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

Outside the old department store.

Masumi Sera rode a motorcycle with Makoto Kyogoku into a secluded alley and stopped behind an abandoned newsstand a hundred meters away from the building.

She pulled out her binoculars and carefully observed the surroundings of the building. "Two secret guards just left the east back door. Three guards are smoking at the main entrance. There seems to be no one on the west side, but there are a lot of discarded metal barrels piled there. Maybe someone is hiding there."

Kyogoku Makoto followed her gaze and unconsciously clenched his fists. "I'll distract the guards at the main gate. You take this opportunity to contact Officer Hagiwara?"

"No, it's too risky." Sera Masumi shook her head and took out her cell phone. "Mr. Amuro said to give the code word 'Poirot Regulars.' I'll try to contact Officer Hagiwara first." She dialed the number she had written down. After three rings, the call was picked up. A clear female voice came from the receiver: "Who is this?"

"Poirot regular, needs help." Sera Masumi lowered his voice.

The other party was silent for a moment, then replied, "Stay behind the newsstand and don't move. Someone will come to pick you up in three minutes."

The phone hangs up.

Just as Sera Masumi was about to talk to Kyogoku Makoto, he saw two people in police uniforms approaching from the alley. The woman in the lead was a woman with long hair riding a motorcycle. It was Chizuki Hagiwara. Behind her followed a tall man, Shigego Yokomizo.

"Ms. Sera, Mr. Kyogoku." Hagiwara Chisuga walked over to the newsstand and spoke rapidly, "Officer Matsuda has gone to the top floor to contain Rum's men. We will cooperate with Conan to open the water valve. Officer Yokomizo will deal with the guards at the main gate. I will take you in through the underground parking lot entrance. There is a backup passage left by Officer Matsuda there."

Kyogoku Makoto clenched his fists and thrust them to his sides, his knuckles turning white. "Could there be guards hiding in the passage? I'll go in with you. I can lend a hand if anything happens."

"What's the rush?" Hagiwara Chisuku raised an eyebrow, fished out two folding batons from the trunk of his motorcycle, and tossed one to Kyogoku Makoto. "Officer Matsuda's passage is marked. Even though the emergency light isn't working, you can follow the scratches on the wall. But you have to stick with me. Don't be like Officer Yokomizo, who got lost in the underground garage during his last investigation."

Yokomizo Shigego immediately frowned and retorted, "It's just that the garage layout is too complicated. What does it have to do with me?"

He changed the subject and his face darkened again, "I'll go to the main gate to hold those three guards back, and when Ida arrives, I'll pretend to be on patrol to lure them away.

Ms. Shiliang, you ride your motorcycle and keep watch at the alley entrance. If you see someone wearing a black jacket with a tattoo on the collar approaching, honk your horn three times—don't be like someone who hit the wrong number of times when sending a secret signal last time."

"Who are you talking about?" Hagiwara Chisu glared at him, then turned to Sera Masumi and instructed, "The entrance to the passage is through the iron gate behind the newsstand. I have the key. Don't turn on your strong flashlights after you go in, so as not to be discovered.

Mr. Kyogoku, I trust your fighting ability, but try not to fight hard. Those people may have modified guns, and the noise will be too loud and may alert the people on the top floor."

Sera Masumi got on his motorcycle, the engine still humming softly. "Don't worry, I'll be watching the alley entrance. If anything seems out of the ordinary, signal immediately. You guys hurry in. Sonoko and Xiaolan are still waiting."

Hagiwara Chizuki opened the iron gate, and the damp, musty smell instantly washed out. She flicked on her flashlight, illuminating the steep steps. "Let's go, Mr. Kyogoku. Yokomizo, don't be too careless at the main gate. If all else fails, wait for Date to join you. Don't try to be brave."

"You tell me?" Yokomizo Jugo snorted, but he still walked towards the main entrance. He turned back and said, "If you get into trouble, run towards the ventilation duct. I'll find a way to distract them."

Hagiwara Chisuga didn't look back, just waved his hand and took Kyogoku Makoto into the dark passage.

There was thick dust on the steps, and a slight rustling sound could be heard with every step.

Kyogoku Makoto followed closely behind her, his ear pressed against the wall, listening carefully to the sounds around him. He could imagine that Sonoko might be trapped in the cold basement at this moment, and his impatience increased a bit.

"Turning left ahead is the main thoroughfare." Hagiwara Chisu stopped at a corner and shone his flashlight on the wall, clearly visible a light white scratch. "Officer Matsuda deliberately mixed fluorescent powder into the paint. It's not noticeable during the day, but it's obvious at night with a flashlight."

Just then, three short horn sounds were heard from the alley, which was Sera Masumi's secret signal.

Hagiwara Chisu immediately turned off the flashlight and pulled Kyogoku Makoto into the abandoned storage room nearby. "Someone's approaching, let's wait."

