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

Amuro Tooru gently closed the door, casually tucking the mouse crouching in his palm into his suit pocket, and the footsteps in the corridor gradually faded away.

Kudo Yuki walked to the window, watching the two figures disappear into the traffic below the hotel. She stroked the divination cards, a sense of relief in her eyes: [The mouse's form will never be noticed in my pocket, and it can even help keep an eye out for any activity.]

“Although the old man’s informants are controlled by Subaru Okiya, no one knows if he has any other tricks up his sleeve.” Yuki Kudo murmured to the air, as if confirming with herself, “At the Haneda mansion, Rum, Gin, and the old man’s people are all gathered together, it’s practically a three-way battle.”

She opened her phone and pulled up the live surveillance footage of the Haneda residence. In the footage, MI6 agents were disguised as servants patrolling the yard, while Rumi Wakasa was sitting on the sofa in the living room, seemingly drinking tea, but her fingertips were actually resting on the hilt of a knife in her pocket.

“Fortunately, Rumi Wakasa knows Rum’s true colors, so she won’t let Aunt Mary fall into Rum’s hands.” Kudo Yuki’s eyes flashed with calculation. “Besides, Gin hates Rum now, so he will do everything he can to ruin Rum’s plans.”

She looked up at the monitor, where Akai Mary was holding Sera Masumi's wrist, teaching her how to deflect the force and counterattack. Although she looked like a middle school student, her movements were nimble and her eyes were sharp, showing the demeanor of an MI6 agent.

“Aunt Mary has been through so much, she won’t be easily defeated.” Kudo Yuki turned off the monitor, turned around and sat down at the table, picked up a pen and quickly sketched something on a piece of paper. “What we need to do now is wait for the transaction in the parking lot to end, get the evidence of the parts handover, and follow the clues to find Rum’s backup laboratory.”

Her pen stopped on the four words "ES Dark Amber": "As long as we find the backup laboratory, we can get the data for this plan. At that time, even if the old man wants to turn things around, he won't have a chance."

At the same moment, in the gray sedan under the overpass, Subaru Okiya was staring at the real-time data stream on the car's computer, while Gin and Rum's argument could be heard through his earpiece.

“Rum is almost at the Haneda residence, with Gin following behind, about 500 meters away,” Subaru Okiya murmured. “Karasuma Renya’s personal guard will arrive in ten minutes. It seems this show is getting more and more interesting.”

He pulled up the interior layout of the Haneda mansion, his gaze falling on the living room: "Wakasa Rumi is in the living room, MI6 is in the yard, and my mother and sister are on the second floor... The layout is reasonable, but Rum's men will definitely break in through the back door."

Subaru Okiya picked up the walkie-talkie and dialed Tsutomu Akai's encrypted channel: "Mr. Tsutomu, Rum's men will attack from the back door. Have MI6 focus their defense on the west wall, where there is a hidden dog hole, which is a weak point in the defense."

Akai Tsutomu's voice came from the other end of the walkie-talkie: "Received. Thanks for the reminder, Mr. Okiya."

Subaru Okiya hung up the walkie-talkie, a warm feeling flashing in his eyes.

Although he now assumes the identity of Subaru Okiya, protecting his family is enough. He looked out the window; the rain was gradually subsiding. The struggle surrounding APTX4869 and the "ES Dark Amber" project was finally about to reach its climax.

Meanwhile, in the parking lot of Beika Town, Amuro Tooru had already met up with Vermouth.

Vermouth, dressed in a black trench coat and disguised as a middle-aged man, saw the divination cards handed to her by Amuro Tooru and a knowing glint flashed in her eyes.

“Saeki’s secretary has arrived and is in a van on the east side of the parking lot.” Vermouth’s voice was deep and hoarse after being processed by a voice changer. “He is holding a silver combination lock box, which should be the parts box for the transaction.”

The mouse in Amuro Tooru's pocket peeked out from the fabric gaps, thinking to itself, "So many men in black, I can't cause any trouble~"

Amuro Tooru seemed to sense the movement in the pocket, pressed his hand against the pocket and straightened his collar, gesturing for Conan to hide in the ventilation duct: "Stay inside and don't make a sound. I'll signal if anything happens."

Conan nodded, turned around and crawled into the ventilation duct, completely unaware that Amuro Tooru had a small "helper" hidden in his pocket.

Amuro Tooru walked towards the van, the mouse in his pocket holding its breath, its little ears perked up, watching the surrounding movements.

The transaction is about to begin, and the battle at the Haneda Mansion is about to ignite.

The window of the silver minivan slowly rolled down, and Representative Saeki's secretary leaned out, her gaze warily sweeping over Amuro Tooru before finally settling on the black briefcase he was carrying.

"Did you bring the stuff?"

