Stay away from Conan.

When Professor Agasa tremblingly handed over the identification, the man in sunglasses who arrived first took it, quickly scanned it, and then looked up at Professor Agasa himself, seemingly comparing it to a photograph.

Behind him, his two companions subtly shifted their positions. One casually approached the open cargo door of the truck, scanning the neatly arranged drones inside; the other subtly blocked Professor Agasa's possible escape route to the driver's cab or the roadside.

Such actions terrified Dr. Agasa, and scenes from movies he had seen before involuntarily surfaced in his mind, making him feel as if he were truly facing imminent disaster.

"Delivery? Deliver it here? To whom?"

Just as Professor Agasa was lost in thought, the man in sunglasses held the ID in his hand, showing no intention of returning it immediately. He simply asked in a calm tone, but the question went straight to the heart of the matter.

"Yes, it's what the client requested... say it here... handover."

Faced with this question, Dr. Agasa broke out in a cold sweat and tried his best to make his voice sound normal:

"I don't know exactly who it was... I just know they sent me here..."

This wasn't exactly a lie, but others didn't see it that way. At this point, Dr. Agasa couldn't help but wonder if he should bring out the written records of the communications to prove this point.

The man in sunglasses, listening to Professor Agasa's explanation, remained noncommittal, his gaze shifting to the drones inside the cargo compartment, a barely perceptible hint of seriousness flashing deep within his eyes—

The specifications and workmanship of these devices, the obvious presence of cameras and suspicious sensors, and even modules whose exact nature is unknown...

It is by no means an ordinary toy or commercial model.

"these things……"

Just as the man in sunglasses was about to speak, another black Toyota sedan drove into the area, and three more men, also dressed in dark suits and wearing sunglasses, got out of the car.

This unexpected turn of events inevitably alerted the few "Japanese Public Security" personnel who had arrived earlier.

Meanwhile, as soon as the three people who arrived later got out of the car, their eyes naturally fell on the men in sunglasses who had arrived first, as well as Professor Agasa, whose physical characteristics were quite distinctive, and the small truck with its open cargo bed.

Furthermore, the three who arrived later also noticed that the men in sunglasses, after arriving with them, seemed to move around casually, but their positions subtly formed a kind of confrontational angle with their own.

Furthermore, their hands, seemingly relaxed at their sides, were precisely positioned for quickest draw of their guns.

Not good!

This mentality was shared not only by the later arrivals but also by the first group of "Japanese Public Security officers." Their eyes sharpened instantly, and their fingers tightened slightly as they gripped Professor Agasa's identification.

Faced with this situation, the leader of the latecomers, a middle-aged man with a cold face and a muscular build, swept his gaze across the scene, finally landing on Dr. Agasa's panicked face, and then turned to the driver's license in the hands of the first person to arrive.

This is……

It looks like they're conducting some kind of examination?
these people?
"what happened?"

After a moment of thought, the cold-faced man who arrived later spoke, his gaze shifting between Professor Agasa and the first to arrive, as if asking a question or confirming something.

Immediately, the man in sunglasses who arrived first had a strong feeling that something was wrong—

The newcomers possessed a quality that was well-concealed yet still emanated from them, seemingly shared with others; their tacit understanding in positioning themselves also revealed a subtle hostility...

These are definitely not ordinary passersby. Who are they?

The first person to arrive was thinking rapidly—

Their original purpose was to check the old man who had suddenly parked his car there and was acting suspiciously, but the sudden appearance of these three people disrupted everything and even made things more complicated... "Routine check."

In response, the first person to arrive replied in a deep voice, first putting away Professor Agasa's driver's license, then taking out their "Japanese Public Security" identification and waving it, before solemnly saying:
"We received intelligence that there may be suspicious transactions here. Who are you?"

He naturally and directly revealed his identity as a "Japanese Public Security Officer." After all, he had already revealed his identity to the old man in front of him called "Professor Agasa" before, so there was no need to hide it here, as that would only cause unnecessary trouble.

