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

Gin didn't respond, but simply took out the piece of paper with the sunglasses on it and pinched the edge repeatedly. He could guess that the two men were going to take him to see Vodka, but Karasuma Renya was still watching him.

Although the communicator was crushed by him, there was still a trace of signal. If his intention to "save Vodka" was exposed, the consequences would be very worrying.

The car drove for about ten minutes and stopped in front of an old gas station in the suburbs.

Matsuda Jinpei got out first, walked around to the back seat and opened the door. He twirled the baton in his hand, his voice still gruff, "We're here. Mr. Gin, follow me. Vodka's waiting inside."

Gin stood up and put his hand on the Beretta at his waist again. His eyes swept over the mottled walls and dusty gas pumps of the gas station. He didn't notice anything unusual, but he didn't notice that Subaru Okiya had already gone around to the back and was leaning against the faded oil tank, with the camera of the recorder aimed at the entrance.

"I'll go with you." Amuro Toru followed, carrying Rum on his back. "Rum can't be left alone. If he wakes up and causes trouble, no one will be able to control him."

Shushu jumped onto Amuro Toru's shoulder, its chubby little paws clawing at his collar as it muttered, "The gas pumps here are all rusty, and there are holes in the corners. Isn't it unsafe?"

Amuro Toru said nothing, merely tilting his head slightly and using his eyes to signal Shu Shu to stop. He had already checked the surroundings. Although it was an abandoned site, there were no signs of an ambush from the distillery. He felt a little relieved: "At least it's safe for now. Let's stabilize Gin first."

Jinpei Matsuda pushed open the door of the gas station's storage room. There was no light inside, only the emergency light casting a faint green light on the ceiling.

He tilted his head inside. "The vodka is in the compartment inside. Go in by yourself. We'll be guarding outside. Don't be too long. We have to report to headquarters."

Gin walked in, his footsteps extremely light. The compartment door was ajar, and the moment he pushed it open, his breath suddenly stopped.

Vodka was sitting on a chair, wearing a lab coat with faint traces of chemicals on his cuffs, but he wasn't seriously injured. When he saw him come in, his eyes lit up instantly: "Brother!"

"Hush." ​​Gin quickly stepped forward, reached out and touched Vodka's arm, confirming that there was no wound, then lowered his voice and said, "How are you? Did the people in the lab give you any trouble?"

"No, they just don't let me go out. I have to do some checkups every day." Vodka's voice sounded aggrieved and a little confused. "Brother, didn't they say that the master doesn't allow you to visit me?"

Gin didn't mention the "fake guards". He just took out the note with Vodka's silhouette from his pocket and handed it to him, and stuffed a button into his hand with his other hand.

"I'll find a way to get you out. Don't cause any trouble in there. Hide this button. Contact me if anything happens."

That was given to him by Vermouth before, and it contained a miniature signal device that could avoid the winery's signal shielding.

Outside the cubicle, Amuro Toru put Rum on the ground, took out the anesthetic needle and was about to give him another shot when Shushu suddenly leaned close to his ear and said in a small, nervous voice, "I think I heard some movement back there!"

Just as he was about to listen carefully, he saw Date Ko walk in quickly with documents in his hand. When he saw Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji, he frowned.

"Why did you bring Gin here directly? Manager Kuroda said that he had to confirm his intentions before letting him see Vodka."

"What are you afraid of?" Matsuda Jinpei leaned against the wall, his baton tucked back behind his waist. "If he dares to do anything tricky, can't Kenji and I control him? If we delay any longer, the Karasuma guards will be here."

Hagiwara Kenji took the document from Date Kou's hand and glanced at it quickly. "Is this the supplementary information for the 'Amber' project? Did Xiaoxue send it?"

"Yes, she told us to interrogate Rum as soon as possible and get the equipment debugging records of the 'Amber' project." Date's eyes fell on Amuro Toru, then looked at Rum lying on the ground. "The anesthetic is almost wearing off. Tie him up first and don't let him wake up and scream."

As Toru Amuro took out the rope, he heard Gin's voice from the cubicle: "Who's outside?"

Date Kou gestured for Matsuda Jinpei to handle the situation. He then walked over to Amuro Toru and lowered his voice, "Manager Kuroda said that after Gin and Vodka meet, you should take Rum back to the 'liaison base'. They're waiting to interrogate him there."

"Got it." Amuro Toru responded without stopping his hands and quickly tied Rum to the chair.

Shushu lay on the rope, shaking his little head. "Just now, I saw two people lying in the bushes behind the gas station. They were not wearing coats and were moving!"

Amuro Toru looked at Hagiwara Kenji and Matsuda Jinpei and murmured softly, "Did you two do what happened in the bushes?"