In the darkness, the two held their breath and could hear footsteps coming from the entrance of the passage, as well as the voices of men talking: "Lord Rum said we should check the underground parking lot to make sure no one breaks in."

"Who could be in this shabby place? Let's finish our search and get back. They're waiting for our report on the top floor."

The footsteps gradually faded away, and Hagiwara Chisu finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned on the flashlight again. "It should be Rum's patrol. It seems they are also increasing their vigilance. We have to hurry, otherwise the water level in the basement might rise again."

Kyogoku Makoto nodded and continued walking with her.

The wind from the corridor poured in through the ventilation duct, bringing a biting chill. He clenched his baton tightly, with only one thought in his mind: "We must find Yuanzi quickly. We can't let anything happen to her."

Elsewhere, at the Poirot Café, Kudo Yuki and Amuro Toru were jointly entertaining the customers.

Azusa Enomoto had just tied on her apron for the Poirot Café when she heard the sound of a car engine braking suddenly outside the door.

She looked up and saw two cars parked steadily on the side of the road. Sato Miwako opened the car door first, followed by Ogino Ayami, Miyamoto Yumi, Date Kou and Hagiwara Kenji who got out of the car one after another. They hurried into the coffee shop and were greeted by Kudo Yuki as soon as they entered.

"Xiaoxue," Sato Miwako said in a low voice, but her urgency was unconcealed. "Officer Chisuga and Officer Yokomizo have already taken Sera and Kyogoku to the old department store. Matsuda is holding them back. We need to rush over to support them."

Kudo Yuki's fingertips had just brushed the rim of the coffee cup when she immediately put down the rag after hearing Sato's words. She glanced at the crowd and said, "Let's go into the private room and talk. I'll leave all the guests here at Enomoto to you. Toru, you come too."

Azusa Enomoto nodded immediately: "Don't worry, boss, leave the store to me!"

She tightened her apron and turned to greet the customer who had just raised his hand.

Kudo Yuki took Sato Miwako and the others to the private room.

Toru Amuro followed closely behind.

As Zhu Fujingguang's fingertips touched the warm wall of the teacup, familiar footsteps were heard outside the private room.

He put down the cup and stroked the dark lines on his cuffs with his fingertips.

The door was gently pushed open, and the first person to poke her head in was Miyamoto Yumi, who was still clutching a half-finished sandwich in her hand. When she saw Morobushi Keimitsu, her eyes lit up and she walked over quickly: "Kagekawa! Why are you here? I thought you would be late."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sato Miwako and Ogino Ayami walked in, followed by the tall and straight figures of Hagiwara Kenji and Date Ko.

Hagiwara Kenji casually pulled over a chair and sat down, resting his arm on the back. He looked at Morofushi Kagemitsu with a familiar look. "Manager Kuroda said you should wait here for us. We just finished finishing up the work at Nagano Trading Co., Ltd., so we can finally take a break."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ogino Ayami patted his arm gently: "Don't sit so awkwardly. This is Xiaoxue's coffee shop, behave yourself." Hagiwara Kenji immediately straightened his back, but secretly winked at her with a smile in his eyes.

Sato Miwako looked towards the corner of the private room, frowning slightly: "Where are Xiaoxue and Amuro? I didn't see them at the door just now."

The side door of the private room was pushed open, and Kudo Yuki walked out, followed closely by Amuro Toru, holding a plate of freshly made lemon tarts in his hands.

"I was just watching the new product being made in the kitchen," Kudo Yuki placed the lemon tart Kanagawa on the table and glanced at the few people. "What's the situation with Kanagawa?"

Sato Miwako took a half step forward, her fingertips swiping across the screen of her phone, pulling up a simple map of the old department store. "According to Officer Chisuga's report, they've concentrated their main forces on the top floor and in the basement—the basement houses the garden and has a water injection system. Matsuda is holding them back on the top floor to buy us time to open the valves."

Ogino Ayami clenched the folder in her hand, her voice filled with urgency, "So what's our division of labor? Kenji and I can go assist Matsuda. Working together to contain him can help relieve his pressure."

Hagiwara Kenji nodded immediately, nudging her forearm with his elbow. "No problem. Cai Shi and I will be in a group. We'll go up the fire escape on the west side of the building. There are discarded metal barrels piled there, which will be perfect for concealment."

The west side isn't an option." Kudo Yuki pointed her finger at the "underground parking lot entrance" mark on the map. "Masumi mentioned earlier when he was on the lookout that while the west side may seem deserted, there might actually be secret guards hiding there. You'll be easily exposed if you take the fire escape."

Why don't you follow me through the underground passage? Officer Kyogoku and Sensu are already inside. After we meet up, we'll split into two groups: one to rescue Sonoko and Ran in the basement, and the other to support Matsuda on the top floor."

