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

Rumi Wakasa thought the culprit would finally be caught, but he escaped anyway. Only the girl who uttered the same words as Koji Haneda remained a steadfast believer in him; she believed he would never break his promise.

Suddenly, Rum's remote broadcast blared on the monitor screen, extremely arrogant: "Trying to convict me? Trying to destroy the organization's foundation? You'll never truly touch the truth behind this seventeen-year-old cold case!"

Subaru Okiya stared at the empty car, his mind clear: [The mastermind who had lurked in the shadows for years had never stepped into the trap; the so-called dead end was nothing more than a maze he had set up.]

The crackling sound of electricity on the monitor abruptly stopped, and Rum's arrogant voice faded into the empty garage, leaving only a few abandoned vehicles sitting quietly in place, their engines still warm, but the place was long deserted.

Rumi Wakasa clutched the shogi hidden in her sleeve. Seventeen years of obsession had vanished in an instant. The resentment and pain surging in her eyes were almost overflowing, but when her gaze fell on Yuki Kudo standing quietly beside her, that fierce aura slowly subsided.

Kuroda Hyoue strode forward, his solemn expression revealing regret at failing to close the net, but he did not criticize her: "Asaka, it's too late now, there's no need to be so hard on yourself. Rum's cunning far exceeded our expectations."

The corner chess piece left by Koji Haneda in Rumi Wakasa's sleeve pressed against her palm, like the last shackle of her obsession: "I waited for seventeen years, investigated for seventeen years, and even though I had already touched the truth, I still let him slip away right under my nose."

Kudo Yuki looked up, her eyes showing no sign of panic. She gently patted Wakasa Rumi's arm: "He can run for a while, but he can't run forever. A debt of seventeen years must be repaid sooner or later. I will never break my promise to you."

Rumi Wakasa's throat tightened slightly, but it ultimately turned into a sigh as she loosened her clenched fingers.

The chess pieces slipped a little from the sleeve, but the imprint on the palm remained deep—a seventeen-year obsession, now finally with a direction to entrust.

Kuroda Hyōe stood aside, his gaze sweeping over the remaining traces in the empty garage: "Rum must have been prepared to escape unscathed. We should immediately gather all the clues and block all possible escape routes for him."

He raised his hand and pressed the communicator, issuing instructions in a solemn tone, coordinating with the FBI and the Metropolitan Police Department to create a manhunt.

Kudo Yuki took out a microphone, held it close to her ear, tapped the device lightly with her fingertips, and called out softly, "Toru."

In the living room of the Kudo family home, Hiroki Sawada's laptop screen was transmitting live footage of the garage.

Amuro Tooru leaned against the desk, his knuckles lightly touching his chin, his gaze fixed on the girl in the picture, all his fierceness gone, leaving only focus.

Yusaku Kudo sat upright on the sofa, his expression calm and composed, his fingertips lightly tapping his knees, having already thoroughly dismantled Rum's mystery.

Subaru Okiya stood in the corner of the living room, his eyes glancing at the screen while he secretly worried about the safety of Mary Akai, who was in a safe house and whose health was gradually improving, as well as the Miyano sisters.

Hiroki Sawada leaned over the keyboard, his fingers flying across the keys, trying to trace the source of Rum's remote signal. But all he saw on the screen were deliberately scrambled gibberish, and he shook his head in frustration.

"What's the situation on the ground?" Amuro Tooru asked into the microphone. "Hiroki is tracking Rum's evacuation route, but there's been no breakthrough yet."

“He didn’t even step into the trap; he controlled it remotely the whole time.” Kudo Yuki turned to the side, deliberately avoiding the gazes of Wakasa Rumi and Kuroda Hei, and replied in a low voice, “Cohen has already confessed everything to the Metropolitan Police Department. The Rum Faction’s little tricks were within expectations.”

Amuro Tooru raised an eyebrow slightly and asked softly, "Has Gin, as agreed, already cleaned up Rum's men and completed the reshuffling?"

"Yes." Kudo Yuki responded readily. "I have received the old man's instructions. I will spare Rum's life for now. I don't know when the old man will decide that he has lost his usefulness."

While eating pine nuts, Mouse looked at the system panel: "Xiaoxue, Karasuma Renya's listening signals have been temporarily blocked. Gin has confirmed that the remaining forces of Rum have been eliminated. Vodka is still being held in the laboratory and is in stable condition. Vermouth has sent the latest blueprints for the improved ES Dark Amber project instruments, which have been synchronized to your encrypted terminal."

Amuro Tooru tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, a cold glint in his eyes: "Gin does know how to prioritize. He should understand now that he has been nothing more than a pawn on the chessboard from beginning to end."

