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

Everyone got up and started packing their belongings.

Akemi Miyano copied Hidehiko Kishitani's detailed information to Yuki Kudo's phone and instructed, "This contains all his taboos and preferences, as well as the names of his initial projects in the ES Dark Amber Project. It might help you start a conversation."

Akai Tsutomu handed Kudo Yuki the listening device: "Put this on your collar, and we can hear your conversation in real time."

Mary Akai looked at her, her eyes full of concern: "Be careful in everything you do, don't be reckless. If things don't go well, we can look for clues about Hidehiko Kishitani later."

Kudo Yuki took the equipment and fastened it: "I will. See you in the hearing room two days from now."

The group gradually left Professor Agasa's house.

The mouse suddenly rubbed against her palm, "Xiaoxue, Mr. Amuro's car keys are dangling in his pocket~"

Amuro Tooru casually pulled out his car keys from his pocket and pressed the unlock button, causing the black sedan parked at the alley entrance to make a soft sound. He took the folder from Kudo Yuki's hand, his fingertips brushing against the back of her hand: "I'll drive. You can take another look at Kishitani Hidehiko's information on the way."

Conan followed behind on his skateboard: "Haibara and I went to the hearing site to scout it out and confirm whether the structure of the fire escape matched the blueprints."

Ai Haibara nodded, quickly following behind with her backpack on, the spare tracker in her pocket gently digging into her thigh.

That was something she specially prepared for Kudo Yuki; once triggered, it could be used for location synchronization.

Tsutomu Akai helped Mary Akai into the passenger seat. Mary, who was wrapped in a light jacket, coughed twice and said softly, "MI6 personnel are already on standby on the west side of the venue. They will intervene under the pretext of 'medical assistance' in case of any emergencies."

Akai Tsutomu grunted in response, his gaze sweeping across the corner of the alleyway, where a figure wearing a baseball cap could be vaguely seen.

Akemi Miyano stood at the door waving, a note in her hand: "I wrote down the research awards that Hidehiko Kishitani cares about most. Mentioning it during an interview might help us get closer."

She handed the note to Kudo Yuki, her eyes full of instructions, "Send a signal immediately if anything happens, and we'll provide support from behind the scenes."

Kudo Yuki took the note and stuffed it into her bag. Her fingertips touched the listening device on her collar, and the cold touch made her even more awake.

The little mouse climbed onto her shoulder, nuzzling her earlobe with its tiny head. "Remember to keep that jasmine-scented spray out of easy reach, just in case Kishitani Hidehiko goes to the smoking area early!"

Amuro Tooru paused in opening the car door, then turned to Kudo Yuki and said, "I'll hold the spray for you, you just focus on the interview."

A white Mazda RX7 drove onto the main road leading to the hearing venue. The afternoon sun shone through the car window, falling on the research resume of Yukiko Kudo and Hidehiko Kishitani.

Mouse muttered, "Xiaoxue, this person has so many awards, but the most impressive one is probably that 'Neural Conduction Optimization Technology,' right? Miyano Akemi said it's the prototype of ES Dark Amber~"

Amuro Tooru tightened his grip on the steering wheel: "Neural transmission technology? No wonder he was able to participate in the core project. If this technology were used for brainwashing, very few people could withstand it."

Kudo Yuki looked up at him and said with a faint smile, "I will start the interview with this technology. He has always been proud of his research results and will most likely say a few more words about it."

She pointed to the annotation on the document, "He's close to Rum, so maybe we can get information out of him about the technical tricks Rum did."

"Be careful what you say!" The little mouse climbed up her arm and onto her shoulder. "Kishitani Hidehiko looks fierce; it'll be terrible if he notices something's wrong~"

Amuro Tooru glanced at the little guy on his shoulder, then looked at Kudo Yuki, a smile flashing in his eyes: "I won't let him hurt you."

He stepped on the gas, and the car sped through the traffic light.

"Just now, Manager Kuroda sent a message saying that Matsuda and his team have completed the search inside the venue. The monitoring equipment in the fire exits has been disguised so that it will not be detected by the organization."

Kudo Yuki nodded, and her phone suddenly vibrated. It was a message from Miyano Akemi:

Hidehiko Kishitani has recently been embroiled in a dispute with Rum over the ownership of technology patents, which could perhaps be used to his advantage.

She handed the information to Amuro Tooru, saying, "We've gained another point of entry."

"Patent dispute?" Amuro Tooru raised an eyebrow, a calculating glint in his eyes. "This is a good opportunity; it can stir up his dissatisfaction without seeming like a deliberate probing."

He turned the steering wheel, and the car slowly drove into the underground parking lot near the venue. "We're here. I'll go check the surroundings first. Wait for me in the car for five minutes."

