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

Kudo Yuki nodded: "It matches the information we had before. Did you notice anything... unusual? Like, any extra passages, or hidden rooms?"

“Yes.” Morofushi Kagemitsu lowered his voice. “I found an inconspicuous emergency passage on the west side of the core area. The entrance is disguised as a wall and can only be opened with a specific fingerprint and password.”

“I did not attempt to crack it rashly, but based on the structural diagram I photographed, this passage seems to be able to bypass most of the defenses at the main entrance and lead directly into the core laboratory.”

Amuro Tooru straightened up from the wall and walked to the screen: "Are you sure? What is the access level of that passage?"

“It should be the highest level of access,” Morofushi Kagemitsu replied. “I saw the ‘VIP Emergency Passage’ sign on the control panel near the entrance. Only those authorized by ‘that person’ can use it.”

The conference room fell silent.

Looking at the 3D structural diagram on the screen, Kuroda Hyōe slowly said, "If there really is such a passage, then we will have the opportunity to avoid the frontal fire and directly infiltrate the core area."

"The prerequisite is that we need the highest level of authorization," Amuro Tooru said coldly. "Besides Karasuma Renya himself, who else could do that?"

Kudo Yuki smiled slightly: "It doesn't necessarily have to be Karasuma Renya himself."

She raised her hand, and the mouse jumped onto her shoulder. Its chubby little paws made a gesture in the air, and the location of the emergency exit on the big screen flashed green.

"Kudo, do you have a solution?" Kuroda Hyōe looked at her.

“Some people may not have the authority to open that door,” Kudo Yuki murmured softly, “but what about ‘the person whose name was personally bestowed by that lord’?”

Amuro Tooru was taken aback, then understood what she meant: "You mean... taking advantage of Karasuma Renya's 'special treatment' of you?"

Kudo Yuki shrugged: "Not entirely. There are people who are even more eager than we are."

Amuro Tooru's knuckles curled slightly, his purplish-gray eyes suddenly narrowing as he instantly understood the unspoken meaning in her words. He casually crossed his arms, but his mind was racing, deducing the implications:

[Is it rum? Or vermouth?]

[No matter which hungry wolf it is, the outcome will probably be the same.]

His gaze swept past the flashing intelligence data streams from the European Police Department, MI6, CIA, and FBI on the screen and landed on the girl who was talking to Kuroda Hyoue.

Vermouth is unpredictable and acts solely on her own whims; while that old man Rum's obsession with 'ES Dark Amber' and restoring his left eye is deeply ingrained. Little Snow... doesn't care who breaks down that door.

Amuro Tooru's lips curled into a faint, self-deprecating smile.

[What she wanted was chaos. A fleeting gap in the security system when several factions were tearing each other apart in a struggle for supreme authority.]

[When the wolf pack bares its fangs and goes berserk while fighting for prey, then let Kuroba Toichi and his son Kuroba Kaito slip in through the gap...]

He sighed softly to himself, but his eyes softened involuntarily, revealing a mixture of awe and trust in Kudo Yuki's astonishing methods.

[What a... wicked woman who manipulates people's hearts and situations. But this kind of cunning, even daring to use Rum as a pawn... is certainly very much your style, Xue.]

Kuroda Hyoue frowned and asked patiently, "Kudo, who are you referring to?"

"The older generation should have heard of that lady in the organization who always calls herself a 'mystic'—Absinthe."

"Vermouth? You want to use her?"

“Using that word is too strong.” Kudo Yuki’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “At most, we and her are just… taking what we need. Vermouth has always acted on her own whims, and there are very few things she truly cares about. But precisely because there are few, she will be more persistent than anyone else.”

Amuro Tooru's mind conjured up the image of a woman who always wore sunglasses and whose smile was unfathomable: [Vermouth... the woman known as the "Thousand-Faced Witch." Her interest in Yuki has crossed the lines that should exist between members of the organization. It even... borders on an abnormal protectiveness.]

And this attention is precisely what Kudo Yuki is now trying to take advantage of.

“The relationship between Vermouth and Karasuma Renya isn’t as harmonious as it appears on the surface.” Kudo Yuki’s voice pulled Amuro Tooru back to reality. “She knows very well that she is just a pawn in Karasuma Renya’s hands. Pawns that have their own ideas usually don’t have a good ending.”

"You mean, she's also looking for a chance to break free from Karasuma Renya's control?" Kuroda asked in a deep voice.

