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

Kudo Yuki nodded, slung the backpack containing the documents and crystal over her shoulder, and said to Jäger, "Keep up with us, don't fall behind. Rum's men won't give us a second chance. Conan, you lead the way with Crow, it can sense traps."

Conan responded and stepped onto his skateboard into the ventilation duct.

The airflow from the crow's flapping wings dispersed the dust inside the pipes.

Kudo Yuki, Jäger, and Curaçao followed in turn.

Amuro Tooru placed a makeshift explosive device at the entrance to the secret room—a miniature explosive he carried with him, enough to delay the pursuers for a few minutes.

"Remember, the escape devices in the cave need to be unlocked with divination cards. Don't use the wrong suit," Amuro Tooru warned them from behind. He watched Kudo Yuki's figure disappear into the pipe entrance before turning around and hiding behind the door, gripping his gun tightly.

The ventilation duct was narrow and dark, illuminated only by the faint light emitted from the coded markings under the crow's feathers.

Curaçao's magnetic field sensor continuously scanned the surroundings, whispering a warning: "There is a metal nail trap three meters to the left front, and a pressure sensor on the right pipe wall. Stepping on it will trigger an alarm."

Upon hearing this, Conan adjusted his direction, and the skateboard nimbly weaved through the pipes, avoiding all the traps.

Jäger followed behind, cold sweat beading on his forehead, his mind flashing back to Rum's cruel methods.

“Back when I escorted Curaçao to the memory erasure room, I saw similar crystal samples in the corridor. Rum said it was the ‘key to controlling the future.’ He wanted to use the energy of the crystal to turn all the brainwashed people into puppets of Karasuma Renya, and then make a big reversal.”

While keeping an eye on the road ahead, Kudo Yuki replied, "The old man probably wanted me to destroy this secret because he was afraid Rum would get out of control. If there's any sign of him getting out of control, he'll be ruthlessly abandoned."

The urgent cawing of crows came from the end of the ventilation duct.

Conan crawled out, and suddenly the view opened up before him.

This is a hidden cave, its entrance hidden by vines. Inside, there are several black boxes with raven totems printed on them.

"found it!"

He gestured for everyone to come in, then aimed the King of Clubs divination card at the keyhole of the box. With a "click," the box opened, revealing four sets of rock climbing equipment and a signal gun inside.

Curaçao quickly inspected the equipment: "It's all professional-grade, and it hasn't been tampered with. It must have been prepared in advance by Kuroba Toichi."

She looked out of the cave entrance; the night was deep, and the sound of waves crashing against the rocks was clearly audible.

"There are no lights on the rocky beach below the cliff. Rum's men probably haven't arrived yet. Let's hurry down."

Kudo Yuki put on her climbing helmet, and Amuro Tooru's voice came through her earpiece.

“I’ve shaken off the pursuers and am heading towards the cave. You guys go down first, I’ll cover you from behind.” Gin’s car appeared at the entrance to the coastal highway. He seemed to be observing the situation, but didn’t seem to be making a move.

"Gin?" Conan frowned. "What exactly is he trying to do? He's not helping Rum, nor is he helping us. Is it just for the sake of vodka?"

"Maybe more than that." Kudo Yuki secured her safety rope and jumped out of the cave, using a protrusion on the rock wall as a foothold. "Conan, want to see a good show?"

Her figure moved nimbly downwards into the night.

Crows circled overhead, illuminating the path ahead.

Although Jäger's movements were a bit clumsy, he managed to move down smoothly under Curaçao's guidance.

Conan quickly descended the rock face, using the protrusions as footholds. He temporarily secured his skateboard to his back, his fingertips gripping the safety rope. Taking advantage of the lull in the waves crashing against the shore, he loudly asked, "What's your plan now, sister?"

"Gin's thoughts are hard to guess. He's neither helping Rum nor taking any action. Is it really just for the sake of vodka?"

Kudo Yuki's laughter drifted up with the sea breeze. She slipped and landed on the flat rocks with the help of the safety rope. A mischievous glint flashed in her eyes: "Want to see the 'subduing the enemy without fighting' strategy from the Thirty-Six Stratagems?"

Conan landed lightly, his skateboard sparking as it scraped against the rocks. He wiped the sea breeze dampness from his cheek and said, "To subdue the enemy without fighting? Is my sister planning to use Gin to completely wipe out Rum's coastal deployments?"

Kudo Yuki was adjusting Jägermeister's safety buckle when she heard this and looked up at the sea. The moonlight shattered on the crests of the waves, like a handful of silver foil.

“Gin has long harbored resentment towards Rum’s private army.” She lowered her eyes, her fingertips lightly touching the cool crystal through the fabric of her backpack.

