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

Kudo Yuki leaned on the sofa, and a soft sigh drifted into the bedroom.

Shushu climbed up her forearm, nestled his chubby body into her shoulder, and patted her cheek with his chubby little paws in a soothing manner.

Amuro Toru sat nearby, his fingertips rapidly tapping on the communicator screen. His voice was low but clear: "Manager Kuroda has dispatched additional personnel to investigate the area around Kanagawa. All properties related to the Karasuma Group are under surveillance."

He rubbed his temples as he put down the communicator, his brows furrowed slightly. "But Kanagawa is too large. We can't monitor it in all directions. I'm afraid Rum will choose an inconspicuous corner to attack."

"Go to sleep quickly." Shushu tilted his head, his eyes rolling around, "It will be dawn soon."

Kudo Yuki raised her hand and stroked Shushu's back fur. The soft fur was wrapped in the little guy's body temperature, and the anxiety in her heart finally eased a little.

But she stared out the window at the still-unfading inky darkness, her voice still trembling slightly as she said, "How can I sleep? As soon as I close my eyes, I can't help but wonder if Rum is already targeting someone."

Amuro Toru picked up the communicator again, his fingertips hovering over the screen for a moment before finally flicking off the light. He turned his head to look at Kudo Yuki, his tone much softer than before.

"At least there's no unusual news right now. Instead of wasting time here worrying, it's better to rest for a while before daybreak and maintain your strength so you can deal with what's coming next."

Shushu slid down Kudo Yuki's neck, curled up on her knees, and tugged at her trouser legs with his chubby little paws: "That's right! Your eyes are red! I'll stay with you. Maybe there will be good news when you wake up!"

Kudo Yuki looked at Shushu, curled up into a small ball of fur on her lap, then looked at Amuro Toru, who stood beside her with a calm expression, and finally nodded gently. She adjusted her position to make herself more comfortable, and gently placed her hand on Shushu.

Amuro Toru got up and went to the study to get a thin blanket, carefully covering her with it, and dimmed the light of the floor lamp: "Go to sleep, I'll watch over you and call you immediately if anything happens."

Shushu yawned slightly on her lap, rubbed his little head against her palm, and soon began to snoring softly.

Kudo Yuki felt the warmth in her palm and the comforting atmosphere beside her. Her tense nerves gradually relaxed and her eyelids began to feel heavy.

In a daze, she seemed to hear Toru Amuro pick up the communicator again and whisper something to the other end. His voice was as soft as a feather and was soon swallowed by sleepiness.

The dark color outside the window slowly faded into light white, and the first bird song was heard in the distance.

Toru Amuro's communicator continued to light up from time to time, silently transmitting information about the operation. He pressed it lightly with his fingertips, never making any sound to disturb the people around him.

Shushu slept uneasily on Kudo Yuki's lap. His little body, curled up into a ball of fur, moved from time to time, and his nose twitched slightly, as if he had smelled something delicious in his dream.

It raised its chubby little paws and grabbed at the air twice, making a slight chewing sound in its mouth. Perhaps it was dreaming about pine cones or nuts, so it grabbed with extra force.

He failed to keep his center of gravity steady, and his round body slid down Kudo Yuki's legs. With a light "thud", he fell heavily on the carpet.

Shushu woke up instantly, his little head shaking in confusion, and he said aggrievedly: "Woo... Xue's legs are so slippery! The big pine cones I just caught flew away..."

Kudo Yuki, who had already fallen into a light sleep, was startled open by the sound and her first reaction was to look down: "Shu Shu? Are you okay?"

She reached out and pulled the little guy back onto her lap, gently rubbing his back. "Did you dream about something delicious? That's why you're so naughty."

Amuro Toru immediately put down the communicator and looked at Shushu. Seeing that Shushu was just a little confused, he breathed a sigh of relief and said with a helpless and gentle tone: "It seems that this little guy is not idle even in his dreams."

He reached out to help Kudo Yuki pull up the thin blanket that had slipped off. "Can you sleep a little longer? There's still some time before dawn."

Shushu nestled in Kudo Yuki's palm, its little paws digging into her fingers, shaking its head aggrievedly. "I just dreamt of a huge pine cone. I wanted to grab it but it fell down... I didn't get to eat it. But I'm fine. Go back to sleep. I'll be a good boy this time and won't move!"

Kudo Yuki looked at its serious expression and couldn't help but curl her lips. She gently tickled its chin with her fingertips: "Next time you dream of pine cones, remember to hold on to my clothes and don't fall down again."

