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

The mouse leaned closer, sniffed the air, and snorted, "It's definitely something fishy about that 'ES Dark Amber Project.' That masked thief may be a bit shady at times, but he's actually reliable. But..."

It changed its tone abruptly, glaring angrily at Kudo Yuki, "If you dare to forcibly access system permissions again, I'll hide all your snacks!"

Kudo Yuki was amused by its "I'm fierce" look and was about to reach out to pinch its cheek, but because of her weak body, she lost strength halfway up her hand.

Seeing this, Amuro Tooru immediately took her hand and put it back under the covers, his brows furrowed: "Don't move. Your physical condition is very bad right now."

For a fleeting moment, he truly believed he was going to lose her. That deep-seated fear still haunts him to this day.

"I'm fine, Zero." Kudo Yuki felt a warmth in her heart as she looked at his worried eyes. "I'm just a little exhausted. I'll be fine after a rest."

She leaned against the pillows, her gaze passing through the crack in the sliding door to the bright moon outside the window, her thoughts drifting far away.

[System Notification: Congratulations, Xiaoxue, you have completed the first phase of independent clue gathering. Rewards: Backend upgrade reached 98.5%, 1 Spirit Restoration Potion.]

Kudo Yuki was slightly taken aback and subconsciously looked at the mouse, only to find that it had its back to her, pretending to study the teacup on the table, obviously already knowing.

The mouse hid in the pocket and touched the props with its chubby little paws.

[System notification: The recovery potion will restore 50% of your mental strength within ten minutes.]

Amuro Tooru pressed down on Kudo Yuki's shoulder: "Don't push yourself. Whatever the mission, we'll talk about it once you're fully recovered."

Kudo Yuki reached out and gently smoothed the wrinkles between his brows, saying softly, "We'll act according to our capabilities in the future. But right now, we need this."

She didn't say it explicitly, but Amuro Tooru instantly understood what she meant. They were at the center of a dark vortex, and every bit of strength was crucial.

"I will protect you." Amuro Tooru conceded, but his eyes remained fixed on her.

The mouse took out a recovery potion from its pocket and handed it to her.

Kudo Yuki tilted her head back and drank it down. A cool, warm current instantly flowed through her entire body, and her previously depleted mental energy began to slowly recover.

"How are you feeling?" Amuro Tooru asked nervously.

Kudo Yuki felt the long-lost power returning to her body. "I feel much better. Now we should have a good talk about that 'prank'."

Amuro Tooru pressed her hand back under the covers, but his fingertips did not leave immediately. Instead, they slid slowly down the back of her hand and finally intertwined with her fingers.

"'Prank'..." Amuro Tooru's gaze was as deep as the night. "Mr. Toichi said he was 'tricked by that old guy.' Considering that he obtained information about the 'ES Dark Amber Project,' what do you think he discovered?"

Kudo Yuki leaned back against the pillows, her mental energy returning and her thoughts becoming clearer. She gently twirled the phone in her hand, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.

“If I’m not mistaken,” she said slowly, still somewhat weak, “what Uncle Daoyi discovered should be the true core of the ‘ES Dark Amber Project,’ or… another purpose the old man had hidden behind this project.”

Kudo Yuki turned to look at Amuro Tooru, "Do you remember our previous analysis that 'ES Dark Amber' is ostensibly a brainwashing and control program, but Rum wanted to use it to restore his left eye? This suggests that the technical aspects of this plan may involve some kind of biotechnology that we haven't fully mastered yet."

At this moment, the mouse popped out of the pocket, jumped onto the coffee table, and held a biscuit that it had pulled out from somewhere with its two chubby little paws. While munching on it, it mumbled, "The system has detected that the encrypted file uploaded by Kuroba Touichi contains a large amount of early experimental data on 'consciousness transfer' and 'memory overwriting'."

It raised its head and said in a serious tone, "Data shows that the initial test subjects for this project were not kidnapped from the outside world, but... animal mice."

Amuro Tooru's fingers tightened, his voice low: "So, their current 'ES Dark Amber Project' is jumping directly from animal testing to human testing?"

The mouse swallowed the biscuit and patted its chest with its chubby little paws: "The conclusion drawn from the system's data analysis is that their success rate in animal experiments is less than 30%, but Karasuma Renya forcibly ordered the advancement of human experiments."

A cold glint flashed in Kudo Yuki's eyes: "This explains why Rum was so eager to take control of the project. If he can find a way to stabilize the experiment, he can not only restore his left eye, but perhaps even..."

