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

Mao Lilan had already stopped a taxi on the roadside, with the door open. She leaned out and waved at Conan: "Conan, this way! Can I sit in the front seat?"

"Hmm!" Conan just ran two steps and suddenly felt an itch on the tip of his nose, "A-choo——"

Mao Lilan immediately got out of the car, the fur collar of her coat brushed against the door frame. She walked quickly to Conan and squatted down, revealing a red scarf from the side pocket of her backpack.

"Conan, are you okay?" She looked up at him, the worry in her eyes making people feel nervous, "Did you catch a cold?"

"It's okay." Conan waved his hands quickly, but his cheeks were flushed uncontrollably.

"It's so cold, you can't catch a cold." Mao Lilan smiled and took out a scarf from the side pocket of her backpack, wrapped it around his neck twice, and tied a bow with her fingertips deftly, "This will keep you much warmer."

"Let's go." Conan concealed his burning ears and turned to get into a taxi.

Lin Duxin pretended to walk sideways, and his shoulder bumped into Conan's back seemingly inadvertently. He reached out to support Conan, and quickly pressed his fingertips on the inside of the back collar of the other's coat - a bug the size of a grain of rice was quietly stuck.

"I'm sorry, little brother. I didn't look at the road." The man had a gentle smile on his face and glanced at Conan's neck from the corner of his eye. His tone was full of apology, without any deliberateness.

"It's okay." Conan looked up. The man's smile was frank and warm, and his eyes showed a bit of concern for a child like an elder.

"I'm really sorry." Lin Duxin stood up, put his hands in his pockets and turned to leave.

Mao Lilan had already sat in the passenger seat and turned around to ask, "Conan, can we just go directly to the observatory?"

Conan got into the back seat and fastened his seat belt: "Well, going to the county police station now will only make uncle more angry."

Mao Lilan heard this and turned to the taxi driver and said, "Master, please take us to the Nobeyama National Observatory."

The taxi started slowly. Conan raised his hand to adjust his collar, and his fingertips suddenly touched a hard lump on the back of his neck.

Conan lowered his eyes, and the look behind his glasses instantly became sharp: [Bug! Could it be the person who bumped into me just now? Who is he? Why did he bug me?]

The taxi drove away gradually.

In the black car at the corner, Morobushi Kagemitsu was about to start the car and rush to the Nagano Prefectural Police Station, but he heard the man who had just hit Conan talking to his cell phone in a low voice: "I have followed your instructions. But Inspector Kazami, why was it necessary to bug that child?"

Zhu Fujingguang tightened his grip on the steering wheel, and his eyes instantly became deep.

"Kagekawa, let's go." Kudo Yuki's eyes swept over Lin Duxin's departing back, "Kazami Yuya knows his limits. If we chase him now, it will only expose his flaws. Too much is as bad as too little."

Zhu Fujingguang said "hmm" softly and turned the car key. The engine hummed softly, and in the rearview mirror, Lin Duxin's figure became smaller and smaller, and finally shrank into a black dot in the snow.

Kudo Yuki gently turned the knob of the bug with her fingertips, adjusting the volume to a level that the two of them could just hear clearly.

The scene on the system screen changed, and what came into view was the figure of Officer Yui holding the steering wheel, Officer Yamato sitting in the passenger seat with one hand on the window sill, and Ogino Ayami, Sato Miwako, Officer Takagi, and Mori Kogoro squeezed in the back seat.

"Officer Yamato," Ogino Ayami was the first to break the silence in the car, "How did you end up in the hospital in Yamanashi after the avalanche ten months ago?"

Officer Yamato tapped the window frame with his fingertips unconsciously: "I still don't understand this."

"After the avalanche, someone must have rescued Officer Yamato." Officer Yui answered softly, looking at the mountain road ahead.

Miwako Sato immediately asked, "Who saved him? Don't you know yet?"

"Yes." Officer Yui nodded slightly. "The man called an ambulance from the public telephone booth at the foot of the mountain, but no fingerprints were found at the scene."

Maori Kogoro seemed to suddenly remember something and leaned forward: "How is the man named Mikuni Sadayakuni who was arrested by Officer Morobushi now?"

"Of course he was sent back to prison." Officer Yamato said concisely.

Maori Kogoro asked again: "Is Otomo Takashi, who was arrested eight years ago, still serving his sentence?"

"Takashi Washito is not serving his sentence now," Officer Yamato explained. "Both Mikuni Sadakuni and Takashi Washito were sentenced to three years in prison. However, Takashi Washito was given a suspended sentence."

Officer Yui continued, "That means Washito Ryu didn't serve his sentence."

In the back seat of the taxi, Conan stared at the rapidly receding shadows of the trees outside the window and fell into deep thought: [How could there be such a big difference in the verdict?]

