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

Less than two minutes later, Zhu Fujingguang's voice came over: "The people in the monitoring room found nothing unusual and have left the lab. The researcher is still in a stalemate with the remaining guards, saying, 'If you don't let me in, I'll report you directly to the boss.'"

Toru Amuro stared at the researcher who was still arguing at the laboratory door, his fingertips tapping a rapid rhythm on the steering wheel.

"The researcher's use of 'reporting to the boss' to put pressure on me indicates that Karasuma Renye is pressing the issue. The early injection of the drug isn't just a diversionary tactic by Rum; it's a genuine effort to expedite the experiment."

Shushu tilted his little head, his eyes full of curiosity, and looked up at Kudo Yuki. "Xiaoxue, could the quarrel in the building that Zhufu Jingguang mentioned be related to the 'unusual movement of the experimental subjects' we suspected earlier? If there is a problem with the constant temperature system that the guard mentioned, it will have a huge impact on the experiment, right?"

Kudo Yuki nodded gently and followed Shushu's words, analyzing, "The constant temperature system is the core guarantee of the laboratory. If there is a malfunction, the condition of the experimental subject is likely to get out of control. This may also be the reason why the guard dared to confront the researcher.

But the researcher's use of the boss to pressure others actually shows that this 'early injection' is a very high priority, and there may be an emergency behind it that we are not aware of."

Amuro Toru added, "And the guard mentioned a 'circuit fault'. The fire alarm just went off, so we need to confirm whether the circuits in other areas of the building are functioning properly."

Shushu immediately pulled up the system screen, clearly displaying the real-time situation in the building in front of Amuro Toru and Kudo Yuki. "I've pulled up all the surveillance and circuit monitoring data around the B-area laboratory. Take a look!"

On the screen, the guard captain frowned as he looked at the authorization document in the researcher's hand, stamped with Karasuma Renya's seal. He then glanced at the still-flashing fire alarm indicator light and said with a hint of impatience, "The alarm hasn't been fully investigated yet. If the circuit failure affects the laboratory's constant temperature system, who will be held responsible? Even if you have the boss's document, you still have to follow the rules."

The researcher's face flushed, his fingers whitening as he clutched the document. "This is an order from the Boss himself. The premature injection of the drug was to observe the 'experimental subject's' stress response. Can you afford to delay progress?"

The argument between the two attracted several passing service personnel, who all looked in.

The captain of the guards glared fiercely and waved his hand, "What are you looking at? Disperse! This is Area B, not where you should be staying!"

The service personnel quickly turned around and left.

At this moment, an internal call came in from the laboratory's main control room. After the guard captain picked up the phone, his expression gradually relaxed. After hanging up the phone, he looked at the researcher.

"The main control room has just finished checking. The alarm was caused by an aging circuit, and it's back to normal now. However, we just received a notification that the boss has temporarily adjusted the experimental procedures. The injection time for the 'enhancing potion' will remain the same and does not need to be advanced."

The researcher was stunned and subconsciously asked, "Why did you suddenly change it? I clearly..."

"Do I need to explain the boss's instructions to you?" the captain of the guards interrupted him with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "Take your documents and return to the laboratory to wait. Don't delay our work here."

In the end, the researcher didn't dare to say anything more. He glared at the guard captain, turned around and left quickly.

The captain of the guard looked at his back, sneered, and waved his hands to let his men return to their posts. The entrance of Area B soon returned to calm.

In the silver car in the alley, Kudo Yuki watched the figures dispersing from the laboratory door and breathed a sigh of relief: "It seems that Karasuma Renya's side really made temporary adjustments, and it's not a trap for Gin."

Kudo Yuki's phone vibrated. It was a message from Okiya Subaru:

Rum was getting impatient waiting at 4-chome and had already started using the encrypted channel to urge Cohen, but Cohen didn't respond. Gin's car was heading towards Beika-cho 4-chome at a fast speed, as if he wanted to get there before Rum exploded.

Shushu poked his head out from his sleeve and shook his little head. "Gin went back to look for Cohen again? Is he worried that Cohen might say something he shouldn't say because of Rum's pressure?"

"It's very likely." Amuro Toru tapped his fingertips on the steering wheel. "Although Cohen obeys Gin's orders, Rum's status in the organization is higher than Gin's. If he's really forced, Cohen may not be able to withstand it.

Gin is rushing over now, firstly to calm Cohen down, and secondly to find a way to give Rum a reasonable explanation for Cohen's disappearance, otherwise Rum will definitely keep investigating endlessly."

Kudo Yuki quickly replied to Okiya Subaru:

Keep a close eye on Gin and Rum's movements, and sync messages immediately if there's any conflict. Also, don't answer Rum's encrypted communications easily; Gin should have a way to connect with him.

