Pan'an unhesitatingly returned the threat, and the sheriff let out a cold laugh, but this time said nothing, taking a step back with his gun: "Don't cause trouble, I'll be watching you."
After speaking, he turned and left.
Pan'an squinted, thought for a moment, then closed the window and turned to the two people in the car: "Something's off... I have Adcardo's logo on my car, logically he wouldn't have come looking for trouble himself.
I think he might have been paid...to keep an eye out for certain people."
"You mean biotechnology?" V's expression turned serious.
After pondering for a moment, Qiwei suddenly said: "It seems Mercer's suspicions might be correct...perhaps what's happening here might indeed be connected to the Wanderer Tribe."
"You mean they see us parked here and suspect we're Red Ochre people pretending to be Adcardo?" Pan'an asked, puzzled.
"They might also be wary of all the Wanderers...they're worried we might have discovered something and then shared the information, considering the Wanderer Tribe has some connections."
After Qiwei finished, she paused and asked: "You all haven't been here recently? Has anything similar happened before?"
"I remember Mitch and Scorpion hauled some stuff last week, I'll ask about it."
Pan'an's prosthetic eye lit up as she called Mitch.
In just a few words, she figured out the situation.
"Mitch said they weren't checked last week, but they arrived at a little after nine in the morning and left by eleven, maybe it was a timing thing?"
Pan'an checked the current time, which was around one-thirty.
Qiwei said: "It's very likely, so let's be quick in and out. You go now, place the items, then come out, and we'll move to a slightly further place to avoid being watched all the time."
Pan'an said: "Alright, we'll go now."
She opened the car door, and V took the camera Qiwei handed and stuffed it into her pocket. The two of them then pretended to be thirsty and went to the bar for a drink.
Qiwei cracked open the car window, lit a cigarette, and sat staring coldly at the sheriff in the nearby police car who was watching them.
Pan'an and Qiwei entered the bar, where there was only a single owner doubling as a bartender.
"We close at two-thirty for a break, and reopen at three-thirty. Do you want something to eat or drink, or are you looking for lodging? Lodging is also only available after three-thirty,"
The bartender sized them up, recognizing the somewhat familiar face of Pan'an, acknowledging her as someone from Adcardo, and let his guard down a bit.
"I'm dying of thirst, give me a couple of ice-cold ales," Pan'an said, directly taking a seat at the bar counter.
V appeared to be admiring the bar's decor but had already activated her scanning mode with the prosthetic eye Mercer installed, which proved efficient by identifying all the cameras on the bar's ground floor in seconds.
She discreetly sat in the most cornered wall spot at the bar, which was a blind spot for the surveillance.
The bartender nodded, turning to fetch beer from the fridge.
At that moment, V activated Sianwistan directly.
In an instant, the bartender's movements almost halted, and V swiftly turned around and leaped, placing the camera Qiwei gave her on the top shelf of the bar cabinet, hidden between two bottles.
Then she calmly returned to her seat and deactivated Sianwistan.
The whole process was incredibly fast, quicker than the second hand on a clock could move.
This model of Sianwistan could reduce time to nearly 70%, meaning for others, one second was equivalent to over three seconds for V.
The bartender vaguely felt a soft thudding footstep behind him, but when he turned, he only saw V and Pan'an sitting there looking at him, waiting for their drinks.
V urged him: "Hurry up, I'm parched here."
"Alright." The bartender offered no banter, placing two bottles of cold beer on the table: "Need a glass with ice?"
"No need, I'll down this in a few gulps."
Pan'an waved her hand casually, then put on a curious expression: "I remember this place didn't close in the afternoons before? Why the break now?"
"It's temporary, someone booked the place, you know." The bartender didn't hide much.
Pan'an clicked her tongue: "This place never had that kind of service before."
"Well, there's nothing to do about it. There used to be several tables filled with customers in the afternoon, all wanting to book the place. If I couldn't handle it, I wouldn't have any business.
But now...hardly two people stay a day, and people only start coming to the town around five in the afternoon for drinks and snacks. So, if someone's paying, I make what I can."
The bartender, or rather the bar owner, sighed: "Business is tough...how's it going for you? Haven't seen many from Adcardo recently."
"Not great either, business keeps getting snatched away by that damned Dog Town."
Pan'an cursed, and the owner, sharing her sentiment, offered a small free dish of cold fried chips: "Ain't it the truth...it's on me, it's been a while since we met."
"Still, having someone book this place for business in this day and age is really rare," Pan'an commented, prompting the owner to glance at her.
"Don't probe me, you know I won't betray my customers, especially those troublesome ones." The bar owner warned Pan'an amicably, subtly indicating the arriving guest wasn't someone easy to deal with.
Pan'an smirked: "I was just asking...thanks."
She said no more, and after the three chatted for a bit, finishing the chips and beer, Pan'an settled the bill and got up: "We're off, finished the deal, will be back for a drink in the afternoon."