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

Vermouth tilted her head to look at Kudo Yuki's butterfly mask. "Fine Wine, who do you think is the 'perfect vessel' that ES Dark Amber finally calibrated?"

Kudo Yuki's fingertips paused at the edge of the mask and she didn't respond.

Amuro Toru frowned, as if he had guessed the answer.

“It’s vodka.” Vermouth chuckled, her tone ending in a careless cruelty. “The old man has been hiding his ‘collection’ for ten years, and it’s finally going to be put on the altar.”

Amuro Toru's hand suddenly pressed on the gun at his waist: "Are you sure?"

"We've hired all the interns for the Beta Zone." Vermouth flicked off the ash from her cigarette. "The 'emotional anchor' is a silver anemone, and the vitals perfectly match the 'snowy owl' sample from ten years ago. Even the stress response curve overlaps with the records from the Hokkaido mission—who else could it be?"

She looked at Kudo Yuki. "The temperature curve you obtained, the constant temperature setting of -17 degrees Celsius, is a replica of the environment in the warehouse where he was trapped. Karasuma Renya is forcing him to relive the old scene, using fear and dependence to strengthen his 'anchor point.'"

Kudo Yuki suddenly spoke, her voice behind the mask as cold as ice: "Why him?"

"Why not him?" Vermouth asked, the cigarette between her fingers flickering in the moonlight. "During the Hokkaido snow ten years ago, he was the only one who had close contact with the Snowy Owl sample. The sample fragments were already embedded in his genetic sequence. The old man didn't keep him around because he valued his execution ability, but because he was using him as a living petri dish."

Amuro Toru's Adam's apple rolled. "What exactly is a 'Snowy Owl' sample?"

"The prehistoric gene fragments that the organization unearthed from the glacial tundra years ago are said to be able to repair telomere attrition—in other words, they are the key to Karasuma Renya's survival."

Vermouth scoffed. "Unfortunately, the samples were contaminated when they were extracted. Only Vodka's constitution was compatible with those fragments. This is how the 'ES Amber' project came about."

Kudo Yuki suddenly raised her eyes, the phosphorus powder on her butterfly mask flashing: "How much does Gin know?"

"He knew he was about to lose Vodka." Vermouth's gaze turned towards the headquarters, where the red light seemed brighter. "That burnt silver anemone on the fire hydrant wasn't placed by me, nor by Rum—it was probably Gin's own mark. People like him, the more they care about something, the more ruthless they will use to hide it."

Toru Amuro recalled that he was still at the bottom of the organization at that time. He only heard that Gin rushed into the sea of ​​fire in order to save his subordinates and almost died in it himself.

It turned out that from then on, Vodka became the prey of Karasuma Renya.

Kudo Yuki's phone suddenly vibrated, the screen illuminating a cold white in the moonlight. She glanced down at the lock screen. The sender's note was blank, with only a string of encrypted numbers—the contact information unique to Karasuma Renya.

The text message was very short, just one sentence:

Come to the headquarters quickly, fine wine. I will personally show you the results of 'ES Dark Amber', don't make me wait too long. - Old Man

The breathing under the butterfly mask paused, and the fingertips lingered on the edge of the screen.

Amuro Toru was the first to notice her stiffness: "What's wrong?"

"It's the old man's invitation." Kudo Yuki's voice, through the mask, was a little colder than before. "He said he would personally take me to visit the headquarters and see the 'results'."

Vermouth raised an eyebrow and crushed the cigarette butt between her fingers into her palm. "You came just in time. He must have been eager to show off his 'perfect container', so he took the initiative to hand the key to you."

"Go," Amuro Toru's voice was firm. He took a step forward, the hem of his windbreaker sweeping across the pine needles on the ground. "Remember the password to the archives room. While he's showing you around, go around to the third basement floor. I'll meet you in the surveillance blind spot."

Kudo Yuki's fingers turned pale as she gripped the phone. "Since he specifically mentioned me, he must have been prepared."

"It's better to be prepared." Vermouth chuckled and took out a lipstick from her handbag. When she unscrewed it, she found a micro syringe. "Hide this inside the mask. It contains a drug that interferes with neurotransmitters. It will take effect when it comes into contact with the skin. It can give you the illusion of a 'sudden allergic reaction' for three minutes, which is enough time to get away."

She threw the syringe over, and Kudo Yuki raised her hand to catch it, the cool touch of metal spreading through her fingers.

"Also," Vermouth suddenly leaned in closer, the scent of perfume mixed with the cool fragrance of pine needles drifting over, "There's a dark mirror in Karasuma Renya's office, and behind it are the final calibration parameters of 'ES Dark Amber'."

