Detective Conan: The System Takes Me to Zero's World

Chapter 325: Lip print clues and the "discarded pawn" showdown in the rain: Conan Crisis

Kudo Yuki's eyes were fixed on the system screen. She took in every detail of the image and was so immersed in it that she didn't notice anything moving around her.

"Sister Xue!" Conan's urgent call instantly pulled her back from her concentration.

Kurodabei still had a serious look on his face, his eyes fixed on Conan, "You said it was almost solved, which means that the death message has not been completely cracked, right?"

Conan held the photo, pointed at the lip print on the dial, and spoke quickly: "Manager Kuroda, the lip print is the key. I thought of 'LIPS', 'RED', and 'KISSMARK', but none of them are right. There is lipstick paint in the groove of the dial, so it must have a deeper meaning."

Kudo Yuki immediately followed up: "The first printing was not good, so it was reprinted."

Conan's eyes lit up: "So the key point is the shape of the lipstick!"

Kudo Yuki nodded: "Yes, the lip print is missing both ends, most likely it is English with the first and last letters removed. Conan, think about it."

Conan scratched his head, staring at the lip print and muttered: "LIPS without both ends is IP, useless. MOUTH without both ends is OUT, and combined with WATCH it means 'Watch out', which means be careful."

Kuroda Bei understood: "I see."

Conan frowned, his face full of confusion: "Just knowing 'Watch out' is far from enough, I don't know what to be careful of.

The chess piece has lipstick on its eyes, which is obviously a hint to pay attention to someone's eyes, but who is it? Manager Kuroda, you were at the scene at the time. Did you meet anyone special? "

Kuroda closed his eyes and fell into memory: "The situation was very chaotic at that time. I passed by a man. His eyes... were very strange. I couldn't see clearly through the monocular lens, but the look in his eyes was like a snake ready to attack."

Conan's tone was full of surprise: "Snake-like eyes? Could it be someone from the organization?"

Kuroda Bei shook his head helplessly: "With just that quick glance, I can't be sure. The impression is too vague."

Kudo Yuki thought to herself: [The person the senior was talking about is Rum. It seems I have to find a way to find the video clip from that year. Only then can I get more clues.]

Conan looked up and asked, "By the way, is it true? The bodyguard you brought with you looks a lot like Mr. Wakasa?"

Kuroda Heibei sighed and said, "Yes. Because she was wearing sunglasses at the time, I can't be completely sure. But every time I see her, she glares at me fiercely. Maybe she still misunderstands that I killed Amanda and Haneda Hiroshi."

Shushu poked his head out of Kudo Yuki's pocket and turned off the recording function. The images played on the screen and the sounds recorded simultaneously were all stored in Kudo Yuki's phone.

Conan quickly searched for his phone, muttering, "Then I'll ask Wakasa-sensei herself. She'll probably be able to cleverly distract the question, but I'll still give it a try."

Kuroda Bei nodded slightly to show his consent.

Kudo Yuki slowly stood up and walked to the glass window.

Outside the window, fine raindrops fell continuously. She raised her hand and gently lifted a corner of the curtain, and the fabric slid along her fingertips.

Kudo Yuki narrowed her eyes slightly, turned to look at Kuroda Bei, and asked softly: "Old senior, did you go back to check the nearby surveillance afterwards?"

Kuroda Bei looked solemn and shook his head with a hint of regret: "At that time, the police investigation, various procedures and inquiries continued, and I was so busy that I had no time to check the surveillance.

When I had time to check again, I found that a section of the surveillance video at a key location nearby was missing. It was obviously deliberately processed by someone, and the clue was cut off. I was really upset. "

After hearing this, Kudo Yuki frowned slightly, with a look of suspicion in her eyes: "The surveillance video is missing? This is definitely not a coincidence. It seems that someone is deliberately covering up something behind the scenes."

Kurodabei took the opportunity to speak: "Kudo, what is your new clue?"

Kudo Yuki narrowed her eyes slightly, glanced at Conan who was full of expectation, and raised the corner of her mouth gently with a meaningful arc: "At present, there are many clues, but the most important one is the video of the Haneda Hiroshi case 17 years ago. I plan to go to the United States in person.

In the United States, there is a good friend whom I met at an international detective exchange meeting. He has extensive connections in the local intelligence community and is well-informed. He can help me obtain the video footage faster. "

Conan held the phone in his hand, thought for a moment, and his eyes were full of desire: "Sister Xue, I want to go too, maybe I can help."

