Chapter 294 Zero Playthrough (1)
"Bourbon, I never expected you to be an undercover agent."
When he opened his eyes again, Rei Furuya had returned to where it all began.
He fell to the roots of the World Tree, but instead of crashing to the ground, he passed through the ground and arrived at the original world.
This is the place the system refers to as "Zero Playthrough".
The organization's base had been breached by the police.
Gin pinned the blood-covered blond youth to the ground and broke his hand.
Rei Furuya stood beside them, but the two who were fighting to the death couldn't see him at all.
This marks the end of Rei Furuya's previous life and the beginning of this one.
Rei Furuya looked down at Pandora, whose palm was still glowing with a faint red light, and suddenly felt as if he had been in a very long dream and had just woken up.
If those memories of reincarnation weren't so vivid, so unforgettable of both pain and joy, he might have been tempted to doubt that it was all just a dream before his death.
"Bourbon, how does it feel to fall in the darkness before dawn?" Gin asked.
"I feel fine." Rei Furuya, who had traveled back from the future, gave the same answer, and was even more satisfied. "At least the entire organization was wiped out with me, and all the people I valued survived and can now live happily in the sunlight. That's enough."
Gin, of course, couldn't hear it, but he was still furious at the other blond youth's reply.
Before Gin fired, Furuya Rei stepped forward, hesitated for a moment, and then placed the red gem in his hand on the blond youth's blood-stained forehead.
"Good luck, Rei Furuya," he said softly.
The moment it came into contact with blood, Pandora, which had been emitting only a faint glow, suddenly shone brightly red, almost to the point that it made it impossible to see anything.
At the same time, gunshots and explosions rang out, the world shook violently, and buildings collapsed.
The place where Furuya Rei was standing was instantly turned into a sea of fire, and the silver-haired man and the blond youth in front of him were also buried in black smoke and red flames.
The old Rei Furuya is dead.
But this death was not the end, but the beginning.
—Rei Furuya, do you want to be resurrected?
The blond youth stood at a crossroads of fate.
Rei Furuya walked out of the inferno unharmed and listened to the conversation between the blond youth and the system.
"Is the system that's talking to me now and in the past you, or you now?" he asked.
"We have no concept of time; we exist simultaneously in the past and the future, and the past and the future are the present." - System reply.
Rei Furuya said thoughtfully, "So this is who you are now."
The system did not deny it.
—I don't trust you, I refuse.
—Refusal is invalid.
On the other side, the blond youth had failed to communicate with the system and was then forcibly sent into a time loop by the system and Furuya Rei, starting his own time travel in confusion and anger.
Rei Furuya remained where he was, carefully observing his hands by the firelight.
He must have traveled through time with his physical body with him, right?
After arriving in this world, his semi-transparent body has become solid, but he still cannot touch anything in this world, nor can any of the beings in this world touch him.
No one could see him.
"Is this what it means to be a person caught between time and space..." Rei Furuya murmured.
"Mr. Furuya! Mr. Furuya is still inside and hasn't retreated!!!" The injured Yuya Kazami rushed over frantically, but he was still a step too late.
"Mr. Furuya!!!" he shouted incoherently in front of the sea of fire, his face filled with panic and despair.
Shinichi Kudo and Shuichi Akai, who had just finished dealing with Renya Karasuma, were stunned by what they heard. They stared wide-eyed at the ruins engulfed in flames, their faces blank as the scorching firelight illuminated their faces.
"How could this be?" Shinichi Kudo couldn't believe it. "Mr. Amuro?"
We'd finally made it to the very end, and the organization was destroyed... How could this happen?
"How could someone like Bourbon die like this?" Even Vermouth, who was standing next to him, couldn't accept it.
Sato Miwako and Takagi Wataru, who happened to arrive, also stared wide-eyed in disbelief, forgetting what they were going to say.
Rei Furuya watched them from the side, walked over and subconsciously wanted to say something, but in the end he fell silent.
There was nothing he could do but follow behind like a ghost and watch them deal with the aftermath of this great battle.
None of the organization's members escaped.
All experimental data were also destroyed.
As the melodious chimes rang out, the sunlight finally pierced the darkness.
Daylight broke.
Snowflakes drifted down onto the ruins.
Under the bright and warm sunlight, Kazami Yuya finally led his men to dig out the mangled body of the blond youth.
He trembled as he wiped the blood off the blond youth's face. Looking at that familiar face, he could no longer deceive himself.
"Mr. Furuya?" He collapsed to the ground, exhausted. His nose stung, tears streamed down his face, and even breathing became incredibly difficult.
Seven years.
Seven years have passed.
Over the past seven years, Kazami Yuya has witnessed Furuya Rei's injuries many times.
This younger boss, who was even younger than him, always did things haphazardly, but he always managed to complete his tasks and come back safely. Even when he was covered in dirt, he would still sternly reprimand him, telling him not to panic and to act like a policeman.
But now, no matter how incompetent and shameful Kazami Yuya is, his young boss will no longer open his eyes and laugh at him.
