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

Inside the Kudo family residence, Kudo Yusaku sat on a dark brown leather sofa, his fingertips crossed and resting on his chin. His usually gentle eyes now had a bit of solemnity as his gaze fell on Akai Shuichi who was talking on the phone not far away.

Yukiko leaned against him, one arm affectionately wrapped around his neck, the other hand gently resting on Yusaku's wrist, her delicate eyebrows full of worry.

Shuichi Akai had already dropped his disguise as Subaru Okiya. He stood with his back to the sofa, his fingers tightening slightly around his phone. "Can't get in touch with Cameron? Didn't that guy say he was going to buy a new phone today?"

Judy's voice on the other end of the phone was mixed with the faint sound of car horns on the street, and it seemed a little hurried: "That's right, so I didn't know his new number before he called me."

"We can use GPS to locate his old phone." Akai Shuichi frowned slightly, his eyes sweeping across the quiet street outside the window, as if trying to catch a trace of abnormality through this calm appearance.

"That GPS isn't working," Judy said helplessly. "He said he was going to buy a new one anyway, so he didn't bring the old one. It would be terrible if someone in the store accidentally saw the contents of our FBI smartphone while transferring the data."

Akai Shuichi was silent for two seconds: "Do you know which store he is going to buy it from?"

"He said he bought it while he was out jogging. He didn't say where, just that it was a electronics store near the street he often goes to. Anyway, I'll go walk along Cameron's jogging route, maybe I'll run into him."

"You have to be careful, Judy. I have a bad feeling that the organization seems to be making some moves recently. Don't act alone, and keep communication open."

After hanging up the phone, Akai Shuichi turned to look at the two people on the sofa and said in a serious tone: "Cameron has lost contact. It is likely that he is in trouble. I have to go support Judy."

Yusaku nodded slowly and uncrossed his hands. "Be safe. If you need any help, feel free to contact me."

Yukiko also put aside her worries: "We will stay here and keep an eye out for any unusual news."

At the same time, in the alleys of the Beika Town residential area, the afternoon sunlight was cut into narrow strips of light by the buildings on both sides.

The three little members of the Junior Detective Team were walking forward with brisk steps.

"It's great that only Conan can stay there. He can see the end of the case with his own eyes." Genta put his hands in his trouser pockets, pouting slightly, his tone full of envy, and his stomach growled at the right time, making Mitsuhiko and Ayumi laugh.

Mitsuhiko agreed, "Yes, we also want to see the outcome of the case. We don't know who the murderer is and what methods he used."

Ayumi's face was full of curiosity: "You're very concerned, right? What kind of case is it?"

Ai Haibara put her hands in the pockets of her off-white coat and followed the three people half a step behind.

Hearing what the three said, she stopped, lowered her eyes slightly, and said apologetically: "I'm sorry, it's because I'm not feeling well that you can't stay there and participate in the incident."

Yuan Tai immediately turned around and said: "There's nothing I can do about it. Xiao Ai, you're not feeling well, so I have to take care of you first!"

Mitsuhiko also smiled and nodded: "Besides, we can just go to school and ask Conan about the case tomorrow. He will definitely tell us all the details!"

Ayumi ran to Haibara Ai, tilted her little face up, her eyes sparkling: "Yes, Ai, are you feeling better? You looked so bad just now, we were shocked! "

Huiyuan Ai raised her head and gave Ayumi a faint smile, her eyes softening: "I have fully recovered, thank you for your concern."

As soon as he finished speaking, a breeze blew through the alley, carrying with it a faint and strange smell.

The smile on Haibara Ai's face froze instantly, as if she was wrapped in an invisible chill, and the hairs on her body stood up - that was the aura of fear belonging to the Black Organization, which penetrated deep into her bones!

She held her breath, rolled her eyes, and quickly scanned both sides of the alley: on the left was the closed wooden door of a resident's house, and on the right was a low wall piled with debris. The alley entrance was empty, with no one in sight.

Haibara Ai's heart was beating violently in her chest, her fingertips curled up from the exertion, and she screamed frantically in her heart: "No way! Why is there their presence here? Am I being too sensitive, or... are they really chasing us?"

She subconsciously grabbed Ayumi's wrist and lowered her voice: "Let's get out of here quickly."

At the Yoshiwaraso Apartment in Beika-cho, two forensic officers carefully carried a stretcher covered with a white cloth and walked towards a police car parked on the roadside. The black leather shoes occasionally exposed on the edge of the stretcher revealed a hint of depression in the sunlight.

