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

Kudo Yuki carefully put away the brown paper envelope and communicated telepathically: "Rat, help me compare whether the unidentified man who appears near Curaçao is related to Rum's trusted members."

The mouse's chubby little paws swiped rapidly across the system screen: "Searching... Rum's trusted members' information is encrypted, but based on known characteristics, the man's height and build are 78% similar to a member in the screening team codenamed 'Jägermeister'."

“Jägermeister…” Kudo Yuki narrowed her eyes and responded telepathically, “Shouldn’t he be in charge of Rum’s security assessment and clearing operations? How come he suddenly appeared there?”

Amuro Tooru listened from the front, his fingers tightening slightly on the steering wheel. He glanced at Kudo Yuki in the back seat through the rearview mirror, but pressed the accelerator even harder.

Amuro Tooru pondered to himself: [Jäger…the most troublesome member of Rum's camp. Silent and taciturn, skilled in close-quarters combat and high-difficulty infiltration. If he's appearing near Curaçao…it means Rum has begun to personally oversee this matter, or Jäger himself has determined it necessary to conduct on-site verification. Either way, it's not a good sign.]

Kuroda Hyōe leaned back in his seat, seemingly sensing the change in the atmosphere between the two, and slowly asked, "Kudo, what are your thoughts?"

Kudo Yuki opened her eyes and looked at Kuroda Heibei: "Senior, if it really is Rum's man, then we can't afford to be passively attacked. Curaçao knows too much, and if she falls into Rum's hands... I don't need to say more to know what kind of situation she will be in."

"What do you mean?" Kuroda Hyōe asked.

“We need to take the initiative,” Kudo Yuki explained. “Instead of waiting for them to find Curaçao, we should take the initiative and lure out the stalker.”

Amuro Tooru glanced at her sideways: "Take the initiative? How?"

Kudo Yuki smiled slightly, a sly glint in her eyes: "It's simple. We can use 'Fine Wine's' access to deliberately leak some false information, making Rum think that Curaçao has been moved somewhere by us."

Kuroda Hyoue raised an eyebrow: "Fake news? You're trying to lure the snake out of its hole?"

“That’s right.” Kudo Yuki nodded. “Rum is suspicious; he wouldn’t send just one person. If we can catch one of them, we can follow the trail and find more clues about Rum.”

Amuro Tooru was silent for a moment: "But doing this is very risky. If Rum realizes it's a trap, he might immediately order an attack on Curaçao."

“So we need a lure,” Kudo Yuki said, “a lure that Rum can believe.”

She looked at Amuro Tooru: "Zero, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you with this mission."

Amuro Tooru was taken aback: "Me?"

“You’re Bourbon, one of our own in the organization.” Kudo Yuki’s lips curled up. “If you ‘accidentally’ revealed Curaçao’s whereabouts, Rum would be more likely to believe it.”

Kuroda Hyōe thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "This method is feasible. Bourbon has a special status in the organization. Although Rum doesn't trust him, he won't completely doubt him either."

Amuro Tooru sighed: "Alright, I'll cooperate. But how exactly?"

Kudo Yuki took out her phone from her pocket and pulled up an encrypted file: "This is a fake surveillance video. The footage shows Curaçao being moved to a safe house. You can 'accidentally' leak this video through the organization's internal communications."

Amuro Tooru took the phone, looked at the image on the screen, and couldn't help but laugh: "It's very realistic."

The mouse proudly raised its chin: "My skills are top-notch."

Kudo Yuki reached out and ruffled the mouse's little head, then looked up at Amuro Tooru. Without putting her phone away, she leaned forward slightly and teased in a low voice, "To fool Rum, you have to be realistic. But... Mr. Bourbon's acting skills are key. Don't act too 'carelessly' and let people see through your act."

Amuro Tooru raised an eyebrow and smiled, then took her hand, which she hadn't yet pulled back.

"Don't worry." He leaned closer, his warm breath brushing against her ear. "When it comes to acting, I'm a professional. But... to cooperate with my performance, you need to make sure you have enough energy. You didn't sleep well last night, and you're still pushing yourself. If you mess up at the crucial moment, that would be a real problem."

Kudo Yuki's cheeks flushed slightly, and she subconsciously tried to pull her hand away, but he held it even tighter.

"I'm fine..." she muttered softly, but still nodded obediently. "I'll make sure to get some rest."

Amuro Tooru then released her hand with satisfaction, but his fingertips lingered on the back of her hand, as if he wanted to continue.

"That's a good girl," he said softly, his tone full of affection.