Kudo Yuki lowered her eyes and stroked the edge of the communicator, her gaze sweeping over Wakasa Rumi, who was still immersed in the emotions of her unfulfilled obsession, and said softly, "Vermouth will continue to provide intelligence in secret. The secrets of the Karasuma family that she holds are enough for us to tear open the ES project. As for Rum... the thorn in the old man's heart can no longer be removed."

Inside the Kudo family mansion, Subaru Okiya leaned against the wall, seemingly idly watching the screen, but his gaze shifted to the corner of the garage as he secretly plotted Rum's hiding place.

Kudo Yusaku lightly touched the corner of his lips with his fingertip, unraveling the mystery before him: "Rum's remote control throughout the entire process indicates that he had already noticed the unusual movements within the organization, but he did not expect Gin and the Fine Wine Society to join forces to reshuffle the deck. He may seem to have escaped unscathed, but in reality, he is all alone. Karasuma Renya kept him around only to see what tricks this out-of-control pawn can pull."

Hiroki Sawada's fingers continued to fly across the keyboard, and the garbled text on the screen was gradually sorted out into a fine signal trajectory: "Rum's remote signal is encrypted with seven layers, but I have tracked his general activity range, which is in the area around Karasuma Group. However, it will take some time to pinpoint his exact location."

Kudo Yusaku nodded slightly upon hearing this: "The Karasuma Group was Rum's core stronghold. He lost all his men and was suspected by Karasuma Renya. He had no choice but to hide here."

Amuro Tooru spoke into the microphone, his tone cold yet carrying a gentleness unique to Kudo Yuki: "Hiroki, continue digging deeper into the coordinates. I will immediately have the Public Security Bureau's undercover agents deploy around the Karasuma Group, surrounding it but not attacking."

In the garage, Kudo Yuki lightly tapped the microphone with her fingertips: "No need to rush into action. The old man is still watching coldly. He won't abandon Rum, this out-of-control pawn, until he has squeezed out its last bit of value."

Conan, who had been standing quietly to the side, frowned upon hearing this and lowered his voice to say, "Those three liaisons...wouldn't it be better to interrogate them first? If we can get them to talk as soon as possible, we might be able to get more clues about Rum."

Kudo Yuki looked up at Kuroda Heibei and said in a calm tone, "Immediately escort the three liaison officers captured in the capital port to the heavy interrogation room and interrogate them separately. I will personally question them."

“I’m going too.” Conan immediately followed. He knew that in moments like these, details could determine success or failure.

Kuroda Hyōe immediately nodded: "Date Wataru, escort him with men, keep him on guard the whole way, and do not allow anyone to contact him."

"Yes!"

Within ten minutes, the three lower-level liaison officers were taken into an interrogation room with excellent soundproofing.

They were already terrified by the police raid, and before Kudo Yuki could even speak, his legs began to tremble uncontrollably.

The mouse perched on Kudo Yuki's shoulder, munching on pine nuts and muttering, "Yuki, these three guys are obviously cowards. They'll tell you everything if you scare them!"

Amuro Tooru sent a text message:

I'm watching Hiroki track the signal from here. —ZERO

Kudo Yuki glanced at the text message on her phone without lingering, and walked into the first interrogation room. The cold sunlight streamed in through the high window, dividing the desk into light and shadow.

She pulled up a chair and sat down quietly. Her fingertips did not touch the table. She just stared indifferently at the liaison officer who was handcuffed across from her. She did not have any sense of oppression, but she made the other person subconsciously tense up.

The little mouse perched on her shoulder, its chubby paws clutching a pine cone: "Xiaoxue, this guy's about to break down!"

Amuro Tooru heard this through the microphone and replied softly, "Don't give him any room to think, just crush the last line of defense."

Kudo Yuki raised her eyes, her voice calm and even, yet it hit the nail on the head: "Rum has abandoned the car and fled. We have seized all of his informants in the capital port, the communicator in the Beika Town clock tower, the Haneda case files and APTX experimental data in his private villa. Gin is cleaning up his remaining forces, and Karasuma Renya has long regarded him as a pawn to be discarded."

Her gaze turned colder: "The loyalty you cling to now will only make you Rum's scapegoat."

The liaison officer's Adam's apple bobbed violently, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, but he still forced himself to keep his head down and remain silent.

Kudo Yuki continued calmly, her words piercingly incisive: "Cohen has already explained everything, including the division of labor among the three of you—you're responsible for coordinating funding with the foreign forces, and the other two are responsible for equipment transportation and personnel support, respectively. Rum promised to give you new identities after the mission is accomplished, right?"

She tapped the table lightly, her rhythm steady yet carrying a deadly pressure: "But he can't even protect himself now. Do you think he'll come back to save you?"

