turned pale and collapsed to the floor.
Several screams echoed through the KTV box.
Jiangxia stared at Kimura Tatsuya's now-pale face, then glanced over at Xiaobai and Miyano Akemi, who were still holding onto him. At that moment, Kimura's body slowly began to leak back into Terahara Mari, who was surrounded by an aura of suppressed murderous intent. Jiangxia thought, Potassium cyanide in this world... is there something wrong with it?
From coat to palm, the poisoned hands had been diluted by the microphone, clothing, and other objects. Even earlier, Kimura Tatsuya, in his nervousness, had accidentally licked the poison off his hands... How could such a tiny amount act so quickly?
Jiangxia took a moment to think it over and then concluded, Right. In this world, people poisoned by cyanide die almost instantly, and some even vomit blood—totally contrary to logic.
It seemed that, in addition to physics and information technology, chemistry here was operating on its own set of rules.
Jiangxia sighed, noting to himself, I should engrave "pay attention to your diet" into my DNA.
Meanwhile, he lost himself in thought. Should I still use the medicine I brought with me just in case...?
Kimura Tatsuya was on the floor, his face twisted in pain, clearly confused about what had just happened.
Aside from Terahara Mari and Jiangxia, everyone else in the room was equally clueless.
The big man rushed to Kimura's side. Seeing his teammate seemingly struggling for air, he slapped the back of his head in his usual, unrefined attempt at first aid. He was ready to administer some artificial respiration, thinking that would help.
However, just as he leaned down, Conan grabbed him by the arm and yanked him back.
Conan's face was grim. "This is most likely potassium cyanide poisoning. Call an ambulance, and the police too!"
Ran made a "hm" sound but, before her mind could catch up, her body was already pulling out her phone and dialing 110.
Suzuki Sonoko, huddled between her and Jiangxia, peeked over at Ran's phone screen and awkwardly tried to call an ambulance.
Although Conan had instructed others to call for an ambulance, he couldn't shake the feeling that Kimura Tatsuya was a lost cause. So, he turned his attention to the rest of the people in the box, intending to deduce the murderer's identity.
But then, he noticed Jiangxia pulling out two syringes.
Conan froze. "What is that?"
"Sodium thiosulfate... and a vasodilator," Jiangxia replied, tapping the syringes lightly. He looked at Conan and asked quietly, "Can we use these?"
Jiangxia was genuinely worried about the chemistry of this world. If he injected Tatsuya with these, the guy might end up dying twice as fast. After all, this antidote seemed to work by fighting poison with poison.
Conan mulled over the question for a moment.
Those drugs Jiangxia mentioned could indeed work as an antidote for cyanide poisoning, but why on earth is he carrying them around?
It made sense that Jiangxia, being a detective, would have some sort of first-aid knowledge, especially when it came to poisons. But Conan couldn't help but be puzzled: why would Jiangxia ask him first before injecting?
Wait a second. This guy's just a first-year elementary school student! How could he understand something like this?
Then, Conan remembered Jiangxia's terrifying powers of observation, the same powers he'd witnessed earlier when Jiangxia entered the murder scene. Suddenly, Conan felt a wave of guilt.
After shrinking, even Ran had figured out that I'm Kudou Shinichi and had barely managed to fool her... But Jiangxia? How much does he really know about me?
Before he could continue spiraling into his thoughts, Jiangxia's voice cut through his anxious mind.
"Does this work?" Jiangxia asked, giving the syringe another shake.
Conan snapped back to reality and realized Jiangxia hadn't yet injected Kimura. His alertness kicked in.
Wait a minute... What does Jiangxia mean by asking me if it works? Is he not going to help unless I answer?
They stared at each other for a few seconds, Jiangxia's face remaining still, waiting for an answer. It was clear: if Conan didn't speak, Jiangxia wasn't going to do anything.
Conan grimaced and looked over at Kimura Tatsuya, whose face practically screamed I'm beyond help, and after a moment of hesitation, he nodded.
It's fine... it's just that Kudo Shinichi's secret identity might be exposed. But lives are more important...
But then again... Why had Jiangxia doubted his identity?
Was it the song I sang earlier? No... there's no one else in the world who can sing as badly as I did, right? Conan shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought. Or maybe Jiangxia had his suspicions from the start and has been silently observing, using this situation to confirm his guess?
No, no, calm down, Conan tugged at his hair in frustration.
Jiangxia's voice broke his train of thought again, and he asked once more, shaking the syringe, "Does this work?"
Conan looked down at Kimura, who was still breathing but clearly hanging on by a thread, and nodded again, though it felt like he was selling his soul.
Too much... I can't believe how much I'm giving up for this ridiculous Super Saiyan fake...
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 30 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 15/50(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS*