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

With Cohen missing, the secret room destroyed, and his trusted confidants falling one after another, this gradual erosion made him increasingly certain that Gin was no longer just a sharp blade who knew how to carry out orders, but a venomous snake harboring rebellious intentions.

What made him even more wary was that Gin's every move crossed Karasuma Renya's bottom line. He was both eliminating his influence and seemingly carrying out the order to "clean up the organization's hidden dangers," leaving him with no reason to complain to Karasuma Renya.

He raised his hand and pressed it against his left eye, where a slight stinging sensation came from.

The semi-finished APTX4869 was still fermenting in his body. He had originally wanted to use the core data of the ES Dark Amber Project to improve the drug, restore his left eye vision, and even control Karasuma Renya in return, but now even this only hope had vanished.

“Gin…and that ‘fine wine’ hidden in the shadows.” Rum had always suspected that Cohen’s mission leak was related to Kudo Yuki, who was only directly under Karasuma Renya’s command, but he had never found any substantial evidence.

Deep within the ruins, Kaito Kuroba lay hidden behind a collapsed beam, his fingertips lightly twirling a miniature remote control, a playful smile gracing his lips. Dust clung to him, his disguised face utterly ordinary, blending seamlessly into the desolate landscape.

The miniature screen on his wrist lit up as Rum's remaining men stepped into the secret passages he had laid, wandering aimlessly through the labyrinthine corridors.

The Kudo family home, a few kilometers away.

Hiroki Sawada's laptop screen displayed real-time images of the ruins' secret passageway.

Kudo Yusaku lightly touched his chin with his fingertips, his eyes fixed on the constantly changing surveillance footage; Okiya Subaru leaned against the sofa, his eyes locked on the movements of Rum's men on the screen, observing the details; Amuro Tooru sat at the table, the telepathic conversation between Kudo Yuki and the mouse echoing in his ears, his expression calm but secretly wary.

Inside the secret passage, Rum's men gripped their flashlights, the beams flailing wildly against the walls, cursing impatiently, "How come this damn place keeps winding down the same path? We followed the map exactly, what went wrong?!"

Another subordinate slammed his head against the stone wall, wincing in pain, and kicked the gravel at his feet in frustration: "Lord Rum ordered that we must find that document. If we go back empty-handed, none of us will live! Search carefully again, it must be hidden somewhere!"

After wandering around in the dark passage for nearly twenty minutes, they finally found the document that Kaito Kuroba had carefully buried in an old iron box embedded in the wall.

The alliance agreement between the Haneda and Ooka families was three parts genuine and seven parts fake. The handwriting, seal, and date of signing were all flawless, and no one could find any fault with it.

"Found it! It's this agreement!" The subordinate who first discovered the document exclaimed with joy. He took out the yellowed paper, examined it repeatedly to confirm it was correct, and immediately stuffed it into his pocket. "Quick, let's go! Go back and give it to Lord Rum right away!"

Amidst the ruins, Rum stood leaning on a broken steel bar, the stinging pain in his left eye intensifying. The effects of the semi-finished APTX4869 within him surged, making his breathing somewhat rapid.

Seeing his men run out of the secret passage, he immediately stepped forward and demanded, "Where's the thing? Did you find it?"

"Lord Rum, we found it! It's the alliance agreement between the Haneda and Ooka families that you requested!" The subordinate hurriedly handed over the document. "However, the secret passage was full of traps and mechanisms. It took us a lot of effort to find our way out, and we almost got trapped inside."

Rum snatched the document, his hands trembling as he opened it. His gaze swept over the lines of text, and the sinister look in his eyes grew even more intense.

He clutched the paper, the stinging pain in his left eye almost making him dizzy, a low, angry voice escaping his throat: "Gin... Fine wine... Do you think you can stop me with these methods? The ES Dark Amber Project, I am determined to succeed!"

Unbeknownst to him, at this very moment, inside the Kudo family mansion, Kudo Yusaku, watching Rum's appearance on the screen, calmly said, "The fake agreement has been successfully delivered to him. Rum's subsequent actions will proceed entirely according to our plan."

Subaru Okiya narrowed his green eyes slightly, his voice low and steady: "The traps in the secret passage did not cause any harm, they only delayed the time, which is in line with Kaito Kuroba's principle of not harming people, and will not arouse excessive suspicion from Rum."

Amuro Tooru looked up at the screen and said with a faint smile, "Rum's power has been swept away and reshuffled by Gin and Fine Wine. This fake agreement will be the last straw that breaks his suspicious heart, and Karasuma Renya's seeds of doubt will also take root and sprout completely."

In the shadows of the ruins, Kaito Kuroba put away the miniature remote control, nimbly leaped out of the ruins, and disappeared into the end of the alley.

