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

When Judy and Cameron heard Subaru Okiya's reminder, they almost subconsciously lowered their bodies and quickly squatted on the side of the car, using the car body as a natural cover.

Judy glanced around warily. The evening breeze whipped fallen leaves past her ankles, but it didn't let her relax. The oppressive feeling from the helicopter's hovering still lingered, and no one was sure if the organization had other ambushes.

Kudo Yuki tapped her fingertips twice and her eyes fell on the virtual screen in front of the co-pilot seat.

On the screen, Cohen was seen rapidly evacuating the rooftop of the building opposite, his sniper rifle disassembled and stuffed into a black backpack. But as he turned around, he pulled a palm-sized brown paper bag from his pocket.

That was something Gin had specifically asked to leave behind before he left. He placed the paper bag next to the vent on the edge of the rooftop. What emerged from the bag wasn't a photo, but a transparent evidence bag stained with fine fibers. Inside was half a clear fingerprint: Rum's.

In addition, there is a black card with a snake pattern printed on the edge, which is the pass for entering and exiting the Rum exclusive identification system.

Kudo Yuki looked up at the building opposite. The light was still on in the window of the room on the east side of the 7th floor. The faint light came through the gap in the curtains. It was exactly where Cohen had set up the sniper rifle.

The helicopter had long since disappeared into the twilight. Pointing at the window, she explained, "Given Rum's current situation, Gin might send Cohen to search the room on the seventh floor. The 'evidence' he left behind might hold the key to the organization's other secrets. We might find something unexpected."

"Take a few people up through the emergency exit. Move quickly but don't alert anyone." Subaru Okiya's voice was extremely low, but his eyes behind his glasses were fixed on the fire escape entrance of the building opposite. "Judy, you and Cameron stay here and keep watch. Keep an eye out for any suspicious vehicles approaching."

The FBI agents followed the shadow of the wall and walked around to the back door of the building. When their boots rolled over the fallen leaves, they were very careful not to use too much force for fear of disturbing the hidden spies.

The other three men hunched their backs, lowered their center of gravity, and rushed towards the fire escape. The metal steps made only a slight sound in the twilight, and only the pistols at their waists swayed slightly with their movements.

As soon as James walked out of the warm yellow light of the restaurant, the cold evening wind blew towards him, carrying a sense of uneasiness.

An agent immediately stepped forward and said in a very low voice: "Mr. James, we have discovered a sniper attack on the rooftop of the building opposite."

"What exactly is going on?" James' brows furrowed instantly. He always felt that this operation was too smooth, and it seemed like there was a trap hidden.

"All that was left at the scene was a rifle, the blanket it was wrapped in, a black card with a snake print on it, and half a fingerprint in an evidence bag. There was no trace of the sniper."

The agent spoke quickly, a look of annoyance in his eyes. "We searched very carefully, even the ventilation ducts."

"Didn't you pass by anyone when you went upstairs?" James asked. He knew too well the anti-reconnaissance capabilities of the organization members. As a top sniper, Cohen would never leave so many traces easily.

"Yes, there was a man with a backpack on his back. He looked like a traveler. He was walking down the safety passage. We didn't think much of it..." The agent's voice became smaller and smaller until it was almost inaudible.

"Sure enough, our actions have been noticed long ago." James' voice deepened, his eyes sweeping across the lighted windows of the building opposite. "Cohen left these here on purpose to 'guide' us."

Subaru Okiya's voice immediately came from the headset: "There's nothing we can do about it. Tactics put together in a short time are inherently flawed."

As he spoke, his lenses reflected the distant street lights, and no one noticed that his fingertips clenched.

Kudo Yuki's gaze fell on the close-up of the snake-patterned card on the virtual screen. A clear voice reached everyone through the headset: "That fingerprint and card must be the clues that Gin had Cohen leave behind."

As soon as the agent finished speaking, she hurriedly pulled out a neatly folded white paper from her pocket, pinched the edge of the paper with her fingertips and handed it to James: "Sir, this was found under the butt of the rifle. There is only one line of writing on it."

James reached out and took it, unfolding the note with a certain amount of caution. The dim streetlight just illuminated the paper.

Give it to Vintage wine.

These few words made his pupils shrink slightly, and he subconsciously looked up at Kudo Yuki in the car.

Subaru Okiya rolled down the car window and read the contents of the note from a few steps away. A new understanding came over Kudo Yuki as his gaze from behind his glasses. He switched on his headphones and spoke in a deep voice, "Gin is clearly sending a signal. The direction is very clear."

