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

Early morning, in the restaurant of a hot spring inn.

Kudo Yuki and Amuro Tooru were the last to arrive.

Both of them looked to be in good health, especially Kudo Yuki, whose face had regained its usual rosy glow, showing no signs of having almost fainted last night.

"Xiaoxue, are you alright?" Sato Miwako immediately came to greet her as soon as she saw her. "You scared me to death yesterday."

"It's alright, Miwako." Kudo Yuki smiled and took her arm. "I'm just a little tired lately, I'll be fine after a night's rest."

"That's good." Sato Miwako breathed a sigh of relief and lowered her voice, "By the way, Hagiwara said yesterday that his sister Chisato will also be here on a business trip today and will come to see us."

"Sister Chisato?" Kudo Yuki's eyes lit up. "That's great! I only had a brief chat with her yesterday before she went back to the police station to give a statement."

Just then, the restaurant door was pushed open.

"Second-year graduate student!" Hagiwara Chisato spotted her younger brother in the corner, strode over, and raised an eyebrow as her gaze fell on Matsuda Jinpei, who looked displeased. "And you, Matsuda. It's rare to see you two clowns here."

"Sis, why are you so late?" Kenji Hagiwara stood up with a smile and put his arm around Ayami Ogino next to him. "Have you forgotten what I told you? Let me formally introduce you. This is Ayami."

Ayami Ogino stood up with a gentle smile and bowed slightly: "Chisato-nee, it's been a long time."

"Oh my, Ayami, you're getting more and more beautiful!" Hagiwara Chisato pulled Ayami Ogino's hand, looking her up and down with satisfaction in her eyes. "I knew it! If Kenji dares to treat you badly, I'll teach him a lesson."

"Sis!" Kenji Hagiwara called out helplessly, "I'm the best to Ayami, okay?"

Hagiwara Chisato ignored him, turned to Sato Miwako, and grinned mischievously: "And you, Officer Sato."

Sato Miwako blushed slightly and smiled somewhat shyly: "Officer Chiso."

Hagiwara Chisato deliberately nudged Matsuda Jinpei with her elbow: "Hey, Matsuda, with your lousy temper, you're incredibly lucky to have managed to win over such a wonderful girl like Miwako. If you dare to make her suffer, I'll be the first to get back at you."

"Tch, how could I let her suffer?" Matsuda Jinpei said dismissively, but his arms tightened unconsciously, holding Sato Miwako even closer. "Mind your own brother."

"Tsk tsk tsk, you're even protecting her now." Hagiwara Chiya shook her head, looking disgusted. "I never thought that a blockhead like you could actually get to the point."

Everyone who saw this couldn't help but laugh.

The atmosphere in the restaurant instantly became relaxed and pleasant, with a sumptuous breakfast laid out on the table.

Kudo Yuki picked up her teacup, gently blowing on the steam, while her gaze drifted almost imperceptibly out the window.

While cracking pine nuts, the mouse watched the commotion and said, "Xiaoxue, the system detected abnormal fluctuations in the Metropolitan Police Department's network last night."

Kudo Yuki's fingers, which were holding the teacup, paused slightly. She used telepathy to ask, "Unusual fluctuations? Has something happened to Hiroki?"

The little mouse scratched at the system screen with its chubby paws, checking the situation: "The specific data is encrypted; I can only find a few fragments. It seems... a high-privilege file was sent to a terminal within the organization."

Sitting next to her, Amuro Tooru picked up a piece of tamagoyaki for her. Through the mouse's explanation, his eyes sharpened, but he quickly regained his gentle smile.

"What's wrong? Is it not to your liking?" Amuro Tooru asked in a low voice.

“No.” Kudo Yuki shook her head. “Jiuji said a document was sent out last night. If it was Hiroki…”

She didn't finish speaking, but Amuro Tooru already understood her concerns. Although the child's skills were top-notch, he was still young, and he was indeed prone to making mistakes when facing the pressure from Inspector Kuroda.

The restaurant door was opened again, and the figure of Manager Kuroda Hyōe appeared at the door.

"Management Officer?" Sato Miwako stood up in surprise. "What brings you here?"

Kuroda Hyoue glanced around at everyone, his gaze finally settling on Kudo Yuki and Amuro Tooru. He said in a deep voice, "I apologize for disturbing your meal. I've come to pick up Kudo and Amuro; there's an emergency that needs to be dealt with."

Kudo Yuki put down her teacup, a realization dawning on her: [It seems the senior has already become aware of last night's "abnormal fluctuations."]

She stood up and smiled apologetically at everyone: "I'm sorry, everyone, we may have to go ahead now."