Kudo Yuki nodded and inserted the syringe into the inner layer of the mask. When she turned around, the phosphorus powder from the butterfly wings fell down, creating tiny blue lights on the ground.

Amuro Toru watched her figure disappear into the depths of the woods before turning to Vermouth: "You seem very sure that she can survive."

"Why else would I help her?" Vermouth adjusted the wrinkles on her velvet skirt. "Fine Wine has something I want—like the antidote formula for Silver Bullet or the safety of my three treasures."

After Kudo Yuki's figure disappeared into the woods, Amuro Toru's gaze remained in the direction where she disappeared.

Vermouth threw the crushed cigarette butt into the metal cigarette case she carried with her. "Don't worry, she knows how to dance on the edge of a knife better than you think."

Amuro Toru averted his gaze, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the buttons of his windbreaker: "You seem to care more about the outcome of this game than you appear."

Vermouth smoothed her curly hair, which had been ruffled by the night wind, and a hint of an ambiguous smile appeared on the corner of her lips. "After all, it's not often that you get the opportunity to dismantle your grandfather's hard work with your own hands." She paused and glanced at Amuro Toru. "The ambition hidden behind the mask of Jingniang is much greater than you think."

Amuro Toru didn't respond, but instead gazed deep into the woods, his gaze darkening. The ceiling lights in the headquarters corridor cast a cold, white light, casting a shadow of Karasuma Renya's wheelchair on the marble floor like a block of solidified ink.

The female secretary pushed the wheelchair forward at a steady speed. The hem of her black suit made almost no sound as it swept across the ground. Only the metal wheelchair axles occasionally made a slight friction sound, echoing in the empty corridor.

The helmet worn by Karasuma Renya reflected the light, and the cold and hard curved mask covered his entire face. The only way to tell that he was still awake was from the slight rise and fall of the breathing valve.

The secretary's gloves were matte black, her fingertips resting on the armrests of the wheelchair, her knuckles tense - that was the posture of constant alert. Kudo Yuki stopped at the corner of the corridor and caught a glimpse of the miniature communicator behind her ear, flashing a very faint green light.

"The fine wine arrived earlier than I expected." Karasuma Renya's voice was processed by the voice changer built into the helmet, like a rusty gear turning.

Kudo Yuki stood three steps away, the phosphorescent powder of her butterfly mask shimmering in the overhead light, a faint blue. She didn't remove the mask, her voice emanating through the thin wings: "I require secondary calibration permissions for ES Dark Amber."

The wheelchair slowly turned half a circle, and the mask was facing her.

The female secretary handed over a silver folder at the right time, with a dark gold snake emblem embossed on the cover.

"I can give you the authority," Karasuma Renya's breathing valve made a soft hissing sound, "but you have to see the results with your own eyes first - after all, this is the first 'perfect product' since you helped me improve the emotional anchor algorithm."

The wheelchair slowly turned half a circle, the visor facing her. The secretary handed her a silver folder with a dark gold snake emblem embossed on the cover. "I can give you the authority," Karasuma Renya's breathing valve hissed softly. "But you have to see the results first—after all, this is the first result of my perfecting the emotion anchor algorithm."

The female secretary pushed open the alloy door at the end of the corridor. Inside was a circular observation room. Through three layers of bulletproof glass, she could see the person lying on the central platform.

Shushu poked his little head out of the bag and started recording.

Kudo Yuki silently said in her heart: [Sign in.]

"Ding, congratulations to Xiaoxue for signing in successfully today. You've received +200 mall points and a constant temperature disruption chip.

Current mall points are 1. System space items: Healing Potion, Winery Status Information, Winery Base Location Map, Constant Temperature Disruption Chip. Please continue to sign in daily.

The system prompts: "The constant temperature disruption chip will appropriately prevent research results from being achieved while interfering with the controlled person, allowing them to retain a trace of sanity."

Vodka was wearing a white straitjacket, with metal rings at his wrists and ankles flashing red.

The data stream from the monitoring instrument scrolled across the glass, with one row of parameters highlighted in red standing out:

The emotional anchor point stability is 27%, and the fear threshold has exceeded the critical point.

"His brain waves are already showing initial results similar to the snowy owl samples from ten years ago." There was a subtle hint of excitement in Karasuma Renya's voice. "The temperature curve you provided is crucial. The constant temperature of -17 degrees Celsius allows his stress response to perfectly replicate that of a warehouse. As soon as the scent of silver anemone wafted in, his heart rate immediately dropped to a dangerous level."

Kudo Yuki's fingertips rubbed the inside of the mask, where the syringe given by Vermouth was hidden. She noticed an inconspicuous camera in the corner of the glass, the lens facing her.

The secretary's hand never left the red button on the wheelchair armrest. It was the emergency brake and also the switch that activated the observation room's gas system.