He's such an amazing person... and he's only 29 years old...
Shuichi Akai walked over.
He didn't look at Rei Furuya's subordinates who were breaking down in tears, and the other police officers were also deeply saddened. No one stopped the FBI agent from approaching.
He walked to the body of the blond youth, knelt down, and carefully examined his appearance and vital signs.
“…It’s Mr. Amuro.” Whenever Shinichi Kudo’s emotions become unstable, he reverts to calling him Conan Edogawa and Mr. Amuro. He stares stiffly at his fingers, stained with the blond youth’s cold blood, and whispers, “It is indeed Mr. Amuro. He…is no longer alive.”
By the end, his fingers were trembling slightly.
"It's too late to save him," he said.
“Not necessarily.” Shuichi Akai withdrew his hand from the blond youth’s corpse, frowning. “Did you verify the DNA?”
Rei Furuya, who had been standing quietly to the side like a ghost for a long time, suddenly turned his head: "Huh?!"
Shinichi Kudo was also stunned: "...What? Not yet, but—"
But things are different now. The organization has been destroyed, and Mr. Amuro has no need to fake his death like Mr. Akai did before.
Mr. Amuro's current situation is completely different from Mr. Akai's previous situation!
But Shinichi Kudo couldn't continue speaking, and even with a sliver of hope, he turned and asked the police to verify the body's DNA.
Rei Furuya standing next to him: "..."
Don't go too far.
In this world, Karasuma Renya did not create a perfect clone, and he destroyed the data by himself in a brutal manner. The researchers who tried to escape were also killed on Karasuma Renya's orders, so no one should know about that data.
The final result was nothing more than further proof that Rei Furuya really died.
When Shiho Miyano heard this devastating news, she thought Shinichi Kudo was joking, and her face darkened as she cursed at him.
Shinichi Kudo didn't know what to say: "...Haibara, it's true."
Shiho Miyano was stunned.
The girl, now back to 18, suddenly stood up, sped to the hospital, and rushed over to prevent the police from taking the blond youth's body to the morgue.
She pushed the others away, insisted on checking repeatedly, and only slumped to the ground when she could find nothing more to check.
They had only known each other for less than a month. Just a few days ago, she was listening to the blond youth talk about how his mother taught him to ride a bicycle and about his sister's relationship with Shuichi Akai in the organization.
Now even Rei Furuya is dead...
When Kuroda Hyōe received the news, he was only stunned for a moment before calmly continuing to arrange the next tasks.
But after hanging up the phone, he stood in the snow in silence for a very long time.
Their last undercover police officer also died within the organization.
Six years.
That young man started his undercover work not long after graduating from police academy.
From age 23 to 29.
He went undercover in the darkest and most brutal organization for six years, experiencing the deaths of several comrades, and persevered to the end, bleeding all the way.
And now, even though they have clearly won, he is dead.
The organization was finally destroyed, but the young police officer did not make it back alive.
Kuroda Hyōe thought that at least, at least the blond youth could live on the back of his comrade's last wish and see the beautiful world they finally saw after fighting desperately in the darkness.
He tried so hard to protect this world, a world that was getting better and better, but he himself didn't get to experience it even for a single day.
Kuroda Hyōe took a deep breath and picked up his phone to make a call to Morofushi Takaaki.
The snow in Nagano is always very thick.
"...Really? That child named Zero also sacrificed himself."
Zhu Fugaoming paused, speechless for a moment.
After hanging up the phone, he took out a cell phone that had been pierced by a bullet from his pocket and gently stroked the letter H on the back with his fingertips.
"Jingguang..."
The exhaled breath turned into a misty white haze in the cold winter air, blurring the emotions in the man's blue eyes.
Will you be reunited in another world?
Zhu Fu Gaoming was always calm.
After his parents died, he calmly searched for any trace of his younger brother's survival.
After his younger brother's death, he calmly received his brother's belongings from Jingguang's childhood friend named Zero.
And now, the child who grew up with his younger brother has also died today.
A tall, slender man with black hair stood in the empty snowfield, calmly enveloped by layers of sorrow.
*
Merry Christmas! Hahaha!!!
Merry Christmas——
On the festive street, the crowd couldn't see Furuya Rei; they passed right through his body.
Rei Furuya wasn't used to this feeling and tried to walk as close to the wall as possible.
Three teenage detectives dressed as Santa Claus and reindeer chased and played towards him. Just as he instinctively tried to move aside, the children passed right through his body.
"..."
Rei Furuya turned around and saw three children running away laughing, their conversation carried on the cheerful music.
"What are Conan and the others doing? Why aren't they coming out to play with us on Christmas?"
"I don't know. Ai said she had something to do and couldn't come. How about we go to Professor Agasa's house and check?"
"Great! Let's go to Professor Agasa's house!"
Rei Furuya watched them disappear, then turned and continued walking forward.
After turning the corner, the Mouri Detective Agency came into view, and the Poirot Cafe downstairs was open for business.