Yi Dahang was stunned for a moment and was about to speak.

Matsuda Jinpei said with a smile, "Where are the people? I guess it was just the wind blowing the branches and I saw it wrongly."

He said this deliberately to Gin in the compartment, so as not to arouse his suspicion and to quietly pass the message to people who might be nearby.

As expected, Gin in the compartment didn't ask any further questions. He just gave Vodka a few more instructions before pushing open the door and walking out. His expression was much more relaxed than before, but still tense. "I've met the person. What do we do next?"

"Take Rum back to headquarters first and wait for the master's instructions." Hagiwara Kenji stepped forward, his voice returning to its previous gruffness. "Mr. Gin, you come with us. We'll take good care of Vodka. He still has to wait to go on the mission with you."

Gin glanced toward the compartment before following him out, thinking to himself, "This is the promise these 'fake guards' have made to me, and it's my only hope. As long as Vodka is safe, I can continue to cooperate with that lord and wait for the opportunity to bring him down."

Behind the gas station, Subaru Okiya put away his recorder and glanced at the bushes not far away - there were two men in black lying there, their coats thrown aside, their chests heaving slightly, obviously they had been knocked unconscious.

He touched the human skin mask on his face, took out the communicator and called James: "Gin has met Vodka, and Rum was taken away by Amuro Toru. Their destination should be the rendezvous point with Kagekawa Raku. I will follow them and report any situation at any time."

After hanging up the phone, Subaru Okiya looked up at the car lights in the distance, a faint smile on his lips. This negotiation with the winery had finally taken another step forward.

Near the Poirot Café, Akai Tsutomu parked his car under the shade of a tree at the back door, with the windows rolled down, and the evening breeze blew in with the aroma of freshly baked sandwiches.

Akai Mari gathered her coat, her middle school-aged figure wrapped in adult clothing, but her fingertips clutched the micro-comic. "Are you sure Akemi and Shiho are in Kudo Yuki's safe house?"

Akai Tsutomu turned his head to look at the back seat: "Mary, you and Masumi wait in the car, I'll go confirm the location of the safe house with Conan."

Akai Mary nodded slightly and stuffed the micro communicator into the inner pocket of her coat.

Masumi Sera leaned on the car window, peering curiously into the Poirot Café. Through the glass, she saw Conan standing on tiptoe to help Azusa Enomoto stack coffee cups.

Akai Wuwu pushed the door open and got out of the car, then walked to the entrance of the coffee shop.

Conan raised his head, his eyes lit up when he saw him, and whispered to Enomoto Azusa: "I'm going to talk to my uncle."

So he trotted out to meet him.

"Uncle Akai," Conan lowered his voice, clutching the corner of his clothes with his small hands, "Sister Mingmei and Huibara are in the safe house now. Sister Xue said that the people from the winery can't find them for the time being."

Akai Tsutomu squatted down and looked him in the eye. "Do you remember the exact location of the safe house?"

"I've memorized it," Conan nodded, pulling a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handing it over. "This is the route map Sister Xue drew. It avoids all sections that might be monitored. Oh, and Huiyuan said that Sister Mingmei has helped organize the experimental notes left by her mother, Aunt Elena. They contain some data on the antidote for APTX4869."

Sera Masumi also opened the car door and ran over, patting Conan on the shoulder: "Hey, Conan, my mother is still waiting to hear about Sister Mingmei! How is she now? Is she not being wronged?"

Azusa Enomoto's voice came from the coffee shop: "Conan, someone called you, it's Huibara!"

Conan's eyes lit up, and he quickly said to Akai Wuwu: "It's Huibara! I'm going to answer the phone, wait for me."

He ran back to the cafe and picked up the phone. Huibara Ai's voice came from the receiver: "Conan, everything is normal at the safe house. Sister was just saying that she wanted to call Aunt Mary to confirm your situation. By the way, Sister Xue just sent a message saying that the Kaito Crow is watching Rum's whereabouts in the dark, so don't worry too much."

Conan glanced at Akai Tsutomu and Sera Masumi at the door, covered the microphone and whispered softly: "I see, I'll let Aunt Mary talk to you later. Is Sister Mingmei okay? Uncle Akai and Aunt Mary are very worried about her."

"Sister is doing well. She was just helping me organize my notes." Huiyuan Ai added, "Sister Xue said that once things here are a little more stable, she will arrange for us to meet with Aunt Mary to reassure her."

Conan put the phone on the table and walked quickly to Akai Tsutomu: "Uncle Akai, Huihara said that Sister Meimei is fine. We will arrange a meeting when the situation stabilizes. She also wants to talk to Aunt Mary on the phone."