As he was thinking, the sound in the headset suddenly stopped, and he looked down at the cell phone signal bar - empty.

Conan thought to himself: [Then I should use email... No, Detective Takagi and Officer Ogino are both with their uncle now, it's too dangerous to contact them rashly.]

After hesitating for a long time, Conan's fingertips finally fell on the contact of "Furuya Rei". The cursor for editing the email flashed for a moment on the screen, and a concise question message was immediately sent out.

The aroma of caramel wafted through the Poirot Café. Toru Amuro was shaking the latte art pitcher, and the coffee liquid was swirling in an arc in the porcelain cup: "Miss Xiaozi, hand over the sugar jar."

"Here it is!" Azusa Enomoto pushed the drink to the customer, "Sorry for the wait. Here is your 'Caramel Macchiato Special'. Please enjoy it!"

The phone on the inside of the bar suddenly vibrated. Toru Amuro picked it up after wiping his hands. The name "Conan" on the screen made him frown slightly.

The moment he opened the email, his fingers stirring the coffee paused, his pupils suddenly tightened, and the steam from the edge of the latte art pitcher condensed into cold mist in his eyes.

On the other side, Dr. Agasa's car had just stopped in front of the Nobeyama National Observatory. Before the door was fully opened, the three little ones jumped out excitedly, pointing at the dome of the observatory and cheering.

Half an hour later, Officer Yui's car stopped steadily in front of the Nagano Prefectural Police Headquarters.

As soon as the group stepped into the hall, they heard Funakubo Eizo's angry roar: "Stop talking nonsense, you got the wrong person! I've already said, I'm looking for Yamato Gansuke!"

The police officer next to him was trying to comfort him: "Keep your voice down, please calm down."

Funakubo Eizo caught a glimpse of the person coming from the corner of his eye, and immediately shook off the police officer's hand and strode over: "It's you!"

"Please wait a moment." The police officer hurriedly followed.

Officer Yamato stopped and saluted with one hand: "It's okay, thank you."

The police officer returned the salute and tactfully stepped back.

Funakubo Eizo stared at Officer Yamato with red eyes: "Where's Washito Ryu? Haven't you found him yet?"

"Shoujo Takashi? Is he the criminal from eight years ago?" Kogoro Mori looked confused.

"That's right!" Funakubo Eizo clenched his fists. "He won't be able to find anyone after that, that coward!"

"Yes, he was sentenced to probation," Officer Takagi added.

Miwako Sato frowned: "Can't find it?"

Officer Yui responded: “After his probation period expired, he disappeared immediately.”

Officer Yamato raised his hand and gestured: "How many times have I told you? The police have no reason to look for Jiutou. The expiration of the probation period is considered to have redeemed the crime."

"He killed Maki, is this considered atonement?" Funakubo Eizo slapped his hand away, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Killed Maki?" Ogino Ayami looked at him, "Are you referring to Ms. Funakubo Maki, the victim of the incident eight years ago?"

Officer Yui introduced at the right time: "He is the victim's father, Funakubo Eizo."

Officer Takagi leaned forward and said, "Ms. Maki is only injured. She should be okay, right?"

Officer Yamato's eyes were heavy: "She also died that year."

Funakubo Eizo turned his head and said, "Maki is a biathlon athlete."

"Biathlon!" Kogoro Mori was surprised.

Miwako Sato explained: "It is a competitive activity of skiing and rifle shooting, one of the events of the Winter Olympics."

"After that injury, Maki's performance plummeted. She was removed from the list of key athletes to be trained for the Olympics. However, one of the people who caused Maki's injury was only sentenced to three years in prison, and another was even given a suspended sentence. It was simply unreasonable for them to be sentenced so lightly," Funakubo recalled.

Officer Gao Mu guessed: "Did he die from falling off a cliff?"

Officer Yamato replied: "No, she left a suicide note."

Maori Kogoro asked: "Is it suicide?"

Funakubo Eizo staggered back half a step, walked in front of Maori Kogoro, and said in a choked voice: "She didn't commit suicide. How is this different from homicide? They killed Maki! That's why I come here again and again. I want to know the clues about Otomo Takashi, catch him and make him understand that he was the one who killed Maki!"

Officer Yamato put one hand in his pocket and said, "I have told you many times that even if we have clues, we will not tell you."

Funakubo Eizo gritted his teeth unwillingly, said "I'll come again", turned around and left angrily.

"There is a saying that goes 'It is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge.'" A steady voice came from behind him. Zhu Fu Gaoming walked slowly over and glanced at everyone. "No matter how many years have passed, hatred will never disappear. This is a famous saying in Chinese history books."

He looked up at Maori Kogoro: "Long time no see, Mr. Maori."

"This is Officer Morobushi," Kogoro Mori quickly introduced.

