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

Amuro Tooru looked up, his gaze meeting Kudo Yuki's, a complex mix of emotions churning within him: "She makes her confidants cooperate with you unconditionally, while simultaneously having her secretly investigate you... Yuki, what exactly does Vermouth want from you?"

Kudo Yuki's lips curled into an enigmatic smile, but her eyes seemed to conceal a cold glint: "She's investigating two things. Why I saved 'that old man,' and who exactly 'Fine Wine' is."

She tilted her head slightly, her voice as soft as the wind on the water: "The fact that I saved the old lady is currently only known to you, Hiro, and the old senior. As for why Vermouth knows... I'm afraid it was just something the old lady casually mentioned, which was overheard by her confidant and then reported to Vermouth."

Amuro Tooru's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

Rinya the Raven rarely mentions her past, likely because she would never easily reveal to others her near-"weakness"—the experience of being saved by someone. Yet, even a casual remark reached Vermouth's ears, demonstrating the organization's extensive network of informants and revealing the immense resources invested behind the scenes.

“Karasuma Renya…” Amuro Tooru repeated softly, his fingertips gently stroking Kudo Yuki’s hand, “His attitude towards you has been very special from the very beginning.”

Kudo Yuki lowered her eyes, her eyelashes casting shadows beneath her eyelids. She didn't deny it, but simply said, "The name 'Fine Wine' that he bestowed upon me was never a special privilege."

She tilted her head slightly, a cold glint in her eyes: "To him, this is merely a matter of power. The so-called protection is simply because he feels this pawn can be used for a little longer."

Amuro Tooru's fingers tightened.

Kudo Yuki raised her eyes, her gaze calm to the point of cruelty: "In his eyes, everyone is a pawn. When they are useful, they stay on the chessboard; when they are no longer useful, they are discarded."

She sighed softly, "Vodka's current situation is the best example."

Toru Amuro was silent.

Of course he understood what she meant.

Vodka was transferred to the laboratory as a "test subject," ostensibly to "become stronger," but in reality, everyone could see that it was Karasuma Renya's warning to everyone—or rather, a signal that he could be sacrificed at any time.

“So,” Kudo Yuki looked at Amuro Tooru with a cold smile, “don’t have any illusions about the old man. He won’t look at me differently just because I saved him.”

She reached out and gently placed her hand on Amuro Tooru's hand, her voice weary: "I've survived until now not because of his kindness, but because I still have value to him."

Amuro Tooru's heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by something.

He knew that what Kudo Yuki said was true.

Karasuma Renya was never a kind person; he was a monster who treated everyone as pawns.

Kudo Yuki, from the moment she saved Karasuma Renya, was drawn into this enormous dark chessboard.

“Xiaoxue…” Amuro Tooru’s voice was a little hoarse. He took her hand in his and held it tightly. “No matter what he thinks of you, in my eyes, you are not a pawn.”

Kudo Yuki looked at him, the coldness in her eyes melting slightly: "Toru, I know."

Ogino Ayami, holding a teacup, glanced at Kudo Yuki and Amuro Tooru's clasped hands, smiled, and leaned closer, teasing, "What are you two whispering about? You look... very serious."

Kudo Yuki snapped out of her daze, the cold glint in her eyes vanishing instantly, replaced by a sly, sweet smile.

She gently patted Amuro Tooru's hand that was wrapped around her waist. "It's nothing, Ayami. I was just saying... Tooru seems to be too tired lately, his dark circles are a bit heavy, and I'm urging him to get some rest."

Amuro Tooru gave a helpless, wry smile, rubbed his temples, and said in a tone that was both doting and aggrieved, "Being controlled by my girlfriend is something I can't help."

Kenji Hagiwara was overjoyed and immediately chimed in, "Oh, Amuro, you don't understand. This is Yuki caring about you! My Ayami, on the other hand, usually doesn't even bother to care about me."

“Who cares about you?” Ogino Ayami glared at him, then looked at Kudo Yuki gently. “But Yuki is right. Amuro works part-time at Poirot and also helps Yuki with all sorts of messy ‘advisory’ work. It’s really hard work. Since we’re all here to relax today, let’s not think about those worries.”

The little mouse peeked its head out of Kudo Yuki's pocket, its chubby paws covering its mouth as it chuckled: "Pfft—Yuki, your excuse is so lame! Amuro Tooru's skin is so good you can't even see his pores, where would he get dark circles? Only these guys would believe your nonsense."

