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

Indoors, Conan quickly adjusted the fingerprint simulation parameters based on Shin Hashimoto's description.

After three minutes, place the film with the generated fingerprint on your finger and press it on the recognition area.

The black box made a soft beeping sound.

Not only did the countdown not stop, but a glaring red prompt popped up on the screen:

Fingerprint matching degree 51%, please complete the features.

"How could this happen?" Conan clenched his fists. "Mr. Hashimoto, did you miss any details?"

Hashimoto Shin stood up anxiously, shaking his head repeatedly: "It can't be wrong! I saw him press his fingerprints with my own eyes, and there was a very faint fine line next to the scar, but I didn't see the location clearly at the time..."

The door of the monitoring room was pushed open at this time.

Kudo Yuki walked in quickly.

Shushu clung to her shoulder, pointing his chubby little paw at the red prompt on the screen, stamping his feet anxiously: "Xiaoxue! Conan's stuck! The device countdown is only four and a half minutes left!"

Kudo Yuki's eyes swept across the fingerprint simulation image on Conan's computer, then glanced at the recognition area of ​​the black box, and suddenly remembered something.

"Rum had a habit - every time he took a fingerprint, his left index finger would unconsciously 'tilt up', causing the lines on the inside of the fingertip to appear 'diagonally wrinkled'. This detail, which Mr. Hashimoto hadn't noticed, was the key to the missing match."

"Orchid finger?" Conan was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted. His fingertips tapped rapidly on the keyboard, adding a few diagonal lines on the inside of the fingertips that simulated fingerprints.

"Di!"

The red countdown on the screen froze for a moment and then jumped to "standby mode".

"It's done!" Conan breathed a sigh of relief, slumped in the chair, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Shin Hashimoto leaned against the wall, his face pale as he muttered, "Finally... I don't have to be threatened by him anymore."

Hagiwara Kenji immediately put the device away and reported into the communicator: "The backup device has been controlled, all hostages have been rescued, requesting someone to come over and provide support!"

Matsuda Jinpei walked to the door, looked at the police pouring into the corridor, and smiled at Hagiwara Kenji: "Another troublesome matter solved."

Conan closed his computer and stood up when he suddenly saw a note fall out of Hashimoto Shin's pocket:

Headquarters Backup Laboratory - Rum

Hashimoto Shin quickly crumpled the note into a ball, stuffed it into his mouth and swallowed it, then gave Conan a meaningful smile: "Some things are better explained to the police in person."

Kenji Hagiwara obviously saw this, but he didn't ask any further questions. He just made a "please" gesture to Hashimoto Shin and said, "Then let's go back to the police station and talk in detail. Officer Kuroda is already waiting."

Just as he finished speaking, a shrill siren suddenly sounded from downstairs.

Sato Miwako's voice rang out again: "When Inspector Megure arrived with the police, the man saw that the situation was not good and asked his bodyguards to change cars and escape!"

Conan and Kudo Yuki exchanged a glance, each seeing a solemn expression in the other's eyes. The situation on Sato Miwako's side was clearly tricky, and letting Rum's bodyguard escape meant they might be planning new actions.

"Let's go back to the police station first and see what clues Mr. Hashimoto can provide." Kudo Yuki's eyes swept over the rescued hostages and Rum's men in the monitoring room.

Conan nodded and looked at Hashimoto Shin who was still gasping for breath: "Mr. Hashimoto, I'm afraid the note in your pocket is not that simple."

Shin Hashimoto smiled bitterly, his voice trembling slightly. "Yes, this is the task Rum gave me. He has always wanted to control the politicians in Kanagawa and conduct illegal experiments through this backup laboratory."

"Illegal experiment?" Matsuda Jinpei frowned. "What experiment?"

"It's about the 'ES Dark Amber' project," Hashimoto Shin gritted his teeth. "It's a research and development project for a brainwashing device. They want to use it to control important people."

Kudo Yuki and Conan exchanged a glance, both realizing the danger of this plan. If Rum succeeded, the consequences would turn into an uncontrollable disaster.

Conan clenched his fists: "Where exactly is this backup laboratory?"

Shin Hashimoto shook his head. "I don't know. Rum always contacts me through encrypted communications. Only he and a few core members know the exact location."

A smile appeared on Kudo Yuki's lips. "Rum won't be able to run far. His men have already confessed part of the plan. Combined with the clues provided by Mr. Hashimoto, we are sure to reap the rewards this time."

Shushu lay on Kudo Yuki's shoulder, patting his chubby paws and muttering, "Finally, we don't have to hide anymore! Next time Rum comes, let's see how we deal with him!"

The setting sun streamed in through the windows of the corridor, gently wrapping everyone's figures in warm gold.

Although Rum escaped temporarily, the backup device was controlled and the hostages were rescued. The prototype of the "ES Dark Amber" plan surfaced, and a larger capture operation is about to begin.

Kenji Hagiwara supported Shin Hashimoto, whose face was still a little pale, and walked out of the corridor.

When passing by Rum's men who were being escorted by the police, the other party glared at Hashimoto Shin and threatened in a low voice through gritted teeth: "You will regret betraying Mr.!"