Judy and Cameron reacted immediately, looked at each other, and saw seriousness in each other's eyes.

Conan tightened his grip on the skateboard and looked up at Kudo Yuki: "Sister Yuki, is Gin testing you, or does he want you to do something with these things?"

Kudo Yuki took the note from James and stroked the rough texture of the paper. "He wants me to use Rum's fingerprint and pass to break in and find out what's going on. In the process, I can also complete the task the old man gave him."

"Watching the fun?" Judy's voice suddenly rose a fraction, then immediately dropped again, her eyes filled with confusion. "Gin knew all about Fine Brew's style, yet he deliberately handed Rum's handle to me. Isn't he afraid that you'll actually find a loophole in the ES Amber Project?"

Kudo Yuki rested her fingertips on the window sill, the evening breeze twirling her hair: "He's afraid, but he's even more afraid of the old man's suspicion."

She looked up at the building across from her. The lights on the seventh floor had gone out at some point. "The old man told him to monitor Rum. If he doesn't make any moves, Vodka, who was sent to the lab as a 'test subject,' might become a test subject as well."

Cameron suddenly interrupted, his tone a bit serious. "But no one in the organization knows you're 'Fine Wine.' Isn't Gin worried that this clue might be intercepted by someone else? For example, if Rum's men search the scene and find the note and evidence, wouldn't they turn around and track down 'Fine Wine's' identity?"

Subaru Okiya pushed up his glasses, and the lenses reflected the faint light of police lights in the distance. That was the outer security that Date Kou and his team were responsible for, and they were slowly narrowing the encirclement as planned.

"Gin's bet is that Rum won't dare to speak out. Rum secretly sent Cohen to assassinate Wakasa Rumi without telling Karasuma Renya. Now that he's lost his fingerprints and pass, he'll only track him down secretly and won't dare to bring it to Karasuma Renya's attention."

Conan propped himself up on the edge of his chair and looked up at Kudo Yuki. "Sister Yuki, Gin asked you to investigate. Is there an ambush on Rum's territory? After all, the ES Amber Project is the core of the organization. He can't be unprepared."

Kudo Yuki took the snake-patterned pass and said, "He will set it up, but it won't be fatal. Gin wants a 'drama'. He needs to let the old man see that I'm 'tracking down Rum', but he can't let me really ruin his plan. Vodka is still in the lab, and he doesn't dare to gamble with the old man's patience."

Subaru Okiya leaned back, his eyes fixed on the fingerprint data. "Rum won't sit still either. He's lost his pass and fingerprints, so he'll definitely check everyone around him immediately. He might even spread false information to lure us into a trap. How do you plan to use this card? Break into Rum's secret base directly?"

"Let's talk about it after the appointment." Kudo Yuki pinched the snake-patterned pass with her fingertips and looked out the car window. James was standing under the street light and talking in a low voice with the agent.

Conan's small hands clung to the window sill, following her gaze to James: "Who is Sister Xue going to meet? Is it someone related to the identity of 'Fine Wine'?"

Kudo Yuki tapped her knees lightly with her fingertips and lowered her voice to a very low tone: "Akai Mary."

"Akai Mary?" Conan's eyes widened instantly, "It's...Mr. Akai's mother!"

He never expected that Kudo Yuki would meet her at this critical juncture.

Okiya Subaru's tone was filled with concern: "Where did you meet her? The situation is too chaotic right now. Rum's people might still be wandering around."

He knew in his heart that his mother was always cautious and would never take the initiative to meet him at this time unless there was something important.

Kudo Yuki's fingertips rubbed the edge of the snake-patterned pass. The cool touch of the card made her think more clearly. "If it's Shinjun who brought it, a car will come to pick me up and meet Toru at Haneda Yasuharu's house."

The air in the car suddenly became quiet.

Conan unconsciously loosened his grip on the skateboard, his face full of surprise: "Mr. Haneda Yasuharu's house? But that's not..."

He paused mid-sentence, thinking, "Haneda Yasuharu is Haneda Hiroshi's father, and Wakasa Rumi is the sole survivor of Haneda Hiroshi's case. Akai Tsutomu also left clues there... Choosing to meet at the Haneda residence, could it be that they want Aunt Mary and Wakasa-sensei to confront us directly about the details of that incident?"

