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

Amuro Tooru's communication terminal screen suddenly lit up.

Kazami Yuya's real-time message pop-up:

Mr. Furuya, Gin's Porsche 356A has been spotted outside the Golden Villa. He is currently parked on the west side of the villa, seemingly awaiting further instructions.

"Clearing the pieces?" Conan frowned, his fingertips rapidly swiping across the tablet, bringing up a map of the Black Organization's members. "Rum's peripheral members have already been thrown into disarray by Uncle Kuroba's bait. Now Gin is suddenly bringing this up—is it targeting us, or...?"

“It’s targeting Rum’s own people.” The raven on Kudo Yuki’s shoulder seemed to echo her words, its eyes showing even greater dependence.

Kudo Yuki communicated telepathically: "Rat, sense Gin's emotional fluctuations. Is it the coldness of following orders, or is he plotting something else?"

Mouse shivered: "It's chilly! But there's a spark hidden inside! He seems dissatisfied with Karasuma Renya's orders, and there was a hint of heartache in his voice when he mentioned vodka!"

Amuro Tooru's fingertips tapped the communication terminal at an abrupt pace, and he sneered, "It seems that Gin and Rum's score has finally come to this point. He's using Karasuma Renya's orders to personally cut off Rum's wings for the sake of vodka."

Kudo Yuki gently stroked the coded markings on the crow's body; the skin beneath the feathers was indeed slightly warm. "Little one, can you tell me why you wanted to escape the old man's control? You're his beloved pet, what do you want to do?"

The crow tilted its head, its beak opening and closing as it uttered hoarse syllables, each word carrying a rough, feather-like texture: "Old man... build a cage... lock away freedom... Dark Amber... control people's hearts... don't go back... follow Thief One..."

Its gaze fell on Black Feather Thief, its wings folded slightly, as if it had found its final home, all the wariness in its eyes faded away, leaving only dependence.

Conan paused on his tablet, and a label suddenly popped up next to the node representing Karasuma Renya on the association graph: "ES Dark Amber Project." This was the core intelligence that Kudo Yuki had previously shared with him.

"Manipulate minds? So this plan has progressed to the point of using pets? Karasuma Renya wants you to become part of the brainwashing tool as well?"

The crow shook its feathers, and the temperature of the coded mark suddenly rose, as if confirming Conan's guess.

“It’s… surveillance… transmission… can’t escape… Touichi… can protect…” The crow’s voice was intermittent, but it was enough to convey the key information, and its eyes were always fixed on Kuroba Touichi.

Amuro Tooru glanced at Kudo Yuki beside him, a knowing look flashing in his eyes.

As a "fine wine," she had been in close contact with Karasuma Renya and was naturally aware of Karasuma Renya's obsession with controlling everything.

"It seems that Karasuma Renya's obsession with the 'Dark Amber Project' has reached the point of resorting to any means necessary. Even his pets are being used as tools for surveillance and execution of the plan... No wonder this crow was desperate to escape."

A cold smile played on his lips: "No wonder Gin is increasingly dissatisfied with his orders. Being led by the nose by a madman who doesn't even spare his pets, anyone's patience would eventually wear out."

Kudo Yuki stroked the crow's wings, but her gaze drifted to the smiling Kuroba Toichi, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes: "Uncle Toichi, you're going to be bothered by a crow from now on."

The crow flapped its wings and landed on Black Feather Thief's shoulder, nuzzling its head affectionately against his collar. Its hoarse voice, broken and persistent, cried out, "Thief...protect me...don't go back to my cage..."

Kuroba Touichi raised his hand and stroked the coded mark on the crow's back. His fingertips touched the slightly warm skin. He turned to Kudo Yuki, the corners of his lips curving wider: "It is my honor to be trusted by such a little guy."

Kaito Kuroba pursed his lips and reached out to tease the crow, but it pecked his hand warily, causing Ai Haibara to chuckle softly beside him.

"Gin is still keeping watch outside the villa," Amuro Tooru's communication terminal lit up faintly again, and Kazami Yuya's live feed came through, the headlights of the Porsche 356A particularly eye-catching in the night.

Gin leaned against the car door, the cigarette between his fingers glowing with a dark red light. His gaze swept across the shadows of the villa, showing none of the impatience he usually displayed when on missions. Instead, he exuded a deep, poised calm.

Amuro Tooru turned the terminal toward Kudo Yuki, tapped the screen with his fingertip, and zoomed in on the details beside Gin.

There was a very faint crack on the side of the special communicator, which was the mark left by Gin after he crushed the bugging device and reassembled it.

"He's cooperating with Karasuma Renya's surveillance, but he doesn't really intend to wait for instructions. According to the previous deal, he needs you to confirm Vodka's safety before he can take decisive action against Rum's remaining forces."

