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

Dr. Agasa was the first to recover from his shock, his hand holding his glasses trembling slightly: "Karasuma Renya... The legendary leader of the organization was actually drugged by Vermouth? This is unbelievable..."

"She has every motivation." Kudo Yuki tapped her fingertips lightly on her knee. "Vermouth's connection to the Karasuma family allows her to be close to the core, yet she also hates this bondage to the core. Destroying ES Amber would be equivalent to severing the hand that Karasuma Ren'ya holds over everything. This move is a sure win for her."

Ai Haibara clutched the hem of her skirt, her voice cold, "72 hours... Starting from this morning, we only have less than two days left. My parents used to walk under the cherry blossom trees at Miyano's old house. Perhaps they really do hide clues to their counterattack."

Conan's glasses reflected the light. "Since these are clues left by the Miyano couple, they might be related to their research notes. Huihara, do you remember any details about the cherry blossom trees in the notes?"

Ai Huihara closed her eyes and recalled, her fingertips tracing the lines of the sofa. "There were a few pages in my father's notebook with strange symbols drawn on them, like some kind of coordinates. At the time, I thought they were markings for experimental data, but now I think... maybe they were pointing to the burial point under the cherry tree."

"Symbol?" Kudo Yuki touched the magician's divination card. "Ai, does your sister know anything about this?"

Huiyuan Ai's fingertips suddenly stopped, and her eyes dropped to hide her complicated emotions: "Sister...she might know."

Just as he finished speaking, the side door of the living room was suddenly pushed open.

Miyano Akemi walked in with a plate of washed strawberries, still wearing Dr. Agasa's floral apron. Seeing the tense atmosphere on the sofa, she paused slightly. "What's wrong? I think I heard you talking about me?"

Conan straightened his back instantly - he didn't expect to meet Miyano Akemi, who was protected by Manager Kuroda, here.

Haibara Ai suddenly looked up, her eyes instantly flushed red, but she quickly concealed it.

"Akimi." Kudo Yuki's tone softened a bit. "Does Manager Kuroda allow you to come here accompanied by Mr. Aoi?"

Miyano Akemi placed the strawberry plate on the coffee table, her fingertips rubbing against the floral pattern on her apron. She said with a hint of resignation, "It was Officer Kuroda who agreed. He said you should investigate the Miyano family's old residence, and the details I know might be helpful—after all, my parents always took us there for picnics."

She looked at Huibara Ai, her eyes softening, "And Shiho is here, I can't hide forever."

Haibara Ai's fingertips were curled on the armrest of the sofa. She didn't say anything, but quietly moved half an inch closer to Miyano Akemi.

The rat in Kudo Yuki's pocket poked its little head out and said, "Xiaoxue, the person who reported this to Kuroda Heibei was Morofushi Kagemitsu!"

Kudo Yuki and Amuro Toru exchanged glances. They both understood that Morofushi Kagemitsu was always careful and must have guessed that they needed clues from Akemi, so he made the suggestion to Kuroda Heibei.

Amuro Toru's tone was calm, yet a hint of warmth could be seen in it. He looked at Miyano Akemi and said, "Since you're here, why don't you tell me about the details of the old Miyano residence? For example, the location of the cherry tree, and are there any special markings around it?"

Miyano Akemi thought about it, picked up the pen on the coffee table, and drew a simple map on the note paper.

"There are three cherry trees on the east side of the yard. The thickest one has a heart-shaped mark on its trunk. Dad carved it for Mom. Mom always said that although the cherry blossoms bloom for a short time, they can leave the deepest mark in the soil. She and Dad did bury an iron box under the thickest cherry tree, saying it was a gift for 'someone who needs answers in the future.'"

"Iron box?" Conan asked. "Did they say there were any markings on the box?"

"There was a silver crow relief, but my mother knocked half of it off with a hammer," Miyano Akemi recalled. "She said, 'A mark that shouldn't be left must be made to disappear.' I didn't understand what she meant at the time, but now I think..." She looked at Kudo Yuki, "Is this related to the organization?"

Kudo Yuki nodded. "That box might contain the backup hard drive for ES Dark Amber."

Miyano Akemi gasped. "Is that the terrifying device that can control people? Dad's notes vaguely mentioned it as a 'curse wrapped in science.'"

Her fingertips pinched the edge of the note paper and suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, by the way, when Mom buried the box, she specifically mentioned that we shouldn't dig it up until 'cherry blossoms have fallen all over the tree roots.' At the time, I thought she was referring to the blooming season, but now I think it might refer to a specific time—like tomorrow night at eight o'clock, which happens to be when the last batch of late cherry blossoms of the year will fall."