"Oh? So soon?" Natalie looked reluctant. "I wanted to talk to Xiaoxue a little longer."

"Maybe next time." Kudo Yuki turned to look at Date Wataru and his group. "Thank you for taking care of me."

Date Wataru put down his chopsticks, stood up, and his usually cheerful face showed a rare serious expression. He walked up to Kudo Yuki and nodded slightly: "Yuki, although I don't know exactly what happened, since the supervisor came to pick you up in person, the matter must be quite troublesome."

His gaze fell on her slightly pale face, but she was trying to maintain a smile. His tone softened: "Your health is the most important thing. Don't push yourself too hard. If you need any help, just let us know. We're not juniors who only cause trouble."

“Class monitor…” Kudo Yuki paused for a moment, then smiled, “I will.”

Hagiwara Chisato waved her hand dismissively and said, "Why are you being so polite with us! Work is the priority. But Miss Kudo, if you dare to faint again, I'll take all of Kenji's allowance and use it to buy you supplements!"

"Sis! What does this have to do with me?!" Kenji Hagiwara wailed from the side.

Everyone said goodbye with smiles, and the atmosphere was relaxed and harmonious.

When Kudo Yuki and Amuro Tooru followed Kuroda Heibei out of the restaurant and into the parking lot outside the hotel, the air around them instantly became heavy.

Kuroda Hyōe didn't get into the car, but leaned against it, staring at the two men with a serious expression: "Last night, that kid Hiroki got into trouble."

"Is it about the document being sent by mistake?" Kudo Yuki asked directly.

Kuroda nodded in surprise: "When he was trying to hack Rum's terminal, he accidentally pressed the send button due to nervousness and sent a video of an experiment on vodka to Vermouth."

Amuro Tooru's face darkened: "Send it to Vermouth? Then she's now..."

“She hasn’t made a move yet.” Kuroda Hyōe took a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled a smoke ring. “However, this may not be a bad thing.”

"What does the manager mean?" Kudo Yuki asked.

“Absinthe is inherently suspicious.” Kuroda Hyoue narrowed his eyes. “When she received the video from ‘Fine Wine,’ her first reaction would definitely not be ‘Fine Wine has been exposed,’ but rather ‘This is a trap’ or ‘Fine Wine wants to use me.’ She is probably secretly investigating the source of the video and ‘Fine Wine’s’ true purpose right now.”

He looked at Kudo Yuki: "This actually gives us an opportunity. Since Gin has already gotten information about vodka's current situation through you and Vermouth, let's take advantage of the situation."

"Taking advantage of the situation?" Amuro Tooru caught the key phrase.

Kuroda Hyoue adjusted his sunglasses, his gaze scrutinizing the two men behind the lenses. He said in a deep voice, "Gin's current situation... is very delicate. If we use it properly, he will make a choice that is advantageous to us."

Kudo Yuki smiled slightly, a sly glint in her eyes: "Does the supervisor want me to use this 'accidental release' to sow discord between Vermouth and Rum?"

“Not only that.” Kuroda opened the car door. “Get in. We’ll discuss the specifics of the plan back at the Metropolitan Police Department. Also, the FBI has sent word that they’ve found the names of several key test subjects for the ‘ES Dark Amber Project,’ and there are a few names that you might find interesting.”

Kudo Yuki and Amuro Tooru exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.

The car slowly drove away from the hot spring hotel and headed towards the Metropolitan Police Department's Public Security Bureau.

Inside the car, Kudo Yuki leaned back in her seat, closed her eyes, but her mind was racing.

"Mouse, retrieve the raw data stream of the video file Hiroki sent last night," Kudo Yuki communicated telepathically.

The mouse jumped onto her lap and quickly scratched at the screen: "The file has been deciphered. The filming location is a hidden room in the research area on the third floor of the Karasuma Group headquarters. Vodka is in a deep coma, his vital signs are stable, but his brain is connected to a complex electrode device, and it seems that some kind of neural experiment is being conducted."

"Can you trace the specific IP address of that surveillance camera?" Kudo Yuki continued to ask telepathically. "I need it. It could be a key clue for us to find the exact location of the vodka, or even to infiltrate the research area."

"Locating...Found it!" Mouse slapped her thigh. "The IP address has been locked. It's an encrypted network segment inside the Karasuma Group headquarters."

"Send it to my phone." Kudo Yuki opened her eyes, reached for her phone, and as soon as she turned on the screen, a hidden system notification flashed by.

Sitting in the driver's seat, Amuro Tooru drove expressionlessly, listening to Kudo Yuki's conversation with the mouse, thinking to himself: [The hidden room in the third-floor research area... the fact that Hiroki's mistakenly sent video could have come from there means the surveillance system isn't foolproof.]

