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

Gin stared at the message from Vermouth on his phone, his knuckles tapping a cold rhythm on the steering wheel. He called his subordinate's encrypted number, his voice cold and emotionless: "Take three people to Rum's parts warehouse. Don't alert anyone. Find out where Vodka is being held. Remember, only look, don't touch."

After hanging up the phone, he raised his hand and adjusted the transmission frequency of the backup camera to match the Karasuma eavesdropping device: "Since we are going to perform, we must let that adult "see" clearly."

After Kudo Yuki was sent away by Karasuma Renya, the female secretary received a gesture from Karasuma Renya from the top floor - tapping his fingertips downwards three times, which was the signal for "transfer".

She turned and walked towards the hidden passage. Vodka was leaning against the wall, with cold sweat still on his forehead.

The effect of the drug wore off, and the restraints on his limbs had long been untied. His chaotic consciousness gradually became clear, and his Adam's apple rolled as he uttered a hoarse voice: "What... do you want to do? If Brother Gin knew that you were holding me hostage..."

"Whether Gin knows or not depends on how much that gentleman wants him to know." The female secretary paused and pulled out a syringe filled with clear liquid from the pocket of her white coat. "You were 'invited' here by that gentleman, not 'detained'."

Vodka sat up suddenly, his eyes showing a hint of vigilance. "Please? Please with anesthetic? I remember... someone fed me something before I passed out, so I didn't fall into a deep sleep. Was it you?"

He vaguely remembered the blurry touch of someone using their fingertips to apply bitter powder between his lips, which prevented him from being completely consumed by the drug.

The female secretary didn't answer directly, but took a step closer, pressing the tip of her cold needle against his neck: "Just remember, the suffering you are about to endure is all for the sake of becoming stronger. That gentleman said that Gin's people can't find out here, so don't even think about passing on the news."

"Become stronger?" Vodka frowned and was about to ask, but the anesthetic had already been pushed into his blood vessels and a feeling of dizziness swept over him instantly.

His vision gradually blurred, and finally he could only hear the female secretary whispering in his ear: "Sleep peacefully, when you wake up, you will understand the intention of that adult."

The black car drove smoothly into the underground garage of the Karasuma Group's headquarters. Vodka was carried into the elevator by two black-clad bodyguards and finally taken to a closed room deep in the basement.

At this moment, in the monitoring room on the top floor, Karasuma Renya curled his lips into a cold smile and pressed the communicator, "Transfer Vodka to the B-area laboratory and let him 'get used to' the side effects of the enhancement potion first. Since Gin wants to 'act', he must watch the whole scene."

At the same time, Gin sat in the black Porsche, staring at the reconnected eavesdropping signal, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

He had confirmed the location of the eavesdropping device and guessed what Karasuma Renya was thinking: the so-called "becoming stronger" was nothing more than making Vodka suffer some pain and taking the opportunity to punish this "disobedient" subordinate.

He dialed the encrypted number, his voice even colder than before: "Don't go to Rum's parts warehouse, go to Area B in the basement of headquarters. Remember, just take a look to confirm that the person is still alive, don't touch anything - that adult likes to see us follow his script."

A faint hum of the elevator came from the eavesdropping device, and then it fell into dead silence.

Karasuma Renya obviously cut off the signal from the Area B laboratory, leaving only the suspenseful drama of "wanting to see but not being able to see it all".

"Oh, old fox." He sneered, and the coldness in his eyes became even stronger.

Although Gin expected that Karasuma Renya would use vodka's "pain" as a bargaining chip, when the signal was really interrupted, suppressed anger still surged in his chest.

In the Karasuma Group's branch building, Kudo Yuki tightened her grip on the original records in the monitoring room and quickened her pace towards the top floor.

Shushu slid down her sleeve and onto her shoulder, his nose twitching rapidly, his furry tail brushing against her earlobe. "Xiaoxue, the smell of vodka faded by the time we got to the elevator, but we can definitely tell it was heading to the basement. Besides... I turned off the surveillance footage just now, so old man Karasuma Renya can't find any trace of you accessing the records."

Kudo Yuki didn't stop walking, her mind already rapidly sorting out the information: "There's a three-minute signal gap in the original recording, which corresponds exactly to the time when the vodka was transferred. And Karasuma Renya deliberately avoided the basement surveillance route, obviously to get me out of the way."

She telepathically ordered, "Rat, immediately confirm Vodka's vital signs. If he's not in immediate danger, relay his current condition to Gin. There's no need to hide it. Since Karasuma Renya dares to act, Gin should know what his people are suffering."