"The key to the primary level of access is behind the dark mirror," the secretary suddenly said, her voice as steady as if she were reading a document. "The boss said you should get it in person."

She raised her hand to indicate the wall on the right, where hung an oil painting titled "Flowers of the Dark Night," with subtle metal seams along the edge of the frame.

When Kudo Yuki walked over, the direction of the wheelchair adjusted slightly, and the breathing valve rose and fell faster.

The moment her fingertips touched the frame, Shushu warned, "Three meters behind the left, there's a needle in the secretary's glove!"

Almost at the same time, Amuro Toru's voice rang out, carrying the unique buzzing of telepathy: "Don't touch the picture frame, it's a pressure sensor!"

Kudo Yuki's hand stopped in mid-air, and when she turned around, she saw the female secretary putting her masked hand back into her pocket.

Karasuma Renya's breathing valve made a short, sharp sound, like a laugh. "It seems that Jiajiu is very cautious. He is indeed the one I chose."

The female secretary pushed the wheelchair again and walked deeper into the observation room. "The boss said he would take you to see the final calibration parameters. It's behind the dark mirror."

Her pace was half a beat faster than before, and Kudo Yuki noticed that the green light of the communicator on the back of her neck was flashing more rapidly.

When passing the platform, Vodka suddenly opened his eyes, looked at the ceiling with dilated pupils, and muttered something.

Kudo Yuki leaned closer to the glass and could only hear him repeating: "Gin...fire...silver anemone..."

"He's about to remember something he shouldn't remember." Karasuma Renya's voice turned cold. "So we must complete this crucial step as soon as possible. Fine wine, your algorithm is the key. Without the chip, this container will always be just an empty shell."

The secretary pushed open another door, revealing a circular office. On the central wall was a huge mirror with obsidian inlaid around the edges.

Kudo Yuki's shadow was reflected in the mirror, and the phosphorus powder of the butterfly mask cast mottled light on the mirror surface.

"The key is behind the mirror." Karasuma Renya's wheelchair stopped in front of the mirror. "Reach out and take it, fine wine. You deserve it."

Kudo Yuki slowly raised her hand, and just as her fingertips were about to touch the mirror, Shushu screamed again: "Xiaoxue, there's something in the mirror! It's not a shadow!"

She suddenly retracted her hand, but the shadow in the mirror did not retract it at the same time. Instead, it slowly raised its hand.

That was the dark mirror that Vermouth mentioned. What was hidden behind it were not parameters, but a lens that could identify objects.

"Looks like you've figured it out." Karasuma Renya's breathing valve made a harsh sound. "This mirror is connected to the monitoring center. I want to see if Jiajiu will make a contradictory judgment the moment he gets the permission."

The secretary pressed the red button again. Kudo Yuki suddenly smiled, her laughter icy beneath her butterfly mask. "Old man, are you planning to deploy the next step?"

Karasuma Renya's breathing valve made a dull sound, as if weighing the weight of her words: "Plans never need to be deployed, they only need to be executed."

His mask tilted slightly, "Did you think the dark mirror just now was a test? It was just an appetizer."

Kudo Yuki raised her hand to adjust the edge of the mask, and her fingertips seemed to accidentally brush across the cuff of her sleeve, pinching the constant temperature disruption chip hidden there in her palm.

The coolness of the chip seeped through her skin. She spoke in a relaxed tone, as if she was discussing something: "The appetizer is too salty. The old man still has such a strong taste."

As she spoke, her hands dropped naturally, and while adjusting the hem of her skirt, her fingertips slid precisely across the ventilation grille connecting the observation room to the outside world - there was a gap there that she had calculated in advance, large enough to accommodate this small chip.

The subtle sound of metal colliding with metal was drowned out by the friction of the wheelchair axles, and she could even feel the slight vibration when the chip fell into the ventilation duct.

"Saltiness or saltiness isn't important," Karasuma Renya said with a hint of mockery in his voice. "What matters is whether you're worthy of tasting the main course."

He gestured to the female secretary, "Turn out the real parameters."

The female secretary pressed the button on the armrest, and the false data stream on the mirror was instantly cleared, replaced by rows of jumping green codes.

Kudo Yuki's eyes swept across the screen, but she caught a glimpse of the platform on the other side of the glass out of the corner of her eye.

Vodka's curled fingers suddenly tensed, their knuckles turning pale blue, as if grasping something invisible. The movement was incredibly fast, relaxing in less than half a second. Only the metal ring at his wrist flickered red from the instantaneous force.

A faint glimmer of clarity flashed across his unfocused pupils, flickering on and off like a candle in the wind, so fast that anyone would mistake it for an illusion of light refraction.

To be continued...