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

Akemi Miyano ran her fingertips over the pages of the notebook, her fingertips brushing against the ink smudges: "This is the last page of writing my mother left in the world, written late at night in the laboratory twenty years ago."

Kudo Yuki leaned closer to examine the notebook. The handwriting was delicate but hurried, with some strokes covered by scratches, indicating that it had been interrupted while being written.

ES Dark Amber and APTX4869 share the same origin, both stemming from Karasuma Renya's obsession with "control." The former manipulates willpower, the latter reshapes life. The reverse adaptor requires APTX4869 metabolites as a catalyst to block the synaptic transmission of brainwashing signals, but side effects may include short-term memory impairment…

I paused here, my gaze falling on the doodle at the bottom of the page—a simplified cherry blossom design, with the words "..." written in small print next to it.

Akemi, Shiho, may you never have to step into this darkness. — Elena Miyano

Amuro Tooru pressed his hand against the edge of the notebook, a complex emotion flashing across his eyes. He had never imagined that the always gentle and smiling female scientist from his childhood memories had already seen through the essence of "ES Dark Amber" and had even secretly left clues to break the deadlock.

"Dr. Elena sensed danger back then, which is why she hid the notebook so well. This prototype of the reverse adaptant may be her last bargaining chip against the Karasuma Group."

The mouse perched on the suitcase, its little paws pointing to a line of text in the notebook: "It says here, 'The crystal supplier is related to Nagano Trading Co., Ltd.'! It matches the crystals needed for the Rum brainwashing module that you found out before, Xiaoxue!"

Kudo Yuki's pupils contracted slightly as her fingertips traced the words on the screen, the magician's divination cards spinning rapidly in her palm: "So Aunt Elena had already figured out the supply chain. Wakasa Rumi wants revenge on Rum... Cut off the crystal supply, and Rum's brainwashing module will become an empty shell."

Conan's voice came through the communicator: "Sis, Ai Haibara just compared your old experimental records! After comparing the APTX4869 basal metabolic data you recorded while in the Black Organization with the 'ES Dark Amber' energy circuit diagram that Rum released, she found the core flaw in the brainwashing module. He tampered with the sequence of neurotransmitter binding sites!"

“There’s an even more crucial discovery,” Ai Haibara’s voice followed, filled with barely concealed excitement. “While organizing old data, I discovered that the molecular structure of APTX4869 contains an inactive reverse binding domain, which theoretically can form a ‘double blockade’ to break the brainwashing effect. However, we are still missing the specific reaction parameters between the aptamer and this binding domain!”

A glint of light flashed in Kudo Yuki's eyes: "The reaction parameters of the reverse binding domain might be hidden in the metabolite tracking of APTX4869. Conan, have Ai retrieve the samples I collected from the organization's lab; there might be clues in them."

"Received!" Conan's voice came through the communicator with excitement. "I'll relay it to Haibara right away. Oh, by the way, Kaito Kid just messaged me saying that he's disguised himself as a technical advisor for the Karasuma Group and will be able to access the energy circuit distribution map tomorrow. He also complained that the task you gave him is ten times harder than stealing the jewels."

Amuro Tooru chuckled softly, brushing the straw from Kudo Yuki's hair with his fingertips: "Kuroba's disguise is always foolproof, but I must remind him that Rum personally upgraded the headquarters' surveillance system, so don't be careless."

His gaze swept over Miyano Akemi. "Akemi, it's not safe here. I'll have Kagekawa come and take you back to the safe house. Just leave Dr. Elena's notes and the prototype of the compatibility agent to us."

Akemi Miyano nodded: "Thank you for your help."

Akemi Miyano turned and walked towards the entrance of the dense forest. A short, encrypted signal came through her communicator; it was the voice of Hiromitsu Morofushi: "Ms. Akemi, the vehicle is waiting at the entrance, and the area along the way has been cleared. In addition, the crystal warehouse of Nagano Trading Co., Ltd. has been sealed off, and all inventory has been handed over to the Public Security Bureau's Evidence Division."

Amuro Tooru nodded, tapping his finger lightly on the communicator to reply, but his gaze remained fixed on the hillside to the northwest.

Subaru Okiya's thermal imaging signal remains static.

"That Akai guy is really good at keeping his cool," Amuro Tooru murmured, his palms unconsciously tightening as he pulled Kudo Yuki closer to him.

Kudo Yuki teased, "Haven't we cleared up the misunderstanding? Why are you still making that face?"

Amuro Tooru's fingertips caressed her slightly cool earlobe, his eyes deepening in the shadows of the trees: "There's no misunderstanding with him, I just don't like the feeling of being secretly watched. Akai Shuichi's posture in the thermal image hasn't changed, but I always feel like he's plotting something."