"The old man only ordered me to destroy the documents, but didn't specify which one—that's the most brilliant use of ambiguity. Gin is being monitored and bound by the old man, and he has the desire to clean house, but lacks a legitimate reason. Why don't we grant him that wish?"

The sea breeze carried Kudo Yuki's words, its salty coolness brushing against the rocks.

"The Golden Villa holds all the cards that Rum thought he could use to turn the tide: documents, data, and records of the unfinished ES Dark Amber Project."

“We don’t need to do it ourselves. We just need to pass on the word to Gin that ‘Rum is hiding a plan and intends to break free from control,’ and then quietly reveal the security loopholes in the villa to him. Knowing his personality, he will definitely take this opportunity to eradicate Rum’s remaining followers.”

She smiled faintly, but her eyes flashed with clarity: "When the villa is destroyed, Rum's hopes will collapse. We will hand over the complete documents to the police, but in front of his remaining men, we will burn the copies."

"Let Rum watch as everything he painstakingly planned turns to ashes in the instant it's within reach; let him know that those he trusts will either betray him or perish in the flames, while he, from beginning to end, is merely a pawn on someone else's chessboard, about to be discarded."

"No need for swords to be drawn, no need for bloodshed or danger. Just use others to sever their arms, destroy their foundation, and then destroy their heart."

"Let Rum understand in despair that the so-called step-by-step advance is nothing but self-deception; the so-called certainty of victory is always just a mirage. This is the principle of defeating the opponent without losing a single soldier."

Conan's brow relaxed slightly, a knowing glint in his eyes: "So, my sister made a deal with Gin, exchanging Rum's deployment for Vodka's safety?"

He recalled the encrypted communication between Kudo Yuki and Gin, when Amuro Tooru was right there beside him, and the seriousness in his eyes was not without reason.

"It's just a transaction." Kudo Yuki had barely finished speaking when Amuro Tooru arrived, a smile in his eyes.

The mouse kept shouting, "Gin's car has turned into the villa side road! Rum's three cars are following behind, and Shuichi Akai is heading towards Inspector Kazami's direction."

A notification popped up on Kudo Yuki's phone screen with an email attachment. Besides the encrypted and compressed video file, the text message appeared in serif font:

Hidden cameras on the B3 level of the Karasuma Group headquarters captured Rum and a core researcher tampering with the ES Dark Amber energy threshold. He wanted to use this clumsy plan to control all the test subjects, and even more so, he attempted to secretly undermine that person's authority. Vodka was in stable condition in the laboratory, having already avoided all key experimental steps as previously agreed, so there was no need to worry.

Evidence attached, encryption key unchanged. The rest of the game is yours to play, fine wine.

Our deal isn't over yet. I'm really curious to see what kind of trump card they're holding that made me make an exception. —Vermouth: Vermouth

As the video loaded, Kudo Yuki caught a glimpse of Amuro Tooru's slightly furrowed brow out of the corner of his eye; he had clearly seen the text message.

In the scene, Rum, in a hoarse voice, orders the researchers in the laboratory: "Adjust the energy output to 70%. The adaptation must be completed before that person notices. Once my left eye recovers, ES Dark Amber will be mine."

The researchers modified the data, and the experimental chamber marked with the number "Vodka" could be vaguely seen in the background.

Kudo Yuki swiped the screen, forwarding the video to Gin's encrypted terminal with a brief message:

The evidence of rum's unauthorized alteration plan is here. The vodka's safety is as agreed. —Vintage Wine

“Gin will only become more reckless after seeing this.” Amuro Tooru took the signal gun handed to him by Curaçao and looked at the coastline outside the cave entrance. “Rum’s men are almost at the villa. We need to get to the high ground as soon as possible to ensure that the plan proceeds as scheduled.”

Curaçao helped Jäger stand steady, and the magnetic field sensor detected the sound of a vehicle's engine in the distance.

"The three cars are moving very fast and are expected to arrive at the villa gate in five minutes. Gin's car is following behind, but there is no sign of him speeding up to overtake.

Conan skated to the edge of the reef and observed the terrain by the moonlight.

"There is a pine forest behind the villa, where there is an observation point left by Uncle Daoyi. We can monitor the situation from there."

Kudo Yuki hugged the backpack to her chest; the crystals beneath the fabric were slightly warm, echoing the energy fluctuations in the video.

“Let’s go. Rum thinks he’s manipulating the game, but he doesn’t realize that from the moment he tampered with the data, he’s already handed the knife to Gin.”

The group moved quickly along the rocky beach, with Mouse leading the way, stopping every now and then to warn: "There's a surveillance camera fifty meters to the left, and it's been jammed!"

