Survival Manual of the Science Fiction World

Chu Ming took out his phone and, following the license plate clue, directly accessed the data system. After a quick search, he found that the car owner had returned from the United States, and the car had just been shipped back to China. Information from the transportation department showed that he had just completed the vehicle registration procedures last week.

Last week, in the United States...

Could this be an FBI operation to lure Gin into a trap?

After Shuichi Akai blew up Gin's car last time, it seems that Gin hasn't been seen driving since. Does he think that since Gin's Porsche is gone, he can trick Gin out with an identical car?

Chu Ming felt he had probably found out the truth, but the exact details still needed to be verified. The traffic department's system had the car owner's contact information, so Chu Ming saved the number and sent a message to the car owner, expressing his fondness for the car and how he had found the owner's contact information through a friend. He wondered if the owner was willing to part with the car and also sent a restaurant address, indicating that they could meet to discuss it the next day at noon.

If it's really meant to lure Gin, the car owner probably wouldn't refuse to meet, since he needs to meet to confirm whether the person wanting to buy the car is someone sent by the organization.

If he ignores it, he's probably an individual car owner.

However, even if he were an individual car owner, he wouldn't lose out, since in that case he would essentially get something for nothing.

Chapter 582 This person is hiding too well.

Shortly after, the car owner replied to the message, agreeing to meet the next day.

Chu Ming returned to the design firm with light steps, just as Conan had solved the case and was standing at the door looking at him reproachfully.

Chu Ming raised an eyebrow: "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Conan was somewhat indignant: "He told me to be careful, but then he turned around and ran off on his own. That's too much..."

Chu Ming interrupted him directly: "That's not Gin's car. Ai said the license plate number doesn't match."

Conan's words were abruptly cut off. He scratched his head and looked at Ai Haibara: "Maybe he changed the license plate at the last minute... After all, what if a terrorist like him did something bad while driving and got his license plate photographed? So he just changed it to a new one?"

"No, Gin only uses two license plates, 4869 and 4368. Even if he needs to change them, he usually changes them to one of these two. Besides, Gin is cautious and rarely does what you just described." Ai Haibara said confidently.

Having received no news, Conan dejectedly followed Professor Agasa back. Just as Chu Ming was about to say goodbye and leave, Conan quickly called out to him, "Brother Chu Ming, do you want to come with us to that Koshien baseball tournament that Hattori invited us to? It's tomorrow."

Chu Ming shook his head regretfully: "The company is launching new business, so I've been quite busy these past few days. I just got word that I have a lunch party to attend tomorrow at noon, so it looks like I won't have time to go out and have fun with you guys."

Conan was a little disappointed, as it had been quite a while since he had gone out with Chu Ming, but he had important business to attend to, so he could only promise to go out together another time when he had more free time.

Chu Ming didn't feel that way. Although he hadn't gone out with Conan much lately, there were indeed more and more things to do with the organization. And Conan felt like he hadn't seen him in a long time, but in fact, Chu Ming, as Gran Birch, had met Conan many times.

Although I couldn't follow Conan around and get some of his magnetic field this time, it's still pretty good that I managed to catch the FBI by the tail.

*

Chu Ming sat in the reserved private room. Before he came, he had placed a circle of miniature detectors around the restaurant. At this moment, the system panel clearly showed that more than twenty people had surrounded the restaurant.

It seems he was right; it was indeed a trap set by the FBI.

Even if it's uncertain whether he's a member of the organization, we should still take control of this area to prevent it from being a genuine member of the organization making a transaction, in case they are short-handed.

Chu Ming waited a while longer before a man with a smile slowly walked into the private room. He was momentarily stunned when he saw Chu Ming, but quickly regained his composure and said, "Sorry, there was a bit of traffic on the way, I'm late."

Chu Ming's gaze swept over his collar, and a smile appeared on his face: "How could that be? I just arrived a little while ago."

The man was wearing a listening device, and there was also a miniature camera hidden in the button of his collar, indicating that the FBI agents had come prepared.

Chu Ming waved to the waiter to serve the food, and then got straight to the point: "Sir, the main reason I invited you here today is because I really like your car. I've been looking for a Porsche 356 for a long time, but it's almost never sold in Japan. I saw it on the road a long time ago, but I couldn't find the owner. I never expected to see your car on the road. You must also be interested in selling this car, otherwise you wouldn't have accepted my invitation. Name your price."

