The Daily Life of a Salted Fish Assassin in Anime Crossovers

At least for now, this movie won't be a complete financial disaster as the former owner of DaBao Films feared. The box office revenue alone should be enough to cover the production costs. In addition, there will be DVD sales and online streaming in other countries after the movie's theatrical run, so DaBao Films can ultimately make a considerable amount of money from this film.

Jiang Hang is quite satisfied with this result. He simply hopes that creators of works he finds interesting can focus on making films without worrying about money.

Moreover, since he has an industry template that can automatically generate economic benefits, as long as the industry level is upgraded, it would be best if the works produced by Da Bao Film and Television could make money. Even if they don't make money, or even if all the works produced in the future lose money, he himself might still make money.

However, while he was very satisfied with the results, the creators at DaBao Films thought the results of Gomela the Monster were somewhat unsatisfactory.

Although it can make money, after deducting various commissions and expenses, DaBao Films doesn't actually earn that much.

In the past, they wouldn't have been too worried. After all, Jiang Hang had high expectations for the new Ultraman project, and the filming budget he offered was frighteningly high. To be precise, it was a super-large production that these veterans who had been in the tokusatsu industry for over ten years wouldn't have dared to even dream of.

It's safe to say that as long as their production doesn't fall short, they have no doubt that this Ultraman series will become a bombshell that will shock the entire tokusatsu industry.

But with Jiang Hang suddenly acquiring Yingdu Photography Studio, the people at Dabao Film and Television became somewhat nervous.

After all, Yingdu is a veteran photography studio that produces period dramas and sword-fighting films. Their transition to life-size hero tokusatsu was also very successful. Every year, the most popular tokusatsu characters, such as the protagonist of the Great General series, are always among the top names.

Now that Jiang Hang has acquired Yingdu Photography Studio, will he focus his attention on them or on Yingdu in the future?

Jiang Hang's offer of a minimum budget of five million yen per episode, with no upper limit, sounded very good.

However, a production that is expected to have more than 50 episodes and will be broadcast for a year will burn through nearly 300 million yen per episode even with the lowest budget. If it is filmed to a higher standard, the budget may even exceed 1 billion yen. Without a certain return on investment, how long can Jiang Hang, no matter how rich he is, sustain this?

What worries these creators even more is that Jiang Hang had always been quite attentive to Da Bao Films, but since Jiang Hang acquired Yingdu Photography Studio, the other party has not shown up at Da Bao Films for several days in a row. Even the premiere of Gomeila, Jiang Hang, the boss of Da Bao Films, did not attend, and only called the next day to inquire about the box office data.

They didn't know what Jiang Hang was busy with, nor did they dare to ask. The only thing they could do now was to prepare the preliminary work for Ultraman as soon as possible, and then start filming Ultraman in the best possible condition, hoping to make Jiang Hang "change his mind".

Meanwhile, Midori Imai, who works part-time as an intern screenwriter at DaBao Films, arrived at DaBao Films shortly after finishing her university classes that day. She saw Daisuke Mikami, the director of Gomera, walk up to her with the script and ask her if she had any thoughts on the early script of Ultraman.

At first, Midori Imai was a little puzzled. These scripts were discussed and finalized little by little by the director, screenwriter, and Jiang Hang over several weeks. Moreover, she had already expressed some of her own opinions before. Now the director was asking her again what she meant.

However, she quickly understood the true meaning from the director's hints.

So, the original plan was to have her, someone who had a good relationship with Jiang Hang, ask Jiang Hang what he thought.

Of course, Midori Imai knew what Jiang Hang had been busy with these past few days, but it wouldn't matter if it involved the underworld a few years later. However, it was better for as few people as possible to know about it now, otherwise it might cause trouble for Jiang Hang.

Therefore, she did not tell the director about this, but only comforted him and said that she would ask Jiang Hang about it.

She was just about to ask Jiang Hang about the stories of those undercover agents, and if possible, to hear what those stories he had told her before, which sounded "full of love and hope," were all about.

Chapter 270: Chapter 268: Himegami Sakura's Misunderstanding

There are quite a few people looking for Jiang Hang at this time.

Himegami Sakura is one of them.

She already knew that many of the main members of the Oda Group would be spending months or years in prison for suspected illegal possession of firearms and prohibited drugs, and that the rest of the low-ranking members would probably have to be interrogated by the police for several days before they could be released.