Rei Furuya stood outside the Poirot Cafe, watching Azusa Enomoto come out with a broom and sweep away the trash that had flown to the doorway, while she chatted with Kogoro Mouri, who had come down for lunch.
"Miss Zi seems very busy today?"
"Oh, you bet! It's Christmas today, and there are so many customers, but I'm all alone. I'm so busy I'm dizzy."
"Oh, oh, Amuro-kun took the day off today..."
"Yeah, Mr. Amuro always disappears on holidays like these, leaving me all busy. Humph, when he gets back, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!"
"His health hasn't been very good lately? Hmm, it seems it'll be difficult for Ran and Sonoko to get him to help train the band for the upcoming Beika Town New Year's Eve party..."
As the doorbell rang, the two entered Poirot's Cafe, their voices cut off.
Rei Furuya sighed, turned around, and continued walking forward.
Before long, he finally arrived at his destination.
Trojan Horse Apartments.
From below, you can also see the vegetables he grows on his balcony, which remain lush and green even in winter.
Suddenly, Rei Furuya had a sudden inspiration. Instead of following the usual route up the stairs, he tried to leap lightly and actually managed to jump directly onto the balcony.
Even gravity cannot affect him.
But he didn't fall through the balcony while standing upstairs, nor did he fall directly through the Earth into the endless universe. Doesn't that count as a kind of "touching"?
Lost in thought, Rei Furuya walked through the glass door of the balcony and into the house.
As he passed the kitchen and living room, he saw that small white figure in the entryway.
Harlow had been waiting for him by the door until he fell asleep.
Rei Furuya sat down beside the puppy and softly called to it, "Hello."
The little white dog's ears suddenly twitched, and it abruptly raised its head.
Rei Furuya's face lit up with joy, and he waved his hand in front of the puppy's big, round, watery eyes: "Hello? Can you see me?"
"Woof?" Harlow tilted his head, but his eyes were fixed on the window behind him, avoiding eye contact.
Rei Furuya paused, turned around to look behind him, but saw nothing.
When they turned back, Harlow was fully awake.
The puppy stretched lazily as if no one was around, then changed its posture and continued to squat at the door waiting for its owner to come home.
Its fluffy white tail swayed back and forth.
Rei Furuya reached out to touch it, but his hand passed right through her.
"..."
Rei Furuya sat there, staring at his hands for a moment, then smiled helplessly.
"Hello, you can't see me either."
"Hello, don't mess with the automatic feeder. If you chew it up, it'll be a disaster. You'll probably have to rely on this to fill your stomach for the next couple of days."
"It will be at most two days. Once Kazami has recovered, he will definitely come to pick you up. He will take good care of you for me."
"Don't be so naughty at Kazami's house. Kazami has already worked so hard, don't bully him anymore."
...
"[Rei Furuya, do you want to leave this world and return to your original timeline?]" the system suddenly asked.
Rei Furuya, who was sitting next to Haro, paused in playing with the cherry blossom pendant on his phone and asked, "What do you want to do? How can I get back?"
It will be difficult. This world and your situation are both very unique. Your best option is to go to another world. You can't go back right now, and staying in this world is the worst choice.
The system slowly explained: "In each world you've reloaded before, development would end, the World Tree would close that branch, and a new branch would sprout from your new playthrough to continue growing. But this place is different; it will develop normally."
"So, this world won't be contained?" Rei Furuya asked.
Yes, although it's also an "unobserved world," everything changes with your arrival. Moreover, this is the root of the World Tree, the origin of everything, and it would normally develop like a normal world. But you're not entirely part of this world; you exist in a spacetime rift. Here, you won't starve or die; no one can see or touch you. You will be trapped in eternal solitude.
The system patiently explained: "Only by cooperating with us, venturing to other worlds to begin a new cycle of reincarnation, and earning enough energy again, can you return and reunite with everyone."
Rei Furuya remained silent, frowning in deep thought.
The system continued: "[The fact that the future developments in this world, where you have virtually no ties or attachments anymore, have already caused you so much distress makes you wonder what your original world, where everyone else was, must have been like. You should understand that the more you care about them, the more they care about you. If you died, they would be incredibly saddened and agonizing, even willing to disrupt the timeline to search for you for over a decade, hoping day and night that you would one day return.]"
Rei Furuya fell silent.
Should we start from scratch and work for the system just for that sliver of hope?
However, there is no future in working for a heartless boss.
This is true for Karasuma Renya, and even more so for the system.
Rei Furuya looked down at the only accessible group chat on his phone, the one about reincarnation.
The No. 0 Reincarnation Group has been quiet for a long time.
The others seemed to have lost connection.
Only the data belonging to him changes.
[Rei Furuya: From "Detective Conan," currently on the zeroth playthrough, has died 73 times.]
His save file was reset to zero.
"I won't say anything for now." Furuya Rei tapped on the other people's avatars in the group chat and asked, "Shouldn't you guys explain the situation of these children first?"
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