Kudo Yuki gently shook her head. "Vermouth knows better than anyone that it's almost impossible to completely break free from the organization. But she'll at least try to find a way to live longer and be freer on this chessboard."

She raised her hand, and the mouse climbed up her arm to her shoulder, its chubby little paws pointing at the emergency exit on the screen.

“That VIP emergency passage is not only a shortcut to the core laboratory, but also a symbol of Karasuma Renya’s power. Vermouth has always been very interested in Karasuma Renya’s secrets, especially the truth about the ‘ES Dark Amber Project’.”

"Do you think that as long as we reveal the existence of this passage to her, she will take the initiative to act?" Morofushi Kagemitsu frowned. "Vermouth may not act as we expect."

“She certainly won’t act exactly as we expect,” Kudo Yuki shrugged. “But she will definitely act.”

She looked at Amuro Tooru, her gaze conveying a meaning that only two people could understand.

“Toru, you should know more about absinthe than we do,” Kudo Yuki said slowly. “She won’t let go of any opportunity that allows her to gain more leverage.”

Amuro Tooru remained silent for a moment, a complex emotion flashing in his purplish-gray eyes.

He certainly knew Vermouth. During his years of infiltrating the organization, he had witnessed her change her demeanor countless times; he had seen her as gentle as a mother, and as ruthless as a demon.

She is a mystery.

But Kudo Yuki always seemed to be able to see through this mystery.

“Vermouth’s attitude toward ‘that person’ has always been very subtle,” Amuro Tooru finally spoke. “She both reveres and resists her. If it really is a passage that can only be used with the authorization of ‘that person’, she will find a way to get her hands on it.”

“That’s right.” Kudo Yuki nodded. “Moreover, she should now be very clear that Rum’s obsession with the ‘ES Dark Amber Project’ has reached a point of madness. Rum will not tolerate anyone touching his ‘achievements,’ including Vermouth.”

"Do you want them to fight like dogs?" Kuroda asked pointedly.

Kudo Yuki repeated the word softly, a very faint smile playing on her lips. "Senior, that's too blunt."

She stood up, walked to the screen, and her gaze fell on the green channel, her eyes sharpening.

"What we need to do is not let them fight like dogs, but... while they're tearing each other apart, quietly take what we need."

Kudo Yuki turned around and looked at Kuroda Hyōe and Morofushi Kagemitsu, her tone calm but with an undeniable firmness.

"Absinthe will try to get access to that passage. Rum will also do everything he can to stop her, and might even take action himself. In that case, the defense system in the core area will definitely have vulnerabilities because of their infighting."

“That’s our chance,” Amuro Tooru replied, having understood Kudo Yuki’s entire plan. “Let Kuroba Toichi and his son Kuroba Kaito exploit that loophole to infiltrate the core laboratory.”

“That’s right.” Kudo Yuki nodded slightly. “Kuroba Toichi’s disguise and magic tricks are our best weapons. As long as we can get into the core laboratory, he can find the core data of the ‘ES Dark Amber Project’, and even… find a way to control those experimental subjects.”

"Moreover, Kuroba had promised me long ago that he would keep an eye on Rum. He knows Rum's style of doing things better than we do, and he is also better at operating in the shadows."

The conference room fell silent again.

Kuroda Hyōe looked at the 3D structural diagram on the screen, then glanced at Kudo Yuki, who remained calm, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

This young girl, despite her young age, possesses a calmness and shrewdness far beyond that of ordinary people. She not only manages to navigate this organization filled with danger and lies, but also manipulates some of the most dangerous individuals within it.

“Your plan is very risky,” Kuroda Hyōe said slowly. “If it fails, not only will you and Amuro be exposed, but Kuroba Toichi and his son will also be in dire straits.”

"Senior, aren't all the things we're doing now very risky?" Kudo Yuki smiled slightly. "Rather than sitting and waiting to be killed, we should take the initiative. At least, the probability of this plan succeeding is much greater than if we launch a frontal assault."

The mouse chirped softly on her shoulder, as if echoing her words.

Amuro Tooru looked at Kudo Yuki, his purplish-gray eyes flashing with worry, but even more so with trust and determination.

He knew that Kudo Yuki never fought an unprepared battle. Since she dared to propose this plan, she must have already considered all possible scenarios.

“I will cooperate with you,” Amuro Tooru said. “I will find a way to leak the information about that emergency passage to Vermouth, so that she thinks it is a perfect opportunity.”

