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

Kudo Yuki was amused by Shushu's words and poked his furry belly with her fingertips. "All he knows is eating. But he's also right. We can take advantage of the confrontation between Gin and Karasuma Renya to mark out the backup route of the ES Amber. The more fiercely they fight, the more chance we have of discovering the device's weaknesses."

Amuro Toru turned his head to look at her. The streetlight cast a soft shadow on her face, a stark contrast to the calmness he had shown when dealing with Karasuma Renya on the rooftop. He reached out and took Kudo Yuki's hand, which was resting on her knee. He felt the warmth of her fingertips.

"Don't worry. I've already confirmed with Manager Kuroda that Date Kou and his team have just concluded all matters related to Nagano Trading Co., Ltd. and are now heading to the Metropolitan Police Department. Once we get back to Poirot, we'll synchronize information with Conan. He might be able to find a flaw in the debugging records of ES Amber."

The car stopped at the back door of Poirot Café.

Toru Amuro got out of the car first and looked around. After confirming that there were no suspicious people, he opened the car door and protected Kudo Yuki in.

The moment he pushed open the door, Zhu Fu Jingguang was sitting in front of the console, his fingertips sliding quickly through the codes recorded by the "ES Dark Amber" debugging.

Subaru Okiya leaned against the table, a printed record clutched in his hand, his brow furrowed slightly. "There are three abnormal parameters in the debugging log. Every time the ES Dark Amber enters standby mode, the current in the energy module drops by 15%. This doesn't seem like a device malfunction, but more like a deliberate security vulnerability."

Conan squatted in front of the screen, his glasses reflecting blue light, and quickly marked on the paper with a ballpoint pen in his hand: "And look here - 'When the target's emotional fluctuations exceed the threshold, the brainwashing program needs to be manually reset'.

Karasuma Renye hasn't even completed the fully automatic debugging process. Vodka's current 'adaptation period' is actually helping him test his emotional threshold!"

"Sister! Brother Zero!" Conan looked up and saw the two people coming in, and immediately ran over with the paper in his hand.

"We've discovered the fatal weakness of ES Dark Amber! As long as we can make Vodka's emotions fluctuate beyond the threshold when the brainwashing process is activated, the device will be forced to pause, and then we can seize the opportunity to rescue him!"

Zhu Fushigi paused his work. "The supplementary information sent by Manager Kuroda mentioned that the ES Amber's emotion monitoring module is most sensitive to the 'voice of a trusted person.' If we can get Gin and Vodka to talk, perhaps we can directly trigger the threshold protection."

Kudo Yuki took the paper from Conan's hand, scanned the marked abnormal parameters, and paused at the words "emotional fluctuation threshold".

"Let Gin talk to Vodka... This move is quite risky, but it is indeed the most direct method. Gin is currently skeptical of my information. If I ask him to contact Vodka directly, he may not cooperate."

Amuro Toru walked over to the control console, tapped the code area of ​​​​the "Emotion Monitoring Module" on the screen with his fingertips, and said calmly: "Gin's concern is being 'manipulated'. If we send him the vulnerability of 'ES Dark Amber' and the evidence of the connection between Vodka's emotional thresholds,

Add to that the blind spot times for the guards in Area C during their shift changes, and he'll conclude this isn't a trap. After all, saving Vodka while also figuring out ES Dark Amber's weaknesses is in his best interest.

Subaru Okiya tapped his fingertips on the record. "There's another key—Elena Miyano participated in the early development of ES Amber. The notes she left behind mentioned an 'emotional threshold security code,' which is the combination of Akemi and Shiho's birthdays. If the program freezes after being paused, this code will completely shut down the device."

Conan's eyes lit up and he immediately took out his phone: "I'll contact Huiyuan now! She must remember her sister's birthday. As long as the password is correct, we can completely destroy 'ES Anbo'!"

Looking at the people in front of him who were busy but orderly, Kudo Yuki thought of a sentence: "The real way to break the deadlock is never to force your way in, but to use the power of everyone to turn the opponent's trap into your own retreat."

Now, Gin's dormancy, Karasuma Renya's gambling, Rum's power-seeking, and the debugging loopholes in their hands just happen to be the key to breaking the deadlock.

After much deliberation, Kudo Yuki spoke up, "Hiro, Karasuma Ren'ya has agreed to your appointment as a research assistant at Karasuma Group headquarters. He'll send someone to notify you to report to work one day. You must submit a video of Vodka in the basement every week. Can you do that?"

Subaru Okiya paused, his fingers gripping the debugging log. His gaze flicked to Kudo Yuki behind his glasses. "Would Karasuma Renya agree so easily? He's always been very strict in selecting his research team. He must have been prepared for such a sudden acceptance of a 'newcomer.'"