Shin Hashimoto paused, the veins on the back of his clenched hands throbbing slightly, but he didn't turn around. Instead, he spoke to Kenji Hagiwara beside him in a tense voice, "I already regret not getting rid of him sooner."

Matsuda Jinpei stood at the corner of the corridor, speaking to Sato Miwako over the communicator. His tone was casual, yet contained a hint of reassurance. "Don't chase them. Rum's car isn't within Kanagawa. Evacuate the crowd first, and we'll handle the rest."

Sato Miwako's response came from the other end of the communicator, and she added at the end: "Please be careful."

Jinpei Matsuda curled the corners of his mouth, tapped the communicator with his fingertips, and said nothing more.

Ran Mouri and Sonoko Suzuki, who were imprisoned in a water-filled basement by Rum's men, were about to be drowned by the flowing water.

"Conan! No news on Ran and Sonoko yet!" Kudo Yuki suddenly locked her phone tightly. She had been so focused on cracking the device that she had forgotten about the two people taken away by Rum's men.

Shushu was spinning anxiously on her shoulder, his chubby little paw patting her cheek. "They must be locked up! Rum's men are holding them in the direction of the basement."

Conan's heart sank, and he immediately walked towards Kudo Yuki's communicator: "Officer Sato, please send someone to search the basement near this building. Mao Lilan and Suzuki Sonoko are being held there!"

On the other end of the communicator, Sato Miwako's voice was urgent: "Got it! I'll send Ogino and Yumi over there. They'll provide support after evacuating the crowd!"

Matsuda Jinpei grabbed Rum's men who were being escorted to the corridor and said with a sharp look, "Where is the basement? Is there a water injection device in there?"

Rum's men stiffened their necks and refused to speak.

Hagiwara Kenji shook the handcuffs in his hand, his tone relaxed but oppressive: "It doesn't matter if you don't tell them. When the water reaches their chests, even if you confess, you will only regret it in prison."

The man shuddered all over and pointed to the secret door at the end of the corridor. "Over there... there's a water filling switch. They said they want to flood... flood until no one can get out alive..."

Everyone immediately rushed to the secret door.

Conan's pace was faster than anyone else's. Just as his skateboard left two white marks on the concrete floor downstairs, he was suddenly grabbed by the back of the collar by a hand wearing a leather glove.

Hagiwara Chisuki straddled the motorcycle, holding him and his skateboard in his arms with one arm. With his other hand, he twisted the handlebars as the engine roared, "Hold on tight, kid!"

The motorcycle shot out like a silver arrow.

Conan held onto Chisu's waist, the wind whistling in his ears. Before he could open his mouth, he saw at the intersection ahead, Kyogoku Shinji pressed two of Rum's men who tried to stop him against the wall, while Sera Masumi stepped on the railing and turned over to the ground, having used a tennis racket to deflect the stun baton in the other's hand.

"Officer Chisu! The basement is behind a secret door on the west side of that building!" Conan shouted towards the driver's seat.

Hagiwara Chisuga nodded, and suddenly pressed down the body of the motorcycle. The motorcycle nimbly shuttled through the gaps between the crowd and stopped beside the building.

She put Conan down and shouted to Kyogoku Makoto and Sera Masumi, who had just finished dealing with their men: "It's flooded, Miss Xiaolan and Miss Sonoko are down there!"

Kyogoku Makoto immediately rushed over, pressed his broad palm on the edge of the secret door, and with a little force he pried a gap in the locked iron door.

Sera Masumi followed closely behind, took out a crowbar from his backpack, and completely removed the door lock in a few strokes.

At the same time, Kudo Yuki, Matsuda Jinpei, and Hagiwara Kenji also rushed in from the corridor.

Shushu was jumping anxiously on Kudo Yuki's shoulder, pointing his chubby paw at the water seeping out of the crack in the door: "Xiaoxue! The water has already flooded over our heads!"

Kudo Yuki immediately took out her cell phone and called Amuro Toru - even though she knew he couldn't come to Kanagawa, she still wanted to reassure him out of habit.

"Everything is fine here, Poirot," Amuro Toru's voice came through the receiver, accompanied by the clinking of coffee cups. "Is Rat Mouse not upset?"

"It's too busy worrying about Xiaolan to make a fuss." Kudo Yuki quickly followed Kyogoku Makoto into the basement, her voice tense, "We're rescuing Xiaolan and Sonoko. We'll talk about the clues to Rum's backup laboratory when we get back."

After hanging up the phone, the water in the basement had already reached my knees. Broken pipe fragments were floating on the turbid water, and a cold, damp smell hit me in the face.

Kyogoku Makoto waded in first, groping in the darkness with his broad hands, and soon touched two curled up figures - Mouri Ran holding Suzuki Sonoko in her arms. Their skirts were already soaked, and their faces were pale from lack of oxygen and cold.

"Ran! Sonoko!" Kyogoku Makoto said in a steady voice, bending down to help the two of them up.

Mao Lilan opened her eyes and saw a familiar face. Her tense nerves suddenly relaxed, but she still clenched her fists and asked, "Where is Conan?"