The man chuckled and changed the subject: "Indeed, there are only a handful of these cars in all of Japan. I just imported them from the United States. It took a lot of effort. Let's not talk about that now, let's eat first."

……

The man was indeed an FBI agent named Bernard, and was considered a subordinate of Shuichi Akai.

Along with Gin to Japan, Shuichi Akai also registered a car in his name, saying that he had destroyed Gin's previous car, and this time he specially got a car exactly the same as Gin's previous car, just to attract the organization's attention.

So when he received the message, he immediately notified Shuichi Akai. Although Shuichi Akai was unsure who had contacted him, he decided to set off with his men, adhering to the principle of better to miss out than to fail.

Surprisingly, the buyer this time looked so young.

He must be the son of a wealthy family from some Japanese conglomerate, right? It seems I've got the wrong person. I was going to just find an excuse to refuse, but Shuichi Akai stopped me through the built-in earpiece.

Shuichi Akai had met Chu Ming on the bus that had been hijacked earlier.

He had seen Vermouth, disguised as Dr. Aragaki, defend Chu Ming and Conan, and felt that things couldn't be that coincidental, so he hinted to Bernard to stall them.

But after the conversation, he found nothing wrong with Chu Ming's behavior. At first, he was eager to buy a car, then he was puzzled when Bernard changed the subject, and later he became impatient with the conversation going off on tangents...

Shuichi Akai had a gut feeling that something was wrong, but no matter how he observed, he couldn't find any flaws or problems.

There are only two possibilities in this situation.

One possibility is that this person is genuinely innocent and his perception is simply wrong; another is that he is indeed a member of the organization, but he is so well hidden that he hasn't revealed a single flaw.

Shuichi Akai narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them.

If it's the latter, then that person is terrifying.

[I've been a bit busy these past few days, so that's all for today QAQ. I'll try to add another chapter tomorrow if I can~_(:з」∠)_]

Chapter 583 There is something wrong with this person

Seeing the man in front of him pacing back and forth, never mentioning the car deal, Chu Ming slammed his hand on the table and said, "Mr. Bernard, do you even want to sell this car? Why are you rambling on and on? If you're not selling, don't waste my time."

Seeing Chu Ming's anxious expression, Shuichi Akai trusted his intuition and decided to use the car to try and catch Chu Ming as a big fish.

With his instructions, Bernard's eyes darted around for a moment, then he quickly reassured Chu Ming, "Sir, don't worry."

"What have you been hesitating about? If you're not going to sell, just say so beforehand. Why waste each other's time?" Chu Ming's brows furrowed with impatience as he squinted at Bernard, who seemed intent on gathering information between the lines. "I genuinely want to make a deal, which is why I've been talking to you for so long. Are you just playing me for a fool? Or are you planning to find out my bottom line and then hold a secret auction?"

Bernard felt somewhat embarrassed. He felt that there was nothing wrong with the person in front of him, but his superior did not think so. He was not allowed to refuse, nor was he allowed to agree, and he was also required to keep the person occupied. What could he do but dodge the question?

“Mr. Chu Ming, it’s like this, I went through a lot of trouble to ship this car back from the United States. I’m actually short of funds lately and want to sell the car, but I just got it recently. You should be able to understand my hesitation and indecision right now…” Bernard looked dejected, sighing and looking quite pitiful.

But Chu Ming was heartless: "Mr. Bernard, if I were you, I would sell the car immediately. I sincerely want to buy the car, but you keep dragging this out and affecting my mood, which will affect the price we can agree on. What do you think?"

Bernard sensed the threat in Chu Ming's words, realizing that Chu Ming had exploited his financial needs and wanted to close the deal immediately. He sighed, his face somewhat somber: "Alright, Mr. Chu Ming, I agree to sell this car."

Chu Ming smiled with satisfaction and picked up the water glass on the table: "A wise choice, Mr. Bernard. Name your price."

"Three hundred million yen."

"Pfft—cough cough." Chu Ming choked on his water, coughed a few times, and looked up at Bernard in disbelief. "You could have just robbed me, but you still sold me a car? You're asking for an exorbitant price, aren't you? You've multiplied the price several times over?"