Morofushi Kagemitsu's gaze lingered on the 3D model of the emergency passage, his tone calm: "If Vermouth and Rum clash, the defensive focus of the core area will shift to the area around the passage. We need to plan in advance Mr. Kuroba's evacuation route after he infiltrates."

He pulled up the internal structure diagram of the core laboratory, with red markings extending along the ventilation ducts. "The piping system here is old, and security checks are infrequent, so it might be a viable alternative route."

Kuroda Hyōe's eyes were fixed on the red route on the screen: "Which areas do the ventilation duct exits correspond to? Have the shift change times for the patrol teams around the core laboratory been confirmed?"

"The exits lead to the waste disposal area on the west side and the logistics warehouse on the north side, respectively." Moribushi Kagemitsu switched between the blueprints, with blue markers flashing in the two areas.

"According to the security dispatch sheet intercepted earlier, the patrol team changes shifts every forty minutes, with a three-minute monitoring gap between shifts, which is enough to complete the evacuation. However, the waste disposal area has been storing chemical reagents for many years, and some areas contain corrosive gases, so special protective equipment is required."

Kudo Yuki took out Rum's access card and fingerprint imprint from her bag, along with a paperclip-style miniature key, and ran her fingertips along the subtle patterns on the card.

"Perhaps we can use these three things to frame someone. Although Rum's authority in the core area is not at the highest level, it is enough to open most of the secondary defenses. We can use his mark to break the trap. Afterwards, Karasuma Renya's suspicion will only make him point the finger at Rum, which will just confirm the seeds of suspicion we planted earlier."

Amuro Tooru's purplish-gray eyes darkened slightly: "Xiaoxue, will Rum's fingerprint imprint fail?"

Kudo Yuki remained calm: "That's already been taken into consideration. Kagekawa, can you procure some lightweight, corrosion-resistant protective suits? They need to meet the dress code for logistics personnel and not be too conspicuous."

“No problem. When I was coordinating with the logistics department, I reserved a few sets of emergency protective equipment. They are made of lightweight materials and have passed the safety inspection of Karasuma Group. They can be delivered to the storage room of Poirot Cafe tomorrow.”

Kuroda Hyōe was silent for a moment, then traced a circle on the table with his fingertip: "How do you plan to send a message to Vermouth? Will directly revealing the existence of the emergency passage arouse her suspicion?"

“No.” Kudo Yuki smiled faintly. “I will send her an anonymous email through an encrypted channel, posing as Aurora.”

"The email only mentioned that 'there is a shortcut to Karasuma Renya's secret in the core area, and Rum is secretly plotting to seize it.' Given Vermouth's personality, she would only think that this is an opportunity to check Rum and gain more leverage, and she would never investigate the source of the information."

Amuro Tooru understood; he was aware of Vermouth's special trust in Aurora.

That concern stemming from the life-saving grace had long transcended the boundaries between organization members. And it was precisely by exploiting this trust that Kudo Yuki gradually pushed Vermouth onto the stage where she was opposed to Rum.

"Does Gin need to be synchronized with them?" Morofushi Kagemitsu asked. "He is very wary of Karasuma Renya. If he knows that Rum and Vermouth are fighting over the emergency passage, he might sit back and watch the two fight, or even secretly add fuel to the fire."

“Not for now.” Kudo Yuki shook her head. “Gin’s focus is on Vodka right now. Karasuma Renya has forbidden him from visiting Vodka in his experimental state, and he’s already somewhat dissatisfied.”

“After we leaked the information to Vermouth, Rum’s actions will inevitably attract Gin’s attention. With his keen insight, he will naturally discover the clues.”

"At that time, he will most likely choose to stand by and watch, or he may even take action at a critical moment to weaken Rum's power, which is exactly what we want to see."

"Besides, Vermouth has already promised me that she will help us keep Gin in check after the matter is done. Her connection with Karasuma Renya makes her want to destroy this organization more than anyone else."

Looking at the girl setting up her strategy, Kuroda Hyōe recalled her calm and decisiveness when she solved the serial murder case in Hokkaido, and became more and more convinced that she had already become the most crucial player in this game.

When is the time set?

"The night of the full moon three days later. That day is the monthly equipment maintenance day for the core laboratory, when personnel movement is most complex and defenses are relatively lax. Moreover, the moonlight on the night of the full moon can provide cover for Kuroba Toichi's magic tricks."

To be continued...