I'm here!" Conan skated over to her, looked up at her, and said with fear, "Luckily you're okay!"

Mao Lilan looked at his small figure, her eyes slightly hot. At an angle where no one was paying attention, she gently rubbed his head and whispered, "Shinichi."

Then he turned to Suzuki Sonoko and put his hand to her forehead: "Sonoko, can you walk?"

Suzuki Sonoko nodded and was half-supported and half-helped by Kyogoku Makoto as she walked out, muttering, "When we get out, I'll make sure my dad confiscates all of that guy's assets!"

Kudo Yuki followed closely behind.

Shushu shook the water droplets off her shoulder, and pointed his chubby paw at the corner of the wall: "Xiaoxue! There's an encrypted hard drive over there!"

Kudo Yuki looked in the direction it pointed, and sure enough, in the iron cabinet submerged in water, there was a hard drive with a waterproof casing.

She bent down to fish out the hard drive and wiped off the water stains on the surface. A flash of understanding came into her eyes - this was probably related to the core data of the "ES Dark Amber" plan.

Matsuda Jinpei walked over, glanced at the hard drive in her hand, and tapped the baton at her waist with his fingertips: "Get out first. The circuit here may not be cut off. Be careful of electric shock."

Kenji Hagiwara supported the newly recovered Hashimoto Shin and whispered, "Rum asked you to contact these politicians. What exactly do you want to control?"

Shin Hashimoto sighed, his voice trembling slightly. "It's mainly about the infrastructure bidding in Kanagawa. He wants to brainwash politicians into handing the projects over to a shell company under the Karasuma Group to facilitate the transfer of funds and transportation of experimental equipment. I also have some encrypted communication records with politicians, hidden in a secret compartment in my study. I'll give them to you when I get back."

As soon as everyone walked out of the basement, they heard the sound of a motorcycle engine coming from the corridor.

Hagiwara Chisato took off his helmet and raised his chin towards Hagiwara Kenji: "Done, those bodyguards were stopped by Officer Yokomizo at the highway intersection."

When she mentioned Yokomizo Shigego, the corners of her mouth curled unconsciously. "That guy even tried to steal my credit, saying that if he hadn't set up the situation in advance, the person would have escaped long ago."

"Sister, please stop arguing with Officer Yokomizo." Hagiwara Kenji smiled and shook his head, turning to look at Sato Miwako and the others. "We have the hostages and evidence. Let's go back to the police station and meet up with Officer Kuroda."

Miwako Sato nodded and ordered the police to escort Rum's men back to the police station.

Inspector Megure assigned tasks at the corridor entrance: "Team One will block and search for any remaining personnel. Team Two will complete the hostage statements and inventory of evidence. Team Three will cooperate with the Forensic Investigation Division to investigate the hard drive and water injection device in the basement."

He urged the frightened Kanagawa politicians to testify truthfully, and then took Hashimoto Shin and some evidence back to the police station in a police car.

Hagiwara Kenji responded with a smile and walked quickly downstairs.

Ogino Ayami had just evacuated the last group of people and was standing on tiptoe beside the police car, looking around. When she saw him, she immediately smiled. The two of them naturally held hands and walked towards the evidence car while talking in low voices.

Kudo Yuki handed the encrypted hard drive to the Forensic Science Officer and instructed, "After you crack it, give the relevant content to Officer Kuroda."

Shushu shook his wet fur on her shoulder and pointed his chubby paw into the distance: "Xiaoxue, Xiaolan and Sister Sonoko have been carried into the ambulance!"

Kudo Yuki immediately walked over quickly.

Next to the ambulance, Mao Lilan was leaning on a stretcher. When she saw her, she reached into her pocket and took out a silver pendant with water stains on the edge.

"Where's Conan?" she asked softly. Seeing Conan running over on a skateboard, she handed him the pendant. "This is the pendant you asked me to pass on to Mr. Yingchuan. Remember to deliver it to him personally."

Conan took the pendant and thought to himself: "Finally, I got it. I must personally hand it over to Mr. Kagekawa. With it, he can hide in the Karasuma Group headquarters and pass on information without being restricted."

He looked up and smiled at Mao Lilan: "Don't worry, Sister Xiaolan, I will take care of it. You should go to the hospital for a check-up."

Mao Lilan looked at him and patted his head gently at an angle where no one was paying attention, her eyes full of relief.

Suzuki Sonoko was supported by Kyogoku Makoto. Although her face was still pale, she was unforgiving: "If they dare to lock me in the water, I will never let them off!"

Kyogoku Makoto replied in a deep voice: "I will accompany you."

Sera Masumi stood aside, smiling and joking: "Sonoko, you better be careful next time and don't let others take you hostage again."

Kudo Yuki smiled and raised her hand to stroke Shushu's head.

Not far away, Matsuda Jinpei and Sato Miwako were whispering something; Hagiwara Kenji and Ogino Ayami walked side by side towards the police car, and Miyamoto Yumi was chatting with Morofushi Keimitsu on her mobile phone.

The last ray of sunset light shone on them, bringing with it the calmness after the storm.