This time, perhaps everyone knew that the Oda Group was going to be in trouble. Therefore, Oda Taisei had to consider not only the pressure from the Metropolitan Police Department, but also the internal workings of the Mud Ginseng Association and other small gangs that wanted to merge with the Mud Ginseng Association. They were all hoping that the police would take down the Oda Group so that they could openly seize the Oda Group's territory and the drug resources that the Mud Ginseng Association had allocated to the Oda Group.

Her visit to meet Jiang Hang was merely to discuss the future development of Yingdu Photography Studio and to subtly inquire about matters related to the Muddy Gathering.

"I only investigated the Oda Group a little bit using a detective's approach, and then told the Metropolitan Police Department what I found out. It was just some insignificant assistance. Even without me, the Metropolitan Police Department would definitely have taken care of the Oda Group," and that was Jiang Hang's answer.

Ji Shenying wasn't surprised by this answer, but looking at the confident attitude on Jiang Hang's face, she could guess that the "insignificant" Jiang Hang mentioned was definitely not just what he said.

From the time she suspected that Shizuka Sakaki might be targeted by the Mud God Association until now, the Oda Group, which had been living quite comfortably, has suddenly found itself on the verge of disbanding and being swallowed up. They simply have no time to think about taking revenge on Shizuka Sakaki.

In Himegami Sakura's eyes, all of this was clearly caused by Jiang Hang and the powerful organization behind him.

"What a fearsome man," Ji Shenying thought to herself, though of course she wouldn't voice these thoughts.

In the subsequent discussion about Yingdu Photography Studio, it was stated that Yingdu Photography Studio would continue to follow its previous development path and no changes were needed.

Before seeing the guests off, Jiang Hang seemed to suddenly remember something.

He immediately inquired with Himegami Sakura about the real estate agency he had heard about at the movie theater—a company with ties to the yakuza who was trying to acquire other people's movie theater land through shady means.

Because he had been dealing with the Oda Group's affairs these past few days, he had almost forgotten about the real estate agency. After all, that movie theater was a place he had his eye on, and it wouldn't do if that real estate agency kept causing trouble.

He originally wanted to find some time to teach that agency a lesson, but Himegami Sakura has a yakuza background and is well-informed, so she might know something about the other party.

He now considers his relationship with Himegami Sakura to be a cooperative one. From the current perspective, Himegami Sakura has helped him a lot, facilitating the acquisition of Yingdu Photography Studio and reminding him of the potential danger of Sakaki Shizuka. In Jiang Hang's mind, Himegami Sakura is now a pretty good friend. As long as Himegami Sakura doesn't do anything reckless, he thinks this friendly cooperative relationship can be maintained.

Perhaps in the future, Himegami Sakura could be developed into an informant to provide him with intelligence.

Jiang Hang's plan was quite ordinary, but when Himegami Sakura suddenly heard Jiang Hang's question, her pupils contracted slightly.

This is the first time Jiang Hang has raised such a question. Could this be the task Jiang Hang has assigned to her?

“Zhang Tianzhengci? I’ve remembered his name. I’ll have my people investigate him,” she nodded to Jiang Hang, her tone becoming increasingly serious.

Jiang Hang noticed that Himegami Sakura's tone seemed to have become somewhat subtle, so he added, "You can just do a little research. I just want to know if he has any gang connections."

So, if the other party is just a minor figure, can we just give them a warning and tell them not to go too far?

Originally, Sakura Himegami was thinking about whether to leave that guy named Masatsugu Nagata with an unforgettable and painful memory, but now it seems that she can only give up on that idea.

After receiving a hint from Jiang Hang, Himegami Sakura prepared to go back and investigate the background of Zhang Tianzheng. Just as she was leaving, Imai Midori arrived.

The two exchanged a glance. In front of the powerful Himegami Sakura, Imai Midori was somewhat restrained, while Himegami Sakura only glanced at Imai Midori before looking away.

After Himegami Sakura left, Imai Midori entered the office, and Jiang Hang's expression relaxed considerably when he saw Imai Midori arrive.

When he was with Himegami Sakura, a woman who always had a stern face, his facial expression would always become tense, as if he were in a company meeting, which made him feel a little uncomfortable.