After sending the message, she looked up at Amuro Toru and said, "This lab is safe for now. Should we go to Beika-cho 4-chome? If Gin and Rum really come to blows, at least we can help provide cover."

Toru Amuro shook his head and his eyes fell on the window on the second floor of the laboratory.

"No need. Since Gin dared to go to Rum alone, he must have a way to deal with it. It's safer for us to stay here. If Rum deliberately diverts Gin and turns around to attack the laboratory, we can still respond in time.

"And Subaru Okiya is watching over there, and will notify us immediately if anything happens. The most important thing now is to wait for the shift change at 1 a.m., that's the best time for Gin to save Vodka."

Kudo Yuki nodded and put away her phone.

The night deepened, and the laboratory was so quiet that the only sound was the wind blowing through the leaves. Everyone was waiting for the early morning that was destined to be not peaceful.

Shushu curled up on Kudo Yuki's lap, his little paws scratching the edge of the system screen. He watched the ticking time and muttered quietly, "It's still three hours until one in the morning. Do I really have to wait around for the rest of this time?"

Toru Amuro raised his hand to adjust the heater in the car, his eyes sweeping over the window on the second floor of the laboratory that was always dark.

"Waiting is the safest option right now. Subaru Okiya is watching Rum, and the lab situation has just calmed down. Any rash action will only expose us."

Kudo Yuki took out her cell phone and looked through the encrypted message that Vermouth had sent her not long ago.

There was only a blurry photo, in which Vodka was wearing a lab coat and sitting on a chair in the observation room with a blank expression. The instrument in front of him was flickering.

"Vermouth said that Vodka is currently just 'undergoing experimentation'. Karasuma Renya seems to be waiting for some 'adaptation data' and has not yet taken action against him."

She lowered her voice, "But the communicator that Gin crushed and then reconnected is the biggest variable. He's openly cooperating with Karasuma to monitor Rum, but secretly he must be plotting how to save Vodka. He might even want to use this opportunity to trick Rum at the same time."

Shushu pointed at the screen where a new piece of circuit monitoring data popped up.

"The backup power supply in Area B's lab has activated! Although it quickly switched back to the main power supply, the energy consumption is much higher than usual, as if it's preheating some large equipment."

It looked up at Kudo Yuki, its eyes sparkling. "Could this be related to the 'ES Dark Amber Project'? That brainwashing device can't be hidden forever, right?"

Amuro Toru immediately leaned over to the screen, his finger touching the peak of the data curve. "Preheating the equipment at this point in time is most likely related to the 'adaptation data' Karasuma mentioned. If Gin wants to save someone between shifts, he needs to first understand the activation pattern of this equipment. Otherwise, if the security system is triggered, not only will we not be able to save Vodka, but the entire lab will be locked down."

As soon as Kudo Yuki put away her phone, the screen lit up again, and a message from Subaru Okiya popped up with a sense of urgency:

Gin has arrived at 4-chome and meets Rum in front of an abandoned warehouse on the corner of the street. Cohen still hasn't shown up, and Rum is extremely upset.

"Turn it out and take a look." Amuro Toru had just finished speaking.

Shushu has quickly operated the system screen and projected the real-time monitoring images synchronized by Okiya Subaru onto the car display screen.

In the picture, Rum was standing in the shadow of the warehouse, the cold light in his one eye was clearly visible through the screen. Cohen's black car was parked not far away with the door closed, and it was obvious that no one showed up.

A moment later, Gin's black Porsche came speeding over, its tires making a screeching sound as they rubbed against the ground.

He pushed open the car door, his black windbreaker billowing in the night breeze. He walked straight towards Rum, his tone devoid of emotion. "Cohen's missing? I checked in with him before I left. I was supposed to be on standby at Rice Flower Park. How could he have come to you?"

Rum's voice was hoarse and oppressive. "Stop pretending! You were the one who had him secretly keep an eye on Wakasa Rumi, and then you changed his order midway and told him to come see me. Now that he can't be contacted, you need to give the organization an explanation!"

Gin raised his eyebrows slightly, his fingertips carelessly stroking the handle of his gun. "Confession? Rum, the organization's order is 'surveillance', not 'assassination'. You sent Cohen to take a gun to block Wakasa Rumi. Does that master know about this?"

These words seemed to hit a sore spot for Rum. He narrowed his eye and his tone suddenly darkened: "Are you doubting me? Wakasa Rumi is the one who slipped through the net in the Haneda Hiroshi case. Keeping her around will sooner or later become a hidden danger!"