These words shattered the other party's last hope.

The liaison officer looked up, his lips trembling, his psychological defenses collapsing completely in an instant.

“I’ll tell you everything! Rum doesn’t trust anyone! His real hideout isn’t at the Karasuma Group, nor is it at his private villa; it’s a warehouse at sea in Mihua Bay! There’s an underwater escape tunnel dug beneath the warehouse that leads directly to the open sea, and he also has a second backup device for Project Dark Amber that’s even more powerful than the first one!”

Conan immediately stepped forward, looked up at the other person, and bombarded him with questions: "What are the activation conditions for the backup device? How many people are needed to operate it? Is there a self-destruct mechanism?"

"Did Rum specify any particular densely populated areas? Shopping malls? Train stations? Or sports fields?"

"Where are the entrance and exit of the escape route? Are there any traps, bombs, or guards in the route?"

The liaison officer trembled under the questioning and dared not hide anything: "It only takes Rum to activate it remotely! The device is hidden in a secret room on the second floor of the warehouse. Once it is hacked, it will automatically activate the brainwashing signal!"

"He didn't specify the location, but he mentioned the Beika Central Business District and JR Toto Station! The passage has only one exit, in the underwater reef area behind the warehouse, where a sensor-activated bomb is planted, and only his fingerprints can deactivate it!"

Kudo Yuki's gaze darkened slightly as she pressed on, "Has Rum contacted other members within the organization for backup? Like Jäger? Or other peripheral members?"

"No! He doesn't trust anyone! He just told us to guard the dock, and if the plan failed, he was to cut off all contact immediately and then evacuate alone!"

After the first interrogation session ended, Kudo Yuki and Conan immediately moved to the second room.

The second liaison officer was clearly more timid; his legs went weak as soon as he entered the room.

Kudo Yuki didn't even put too much pressure on him, simply stating three things: Cohen's confession, Rum's abandonment of his son, and the surrender of all the evidence. The other party then tearfully confessed everything.

"Rum said... if the plan is exposed, he will abandon the power grab and directly use the Dark Amber device to create mass panic, attracting all the police forces of the Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI to the crowd area. He will then take the opportunity to escape Japan through the underwater tunnel in a private submarine! He also said... even if he is caught, he will take innocent people with him and drag the whole of Japan down with him!"

Conan frowned and pressed, "What are the exact coordinates of the submarine's docking? What is the countdown time for the equipment to start? Is there an external remote control device?"

"The submarine is located on the seabed at the exit of the passage! The equipment only takes ten seconds to start! He also carries a miniature remote control button; as long as he presses it, it can be forcibly turned on no matter where he is!"

In the third interrogation room, Kudo Yuki changed her approach, directly pushing photos of some case files from the Haneda Koji case in front of the other party.

"Rum murdered Koji Haneda and Amanda Hughes seventeen years ago, and now he wants to use brainwashing devices to harm civilians. Are you sure you want to bear the blame for such a crime?"

The third liaison officer looked at the long-forgotten evidence in the photo, his face turning ashen, and added the last crucial piece of information in a hoarse voice.

"Besides the equipment, the warehouse also contained Rum's hidden APTX4869 semi-finished drug, which he intended to use to repair his blind left eye! In addition... he had a backup plan: if the equipment failed to start, he would detonate the explosives in the warehouse, blowing up all the evidence along with the entire sea warehouse!"

After the three interrogation rooms concluded, the three testimonies matched perfectly, with all the information interconnected and without any contradictions or loopholes.

All of Rum's trump cards, all his backup plans, and all his crazy schemes were completely exposed.

The message was relayed back to the command center.

Kuroda Hyōe's face was frighteningly grim. He lightly slammed his fist on the command platform: "Heinous! Immediately mobilize the maritime police, mobile units, and bomb disposal teams to seal off the entire Miwa Bay area! Notify the bomb disposal experts to stand by. Under no circumstances can he detonate the explosives, and even less can he activate the backup equipment!"

Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji had just returned from the clock tower and the villa. Upon hearing the news, they immediately got ready and checked their equipment: "I'll be in charge of cracking the secret room and disabling the equipment's power supply. We'll definitely paralyze the Dark Amber signal within three minutes!"

"I'll jam the entire frequency band simultaneously, cutting off all his remote control commands and ensuring he can't even send a signal," Kenji Hagiwara added, his fingertips lightly twirling the jammer.

Kudo Yuki gripped the Magician's divination cards tightly in her palm; the cool surface of the cards calmed her mind. She knew that Rum was at his wit's end, and his current madness was the most dangerous counterattack.

What she cared about most in her heart was Rumi Wakasa, who was hiding in the shadows and tormented by her obsession for seventeen years.

To be continued...