Kudo Yuki agreed, watching Amuro Tooru push open the car door and walk into the shadows of the parking lot.

The mouse perched on the car window, its little head peeking left and right: "Amuro Tooru is so alert!"

Kudo Yuki looked in the direction it pointed and saw a figure flash by. A relieved smile appeared on her lips: "Aunt Mary's arrangements are very effective. We don't need to worry too much about the security on the outside."

She looked down and continued flipping through the documents, noticing a gap in Kishitani Hidehiko's resume. "Where was he during that time? It happened to be the early stages of the ES Dark Amber Project."

"Could it be that Rum sent her to do secret experiments?" Mouse tilted her little head. "Ai Haibara said that important researchers in the organization are sometimes isolated to do projects."

As Kudo Yuki was pondering, Amuro Tooru returned, opened the car door, and sat in the driver's seat: "The surroundings are safe. Matsuda and the others have planted miniature bombs near the fire escape on the third floor. If necessary, they can create chaos to buy time."

He took the documents from Kudo Yuki's hand and his gaze fell on the gap in his information. "During this time, he should have been in the Karasuma Group's secret laboratory, in charge of the research and development of core components. Gin mentioned a similar project in his previous intelligence."

"Information on Gin?" Kudo Yuki raised an eyebrow. "When did you contact him?"

“Just before we set off,” Amuro Tooru started the car and drove out of the underground parking lot, “he sent me the latest news about Kishitani Hidehiko, saying that Rum had already noticed his disloyalty and that this ‘elimination’ was not only to silence him, but also to retrieve the core technical data in his hands.”

He turned to look at Kudo Yuki, his tone solemn: "Gin also said that Karasuma Renya has ordered him to take over the ES Dark Amber Project after the hearing. Rum is now fighting a desperate battle."

The mouse shuddered: "Rum is so scary!"

Kudo Yuki tapped her knee with her fingertips. "He failed to assassinate Wakasa Rumi with Cohen, so this time he'll most likely send his own trusted men to deal with Kishitani Hidehiko. Have you arranged for someone to keep an eye on the high ground near the venue?"

“I’ve already asked Shuichi Akai to keep an eye on this,” Tooru Amuro nodded. “Furthermore, Vermouth has also sent word that Rum’s instructions to his subordinates are that ‘it’s okay to accidentally injure unrelated personnel if necessary.’ So we not only need to protect Hidehiko Kishitani, but also be careful of the ordinary people in the venue.”

Kudo Yuki took out a listening device from her bag and confirmed that the signal was normal. "Today, I won't ask any more questions. I'll just use the excuse of communicating the interview outline in advance to get acquainted with him and lay the groundwork for the formal interview in two days."

Amuro Tooru parked the car in the temporary parking area at the entrance of the venue and opened the car door for her. "I will act as his assistant and help him distract the people around him so that he is not too wary."

He took out a jasmine-scented spray from his inner bag and handed it to Kudo Yuki. "The smoking area is on the west terrace. I'll go and take care of it first to prevent him from going to the dangerous area today."

Kudo Yuki took the spray, her fingertips touching his palm, feeling a slight warmth: "Be careful, don't leave any marks."

Amuro gently stroked the top of her head, his eyes full of affection. "This spray is highly volatile and won't leave any residue. If something goes wrong, press this signal button."

The little mouse, clutching its chubby paws in the pocket, thought, "Now that we've built a good relationship, I'm sure I can get some information out of it in two days!"

Kudo Yuki straightened her reporter uniform, put on her press badge, and walked into the hearing room with Amuro Tooru.

There were already many staff members busy in the lobby, and a few attendees were sitting in the rest area in the distance. Kishitani Hidehiko had not yet arrived.

Subaru Okiya stood on the top floor of the office building opposite, watching the two people enter the venue through his binoculars, a faint smile playing on his lips. He picked up the walkie-talkie and said in a low voice, "Target has entered the venue, no abnormalities in the surroundings."

Inside the safe house, Sera Masumi, wearing headphones, rapidly operated the listening device, listening to fragments of conversations among the organization's members: "...Lord Rum said, first confirm the target's movements, the formal operation will wait until the hearing..."

She immediately pressed the record button and sent an encrypted message to Kudo Yuki.

Kudo Yuki's phone vibrated. After seeing the message, she gave Amuro Tooru a wink: "It's almost time. He should be here soon. Let's wait near the entrance."

She looked up at the entrance of the venue and saw a middle-aged man in a gray suit walking in; it was none other than Kishitani Hidehiko.

Amuro Tooru immediately stepped forward and lowered his voice: "I'll distract his assistant. You approach him under the pretense of discussing the outline, but don't be too obvious."

