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

At seven in the morning at the Poirot Café, amid the low hum of the coffee machine grinding beans, Toru Amuro was putting the last slice of ham on the sandwich.

"Amuro Toru! Add an extra slice of cheese to your ham sandwich!" Shushu's little head popped out of his pocket, his chubby paws digging into the fabric. "Conan specifically told me this yesterday, don't forget!"

Amuro Toru chuckled and took out another slice of cheese from the refrigerator. He caught a glimpse of Kudo Yuki bending over to check the swelling of her ankle.

The redness from last night's cold compress had faded considerably, but he still walked over and squatted to help her adjust the edge of her socks. "Try to sit still today. I'll take care of Wakasa-sensei."

Kudo Yuki's phone suddenly vibrated. It was a message from Kuroba Toichi, with a blurry surveillance screenshot attached.

In the video, Rum appeared at the back door of the backup laboratory at 3 a.m., holding a black briefcase, with only one sentence in the caption:

He stayed in the laboratory for twelve minutes, apparently examining something.

"Looks like Rum can't hold back anymore." Kudo Yuki handed the phone to Amuro Toru. "It might contain the chip he needs to modify the 'ES Dark Amber Project'. After all, the old man asked him to review the brainwashing program today. This is his last chance to tamper with it."

Shushu suddenly pricked up his ears and twitched his little nose. "Someone's coming! It's Officer Matsuda's cigarette!"

The door was pushed open and Jinpei Matsuda walked in with a stack of documents in his hand, rubbing his lighter as if he had a craving for a cigarette.

He placed the documents on the table, his eyes glancing at Kudo Yuki's ankle, then at Amuro Toru's tense profile. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Manager Kuroda has ordered that you and I be responsible for perimeter security today. Hagiwara and Date have already staked out the area near the laboratory. Nagano's interrogation records, everything you want is here."

Shushu suddenly fluttered in his pocket: "Conan is here! He's running so fast, as if he's explaining something to Mao Lilan!"

"Officer Matsuda!" A crisp voice came with hurried footsteps. Conan rushed into the coffee shop with a snow-white backpack on his back, sweat on his forehead. "I told Sister Xiaolan that I would come to help organize the materials today, and she agreed to let me come!"

He ran to the counter, first glanced at the interrogation record, then looked up and asked Kudo, "Sister Xue, will Mr. Wakasa bring anything important when he comes over tonight?"

Kudo Yuki's fingertips were still resting on the surveillance screenshot on the phone screen. When she looked up at the words, a smile appeared in her eyes. She reached out and rubbed Conan's sweaty head: "Wakasa-sensei will wear the fragments of the artificial eye. There are traces left by Rum on it. Maybe it can match the equipment lock in the laboratory."

Amuro Toru pinched the edge of the document with his fingertips, his eyes scanning the notation in the interrogation record. When he looked up, he happened to meet Matsuda Jinpei's gaze. "Are there any further information from Officer Gao Ming regarding the remaining clues after the blockade?"

He quietly rubbed Kudo Yuki's hand under the table with his fingertips - she had stayed up late last night to organize laboratory drawings, and her knuckles were still slightly tired.

"Zhufu Gaoming just said 'the fox's tail can no longer be hidden,' without going into details." Matsuda Jinpei put the lighter back in his pocket and his eyes fell on Kudo Yuki's ankle. "If your foot gets swollen again, Manager Kuroda will probably change Poirot's business hours to half a day."

There was a hint of sarcasm in his words, but he didn't mention that he had taken a detour to the pharmacy this morning to buy a swelling-reducing patch, which he now had in the inner pocket of his windbreaker.

As soon as Amuro Toru's fingertips touched Kudo Yuki's hand, he heard the rat in his pocket suddenly hum, "There's a smell of de-swelling patches in Officer Matsuda's inner pocket! It's exactly the same as the one Amuro Toru bought for Yuki yesterday!"

A hint of smile flashed across his eyes, and he looked at Matsuda Jinpei, following Shushu's words. "Since you brought the swelling-reducing patch, why not just take it out? You always keep it in your pocket, and be careful not to get tainted by the coffee smell."

Matsuda Jinpei's ears felt slightly hot. He frantically fished out the package from his inner pocket and handed it over, saying stubbornly, "Manager Kuroda asked me to bring it along so you wouldn't be so busy toasting sandwiches that you forgot to treat her ankle."

Kudo Yuki was about to thank her when Conan suddenly came over and pointed at a line in the interrogation record: "Sister Yuki, look, it says 'No core chip found'. Rum went to the backup lab in the early morning, maybe to move the chip to another place. Could the artificial eye fragment that Wakasa-sensei brought with him just be able to locate the chip?"

"It's very likely." Kudo Yuki tapped the record with her fingertips and turned to look at Amuro Toru. "Uncle Touichi said yesterday that there's a compartment in Rum's briefcase. Maybe the chip is hidden there."