"Imai, did you come here to ask about that undercover agent? I just made some minor changes to the undercover agent information last night. If we made it into a movie, it might even win an Oscar!"

The changes Jiang Hang mentioned were naturally the original Infernal Affairs story after he was removed. As for the Oscars, Jiang Hang wasn't just making things up. In the world before he transmigrated, the American version of Infernal Affairs really did win four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.

However, for Imai Midori, what Jiang Hang said seemed more like a casual remark. If winning an Oscar were really that easy, there wouldn't be so many Hollywood actors chasing after the Oscar for years.

"Actually, besides that story, Director Mikami also asked me to come and ask for your thoughts," Midori Imai mentioned the concerns of the people from DaBao Films to Jiang Hang.

"I've only been away for a few days because I had some things to do. Are they really that worried that I'll run away?" Jiang Hang couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"After all, Mr. Jiang Hang, you suddenly acquired Yingdu Photography Studio, that's why they're worried, right? After all, General's side is much more popular than Gomera, and it's also making a lot more money." Even Imai Midori couldn't help but complain about Jiang Hang.

Jiang Hang was somewhat helpless about this. He had only casually mentioned the acquisition of Yingdu Photography Studio, but Ji Shenying brought the former owner of Yingdu Photography Studio to talk to him about the acquisition, and in the end, the acquisition was actually completed in one go.

Now, when Jiang Hang recalls it, he still has some doubts about whether Yingdu's former boss left him a bad debt, which is why he was in such a hurry to transfer Yingdu to him.

Chapter 271: Chapter 269: I just asked Phantom Thief Kid a few days ago.

Whether Yingdu Photography Studio has any bad debts is something Jiang Hang, who just took over Yingdu, can't say for sure. However, after receiving a reply from Jiang Hang that Dabao Film and Television would not have any problems for at least the next few years, the employees of Dabao Film and Television were somewhat relieved.

As for the story of Infernal Affairs, Jiang Hang told it to Imai Midori based on his memory. As for what kind of plot Imai Midori will be able to write in the end, that depends on her ability. In a few years, Jiang Hang might even take this script to Hong Kong and open a film and television company to make it into a movie.

On a fine day, Jiang Hang took Muchun Yuno with him to Nagano Prefecture to attend an invitation from the man impersonating Kaito Kid at the Twilight Villa.

This marks the first time in a long time that Jiang Hang has taken Muchun Yuno out to handle a case alone.

Jiang Hang originally planned to bring Sakaki Shizuka and Imai Midori along to broaden their horizons, but with the official start of filming for the Ultraman series, Sakaki Shizuka and Imai Midori became very busy. So, although they were very interested in the trip to Nagano Prefecture, they ultimately chose to stay in Tokyo.

As for the Miyano sisters, Shiho and Akemi, they also felt it was unacceptable. Although Jiang Hang had mentioned to Shiho that the Twilight Villa was once owned by Karasuma Renya, it was clear that Shiho was still somewhat pressured when Jiang Hang mentioned Karasuma Renya. She was worried about being discovered by the brewery, so she naturally couldn't go there with Jiang Hang.

She even reminded Jiang Hang and Conan not to do anything reckless, otherwise they would all be doomed if they attracted the attention of the organization.

Seeing that Shiho Miyano looked like she was afraid of being discovered by the brewery, Jiang Hang kindly continued to keep the fact that she almost became the head of the brewery back then a secret.

When Miyano Akemi learned that only Kiharu Yuno was going to the Twilight Villa with Jiang Hang, she immediately expressed little interest in the matter and gave Jiang Hang a puzzled look.

In short, on the way to Twilight Villa, Jiang Hang couldn't help but feel sorry for the girls who couldn't see the golden villa.

"Speaking of which, is the person who invited you this time really that Phantom Thief Kid who suffered at your hands?" The female driver, Yuno Kiharu, asked Jiang Hang with a hint of concern.

In terms of detective talent, Yoshino Koharu is indeed much stronger than Shizuka Sakaki. Jiang Hang thinks that if she went to Hawkeye and had the help of the system, Yoshino Koharu might be able to go further than him on the path of detective work.

So far, although Yoshino Kiharu hasn't encountered any murder cases, she can handle most of the usual requests.

Therefore, after learning that the person who extended the invitation to Jiang Hang was actually Kaito Kid, Yoshino couldn't help but become suspicious.