Upon seeing this, the expressions of the later arrivals changed slightly—

Japanese Public Security? Them? Then what are we?
Indeed, the individuals who arrived later were undoubtedly Japanese public security officers. They had received orders from a member of the Japanese public security force codenamed "Zero" to come and meet an elderly man named "Professor Agasa" in order to receive certain equipment he had transported.

But now, another group of people claiming to be Japanese public security officers have appeared in front of me and have even made contact with the target, "Professor Agasa," beforehand. What's going on?

Thinking of this, the others who arrived later tacitly refrained from directly questioning the other party's identity, nor did they simply reveal their own. After all, in this situation where the circumstances were unclear, it would be foolish to introduce oneself.

Therefore, faced with this situation, while the three people who got out of the car did not make any unnecessary moves, the driver who remained in the car instantly understood and briefly reported the current situation to the command center at the rear through a concealed communication device he was wearing.

Then, after almost a moment of silence, the same devices on these people, the earpieces in their ears, simultaneously transmitted instructions from the command center.

Therefore, this later cold-faced man did not directly answer the questions from the "Japanese police," but instead slightly turned his head toward a companion beside him.

Then, the companion understood, stepped forward, and explained:
"We're here to hand over the goods to this old gentleman."

Upon hearing this, the "Japanese Public Security officers" who had arrived earlier didn't show any obvious reaction, but Dr. Agasa was stunned, and his heart nearly jumped into his throat—

The ones who will pick up the goods? Them? But that mysterious collaborator never mentioned that anyone would come to pick them up! Wasn't it just a matter of letting them fly the drones?
Dr. Agasa's unusual reaction was noticed by everyone present. But then, when Dr. Agasa looked at the group of people who claimed to be the recipients, he saw the leader of the group making a gesture that seemed to be telling him not to make a fuss. It seemed to be a subtle way of "getting him out of trouble".

Although Dr. Agasa didn't understand the specifics, he was by no means stupid—

He instantly realized that the person who came later might be helping him out of his predicament! Although he didn't know who the other person was or why they wanted to help him, in the current situation, grasping this possible lifeline was the only option.

After all, these "Japanese police officers" who arrived first were clearly not to be trifled with. He might be taken away by them for some inexplicable reason, and then he would be unable to defend himself.

Therefore, it's not like someone suddenly came to your rescue; it's more than one person who stepped in to shield you from this inexplicable examination.

"Ah...it's you guys!"

Thus, Professor Agasa tried to make his surprise sound like he recognized someone, stammering, "I received the final payment, I received it! Everything is here... but, they..."

As Dr. Agasa spoke, he timidly pointed to the "Japanese Public Security Bureau."

Therefore, after Professor Agasa finished speaking, it seemed that no one paid any more attention to the old man. Instead, the two groups present looked at each other with a sense of apprehension.

The first to arrive had an uncertain look in his eyes. The other party's words seemed reasonable, but the timing of their appearance was too coincidental, and their attitude was too calm. Moreover, he keenly noticed that although the three who arrived later were dressed in sharp suits, the silhouette of their suit hems was slightly stiff, which might be concealing holsters or communication devices. They also seemed to have tiny black objects plugged into their ears, probably miniature earphones.

Similarly, those who arrive later observe those who arrive earlier.

Although the other party claimed it was a "routine inspection," putting aside the question of whether their "Japanese public security" identity could be verified, what kind of routine inspection in this desolate wilderness would require the deployment of the Japanese public security? And we were here with a specific mission to meet our target!

Furthermore, they also noticed that the first few people to arrive acted in perfect unison, had sharp eyes, and were also carrying weapons. Moreover, one of them had just tried to approach the cargo compartment, clearly with the intention of reconnaissance.

Both sides knew perfectly well that the other was no benevolent person. (End of Chapter)