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

The palms of Hagiwara Kenji's hands, gripping the crowbar, were still stained with warehouse rust. He had just followed Matsuda Jinpei around to the back alley when he heard the engine sound of a security vehicle behind him.

He subconsciously pulled Matsuda Jinpei into the shadows. The two of them leaned against the brick wall, holding their breath, and watched two car lights pass by the main entrance of the warehouse.

"Luckily, Amuro reminded me in time." Matsuda Jinpei wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Otherwise, we would have been trapped inside by the guards and wouldn't have been able to explain ourselves."

Hagiwara didn't respond, his eyes fell on the hem of Matsuda Jinpei's uniform.

There was a dark stain there, the result of motor oil from moving the crate. He reached out and grabbed the hem of Matsuda Jinpei's shirt, fished a pack of wet wipes from his pocket, and wiped him clean naturally. "Don't rush forward so often next time. Do you still think you're that clueless young man from the police academy who could carry three men?"

The coolness of the wet wipes penetrated the fabric.

Matsuda Jinpei didn't dodge, but simply raised an eyebrow. "Same here, who almost knocked over the shelf just now while trying to find the communicator?"

Hagiwara paused wiping the stain, then laughed. "You're just anxious to get evidence. That tiny camera you installed in the corner of the warehouse, can it capture the guards carrying away the vodka?"

"The angle is adjusted." Matsuda Jinpei pulled a mini display screen from his inner pocket and flipped a switch. The screen clearly showed the figure of the guard carrying vodka. "I'll send the data to Amuro later, and see if I can find any clues about the laboratory from the image."

Kenji Hagiwara leaned over to look at the screen and noticed the badge on the guard members' cuffs.

"The Silver Crow Badge... I've seen a similar insignia before when I was checking the peripheral members of the winery. It's the exclusive badge of the guards directly under Karasuma Ren'ya."

He looked up at Matsuda Jinpei, his eyes solemn. "The fact that a guard of this rank could personally bring Vodka here shows that Karasuma Renya values ​​his 'usefulness' more than anything else. Or, in other words, he's wary of anyone trying to pry more information out of Vodka."

Matsuda Jinpei folded up the mini-display and took a half step back into the alley. Seeing no patrol car lights were sweeping towards him, he spoke. "Whether it's a matter of concern or caution, at least the camera captured the details of the badge. I'll pass the data to Amuro and have him compare it to the guards' data he already has. Maybe he can figure out the pattern of their movements."

The two were about to leave when they suddenly heard the sound of footsteps at the entrance of the alley.

Subaru Okiya landed lightly from the shadow of the roof, his hat pulled down low, covering most of his eyes and eyebrows. "Those two in the bushes are almost awake. It's time to return the coats you borrowed."

He looked at the oil-stained jacket on Jinpei Matsuda's shoulders - it was the jacket he had temporarily borrowed from an unconscious guard member in order to sneak into the warehouse.

Matsuda Jinpei touched the tip of his nose and pulled out a neatly folded black uniform from his backpack. His fingertips were still stained with the remnants of the wet tissue he had used to wipe the stain. "I almost forgot about this. Luckily it didn't get too dusty."

Kenji Hagiwara had already walked quickly towards the bushes. As soon as he squatted down, he heard a faint moan coming from inside. Two guards were rubbing their temples to wake up, their eyes still filled with the confusion that had just been awakened.

He quickly handed over the coat: "Put it on quickly, don't let anyone see your flaws."

Subaru Okiya stood at the lookout point, his gaze from under the brim of his hat passing over the approaching security vehicle next to the gas station, then falling on the figure of Kenji Hagiwara who was helping Jinpei Matsuda adjust his coat. He turned and disappeared into the shadow of the roof, leaving only his gaze fixed on the street in the distance.

The black car of the Karasuma Guards stopped at the main entrance of the abandoned gas station.

Kudo Yuki looked through the car window at the bushes.

It was so quiet there that the only sound was the night wind sweeping through the grass. Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji had already disappeared into the shadows in the distance, leaving only two guards who had just woken up and were sitting up from the ground, rubbing their temples.

The captain of the guards pushed the door open and got out. He didn't immediately address his subordinates on the ground. Instead, he turned to look at Kudo Yuki in the passenger seat, his scrutinizing gaze still lingering. "Master Fine Wine, the boss has instructed that the vodka must be brought back to headquarters in good condition."

The car door was gently pushed open. Kudo Yuki placed her fingertips on the door frame, the edge of her butterfly mask brushed across her shoulders, and the corners of her mouth curved in a faint, almost aloof manner. "I'm naturally at ease with the Guards doing their job."

The two guardsmen in the bushes finally recovered.

One of them stood up, holding onto the tree trunk, and frowned at his companion: "Just now... I felt like I was pricked by something?"