Shushu raised his chubby paw to open the system interface, and with his other paw, he gently patted Kudo Yuki's shoulder. "Vodka's vital signs are stable for now, but his heart rate is a little fast. I think it's the side effects of the drug that are tormenting him. I've already synced the images of the needle hole on his wrist and the blue drug tube in the lab to Gin."

Gin's fingertips hovered over the screen of his mobile phone. The moment he clicked on the video, the pale light in the basement made his eyes feel heavy.

Vodka was fixed to the metal laboratory table. The needle hole on his wrist was glaringly red and swollen. The blue medicine was seeping into his veins drop by drop through the catheter.

His chest was heaving violently, his black windbreaker was wrinkled by cold sweat, and the muffled groans from his throat were painful even through the screen. It was obvious that he was being repeatedly tortured by the side effects of the strengthening potion.

At the end of the video, the camera swept across the silver instrument next to the laboratory table, and the words "ES Amber Debugging Preparation" flashed on the instrument screen, and then the picture stopped abruptly.

Gin stroked the edge of the screen with his fingertips, and the cold light in his eyes suddenly darkened.

Karasuma Renya put vodka and the "ES Dark Amber" device together, clearly using brainwashing as a threat to force him to lose his composure.

The green light on the car's console suddenly lit up. Gin curled his lips into a sneer, pressed the button with his fingertips, and the reverse tracking program started quietly.

"The old fox is patient and wants to continue watching the show."

He knew very well that Karasuma Renya deliberately restored the signal so that he could "hear" Vodka's movements, but the "ES Dark Amber" device in the video was the real killer move.

Just as he was about to call his subordinates to adjust the plan, a message from "Fine Wine" popped up on his phone. It only had one line of text:

Vodka has been transferred to Area C. The old man has assigned three groups of bodyguards to guard outside the 'ES Dark Amber' cabin. If they touch it, the brainwashing process will be triggered.

Gin paused, then pressed the call button: "People who retreat to Area B, don't touch Area C."

He did not explain the reason, and his subordinates did not dare to ask more questions, but only responded in a deep voice.

After hanging up the phone, he stared at the reconnected eavesdropping signal, a trace of calculation flashed in his eyes - since Karasuma Renya wanted to use "ES Dark Amber" to put pressure on him, he might as well hold back and wait to see what the other party would do next.

As long as Gin finds an opportunity, he will make Karasuma Renya and the "ES Dark Amber" plan hidden in the dark pay the price in blood.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the Karasuma Group, a female secretary stood by with her hands drooping, reporting in a low voice, "The ES Amber equipment in Area C has been debugged. As soon as Gin's men approach, the preparation program will be activated immediately."

"He won't come." A sinister smile appeared on Karasuma Renya's lips. "Gin is the best at weighing the pros and cons. 'ES Dark Amber' is his weak spot. He will just wait and see my next move."

The surveillance screen suddenly fluctuated slightly before returning to normal.

The female secretary frowned and said, "It seems there is external signal interference. Do you want to check it out?"

"No need." Karasuma Renya waved his hand, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "It's probably Gin's reverse tracking. Let him investigate. By the time he finds Area C, Vodka's 'adaptation period' should be over. By then, he'll either obey or watch his people become puppets of ES Amber. There will be a lot of fun to watch."

Kudo Yuki walked to the door of the top floor and knocked three times. From inside came Karasuma Renya's slightly hoarse voice: "Come in."

The room was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood.

Karasuma Renya stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window with his back to her, the light from the surveillance screen reflected on his silver hair.

Kudo Yuki placed the records on a corner of the desk and said calmly, "Old man, I brought the original records from the monitoring room, but there was a malfunction in the recording for a while, and the display is blank."

Karasuma Renya didn't turn around, his eyes still fixed on the image of Area C on the monitor. His fingertips tapped lightly on the armrest. "Fault? When?"

"It's the exact time you told me to pick up the documents." Kudo Yuki lowered her eyes, her fingertips gently stroking the magician's divination cards in her pocket. "The technical department said it might be an old circuit. I've already asked them to check it out."

She deliberately brought up the time of "retrieving the file" to make Karasuma Renya think that the blank surveillance footage was an accident, rather than a sign that she had deliberately checked the records.

Karasuma Renya finally turned around, his cloudy eyes scrutinizing him. "You're quite attentive. But don't worry, the wiring in the basement is old, so it's normal for it to have occasional problems."

His gaze lingered on Kudo Yuki's face for a moment. Seeing her calm expression, he slowly retracted his gaze and looked back at the surveillance screen. "Since it's a line problem, there's no need to make a fuss. You can go back first. I'll contact you if there's any further information."

