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

The female secretary walked into the elevator wearing 5cm stiletto heels. The moment the mirror door closed, she curled her fingers hanging at her side slightly, and her fingertips quickly pressed three times on an inconspicuous metal protrusion under the control panel.

That is the emergency contact trigger point known only to the core members of the organization.

Amid the hum of the elevator descending, Vermouth's voice came through the airwaves, with her usual laziness: "The old man's reaction didn't disappoint me, did it?"

The secretary's eyes fell on the constantly jumping red numbers, and her voice was as steady as if she was reporting on daily work.

"The third Qianlong-era blue-and-white cup with a coiled branch pattern shattered on the study carpet, its fragments scattering onto the antique display case in the corner. He just had the security department retrieve the last 72 hours of surveillance footage from all areas, especially the entrances and exits to the third-floor laboratory and the underground garage. As per usual practice, they'll contact 'Fine Wine' in half an hour to confirm the next steps."

"Very good." Vermouth's chuckle was filled with subtle approval. "Tell Jiaying that it's time for her 'perfume' to appear. Remember, wipe away all unnecessary footprints, including fingerprints in the elevator - after all, we can't let this wonderful show end prematurely."

"clear."

The moment the elevator door slid open, the sharpness in the secretary's eyes quickly faded, replaced by a gentle and respectful look. She carried the folder and walked calmly towards the room at the end of the corridor with the sign "Internal Communications Center".

The sunlight filtered through the stained glass window at the end of the corridor, and the shadow on the ground resembled her position at the moment, which was wandering on the edge of black and white, blurry and dangerous.

At the secret weapon base, Kudo Yuki's phone, placed on the corner of the table, suddenly vibrated twice. The screen lit up, and an encrypted message with a dynamic password popped up:

The prey has been caught, please bring the fine wine and keep the appointment.

She raised her hand to swipe the screen, looked up at Amuro Toru who was not far away, and turned the phone towards him: "Vermouth is urging us, it seems that Karasuma Renya has taken the bait."

Amuro Toru, who was helping Conan sort through scattered documents, paused at the words. The "ES Dark Amber" perfume formula diagram he held between his fingers had the molecular structure of a new fluorescent agent clearly marked.

He tapped his fingertips lightly along the edge of the blueprint. "Is the composition of the 'perfume' confirmed to be correct? If anything is amiss, immediately send three short and two long signals."

Kudo Yuki nodded, took out a message device disguised as a brooch from the drawer and pinned it on her lapel.

"You stay here and monitor the results of the technical department's decryption of the Karasuma Group's capital chain. By the way... keep an eye on a certain kid who always likes to secretly follow us to the scene."

Conan immediately puffed up his cheeks in dissatisfaction: "I don't need anyone to look at me!"

Kudo Yuki smiled and ruffled his soft hair, then turned and walked towards the cloakroom against the wall.

Opening the closet door, the tailor-made black velvet long dress was hanging on the hanger, with a dark gold twined flower pattern embroidered on the neckline.

She put on the half-covered butterfly mask, and the broken diamonds inlaid on the edge of the butterfly wings swayed under the light. The self in the mirror suddenly had a cold look in her eyes, and a perfect alienation at the corner of her mouth - that was the unique aura of "fine wine", which was both tempting and dangerous.

Amuro Toru had leaned against the door frame of the cloakroom without him noticing. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, his palm resting against her back. He lowered his voice very low, "There's a blind spot for surveillance in Karasuma Renya's study. It's behind the floor lamp. If all else fails, retreat there."

Kudo Yuki raised her head and pecked him on the chin, her tone a bit sly: "Don't worry, I'm your 'boss', and I'm waiting to come back to inspect your newly developed sandwich recipe."

Amuro Toru chuckled softly, his fingertips gently caressing the back of her neck. "When you come back, there will be tuna, ham and eggs, and avocado, as much as you can eat."

As soon as he finished speaking, a small ball of fur suddenly jumped out from under the table and quickly climbed up Kudo Yuki's trouser leg and onto her shoulder.

The fat little guy grabbed her collar with his paws, his eyes wide open, and he kept shouting, "I want it too! I want it with double the tuna!"

Kudo Yuki patted its little head helplessly and replied telepathically, "I'll buy you the biggest portion when I come back."

When she turned to leave, Okiya Subaru and Morobushi Kagemitsu were standing in the living room, talking in low voices. When they saw her come out, they both stopped talking.

Subaru Okiya pushed up his glasses, revealing the eyes that usually belonged to Akai Shuichi, which were hidden by lenses. "Do you need me to arrange for someone to meet you outside the headquarters?"

