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

Kudo Yuki and Amuro Tooru stepped onto the stone steps and entered the secret passageway of the underground parking lot of the Curaçao apartment building.

The dim emergency lights flickered overhead, and the walls of the dark passage were covered with scratches of varying depths, mixed with a faint minty scent, confirming the mouse's sense of smell.

“This passage is narrower than it appears on the blueprints,” Amuro Tooru said, shining his flashlight ahead. The beam swept across the mottled cement patterns and rust on the walls. “Watch your step. Kagekawa said there are loose rubble at the edge of the collapsed area.”

He took the lead, crouching low and crawling forward, his military green jacket brushing against the wall of the dark passage, leaving faint traces of fibers.

Kudo Yuki followed closely behind, the crow on her shoulder obediently folding its wings, its sharp beak gently rubbing against her neck, as if sensing the danger around it.

The passageway was eerily silent, save for the sound of water droplets seeping from the ceiling, splashing into puddles and echoing, mixed with the dry, acrid smell of dust being disturbed.

Less than five minutes into their journey, the little mouse poked its head out of Amuro Tooru's pocket, its tiny ears taut: "Something's wrong! There's a metallic scraping sound ahead, and... a snake's hiss!"

Amuro Tooru pressed down on Kudo Yuki's shoulder, fixing the flashlight beam three meters in front of him.

The hidden compartment in the wall of the secret passage suddenly popped open, and three silver-gray venomous snakes slithered out, their pupils narrowed to thin slits. They were the "Night Watchers," the hidden defensive creatures trained by the Karasuma Group.

Even more alarming, a row of sharp spikes suddenly protruded from the wall of the secret passage above the hidden compartment, slowly approaching the two of them, creating a pincer movement that put them in a difficult position.

“It’s a trigger mechanism,” Amuro Tooru’s eyes sharpened. He pulled out two tranquilizer darts from his waist and aimed them precisely at the snake’s vital spot. At the same time, he took out a folding entrenching tool from his backpack. “Xiaoxue, grab my waist!”

He swung his shovel at the protruding spike mechanism, which temporarily jammed the spikes, but they were still trembling slightly and could break through the barrier at any moment.

The crows let out sharp cries and swooped down toward the inconspicuous raven-patterned carvings on the walls of the secret passage.

The engraving perfectly matches the emblem on the back of the divination card.

“The star trails are the guide, and the emblem is the proof!” Kudo Yuki had a flash of inspiration, pressed the divination card onto the engraving, and at the same time affixed the badge given to her by Kuroba Toichi next to it.

Two beams of light burst forth from the cards and badges, spreading along the patterns on the walls of the secret passage, forming a star-like band of light.

The approaching spikes stopped spinning and slowly retracted into the wall, while the hidden compartment closed, sealing the remaining venomous snakes inside.

“As expected, the mechanism of Misui Kichiemon was hidden in the crest on the wall of the secret passage,” Amuro Toru breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the thin layer of sweat from his forehead. “This secret passage itself is a hidden security passage of the Karasuma Group, as evidenced by the smell of rust on the metal components and the odor of the mechanism in operation.”

The two continued deeper, where rubble from the collapsed area piled up in the center of the passage, forming a natural barrier.

Amuro Tooru pushed aside a piece of gravel and noticed something unusual: "There are signs that someone has stepped on it, and it's very fresh." He bent down to examine it and found a bit of tobacco residue in the cracks of the gravel; it was the brand that Jägermeister often smoked.

"Watch out!" Kudo Yuki grabbed Amuro Tooru, a tranquilizer dart whizzed past his ear and embedded itself in the wall of the secret passage, scattering tiny stone chips and rust dust.

On the other side of the collapsed area, three distillery guards wearing black trench coats were pointing their guns at them with sinister eyes, the muzzles of their guns still emitting smoke.

“A backup plan left by Jägermeister,” Amuro Tooru sneered, firing three newly improved tranquilizer darts with his backhand while pulling Kudo Yuki behind the rubble. “These people are very wary.”

The anesthetic needle struck the guards in the neck, and the three men collapsed to the ground.

Meanwhile, the detector in Kudo Yuki's hand beeped, and the signal point on the screen jumped violently, not far behind the collapse zone.

“It’s a signal from Curaçao’s chip! But the frequency is very unstable.” Kudo Yuki’s eyes flashed with worry. “Her chip has been triggered!”

The two quickly passed through the collapsed area, and the dark passage ahead opened up, ending at a hidden iron gate—according to the blueprints provided by Yingchuan, the gate led directly to the subway tunnel in the suburbs, with no other branch passages.

The moment Amuro Tooru pushed open the iron door, a strong minty scent wafted out, overpowering the surrounding metallic rust and mixing with the faint hum of the chip running.

The basement was dimly lit. Curaçao was huddled in a corner, her long silver hair plastered messily to her face, her heterochromatic eyes swirling with a frenzied light, and her hands clenched into claws, clearly under the control of the "ES Dark Amber" band.