Although Bernard also felt that the price his boss offered was outrageous, he showed no sign of it on his face, and spoke with unwavering confidence: "Mr. Chu Ming, I acquired this car from a collector in the United States at a high price. As you know, this car is extremely valuable to collectors; it's practically unavailable on the market, always a case of 'high price, low supply.' Moreover, this car has undergone minor modifications and is perfectly road-legal, not just something to admire in a warehouse. So, in that sense, the price isn't really that outrageous, is it?"

Chu Ming scoffed and stood up without any politeness: "Your sales pitch might fool others, but you're still too green to fool me. This car is indeed rare, but it's not to the point of being priceless. Three hundred million is enough for me to buy four or five of them. I can accept paying a little extra, consider it payment for the time I saved. But if this is your price, I think we're probably not going to talk."

Bernard quickly pressed Chu Ming down, forcing a smile: "Mr. Chu Ming, don't be anxious. There's a saying that goes, 'If you ask for a price on the spot, you should try to negotiate it down on the spot.' This price is negotiable, it's negotiable."

Chu Ming sat back in his chair, looking at Bernard with annoyance, idly toying with the matchbox on the table in his hand: "Alright, I won't argue with you anymore. I have things to do at the company, and I won't waste any more time here with you. One hundred million, fine, we'll go hand over the business now. If not, then you can continue to wait for a sucker."

Bernard pondered for a moment, presumably waiting for Shuichi Akai's reply through the miniature headset.

Chu Ming didn't urge him, but remained leaning back lazily, patiently waiting for his final reply.

“Sure, let’s just consider it making friends with Mr. Chu Ming.” Bernard smiled broadly, and then discussed the time for the property transfer with Chu Ming.

He was indeed quite happy. Although the car wasn't cheap in the United States, it only cost Shuichi Akai a little over $500,000 when he bought it. He made a profit of several hundred thousand dollars just by reselling it. Even after deducting the cost of transporting the car to Japan, he still made a considerable profit.

Chu Ming was also very happy. He spent some money, got a car, and even caught the FBI. The FBI had no idea that they were the hunters.

In reality, high-level hunters often appear as prey.

The appearance of this car was a completely unexpected surprise for Chu Ming.

In less than an hour, Chu Ming had completed the transfer of ownership and obtained the new license plate.

Chu Ming couldn't wait to get into the car and take it for a test drive.

But as soon as he got in the car, Chu Ming felt a strong sense of being spied on.

The car contained cameras, listening devices, and even GPS trackers! And more than one!

Chu Ming's eyes turned cold, but he didn't show anything. He drove home naturally, parked the car next to the Porsche that Vermouth had given him, and went straight upstairs.

On the other side, Shuichi Akai watched Chu Ming drive seemingly oblivious to everything through the surveillance camera, and his feeling grew increasingly uneasy.

Even an ordinary person would react to being surrounded by so many surveillance cameras, right? The fact that Chu Ming didn't react at all is very likely an act...

Installing so many surveillance cameras is clearly a deliberate attempt to alert the enemy, but the already alerted enemy is acting as if nothing has happened, which is quite strange.

So, is there really something wrong with this guy named Fujino Chumei?

Shuichi Akai's expression grew increasingly grim. He had originally intended to stay in Japan after Jodie was captured, hoping to find an opportunity to rescue her.

However, he was wanted in Japan and had also suffered serious injuries, so he had no choice but to return to the United States with James. This time, in addition to rescuing Judy, he also needed to check whether Shiho's surroundings were safe.

The investigation revealed that Fujino Chumei had a good relationship with Sherry and the boy named Conan, and even Shiho was quite close to him, seemingly relying on him like an older brother.

The fact that Conan, a boy so intelligent, has no doubts about Chu Ming, just like Shiho, further proves that he has no problems.

Moreover, if he had a problem, Shiho would probably have been taken back to the organization long ago. Logically speaking, Shuichi Akai shouldn't have suspected him.

However, Shuichi Akai's heart remained uneasy, as if nothing was ever truly in sight.

This feeling had saved him countless times; he trusted his intuition.

If all these people are part of an organization, that's terrifying. What are they planning to do lurking in the shadows?

Shuichi Akai leaned back slightly in his chair and rubbed his temples.

He had already wronged Mingmei by failing to save her, and he couldn't let his sister get hurt again.

Chapter 584 I couldn't smell them

The following day, Chu Ming had spent the entire night planning the entire scheme. He intended to use this car to precisely extract all the information from the FBI.

He deliberately ignored the listening device in the car, since it would benefit his later plans, and then sent a message to Conan and Ai Haibara.