The other man rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes still a little confused: "I can't remember clearly, I just remember that I suddenly fainted when I was chasing Vodka."

The two of them lowered their heads to tidy up their clothes, only to find that their coats had been neatly folded and placed beside them at some point, with a faint smell of motor oil still lingering on the fabric.

That was the stain that Matsuda Jinpei had just touched. Hagiwara Kenji wiped it with a wet tissue, but failed to completely erase the mark.

"Don't dawdle." The captain of the guard's voice came from the direction of the gate. The two men immediately picked up their coats and hurried to catch up, completely unaware that in the shadow of a street lamp not far away, Jinpei Matsuda was holding up a mini display screen, clearly recording their figures.

Hagiwara Kenji stood beside him, holding the wet tissue he had just used, and whispered, "Luckily, there were no loopholes left, but the reactions of those two people saved us from making up excuses."

Jinpei Matsuda folded up the display screen and looked at the roof of the gas station.

Subaru Okiya's figure had long since disappeared into the shadows, leaving behind only a faint presence, proving that he was indeed watching here.

Yi Dahang sat in the black car, but his eyes were always fixed on the alley entrance behind the gas station.

According to the agreed time, Jinpei Matsuda and Kenji Hagiwara should have returned long ago, but there was still no one in the alley.

He raised his wrist to check his watch. Amuro Toru had said "everything went well" before, but he hadn't shown up in person, so he was still worried.

Yi Dahang got out of the car very quietly, and his shoes made no sound as they rolled over the gravel road.

The hem of his coat was blown against his leg by the night wind. His hand unconsciously reached for the intercom at his waist, but he held back: "What if the noise on the channel attracts unnecessary attention? It will only cause trouble for those two."

Rather than risk exposing your location through communication, it is better to take a few more steps to confirm the situation.

Yi Dahang adjusted the collar of his jacket, hid his figure in the shadow beside the car, and walked slowly towards the alley behind the gas station.

He walked along the wall and suddenly caught a glimpse of two familiar figures in the shadows ahead, bending over and talking to the bushes.

Jinpei Matsuda was holding a mini display screen in his hand, and the screen light was flickering faintly in the night.

Hagi Principle was squatting on the side, holding a white object in his hand, which looked like a used wet wipe.

"Hurry up, don't dawdle." Hagiwara Kenji's voice was extremely low, but it still drifted on the wind and reached Date Ko's ears. He saw Matsuda Jinpei put away the display screen, raised his hand and patted Hagiwara Kenji's shoulder, and the two turned and were about to walk towards the alley.

Yi Dahang coughed lightly and walked out from the shadows: "You two seem so leisurely. Do you know how long the time limit has been?"

There were still some unwiped oil stains on the hem of Jinpei Matsuda's uniform.

There was some grass debris on Hagiwara's sleeves, obviously he had been in a lot of trouble just now.

Matsuda Jinpei tucked the monitor into his inner pocket. "We had a minor incident, but nothing was left unnoticed. The two guards woke up, but they didn't get suspicious."

Hagiwara Kenji shook the wet tissue in his hand and added with a smile, "Thanks to Amuro's prompt reminder, otherwise we would have been blocked inside by the guards. This is what I used to wipe the engine oil just now, and it left no marks."

Idahang nodded and looked past the two of them towards the bushes.

There was no movement there anymore, probably the two guards had left.

Kudo Yuki's gaze fell on the direction of the bushes. Two guards were walking towards them, brushing off the grass clippings on their trouser legs. There was still some dirt on the hems of their dark uniforms. They obviously didn't suspect anything about the "sudden coma and folded coat".

Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure moving along the wall in the shadow of a street lamp not far away. The half-exposed profile looked vaguely familiar.

The figure seemed to sense her gaze and instantly shrank into the shadows, leaving only a flash of its sleeve stained with motor oil.

Kudo Yuki's heart sank. "Is it Matsuda Jinpei? Sure enough, they haven't gone far, still watching the guards."

She didn't dare linger for too long, and quickly retracted her gaze, meeting the guard captain's gaze. "It seems that the two subordinates are fine. This saves a lot of trouble."

The captain of the guard remained silent, only giving his two subordinates a cold look.

The confusion on the two men's faces was instantly replaced by vigilance, and they almost trotted into the gas station.

As Toru Amuro's fingertips touched the door handle of the storage room, the rat on his shoulder suddenly pricked up its round ears and gently grabbed his collar with its chubby little paws.

The next second, Kudo Yuki's voice entered his mind: "The guards are searching the perimeter of the gas station. Don't go through the main entrance. The maintenance passage at the back door leads out. Don't let the Karasuma guards know you're here."

Toru Amuro lowered his eyes and looked at Rum who was unconscious at his feet. There was a faint blue tint under his left eye, which was a sign of the conflict between the chip and the APTX4869 drug.