“The Night Watch’s emblem… has finally appeared,” Curaçao roared hoarsely, swooping down to the raven perched on Kudo Yuki’s shoulder. “Lord Rum said that if I obtain the emblem, I can become a true Dark Amber!”

Amuro Tooru immediately stood in front of Kudo Yuki, but then a crow swooped down towards Curaçao's forehead. At the same time, the light from the divination cards and the badge intertwined to form a barrier, keeping Curaçao suspended in mid-air.

"Star trails as the guide, emblems as the proof!" Kudo Yuki shouted the code, and the light beam shot directly at Curaçao's chip location. She let out a painful roar, squatted down, covered her head, and the madness in her eyes gradually faded.

“The chip… is burning my nerves…” Curaçao gasped for breath, pulling a USB drive from her pocket. “This is the core password of ‘ES Dark Amber,’ as well as the complete brainwashing process of the organization… Jäger took the initiator; his goal is to use the Dark Amber band to control the entire city’s security system.”

Just as Kudo Yuki took the USB drive, a series of dense chirping and hissing sounds suddenly came from the depths of the dark passage.

Amuro Tooru's expression changed: "'Night Watch' system activated! A large number of birds and beasts are surging in from the entrance!" He looked outside the iron gate, where the rumble of the subway tunnel could be faintly heard. "We need to hurry, the tunnel entrance is just outside the gate. As long as we enter the main tunnel, we can shake off the pursuit!"

As soon as the three stepped out of the iron gate, a flock of crows and venomous snakes surged out of the dark passage behind them. Their black wings and silver-gray bodies intertwined to form an impenetrable net of pursuit, and the cawing of the crows and the hissing of the snakes made their eardrums ache.

The crows kept cawing to scare away their own kind and poisonous snakes that approached.

Kudo Yuki threw the badge of Misui Kichiemon behind him. The badge burst into a dazzling light the moment it hit the ground, forming a barrier that temporarily trapped the pursuing birds and beasts.

“The badge’s energy won’t last long,” Amuro Tooru said, pulling the two of them as they ran through the tunnel. “The transfer station is just ahead, and our backup personnel are there!”

Just as she was about to reach the entrance to the transfer station, Curaçao suddenly stopped, her eyes resolute: "I can't go with you."

She pointed to the approaching Night Watch legion behind her, "These creatures' tracking signals are connected to the chip inside my body. As long as I'm alive, they won't give up the chase. You take the USB drive and go first, hand over the core password to Conan and the others, and stop Jäger's plan."

“We can break through together!” Kudo Yuki insisted.

Curaçao turned around and pushed the emergency switch on the tunnel wall, a mechanism she had accidentally discovered while she was imprisoned.

The blast door slowly descended, separating the three people on either side of the door.

"Hold the USB drive and destroy the Dark Amber starter!" Curaçao's voice came through the blast door, tinged with relief. "I'll distract them. There's an abandoned maintenance tunnel deep in the tunnel; we might find a way out there."

The sound of her deliberately amplified footsteps came from behind the door, gradually fading into the depths of the tunnel, accompanied by the commotion of birds and beasts changing direction.

Amuro Tooru tried to pry open the blast door, only to find that the mechanism was completely locked.

“It’s an irreversible locking device; it can only be manually disengaged from the outside.” He looked at Kudo Yuki. “Send out the core password first, then contact the police to seal off the tunnel and meet Curaçao.”

Kudo Yuki gripped the USB drive and emblem tightly in her hand, while a crow on her shoulder gently nuzzled her cheek.

The soft glow of the full moon shone through the ventilation openings at the top of the tunnel, illuminating the indicator lights of the transfer station ahead.

“Star trails in the darkness, a night watch for the hunt,” Kudo Yuki whispered. “This time, we won’t let her risk her life for nothing.”

The two turned and walked quickly toward the transfer station.

The subway tunnel lights flickered, illuminating Kudo Yuki's tightly pursed lips. She had only taken two steps when a crow on her shoulder cawed, its wings flapping forcefully against her neck, its sharp beak pecking at her collar, pulling her back half a step.

"What's wrong?" Amuro Tooru stopped in his tracks, the beam of his flashlight falling on the crow.

This once docile "night watchman" now had sharp eyes, its head stubbornly turned towards the blast door, its eyes revealing anxiety, as if conveying some clear demand.

Kudo Yuki sensed the emotions it conveyed.

The crow nuzzled her cheek, then turned its head to look at the blast door, its claws even gripping her shoulder, trying to get her to turn around.

"It seems to know what Curaçao is going to do." Kudo Yuki's heart skipped a beat. "It's telling us to go back."

The mouse poked its head out of Amuro Tooru's pocket, scratching its chin with its chubby little paws: "The crow's chip and Curaçao's are from the same source!"

Amuro Tooru frowned, his fingertips pressing on the locking device of the explosion-proof door.

