Stay away from Conan.

Just as Dr. Agasa was filled with doubt, his phone suddenly vibrated, and he received a new message.

Seeing this, Dr. Agasa quickly opened the message and saw that it was from the business partner. He felt a sense of relief, thinking it was probably to discuss further matters. After reading the contents, he found it to be an extremely brief message, but one that left Dr. Agasa somewhat puzzled—

What do you mean by "right here, open the truck bed, and let those drones fly away"?
After seeing the message, Dr. Agasa looked around again and, after confirming several times, felt that this place was indeed a remote, uninhabited area, far from any village or town. He decided to launch the drones he had modified in this location...

Could it be that the recipient is unable to show their face, so they use this method to have a drone automatically fly to the target person to complete the transaction?

Thinking of this, Professor Agasa paused for a moment, slightly confused, and then his heart suddenly started racing—

Although he is obsessed with inventions and can be a bit absent-minded at times, he is not a clueless fool who is completely unaware of danger. In particular, he has a high school detective neighbor, Shinichi Kudo, and through this exposure, Professor Agasa is ultimately somewhat wary.

And now, the instructions he's facing are still in this location, combining with those previously modified drones that clearly have reconnaissance modules...

It seems that everything points to a field he doesn't really want to delve into.

Thinking of this, Professor Agasa subconsciously felt a little hesitant, considering whether he should simply leave first, and as for the handover issue...

We'll discuss it further once the other party provides a clearer handover method...

Just as Dr. Agasa was thinking this, a new message came through on his phone—

"The remaining balance has been paid in full."

A shorter message followed, along with a notification that money had been deposited into his bank account. This immediately jolted Professor Agasa upright, prompting him to check his account balance. He was quite excited.

After all, this sum of money is something that cannot be underestimated.

Seeing that the other party had fully paid for the collaboration, Dr. Agasa's thoughts returned to the present. He thought that the reward was really generous, and that the level of intelligence shown by the drone algorithms in the previous collaboration had amazed even him, the inventor. Therefore, after a brief period of consideration, Dr. Agasa's thirst for knowledge and his sense of contract ultimately prevailed.

So, Professor Agasa took one last deep breath, got out of the car, went around to the back of the truck, and used the key to open the cargo door—

Inside the cargo container, a dozen or so drones, slightly larger and with more sensors than the ones seen at the Twilight Villa, were neatly secured.

As this new model has a longer production cycle than the previous series of drones, and therefore has superior performance and functions, Dr. Agasa sighed as he looked at them lying quietly on their stands. Following instructions, he prepared to go forward and turn on the drones to get them running.

However, just as Professor Agasa was about to complete this final step, a sudden surge of rationality made him pause his actions. Then, as if remembering something, he muttered to himself:
"Yes! I can ask Shinichi first!"

Perhaps because he was too puzzled by his partner's actions, Dr. Agasa ultimately became more cautious in his considerations...

……

A little while earlier, in the woods surrounding the Twilight Villa—

The pickup truck, driven by Hanada Emi, was currently navigating through the complex mountainous terrain. Every now and then, the wheels rolled over loose rocks and tree roots, creating violent jolts. Takayuki, inside the back of the truck, could only grit his teeth and try to stay as safe as possible.

After all, it's inconvenient to remove the knife stuck in his body right now, so he can't sit in the car, and there's nothing like a seatbelt to keep him in place.

To ensure he wouldn't be thrown off the vehicle by its jolting, Gao Yuan could only rely on his willpower and the last bit of strength he had left, using the available footholds on the truck bed to keep himself steady.

As a result, Gao Yuan's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and blood kept seeping from his left shoulder. He was feeling increasingly powerless.

However, this is the final moment. If I can shake off the pursuers within this time and get Professor Agasa's drone to the target location as soon as possible for final confirmation, my operation will be completely successful. But...

As for Professor Agasa, such an order might make him doubt his actions, potentially leading to unforeseen circumstances.

Therefore, to ensure absolute safety, a backup plan is necessary, so...

In the distance behind, the shouts and gunshots of armed personnel who had discovered the misdirection could be faintly heard, but they were quickly silenced by the dense forest and terrain.

After completing their final mission of obstruction and misdirection, some of the drones in the air continued to harass the helicopter, while others quietly descended, like a swarm of bees returning to their hive, and dispersed towards the road ahead of the pickup truck to set up new observation points and potential jamming devices.

The carriage was silent except for the engine and the noise of the bumpy ride.

Hanada Emi would frequently glance at the drone that was guiding the way to adjust her direction, but she would also look at Takayuki in the back of the truck several times through the rearview mirror, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Camus, meanwhile, leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed, seemingly resting, but his slightly trembling eyelids revealed that he was not at peace.

After driving for about seven or eight minutes, the pickup truck finally broke out of a grove of trees and drove onto an abandoned county road that was in disrepair but still relatively smooth.

Finally, Gao Yuan was able to sit steadily in the back of the truck and breathed a slight sigh of relief, but he was not relaxed. He glanced at the time on his phone—

Almost there, Professor Agasa should have arrived at the designated location by now...

……

"Hey, Shinichi..."

In Gunma Prefecture, when Professor Agasa was about to ask Shinichi Kudo for help and dialed Shinichi's cell phone number, just as he was about to explain his current situation, before he could finish his opening words, suddenly, a pair of hands reached straight to his ears and snatched Professor Agasa's phone away.

Thus, Professor Agasa, who was already somewhat cautious, was taken aback by this sudden turn of events. He turned to look at the newcomer, intending to question him, but saw a black Crown sedan drive up to this supposedly secluded and deserted place, from which several men in suits and sunglasses got out.

The man who had just snatched his phone was one of them, and before Dr. Agasa could say anything, an ID card was blatantly placed in front of him—

Japanese Public Security Bureau... (End of Chapter)