“It might even allow Karasuma Renya to achieve so-called 'immortality',” Amuro Tooru continued, his tone full of disgust.

Kudo Yuki nodded slightly, tapping her knee with her fingertips, her gaze deep: "Uncle Toichi's discovery may point to a cruel truth—the old man never intended for anyone to truly control 'ES Dark Amber' from the very beginning."

A sneer curled at the corner of her lips: "Without a complete map, no one can figure out his hand; without seeing the truth, naturally no one can turn the tables on him."

Amuro Tooru was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "That's why Rum was so eager to get involved, even going so far as to use Cohen to deal with Wakasa Rumi... He wanted to get the leverage that would allow him to gain a foothold right under Karasuma Renya's nose."

Kudo Yuki looked up at him, her eyes filled with weariness: "Rum is too hasty, so hasty that even Gin noticed something was wrong."

Amuro Tooru gently stroked the back of her hand with his fingertips, his voice lowered even further: "Gin isn't stupid. He realized that he and Vodka were being used as 'the most convenient knives,' but he just hadn't found the right opportunity to tear things apart."

"Nominally it's 'receiving training to become stronger,' but in reality..." Kudo Yuki changed the subject, her eyes sharp, "this is a farce directed by the old man himself, but which Rum tried to hijack."

Amuro Tooru clearly also recalled that intelligence transfer process.

"At first, the old man really just wanted to keep Vodka by his side to observe him, and even considered having him undergo intensive training." Kudo Yuki's voice was frighteningly calm, as if she were recounting an old case that had nothing to do with her.

"But Rum took advantage of his position overseeing the lab data verification to secretly tamper with the parameters and presented the old man with a false 'perfect report'."

She sneered, tapping her fingertips on her knee: "He wanted to use the old man's hands to completely control vodka, even turn it into his own puppet. Unfortunately, he didn't foresee that I was watching the data flow in the lab."

"The moment I anonymously submitted the evidence of Rum's data tampering to the old man, the situation immediately reversed." Kudo Yuki turned her head to look at Amuro Tooru, a sly glint in her eyes.

"Especially on the eve of Gin's furious confrontation with Vodka because he couldn't get in touch with him for so long, the old man, in order to give Rum a warning and at the same time appease Gin, the sharpest knife, decisively transferred Vodka from the laboratory back to his own doorstep."

Amuro Tooru continued in a low voice, "The current vodka is nominally receiving 'the highest level of protection,' but in reality, the old man is using it as a bargaining chip to restrain Gin and at the same time put pressure on Rum. Rum's attempt to steal a chicken backfired, and he ended up exposing his own ambitions instead."

“That’s right.” Kudo Yuki slowly closed her eyes, her voice filled with a chilling coldness. “Once ambition goes from ‘doubt’ to ‘confirmation,’ its nature changes completely.”

She turned her head to look at Amuro Tooru, a cold light flashing in her eyes: "Rum's little tricks made the old man realize for the first time that this knife was showing signs of turning against its master. So, he kept vodka by his side, both to appease Gin and to show Rum who the real master is in this organization."

Amuro Tooru whispered, "Gin can see that Rum has fallen out of favor, and he himself is being tested little by little by Karasuma Renya."

“That’s why he came to me.” Kudo Yuki opened her eyes. “At this critical moment when everyone is suspicious of each other, only I am able to ensure the safety of the old man without easily disturbing him, and I also have the ability to confirm the safety of the vodka in the cracks.”

She sighed softly, "He's not begging me; he's planning his own escape route."

After Kudo Yuki's mental strength recovered, her mood also lightened a bit: "Uncle Toichi said he would bring Kaito to 'apologize with thorns on his back' and also to exchange magic and reasoning skills... It seems he has already read all the information."

Amuro Tooru ruffled her hair: "He's reminding you not to shoulder everything alone."

Kudo Yuki's eyes flickered slightly, but she didn't reply.

There are some burdens she has to shoulder herself.

The mouse muttered to itself, "She clearly has a fiancé, a system, and so many helpers, yet she still insists on being stubborn..."

Upon hearing this, Amuro Tooru couldn't help but laugh: "I'll help you. Hiro will too. And Manager Kuroda won't stand idly by either."

Kudo Yuki looked at him, her eyes slightly red: "Zero..."

Amuro Tooru leaned closer to her, forehead to forehead: "We're partners, and also..."

He paused, a smile flashing in his eyes: "A fiancée certified by the Metropolitan Police Department. You can't shake her off even if you want to."

Kudo Yuki was amused by him and gently punched him with her hand: "Who wants to dump you?"