Kudo Yuki touched Conan's head and gently refused: "Little detective, you also have an important mission here. Your keen insight into the details of the case can play a big role in the investigation. Only by dividing the work and cooperating can we uncover the truth faster."

She looked up at Kuroda Bei again, "Administrator, I will need the help of the FBI after I arrive in the United States. I would like to trouble you to contact the FBI in advance. Most of the information has been shared by now, right?"

"I will make proper arrangements. You must be careful when you go to the United States. The forces behind the Haneda Hiroshi case are complicated and there may be many dangers waiting for you."

"Old Senior, I will be fully prepared."

Conan muttered unwillingly: "Sister Xue, I'm really worried about you going alone. So when you arrive in the United States, you must send me a message as soon as possible to let me know that you are safe."

"Okay, I will." Kudo Yuki agreed with a smile.

Conan seemed relieved. As soon as he turned on his phone, he saw five missed calls from Dr. Agasa on the screen. Then he remembered that he had turned his phone to silent mode. No wonder he didn't hear anything.

He hurriedly called back, and as soon as the call was connected, Conan shouted anxiously: "Ah, hello. Doctor?"

"Conan, I finally got in touch with you. We had been unable to get through to you on the phone, so we decided to go to the restaurant first."

"I'm so sorry, Doctor."

At this time, Ayumi's voice came from the phone, "Doctor, is this Conan's call?"

Dr. Agasa smiled and handed the phone to Ayumi. Ayumi took it and scolded into the microphone: "Conan, why are you so slow? We have been waiting for you for a long time."

Genta, Mitsuhiko and Haibara Ai also hurriedly leaned over to the phone.

"We are starving!"

"Once you finish what you are doing, come and meet us at the restaurant."

"I'll contact you when we get to the restaurant."

Ayumi put the phone to her ear and whispered excitedly: "Conan, we teased Teacher Kobayashi and said that she had a closer relationship with Officer Shiratori. She blushed and said stubbornly, 'Really?'"

Kobayashi Sumiko's face flushed red, and she leaned over to the phone and retorted, "Don't talk nonsense!" Then she clapped her hands and urged, "Okay, let's go to the restaurant."

Dr. Agasa took the phone back, and Conan asked hurriedly: "Can you let Mr. Wakasa answer the phone?"

"Wakasa-sensei has gone back first."

"Back, back?" Conan looked surprised.

"Yes, and I left my umbrella behind."

Conan subconsciously pulled the curtain with one hand and looked out the window. The rain outside was falling non-stop. The raindrops hit the glass, winding into streaks of water. He couldn't help but wonder: "Did you forget to take it? It's still raining heavily outside."

"No. She accidentally broke Mr. Kobayashi's umbrella when she was taking it from the umbrella stand in the coffee shop. So she left her own umbrella behind."

Kobayashi Sumiko stood on the street, the drizzle wet her hair. She looked at the striped umbrella left by teacher Wakasa, her mouth slightly raised, still thinking about teacher Wakasa's thoughtfulness.

She was unaware that danger was approaching through the sight from the window of the building opposite. She raised her hand, her fingertips gently resting on the umbrella handle, and was about to open the umbrella to start the "shelter" in the rain.

In the half-closed window of the building opposite, Cohen leaned over the window, aiming his sniper rifle at the street. The new member beside him put his finger on the trigger and whispered, "Just wait for her to open the umbrella."

Conan was shocked when he heard what Dr. Agasa said: "She left the umbrella for Mr. Kobayashi?"

"Yeah, she said she would take a taxi."

In the building opposite, Cohen and the new members were whispering about the division of labor.

Cohen's finger rubbed the trigger. "I'll shoot in the head."

The new member teased, "You like to shoot the head, after all, there's an umbrella between us, so you better shoot accurately! Then I'll shoot the body, but don't let both of us miss."

Conan listened to Dr. Agasa's description, and a strong sense of uneasiness surged in his heart. He noticed something unusual and shouted into the phone: "Don't hold that umbrella, maybe it's..."

But before he could finish his words, there was a busy tone from the other end of the phone, obviously the call was hung up.

Conan was extremely anxious. He held the phone tightly and called out loudly: "Hello, Doctor!"

However, there was no more response from the receiver.

Dr. Agasa looked at his phone, which suddenly went black, and slapped his thigh in frustration, shouting, "Oh no, it's out of battery."

When Kudo Yuki heard this series of changes, her brows knitted tightly. She made a prompt decision: "Conan, you and Manager Kuroda go check it out together. I have something to meet someone, let's contact each other by phone."

Conan nodded and turned to look at Kuroda Bei.