Kuroda Hyōe watched the two interact, shook his head slightly, and coughed twice to interrupt them: "Stop joking. We'll discuss the specific plan in detail when we get back to the Metropolitan Police Department. Now, let's go see that kid Hiroki."

The car quickly drove into the Metropolitan Police Department's underground parking lot.

As soon as the three entered the Ministry of Public Security's computer room, they saw Hiroki Sawada sitting in front of a computer, typing away with a frustrated expression.

His eyes were red, clearly from crying.

“Manager…” Upon seeing Kuroda Heibei enter, Hiroki Sawada immediately stood up, lowering his head and not daring to look at him.

Kuroda Hyōe walked up to him, looking at the code on the screen: "Hiroki, do you know what mistake you made?"

Hiroki Sawada's voice was so low it was barely audible: "I shouldn't have used 'Fine Wine' access without permission, and I especially shouldn't have... sent the file to Vermouth."

Kuroda patted his shoulder: "Good to know. But remember, the mistake has been made, and the most important thing now is to find a way to make amends."

Hiroki Sawada looked up, his eyes filled with surprise: "Manager, you...you don't blame me?"

“What’s the use of blaming you?” Kuroda sighed. “You’re a genius, but sometimes you’re too impulsive. Remember this lesson and don’t make the same mistake again.”

Hiroki Sawada nodded vigorously: "I will! Manager, I've already found the IP address of that surveillance camera. It's in a hidden room in the research area on the third floor of the Karasuma Group headquarters. I've also hacked into several nearby surveillance points, which might help you find a route to infiltrate."

Kudo Yuki walked over, looked at the map on the screen, and said with a smile, "Well done, Hiroki. You deserve some credit for this as well."

Hiroki Sawada looked at her, his face slightly flushed: "Sister Xue, this is what I should do."

Amuro Tooru couldn't help but think to himself, "This kid is becoming more and more reliable."

Kuroda glanced at his watch: "It's getting late. Kudo, Furuya, come to the conference room with me. Hiroki, you keep an eye on the network and report any activity immediately."

"Yes!" Hiroki Sawada replied loudly.

The three entered the conference room, where the computer screen displayed the latest intelligence updates from the European Police Department, MI6, the CIA, and the FBI.

Kuroda Hyōe walked to the head seat and sat down, looking at everyone: "Now only our own people are here. Hiroki, bring up the structural diagram of the Karasuma Group headquarters that you cracked."

Hiroki Sawada switched to the large screen, and a 3D architectural drawing slowly unfolded.

"This is the Karasuma Group headquarters, spanning from the third basement level to the tenth floor above ground. Based on the current access permissions and the firewall I've breached, here—"

He pointed to the three-story area on the ground in the upper right corner of the screen, "That's their core research area, codenamed 'Pandora.' The main research and development equipment for the ES Dark Amber Project should be hidden in the secret laboratory here."

Kudo Yuki stood in front of the screen, her fingertips lightly touching the virtual building model, her eyes deep: "The security system here is the most advanced in the world, with triple verification of iris, voiceprint, and DNA, as well as high-voltage electric grids and automatic machine gun turrets. If you try to force your way in, even a special agent would have a hard time getting out unscathed."

Amuro Tooru leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest: "So, that's why you sent those two phantom thieves?"

“Uncle Toichi’s experience combined with Kaito’s skills are highly complementary,” Kudo Yuki said with a faint smile as she turned around. “Moreover, magic tricks are best suited for missions that require ‘invisibility’ infiltration.”

Amuro Tooru chuckled, a playful glint in his eyes: "You've dragged both father and son into this, aren't you afraid of messing things up? Kuroba Toichi won't be easily manipulated."

Kudo Yuki looked up at him, a slight smile playing on her lips: "He agreed very readily. As for Kaito... let's just consider it a practical 'testing ground' for his disguise skills. I'll only assign him infiltration and observation missions, not combat or access to core equipment."

Kuroda Hyoue watched the two exchange words and slowly asked, "You've already made the arrangements?"

“Yes.” Kudo Yuki nodded. “I sent a message to Uncle Toichi before and asked him to keep an eye on Rum’s movements.”

Amuro Tooru silently added in his mind: "Kuroba Toru knew you were a fine wine all along, but he just didn't say it. The fact that he agreed so readily probably wasn't just because he was giving you face, but more because he wanted to see how you would play this game."

As for Kaito Kuroba… you just dragged him along this time, didn’t you? Sending your son to test the waters for his father, I overheard your scheme. What a… truly admirablely wicked woman.

The air in the conference room seemed to freeze for a moment.

