A Surprising Airport Security Test

Zuwei was at a small airport overseas, waiting for his friend who was going through airport security. As he watched the security personnel working on their computers, displaying X-ray images of passengers' luggage, two suspicious-looking bearded Arab men approached the security checkpoint with their bags.

Their bags quickly went through the X-ray machine, and the screen displayed a clear X-ray image. What shocked Zuwei was that he could distinctly see a human hand in one of the bags. He was frozen, his mind went blank.

To his astonishment, the security personnel sitting in front of the screen didn't sound any alarms or intercept the bag with the human hand. Instead, they simply used their mouse to make the hand disappear.

Zuwei was petrified and, after a moment of thought, he realized that the security personnel were probably undercover agents who used some technology to hide the hand image and assist in an operation.

He then noticed that both of the Arab men had tickets for the same flight as his. Fearing the worst, he contemplated whether he should alert the authorities or dial 911.

But what if they discovered he had seen them before he could report it?

As he debated what to do, one of the security personnel, who was looking at the screen, suddenly glanced back at him. Zuwei thought he was in big trouble. Even if he ran, he might not make it in time.

The security personnel stood up and started walking toward him. Zuwei stood there, paralyzed with fear. Finally, the security agent approached and said, "Hey, buddy, don't be scared. You saw a hand image on the screen, didn't you? That's just a little test that comes with our security software. It's designed to check if the security personnel pay attention to the images. If they see such an image, they need to click on it, and it disappears. That's it. If they don't click on it, it means they're not focused, and we deduct their pay."

Zuwei instantly breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that it was just a security test. He and his friend collected their luggage and headed for their flight. On their way, he shared the story with his friend, who explained the origins of this peculiar test.

Feeling at ease, they proceeded to their departure gate. While waiting to board, Zuwei's friend excused himself to use the restroom. Zuwei, however, decided to go and get some hot water for their instant noodles. As he approached the boarding gate, he spotted his friend talking to one of the Arab men in the bathroom. His heart sank, and he hurried back to his seat.

When his friend returned, he casually mentioned that he had met an Arabic-speaking man in the restroom. Zuwei relaxed, assuming it was just a friendly conversation. They boarded the plane, and Zuwei was relieved. However, shortly after taking his seat, he suddenly felt the urge to go to the bathroom and reported a "J" to the flight attendant.

Can you guess why he suddenly had this reaction?

It was because he noticed that his friend's seat was right next to the Arab man's.