Kuroda Heibei looked serious and told Kudo Yuki: "I'm waiting for your report, you should be careful too, this matter may not be simple."

Immediately, Conan and Kuroda Heibei rushed out of the room.

Kudo Yuki quickly went to the sales counter inside the building, bought a raincoat, and went to the rooftop to meet Wakasa Rumi. She telepathically instructed, "Shushu, play the video of the people outside the building. If Rum tells you his purpose, remember to record it."

Shushu moved in his pocket and began to execute Kudo Yuki's instructions silently. The system screen appeared in front of him. Kudo Yuki walked up the stairs with a hint of amusement in his eyes, watching the show.

In the picture, Rum is sitting in the car, holding a telescope in his hand, staring at Sumiko Kobayashi who is walking on the street with a striped umbrella.

Suddenly, doubt flashed across his calm face, and he realized something was wrong. He quickly took out his phone and contacted Cohen and the new member without a name: "Wait, the shoes are wrong."

However, the gears of fate had already turned quietly, and it was too late.

Cohen and the new member without a name pulled the trigger almost at the same time. Two gunshots pierced the air, and each of them fired a shot swiftly.

Just at this moment, a strong wind swept in, and the striped umbrella in Kobayashi Sumiko's hand was suddenly blown up by the wind and spun in the air.

Two bullets, one hit the ground like a meteor, splashing a cloud of dust; the other hit the handle of the umbrella, making a crisp impact sound.

Kobayashi Sumiko's face changed suddenly when she encountered this sudden accident, and she screamed "Wow" subconsciously.

In the building opposite, the new member with no wine name angrily threw the pot and said, "Lord Rum, it's all your fault for speaking out at this time. I missed the target."

Cohen echoed, "Me too."

Rum frowned and scolded: "Look at the target carefully."

Upon hearing this, the two men quickly turned their gaze back to the person in the sight. When they saw this, they couldn't help but widen their eyes in shock and shouted in unison.

"Hey, no!"

"This isn't that guy."

Rum took a deep puff of his cigar, the smoke lingering in the car. He slowly put down his phone and muttered quietly, "Strange, that woman should have used that striped umbrella. Why?"

On the rooftop of the West TOPIA building, Wakasa Rumi stood quietly in a raincoat. The corners of her mouth slightly raised, and she gradually grinned, revealing a row of white teeth. Against the backdrop of the rain, her smile seemed meaningful and a different kind of mockery of the chaotic situation.

Kobayashi Sumiko approached the broken striped umbrella that had fallen to the ground, her eyes full of regret: "Oh, come on. The umbrella is broken."

Mitsuhiko added: "It was blown over by the wind."

Ayumi, Genta, and Haibara Ai stood aside, with surprise expressions on their faces. They didn't say anything for a moment, just watched everything happening in front of them quietly.

Rum finally reacted at this time and hurriedly put the phone to his ear: "Newcomer, what store was attacked in the robbery news just now?"

"It seems to be a mechanic shop near here."

But just as he finished his words, the new member without a wine name was hit by a bullet and let out a scream. He covered his spine and fell to the ground in pain, his body twitching constantly.

It turned out that Wakasa Rumi seized the opportunity and shot him decisively. The bullet pierced his spine, making him instantly unable to move.

When Rum heard the scream, his face changed, and he frowned and asked, "Newcomer, what's wrong?"

Cohen reacted quickly and hid behind the cover, looking around vigilantly, searching for the shooter. "He was shot. The shooter is on the roof of the building where the target was just now."

The rain was pouring down, and the wind was raging on the roof of the West TOPIA Building, making Wakasa Rumi's raincoat rustle. She was steady, holding the machine gun steadily with both hands, her eyes on the scope, and the crosshairs firmly locked on Cohen's head.

Every falling raindrop was magnified infinitely in her ears. Her breathing was steady and slow, waiting for Cohen's next move. As long as the other party moved slightly, her finger would pull the trigger, and the bullet would instantly penetrate the air and take his life.

At this time, Rum's face in the car became more and more gloomy. He slowly put down his phone, stared through the car window at the chaotic street in the distance, and muttered to himself: "He deliberately let his companions be sniped so that he could find the sniping point and then launch a counterattack. This method is just like the tactic of 'giving up a pawn' in chess. It's really capable."

He took a deep breath, suppressed his inner anger, and decisively ordered into the phone: "Retreat, leave there quickly, don't make any more meaningless sacrifices!"

Cohen received the order and took advantage of this gap to quickly and skillfully clean up the bloodstains on the ground without leaving a trace.

To be continued...