Kudo Yuki tidied her notebook and walked towards Kishitani Hidehiko.

The mouse muttered in her pocket, "Xiaoxue, his assistant has such sharp eyes; Rum must have sent him to keep an eye on him."

Kudo Yuki did not respond, but instead put on a gentle, professional smile and stopped in front of Kishitani Hidehiko.

"Hello Mr. Kishitani, I am a reporter from 'Frontiers of Science and Technology'. The hearing will end in two days, and we have scheduled an interview with you. I came today to discuss the interview outline with you in advance and confirm which topics are convenient for in-depth discussion."

Hidehiko Kishitani looked her up and down, his eyes scrutinizing her: "I know about the interview. You can just send the outline to me via email. There's no need for you to make a special trip."

"We mainly want to confirm some technical details with you in advance to avoid misunderstandings during the interview." Kudo Yuki handed over the interview notebook. "As you can see, we would like to focus on the application prospects of 'neural conduction optimization technology' and your research directions in the field of science and technology in recent years. These are all topics that readers are very interested in."

Upon hearing "neural conduction optimization technology," Hidehiko Kishitani's eyes softened slightly, and he took the interview notebook and flipped through a couple of pages.

Amuro Tooru stepped forward at the opportune moment and smiled at Kishitani Hidehiko's assistant, "Sir, there is a special VIP lounge in the venue. Would you like me to take you there to wait for a while? It must be tiring for you to stand here."

The assistant frowned, looked at Kishitani Hidehiko, and seeing that he did not object, nodded and said, "Thank you for your help."

Amuro Tooru gave Kudo Yuki a reassuring look and led his assistant toward the lounge.

Kudo Yuki traced the label "Neural Conduction Optimization Technology" with his fingertip, his gaze landing on the page where Kishitani Hidehiko lingered the longest, quietly noting down this point of interest that could lower his guard.

After flipping through the interview notebook, Kishitani Hidehiko handed it back to Kudo Yuki: "The outline is fine. We can talk about the technical content, but I won't answer any questions involving company secrets."

“Of course, we will strictly abide by industry standards.” Kudo Yuki smiled as she took the interview notebook. “Actually, I have always admired you. Back then, you won an international award with your ‘Neural Conduction Optimization Technology,’ but you have always remained low-key and focused on your research. This spirit is truly admirable.”

When asked about the award, Hidehiko Kishitani's expression softened considerably: "Doing scientific research should be about focusing on the task at hand; there's no need to be overly flamboyant."

Kudo Yuki continued, tapping her notebook lightly with her fingertips, maintaining her curiosity: "I understand that you've recently been focusing on the integration of biotechnology and information technology. Is this related to your upcoming research direction? In the interview two days from now, we can discuss this topic further."

Hidehiko Kishitani did not answer directly, but murmured, "Let's talk about it in two days. Right now, I need to prepare my speech for the hearing."

“Okay, I won’t bother you any longer.” Kudo Yuki tactfully put away her notebook. “Then we’ll wait for you backstage after the hearing in two days. Please go ahead with your work. If there’s anything that needs to be adjusted, please contact us anytime.”

The announcement in the venue went: "Attention all attendees, please proceed to the venue as soon as possible to familiarize yourselves with the speaking procedures. The hearing rehearsal is about to begin."

Hidehiko Kishitani nodded slightly to Yuki Kudo: "I'm leaving now."

He turned and walked into the venue, instead of heading towards the west terrace.

The jasmine scent that Amuro Tooru had sprayed beforehand had already made that area a place he subconsciously avoided.

Kudo Yuki watched his retreating figure and smiled silently at the mouse in her pocket.

The mouse muttered to itself, "It's all set! He seems to have a good impression of Xiaoxue, so the interview in two days will be easy!"

Amuro Tooru quickly returned and went to Kudo Yuki's side: "The assistant has taken him to the lounge. I put a miniature tracker on him so I can monitor their movements in real time. How did the conversation go? Did it arouse his suspicion?"

"It went smoothly. We just discussed the outline and didn't mention anything sensitive." Kudo Yuki shook her head. "He cares a lot about his research results. Approaching it from this angle will help him lower his guard. We'll slowly get more information out of him during the formal interview two days later."

Kudo Yuki put away her phone and said to Amuro Tooru, "Let's leave first, so as not to stay too long and arouse suspicion."

The two walked side by side toward the exit, their footsteps mingling with the whispers of the staff in the lobby, and no one noticed the unspoken meaning in their eyes.

Subaru Okiya, on the top floor of the office building across the street, watched them leave safely, picked up the walkie-talkie and replied: "Target has been evacuated, everything is normal."

To be continued...