Shushu suddenly jumped out of the pocket and squatted on Conan's backpack. He patted the side of the backpack with his chubby paws and said, "Conan, there's a tracker in your backpack that Haibara Ai gave you! If we stick this on Wakasa-sensei's bag, we can track Rum's whereabouts!"

Amuro Toru bent down and took Shushu back into his palm, gently rubbing his fur with his fingertips. "We have to wait until Wakasa-sensei arrives before we can put the tracker on. Now eat your sandwich first. If you don't eat it now, the 'extra cheese' that someone specifically asked for yesterday will get cold."

The coffee machine stopped with a "drip" sound, and the rich aroma of coffee mixed with the milky aroma of cheese spread.

Conan immediately stared at the sandwiches behind the counter and swallowed: "Then I'll take two! Mr. Amuro, is there any new information about the 'backdoor route to the laboratory on Kagekawa Luo's side' that I told you yesterday?"

"Hiro sent a message this morning saying that the surveillance camera at the back door will have a three-minute blind spot every hour, which is just enough to avoid patrols." Amuro Toru put the sandwich on a plate, pushed it in front of Conan, and handed Kudo Yuki a cup of warm milk.

"But he can only act after Mr. Wakasa confirms the location of the chip. Vodka is still in the lab, so we can't act rashly."

Matsuda Jinpei then picked up a document and pointed at the overlapping fingerprint traces. "Moruofushi Takaaki found Rum's fingerprints at the seizure scene. They match the residual fingerprints at the Haneda Hiroshi crime scene. Now we're waiting to see if we can extract more clues from Mr. Wakasa's artificial eye fragments."

Kudo Yuki took a bite of her sandwich.

Shushu scurried into her palm, his voice a bit anxious: "There's a car heading this way outside. It's Haneda Yasuharu's rare black antique car. It'll take about half an hour to arrive."

Kudo Yuki paused, her eyes brightening before she even swallowed the sandwich she had just bitten. "Mr. Haneda Yasuharu is coming here in person? Look, it's Aunt Mary who sent a car to pick up Toru and me to go to the Haneda family's home to discuss something."

She reached out and touched the mouse in her pocket, and the little fur ball immediately rubbed her palm, as if to confirm the authenticity of the news.

Conan chewed his sandwich and raised his hand vaguely: "I'll go too! Maybe I can hear new clues about the Haneda Hiroshi case!"

He had just taken two steps when Jinpei Matsuda put his hand on his shoulder.

"What's the rush?" Matsuda Jinpei shook the document in his hand, tapping the name "Haneda Yasuharu" with his fingertips. "You'd better stay here until Mr. Haneda arrives. If you leave now, you might be recognized by the FBI following you, which would only cause trouble."

Shushu hummed softly in Kudo Yuki's pocket, "Officer Matsuda is right! If Conan goes out now and James sees him, he'll definitely ask him a lot of questions! And I just heard the FBI say in the car, 'We need to confirm Wakasa Rumi's whereabouts.' They must be waiting for Wakasa Rumi to come to Poirot!"

Amuro Toru chuckled, bent down and took Shushu out of his pocket, gently stroking its little ears with his fingertips: "You are really smart. Conan, you stay in the store and organize the interrogation records. Maybe you can find clues about Rum's transfer of the core chip."

He turned to look at Kudo Yuki, his tone softening. "I'll go pick up Mr. Haneda at the door. You wait for me by the window. Feel free to contact me via the communicator if you need anything."

Kudo Yuki nodded, and just as she was about to let go of his hand, Amuro Toru held it with his backhand.

His fingertips were covered with calluses, and he gently pinched her knuckles, a hint of worry hidden in his eyes: "Don't move. If your ankle swells up again, I will have you 'confined' to the sofa."

Jinpei Matsuda raised an eyebrow as he watched from the side. He fished out a swelling-reducing patch from his inner pocket and tossed it to Toru Amuro. "Here, remember to put it on her if she stands by the window for too long. If Officer Kuroda finds out you haven't taken good care of her, don't try to push the next 'overtime duty' onto me."

Conan finished chewing the last bite of his sandwich and said, "Officer Matsuda, Officer Sato, do you mind if you smoke?"

Matsuda Jinpei's hand gripping the lighter suddenly paused, and a faint blush instantly spread to the tips of his ears. However, he forced himself to remain calm and turned his face toward the window, his voice muffled: "Why is a child asking such questions? Quickly mark the timeline in the interrogation record, and stop focusing on other people's affairs."

Kudo Yuki pinched Shushu's soft paws and looked at the red tip of Matsuda Jinpei's ear. She couldn't help laughing: "If Miwako found out about Matsuda's little trick of hiding the swelling patch, he might be teased as 'better at caring than Amuro'."

Amuro Toru had just put the rat back in his pocket when he raised an eyebrow and looked at Matsuda Jinpei, his fingertips still stained with coffee powder. "Indeed, compared to someone carrying a swelling-reducing patch and insisting it was ordered by Manager Kuroda, I at least dare to admit that I prepared it specifically for Xiaoxue."