“I investigated the history of Phantom Thief Kid’s thefts. He first appeared in Paris 18 years ago, and in the following 10 years, he committed more than 100 cases in 12 countries around the world. However, he suddenly disappeared 8 years ago.”

"Although many people claiming to be Kaito Kid appeared during the eight years he disappeared, they were all later proven to be imposters. Until last year, when the Kaito Kid reappeared, his style of crime and methods were exactly the same as before. The police determined that he was the real Kaito Kid who had returned."

"What I'm a little concerned about is that, apart from a few cases, most of the more than twenty cases committed since the Phantom Thief Kid reappeared have been committed in Tokyo."

"Therefore, some people suspect that the previous Phantom Thief Kid was actually secretly arrested or died, and the Phantom Thief Kid that appears now is the second generation or even the later Phantom Thief Kid." Yuno Kiharu's research was very accurate, and she guessed that the Phantom Thief Kid whose true appearance had never been seen was now a different person.

And now she's confused by what she found out.

"At least for now, the main base of this generation of Phantom Thief Kid should be in Tokyo. How come he suddenly went to Nagano Prefecture and even has a mansion there that has been there for many years?" Yoshino Kiharu said while driving.

"Could it be that the Phantom Thief Kid's hideout really is in that place? But if that's the case, why would he specifically invite Jiang Hang and the other famous detectives to go there?"

"Then I investigated the Twilight Villa. Although it was a long-ago rumor or even a strange tale, it is said that decades ago, on a stormy night, a very bloody tragedy occurred in the Twilight Villa. After that, the locals called the mansion an ominous place, and no one wanted to go near it. There were also other rumors that the mansion might be hiding legendary vampires, and those vampires would only come out to drink human blood after dusk, which is why it was called the Twilight Villa."

"Anyway, whatever the rumors are, that Twilight Villa is not a good place. No normal person would choose to buy it and invite others to it."

As she said these things, Yuno Kiharu felt a chill run down her spine, as this urban legend sounded rather frightening.

Finally, she summarized to Jiang Hang: "So I think this invitation might be a trap. The person who invited us might not be the Phantom Thief Kid at all. He might have some unspeakable secret to ask us to come over, so it's best to be careful after we get there."

Listening to Yuno Kiharu's reasoned analysis, it was clear that she had done a lot of research for this trip to Nagano Prefecture.

Jiang Hang nodded slightly, indicating his approval of Koharu Yuno's abilities. As a detective's assistant, Koharu Yuno was now fully qualified.

Then he threw out his royal flush.

"I know, I went to ask that guy Kaito Kid a few days ago if he was the one who made that invitation. He told me that he was also investigating this matter and asked me to help him with this. So this time we went not only for that invitation, but also for Kaito Kid's request!"

Chapter 272: Chapter 270: Isn't that Phantom Thief Kid? What's he doing dressed as a waiter here?

Upon hearing Jiang Hang's sudden revelation, Mu Chun Yuno, who was driving, nearly crashed Jiang Hang's 86 into the guardrail.

Fortunately, Jiang Hang managed to grab the steering wheel in time, thus preventing an accident.

After calming down, the first thing Yoshino asked Jiang Hang was, "Jiang Hang, is there really something shady between you and that Phantom Thief Kid?"

After all, the two of them had been hyping things up online for so long, and with Shizuka Sakaki recently quietly revealing her guesses, what Jiang Hang just said seemed to confirm Shizuka Sakaki's guesses.

In response, Jiang Hang gave Muchun Yuno a dead fish look.

"What do you mean by a shady relationship? I'm not some mortal enemy of Phantom Thief Kid. He just happened to help me out before, so it's normal for me to help him back now." Jiang Hang was almost about to blurt out that "you help me, I help you" social commentary to Koharu Yuno.

"That's not what you said when you met with that advisor from the Suzuki family," Yoshino couldn't help but retort. "You clearly promised to help them capture Phantom Thief Kid!"

"I'm not making this up. I did help Jiro capture Kaito Kid, but I was unlucky that time and he got away," Jiang Hang said with a straight face, "I found out Kaito Kid's identity later, but I just didn't tell anyone."

"Besides, Suzuki Jiro only went to capture Kid to challenge him. If I directly told him the identity of the Phantom Thief Kid, it would be ruining his wish. You should be able to understand my good intentions, right, Kiharu?"