"It's not your place to deal with hidden dangers without authorization." Gin sneered, his eyes sweeping around the warehouse. "Cohen didn't show up. Perhaps he was countered by Wakasa Rumi, or perhaps he's been targeted by the police. What you should worry about now is not letting your 'little tricks' lead to trouble with that master."

As the two of them confronted each other, Shushu suddenly pointed to the corner of the screen and said, "Look! Cohen's car door moved!"

In the video, Cohen stumbled out of the car, his arm still scratched. He quickly walked up to the two of them, lowering his head and not daring to look directly at Rum. "S-Sorry, I was stopped by the traffic police on the way, and my phone was temporarily confiscated, so I couldn't contact you in time..."

Rum was clearly unconvinced and pointed at Cohen's scratches: "How could a traffic police officer hurt you like this?"

Cohen was about to argue, but Gin spoke first: "Enough, now is not the time to dwell on this."

He looked at Rum and said in a slightly firmer tone, "That master has just adjusted the laboratory's experimental procedures. We need manpower to preheat the equipment for the 'ES Dark Amber Project'. Cohen, come back to the laboratory with me and wait. You will explain everything here to that master yourself."

Rum's face turned pale and blue, but he didn't dare to refute in the end.

Karasuma Renya attaches great importance to the "ES Dark Amber Project" above all else. If he continues to insist, it will expose his selfish desire to use Cohen to get rid of Wakasa Rumi.

In the end, he could only grit his teeth, snort coldly, turn around and disappear into the night.

Gin glanced at Cohen, who was still trembling, and said coldly, "Get in the car."

He walked straight to his Porsche.

Until the two cars drove away, news from Subaru Okiya came again:

After leaving, Rum contacted the laboratory via an encrypted channel, apparently to confirm the injection time of the "enhancing drug", but was blocked by the main control room with "following Karasuma's instructions".

The car screen went dark, and Amuro Toru tapped his fingertips on the steering wheel, seeming to think deeply. "Rum wants to use Cohen to get rid of Wakasa Rumi, and he's also keeping an eye on the lab's potions. It's obvious he wants to get involved in the 'ES Dark Amber Project'. Unfortunately, Karasuma Renya is well prepared."

Kudo Yuki looked at the still dark windows on the second floor of the laboratory and whispered, "He's anxious to recover his left eye and control the brainwashing equipment. His ambition is too obvious. The seeds of suspicion planted by Karasuma Renya will eventually sprout."

Shushu yawned, his chubby little paw scratching the edge of the screen. "What about Gin? He clearly knows what Rum is thinking, but he doesn't expose it. Is he trying to save face for Rum, or does he have other plans?"

"He's leaving himself some wiggle room," Amuro Toru said firmly. "Gin needs to stabilize Rum now so he can free up his hands to save Vodka. Once Rum falls, Karasuma Renya will likely send someone even more difficult to deal with, which will be detrimental to his ability to save people."

Zhu Fushi Jingguang's voice came through the communicator: "The guards for the laboratory shift have begun to gather. The one o'clock break is approaching. Gin's car is driving towards the back door of the laboratory at a very slow speed, as if he is observing the surrounding environment."

Kudo Yuki immediately sat up straight and pulled out her phone, pulling up a diagram of the lab's back door. "There are three surveillance cameras at the back door. Shushu, could you temporarily jam the surveillance signals during the three minutes between shift changes?"

Shushu immediately perked up, his chubby little paws swiping across the screen. "No problem! I've already hacked into the lab's surveillance system. I'll create the illusion of 'line fluctuations' so it won't arouse suspicion!"

Amuro Toru started the car and slowly drove to the hidden corner of the laboratory's back door: "Okiya Subaru, keep an eye on Rum over there, and we'll wait for Gin's signal to move."

The night grew darker, with only sporadic lights flickering in the laboratory, and the footsteps of guards changing shifts echoed in the corridor.

Shushu stared at the ticking time on the screen and counted down quietly, "One minute left... thirty seconds... ten seconds... shift begins!"

The moment the words fell, snowflakes appeared on the three surveillance screens at the back door of the laboratory at the same time, and Gin's Porsche had quietly stopped in the shadow not far from the back door.

Kudo Yuki held her cell phone tightly, her eyes fixed on the direction of the back door - this game of calculation and rescue was finally about to reach a critical moment.

As the surveillance camera started to snow, Gin pushed open the car door and a dark figure rushed to the back door of the laboratory. He held the micro magnetic card and pressed it against the access control sensor. With a light beep, the door unlocked.

That was the backup authority card he had obtained through Vermouth a long time ago, and it happened to be out of the sight of the guards who were changing shifts.

To be continued...