The little mouse's chubby paws gripped Kudo Yuki's collar tightly: "Gin is driving a black Porsche and he's rushing this way at an alarming speed!"

Amuro Tooru pressed his fingertip against the communicator instantly, his eyes darkening: "Why is Gin here? According to the plan, he should be at headquarters monitoring Rum's key docking."

He tightened his grip on Kudo Yuki's arm, his gaze sweeping over the escape routes deep in the forest. "Could it be that Karasuma Renya noticed Rum's unusual behavior and sent him to retrieve the key?"

Kudo Yuki reached into the side pocket of her backpack, took out a butterfly half-face mask, put it on her face, and smiled.

She fastened the clasp, lowering her voice with an air of mystery: "Gin? Naturally, I'm here to retrieve the compatibility agent, following the old man's orders. This is a treasure that will make the 'ES Dark Amber' project twice as effective, and the old man wouldn't trust Rum to control it alone."

As the roar of the engine exploded in the dense forest, Amuro Tooru had already embraced Kudo Yuki and pressed her against the tree trunk.

The headlights of the black Porsche pierced the night, casting two blinding beams of light on the ground. They barely grazed the shadows of the trees where they were hiding before finally stopping in a clearing at the entrance to the dense forest.

The car door clicked open, revealing Gin's tall figure standing against the light.

His gaze swept around, finally settling on a spot hidden in the shadows of the trees: "Fine wine, come out. It's time to hand over what that lord wants."

Kudo Yuki patted Amuro Tooru's hand to reassure him, then slowly walked out, stepping on the fallen leaves.

The mouse perched on her shoulder, its eyes full of wariness: "This guy has a scary aura! He smells like gunpowder and blood!"

Amuro Tooru followed closely behind, his hands in his trench coat pockets, his fingertips already gripping the miniature communicator hidden inside, his eyes slightly darkening.

He knew Gin's style all too well; he always struck decisively and never hesitated. The fact that he didn't act immediately this time was clearly because he was mindful of the previous deal.

“Gin.” Kudo Yuki used her sleeve as a cover to take out a vial of compatibility agent from her system space. “Vermouth should have already sent you information about Vodka’s current situation. But the compatibility agent the old man wants is not something that can be handed over easily.”

Gin paused slightly, his fingers holding the cigarette between his fingers, and his gaze lingered on her face for a moment, as if assessing her sincerity.

He was well aware of Karasuma Renya's ambitions and understood the importance of this adaptant to the "ES Dark Amber" project. With it, the brainwashing effect would be amplified several times, allowing Karasuma Renya to gain control over key figures more quickly.

But Gin was more concerned about Vodka, the subordinate who had been with him for many years and had never complained even when he was used as an experimental subject.

“I’ve already stated the terms of the deal.” Gin’s voice was flat. “I will ‘shuffle’ Rum’s men as you said. As for Cohen, I will have him keep Rum occupied. As for that man’s bugging device… I’ll play along with him to the very end.”

The ash from his cigarette fell to the ground. "Now, give me the compatibility test kit."

Kudo Yuki snapped her fingers, and the magician's divination card at her fingertips flicked into the air, its silver light drawing an arc in the night.

The mouse pressed its chubby little paw against the hidden signal jammer behind its ear, and the buzzing sound of electricity instantly disappeared.

The listening signal that Karasuma Renya had implanted in Gin's communicator was completely cut off.

“A deal has to be clean.” Kudo Yuki’s profile, clad in a butterfly mask, was faintly visible under the car headlights. “Vodka’s condition video… The low-temperature environment in the lab has taken a heavy toll on his body. If we delay any longer, even if he is rescued, he will suffer irreversible damage.”

Gin tightened his grip on the cigarette, the ash falling onto the fallen leaves at his feet, the sparks fading away in an instant.

He understood Karasuma Renya's cold-heartedness; the so-called "becoming stronger" was nothing more than using vodka as an experimental carrier.

“I have done what you asked for.” Gin’s voice was flat. “Half of Rum’s three trusted squads were wiped out under the pretext of ‘mission failure,’ and they pose no threat in the short term.”

He flicked the ash from his cigarette, the crimson butt disappearing in the night, his tone icy cold: "The Haneda Koji case is his Achilles' heel. As long as that woman is alive, she holds the evidence of his failure, and he will never be able to hold onto the core authority of 'ES Dark Amber'."

“That man never said he would help him clean up the mess.” Gin’s fingers, holding the cigarette, tightened slightly, his eyes revealing pure pragmatism. “Mutual checks and balances are exactly the kind of situation he’d like to see.”

“I’ll rescue Vodka and disrupt Rum’s plans; you and Vermouth will give me real-time intelligence on Vodka.” He paused, his voice devoid of any extra emotion. “A fair trade, each getting what they need.”

