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

The morning light in the third-floor office area floods the workstations.

Morofushi Kagemitsu was holding a thick stack of old experimental files when he ran into Yamamoto Ken who was hurrying along in the corridor.

He stumbled, and the files fell to the ground. The top sample record marked "AL-207" even rubbed against the hem of Yamamoto Ken's white coat.

"Sorry, sorry, Senior Yamamoto!" Zhu Fushimi immediately squatted down, frantically picking up files, his ears red, and his tone was full of the panic typical of a newcomer. "I was sorting through old data this morning and wasn't paying attention to where I was going..."

Yamamoto Ken frowned, patted his white coat, and said unhappily, "Watch your way. These old files need to be handed over to the archives this afternoon. Don't get them mixed up."

He glanced at the file that Zhu Fu Jingguang had put back in his arms, his eyes lingering on the words "archive of old data" for half a second. Without saying anything more, he turned and walked into the laboratory.

Zhu Fushiki Jingguang stood there holding the files until Yamamoto Ken's figure disappeared, then he quietly breathed a sigh of relief. This was a deliberate "mistake" on his part.

Noah's Ark has long found out through shared disk analysis that Yamamoto Ken hates "newcomers' clumsy behavior" the most, but he trusts "subordinates who are not smart" the most. After all, such people will never take the initiative to pry into things they shouldn't touch.

Back at his workstation, he turned on his computer and first dealt with the "sample label verification" task assigned by Ken Yamamoto.

Dense numbers scrolled on the screen. He frowned at the keyboard from time to time, his finger pausing on the drop-down menu of "Sample Status" for a long time without clicking it.

Finally, I picked up the intercom and timidly called the data administrator in the research area: "Hello, can the 'pending review' and 'pending archiving' labels be changed directly as long as the sample testing data is complete? I'm afraid of getting scolded if I make a mistake..."

The administrator on the other end of the phone was amused by his cautious tone and casually explained a few words, ending with a joke: "I wish newcomers were as cautious as you. Last time, an assistant just messed up the label and it took us an entire morning to check it."

This conversation was not hidden from the colleagues around them. The researcher sitting next to him looked up at him and said with a smile, "Yingchuan, don't be so nervous. Just follow the procedures. If you make any mistakes, your seniors will take the responsibility."

Zhu Fujingguang smiled shyly, showing a somewhat "relieved" expression, and continued to slowly check the screen. Occasionally, he would write and draw on the paper with a pen to mark the uncertain places. He looked like a "newcomer in the workplace in the exploratory period".

This scene happened to be transmitted to the screen of the monitoring room on the top floor through the surveillance camera in the corner of the office area.

Karasuma Renya's subordinate stood aside and reported in a low voice, "Boss, besides handling the basic work assigned by Yamamoto Ken this week, Kagekawa Raku has been organizing old files and checking labels. Yesterday, he even got scolded by the warehouse manager for misplacing the sample on the wrong shelf. After returning, he spent almost an hour looking at the shelf distribution map."

Karasuma Renya stared at the back of Morofushi Kagemitsu on the screen as he "carefully studied the shelf map", and his eyes under the helmet no longer had the sharpness they had before.

He had just asked his subordinates to deliberately place an encrypted "AP" prefix sample summary on a shared disk, with the permissions set very low. Anyone who knew a little about data mining could easily crack and view it.

In the following period, the feedback Noah's Ark sent to Zhu Fujingguang showed that the access record of that summary was always "0".

Zhu Fujingguang had never even opened the "encrypted files" folder in the shared disk. His browsing history was full of basic documents such as "Newcomer Work Guide" and "Sample Archiving Process".

In the afternoon, there was a small commotion in the research area.

The laboratory's refrigerator broke down, and several "AS" series samples that needed to be stored at low temperatures were at risk of deterioration. Ken Yamamoto and two researchers were so busy that no one had time to notify the security post to mobilize spare refrigeration equipment.

Zhu Fujingguang heard the noise and stood up from his workstation. After hesitating for a moment, he leaned over and asked quietly, "Yamamoto-senpai, do you need any help? I've helped my teacher fix a refrigerator malfunction in the school lab before. Maybe I can temporarily provide some insulation."

Yamamoto Ken was in a state of panic, so he waved his hand without thinking: "Okay, then go to the storage room to get some insulating foam and ice packs, and wrap the sample first. Hurry!"

Zhu Fujingguang immediately ran to the storage room.

A few minutes later, he returned with the materials and kept the samples warm, but he didn't ask about the purpose of the samples or why he didn't just use the spare refrigerator.

He just focused on his work, occasionally shrinking his hand when it was frozen by the ice pack, with a youthful smile on his face that said "I'm happy to be able to help."

