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

With a "creak", Zhu Fu Jingguang pushed open the car door.

"The FBI intercepted a batch of equipment from Rum at the dock, including a brain wave detector. Oh, and Akemi asked me to tell you that Huibara found the 'blocker' formula mentioned in the notes, and it requires the oven at the Poirot Café to perform a constant temperature reaction."

Conan's eyes lit up: "Poirot?"

"That's the safest place." Kudo Yuki stood up and locked the notebook in the drawer. "I specially modified this oven to simulate the environment of a laboratory."

She felt movement on her sleeve and looked down to see Shushu climbing up her arm, its chubby little paws pointing out the window.

A carrier pigeon was perched on the windowsill, with a roll of paper tied to its feet.

Amuro Toru reached out and took the note. The moment he unfolded it, his brows furrowed slightly. "This is the news from Wakasa Rumi. She said that someone from Vermouth had infiltrated Rum's direct unit."

He quickly crumpled the note, his fingertips' movements cleverly obscured by the coffee machine on the bar.

Kurodabei opened the door of the Poirot Café and said, "Give me a cup of Keemun black tea."

Amuro Toru quickly stepped forward and prepared the tea utensils: "Wait a moment, the Keemun black tea needs to be brewed fresh."

Kurodabei pulled up a bar stool and sat down. His eyes swept over Morobushi Kagemitsu, and he pressed his phone screen down on the table. He lowered his voice and said, "Explain what's going on."

Kudo Yuki placed the notebook and film on the table, her fingertips pausing for a moment over the words "ES Dark Amber." "The sound wave frequencies mentioned on the encrypted page need to be checked against the Metropolitan Police Department's technical department database."

Amuro Toru added: "Nagano Trading's scrapped vehicles have been handed over to the Physical Evidence Department. The fake list in the chip can be used to reversely trace Rum's information channels."

Morofushi Kagemitsu handed over the completed action report: "Ida and his men have completed their deployment in Kansai."

Kurodabei flipped through the documents, tapping his knuckles on the table. "Let Huibara be in charge of the development of the blocker. As for Poirot...don't use the oven for experiments recently. Rum's people are already suspicious of it."

"I understand." Kudo Yuki nodded.

Shushu suddenly poked his little head out of her pocket and waved his paws in the direction of Kuroda Bei.

Amuro Toru covered his face with his hands: "I can't let this get out in front of the administrator."

Kuroda Heibei closed the folder and said, "I'll take the information back to the Metropolitan Police Department. I'll keep you updated on the subsequent decryption results."

He tucked the folder under his arm, tapped his fingertips twice on the bar as a farewell, and when he turned and pushed the door open, the wind chimes on the door jingled.

Conan turned on his phone and murmured to himself as he looked at the message he had just received on the screen: "Amei sent a text message saying that Huibara had already sent the semi-finished product of the blocker."

The warm light of the Poirot Café lit up on the street corner.

Vermouth's car stopped quietly at the entrance of the alley. She changed into a beige windbreaker and took off her sunglasses. The fine lines at the corners of her eyes became much softer under the street lights.

The moment I pushed the door open, the aroma of coffee mixed with the sweet smell of baked cookies filled the air. Kudo Yuki was wearing an apron and placing new products on the display shelf.

Toru Amuro was frothing milk behind the bar.

Conan was leaning over the table, flipping through the blue notebook.

"Good evening, everyone." There was a rare sense of relaxation in her voice. As her eyes swept across Conan's head, she took out a box of imported chocolates from her bag. "A midnight snack for the little detective."

Conan looked up, surprise flashing in his eyes, then he remembered her tactic of luring the tiger away from the mountain at the dock in the evening, and whispered, "Thank you."

"Madam, a cup of hot cocoa." Vermouth sat at the bar, watching Kudo Yuki's back as she turned around.

She scooped cocoa powder into the mug, the steam forming a hazy mist in the warm yellow light. "Do you want more?"

Vermouth tapped the bar with her fingertips: "You did everything well."

His eyes swept over the blue notebook in Conan's hand, and the corners of his mouth curled up in an ambiguous arc: "Little detective, are you still studying those twists and turns? The people from Rum have been like mad dogs lately. They chased me around three times in Ginza yesterday."

Amuro Toru pushed the latte-stuffed hot cocoa over. The swirl on the foam looked like an unfinished symbol. "Do you need help cleaning the tail?"

“No need,” Vermouth took a sip of the hot drink, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothing out in the heat. “I left a suspect alive for the FBI. They should be able to follow the clues to the warehouse where Rum hid the equipment.”

Conan paused his pen, and when he looked up, he met Vermouth's gaze. She was playing with the ends of her hair, and said nonchalantly, "Don't be so nervous, little detective. Your boss lady and I are on the same team."

Shushu crawled out of Kudo Yuki's pocket, and peeked out with his chubby little paws scratching the edge of the pocket.