Kudo Yuki held the compatibility agent between her fingers, her butterfly mask obscuring most of her face, and said with a half-smile, "Fair trade? Gin, you should know that Vodka is now a bargaining chip in that person's hands. If you want to rescue him, you have to get past three layers of security at headquarters and avoid Rum's eyes and ears. The 'shuffle' you offered is not enough to cover the price."

The mouse perched on her shoulder, its tiny paws clutching a cyanide capsule: "This guy's playing games! He clearly wants to save Vodka, but he's unwilling to do anything more!"

Amuro Tooru had his hands in his trench coat pockets, his fingertips already gripping the miniature tranquilizer needles hidden in the shadows, his gaze fixed on Gin's wrist.

That was where he usually drew his gun.

He didn't speak, but his aura suddenly tightened, creating a silent echo with Kudo Yuki, like a net that could tighten at any moment.

The cigarette butt glowed in the night. Gin's right hand had already reached for the Beretta at his waist, the muzzle pointed directly at Kudo Yuki's forehead: "What do you want? Don't beat around the bush with me. Either name your terms, or I'll destroy this piece of junk right now, and nobody will get away with it."

The mouse shrank back in fright at the sudden murderous intent: "This guy is so fierce! He really dares to shoot!"

Kudo Yuki remained unfazed, her fingertips still toying with the compatibility agent, as if the threat of the gun barrel didn't exist: "The survivors of the Haneda Koji case, how could they be so easy to kill?"

Through the gap in the mask, she saw a fleeting look of surprise in Gin's eyes, and the compatibility agent at her fingertips rested in her palm.

"You just want to sit back and watch the tigers fight, but I want to know, you deliberately let Cohen leave Rum's fingerprints, access card and password, are you trying to use me to expose what Rum did to the old man, so that you can buy more time to rescue Vodka?"

Gin's gun was still pressed against the butterfly mask under the moonlight. He did not deny Kudo Yuki's question, but his killing intent had faded a bit: "A pawn should have the self-awareness of a pawn. Rum thinks that he can undermine that person by altering the plan, but he is just courting death."

“I need you to do two things for me.” Kudo Yuki twirled the adaptor test tube between her fingers. “First, copy the Level 3 access control for the headquarters laboratory to me. Vodka’s detention area requires double verification. Second, help me distract the mole that Karasuma Renya sent to monitor Rum. I want that woman to stand in front of Rum herself.”

The mouse jumped anxiously on her shoulder: "This guy definitely won't agree easily! Level 3 access control is core privilege; if he leaks it, Karasuma Renya will silence him!"

Amuro Tooru's anesthetic needles are ready to be used.

Gin paused for three seconds: "I can give you Level 3 access control, but you can't touch the undercover agents. That person's spies are all over headquarters; if I act rashly, I'll only get myself into trouble."

“You don’t need to lift a finger.” Kudo Yuki chuckled, a sly glint in her eyes beneath the mask. “Just send me the patrol routes and communication frequencies of your undercover agents, and the rest will be handled by others. Vermouth has already agreed to help me contain some of the forces; you just need to cooperate with her in putting on a show.”

“Vermouth?” Gin raised an eyebrow, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes. “She’s always only cared about herself. Do you really think she’d genuinely help you?”

"We're just using each other." Kudo Yuki's voice was calm and even. "Just like you and me, we're in the same boat now. We have different goals, but we share the same enemy."

A faint buzzing sound came from the communicator, followed by Vermouth's languid voice: "Gin, don't be so heartless. All Fine Wine wants is a little intelligence. If you help her out, I can guarantee that when you go to the lab to rescue Vodka, the headquarters' monitoring system will 'just happen' to malfunction."

Gin's pupils suddenly contracted, clearly not expecting Vermouth to intervene so suddenly.

He stubbed out the cigarette between his fingers, the embers extinguished, and slowly lowered his gun. "Patrol routes and communication frequencies, I'll send them to you in ten minutes. But I warn you, that woman is a madwoman. She's capable of anything for revenge, so you'd better not let her ruin my plans."

“You don’t need to worry about that.” Kudo Yuki tossed the compatibility agent into the air and caught it steadily. “Since I promised to let her take revenge, I naturally have a way to control the situation. As for you, you’d better not disturb Rum when you rescue Vodka. He’s busy connecting to the forged key right now, and if he finds anything unusual, the first person he’ll look for is you.”

Gin snorted and turned to get into the car, but was stopped by Kudo Yuki.

"There's one more thing. The communicator the old man gave you contained not only a listening device but also a tracking device. If you want to successfully rescue Vodka, you'd better get rid of it first."

Gin paused, his back stiffened slightly, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes before he regained his usual indifference, squeezing out two words through gritted teeth: "Unnecessary."

The roar of the black Porsche's engine rose again, quickly disappearing into the night.

To be continued...