Kudo Yuki flicked the mouse's forehead lightly with her finger in her pocket, retorting telepathically, "Shut up! This is called a 'white lie.' This sacrifice is necessary to maintain my boyfriend's image."

Amuro Tooru chuckled softly, his warm breath brushing against Kudo Yuki's ear. He whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, actually responding to Yuki's teasing: "Actually... with you by my side, it's all worth it, no matter how tired I am. Besides, what you just said did make me feel a little more at ease."

Kudo Yuki paused slightly, then turned her head to look at him.

Finally free from Kenji Hagiwara's "photo harassment," Wataru Date walked over with two glasses of juice.

Natalie followed behind him, holding several skewers of freshly baked dumplings.

"Here you are, Yuki and Amuro." Date Wataru handed them the juice. "You didn't look too well earlier. Are you feeling unwell? If you're tired, go inside and lie down for a while. We'll keep an eye on you here."

"Thank you, class monitor." Kudo Yuki took the juice, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "I'm fine now. It was just that the sun was a bit too bright and dazzling."

Natalie gently distributed the dumplings to everyone, smiling as she said, "These dumplings are delicious; they're made with freshly ground glutinous rice. Everyone should try them."

Matsuda Jinpei raised an eyebrow, picked up a skewer, took a bite, and mumbled, "Hmm, it tastes really good. It's better than the one Miwako made last time."

"Matsuda Jinpei!" Sato Miwako immediately exploded, "That was a mistake! Don't you understand what a mistake is?!"

As Sato Miwako chased Matsuda Jinpei around in the courtyard, Hagiwara Kenji cheered them on, Ogino Ayami shook her head with a helpless smile, Date Wataru and Natalie exchanged a smile, and the courtyard was once again filled with laughter.

Karasuma Group Headquarters, Archives Room.

Kuroba Toichi, dressed in the uniform of a female secretary's subordinate, followed behind her with his head down.

The archive room is very large, with rows of bookshelves stretching from the floor to the ceiling, filled with all kinds of documents and materials.

The female secretary walked up to a bookshelf, stopped, took out a magnetic card from her pocket, and swiped it.

A hidden door suddenly appeared on the wall next to the bookshelf.

"Go in," the female secretary said coldly. "Take out that early document from the 'ES Dark Amber' project."

Black Feather Thief nodded and pushed open the door to go inside.

The room with the hidden door contained only a table and a desk lamp. On the table was a black folder with the words "ES Dark Amber Project - Project Proposal" written on it.

Kuroba Toichi's gaze fell on the folder, a cold glint in his eyes. He reached for the folder, about to open it, when he heard a voice behind him.

"what are you doing?"

Kuroba Toichi's body stiffened.

He slowly turned around and saw a man in a black trench coat standing at the door. His long silver hair gleamed coldly under the light, and that face belonged to Gin.

Gin's gaze fell on him, sharp as a knife: "You are not her subordinate."

Kuroba Toichi kept his head down, his voice calm: "Lord Gin, you've mistaken me for someone else."

Gin sneered and walked in step by step: "Mistaken identity? My memory isn't that bad."

He stopped in front of Kuroba Toichi, staring at him: "Who sent you? Rum? Or... fine wine?"

Kuroba Toichi did not answer, but simply gripped the folder in his hand tightly.

Gin slowly reached for the gun at his waist: "You won't talk? Then die."

The hidden door was suddenly pushed open, and Vermouth walked in, her voice laced with laughter but devoid of warmth: "Hey, Gin, why are you so angry? This is the archives room. If we make a commotion and the higher-ups find out, neither of us will be able to explain ourselves."

Gin's gaze fell on her, as cold as ice: "Vermouth, what are you doing here?"

"Me?" Vermouth took off her sunglasses, revealing a pair of captivating eyes. "I just came to pick up something. But you, Gin, shouldn't you be on a mission? What brings you here?"

Gin's fingertips tightened slightly, but he didn't answer.

Vermouth's gaze fell on Kuroba Toichi, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes: "Who is this...?"

The female secretary's voice came from outside: "He's my subordinate, the new one."

Vermouth raised an eyebrow but didn't press the matter. She turned to Gin, her tone casual: "Gin, I'm taking the documents. You don't intend to disobey orders from above, do you?"

Gin's gaze swept back and forth between her and Kuroba Toichi before he finally lowered his hand. He knew now was not the time to act.

"Take it and leave, don't get in the way."