Amuro Tooru placed his briefcase on the hood outside the car window and said with a wicked smile, "The sample Rum wanted is inside, but I need to verify the authenticity of the parts box first."

The mouse muttered to itself, "This person has such fierce eyes. Is he up to something?"

Kudo Yuki looked at the screen and responded telepathically, "Don't worry, Toru. Hiro's people are watching from the outside; he can't escape."

Vermouth, disguised as a middle-aged man, stepped forward at the opportune moment, blocking part of the secretary's view: "Secretary Saeki, is there any need to delay? Lord Rum is still waiting for news."

The secretary's expression changed slightly. She took a silver briefcase from the passenger seat and placed it in front of Amuro Tooru: "The password is here. You can verify it yourself."

Amuro Tooru crouched down, his fingertips rapidly manipulating the combination lock. As the locker door popped open, he caught a glimpse of neatly arranged paperclip-like parts inside, which matched the missing part in the equipment sketch provided by Wakasa Rumi.

“The parts are fine.” Amuro closed the briefcase and pushed the briefcase to the other party. “Please check the samples. Also, please tell Representative Saeki that Rum will submit the debugging data for ‘ES Dark Amber’ later.”

The secretary took the briefcase, glanced at it quickly, and said with a glint in her eye, "You don't need to remind me. Representative Saeki has his own arrangements. Just do your job and don't meddle in things that aren't your business."

“Of course.” Amuro Tooru noticed that his secretary hurriedly closed the car window after speaking, the engine started instantly, and the van headed towards the parking lot exit.

Inside the ventilation duct, Conan pressed the location button on his tracking glasses and whispered into the microphone, "Location successful, they've headed west of the city."

Vermouth watched the car disappear into the parking lot exit, then chuckled in her usual tone, "It went more smoothly than expected. Saeki's secretary obviously didn't realize the sample was a fake."

Amuro Tooru bent down to put away the silver combination lock case, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the side of the case.

The mouse took the opportunity to crawl out of the pocket.

The little guy was only the size of a palm. When it landed, its four limbs pushed off the cement ground, and it quickly darted to the combination lock box.

The little chubby paw held a small, gleaming fragment, the very same artificial eye fragment that Kudo Yuki had found at Rum's old hideout.

That was left behind when Rum replaced his left prosthetic eye, and it carried his unique biomarker.

The mouse used its chubby little paws to pry open the slots of the combination lock and stuff the prosthetic eye fragments inside.

After doing all this, it darted back into Amuro Tooru's pocket, only peeking out half its head, and gently rubbed against Amuro Tooru's palm: "Mission accomplished!"

"Well done." Amuro Tooru praised in a low voice that only the two of them and the mouse could understand, and gently scratched the mouse's chin.

The mouse said smugly, "Hehe, this will delay the assembly time of the parts!"

Kudo Yuki contacted him telepathically: "Rascal, the parts transaction has been confirmed. Kagekawa Raku will follow the van. You guys should leave the parking lot first to avoid being targeted by Rum's spies."

Amuro Tooru looked in the direction of the ventilation ducts and whispered into the microphone, "Understood. I'll arrange things with Conan."

Vermouth straightened the hem of her clothes, a sneer flashing in her eyes: "Congressman Saeki's secretary is panicking like a stray dog, probably afraid that Rum will take his anger out on him. But that batch of parts is missing the core chip, so even if we get our hands on it, we can't assemble a complete device."

Amuro Tooru raised an eyebrow, naturally aware that this was a trick orchestrated by Kudo Yuki in advance, with the aim of delaying the progress of the "ES Dark Amber" project.

Inside the ventilation duct, Conan pressed the replay button on his tracking glasses, simultaneously sending the footage of the transaction to Kudo Yuki. At the same time, he added into the microphone, "I've marked the route of the van. Mr. Kagekawa should have no problem following it."

He had just finished speaking when he heard light footsteps below, which was Amuro Tooru signaling him that he could come out.

When Conan emerged, he caught Vermouth turning away. He whispered a warning to her, "Be careful of Rum's informants retaliating."

Vermouth paused slightly, her hem sweeping through the air in an arc. She didn't turn around, her tone still languid and smiling: "Kid, no one can catch me easily."

She paused slightly, then added, "Oh, and please pass on a message to Aurora—I remember the favor she did for me last time. Once I've dealt with Rum, this troublesome pawn, I'll repay her with a 'big gift'."

Her figure completely disappeared into the shadows deep within the parking lot.

Conan was stunned for a moment, then realized that "Aurora" referred to Kudo Yuki. He immediately reported into the microphone: "Sis, Vermouth asked me to tell you that she remembers the favor you did for her and will repay you with a 'big gift' after we deal with Rum."

Amuro Tooru walked over carrying a silver briefcase, raising an eyebrow upon hearing this: [Vermouth has always been clear about her debts and grudges. Kudo Yuki saved her from the attack back then, and she certainly hasn't forgotten that favor.]