Kudo Yuki revealed shocking news: "I have already told Wakasa Rumi that Akai Mutake is still alive. Mutake is an old friend who helped her escape from Rum's men."

Okiya Subaru's hands froze, and he even stuttered. He looked up at Kudo Yuki, his eyes filled with shock behind his glasses.

Although he learned from Kudo Yuki that his father was still alive, he never thought that Kudo Yuki would actually find him and tell the news to Wakasa Rumi.

Subaru Okiya's hand remained frozen in mid-air, the voice of the agent's report coming from his headset seemingly cut off instantly. He turned his head sharply to look at Kudo Yuki, his pupils constricting slightly in shock behind his glasses. "You... found your father?"

Kudo Yuki turned her head, her eyes fixed on Okiya Subaru's tense face, a hint of mockery in her eyes: "Why should I go out of my way to look for him? It was Mr. Wu who revealed his whereabouts himself."

She recalled the scene at that time: "He drove his car and took Mr. Yasuharu Haneda to a place not far from the Poirot Café to observe the situation secretly. Toru and I noticed someone was snooping, so we lured him out."

Thinking of the fight, the smile in Kudo Yuki's eyes became more obvious. "Later, I found an opportunity to spar with him. I have to say, Mr. Wu's Jeet Kune Do is really amazing. Compared with Mr. Subaru, he is completely on a different level."

Okiya Subaru's hand, frozen in place, slowly dropped. His originally steady voice trembled a little: "Why... hasn't he shown up yet?"

When he asked this, he was stunned - since the day he learned that Akai Tsutomu was still alive, he had imagined the scene of reunion countless times in his mind, but he never thought that his father would hide with Haneda Yasuharu and not want to see his family members who were so close to him.

The words Subaru wanted to ask were stuck on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to know if his father had been doing well these past few years, and if he still blamed himself for what happened back then. But when the words reached his lips, they turned into a very light question: "Has he... ever mentioned me and Mother?"

Seeing the unconcealed anticipation in his eyes, Kudo Yuki told him the truth: "I did. I also asked him to talk to Aunt Mary. Your sister Masumi was a witness."

Subaru Okiya's shoulders, which had been tense from shock, slowly relaxed at the mention of the word "call," but the emotions in his eyes were even more complex: "Were they... okay during the call?"

"Aunt Mary was very excited at first, but she calmed down later." Kudo Yuki looked at the light in his eyes and spoke with a softer tone. "Mr. Wuwu said he would return safely and that our family would never be separated again."

The air in the car seemed to be soothed by these words, and even the tense atmosphere just now softened a little.

Subaru Okiya slowly loosened his hand at his side, and the emotions surging in his eyes gradually subsided, leaving only a trace of melancholy: "He... has arranged everything."

He had always been worried that his father would be in danger while tracking down Rum alone. Now that he knew that his father had someone to rely on in Yasuharu Haneda and could talk to his mother, he finally felt relieved, having been worried for many years.

Conan looked up at the sky. Dusk had already deepened, and the helicopter that had been circling earlier had long since vanished, leaving only a few wisps of wind-blown clouds. He leaned his small hand against the window sill, his tone filled with resentment, "Where on earth did that suspicious helicopter go?"

Subaru Okiya leaned back in his chair, tapping his knees lightly with his fingertips, his eyes fixed on the blurry silhouette of a building in the distance.

"For Rum to hold the second-in-command position in the organization, he definitely wouldn't bet everything on a single operation. Since he dared to show up in person, he must have a backup plan. Perhaps he's been planning his escape ever since we targeted Cohen."

"He must have somehow instructed his accomplices to ram the partition with their car, and then escaped in the chaos!" Conan sat up abruptly. "He's the second-in-command of the organization, so he must be surrounded by many trusted aides. Even though we didn't catch him this time, we did get to know his figure, voice, and appearance, so it wasn't all in vain."

Kudo Yuki had just put away the snake-patterned pass card when she heard the two men's analysis and shook her head slightly. "Rum was using the act of gritting his teeth to transmit Morse code, which persuaded the men outside to help him escape."

"Morse code with teeth?" Conan's eyes widened immediately and he moved closer to Kudo Yuki. "How did Sister Yuki find out?"

Kudo Yuki looked at his anxious expression, a smile in her eyes: "You were so focused on checking the traces left at the scene, your attention was completely focused on the evidence bag, so naturally you didn't notice the little movements during the conversation between Rum and Wakasa-sensei."

To be continued...