He turned his head to look at Kudo Yuki, who was resting with her eyes closed. A hint of worry flashed in his eyes, but more than that, he trusted her. He knew that this seemingly fragile girl could always find a way out of desperate situations.

Sitting in the back seat, Kuroda looked at the two people in front and slowly said, "In the list sent by the FBI, besides a few known peripheral members, there is another name that has caught their attention—'Curaçao'."

Upon hearing this name, Kudo Yuki opened her eyes: "Curaçao? That woman with heterochromia? Didn't she already... change her appearance and become an ordinary person?"

Kuroda interrupted her, his tone heavy: "You know quite a lot. Furuya reported this to me. He transferred Curaçao to a place the organization would never expect, erased all traces of her life, and let her live the sunny life she had always longed for under an assumed name."

Kudo Yuki frowned slightly: "You did such a clean job, so why are you bringing her up now? Is something wrong?"

Kuroda Hyoue's expression darkened: "Something has happened recently. Kazami Yuya sent word that something has gone wrong in Curaçao, and her peaceful life has been disrupted."

"The organization... found her?" Kudo Yuki whispered, her eyes becoming wary.

“It’s not certain yet,” Kuroda Bei shook his head. “But Furuya is already investigating in secret. If Rum learns that Curaçao is alive, given his personality, he will definitely take extreme measures. The fact that she had access to the organization’s core intelligence is enough to make her a target.”

Kudo Yuki weighed the pros and cons in her mind: [Curaçao's existence is a trump card they hold. If it's exposed, not only will she be in danger, but Rum will also discover Zero's original plan.]

"Can we get in touch with Curaçao now?" Kudo Yuki asked.

Kuroda glanced at her: "Kazami is trying to make contact, but she has cut off most of the communication to avoid being seen. We must not make contact rashly before we find out who is spying on her, that would be tantamount to sending Rum the coordinates directly."

Kudo Yukito's gaze fell on the rearview mirror behind Kuroda Heiwa, as if he were pondering the question in his mind: "What's Curaçao's name now?"

Kuroda Hyōe took a brown paper envelope out of his pocket and handed it to the back seat.

Kudo Yuki took the envelope, but didn't open it immediately. Instead, she looked at Kuroda Heibei and said, "Senior, this is..."

“Curaçao’s current identity information,” Kuroda Hyōe said succinctly, “including her current name, address, and the latest information Kazami Yūya has.”

Kudo Yuki opened the envelope; inside were several printed A4 sheets of paper.

The top image is a blurry screenshot from a surveillance camera. It shows a residential street where a woman wearing a beige trench coat and a hat is walking out of a convenience store. Her profile is mostly obscured by the brim of her hat, but her heterochromatic eyes are still faintly visible in the sunlight.

"Her name is now... 'Harumi Yuzuki'?" Kudo Yuki looked at the name on the paper and paused slightly.

“A pseudonym.” Kuroda Hyōe leaned back in his chair, his tone flat. “She chose it herself, hoping to completely sever ties with the past.”

Amuro Tooru's fingers tightened slightly on the steering wheel, but he didn't say anything.

Kudo Yuki continued reading; the paper recorded Curaçao's current living conditions:

Living in an apartment on the outskirts of the capital, working at a nearby flower shop, having no social media accounts, and barely interacting with neighbors, her life is as low-key as a drop of water merging into the ocean.

“Kazami Yuya said that someone has been hanging around her apartment recently.” Kuroda Hyōe’s voice lowered. “Not someone from the organization, at least not at the moment. More like… a private investigator, or someone hired.”

"Who hired him?" Kudo Yuki asked.

“We’re still investigating.” Kuroda shook his head. “But that’s enough to show that her peaceful life has been disrupted. Someone knows she’s still alive and is looking for her.”

Kudo Yuki's gaze fell on a line of words on the paper:

Three days ago, I had contact with an unidentified man who was about 1.8 meters tall, wearing a black baseball cap, and appeared to be carrying a camera.

Kudo Yuki frowned: "If it's a private investigator, then their target is very clear. Although Curaçao's appearance has changed, those eyes... are too conspicuous."

"So we can't act rashly," Kuroda said. "If we take the initiative to contact her, it would be like telling the people behind her: 'You've come to the right person.'"

Kudo Yuki remained silent for a moment, then folded the documents again and put them back in the envelope. She leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and the image of Curaçao's heterochromatic eyes appeared in her mind.

That woman, who was once brainwashed by the organization and turned into a killing tool, should not be dragged into these dark vortexes again.

To be continued...