Conan quickly flipped through the calendar on his phone. "There's indeed a late wind forecast for tomorrow night. The cherry blossoms will be blown and deposited near the tree roots. This should be the key to solving the time puzzle."

Ai Huihara suddenly spoke up: "There was also a strange device drawn in my father's notebook. It looked like a small combination lock with the abbreviations 'E and S' engraved on it. I didn't understand what it meant at the time... 'ES' might be the abbreviation of 'ES Dark Amber', and that device should be the lock of the iron box."

"What could the password be?" Dr. Agasa fell into thought. "It can't be a simple number, right?"

Miyano Akemi shook her head. "Mom said that the lock can only be opened with 'the most precious memory.' When Shiho and I were little, we buried a time capsule under a cherry tree. Inside was a family portrait we'd drawn. The code we agreed on to open it was..."

She looked at Huibara Ai, a gentle light in her eyes, "It's the sum of our two sisters' birthdays."

Huiyuan Ai's eyelashes trembled, and she whispered two dates: "March 3th and December 30st."

柯南迅速掏出计算器，指尖在按键上飞快跳动：“3月30日是一年中的第89天，12月1日是第335天，加起来是424。”

He raised his eyes to look at Huibara Ai, "Could this number be the password?"

Huiyuan Ai nodded: "Mom always said that our birthday is the most precious milestone in her life. Using this as a password is very much in line with her style."

Miyano Akemi held her sister's hand, feeling the warmth from her fingertips. "We even put a lock of Mom's hair inside. She said, 'Let time remember the warmth of the Miyano family.' Perhaps Mom anticipated that one day we would need to rely on these memories to find the strength to fight back."

Kudo Yuki's gaze fell on the clasped hands of the Miyano sisters, and she suddenly remembered a detail Kuroda Heibei had mentioned: "When Elena Miyano was assisting the Metropolitan Police Department, she used a similar 'memory code' to encrypt a witness protection list. It seems that using emotions as a key is her usual habit."

Amuro Toru walked to the window, pulled aside a corner of the curtain and looked out at the twilight. "We have the password, and the time and place are clear, but Rum will never sit idly by and let us get the hard drive. He will definitely set a trap at Miyano's old house."

Kudo Yuki picked up her phone and sent a text message to Wakasa Rumi:

Tomorrow evening at 8:00 PM, stand by in the warehouse east of Miyano's former residence. Objective: Eliminate ambushes in the outer perimeter, especially those with crow symbols. Stay hidden; no need to enter the core area.

After sending the message, she put the phone back in her pocket.

This message not only points out the time, place and core of the mission, but also deliberately avoids the existence of Miyano Akemi - after all, Wakasa Rumi has no intersection with the Miyano family, and mentioning irrelevant people too much may cause unnecessary doubts.

The term "crow logo" accurately points to Rum's power, which is enough to make Wakasa Rumi, who has a deep hatred for the organization, understand the targeted nature of the action.

Wakasa Rumi's text message was replied almost immediately:

Got it. Cherry blossoms falling, perfect time to settle old scores.

A short sentence, filled with bone-chilling chill.

Kudo Yuki turned the screen of her mobile phone to Amuro Toru, and the two looked at each other - Wakasa Rumi's hatred for the organization was far stronger than they had expected.

"Mr. Subaru," Kudo Yuki looked at the silent Akai Shuichi, "Tomorrow night, I need you to guard the south bell tower. It has the best view and can cover the entire cherry blossom forest. If you spot anyone suspicious, don't alert them yet. Use a code word to notify us."

Okiya Subaru nodded, and when his eyes passed over Miyano Akemi, there was a subtle guilt: "Don't worry, I will ensure your safety."

He knew very well that as the cousin of the Miyano sisters, he owed them this.

Amuro Toru walked over to the whiteboard and outlined the layout of Miyano's old house with a marker. "On the east side are three cherry trees. Akemi said the thickest one has a mark on it. That's where our target is. On the west side is an abandoned warehouse. Wakasa-sensei will be waiting there. On the north side is a gentle slope. Have Kagekawa lead a team to guard it to prevent anyone from attacking from behind."

He circled a few red dots on the map. "These are abandoned wooden houses left by tourists in previous years. They are likely used for ambushes. Xiaoxue and I will lead Conan in the frontal action. After obtaining the hard drive, we will immediately evacuate from the east side. Mr. Okiya will provide cover in the clock tower, and Yingchuan will be responsible for the support."