Upon hearing this, Akai Mari loosened her grip on the corner of her coat. Her middle school figure looked a little thin under the loose fabric, but she couldn't hide the anxiety in her eyes. "Can we talk now? I want to make sure she's safe."

Conan nodded and was about to turn around and go back to the cafe to get the phone, but Sera Masumi had already opened the glass door of the cafe and said, "I'll get it for you! Mom, you wait in the car so as not to be noticed."

She ran briskly to the counter, whispered a few words to Azusa Enomoto, then ran back to the car with the phone in her hand and handed the receiver to Mary Akai.

"Akimi?" Akai Mari gently pressed the receiver. "This is Mari. Are you okay in the safe house? Is Shiho having a bad temper?"

The sound of Huibara Ai flipping through her notes was heard on the other end of the phone.

Miyano Akemi responded gently, "I'm fine, and Shiho is also very good. I'm just always worried about you and Masumi. Ms. Kudo prepared a lot of supplies for us, and the safe house is very hidden."

Akai Mary hummed, her throat tightening a little. "Please persuade Shiho more and don't let her stay up late to read the notes."

Miyano Akemi responded softly.

Huiyuan Ai's tone was filled with resentment: "Sister, how could I stay up late? It was you who brought the hot milk into the study, but you forgot the time."

Akai Mary couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth: "If Elena knew that you are fine, she would definitely be relieved."

Miyano Akemi was silent for a moment before she whispered, "In the notes my mother left behind, there was a photo of you when you were young, with 'my sister' written on the back."

Mary Akai's tears finally fell on the receiver, and she hurriedly wiped them with the sleeve of her coat to prevent her crying from being heard.

Seeing her mother's eyes turn red, Sera Masumi quietly tugged at the corner of Akai Tsutomu's clothes.

Akai Tsutomu knocked lightly on the car door. "Mary, don't talk too long. This place is close to the main road and will easily attract attention."

Akai Mari said quickly into the receiver: "Akimi, take care of yourself and Shiho, we will see each other soon."

Communication ends.

Mary Akai handed the receiver to Masumi Sera, leaned against the car window, closed her eyes and calmed down. The micro communicator she clutched in her coat did not make her feel as at ease as the previous phone call.

In the coffee shop, Conan watched Sera Masumi return the phone and whispered to Enomoto Azusa: "Sister Azusa, didn't Sister Xue tell you what time to come back today?"

Azusa Enomoto pinched the handle of the coffee cup and turned it half a circle, wiping the wall of the cup with a cotton rag, a smile in her eyes, and a hint of joking in her tone: "Before the boss left, she specifically told me that she would be busy until quite late tonight before returning to the cafe.

She also told me, "If Conan feels bored and has no one to chat with, and is really lonely, why not go to Xiaolan and act like a spoiled child, throw himself into her arms and seek comfort? Xiaolan loves him the most."

Conan's ears felt slightly hot, and he clutched the corner of his clothes and whispered back, "Sister Xue always teases me!"

Seeing Conan's ears flushed red, Enomoto Azusa couldn't help but laugh out loud: "The boss was just joking with you, but he cares about you more than anyone else. He even asked me to leave him some freshly baked strawberry sandwiches, saying that if you want to know the information, you can crack the code."

Azusa Enomoto pushed the strawberry sandwich wrapped in oil paper in front of Conan and touched the dark pattern on the corner of the package with her fingertips: "The boss said that the pattern above is a code. If you decipher it, you can see the message she left for you."

Conan immediately leaned over, twisted the sandwich in his hand, and scanned the seemingly random fold lines - a variation of the Morse code he and Sister Xue often played, using long and short lines to correspond to numbers, which in turn corresponded to the page numbers on the Poirot Café menu.

Within two minutes, his eyes lit up: "I figured it out!"

Conan's fingertips holding the strawberry sandwich paused slightly, and his eyes fell on the numbers corresponding to the broken line - four numbers connected together, it was "4869".

He turned and ran out of the cafe, and just as he reached the door, he ran into Akai Tsutomu who had turned back.

Seeing his serious expression, Akai Wuwu immediately leaned over and asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem with the password?"

"It's '4869'." Conan handed over the sandwich and pointed at the lines with his fingertips. "Sister Xue matched the number with the menu page number, which must be related to APTX. And Huiyuan just said that Sister Mingmei sorted out the antidote data, and now suddenly brought up this..."

Sera Masumi stuck her head out of the car: "Conan! My mom said that when we were talking on the phone just now, Akemi mentioned the 'photos in the lab notes'. Could it be related to this number?"

To be continued...