"I guess we need to put a thicker rug next to the sofa next time." Amuro Toru sat back on the single sofa at the side, his eyes sweeping over the faint dark circles under Kudo Yuki's eyes, then back to the squirrel on her lap, still groaning in grievance. "Otherwise, if a certain little squirrel dreams of pine cones again, it's likely to fall even harder."

Shushu immediately pricked up his ears and patted the back of Kudo Yuki's hand with his chubby little paw: "I won't do that! I'll definitely hold on to the clothes tightly next time!"

Kudo Yuki raised her hand to hold down Amuro Toru, who was about to stand up, her fingertips gently grasping his sleeve. When she raised her eyes, they were still slightly red from waking up, but her tone was unyielding: "Turu, you were on the other end of the communicator all night last night, and now the bloodshot under your eyes is heavier than mine. If you fall down, who will keep an eye on Rum with me next?"

In the end, Amuro Toru didn't give in and just reached out to tuck the scattered hair on her cheek behind her ear: "Okay, I'll listen to you. But I'll just lean on the sofa next to you. If there's any movement, you call me immediately."

As he stood up, the rat on his knees jumped onto his shoulder with a "whoosh", and shook his collar with its chubby little paws: "Amuro Toru, you are not allowed to secretly look at the communicator! This rat is watching you!"

Toru Amuro had no choice but to sit down on the sofa next to him and close his eyes to rest.

The pale white outside the window gradually turned pale gold, and the first ray of sunlight passed through the gap in the curtains and fell on the tips of Kudo Yuki's hair. As soon as she opened her eyes, she felt a gentle rubbing against her palm - Shushu was nudging her finger with his little head, his chubby paw still clutching a piece of fluff that had fallen into the crack of the sofa at some point.

"Wake up, wake up!" Shushu immediately straightened up, wagging his tail gently. "Amuro Toru just tried to touch the communicator three times, and I swatted him back each time!"

Amuro Toru had just opened his eyes from a light sleep. Upon hearing this, he curled his lips helplessly, the bloodshot under his eyes still not completely fading: "I was just confirming the news from Manager Kuroda. I didn't mean to wake you up."

The communicator in his pocket vibrated slightly, and the screen lit up, displaying the name "Manager Kuroda."

Kudo Yuki reached out and lifted Shushu onto her lap, rubbing her soft back with her fingertips. "Take it first. Maybe it's news from Mingmei."

Ever since Akemi Miyano showed up under the protection of Kuroda Heibei, they received reports of her safety every once in a while, which became a rare moment of peace of mind during the tense days.

Amuro Toru picked up the communicator and said in a low voice, "It's me."

But after a moment, his slightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and when he hung up the phone, he looked at Kudo Yuki with a little more warmth in his eyes: "Akira said that the USB pendant has been delivered to Mao Lilan. We are just waiting for her to deliver it to us."

Kudo Yuki's eyes lit up instantly. She pulled Shushu closer to her, her voice filled with undisguised joy. "Great! It's safest in Xiaolan's hands. She probably hasn't realized the importance of this thing yet, so it won't attract the attention of the winery."

Shushu poked his little head out of Kudo Yuki's arms, pointed his chubby paw at the morning light outside the window, and chirped, "The sun's rays have even crawled onto the sofa! Mingmei delivered the item to the right place. Are we one step closer to catching Rum?"

Kudo Yuki's fingertips slid down the fur on Shushu's back. The lightness in her eyes had not faded, and she looked a little calmer. "The USB drive is indeed safe in Xiaolan's hands. If Rum knew that the thing was in Xiaolan's hands, given his style of doing things, he might bypass Gin and take action directly."

On the other side, Kanagawa's commercial street was bustling with people.

Ran Mouri held the silver USB pendant in her fingertips. This was something Conan specifically asked her to help pass on, and he only said that it should be delivered to the Poirot Cafe.

"Lan, look at that new dessert shop!" Suzuki Sonoko grabbed her wrist and turned the corner, her eyes fixed on the strawberry parfait in the glass case. "I heard their cream is airlifted from Hokkaido. Shall we go try it?"

Mao Lilan smiled and nodded, carefully stuffed the USB pendant into the inner pocket of the canvas bag, and pressed it to confirm that it was secure. "Okay, but we have to be quick, Sister Xue is still waiting for this thing."

As the two of them stepped into the dessert shop, a slight sound suddenly came from the window.

Sonoko was looking down at the menu and muttered nonchalantly, "What's that noise?"

Mao Lilan subconsciously looked up and caught a glimpse of a man in a baseball cap at the next table who was quickly putting away his cell phone. The brim of his cap was pulled down so low that only the corners of his tightly pursed mouth could be seen.

"What's wrong, Xiaolan?" Yuanzi saw that she was distracted and followed her gaze, only to see the man's back as he pushed the door open and left. "Do you know him?"