“But the door is completely locked. Forcibly breaking it will attract other guards, and then not only will we not be able to save Curaçao, but we will also attract the ‘Night Watch’ legion.” His gaze fell on the badge in Kudo Yuki’s hand. “Mr. Kuroba’s badge has run out of energy. The barrier just now could not last three minutes.”

The crow took flight, circled once at the top of the tunnel, swooped down, and pecked at the divination cards in Kudo Yuki's hand with its sharp beak.

The moment the roulette wheel pattern on the card was touched, it lit up faintly again, echoing the lingering warmth of the badge in Kudo Yuki's palm.

Kudo Yukishita suddenly realized something: "Mimizu Kichiemon's mechanisms often have two unlocking methods! This tunnel is an extension of the annex's security system, and the divination cards might be able to activate the backup mechanism!"

She pressed the divination cards against the wall next to the blast door and found a groove that matched the size of the cards.

The wheel pattern was embedded, and the soft sound of gears turning came from inside the wall. The locking device of the explosion-proof door made a soft "click" and slowly lifted up a gap.

"It really works!" Amuro Tooru's eyes flashed with surprise, and he immediately reached out to support the door panel. "Quick, before the mechanism resets!"

The two squeezed through the crack in the door, and were greeted by an even stronger scent of mint, mixed with the cawing of crows and the hissing of venomous snakes.

Deep inside the tunnel, Curaçao's footsteps faded into the distance, but the flock of "night watchmen" did not follow completely. Some crows hovered in mid-air, while venomous snakes snaked across the ground, forming a blockade, seemingly preventing something from getting closer.

The crow took the lead and flew forward, cawing loudly. The birds and beasts blocking its path all gave way. It turned back to look at Kudo Yuki, as if urging them to follow.

“This is…” Kudo Yuki’s pupils contracted slightly, “They’re making way for us. Curaçao’s plan isn’t to break through on their own, but to go somewhere else!”

Amuro Tooru gripped the pistol at his waist, scanning his surroundings warily.

“The abandoned maintenance tunnel deep inside the tunnel might hold backup equipment for ‘ES Dark Amber.’ Curaçao has obtained the core password, and she may want to completely destroy that place to eliminate any future threats. But in her current state, she is simply no match for any potential guards.”

The little mouse, its ears pressed tightly to the ground, suddenly exclaimed, "There's an electric shock ahead! And... human footsteps, more than one!"

Kudo Yuki's detector beeped again, and the signal point on the screen no longer jumped in a single way, but instead showed multiple overlapping bands. One of them was extremely similar to the signal from Curaçao's chip, but it carried a stronger interference wave.

Amuro Tooru's eyes narrowed. "Kura's plan to lure the pursuers away was a ruse; he actually wanted to destroy the backup equipment alone. Crow must have sensed the ambush, which is why he insisted we follow."

A crow circled in the air, then suddenly swooped down in one direction, pecking at a loose paving stone with its sharp beak. The stone was lifted, revealing hidden wiring underneath, covered with miniature explosives.

“It’s a directional explosive device,” Amuro Tooru crouched down to examine it. “If Curaçao enters the maintenance tunnel, the guards will detonate it here, burying her and the spare equipment together.”

Kudo Yuki gripped the USB drive tightly: "Curaçao knew she was being watched, so she deliberately used the pretense of drawing away her pursuers. But Raven saw through her plan."

She looked up into the depths of the tunnel, where Curaçao's figure was already faintly visible, walking step by step toward the entrance to the maintenance passage. "We must stop her, and the people lying in ambush there."

The crow seemed to understand her words and cawed again, this time with a commanding frequency rather than a hurried sound.

The "Night Watch" birds and beasts that were originally pursuing suddenly changed direction and stopped chasing Curaçao. Instead, they rushed towards the entrance of the maintenance tunnel and clashed with the men in black who were lying in ambush there.

"It's controlling its own kind!" Amuro Tooru exclaimed in surprise. "The crow's chip can not only sense, but also issue commands. This is a high-level privilege of the 'Night Watchers'!"

Kudo Yuki's heart stirred, recalling that when Karasuma Renya gave her the code name "Fine Brew," he had subtly mentioned that "the loyalty of the Night Watchmen belongs only to those who are recognized."

Could it be that the crow was cooperating so readily because it sensed the "fine wine" mark on her?

"Hurry!" Amuro Tooru grabbed her hand and, taking advantage of the lull between the birds and beasts and the men in black, quickly moved toward the maintenance passage. "Curaçao is unaware of the ambush; we must stop her before she enters the trap!"

The lights inside the tunnel grew dimmer, and the entrance to the maintenance passage was now in sight.

Curaçao's figure stopped at the doorway, seemingly hesitating about something, while behind her, the man in black had already broken free from the birds and beasts' entanglement and raised the gun in his hand.

"Watch out!" Kudo Yuki shouted, throwing the divination cards at the same time.

The card arced through the air, striking the man in black's wrist. The gunshot went astray, the bullet grazing Curaçao's shoulder before hitting the wall and sparking.

To be continued...