Using the intelligence gained from Alicia, the Professor contacts Sagasta and the team. He devises a high-stakes bluff. He convinces the police that the hailstones are not gold, but rather paintballs filled with a highly lethal, fast-acting nerve gas (referencing the failed chemical warfare plan of the Gandia arc). To sell this bluff, the Professor demands an "escape valve"—a set of four trucks with blacked-out windows. He threatens to rupture the bags of "poison" if the police do not comply. The authorities, fearing a catastrophic biological disaster, reluctantly agree to the demand.