“No need,” Kudo Yuki shook her head, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of the mask, “Vermouth will pave the way for me by saying ‘sending a sample of the newly formulated perfume’.

Our main mission this time is to observe the interior structure of the Karasuma Group headquarters, from the first-floor banquet hall to the top-floor study—especially the locations of the load-bearing walls. When Yingchuan sneaks in next week, he needs to know where he can install a micro-explosive device without causing the building to collapse.

Zhu Fujingguang nodded and put a small locator into her palm: "This is an improved one. It can block their signal detection. Waiting for your news."

Kudo Yuki's eyes swept over the four people in the living room.

Toru Amuro was pointing to a certain location on the drawing to Conan, saying something; Subaru Okiya picked up the document again, and his fingertips paused for half a second on the name "Karasuma Renya"; Keimitsu Morobushi was debugging the communicator, and complex codes were jumping on the screen.

She took a deep breath, opened the door and walked out.

The sunlight outside the door was a little dazzling, and the July wind blew in with a hot breath.

Kudo Yuki raised her hand to block the light. Shushu's nervous muttering could be heard behind her ear: "Xiaoxue, will that cunning Karasuma Renya figure out our plan? He's the kind of guy who would even kill his own niece..."

"No," Kudo Yuki's voice was calm, his steps unwavering. "Because he would never have guessed that absolute loyalty doesn't exist. The vast majority of people in the organization have long since become key pieces on someone else's chessboard—including his most trusted confidant."

The sunlight passed through her hair, casting a long shadow on the ground, like a road leading to the unknown.

At the same time, in the study of the Karasuma Group branch, Karasuma Renya was staring at the surveillance screen with a terribly gloomy expression.

The screen repeatedly played the scene before he fainted - the female secretary's hand handing him the medicine, the back of Jiajiu turning and leaving, everything seemed flawless.

But the broken blue and white cup with twined branches was like a thorn, piercing his heart. In his long life, the thing he disliked most was "coincidence."

"Go and find out who else has been to the seventh underground floor after the fine wine left." Uramaru Renye's fingertips tapped heavily on the cracks in the blue and white porcelain twined branch pattern on the table.

"There's no need to alert Gin. He can't enter that floor for now, so he'll remain a suspect. But don't let him realize I'm investigating him. That kid's rebellious nature is even deeper than Rum's."

"Yes." The bodyguard lowered his head and responded, his eyes sweeping across the scene that was replaying repeatedly on the screen, and finally stopped at the corner of the female secretary's clothes that brushed past the antique display cabinet when she turned around.

As he left the study, the bodyguard tapped out a string of code on the communicator—an encrypted message for Gin, a codeword only the two of them could understand, exploding across the airwaves: "The boss wants to check the seventh underground floor. Vodka has been transferred."

In the laboratory on the third floor underground, Vodka was fixed to a metal table, the leather belt on his wrists leaving red marks. His Adam's apple rolled, and he stared at the ceiling with a vacant look in his eyes: "Gin...Brother Gin..."

The researcher behind the operating table injected the liquid from the syringe into the IV tube. "ES Amber's third human trial, the subject's vital signs are stable."

Meanwhile, Gin leaned against the steering wheel of his Porsche, his cold profile reflected in the rearview mirror. After a moment's thought, he pulled out his specially encrypted phone from his inner pocket.

My fingertips typed a line of words on the virtual keyboard:

An hour later, the building will be abandoned. Don't be late, otherwise you will suffer the consequences.

The moment he pressed the send button, he casually threw the phone onto the passenger seat.

The engine roared to life, and the black Porsche rushed out of the parking lot, leaving a brief buzz on the empty afternoon streets before quickly merging into the traffic and disappearing.

At the secret weapon base, the air conditioner is blowing cool air.

Toru Amuro leaned over the table and studied the clues in Elena Miyano's notebook with Conan - on the yellowed pages, a small sun pattern was drawn next to a chemical formula, like a secret code.

"There's something wrong with the molar ratio markings here," Conan tapped the paper with the tip of his pencil. "Could it be that Auntie is hiding some other information this way?"

Amuro Toru's fingertips traced the edge of the pattern, and just as he was about to speak, his phone suddenly vibrated twice in his pocket. He pulled it out to look at the coded message on the screen, which made his eyes narrow slightly. His fingertips paused on the screen, and he finally replied with a single word:

know.

Putting the phone back into his pocket, he looked up at the distance.

Morofushi Kagemitsu was exchanging operational information with Okiya Subaru, and the title "Nagano Trading Co., Ltd. Seizure Report" on the folder was particularly eye-catching.