"What about me?" Miyano Akemi asked.

"You and Ai will stay in the safe house," Kudo Yuki looked her straight in the eye. "Manager Kuroda will arrange for someone to protect you. Your mission is to provide remote assistance. Ai is most familiar with the research on her parents and might be able to find key clues from the hard drive data. Mingmei has memorized many details and might be able to remember something we've overlooked."

Miyano Akemi was about to protest, but Haibara Ai held her hand. Seeing her sister's pleading eyes, she nodded. "Okay, but you must keep in touch at all times."

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

"Ding, congratulations to Xiaoxue for signing in successfully today. You've received +1000 mall points and 10 noise-canceling headphones.

Current mall points are 1. System space items: Healing Elixir, Distillery Status Information, Distillery Base Location Map, and 1 Sound-Canceling Headphones. Please continue to sign in daily.

System warning: "This headset is a one-time item. Please remember to clear it after use."

Kudo Yuki took out the newly acquired noise-canceling headphones from the system space and distributed them to the people present: "These are disposable headphones. They can block out surrounding noise and facilitate real-time communication. Remember to destroy them after use."

Conan took the headphones and tried them. The sound quality was surprisingly clear: "Just enough to avoid the organization's monitoring equipment."

Amuro Toru put his headphones behind his ears and tapped his fingertips on the whiteboard: "One more question - will Vermouth show up?"

"Given her style, she'll probably wait and see from the shadows." Kudo Yuki rubbed the edge of her headphones with her fingertips. "It was a risk for her to drug Karasuma Renya, so she won't reveal herself easily. But we have to keep a hand. Her disguise skills are so powerful that she could disguise herself as anyone."

Miyano Akemi put the last strawberry into her mouth. "By the way, when Mom and Dad buried the box under the cherry tree, they planted a few hydrangeas around it. Mom said the color of hydrangeas changes with the pH of the soil, like 'talking road signs,' and maybe they can help us avoid something."

Ai Huihara's eyes flickered: "Hydrangea... Father once put a piece of dried flower in his notebook, and next to it was written 'pH=5.5'. Could it be referring to the acidity and alkalinity of the soil?"

"It's very likely." Conan quickly opened his phone to check. "Hydrangeas will bloom blue in soil with a low pH value, and pink in soil with a high pH value. 5.5 is slightly acidic, which should correspond to blue flowers - this may be a reminder that only areas with blue hydrangeas are safe, and there may be traps in other places."

"Blue hydrangeas with a pH of 5.5..." Kudo Yuki tapped her knee. "It seems like this isn't just a road sign. Since Elena Miyano is working with the Metropolitan Police Department, she might have devised a trap using police code logic—like, perhaps, a trigger alarm buried near the pink flowers."

Amuro Toru marked the area where hydrangeas might grow on the map. "I had Kazami check the records of the old Miyano residence, and there are indeed records of hydrangeas growing around the cherry trees on the east side. When we move tomorrow night, everyone must move along the area with blue flowers and absolutely must not touch the soil near the pink flowers."

As dusk deepened, in the living room of Dr. Agasa's house, the lights cast everyone's shadows on the wall, swaying gently with the rhythm of the discussion.

Kudo Yuki placed the last of the silent earphones on the table and traced the edge of the earphones with her fingertips. "The communication channels for tomorrow night's operation have been set up. Each channel corresponds to a different location. If anyone loses contact, the backup plan will be activated immediately."

She looked at Amuro Toru and said, "The channels between you and Kagekawa are encrypted separately to prevent the organization from intercepting them."

Amuro Toru nodded and placed the marker next to the whiteboard. "Kazami has obtained satellite images of Miyano's old house from the past three years. After comparing them, they found that the windows of the west warehouse have been pried open. It's very likely that someone has visited the area beforehand. Wakasa Rumi should be especially careful to be aware of ambushes inside the warehouse."

"I'll send her another message." Kudo Xue took out her phone and quickly edited:

There is something unusual in the warehouse, be alert to internal mechanisms.

After sending it, she looked up at Conan and said, "Have you checked your watch, anesthetic needle, and football belt? They may be needed tomorrow night, but don't expose them unless absolutely necessary."

Conan patted his pockets and said, "I've prepared it a long time ago. I also have the flash bomb that the doctor just invented. It's powerful enough to temporarily blind the enemy."

Dr. Agasa showed some pride: "Of course, I improved the formula, the flash lasts three seconds longer than before!"

To be continued...