Matsuda Jinpei tightened his grip on the lighter, his ears turning redder, but he deliberately changed the subject, pointing to the interrogation records in Conan's hand: "Stop talking nonsense, Conan, mark the relevant timelines. When Wakasa Rumi arrives, these can be matched with the clues of the artificial eye fragments."

Conan stuck out his tongue and quickly opened the interrogation record, the tip of his pen just touching the paper.

Shushu murmured softly, "Officer Matsuda was obviously afraid that Officer Sato would find out that he secretly bought the swelling-reducing patch, so he deliberately acted harshly~"

Amuro Toru was making coffee when he heard this and chuckled. The coffee spoon made a crisp sound when it hit the wall of the cup. "If someone was really scared, they wouldn't have deliberately taken a detour to the pharmacy just now."

He pushed the warm milk in front of Kudo Yuki and said, "But the swelling-reducing patch is really useful. After Xiaoxue applied it last night, your ankle doesn't hurt anymore this morning, right?"

Kudo Yuki smiled and nodded, reaching out to touch the little ball of fur in her pocket: "Thanks to Matsuda's thoughtfulness."

Steam was still rising from the coffee machine.

Jinpei Matsuda was interrupted by the sudden sound of an engine outside the window.

The headlights of the rare black antique car shone through the glass, casting two long streaks of light on the ground.

Amuro Toru put down the coffee spoon and helped Kudo Yuki straighten the corner of her clothes: "I'm going to pick up Mr. Haneda, you wait here."

As soon as he reached the door, he saw Yasuharu Haneda getting out of the car wearing a ventilator. His dark suit made him look tall and straight, and the leather briefcase in his hand was obviously filled with important documents.

The two exchanged a few simple greetings.

Toru Amuro deliberately turned sideways to block the other person's sight, avoiding Conan and Jinpei Matsuda in the cafe.

Yasuharu Haneda doesn't know Conan's true identity yet, so there's no need to add to the trouble.

When Toru Amuro led Yasuharu Haneda into the coffee shop, he deliberately used his eyes to signal Kudo Yuki not to stand up.

As soon as Haneda Yasuharu sat down, he placed his leather briefcase on the corner of the table. Amidst the subtle hum of the ventilator, his tone was filled with urgency. "Mary asked me to pick you up because the original ES Amber logo might match the code on the artificial eye fragment."

Kudo Yuki looked up at Haneda Yasuharu and said, "Since Aunt Mary specifically asked you to come pick her up, I guess she knows something about the original logo?"

Yasuharu Haneda's fingertips paused on the briefcase buckle for two seconds before slowly pulling out a plastic-wrapped photo.

On the photo paper, a chess piece with shiny corners lies quietly in a dark velvet box, and the surface of the chess piece is engraved with fine dark patterns.

"This is the amulet Hiroshi has carried with him since he was a child," he said softly, as if afraid to shatter memories, his fingertips lightly brushing the chess piece. "Mary said you mentioned earlier that the original code for the 'ES Amber' had a wing pattern. The engraving on the back of this chess piece might be the symbol you're looking for."

Kudo Yuki took a closer look and found half a broken wing on the back of the chess piece.

It fits perfectly with the patterns on the fragments of Wakasa Sensei's artificial eye.

Shushu urged, "There's an old blueprint from the lab in Mr. Haneda's briefcase! It looks very similar to the draft of 'ES Amber' that Xiaoxue compiled yesterday!"

Amuro Toru immediately caught on to what Shu Shu had said. He calmly glanced at the corner of the half-cut drawing sticking out of the zipper of the briefcase, but he didn't point it out right away. He simply took the photo and handed it to Conan: "Compare it with the coded sample in the interrogation record and see if it matches."

Just as Conan pulled out his magnifying glass, he heard Matsuda Jinpei cough softly at the door. He shook his phone, and on the screen was a message from Hagiwara Kenji: "The FBI car is still lingering around the corner. You should leave."

Yasuharu Haneda immediately stood up and slung his briefcase over his shoulder. The faint sound of the ventilator revealed his urgency: "I'll show you again on the way to the old house. There may be more clues inside."

Toru Amuro first helped Kudo Yuki straighten her coat, then bent down to take Shushu out of her pocket and gently rubbed its little ears with his fingertips: "You stay in Xue's pocket and don't come out until we get to Haneda's house." The little fur ball immediately curled up into a ball, and its furry tail swept across his fingertips as a response.

Matsuda Jinpei stuffed the interrogation records into Conan's hands and took out a stack of spare communicators: "Conan and I will keep an eye on the store. We will contact you as soon as Wakasa Rumi arrives."

Conan nodded while holding the document. Suddenly, he remembered something and grabbed the corner of Amuro Toru's clothes: "Mr. Amuro, does the Haneda family have any shogi records of Brother Hiroshi? Maybe we can find more coding clues!"

"We'll help you find it after we confirm the signs." Amuro Toru rubbed the top of his head and turned to look at Kudo Yuki. "If your ankle feels uncomfortable, tell me anytime."

To be continued...