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

Kuroda Hyōe's reply text message quickly arrived on Kudo Yuki's phone screen, and the encrypted message bar automatically unlocked:

The equipment has been debugged and is being handled by Kagekawa Raku. Sera Masumi has given the necessary instructions; the location locking function is activated, and exceeding the range will trigger the Metropolitan Police Department's emergency signal.

Kudo Yuki put away her phone.

The little mouse's chubby paws clung to the edge of the pocket: "What if Sera Masumi sneaks out?"

Amuro Tooru chuckled and reached out to ruffle Kudo Yuki's hair: "Chief Administrator Kuroda's arrangements are always thorough, and with Kagekawa Raku keeping an eye on things, Miss Sera can't pull any tricks. It's us who need to check on Kid's progress."

Mentioning Kaito Kid, Kudo Yuki's phone, which was resting on her lap, rang and the screen lit up.

She opened the video email marked "Exclusive to the Magician," and as she looked at the figure on the screen, a smile spread across her eyes and lips, her laughter mingling with the afternoon breeze.

The boy in the video is dressed in a suit worn by a senior executive of the Karasuma Group. His short hair is meticulously styled, and the corners of his eyes are slightly upturned, giving him a deliberately imitative cold and aloof look—this is exactly what Morofushi Kagemitsu looks like under the alias "Kagekawa Raku".

In front of the camera, "Yingchuan Luo" raised his hand to straighten his tie, and even the rhythm of his fingertips tapping the table was indistinguishable from the real person. His voice was slightly adjusted as he spoke: "Sister Xue, check the latest disguise results. The micro-expression replication rate is 98%, the voice similarity is 95%, and even the model of the fountain pen that Mr. Yingchuan usually uses has been specially found."

In the scene, "Kagekawa Raku" curls his lips into a sly smile that is completely different from Morofushi Kagemitsu's. He raises his hand to remove the wig on his head, revealing his original hair color. He casually tosses the top hat up and catches it.

"How about it? Your disguise to infiltrate headquarters shouldn't give you away, right?" Kaito Kuroba twirled his top hat between his fingers, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"In order to imitate Mr. Yingchuan, I watched the surveillance video in his office over and over again for three days. I even remembered details such as how he only added two sugar cubes to his coffee and how he habitually rested his chin on his left hand during meetings."

Kudo Yuki looked at the mischievous expression on the screen and shook her head with a mix of helplessness and amusement: "Don't throw your hat so high next time. The word 'flamboyant' doesn't exist in Kagekawa's personality. But it's definitely worth praising, especially your adjusted voice, which can already fool most of the employees' ears."

Kaito Kuroba twirled his top hat with increasing ease, his mischievous smile undiminished, yet he unusually toned down his arrogance: "Got it~ Next time, I'll definitely remember Mr. Kagekawa's 'cool and aloof persona'—no hat-throwing, no eyebrow-raising, only two sugar cubes in my coffee, and my left hand supporting my chin during meetings—"

He deliberately put on a serious face, mimicking the calm tone that Morofushi Kagemitsu was used to, and even his eyes became much calmer. "Surely this will be alright?"

Kaito Kuroba casually picked up the pen on the table, and the rhythm of his fingertips tapping the table was exactly the same as that of "Raku Kagekawa" before, as if replicating a scene from a surveillance video.

Amuro Tooru's fingertips were still on Kudo Yuki's head. Hearing this, he withdrew his hand and looked at Kuroba Kaito, who was showing off by throwing his top hat on the screen. A helpless yet indulgent smile appeared on his lips: "As expected of Mr. Kuroba's son, he has inherited this flamboyant talent."

Kaito Kuroba raised an eyebrow at the camera, a blue rose suddenly appearing between his fingers, which he casually tucked into the virtual lapel of his suit jacket, his tone carrying his usual smugness: "Don't worry, infiltrating headquarters is child's play for me~"

He suddenly raised his hand and snapped his fingers, and tiny pieces of silver foil instantly floated up in the screen. "Oh right, I also studied Mr. Yingchuan's signature in detail. I even copied the angle of his strokes. Do you want me to show it to you now?"

Conan leaned over and glanced at the screen, then couldn't help rolling his eyes: "You're still the same as always, always doing something fancy."

Kaito Kuroba raised an eyebrow at the camera, deftly spinning his top hat into a blur with his fingertips, his tone as flamboyant as ever: "Fancy is the romance of a magician!"

His expression became more composed, after all, this matter concerned the entire organization's direction, and even though he loved playing pranks, he would never take it lightly.

"What exactly are we going to investigate after infiltrating headquarters this time? Is it the location of the core laboratory of the 'ES Dark Amber' project, or the communication records of the Karasuma Group's senior management?"