He completed all the arrangements as instructed by Kudo Yuki. Beneath his disguise, his cunning blue eyes held a knowing look—he knew that this document would plunge the organization that was secretly controlling everything into a vortex of internal strife.

The atmosphere in the bedroom on the second floor of the Kudo family house was relaxed, a stark contrast to the tense situation in the living room downstairs.

Kudo Yuki sat on the carpet with her knees bent, gently poked Conan's cheek, and watched him furrow his brows in a serious manner, a faint smile appearing in his eyes.

Conan pushed her hand away and muttered in dissatisfaction, "Sis, stop treating me like a child. I'm Shinichi Kudo."

Despite saying that, she leaned against Kudo Yuki, her gaze unconsciously drifting towards the living room downstairs, clearly keeping track of Rum's progress.

Just as Kudo Yuki was about to retort with a smile, the mouse hopped up beside her and gloated, "Yuki! Rum's furious! His left eye is hurting so much he's almost blind, and he's still clutching that fake agreement like crazy. The half-finished APTX4869 is churning inside him, he's like a powder keg ready to explode at any moment, it's hilarious!"

The mouse rubbed against Kudo Yuki's shoulder, gesturing with its little arms, mimicking Rum's exasperated expression: "He even threatened to steal the ES Dark Amber Project, little did he know that Karasuma Renya had his eye on him all along, and Gin was watching the show from the sidelines, taking the opportunity to eliminate his remaining followers. We've made a killing this time!"

Kudo Yuki lowered her eyes to hide the cold light, her fingertips still tracing Conan's hair. Her face remained expressionless as she used telepathy to say, "Don't mess around. Keep a close eye on Rum's movements. He'll use the fake agreement clues to cause trouble for the Haneda and Ooka families."

The rat sidled up to him with a sly grin and whispered, "I know! Amuro Tooru was downstairs, listening to our whole conversation. He just smirked, and he was definitely thinking Rum deserved it."

Kudo Yuki glanced at the direction of the stairwell, a warmth spreading through her heart, but her expression remained impassive. She bent down and picked up Conan, letting him sit on her lap. She casually picked up the Magician's Tale Cards and slowly shuffled them: "Don't worry about what's happening downstairs. They're all watching. Just stay put."

Conan puffed out his cheeks, grabbed her wrist, and glanced down the stairs, stubbornly saying, "I wasn't worried, I was just analyzing the situation."

The mouse nuzzled against Kudo Yuki's neck, its chubby little paws tugging at her hair: "Yuki, Gin has finished clearing out Rum's last remaining peripheral members as instructed. Karasuma Renya had him eavesdrop on Rum, and he did it flawlessly, without giving anything away!"

Kudo Yuki paused slightly while shuffling the cards, a cold glint flashing in her eyes before softening into a gentle smile as she patted Conan's back: "Someone's handling things on-site, you don't need to worry. Rum, with the fake agreement, will fall into the trap and hand over the evidence to Karasuma Renya."

Downstairs in the living room, Hiroki Sawada's laptop screen was still flashing live feeds.

The sound of Rum's black sedan engine faded into the distance, eventually disappearing around the corner.

The camera only showed the ruins and the few afterimages completely enveloped by Gin's figure. The bloodshed and coldness were kept out by the camera, leaving only a mess, silently telling the story of how Rum's remaining gang had been wiped out.

Subaru Okiya leaned against the edge of the sofa, mentally memorizing Rum's departure route and Gin's cleaning speed.

Gin was ruthless yet measured in his actions, accomplishing Karasuma Renya's order to eliminate the threat without leaving any trace that could be investigated by outsiders. This restraint and ruthlessness were beyond what a simple executor could possess.

Kudo Yusaku's gaze swept across the corner of the screen, where the last image transmitted by the miniature camera that Kuroba Kaito had secretly planted was displayed. He nodded slightly and said, "Rum has completely fallen into the trap. The clues to the fake agreement will lead him straight to the Haneda and Ooka families. At that time, we won't need to lift a finger; he will run right into Karasuma Renya's gun."

Hiroki Sawada encrypted and archived all surveillance footage.

The code on the screen flashed by rapidly. The boy looked up and said, "All traces have been erased. The records of the secret passage mechanisms and the data transmitted by the cameras will not leave any clues pointing to us."

Amuro Tooru sat at the table, mentally processing the information he had just received. On the surface, however, he continued to play along, monitoring Rum.

On the top floor of the Karasuma Group headquarters, a giant holographic projection screen in the center emitted a cold white light, and the air was filled with the faint hum of instruments running, making it hard to breathe.

Karasuma Renya sat in a high-backed chair, his fingers resting on the touchscreen on the armrest, which was playing a loop of all of Rum's recent activities.