Vermouth smiled, took the folder from Kuroba Toichi's hand, and turned to leave through the hidden door.

Kuroba Toichi lowered his head, staring at the ground, his palms already sweating profusely. If Gin had asked just one more question, his identity might have been exposed.

Gin's gaze fell on him, and after a few seconds of silence, he suddenly asked, "What's your name?"

Kuroba Touichi raised his head and smiled: "My name is... Kageyama."

Gin stared at him for a long time, so long that Kuroba Toichi almost thought he was about to be exposed.

He suddenly turned around and walked out of the hidden door.

"Don't let me see you again." Gin's voice came from outside, cold and piercing.

Black Feather Thief breathed a sigh of relief, but dared not relax in the slightest.

The female secretary walked through the hidden door and closed it behind her, blocking the view from the outside.

The indoor light dimmed instantly, leaving only the desk lamp emitting a dim and oppressive glow.

She walked to the table, placed the tablet she was holding on it, and the screen lit up, displaying a complex permissions interface.

The female secretary glanced at Kuroba Toichi and said coldly, "The computers here are connected to the organization's encrypted database. I've already cracked some of the permissions. Insert this USB drive."

She threw the black USB drive onto the table.

“It contains the retrieval program Vermouth needs.” The secretary pointed to the old-fashioned terminal in the corner. “Go and search for everything related to ‘Fine Wine,’ including mission logs, medical records, and reports of contact with ‘that person.’ Once you’ve compiled it, copy it to this USB drive.”

Kuroba Touichi bent down to pick up the USB drive, his gaze falling on the "ES Dark Amber Project" folder on the table. He chuckled inwardly: [Sharon wants to investigate "Fine Wine," and his uncle, "Fine Wine's" uncle, is standing right here, searching for dirt on her. What an absurd drama.]

“Kageyama,” the female secretary seemed to notice his pause and reminded him, “hurry up. Although I’ve temporarily blocked the surveillance here, the system will automatically alarm if this goes on for too long.”

"Yes." Black Feather Thief responded and turned to walk towards the terminal.

He sat down and turned on his computer.

The screen lit up, displaying complex code and data streams. He inserted the USB drive and ran the program. A progress bar popped up on the screen, and a red scanning beam moved rapidly across it.

Searching for keywords: fine wine...

[Permission verification passed...]

[Retrieving files...]

Kuroba Toichi's fingers flew across the keyboard, seemingly operating the keyboard, but in reality, he was using the program as cover to quickly browse information.

The information on the screen flashed by one by one.

[Code Name: Fine Wine]

[Level: S level]

Status: Active

[Direct Supervisor: That Person]

Main tasks: intelligence gathering, special assassinations, and plan coordination.

[Note: One of the only field team members who has seen the old man's true face. Skilled in disguise, hand-to-hand combat, and intelligence analysis. Extremely dangerous.]

There is very little information available.

It seems that Karasuma Renya has protected this pawn very well, with most of the core information encrypted to the highest level, making it inaccessible even to Vermouth's confidants.

Kuroba Toichi raised an eyebrow slightly, his fingers tapping special commands on the keyboard. This was a backdoor program that Kudo Yuki had taught him, specifically designed to bypass the organization's firewall.

The screen flashes briefly, and a new encrypted folder pops up.

The folder's name consists of only one character: "酒" (jiǔ, meaning wine).

Kuroba Toichi's eyes sharpened instantly, and his fingers paused slightly.

The ES Dark Amber Project, a brainwashing project that even he had only heard rumors about.

Kudo Yuki is actually involved in this plan?

He was about to open the file when the screen went black.

An alarm sounded in the room.

"Beep beep beep—beep beep beep—"

The female secretary's expression changed drastically, and she turned sharply to look at Kuroba Toichi: "What happened?! You triggered the alarm?!"

Kuroba Toichi quickly pulled out the USB drive, stood up, and said with a look of panic, "I don't know! The program suddenly stopped halfway through running..."

"Get out of here!" the female secretary gritted her teeth and pushed open the hidden door. "The police will surround this place soon!"

Kuroba Toichi followed closely behind, and the two rushed out of the hidden door, only to run into several members of the black-clad organization who had rushed over after hearing the commotion.

"What happened?" one of the members asked.

"The archives have been hacked! The alarm's going off!" The female secretary, quick-witted, pointed at Kuroba Toichi, "Grab him! He's the intruder!"

To be continued...