Kudo Yuki took out her phone and sent a text message to Morofushi Kagemitsu:

Yingchuan, send me all the videos showing Vodka being held in a hidden room in the research area on the third floor of headquarters.

The mouse climbed up her wrist onto the table, its eyes full of vigilance, its chubby little paws nervously scratching at the surface: "Xiaoxue, Gin's mood has changed again! He was so cold before the video was sent, but now he's suddenly a little panicked, like he's afraid of seeing something bad..."

Amuro Tooru leaned back on the edge of the sofa, his fingertips tracing the edge of the communication terminal. Upon hearing this, his eyes grew even more somber: "His concern for vodka far exceeds the rules of the distillery. Karasuma Renya's confinement of vodka as a test subject is tantamount to directly touching his sore spot."

He looked up at Kudo Yuki, his eyes filled with worry.

“In Karasuma Renya’s eyes, we are always just pawns that can be discarded at any time. Gin knows this better than anyone else, but the matter of vodka makes it impossible for him to stay out of it.”

The phone screen lit up quickly, displaying a reply from Morofushi Hiromitsu with an encrypted attachment:

The latest 72-hour monitoring data has been synchronized. A slight anomaly was detected in the ventilation system of the concealed room; the exact location has been marked for future action. —Kagekawa Raku

Kudo Yuki quickly unlocked the device, swiped her finger across the screen, and split the video into two segments.

The cold light reflected from the screen shone into her eyes, revealing the scene inside the laboratory.

In the first half of the video, Vodka is strapped to the experimental table. Although his face is pale, his eyes are still clear. The suppressor around his neck has not yet been activated, indicating that he has not yet been affected by the core equipment of Project Dark Amber.

The latter half shows the layout of the research area as captured by Hiromitsu Morofushi through hidden cameras. The route marked in red avoids all blind spots in the surveillance and guard shift change points, making it the optimal evacuation route.

She sent the first half of the video to Gin's encrypted number, her actions displaying the decisiveness befitting a "fine wine," as if she were merely completing a trivial task.

Amuro Tooru glanced at her actions and added in a low voice, "After Gin receives it, he should take action to clean up Rum's remaining forces as agreed. But Karasuma Renya's surveillance is still on him, and that spliced ​​communicator is proof of that. He needs a reasonable excuse to take action legitimately."

“We’ve had an excuse for a long time.” Conan’s tablet suddenly lit up. He tapped it and enlarged a screenshot in front of everyone. It was a transaction record between Rum’s men and the black market.

“Uncle Kuroba’s bait not only confused the outside members, but also intercepted evidence of their embezzlement of the brewery’s funds. As long as Gin presents this reason for ‘cleaning house,’ Karasuma Renya will be happy to see it happen—after all, he has long seen through Rum’s little scheme.”

Kudo Yuki smoothly put her phone back in her pocket.

Conan couldn't help but look up at her, arms crossed, and analyzed seriously, "Sister, why did you split the video into two parts and only send the first half to Gin?"

"If it's to reassure him, wouldn't the full video be more convincing? Releasing only the first half seems like... teasing him, or controlling the pace."

This statement instantly drew the attention of everyone present.

Kaito Kuroba stopped teasing the crow, Curaçao paused slightly in her hand holding the water glass, and Hiroki Sawada also looked up from the computer screen, curiously looking at Yuki Kudo.

Looking at her younger brother's "I won't give up until I explain it clearly" look, Kudo Yuki smiled helplessly and said, "Shinichi, sometimes 'hope' can drive people to work harder than 'certainty'."

She turned and walked to the window, her gaze fixed on the distant golden villa, her tone growing somber: "The first half of the video proves Vodka is still alive, which is 'hope' for Gin. But if he sees the abnormal security deployment and ventilation system in the research area in the second half..."

“He’ll panic because he’s worried about vodka’s safety.” Amuro Tooru picked up where she left off, leaning against the door frame, his gaze meeting Kudo Yuki’s across the distance.

“Once the equipment for Project Dark Amber is activated, the ventilation system will become a carrier for the spread of the drug. If Gin sees this, he will inevitably act impulsively and even expose his whereabouts.”

"Xiaoxue is telling Gin, 'He's alive, but his time is running out. If you want to save him, you must follow our plan completely and not have any of your own ideas.'"

Conan suddenly realized, then frowned: "So, the second half of the video is our bargaining chip? We'll only give him the escape route after he completes the task of eliminating Rum's forces?"