After the security guards wheeled in the spare refrigerator and the samples were safely transferred, Yamamoto Ken finally remembered to ask him, "Did you learn this in school?"

"I just learned it when I was helping my teacher. It's not my major, but I'm glad I can help." Zhu Fu Jingguang scratched his head. "If you think I'm not doing well, I won't join in the fun next time."

"Not bad, better than the new guy last time who couldn't even find an ice pack." Yamamoto Ken praised casually, turned around and went to do other things, not taking the matter to heart at all.

All of this was also captured by surveillance.

Karasuma Renya looked at the screen, watching Morobushi Kagemitsu trying to curry favor with his senior. He suddenly chuckled and said to his subordinates, "Is Rum still checking the core data password?"

"Yes, but Gin has already dealt with the mess in Kanagawa, and Rum has been quiet for the time being," the subordinate replied.

"That Kagekawa Raku," Karasuma Renya's gaze shifted from the surveillance screen to the image of Vodka being restrained in the laboratory, and he said in a flat tone, "He's just an ordinary newcomer in the workplace, just trying to work hard and make a living. There's no need to keep an eye on him."

He added, "Let Yingchuan learn from Yamamoto Ken. In the future, the basic archiving work on the third floor should be handed over to such 'down-to-earth' people to save trouble."

After the subordinates responded and left, the only sound left in the monitoring room was the typing of keyboards.

Karasuma Renya no longer looked at the screen at Morobushi Kagemitsu's workstation, but instead retrieved the latest experimental data of the "ES Dark Amber" project.

In his eyes, a newcomer who would spend a long time agonizing over "putting the wrong shelf", who could only do basic work and who wouldn't even take the initiative to open an encrypted file, was not worthy of being a chess piece in his game. He was just a "background board" that could be seen everywhere in the scientific research area.

At the third-floor workstation, Zhu Fujingguang quietly tapped the table three times with his fingertips in response to the prompt "Label verification completed" on the screen.

This is the "safety signal" agreed upon with the Conan team.

Conan whispered in his ear: "The surveillance attention of Karasuma Renya has been diverted from you. Noah's Ark just received his instructions to his subordinates, saying that you are an 'insignificant newcomer'."

Kudo Yuki's voice was tinged with laughter. "Your 'newcomer acting' was very successful. Next, you can use the name 'basic archive' to slowly access the old data in the archives. There are sample records from the early days of the 'ES Dark Amber' project."

Zhu Fu Jingguang nodded slightly, picked up the water cup on the table and took a sip, his eyes casually swept across the security booth at the end of the corridor, the previous tension was gone in his eyes, only tranquility remained.

He knew that Karasuma Renya's "letting go of doubt" was the beginning of his real lurking.

When a person is deemed "insignificant", he can go deeper and further in the dark web.

Inside the silver car, Amuro Toru breathed a sigh of relief, a smile on his face: "Kagekawa's acting is really good. Now we can finally carry out the next plan smoothly."

Conan leaned back in his chair, crossed his hands behind his head, his eyes gleaming: "Karasuma Renya has been completely kept in the dark this time. Now it depends on how Mr. Yingchuan can find the key clues from the archives."

Kudo Yuki gently rolled down the car window and analyzed, "The old data in the archives may contain the core secrets of the 'ES Dark Amber' project. Since Karasuma Renya is so confident in handing over the basic archiving work to Yingchuan, it means he has really let his guard down."

Amuro Toru started the car and slowly drove away from the vicinity of the Karasuma Group Building. As he drove, he said, "I don't know what Rum is up to right now. Although Gin is keeping an eye on him, Rum is not a character that can be easily dealt with."

Conan sat up straight, folded his hands on his knees, and his eyes behind the glasses were sharp, which was inconsistent with his age.

He recalled the scene in the old Kanagawa department store when Kudo Yuki casually mentioned Rum's habits. He frowned slightly and asked, "Sister, you and Rum have only met once, so how did you notice such a small gesture as his orchid finger curling? Even Mr. Amuro has never met him in person. This kind of detail is not something you can easily discover."

Kudo Yuki was slightly startled, and her mind flashed back to the scene that Shushu showed her at the entrance of Iroha Sushi Restaurant after he came back that day. She lowered her eyes, thinking about how to answer Conan's question.

Shushu moved while hiding in her windbreaker pocket, and his little head poked out from the fabric. His eyes rolled around twice, and he smiled slyly in Conan's direction.