Ogino Ayami, Sato Miwako, and Officer Takagi all nodded in agreement.

Zhu Fu Takaaki's expression was stern: "I have learned that the police officer Sametani who was killed in the capital had been to Yamanashi Prison and met with Mikuni Sadayakuni."

This sentence stunned everyone present, with disbelief written all over their faces.

At the same time, in the meeting room of the Public Security Bureau of the Metropolitan Police Department, Kuroda Bei had just learned from Amuro Toru that Kudo Yuki was on her way to Nagano. He picked up his phone and quickly typed a text message:

Kudo, upon arriving in Nagano, immediately cooperated with Hasebe Rikuo of the Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center to capture the criminals, disguised as the capital prosecutor. - Kuroda Heibei

After sending the message, he put the phone back into his pocket and continued to preside over the meeting.

Officer Chiba stood up with his notebook in hand and reported the results of his investigation in a clear voice: "Inspector Sametani had a bullet wound through the chest. The bullet found at the scene was a 30-caliber rifle bullet."

"Rifle?" Kuroda Bei frowned slightly.

The police officer nearby immediately pulled up the relevant investigation report, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the big screen.

Officer Chiba nodded: "The bullets from the same rifle are often used for hunting in the mountains."

"What about the bullet's past matching records?"

"did not find."

"I understand." Kuroda Bei responded in a deep voice.

After Officer Chiba sat down, Officer Megure looked at everyone and said, "Next item, the whereabouts of the victim?"

Officer Shiratori stood up and reported, "Inspector Sametani met with the serving prisoner Mikuni Sadakuni at Yamanashi Prison last Saturday. His whereabouts since then are unknown. However, he was originally scheduled to meet with former Metropolitan Police Department officer Kogoro Mori this morning, but... he was killed before the meeting."

"What is the reason for their meeting?" Inspector Megure tapped the table with his fingertips.

"It's unclear at the moment. However, Mori claimed that this incident involved Inspector Yamato of Nagano Prefecture."

Kuroda Bei thought: "The reason for killing Inspector Sametani may be related to Inspector Yamato, right?"

"I think it's possible."

"Then next is the report from the Nagano Prefecture Police..." Before Kuroda Bei could finish his words, he was interrupted by an arrogant voice.

Hasebe Rikuo put his hands behind his back and walked down the stairs, saying, "Manager Kuroda, I don't think we can get a report with actual content by waiting. I'm going to the Nagano Prefectural Police to take charge of the scene."

Kuroda Heibei frowned and said, "Prosecutor Hasebe, you are a prosecutor sent by the Capital Public Prosecutors Office to serve as the headquarters of this investigation. You should stay here."

Hasebe Rikuo, however, held out his hands and faced everyone present: "The prosecutors at the investigation headquarters are not subject to such legal restrictions."

He turned around and looked down at Kuroda Bei. "Administrator, even if you are the person in charge of the investigation headquarters, you police officers still have to obey the orders of our prosecutors. Please don't forget this. Do you understand?"

The conference room suddenly fell silent. Everyone looked angry, but because of their status, they dared not speak out.

Inside the silver sedan, Kudo Yuki read the text message from Kuroda Heibei, her tone thoughtful: "Manager Kuroda's instructions are very clear. Hasebe Rikuo is disguised as the capital prosecutor. There must be a lot of tricks behind it."

Shushu was curled up in Kudo Xue's pocket and suddenly pricked up his ears.

Zhu Fujingguang glanced at the rearview mirror. The steering wheel turned flexibly in his hands. The car turned the corner smoothly. The shadows of the birch trees on the roadside quickly swept backwards. "It seems that the trip to Nagano needs to be considered if Kuroda Manager specifically ordered the arrest."

Kudo Yuki tapped her fingertips on the address book and called Ogino Ayami. As soon as the receiver was connected, she got straight to the point: "Ayami, Mr. Kagekawa and I have arrived in Nagano. Where are you now?"

Ogino Ayami's slightly hurried voice came from the other end of the phone. In the background, the low hum of the engine and the sound of wind blowing in through the gaps in the car windows could be vaguely heard, as if we were driving on an empty suburban road: "Xiaoxue! We just passed the Komagatayama Tunnel. We will reach the main gate of Yamanashi Prison in about ten minutes."

"Okay," Kudo Yuki quickly sorted out her thoughts, her eyes sweeping across the outline of the barbed wire fence approaching outside the window, "Then Mr. Yingchuan and I will rush to Yamanashi Prison now and meet up with you there."

The moment she hung up the phone, Shushu jumped into her lap, his eyes fixed on the dashboard.

Zhu Fu Jingguang had already stepped on the accelerator, and the car engine emitted a steady low roar as it drove towards Yamanashi Prison.

To be continued...