“That’s right.” Kudo Yuki turned around, a slight smile playing on her lips. “Gin is a lone wolf, always independent and uncontrollable, but now he has a weakness. To tame this wolf, we must let him know who holds the key to unlock his shackles.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the crow perched on Black Feather Thief's shoulder suddenly became restless, its wings flapping and stirring up a small breeze. The temperature of the coded mark on its neck suddenly rose, as if it were being scorched by a raging fire.

It broke free from Kuroba Toichi's grasp, flapping its wings as it flew towards Kudo Yuki, its hoarse voice filled with unprecedented urgency: "Dark Amber...activate...third floor...potion...spread..."

Kudo Yuki's eyes sharpened, and she reached out her left hand to grab the heating chip tied to the crow's wing.

The moment her fingertips touched the metal plate, a sharp burning sensation spread from her fingertips, as if she were holding a red-hot branding iron, causing her fingertips to curl slightly in pain.

She instantly understood why the crow was flying around erratically: [The chip's temperature was rising steadily with the activation of Project Dark Amber, almost burning its skin.]

Despite the burning pain, Kudo Yuki used a little force to pull the chip off under the crow's feathers.

The moment the metal sheet was peeled off, the crow let out a light caw, the anxiety in its eyes lessened considerably, and it affectionately rubbed against her wrist.

On Kudo Yuki's left palm, a faint red mark had appeared, and even a burn mark could be seen.

"Xiaoxue!" Amuro Tooru rushed forward, grabbed her wrist, and gently stroked her burning skin with his fingertips, his voice full of concern and urgency, "How could you be so careless?"

He took out a cooling spray from his pocket and carefully sprayed it on her palm. The cool sensation slightly relieved the burning pain.

Kuroba Toichi also walked over, his gaze falling on the chip discarded on the table. The chip's surface was still slightly warm, and complex circuit patterns were vaguely visible.

"This is the linkage sensor chip of Project Dark Amber. When the device is activated, the chip will heat up synchronously. It serves as both a locator and an early warning system. It seems that Karasuma Renya has already begun testing the diffusion effect of the drug on the test subjects."

"The ventilation system in the vodka's hiding place is malfunctioning, which is probably a sign that the drug is starting to spread." Ai Haibara said gravely, understanding the so-called procedure.

"The brainwashing agents of Project Dark Amber spread through the ventilation system, first affecting a person's consciousness and judgment, then gradually eroding their memory, and finally achieving complete control. In Vodka's current state, he can only last for two hours at most."

The burning pain in Kudo Yuki's palm was still spreading, but she remained calm, her fingertips rapidly tapping on her phone to send a text message to Vermouth:

Aunt Sharon, I need your assistance. Please confirm the activation status of the Dark Amber equipment in the research area on the third floor of the winery headquarters, and the range of the synchronous reagent diffusion.

Almost instantly, Vermouth's reply came through:

The operation has been confirmed to have started. The current spread is limited to the west side of the third floor. The Karasuma team is adjusting the equipment parameters, aiming to cover the entire research area. What do you need me to do?

"Make her delay the time to adjust the equipment parameters." Amuro whispered in her ear, his breath warm. "Use the method you taught her before to interfere with the control system, buy her at least an hour."

Kudo Yuki nodded and quickly replied:

Interfering with the equipment control system on the third floor and delaying parameter adjustments will buy time for evacuation.

After sending the message, she looked up at everyone, the red marks on her palms becoming more and more obvious: "Gin has received the video. As agreed, he should now take action to deal with Rum's men. We need to hurry to the Golden Villa and capture Jäger alive."

She tossed her phone to Amuro Tooru, gesturing for him to contact Kazami Yuya to arrange transportation, then turned and walked towards the entrance. The burn marks on her palms still throbbed, pressed down by Kudo Yuki's tightly clenched fingers, her eyes flashing with even more cold light.

Subaru Okiya frowned almost imperceptibly, his gaze falling on the red mark on Yuki Kudo's palm, his eyes darkening.

As Shuichi Akai, he knew all too well the terror of brainwashing drugs.

There was a similar prototype experiment within the organization back then, and now Karasuma Renya has perfected it to the point that it can spread through the ventilation system, making his methods increasingly ruthless.

His fingertips traced the rim of the teacup, his gaze sweeping over the solemn expressions of the crowd before finally settling on the glaring red mark on Kudo Yuki's palm. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly: "The Dark Amber Potion is spreading faster than expected; the two-hour window may have to be compressed further."

“As Rum’s last pawn left in the Golden Villa, Jäger must hold the supplementary key to the Dark Amber Project.” Kudo Yusaku pushed up his glasses and traced the general layout of the villa on the table with his fingertips.

"Previous intelligence indicated that Rum's secret files were hidden in a secret underground room on the west side of the villa, and Jäger would most likely be guarding it to the death."

To be continued...