Amuro Toru was behind the bar, pressing the button on the coffee machine. The hissing sound of steam mixed with his low reminder: "The records about 'blockers' in the organization's database have long been encrypted."

"But I know who has the decryption key." Vermouth gently spread the cream with a spoon. "In Rum's private server, there's a backup copy left by Miyano Elena. By the way, I heard you've been researching new baking recipes recently?"

Amuro Toru happened to come over with some cookies and said, "Xiaoxue wants to make hydrangea-shaped cookies, but she's tried several times and still isn't satisfied."

He placed the plate in front of Conan, a smile hidden in his eyes, "Conan just said it was too sweet."

Vermouth watched the natural interaction between the three people and suddenly felt a little warm in the corners of her eyes.

No matter how cold the moonlight in Miyano's old house is, Poirot's warm light can always warm something - such as her soft spot hidden behind the gun, and such as the people she is trying her best to protect.

The sound of police sirens echoed from the alley. Kudo Yuki glanced out the window and said, "Ida and the others have withdrawn."

Vermouth put down the cup, took out a tissue from her bag and wiped the corner of her mouth: "I should go."

When she stood up, she suddenly bent down closer to Conan and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Take good care of your sister."

The moment Conan nodded, she pushed the door open and walked into the night. The hem of her windbreaker swept across the wind chimes at the door, making them jingle.

Kudo Yuki looked at the unopened box of chocolates and suddenly remembered the strength with which Vermouth held her wrist in the cellar - at that time she thought it was a precaution, but now she understood that it was a protection that she was not even aware of.

"What are you thinking about?" Amuro Toru's hand gently rested on her shoulder.

"I was thinking," Fujiyuki turned around, the moonlight in his eyes turning into warmth, "I should get Poirot a brighter lamp tomorrow."

Shushu jumped down from the bar, picked up a cookie and started eating it, as if to say: "Let's take a break from the battle tonight, and save the sweetness for last."

Conan pinched the cookie, and the cookie crumbs fell on the notebook, just covering the parameters of the sound wave frequency in the "ES Dark Amber" plan.

When he looked up, he caught a glimpse of Toru Amuro filling new coffee beans into the coffee machine. The light sound of the metal spoons colliding concealed a tacit understanding that only they could understand - when Vermouth mentioned Elena Miyano's backup just now, it was clearly a secret signal.

Amuro Toru finished the latte art on his last cup of coffee, the milk foam glistening warmly under the light. He looked up at Kudo Yuki, his eyes questioning, "Should we tell Manager Kuroda about the backup?"

Kudo Yuki was wiping the bar with wet wipes when she heard this and paused, "Let's suppress it first. We have to be careful with the information Vermouth passes on. Besides, Rum's private server is not that easy to access."

Shushu came out from under the bar, holding a fallen cookie crumb in his mouth, and scratched it in Conan's direction with his little paw: "That kid's notebook is almost buried in the cookie crumbs."

Amuro Toru chuckled and handed a tissue to Conan: "If the notes get dirty, Huibara will start nagging again."

Conan quickly wiped away the crumbs, his cheeks slightly red. "Got it."

Kudo Yuki threw the wet wipes she had used to clean the bar into the trash can, then turned to look at the wall clock: "It's almost ten o'clock, Conan, time to call Ran."

Conan said "oh" and took out his phone when he suddenly remembered something: "Oh, Xiaolan said that Sister Shiliang is staying at the Maori Detective Agency tonight, and she just sent a message asking when we will be back."

He tapped his fingertips on the screen twice, then looked up at Kudo Yuki, "Why don't we ask them to come over and sit down? Poirot closes late tonight anyway."

Amuro Toru was putting cookies into a sealed jar when he heard this and said, "It's a good opportunity to let them try the freshly made sea salt caramel flavor. When they were trying it just now, Shushu even stole three."

Shushu seemed to understand what was being said. He came out from under the bar, and with half a cookie in his chubby paw, he dug it into Kudo Yuki's pocket. His furry body rubbed against her palm, making it itchy. "No way! It was clearly Amuro Toru who stole it and he's blaming me!"

Kudo Yuki was amused and tapped its little head with her fingertips, replying telepathically, "It's planning to try a new flavor."

She turned to her brother and said, "Then let them come over. I'll make another pot of Earl Grey tea."

Amuro Toru had already quickly boiled water, and the tea leaves in the glass teapot slowly expanded in the warm water. He looked at Morobushi Keimitsu, who was leaning against the window, looking at his phone, the light from the screen reflecting in his eyes: "Kagekawa, you tonight..."

"I've booked a hotel nearby." Morobushi Kagemitsu put away his phone and said calmly, "I'm going to Kansai tomorrow morning to meet with Date and the others to finish the job."

His eyes swept over the insulated box on the bar. "The semi-finished product of the blocking agent needs to be kept at a low temperature. I have an incubator in my car. I'll take it with me and send it to the lab later."