Subaru Okiya's gaze inadvertently swept across Amuro Toru's tense jawline, and he nodded slightly.

"I'm going to be out for a bit." Amuro Toru ruffled Conan's hair, his tone calm as usual, "You guys wait for the decryption results from Manager Kuroda first."

Conan nodded and watched him grab his windbreaker and walk towards the door. The moment the door closed, he heard Morobushi Kagemitsu whispered to Okiya Subaru: "Is Gin looking for him at this time because of Rum?"

The afternoon light shines through the corridor window, and looks like a question mark that is about to be elongated on Amuro Toru's back.

after an hour.

Gin leaned against the wall of the box, the cigarette between his fingers was half burned, and the ashes were blown to the ground by the wind.

"Do you know anything about the woman Rum had Cohen keep an eye on?" He raised his eyes, the shadow of his hat just covering the cold light in his eyes. "Don't tell me you don't know anything, Bourbon—your network of information in the organization is much more extensive than it appears."

Toru Amuro was wearing a black windbreaker and standing three meters away with his hands in his pockets. His leather shoes made a light sound as they rolled over the gravel on the ground.

"Since when has Gin needed to ask others for information?" Amuro Toru said calmly, but he could accurately detect the tense jawline of the other party. "Or are you worried that Rum is planning something to bypass that adult again?"

Gin sneered and pressed the butt of his cigarette against the rust of the container. Sparks flew and then quickly went out. "He was quite capable when he was doing something behind that master's back a while ago, but now he's doing something so shameful—what do you think he's up to?"

He paused, his eyes sharp as a knife, "Who is Cohen's target?"

Amuro Toru was silent for a moment, his eyes sweeping across the pile of discarded wooden boxes in the distance. "The new teacher at Teitan Elementary School is named Wakasa."

Amuro Toru deliberately spoke vaguely, but his fingertips were gently stroking the pocket of his windbreaker - that was where Wakasa Rumi's information was hidden, but it would never be revealed unless necessary.

"Rum's people have been hanging around the school lately. As for the reason..." Amuro Toru paused, leaving enough room for probing, "Maybe it has something to do with something that happened seventeen years ago."

"Haneda Hiroshi?" Gin responded almost immediately, the name piercing the surface of calm. He took a half step forward, his shadow casting a shadow over the tip of Amuro Toru's shoe. "Rum wants to wipe out the roots?"

"Who knows?" Amuro Toru shrugged, his tone deliberately nonchalant. "After all, there are too many things hidden in the past that cannot be seen in the light. But then again,"

Amuro Toru's eyes fell on Gin's empty side, "Your good partner Vodka doesn't seem to show up much recently?"

Gin's face instantly darkened, and the air pressure around him dropped frighteningly low: "It's none of your business."

He turned and walked towards the black Porsche parked in the dark, his hand already on the door handle. "Tell Rum to behave himself. Otherwise, it won't just be Binga who gets punished by that lord next time."

Toru Amuro turned and walked towards the stairwell, his steps brisk as if he was just ending an ordinary meeting.

"Rum, are you blaming me for Binga's incident?" Gin's voice suddenly came from behind, as cold and hard as the friction of metal.

The steps paused.

The lines of Amuro Toru's face looked particularly cold and hard in the shadow of the container. "What else? Should we blame that gentleman?"

Gin watched Toru Amuro disappear around the corner of the stairs, and suddenly took out the bug detector hidden in his collar - that was what he found in the battery compartment when he checked the communicator this morning.

The screen scanned the walkie-talkie he was carrying, and the green light suddenly jumped to a glaring red, lasting for three seconds before slowly going out.

"Old man, you're even wary of your own dog." Gin twitched his lips, revealing a mocking smile. He stuffed the detector back into his pocket and ran his fingertips over the outer casing of the intercom, which still retained the warmth of the moment Karasuma Renya had handed it to him.

I opened the car door and sat in the driver's seat, the roar of the engine breaking the silence of the afternoon.

The Porsche rushed out of the freight yard.

In the rearview mirror, the shadow of the container was stretched longer and longer by the sunlight, like the silently extending eyeliner of the person in power sitting behind the scenes.

Meanwhile, in the banquet hall, Kudo Yuki was following Karasuma Renya through the crowd of elegantly dressed women. She clutched a small perfume bottle between her fingers, her long black velvet dress sweeping across the floor, its dark gold floral pattern faintly visible under the crystal chandelier.

"Is that the test subject of 'ES Dark Amber'?" Her eyes swept across the laboratory window at the end of the corridor, and her tone was as calm as if she was discussing the weather.

To be continued...