Kudo Yuki rubbed the edge of the paper Conan handed her with her fingertips.

Shushu poked his head out of her pocket, tugging at her sleeve with his chubby paws. "Will that old man Karasuma Renya check his background? What if Morobushi Kagemitsu's identity is exposed..."

Toru Amuro reached out and rubbed Shushu's little head, and the warmth of his palm calmed the little guy down.

"I've already contacted Manager Kuroda and created three disguises for 'Kagekawa Luo': an orphan, a graduate of an unpopular local technical college, and a former equipment repairman in a small workshop. His resume is spotless. The Karasuma Group is currently in a hurry to recruit additional R&D personnel for 'ES Dark Amber', so they won't spend too much time investigating further."

Zhu Fujingguang stopped typing, his fingertips hovering above the Enter key. "Uploading the video once a week is no problem, but the security level in the basement must be very high. In addition to the collar buckle Xiaoxue gave me to conceal my tracks and the video, a covert transmission channel is also needed."

"I'll take care of this," Conan suddenly said, shaking his phone. "Habara just replied. She can disguise the micro transmission module as an ordinary USB pendant. It's small and can block signal detection. Just ask Akemi to bring Poirot with her tomorrow."

He paused for a moment and said, "And Xiaolan said she's going to the mall to buy something this weekend. She can help us pass the pendant to Brother Jingguang without attracting attention."

Kudo Yuki tapped the table with her fingertips, scanning the group. "Akira is under the watchful eye of Manager Kuroda, so handing over the pendant is a safe bet. But Hiro, after joining, needs to be extra careful about uploading videos each week. Karasuma Renya will only increase, not decrease, the security of ES Dark Amber. Don't let him notice you're constantly checking in on the basement."

After listening to Kudo Yuki's instructions, Subaru Okiya's fingertips slowly smoothed the wrinkles on the debugging record, his eyes behind the glasses calmed down: "I will go to the basement under the pretext of 'checking the equipment lines'. The weekly video will be compressed into fragmented signals. When 'Kagekawa Raku' passes by the corner convenience store after get off work, I will use the USB pendant that Conan mentioned to synchronize the data. No trace will be left."

He thought of Miyano Elena—Akimi and Shiho's mother, and his own mother's sister—and his tone softened unconsciously. "I'll remember the birthday password Ms. Elena left. If the program gets locked, I can help you shut down the device in time."

Shushu crawled out of Kudo Yuki's pocket and suggested, "Xiaoxue, can I go with Zhufu Jingguang? I'm small and can hide in his pocket to help you keep an eye on old man Karasuma!"

Amuro Toru rubbed Shushu's little head, feeling the furry touch on his palm. He whispered, "No, the Karasuma Group headquarters is full of cold instruments and reagents. The smell of the laboratory is too strong for you to bear. Staying in Poirot, you can help us keep an eye on the suspicious people at the door. Isn't that more important?"

Shushu rubbed his fingers with his ears drooping, which showed that he agreed to this arrangement.

Kudo Yuki looked at Shushu's listless appearance, gently scratched its chin with her fingertips, and replied telepathically: "It is indeed more important to stay in Poirot. You are our 'front-door sentry'. If there is a suspicious person at the door, only you will be the first to notice something is wrong."

The mouse's little ears stood up instantly, as if confirming its own importance.

The man who had taken the APTX4869 medicine box from Rum was now hiding in the shadow of the side door of the Metropolitan Police Department, his fingertips repeatedly stroking the incomplete number on the medicine box.

He watched Ida Ko and his companions drive into the Metropolitan Police Department gate. The red light of the police lights flashed before his eyes, and his hand holding the medicine box tightened unconsciously - he recognized Ida Ko. He had helped him pick up a dropped manual near the restaurant before.

But now, he could only suppress the remaining thoughts of his old friend.

Following Rum's instructions, he went around to the utility room behind the Metropolitan Police Department, took out a miniature bomb from his backpack, and carefully injected the lavender liquid into the fuse.

The moment the liquid touched the metal, a slight "hissing" sound was heard, which was very similar to the sound of pharmaceutical reactions he had heard in the winery laboratory.

"Hurry up and don't leave any traces." Rum's cold voice suddenly came from the headset.

The man's hand shook and the liquid almost spilled out.

He quickly steadied his movements, hid the bomb with the fuse in an old fire hydrant in the utility room, and camouflaged the surface with dust before turning around and leaving quickly.

The man suddenly stopped in the dim alley.

He looked down at his dusty palms, and his memory uncontrollably went back to three years ago - at that time, he had just joined the winery organization and lost his forged identity document in a rainstorm. It was Ida Hang who kindly helped him pick it up during patrol, and smiled and reminded him, "Young man, don't always keep your head down and hurry on your way."