Before Kudo Yuki could speak, the mouse perched on her lap suddenly perked up its ears and patted the back of her hand with its chubby little paws: "Yuki! There's also Vodka! Although Kuroba Kaito filmed him being locked up in the lab, Gin only received a clip and has no idea which area he's locked up in!"

Amuro Tooru sat to the side, glancing at Kudo Yuki with a hint of ambiguity in his eyes. After all, Vodka's situation was related to Gin's attitude, which indirectly affected their deal with Gin.

Kudo Yuki stroked the mouse's fur and said to Kuroba Kaito, "The core objective is the latest research and development progress and equipment distribution map of the 'ES Dark Amber' project."

She paused briefly, then added, "There's a risk of the vodka's detention area being moved. Confirming the location is a secondary objective; there's no need to dwell on it too much. Also, make a complete record of the internal structure of the Karasuma Group headquarters, from the basement to the ground floor, especially the layout of the ventilation ducts and emergency exits, as these will be needed for the subsequent evacuation."

Kaito Kuroba's top hat froze in mid-air, the cunning in his eyes instantly replaced by a serious expression. He raised his hand and gave the camera an awkward salute: "Core objective 'ES Dark Amber' progress and equipment distribution, secondary objective Vodka Detention Area, and additional mission Underground Structure Map, leave it to me!"

He suddenly leaned closer to the camera, lowered his voice, and asked mysteriously, "By the way, Sister Xue, about the ventilation duct you mentioned, are you planning to have someone 'crawl' into it later?"

Kudo Yuki's eyes flashed with understanding: "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. Just do your job as a magician."

She looked up at Amuro Tooru, who was silently mouthing a reminder about the device's battery life.

"Keep the infiltration time under two hours. The device battery is only enough to support one complete transmission. Once you get the data, send it to Yingchuanluo immediately through an encrypted channel. Don't linger in the battle."

"Don't worry, don't worry~" Kaito Kuroba snapped his fingers, and the silver foil scraps on the screen scattered again. "I am Kaito Kid, I only stay on the stage for a short time."

He suddenly remembered something and tapped his fingertips on the virtual keyboard. "Oh, right, there's an unopened bottle of bourbon in Mr. Kagekawa's office drawer. Should I bring it out as a 'thank you' for Mr. Amuro's trouble?"

Amuro Tooru's smile deepened slightly as he teased, "No need, I only drink what I make myself. But please, don't touch the pen on his desk; it's a replica of Inspector Morofushi's keepsake."

Conan, arms crossed, said, "Also, the elevators at the Karasuma Group headquarters have iris recognition. Remember to use Kagekawa Raku's ID card. Don't try to fool us with your magic props. You almost got caught last time at the Suzuki Group."

"Okay, okay, little detective, you're still so long-winded~" Kaito Kuroba made a face at the camera, casually flipping his top hat back over his head. "It's almost time. I need to prepare for the second infiltration. I wish us a pleasant collaboration, and I'm sure Miss Aurora's plan will proceed smoothly!"

The moment the screen went black, Kudo Yuki's fingertips paused slightly.

The nickname came unexpectedly, yet it made perfect sense: [Kaito Kuroba went infiltrating once, and then heard Vermouth use her special nickname for him? Could it be such a coincidence?]

Amuro Tooru gently placed his palm on the back of her hand: "Kaito knows his limits."

He looked out the window, where the afternoon sun dappled through the leaves. "Now we should focus on the hearing. Rum will most likely make a move there, and Ms. Sera's wiretapping is crucial."

The mouse climbed up Kudo Yuki's wrist: "Yuki, Rum wanted to use APTX4869 to restore his left eye, right? Maybe he'll find clues related to the experimental subjects~"

Kudo Yuki heard the mouse's thoughts and also noticed that Amuro Tooru's gaze had darkened slightly.

She considered the situation and said, "Rum won't show up in person; he's always been used to staying behind the scenes. But his men will definitely be keeping an eye on the key figures at the hearing—those politicians who might become targets of the 'ES Dark Amber' program."

Tsutomu Akai picked up his coffee: "We've already coordinated with the FBI. Mr. Okiya will be observing from a high vantage point near the hearing. If he spots any of Rum's men, he'll send a signal immediately."

Mary Akai, sitting next to him, coughed lightly twice while covering her mouth, and took the warm water handed to her by Tsutomu Akai: "MI6 has also arranged for people to protect Amanda's old subordinates. They may have something on Rum."

Akemi Miyano turned around from beside the bookshelf in the corner of the living room, holding a folder labeled "Karasuma Group Organizational Chart".

"When I was organizing the information just now, I found that a senior executive from the technology department of Karasuma Group will be attending the hearing today. He participated in the early research and development of the 'ES Dark Amber' project, and we may be able to find more clues from him."