The door of Room 102 on the first floor was open. Several overturned chairs were scattered around the room. The vase at the entrance was broken into several petals, and water stains were slowly spreading through the cracks in the floor.

"How many times have I told you this!" Wu Jingyou stood in the middle of the living room with his hands on his hips, shouting at the police officers in front of him: "One and a half to two hours before the incident, I was live-streaming a game at home! The screen was full of viewers, so I didn't have time to run out and kill people!"

He also reached out and patted the phone in his pocket, as if to emphasize that what he said was true.

Officer Shiratori frowned slightly, his gaze fixed on him. "But it's also possible that you played a pre-recorded video and took the opportunity to leave and commit the crime yourself."

"That's complete nonsense!" Wu Jingyou stamped his feet in frustration. "Then go ask my audience! There were almost 500 people online at the time, and I was interacting with them the entire time. I was watching and answering all the questions from the audience. How can a video recording do that?"

Sato Miwako put her hands on her hips and turned her gaze to Atobe Michiya who was standing next to Wu Jingyou. She said seriously: "Mr. Atobe, is this the case with you too? What were you doing during the time of the incident?"

Atobe Michiya quickly stepped forward, emphasizing with a bitter face, "Officer, I'm also doing a livestream! It's one of those interactive quiz shows. Every time a question pops up, there are four options. It takes a long time to decide which one to choose, and it's really taxing. I'm also constantly discussing the options with the audience, so I don't have the time or energy to kill people!"

He also opened his mobile phone and retrieved the data from the live broadcast background to prove that he was indeed broadcasting live at the time.

Officer Chiba walked over to Cameron in the corner, leaned forward, and asked in a slow voice, "Mr. Anton, according to our understanding, where were you and what were you doing one to two hours before the incident?"

Upon hearing this, Cameron immediately took out his mobile phone, found the payment records and shopping receipts, and showed them to Officer Chiba.

"If I had bought this new phone at a mobile phone store near my apartment three hours ago, the clerk would probably still remember me. After buying the phone, I went for a run along the street trail. After about 40 minutes, I ran into these children in the park on the corner. Later, I ran into Ms. Kudo who was looking for this child."

He pointed at Conan who was standing nearby.

Conan looked up, his face showing a seriousness that didn't match his age. He interrupted, "Yes, about two hours ago, I noticed some strange traces near the crime scene, so I called Sister Xue and asked her to come over to help analyze the case. When she arrived, Mr. Anton happened to be there."

He glanced secretly at Kudo Yuki beside him, with inquiry in his eyes.

Kudo Yuki nodded slightly in response to Conan's words, but her eyes seemed to casually sweep around the living room, her fingertips brushing the edge of the door frame, but in fact her eyes were always on Wakita Kensuke in the corner.

She noticed that Wakita did not surround the police to defend himself or provide evidence like the others did. Instead, he stood by the broken vase at the entrance with his hands behind his back. He then crossed his arms, straightened his clothes, and adjusted the hem of his apron.

Cameron spread his hands, his tone somewhat helpless: "After that, there has always been someone with me. There has never been a lack of people around me."

Officer Shiratori tapped his fingertips on his notepad and looked up at him. "But based on everyone's testimony so far, you're the only one who can't provide complete, continuous proof of your presence one to two hours before the incident. During those 40-plus minutes of running, no one can verify your whereabouts throughout. This is the most crucial gap."

Miwako Sato stepped forward and added, "We also found out that you and the victim had a heated argument downstairs in the apartment building a few days ago, and the neighbors heard your quarrel."

"Just because of a hat!" Cameron raised his voice, a bit amused and helpless. "I was wearing a hat that day, and he suddenly yelled at me when he passed by and insisted that I take it off. We just had a few words. How can this be connected to murder?"

Conan stood aside, one hand on his chin, his brows tightly furrowed, his mind quickly sorting out the clues: [The only one without a clear alibi is Mr. Cameron, but his testimony matches that of his sister for the most part. On the contrary, the "live broadcast alibis" of Wu Jingyou and Atobe Michiya are strange.

Is it really impossible to fake an interactive live broadcast? For example, they could set up an automatic reply script in advance, or use a stand-in to temporarily appear on screen while they slip away to commit the crime...