The 3D structural diagram on the large screen rotated silently, exposing every inch of the steel and concrete of the "Pandora" research area to everyone.

Kuroda Hyoue rested his fingers on his chin: "'Project ES Dark Amber'... brainwashing equipment. Kudo, since you sent those two, what specific intelligence requests do you have?"

The atmosphere in the conference room became somber as the 3D structural diagram unfolded.

Kudo Yuki's fingertips lightly swept across the "Pandora" area of ​​the virtual model, but her gaze seemed to penetrate the security barrier through the screen.

“Triple biometrics, plus an automatic machine gun turret…” Amuro Tooru repeated in a low voice, straightened up from the wall, walked to the screen, and scanned the defense nodes marked with red dots.

"This setup is more like a fortress than a research area. Although those two guys are good at magic, they don't even have a chance to turn into pigeons in the face of this kind of heavy firepower."

Kudo Yuki withdrew her hand, turned to look at him, and smiled: "That's why we need higher-level authority."

She snapped her fingers, and the mouse immediately understood, making a fleeting gesture with its chubby little paw in the air.

The image on the large screen switched instantly, and a green path appeared on the previously airtight security system diagram.

“This is…” Kuroda Hyoue narrowed his one eye, a hint of surprise flashing in it.

“This is a ‘VIP emergency passage’ within the Karasuma Group,” Kudo Yuki explained. “Only those with the highest level of authentication can use it. Although it is usually in a dormant state, with the right instructions, it can bypass most of the outer defenses.”

Amuro Tooru looked at Kudo Yuki with a probing gaze: "Supreme authority? Besides that person, who else could possess it?"

Kudo Yuki tapped her fingertip on the phone screen, and an encrypted communication interface popped up. Instead of making a call, she sent a text message:

Kagekawa, the rest is up to you. Tell me about your actions from the moment you infiltrated until now, from the third basement level to the tenth floor above ground of the Karasuma Group headquarters.

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds. Then, an audio call window popped up in the corner of the large screen. The screen was black, with only faint ambient light visible, as if someone was hiding in a ventilation duct or in the shadows.

"Manager, Yuki, Amuro." Morofushi Kagemitsu's voice came through the loudspeaker, "I am currently in a no-blind spot on the west side of the Karasuma Group headquarters building, about eighty meters from the main building. I am disguised as a maintenance worker and am safe for the time being."

Kuroda Hyoue nodded slightly: "Kagekawa, get to the point. What have you seen since you infiltrated?"

Morofushi Kagemitsu began his report: "I infiltrated through the cargo entrance of the underground parking lot at 3 a.m. There were one-third fewer guards there than the intelligence indicated; they must have been temporarily reassigned to support the research area on the third floor."

Amuro leaned against the wall, his eyes darkening: "A temporary reassignment? Is it because Rum's people are active nearby?"

“That’s possible.” Morofushi Kagemitsu’s voice continued, “I saw in the monitoring room on the second basement level that around 10 p.m. last night, a team of armed guards was transferred to the third floor above ground, and at the same time, all regular passages leading to the research area were blocked.”

Kudo Yuki pondered, "In other words, they've been increasing security at 'Pandora' since last night."

“Not only that,” Morifushi Kagemitsu added, “In the staff passage on the third basement level, I overheard several researchers discussing that ‘that person’ personally ordered the ‘experimental subjects’ to be moved to the core laboratory on the third floor above ground.”

Amuro Tooru's pupils contracted slightly, and his hands, which were placed at his sides, clenched unconsciously.

Kudo Yuki glanced at him sideways and said into the microphone, "Kagekawa, can you confirm? Is it Vodka himself?"

"I didn't see it with my own eyes, but judging from the characteristics mentioned by those researchers, it was undoubtedly vodka."

Amuro Tooru's eyes were dark and unreadable. He knew that Vodka's current situation was undoubtedly the final test of Karasuma Renya's loyalty to Gin.

Kudo Yuki lowered her eyes and continued into the microphone, "Kagekawa, have you figured out the specific layout of the three-story research area?"

“We’ve roughly figured it out,” Morifushi Kagemitsu replied. “The three floors above ground are arranged in a ‘回’ shape. The outer perimeter consists of ordinary laboratories and office areas, while the middle is the core area, which is what they call ‘Pandora’.”

"There is only one main passage to enter the core area. There is triple verification at the entrance, including iris, voiceprint and DNA. There are also two automatic machine gun turrets next to it, covering the entire corridor."

“I tried approaching through the ventilation ducts, but the ventilation openings in the core area are equipped with high-voltage grids and vibration sensors, which will trigger an alarm if someone gets close.”

To be continued...