However, Vermouth was unaware that the "Aurora" she spoke of was none other than Kudo Yuki, who was collaborating with her, and also the "fine brew" at the distillery who only obeyed Karasuma Renya.

The mouse peeked through the fabric and muttered softly, "What kind of big gift is it? Is it going to be another disguise trick?"

Kudo Yuki replied telepathically, "Just let her do as she pleases."

A deeper meaning flashed in her eyes; Vermouth's "generous gift" might become an unexpected bargaining chip to break the current deadlock.

"We should go." Amuro Tooru patted Conan on the shoulder. "We need to get the parts back to the hotel for analysis as soon as possible. Kagekawa Raku is still tracking the van, so we can't waste any more time."

Conan nodded, put on his tracking glasses to check the latest trajectory, and quickly followed Amuro Tooru's footsteps.

The little mouse clenched its chubby paws tightly, silently calculating in its mind: [Once we've analyzed the parts, we can follow the clues from the prosthetic eye fragments to find Rum's backup laboratory!]

At the same point where the lock was opened, the sound of someone picking the lock could be heard coming from the back gate of the Haneda residence.

Subaru Okiya, hiding on the roof of the building opposite, took in the entire scene through binoculars. He pressed the intercom: "Mr. Tsutomu, there are intruders at the back door, five in total, carrying weapons."

"Received. The men on the west side of the wall have already gone to provide support."

Subaru Okiya adjusted his focus, his gaze falling on the waist of the leader—where Rum's exclusive badge hung.

He sneered, his fingertips lightly tracing the sniper rifle, but he didn't fire.

He was waiting, waiting for Gin's men to arrive. The sooner this three-way battle was disrupted, the better for them.

In the living room, Rumi Wakasa put down her teacup, her fingertips still resting on the hilt of the knife in her pocket. She could hear the noise at the back door, and a cold smile curled at the corner of her lips: [Rum, finally delivering himself to our doorstep.]

In the room on the second floor, Mary Akai was instructing Sera Masumi on adjusting her fighting stance when she heard a strange noise downstairs. She immediately signaled her daughter to be quiet: "It seems the guests have arrived ahead of schedule."

She reached under the bed and pulled out a modified handgun that she had prepared beforehand.

Sera Masumi's eyes were filled with fighting spirit: "Mom, I can help."

"Stay here and protect yourself." Akai Mary patted her daughter's shoulder and disappeared into the stairwell in a flash.

In the hotel room, Kudo Yuki stared at the live feed of the Haneda mansion on the screen, her fingertips tapping rapidly on the table: "Rum's men have already made their move, Gin is 300 meters away, and the old man's guards will be there in five minutes."

She simultaneously contacted Subaru Okiya and Tooru Amuro through the microphone, "Subaru, distract Gin and don't let him get involved in the conflict between Rum and MI6 too early; Tooru, take Conan and head to the west side of the Haneda residence as soon as possible to meet up with Rumi Wakasa."

"Received." The two responded simultaneously.

On the street outside the side gate of the Haneda Mansion, Subaru Okiya put away his binoculars, started the car, and drove towards the side gate of the Haneda Mansion.

He quickly retrieved a miniature bomb from the car's toolbox and, through the car window, precisely aimed it at the spare fuel tank in Gin's vehicle to activate the remote control. He needed to create a little "accident" to distract Gin from Rum's actions.

For example, destroying the spare fuel tank in Gin's car.

Just then, Amuro Tooru and Conan quickly drove to the Haneda residence.

Mouse perched on the dashboard: "Rum's men are fierce. Can Wakasa Rumi handle them?"

Kudo Yuki communicated telepathically: "Her close-combat skills are extremely strong. Moreover, the support sent by Administrator Kuroda is already on standby in the vicinity."

Amuro Tooru's lips unconsciously curved into a smile.

Conan gripped the communicator, his brow furrowed: "Sis, what if Karasuma Renya's guards take this opportunity to attack Aunt Mary?"

“No.” Kudo Yuki analyzed the current situation. “Their mission is to reap the benefits without lifting a finger. They won’t make a move until Gin and Rum are both weakened. Besides, Okiya Subaru will be keeping an eye on them.”

At this point, the back door of the Haneda residence had already been breached.

Rum's men rushed into the yard with guns drawn, only to be ambushed by MI6 agents.

The gunshot shattered the tranquility of the mansion instantly, the sound of bullets whizzing through the air mingling with screams.

Rumi Wakasa burst out of the side door of the living room, instantly dispatching two intruders with her short sword. Her attacks were precise and deadly, clearly demonstrating her experience in countless life-or-death struggles.

Gin's car stopped outside the mansion. As soon as he opened the car door, he heard a loud "boom" behind him—the spare fuel tank had been detonated.

To be continued...