Yi Dahang took a step forward, pressed his broad palm on the edge of the map, and pointed his fingertips at the mark of "Main Gate Guard".

"Officer Yokomizo is currently holding those three guards at the main gate. I just received a message from him saying they've been checking their watches frequently and are probably impatient for a shift change. I'm going to take over his shift now, pretending to be a patrol officer passing by and leading them towards the alley entrance. Miss Sera is keeping watch over there, so she can help me divert the patrol away from the main gate."

"Once we've tied down the guards, I'll leave a mark at the main gate. If backup arrives later, they can follow the mark to find the entrance. But hurry up and go through the underground passage. I can only hold them there for ten minutes at most. Once the relief officer arrives, it'll be easy to expose your secrets."

"Ten minutes is enough." Kudo Yuki nodded, her fingertips tracing the underground passage on the map. "Ayami, Yumi, and I will take the main passage. We'll reunite with Chisuga and Kyogoku and head to the basement to rescue Sonoko and Ran. Kenji, you go to the entrance to the ventilation duct. Matsuda left a mark on it. Following the duct will lead you directly to the bottom of the top floor. Once we take action, cooperate with Matsuda to hold those guys back and prevent them from rushing to the basement for reinforcements."

Zhu Fushigure tapped the edge of the table lightly with his fingertips, his eyes fell on the mark on the west side of the map, and his voice was steady: "I will stay in Poirot and cooperate with Enomoto Azusa to monitor the periphery, and by the way, I will support Date.

Yumi, watch your step when you follow Xiaoxue and the others. The emergency light in the corridor is broken, so don't miss a step like you did last time."

Miyamoto Yumi's cheeks flushed slightly, and she reached out and patted his shoulder: "I know, how can you keep making the same mistake? Don't be careless here. If you see someone in a black coat approaching, remember to hide first."

She couldn't help but add, "After this is over, we can't postpone the eel rice restaurant we agreed to eat at."

Zhu Fu Jingguang smiled faintly and nodded in agreement: "Okay, I won't refuse."

At this moment, Shushu poked his little head out of Kudo Yuki's pocket, his furry tail wagging gently. "Xiaoxue, just now at the corner of the alley, there were two people in black coats walking towards the newsstand. Sera Masumi's motorcycle lights flashed twice, as if he was taking a detour to avoid them."

Kudo Yuki paused, then immediately looked at Sato Miwako. "Officer Chisuga might run into a patrol over there, so we need to leave early. Squad Leader Date, go to the main gate now to relieve Officer Yokomizo. Don't wait for the relief officer to arrive."

Amuro Toru pushed the lemon tart in front of Miyamoto Yumi and lowered his voice, "Bring your communicators. The signal in the channel may be weak. Report safety every two minutes. Xiaoxue and I will stay behind to check the equipment and wait for Shushu to find out more news."

He said as he glanced at the squirrel in Kudo Yuki's pocket.

Rat immediately winked at him and went back into his pocket.

Ogino Ayami picked up the folding baton on the table and slipped one into Hagiwara Kenji's hand. "When you go to the ventilation duct entrance, remember to look for the fluorescent markings left by Matsuda. Don't make a detour like last time in the warehouse, mistaking 'turn left' for 'turn right'."

Hagiwara Kenji took it with a smile, and pinched her wrist with his fingertips. "Don't worry, I'll definitely remember it this time. When I meet up with Matsuda, I'll help you collect all the mints in his pocket to prevent him from chewing candy and making noises while on the intercom."

Sato Miwako's ears turned slightly red, and she coughed lightly: "Don't make trouble, Matsuda is holding those people back on the top floor, we have to hurry."

As she spoke, she picked up her phone and sent a message to Hagiwara Chisuka, then looked at Kudo Yuki, "We're going to meet Chisuka at the entrance to the underground parking lot now. After you and Amuro have checked your equipment, remember to follow."

Kudo Yuki called out telepathically, "Shushu, use the system screen to check the alley entrance again. Have you seen Hashimoto Shin? He previously sent a message saying he wanted to get rid of Rum. He might be heading this way during the chaos."

Shushu scratched his chubby little paws and began to look for his target.

Amuro Toru walked over to Morobushi Kagemitsu and lowered his voice, "Hiro, keep the fire escape at the back door of Poro. If anything happens, you can evacuate there. Manager Kuroda specifically instructed that you and I cannot go to Kanagawa. If we are exposed, it will be troublesome."

Zhu Fujingguang nodded, rubbing the dark lines on his cuffs with his fingertips. "I know. You should also be careful. Those people may be carrying modified guns. Don't force yourselves."

Everyone quickly divided up their work and walked out of the private room one after another, heading in different directions.

To be continued...