Amuro Tooru took her hand and they intertwined their fingers: "That's good."

Outside the window, the moonlight, like water, spilled onto the stone path in the hot spring courtyard.

Metropolitan Police Department, Public Security Bureau, Computer Room.

The blue light from the screen reflected on Hiroki Sawada's face. He was wearing headphones, his fingers flying across the keyboard: "...Found it."

On the screen, he was recompiling a complex string of code—a fragment he had previously intercepted from Rum's private terminal, which he had never been able to fully crack.

Until today, he finally found a breakthrough.

[Connecting to the Karasuma Group's internal network...]

[Permission verification in progress...]

Please enter your advanced access key...

Hiroki Sawada inserted the temporary authorization card that Yuki Kudo had given him into the card reader.

[Permission verification passed.]

Welcome, codename: Fine Wine.

The screen instantly switched, and a list of documents unfolded before him. Karasuma Group's recent cash flows, personnel changes, experimental records… everything was clearly visible.

Hiroki Sawada quickly scanned the information, trying to find out Rum's recent movements: "ES Dark Amber Project... another new test subject transfer record?"

The door to the computer room was pushed open.

"Hiroki." Kuroda's voice came through.

Hiroki Sawada's hand trembled, and he subconsciously wanted to minimize the window.

"Management officer?!" He was a little flustered, and his fingers typed faster on the keyboard.

Kuroda Hyoue walked up behind him, his gaze fixed on the screen: "What are you doing?"

"I...I'm checking on Rum's activities!" Hiroki Sawada hurriedly explained, "I've noticed he's been frequently interacting with several overseas accounts lately, and I suspect—"

"Who gave you permission to use the 'Fine Wine' privilege?" Kuroda interrupted him. "That's top secret!"

Hiroki Sawada felt intimidated by his imposing presence, and his fingers involuntarily tightened: "I just wanted to help..."

In his panic, he pressed the wrong spot with his finger.

"Well--!"

I watched helplessly as a file sending window popped up on the screen.

[File: Experimental Subject Observation Record_0729.mp4]

[Sending to: Vermouth...]

Hiroki Sawada's face turned deathly pale instantly: "No...it's not this!"

He frantically tried to cancel, only to find that the system was executing the send command with the highest privileges.

That's the priority that comes with the premium wine access, and it can't be interrupted by ordinary users.

Kuroda Hyōe also saw the content on the screen, his brow furrowing: "Who did you send it to?"

Hiroki Sawada's voice was so soft it was almost inaudible: "Vermouth."

A brief silence fell over the computer room.

The progress bar on the screen is still moving forward slowly.

[Sending progress: 70%...90%...]

Hiroki Sawada stared intently at the screen, his palms sweating profusely: "Manager... I..."

Kuroda Hyōe was silent for a moment, then suddenly reached out and pressed his shoulder: "Don't panic."

"But—!" Hiroki Sawada's eyes reddened with anxiety. "That video has...it has footage of vodka in the lab! If Vermouth sees it, she'll definitely become suspicious!"

Kuroda Hyoue stared intently as the progress bar on the screen reached its end.

[Sent successfully.]

The air in the computer room seemed to freeze.

Kuroda Hyōe let out a sigh of relief: "What's done is done. The most important thing now is to find a way to salvage the situation."

Hiroki Sawada looked up, his eyes filled with regret: "Is it too late to make amends...?"

Kuroda Hyōe pretended to think: "Absinthe... She doesn't easily trust anyone. But she's always been curious about 'fine wine'."

Under the lights of the computer room, the shadows of the two men were stretched very long.

Inside a black sedan, Vermouth sat watching a video sent to her by a friend on her phone.

In the footage, Vodka is lying on a bed in the laboratory, pale-faced but with stable vital signs.

She put away her phone, a cryptic smile playing on her lips: "'Fine Wine'...who exactly are you?"

Vermouth started the car and disappeared into the night.

In the computer room of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Public Security Division, Hiroki Sawada was still regretting his mistake.

Kuroda looked at him calmly and said, "Hiroki, from now on, you will temporarily suspend all access to anything related to the organization."

Hiroki Sawada suddenly looked up: "Manager!"

“This is an order,” Kuroda interrupted him. “You have done very well, but there are some things that are not your responsibility right now.”

His gaze fell on the login record belonging to "Fine Wine" on the screen, his eyes deep: "The rest... we'll take care of."

The lights in the computer room seemed particularly cold at that moment.

Meanwhile, at the hot spring inn, Kudo Yuki was still fast asleep in Amuro Tooru's arms, completely unaware of everything.