"I don't know him." Mao Lilan shook her head, but she felt that the gaze just now was somewhat familiar, as if she had been secretly watched by someone somewhere before. "Maybe I'm overthinking it."

She didn't say anything more and picked up the menu to hide the strangeness in her heart - ever since Kudo Shinichi revealed his identity, she has always been extremely sensitive to the abnormalities around her, fearing that it would bring danger to those around her.

As the dessert arrived, Sonoko was excitedly snapping photos when her phone suddenly vibrated. Glancing at the screen, she casually said, "Hey, Sera just sent a message saying she saw someone who looked a lot like Okiya Subaru at the station, wearing the same knitted hat."

Ran Mouri paused as she scooped up a spoonful of cream. Subaru Okiya - the mysterious graduate student who always stayed near the Kudo family. Kudo Shinichi once vaguely mentioned that he was "trustworthy."

She remembered what Kudo Yuki had said before, that "friends" would occasionally come to help at the Poirot Café, and she breathed a sigh of relief: "Maybe I was too nervous. That man was just an ordinary passerby."

After they finished their dessert, they carried their packed Dorayaki and headed towards the Poirot Café.

While passing through a quiet alley, Mao Lilan's canvas bag was suddenly pulled from behind. She reacted very quickly and turned around to protect the bag. She saw that the two men in black coats were staring at her pocket fiercely.

"Hand over what's in your bag!" One of the men stepped forward with a threatening tone.

Suzuki Sonoko immediately stood in front of Mao Lilan and took out her cell phone to call the police: "What do you want to do? Robbery in broad daylight?"

Seeing this, the man reached out to grab Suzuki Sonoko's cell phone.

Mao Lilan quickly turned sideways, grabbed the man's wrist and twisted it.

Seeing this, another man pulled out a folding knife from his pocket. Just as he was about to step forward, a loud shout came from the alley: "Stop!"

The two turned around and saw a man in police uniform running towards them quickly. The logo on his shoulder badge showed that he was a local detective in Kanagawa.

The two men's faces changed and they immediately dropped their knives and ran to the end of the alley. Seeing this, the criminal police quickly chased after them.

"Are you all right?" The detective quickly turned back and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the two men were just startled. "We just received a report that someone was following people in this area. I didn't expect to run into you."

Mao Lilan hurriedly thanked him and subconsciously touched the USB pendant in her pocket. She felt relieved only after confirming that it was still there.

Suzuki Sonoko patted her chest, still a little scared: "Luckily you arrived in time! By the way, officer, how did you know there was something going on here?"

"Our superiors received an anonymous tip that someone is targeting women carrying silver pendants in this area," the detective explained, glancing over Mao Lilan's bag. "The person you just encountered is very likely the person mentioned in the tip. Is that pendant important?"

Mao Lilan was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "It's something a friend asked me to pass on. I'm not sure what it is."

She didn't say much - Kudo Shinichi had once reminded her not to reveal anything involving Kudo Yuki to outsiders to avoid unnecessary trouble.

After saying goodbye to the detective, the two quickened their pace and walked towards the Poirot Café.

Sonoko was still complaining about the thrill of the moment.

Mao Lilan was puzzled: "Why are those people staring at this USB pendant? Sister Xue never told me what it was used for. Could it be more important than I thought?"

Not far away, Jinpei Matsuda parked his car in a secluded alley near Kanagawa Commercial Street, tapping his knuckles on the steering wheel as his eyes swept over the bustling crowd outside the window.

"Rum's men must have spies in this area. Stay in the car and don't move. I'll go check on the remaining strongholds."

Shin Hashimoto nodded in agreement, the coolness of the metal still lingering on his fingertips as Matsuda Jinpei crushed the bug. But just as Matsuda Jinpei pushed the door open and stepped out of the car, he caught a glimpse of two dark figures in the rearview mirror, stealthily following the direction Matsuda had left.

"Hey!" Shin Hashimoto was about to open the car door to warn when a cold hand pressed down on the back of his neck. He struggled to turn around, only to see the exclusive tattoo of Rum's men exposed on the other person's collar, and his heart sank instantly.

"Trying to tip off?" One of the men lowered his voice, his free hand resting on Hashimoto Shin's waist. "Lord Rum wants to see you. If you know what's best for you, come with us and don't distract that officer."

Shin Hashimoto watched Matsuda Jinpei's figure disappear around the corner of the alley, and thought of the pressure Rum had put on him before - if he didn't cooperate, his family would be implicated in the distillery's "experiment", and his lower lip turned white from biting his teeth.

In the end, he was carried by two of Rum's men and stuffed into another black car at the end of the alley.

To be continued...