He looked up quietly, his eyes sweeping across Wu Jingyou's hand clenching the phone, and then falling on Atobe Michiya's fingertips that kept sliding the live broadcast background data. Both of them had an anxious look on their faces, eager to prove themselves.

Wakita Kensuke stood at the entrance without saying a word, his eyes half-closed, seemingly observing the water stains spreading on the ground, but in fact he was taking in everyone's expressions and conversations.

Suddenly, he heard a faint electric sound from his inner pocket. Only he could hear the bodyguard's low voice: "Lord Rum, how is it? Do you still want to block the signal?"

Wakita Kanenori raised his hand and covered his mouth while adjusting his collar, his voice lowered to a very low tone: "No, wait."

His eyes swept over Cameron, who was arguing with the police, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. "If we block the signal now, the police will immediately notice something is wrong and be alert in advance."

But...but if he gets in touch with the FBI and spreads the news..." The bodyguard's voice was filled with anxiety.

"Don't worry." Wakita Kensuke's voice was filled with a cold, confident tone. "He's a suspect now, and the police are watching him. Even if you want to contact him, you have to consider the consequences. Not to mention that he has a new phone..."

His eyes fell on the phone in Cameron's hand. "That's a new model that just came out the day before yesterday. I've had someone check, and his SIM card was just applied for today. There's no call history so far. Apparently, he hasn't had time to establish contact with the outside world yet."

He paused, tapping the wall behind him with his fingertips. His tone became gloomy. "Even if he wants to contact me, he has to wait until the police have finished their investigation and let him regain his 'freedom'."

At this point, a ferocious smile appeared on his face, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes. "And that's the best time for us to put away the bait and start hunting."

Kudo Yuki suddenly walked towards the entrance, bent down to pick up a larger piece of vase fragment, and looked like she was observing the marks on the fragment, but her peripheral vision was firmly fixed on Wakita Kensuke's movements.

She noticed that after Wakita finished speaking, he quietly reached into his inner pocket, as if adjusting a communicator. His fingertips brushed across the fabric, revealing a silver metal edge, which was then covered up again in an instant.

Kudo Yuki put the fragment back where it belonged, turned to Sato Miwako and said, "Officer Sato, besides the water stains, there seems to be a bit of dust on this vase fragment that isn't soil. Perhaps we can ask the forensic department to take a look."

She deliberately changed the subject, not revealing her own observations but also drawing attention to the clues at the scene, while continuing to pay attention to Wakita's reaction.

The other party just glanced at the fragments and then returned to his old and indifferent appearance.

Officer Chiba, Officer Shiratori and Miwako Sato gathered in a corner of the living room to discuss in a low voice. The forensic personnel had just handed over the organized audience questioning records.

We contacted ten core viewers of Wu Jingyou and Atobe Michiya's livestreams, and they all confirmed they could hear the hosts speaking throughout the entire broadcast, with virtually no interruptions. Officer Chiba pointed to key points in the recordings, his tone serious. "One viewer also said he sent a comment asking for a strategy guide, and the hosts responded instantly. It didn't seem like a pre-recorded recording."

"You didn't even have time to go to the restroom?" Officer Shiratori asked, frowning, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing his chin. "If the two of them were really online the entire time during the live broadcast, then their alibi seems to hold water."

"Yes, the audience said they didn't hear any explanation of 'temporary departure', and the background music has always been game-related sounds." Sato Miwako nodded in response, but her eyes drifted to the two people in the middle of the living room. She always felt that something was wrong.

At this point, Officer Chiba suddenly added, "But I noticed a detail—in the game 'Monster Hunter' played by Wu Jingyou, every time he defeated a monster, there was a roar for more than ten seconds. And in the game 'Moe Moe Memories' played by Atobe Michiya, when he invited the NPC to the haunted house, the background was filled with screams and ghostly sound effects. You couldn't actually hear the host's voice at that time."

His eyes lit up, as if he had found a key breakthrough. "If we take advantage of these two sound gaps..."

Officer Shiratori was stunned for a moment, then looked at him helplessly: "You... know the details of these two games in great detail."

Officer Chiba scratched his head and smiled, his ears turning slightly red. "Because I've completed both games."

He added quietly in his mind: “The last time I went on a date with Miaozi, she complained that I chose the haunted house plot for ‘Cute Memories’, which was too straight-forward, and said I should have chosen the amusement park plot…”

Sato Miwako looked at his smug expression and secretly criticized him: "So you're not only a tokusatsu fan, but also a game geek, even into romance games."

To be continued...