Amuro Tooru talked to Kudo Yuki as they walked.

"The evidence Vermouth provided is crucial; Karasuma Renya's suspicions about Rum will finally surface. But will Gin take this opportunity to expand the scope of the purge?"

“He won’t. Gin wants vodka security and a power reshuffle within the distillery. Rum’s remaining supporters must be eliminated, but he won’t go beyond what’s agreed upon.”

The Golden Villa is already lit up.

Gin's black Porsche 356A was parked at the foot of the hill diagonally opposite the villa, with the window half-rolled down, revealing his cold profile.

He glanced at the message that popped up on his phone screen, his fingertip tracing the video, a cold sneer on his lips: "Rum... if you want to betray us, you should be prepared to bear the consequences."

Meanwhile, at an observation point deep in the pine forest, Subaru Okiya leaned against a tree trunk, observing everything through binoculars. His fingertips rubbed his chin, a sharp glint in his eyes: "Gin has made his move. Yuki Kudo's plan is more ruthless than anticipated."

He turned to look in the direction of the Golden Villa. Moonlight filtered through the leaves and fell on him, outlining the figure of Shuichi Akai.

Rum's three cars had arrived at the villa gate, and the guards were stepping forward to verify their identities, unaware that the Porsche behind them was slowly approaching.

Kudo Yuki and her group arrived at the observation point.

Conan quickly set up the portable surveillance equipment, and the screen immediately displayed images of the villa's interior.

Curaçao's magnetic field induction synchronous access: "There are eight guards on the first floor of the villa, the second floor is the data room, and the third floor is Rum's temporary command center. ES Dark Amber's core instruments are on the first basement floor."

Kudo Yuki watched as Rum's figure appeared on the screen at the third-floor window, a faint smile playing on her lips: "The show is about to begin."

She raised her hand and pressed the communicator, sending Gin a final message:

The security vulnerability is in the third vent in the west wing corridor; the data room password is your usual combination. Remember our agreement. —Vintage Wine

The moment the message was successfully sent, a muffled explosion came from the direction of the villa; Gin had made his move.

The aftershocks of the explosion cracked the windows of the Golden Villa. Before the guards in the lobby could react, a Porsche 356A pierced the night.

Gin pushed open the car door and fired his Beretta 92F at the guard who was trying to draw his gun.

"The purge begins."

The image on the monitoring screen at the pine forest observation point was shaking violently.

Conan quickly adjusted the equipment parameters and pointed the camera at the data room on the second floor: "Rum's men are rushing upstairs. They want to steal ES Dark Amber's core data."

Kudo Yuki lightly tapped the screen, zooming in on the view at the entrance to the data room.

There hangs a crow totem oil painting by Kuroba Toichi hanging there, which is the key to unlocking the secret room.

"They won't find it. Uncle Daoyi had already encrypted the real core data and hidden it in the oil paint. The documents on the surface were just bait left behind."

Amuro Tooru held up his binoculars to observe the west side of the villa.

The mouse chattered excitedly, "Gin is already in the west wing corridor! He kicked down the ventilation shaft railing and is heading towards the data room!"

He turned his head to look at Kudo Yuki, his eyes filled with approval. "Rum's men are tied up on the first floor by Gin, and there's only one of his confidants on the second floor right now."

Curaçao's magnetic field suddenly tightened, and he whispered, "There are still two cars with people who haven't come in. They're setting up defenses around the villa, seemingly on guard against something."

“They were on guard against Rum’s backup plan.” Kudo Yuki’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Rum never fully trusts anyone. He leaves backup instructions for his men, and once he gets the data, he immediately evacuates, even at the cost of his comrades. Unfortunately, he didn’t expect Gin to act so quickly.”

The surveillance footage showed Gin breaking into the data room.

Ignoring the scattered documents on the table, he walked straight to the oil painting of the raven totem, his fingertips tracing the hidden clasp on the edge of the canvas—the mechanism that Kudo Yuki had vaguely mentioned in the postscript.

With a soft "click," a metal compartment popped out from behind the oil painting, revealing a miniature USB drive.

"Hmph, what a charade." Gin scoffed, stuffing the USB drive into his pocket. As he turned, his gaze swept over the fake data on the table, his eyes full of disdain.

He raised his hand and fired a shot at the fire sprinkler on the ceiling. Water poured down instantly, soaking the forged documents and blurring the writing.

Screams and gunshots echoed from the first floor of the villa as Rum's men crumbled under Gin's surprise attack.

Jäger clenched his fists, staring at the chaotic scene on the screen, his throat bobbing: "This is... subduing the enemy without fighting? So you can rout your opponent without a direct confrontation."

To be continued...