The lines on his palms were now embedded with rust from rubbing against the fire hydrant, and the touch of the edge of the certificate wet by the rain overlapped with it, causing a sour taste in his throat.

"Heh..." The man laughed at himself and rubbed his hands hard on his trouser legs.

Rum's headset was still urging him: "Don't dawdle."

But the man stared at the Metropolitan Police Department's searchlight at the alley entrance, and suddenly thought: "If I hadn't accepted the olive branch extended by the winery, would I be eating overtime soba noodles with Date Ko and the others at the Metropolitan Police Department right now?"

As soon as this thought came to mind, the headset exploded with electrical noise, and Rum's scolding pierced his eardrums like an ice spike: "Hashimoto Shin! Do you still think you are the marginalized person in the police academy three years ago? Now - either complete the mission, or die with the Metropolitan Police Department!"

The man's body stiffened, his knuckles clenched white. He could hear the "tapping" sound of Rum's knuckles hitting the armrest in the headset, like a death warrant.

"Don't dawdle. Your 'old friend' Ida Kou is heading to the utility room." Rum suddenly changed his tone, with a malicious smile, "If he discovers the surprise in the fire hydrant... do you think he'll regret helping you in the rain?"

The man felt a bitter taste in his throat. He pulled up the spare mask in his pocket and blended into the crowd of people leaving get off work.

The figure was quickly swallowed by the night. Rum's ultimatum continued to replay in the headset: "Leave the 500-meter radius of the Metropolitan Police Department within three minutes, otherwise—the oxygen mask at your mother's nursing home will go off before the bomb."

The man was mixed in the crowd, and every step he took felt like he was walking on the edge of a knife.

Rum's threat was still buzzing in the earphones. He reached for the photo of his mother in his pocket, the yellowed edges wrinkled by his fingertips.

Three years ago, the people from the winery held up this photo and blocked his way home on a rainy night, forcing him to choose between "getting his forged identity exposed and going to jail" and "working for the winery to keep his mother safe."

Now fate has taken a turn, and his mother is still the one controlling him.

After turning the third corner, he finally dared to stop and leaned against the cold wall to catch his breath.

The streetlight at the end of the alley flickered, stretching his shadow out like a snake that couldn't be shaken off.

He pulled off the headset, threw it to the ground, and crushed it to pieces with the sole of his shoe, but Rum's words kept exploding in his mind - his mother, Ida Hang, the unexploded bomb, each of them became a rope hanging around his neck.

Suddenly, the phone in my pocket vibrated and a text message came from an anonymous number:

Go to the telephone booth in the southwest corner of Yoyogi Park, someone is waiting for you.

The man's pupils constricted. He was all too familiar with the encryption method used by Ida Hang to transmit secret messages. His heart pounding, he hesitated for a moment, then sprinted towards the park.

The telephone booth in Yoyogi Park was dimly lit in the middle of the night. As soon as he opened the door, a familiar smell of tobacco hit him in the face.

There was a person sitting in the shadows, his silhouette remarkably like Date Kou, but when he spoke, it was in the nonchalant tone of Matsuda Jinpei: "Hashimoto Shin, or rather... the pseudonym you use at the winery."

The man took a half step back and quickly reached for the dagger at his waist, but was hit on the knee by the document bag thrown by Matsuda Jinpei.

Falling out of the file bag was a new photo of his mother in the nursing home. The nurse was smiling as she cut the old woman's nails, and the Phalaenopsis orchid he had secretly sent was placed on the windowsill.

"Manager Kuroda said you still have a chance to turn back." Matsuda Jinpei flicked the ash from his cigarette. "We can stop Rum from giving you the 'mission failure penalty'. But you have to hand over the list of insiders the brewery has planted in the Metropolitan Police Department. Wasn't it to investigate this that you were forced to join the organization back then?"

Shin Hashimoto stared at his mother's relaxed smile in the photo, and his Adam's apple rolled several times.

He remembered the smile on Ida Ko's face when he picked up his manual, and the barbecue on the rooftop when Hagiwara Kenji stuffed skewers of meat into his bowl and said, "Don't be so serious, kid. We're brothers from now on."

Those warm memories that were crushed by the winery suddenly came alive at this moment.

"The list... is in the secret compartment of the warehouse I rented." His voice was as hoarse as sandpaper. "But Rum installed a location on my phone. You have to move my mother to a safe house first. And..."

He pulled a microchip from his pocket. "These are the energy parameters of the ES Dark Amber branch in the capital. Rum wanted to use it as a bargaining chip with Karasuma Renye, so I copied it secretly."

To be continued...