Kudo Yuki just walked out of the top floor.

Shushu's furry body rubbed against her chin. "Xiaoxue, that old man was just staring at the surveillance screen. His finger paused on the ES Dark Amber start button three times, as if he was waiting for Gin to move."

Without stopping, Kudo Yuki replied telepathically, "He's betting on Gin's impulsiveness. Sync Vodka's status with Gin again, and mark the shift change times for the bodyguards in Area C. Since Gin has reconnected the bug, he must be waiting for a chance to break the deadlock."

Amuro Toru's voice suddenly came through the microphone, with a hint of subdued vigilance: "Xiaoxue, Gin's Porsche is parked in a secluded area three kilometers outside the headquarters. He just started the reverse tracking procedure."

A hint of understanding flashed in Kudo Yuki's eyes.

Gin deliberately cut off the signal to disrupt Karasuma Renya's judgment, and then reconnected to figure out the layout of Area C. This not only did not expose his own position, but he was also able to keep an eye on Vodka's movements, which was completely in line with his style of "calculating three steps and taking one step".

Kudo Yuki turned into the stairwell and leaned against the wall and replied, "Can you see the ventilation duct route in Area C? If you can find the blind spot, maybe you can help Gin bypass the bodyguards."

Shushu's chubby little paws slid quickly across the system interface, and the green vital signs curve fluctuated slightly with Vodka's breathing.

It leaned close to Kudo Yuki's ear and hummed softly, "Xiaoxue, Vodka's heart rate has increased again, but it's still within the safe range. The bodyguards in Area C have their shift changes marked, with a new group every forty minutes. There's a two-minute surveillance blind spot between shifts, which is just enough time to attach the locator."

Just as Kudo Yuki had mentally agreed, Amuro Toru's voice came through the transmitter again, a hint of coldness in it: "Gin's reverse tracking has yielded results. He's found three encrypted doors in Area C, two of which connect to the ES Dark Amber's energy chamber. If they force their way through, the entire basement will lose power. Karasuma Renya is deliberately leaving this as a backup plan, fearing Gin's drastic measures."

"He won't resort to force." Kudo Yuki paused at the emergency exit of the branch building. "Gin values ​​his life the most, and he wouldn't gamble with Vodka's. He's just waiting for Karasuma Renya to give in first. After all, the ES Amber isn't finished debugging yet, and Karasuma Renya fears an accident more than anyone else."

Just as he finished speaking, Shushu suddenly exclaimed, "Gin replied! Just three words: 'Got it'."

A smile flashed in Kudo Yuki's eyes.

Gin's reaction was within her expectations. He would never reveal his intentions easily. Even if he received key information, he would only respond in the briefest way. He neither owed "Fine Wine" a favor nor could he stick to his bottom line.

The white Mazda RX7 was parked in the shadows on the street corner, hidden in a blind spot where streetlights could not reach.

As Kudo Yuki approached, the passenger door opened silently, and Amuro Toru reached out, supported her arm, and pulled her into the car.

"Just came down from the top floor. There were two bodyguards in black following you, but I've already lured them away." Amuro Toru handed over a bottle of warm milk, his fingertips still feeling the coolness of the steering wheel. "Is Karasuma Renya not suspicious?"

Kudo Yuki took the milk, and when her fingertips touched the warmth of the bottle, her tense nerves relaxed a little.

Shushu slipped out from her sleeve and jumped directly onto Amuro Toru's legs, patting his knee with his chubby paw. "That old man stared at the surveillance screen for a long time, his mind completely focused on waiting for Gin to take the bait. He didn't suspect Xiaoxue at all! But he touched the start button of 'ES Amber' three times. I guess his patience is almost exhausted."

Amuro Toru rubbed Shushu's little head, then turned his gaze to Kudo Yuki, his tone somewhat serious: "Gin's reverse tracking has already covered the periphery of Area C, but he hasn't moved. He's waiting for Karasuma Renya to show his trump card first."

Kudo Yuki unscrewed the cap of the milk bottle and said calmly, "Replying to Poirot. Gin, Rum, and Karasuma Ren'ya each have their own plans—one is calculating the other's weaknesses, one is pursuing personal gain, and the other is betting on the other's impulsiveness. Let them waste time while we keep an eye on them, as they're easily exposed. We can then go back and wait for news and watch them fight each other."

Shushu lay on Amuro Toru's legs, using his little paws to pick at the half-cut police ID card sticking out of his pocket, muttering softly, "That's right! That old man and Gin are both full of schemes, and we'll just get in the way if we get close to them. And Poirot has freshly baked strawberry pancakes today, so we can heat them up when we get home!"

To be continued...