The film meticulously records Cohen's disappearance, the destruction of his secret room, the successive deaths of his trusted confidants, his furious appearance clutching the fake agreement amidst the ruins, his painfully curled-up profile when the half-finished APTX4869 in his body takes effect, and even his secret conversations about hoarding drugs and attempting to interfere with the ES Dark Amber Project.

Karasuma Renya lowered his eyes, his eyelids concealing the unfathomable gloom in his eyes. He didn't speak, only his fingertips slowly tapping on the touchscreen, each tap like a heavy hammer hitting the empty hall, exuding a chilling pressure.

He saw it clearly: Rum was using the guise of "eliminating hidden dangers in the organization" to erode his spies and secretly accumulate power, attempting to restore his left eye with a half-finished drug and then use the brainwashing equipment of the ES Dark Amber Project to undermine him, the leader of the organization.

"A chess piece is just a chess piece, yet it dares to dream of overturning the chessboard."

Karasuma Renya raised his hand and turned off the screen. The touchscreen instantly went dark, sealing away all of Rum's ambitions and humiliation.

The office door was gently pushed open, and the female secretary walked in with her head bowed, holding an encrypted folder in her hands. She stopped respectfully three steps away from the desk.

"Boss, the latest report from the hidden laboratory in the research area has been completed. All the data on the reaction of vodka in the drug trials has been compiled."

"Read it." Karasuma Renya didn't even lift his eyelids.

"Yes." The female secretary opened the folder. "After receiving the third phase of the drug injection, Vodka's physical indicators improved by 37 percent compared to before, but his neurological response became disordered, accompanied by intermittent irritability and amnesia symptoms. His organ load exceeded the safety threshold by 12 percent. The laboratory is asking whether to continue with the fourth phase of intensive testing."

Karasuma Renya scoffed, his laughter cold and sarcastic: "Continue. Isn't Gin most concerned about him as his second-in-command? Let Vodka 'get stronger' so that Gin can see clearly who truly decides the life and death of those around him."

He knew better than anyone that throwing vodka into the lab as a test subject was a warning shot—both to warn Gin not to act rashly and to restrain Rum, keeping both of these vicious dogs tearing each other apart firmly in his grasp.

As for Rum's little schemes, he'll just wait for the right moment to crush this out-of-control pawn completely, skin and bones.

Karasuma Renya lightly tapped the communicator with her fingertip.

"Give Gin the order not to act rashly and to wait for the right opportunity."

At the same time the order was issued, Gin, who was secretly cleaning up Rum's remaining gang, felt a slight vibration on his communicator. After reading the message, a cold glint flashed in his icy blue eyes. But he pretended to be completely unaware and raised his hand to send back the signal he had received.

Immediately, he dialed the encrypted number known only to him and the other party, his voice low and cold: "Jia Niang, the order from that lord has come down. Wait for the right moment. Our previous deal still stands."

In the top-floor secretary's office of the Karasuma Group headquarters, the female secretary left Karasuma Renya's office and sent information about the vodka drug experiment, Gin's forbidden visitation, and Rum's life being spared to a hidden safe house via an earring signal device.

The signal arrived, and Vermouth leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, her fingertips holding an unlit cigarette, her lips curving into an ambiguous arc.

After hearing the report, a cold glint flashed in her eyes: [Karasuma Renya intends to use vodka to control Gin, watch Rum get involved, and firmly control all the restless individuals within the organization.]

Vermouth lowered her eyes, her thoughts racing.

She saw through Karasuma Renya's scheme. Vodka was Gin's only weakness. If the drug was administered as planned, Vodka would eventually lose control and die, forcing Gin into a corner and disrupting her plans with the spirit.

However, she couldn't make her actions obvious, as Karasuma Renya was suspicious and ruthless, and if anything seemed amiss, she would be doomed.

Vermouth smiled, already having a plan.

She dialed her secretary's encrypted hotline: "For the next test in the research area, increase the level of the third-stage nerve stabilizer by 3% and decrease the level of the physical catalyst by 2%. Fill in the record according to the original data, leaving no trace."

The female secretary bowed her head in agreement, pulled up the drug files in the research area, and checked them with practiced ease: "Understood, Lady Vermouth. After the adjustment, the drug's effect on physical strength has slowed down, and the symptoms of nervous disorder have been suppressed. It will not cause sudden death or loss of control, but will only slowly deplete physical strength, which is consistent with the normal reaction in the experiment."

“Very good.” Vermouth chuckled, tapping her fingertips on the windowsill. “Remember, proceed slowly, without letting Karasuma Renya notice, and don’t let Vodka be ruined. I’ll appease Gin. You guard the record-keeping checkpoint and report any abnormal data immediately.”

To be continued...