"Xiaoxue, Conan's nose is sharper than a police dog's! Why don't you just say that you were out for a stroll that day, passing by the entrance of Iroha Sushi Restaurant, and took a picture of Rum getting out of the car and getting dressed? He can't see me anyway~"

Kudo Yuki pressed her pocket lightly with her fingertips, signaling Shu Shu to be quiet. Then she looked up and smiled at Conan, "Karasuma Renya once specially arranged a meeting between me and Rum. When he was giving me polite words that time, his orchid finger gesture was very obvious. After that, I paid close attention and found that he was deliberately spreading all kinds of rumors. In the final analysis, it was just to confuse people and make it difficult for them to understand his true identity."

Shushu tugged at the fabric in dissatisfaction, then leaned over to Amuro Toru's ear and whispered, "It was clearly this Shu who filmed the video! That Rum was wrapped up like a dumpling, and it was still Shu who recognized the black onyx cufflinks on his sleeves at first sight—and now, Xiaoxue gets all the credit!"

The corners of Amuro Toru's mouth curled up slightly, and he glanced at Kudo Yuki's pocket out of the corner of his eye. He whispered back in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Remember to wear a mini camera next time you stake out a spot, and don't get your tail hair stuck on the sushi curtain again."

Shushu's fur instantly exploded, and he stamped his little paws in his pocket. "That was an accident! It was because the tuna at that sushi restaurant was so delicious!"

It didn't control the volume of its thoughts well when it said this.

Kudo Yuki also heard it clearly. She couldn't help but pat her pocket lightly on her knees. Helplessly and amusedly, she replied telepathically: "Okay, stop making trouble. I'll open a can of tuna for you when I get back to Poirot tonight."

Shushu immediately calmed down and curled up happily in his pocket, leaving only his little head exposed, his black eyes staring at the street scene passing by outside the window.

I was thinking to myself: "I need to remind Yingchuan Luo later. The secret compartment at the bottom of the third row of shelves in the archives room contains the early experimental logs of the ES Amber Project. It was there when it snuck in to look for snacks last time. I don't want it to rummage around like a newbie and not be able to find it!"

Conan stared into Kudo Yuki's eyes, his fingertips stroking the fabric of his coat on his knees.

He was too familiar with his sister's seemingly natural tone. Whenever she hid some details, the ending tone would be a little lighter than usual.

"But last time, Manager Kuroda mentioned that Rum rarely met with people in person before you joined the distillery." He didn't immediately give in. Instead, he leaned forward, his glasses reflecting the streetlights passing by the car window. "When you say 'ceremonial words', are you talking about the distillery headquarters? Or... somewhere else?"

Shu Shu frantically scratched around in Kudo Yuki's pockets, his little head nearly breaking through the fabric. "How come this kid is just as obsessed with details as that Amuro guy! I was clearly squatting on the eaves of the sushi restaurant when I took this photo. Rum was in disguise in the car at the time!"

Kudo Yuki felt a slight warmth in her ears, and she quietly soothed the dog in her pocket with her fingertips, while she smiled and rubbed Conan's hair.

"Your memory is even better than Ai's. It was at Iroha Sushi Restaurant, when Karasuma asked me to take over Rum's 'data sorting' work - but why are you suddenly asking about this? Are you worried that Rum will target me?"

This remark hit the nail on the head for Conan. He pursed his lips and quickly straightened his back. "I just think that Rum has to wrap himself up tightly even when meeting the new members of the organization, but you can still notice his orchid finger. It's too..."

"Too much of a coincidence?" Kudo Yuki continued.

Amuro Toru suddenly coughed lightly and turned the steering wheel slightly to avoid the bicycle in front. "Conan, Xiaoxue is much better at observing people than you, a 'detective boy'. Last time at Poirot, she guessed that the customer was a teacher just by looking at the way he held his coffee cup."

Conan's hair was rubbed by Kudo Yuki, and his originally tense shoulders relaxed a little, but he still muttered: "I just don't want you to be in danger..."

Kudo Yuki's eyes flickered with tenderness as she continued, "I value my life more than anyone else. After all, Poirot's strawberry cake hasn't come up with a new flavor yet, and Toru's sandwiches can't be made without me as a 'taster.'"

Amuro Toru turned the steering wheel slightly, catching a glimpse of a rat's head poking out of the passenger's pocket. He smiled and said, "Since you're a 'taster,' I'll have to add an extra leaf of lettuce to your tuna sandwich tomorrow. I have a 'little greedy cat' hidden in my pocket, and I can't let it go hungry."

The rat in Kudo Yuki's pocket immediately pricked up its ears, its black eyes sparkling, and its chubby little paws scratched at the fabric and shook it, "Amuro Toru understands me the best! But use less mustard tomorrow. Last time, the mustard nearly choked me!"

Kudo Yuki patted her pocket helplessly and spoke telepathically: "Don't worry, I'll let you eat as much as you want."

To be continued...