Amuro Toru quickly untied the restraints around his waist, tied them tightly around Rum's wrists and ankles again, and then took out a piece of black cloth to blindfold him. He did it without hesitation: "Shushu, tell Xiaoxue that I can move them away in five minutes. Don't let her be distracted by dealing with the guards."

Toru Amuro wrapped the last piece of tape around Rum's ankle, ensuring that he couldn't struggle even if he woke up in the middle of the night. Then he stood up and wiped the sweat from his knuckles.

Shushu crouched on his shoulder, her round ears trembling slightly with telepathy, relaying Kudo Yuki's words to him word for word: "The captain of the guards keeps looking at the storage room. When you move, don't touch the sensor light at the main door. Climb out the back window. Date Kou will meet you at the alley."

"Got it," Amuro Toru whispered to Shushu, his fingertips clasping Rum's collar as he half-carried, half-dragged him deeper into the storage room. The rear window there, covered in a thin layer of dust, was the escape route he had long since mapped out.

Outside the window came the deliberately low car horn sound of Idahang, two short blasts, which was the agreed safety signal.

Amuro Toru gripped the rear window sill with his fingertips and half-dragged, half-supported the unconscious Rum out. The night wind, carrying the smell of engine oil, blew against his face. He lowered his voice to Date Kou at the alley entrance, "Keep an eye on the guards' car. Don't let them notice anything."

Yi Dahang reached out and caught Rum's arm, and the two of them worked together to stuff the man into the trunk of the car. Their movements were so light that there was not even a sound of metal collision.

Shushu squatted on Amuro Toru's shoulder, his round ears suddenly tensed up, and the frequency of his telepathy was rapid: "Xiaoxue said that the captain of the guard just received a call. Karasuma Renya asked him to send the vodka directly to the laboratory without going back to headquarters!"

As Toru Amuro stood up, he saw the guards carrying vodka into another car under the lights of a gas station not far away. The black car was driving towards the laboratory in the night.

He took out his phone and quickly sent an encrypted message to Kudo Yuki:

I'll send Rum to the safe house first, be careful over there.

Shushu's chubby little paw patted his earlobe and added, "Xiaoxue also told you not to worry about Vodka. Vermouth will find a way to transmit the real-time images of the laboratory. She has already obtained the backup access card for the laboratory."

Toru Amuro nodded, turned around and got into the passenger seat of the car.

Date Hang started the engine and lit the headlights close to the wall, avoiding the surveillance cameras on the main road. He looked out the window at the distance. The guard vehicle that Kudo Yuki was in was slowly driving away. The butterfly mask flashed a silver light under the streetlight, like a sharp blade hidden in the dark night.

At the same time, in the shadow of the roof, Subaru Okiya adjusted the focus of the telescope, and the license plate number of the guard vehicle was clearly reflected in the lens.

He tapped rapidly on his phone, sending a message to Akai Tsutomu, his eyes glancing over the back door of the gas station from under the brim of his hat.

Toru Amuro's car had just disappeared at the entrance of the alley, and the halo of its taillights had not yet dissipated.

"Rum's car went in the opposite direction." Subaru Okiya muttered to himself, thinking of the figure of Jinpei Matsuda whom he had caught a glimpse of at the alley, and his eyes became more solemn.

Kudo Yuki's move of "borrowing guards to deliver vodka" was obviously intended to find out the laboratory's defensive layout.

Outside the house, Vodka's knees made a dull thud as they hit the rough concrete floor. A muffled groan escaped his throat. The effect of the anesthetic had not yet completely worn off, and his eyelids felt heavy as if they were weighed down by lead.

Two guards held his arms, one on each side. The cuffs of their black uniforms brushed against his neck, and the cold, hard edge of the silver crow badge hurt his skin.

"Hurry up, don't waste time." The captain of the guard kicked the calves of the two members impatiently.

The two guards were kicked and staggered. They held Vodka's arms even harder, and the cloth rubbed Vodka's wrists until they turned red.

The groans in Vodka's throat were intermittent, and the dizziness from the residual anesthetic made him unable to even open his eyes. He could only allow himself to be dragged towards the black car.

Kudo Yuki lightly traced the edge of the butterfly mask with her fingertips, her eyes glancing over the vodka being carried into the trunk. Her voice was emotionless, "Let's go to Beika Town first. Drop me off at the hotel, and then you can return the same way."

The captain of the guard nodded, turned around and signaled his subordinate to drive.

The engine started, and Kudo Yuki put her hands in her inner pockets and transmitted a message telepathically: "Vodka has been sent to the laboratory. Vermouth will keep a close eye on it. You take Rum to the meeting place with Hiro first. I will be there later."

Amuro Toru got into Date Ko's car, heard her words, took out his phone and sent a text message:

receive.

To be continued...