Ai Haibara crossed her arms, her eyes filled with vigilance: "That person's name is Hidehiko Kishitani. I met him when I was in the organization. He was very interested in the side effects of APTX4869 and was very close to Rum."

Kudo Yuki took the folder, quickly flipping through the documents inside, her gaze landing on Kishitani Hidehiko's photo: "Give this man to me. During the recess of the hearing, I will approach him as a reporter."

She looked up at Amuro Tooru and said, "You'll stay with me and pretend to be my assistant. Keep an eye on the people around him."

Amuro Tooru nodded in agreement, his fingers rapidly tapping on his phone: "The press pass and related identification information are all forged, there won't be any problems. Superintendent Kuroda has already made arrangements; the Metropolitan Police Department will cooperate with us at the hearing and will suspend the meeting under the pretext of 'equipment malfunction.'"

Kudo Yuki closed the folder and handed it back to Miyano Akemi, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of the phone.

The little mouse stretched out its chubby paws and pondered: "Rum failed to get Cohen to assassinate Rumi Wakasa. Now, will he turn his attention to Hidehiko Kishitani? After all, he knows too many of the early secrets of ES Dark Amber."

It patted her fingertips again: "Who knows! Kishitani Hidehiko and Rum are close, it would be troublesome if Rum killed her~ Yuki, be careful!"

Amuro Tooru's eyes flickered slightly: "The Metropolitan Police Department's plainclothes officers have already set up surveillance at the hearing site."

Tsutomu Akai put down his coffee cup and tapped his knuckles lightly on the table: "We might be able to dig out information from him about Rum's involvement in the ES Dark Amber Project. Approach him as a reporter, and don't reveal too much of your probing intentions. Hidehiko Kishitani has been in the organization for many years and is extremely vigilant."

Mary Akai drank some warm water, and her cough lessened: "He's interested in the side effects of APTX4869, so perhaps we can start by talking about that to get him interested in discussing it."

Kudo Yuki nodded in agreement.

My phone suddenly vibrated; it was an encrypted voice message from Sera Masumi.

After she clicked on it, the girl's clear voice was slightly excited: "Sister Xue! I listened to an encrypted frequency band that mentioned 'Kishitani' and 'Clearance', and also mentioned the fire escape in the hearing rest area!"

The voice message ended with Kuroda Hyōe's voice: "The source of the signal has been located. It is an organization member who has infiltrated the hearing site. Their location is in the west corridor on the third floor. I have notified the Metropolitan Police Department's plainclothes officers to investigate. Ms. Sera, continue listening and do not interrupt."

Kudo Yuki's eyes narrowed, and she said to everyone, "Rum is indeed going to make a move against Kishitani Hidehiko. The time will be during break time, and the location will be the fire escape."

Conan frowned and quickly analyzed: "The fire escape is less crowded and has an escape route, making it a good place to make a move and then leave. As a senior technical executive, Kishitani Hidehiko will definitely leave the venue for some fresh air during his break, and he will most likely pass through there."

Amuro Tooru quickly operated his phone, bringing up a structural diagram of the hearing venue. He swiped his finger across the screen rapidly, marking the exits of the fire escape in red.

"The Metropolitan Police Department will be lying in ambush at the various red-marked points in advance. Yuki, when you make contact with Kishitani Hidehiko later, try to delay his departure from the venue and avoid the dangerous period."

Miyano Akemi looked at Kudo Yuki with concern: "Should we try a different approach? Directly probing is too dangerous."

Kudo Yuki smiled calmly. "Being a reporter requires chasing after interviews, so it's perfectly reasonable to stall for time. Besides—I have the most reliable 'assistant' by my side, don't I?"

A smile flickered in Amuro Tooru's eyes: "Ready at any time, Miss."

Ai Haibara crossed her arms and added warily, "Hidehiko Kishitani has a habit of going to the smoking area outside the venue during breaks to smoke a cigarette. That smoking area is right next to the fire escape. If we can get him to change this habit, we might be able to avoid danger."

“This is easy. When I was investigating Kishitani Hidehiko’s allergy history, I specifically asked the Metropolitan Police Department’s technical department to prepare this.” Kudo Yuki took out a small spray bottle from her bag. “Spray this near the smoking area, and it will emit the jasmine scent that he hates the most. Kishitani Hidehiko will definitely not stay long after smelling it.”

The little mouse poked its head out of her pocket, pointing its chubby paws at the spray bottle: "Xiaoxue is so clever! This way you can lure him to a safe place!"

Amuro gently rubbed the mouse's little head. "You've thought this through very well. Now let's set off. The hearing is in two days, so we need to get there early to familiarize ourselves with the environment."

To be continued...