"Thank you for your help." Kudo Yuki poured the freshly brewed Earl Grey tea into the teacup, and the aroma of tea mixed with the sweetness of cookies spread.

Not long after, the shop door was pushed open and the wind chimes jingled.

Ran Mouri and Masumi Sera walked in, the former holding a paper bag in her hand.

"Sister Xue, Mr. Amuro, Conan!" She put the paper bag on the counter, "These are the cranberry cookies that my mother just baked. I asked me to bring some to you."

Sera Masumi walked straight to Conan and ruffled his hair: "Conan, what are you secretly researching again?"

Her eyes fell on the blue notebook and she raised an eyebrow, "This notebook looks familiar."

"It was Haibara who asked me to help organize the information." Conan quickly closed the notebook, his cheeks slightly red.

Kudo Yuki handed over a cup of black tea at the right time: "Majin, try this, it's freshly brewed."

Amuro Toru placed the freshly baked cookies on a plate and pushed it in front of Mao Lilan: "Ms. Xiaolan, try this sea salt caramel flavor. Xiaoxue said it goes well with black tea."

Mao Lilan smiled and thanked him, picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, her eyes curved into crescents: "It's delicious! Mr. Amuro's cooking skills are getting better and better."

Sera Masumi came over to taste a piece and winked at Kudo Yuki: "Sister Yuki is so lucky to have a boyfriend who is such a good cook."

Kudo Yuki shook her head helplessly, but the tips of her ears felt slightly hot.

Toru Amuro was making coffee behind the bar. He looked up when he heard this, with a gentle smile in his eyes.

Shushu poked his head out of Kudo Yuki's pocket and looked at Maoli Ran and Sera Masumi curiously.

Shira Masumi suddenly blinked: "Sister Xue, is there something moving in your pocket?"

"No, no." Kudo Yuki subconsciously covered her pockets, her heart skipping a beat. Amuro Toru came to the rescue in time: "It might be the cat under the bar. There are always some stray cats coming here to beg for food lately." He pointed under the bar, "I just saw a little gray creature running over there."

Sera Masumi uttered a half-believing "oh," her attention quickly drawn to the cookies. Conan breathed a sigh of relief and secretly gestured to Amuro Toru. Shu Shu grumbled in dissatisfaction in his pocket and gently patted Kudo Yuki's palm with his little paw.

A few people chatted for a while.

Mao Lilan stood up and said goodbye: "It's almost time to go back. Dad is still waiting at the office."

Sera Masumi also stood up, and before leaving, he suddenly looked at Morofushi Kagemitsu: "Mr. Yingchuan, right? I feel like I've seen you somewhere."

Zhu Fujingguang paused holding the teacup, a polite smile on his face: "Maybe it's because I have a common face."

Masumi Sera frowned and thought, then without asking any more questions, she followed Ran Mouri away.

The moment the store door closed, Kudo Yuki breathed a sigh of relief.

Amuro Toru came over and ruffled her hair: "It's okay. What Sera said just now..."

"Don't worry." Zhu Fujingguang put down his teacup and said calmly, "My identity is fine. She probably just thinks I look familiar."

He stood up and picked up the insulated box on the bar. "After finishing the cleanup, I will infiltrate the Karasuma Group headquarters and cooperate with the outside forces. I will contact you as soon as I have any news."

Kudo Yuki nodded: "Be careful on the road, I feel like things are getting more and more complicated lately."

Amuro Toru held her hand and said, "I'll find a way to get Rum's private server."

Conan flipped open his notebook and traced the words "ES Dark Amber" over them. "As long as we can get the backup, we'll have evidence that Karasuma Renya is developing a brainwashing device. By then, if we unite forces, we'll be able to catch them all in one fell swoop."

Rat crawled out of his pocket and jumped onto the bar, pointing his little paws out the window.

As the night deepens, the street lights at the entrance of the alley shine with exceptional warmth.

Kudo Yuki looked out the window and suddenly smiled: "Yeah, it's almost over."

Amuro Toru handed her the last cup of coffee, a small heart pattern on the foam. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "When this is over, we'll go tell them about the secret engagement."

Kudo Yuki's cheeks flushed instantly and she hummed softly.

Conan was lying on the counter, prodding the edge of his notebook with the end of a pencil. He could hear the two people's hushed conversation, but he couldn't quite make it out. He only caught a glimpse of the reddened tips of Kudo Yuki's ears and the unconcealed smile in Amuro Toru's eyes. He tilted his head and wondered, "What are they whispering about?"

He shook his head and quickly turned his attention back to the parameter formula in the notebook, and the tip of his pen scratched across the paper.

The lights above the bar were warm and bright, reflecting the hope and tacit understanding in the eyes of the three people.

Their battle continues, but as long as they are by each other's side, even the darkest night will eventually bring dawn.