Raised From The Wild-Chapter 354: Crossing The Finish Line
Ava’s voice was filled with urgency as she inquired, "Brother, what are you waiting for? Do you have the Dean of Sports’ contact number?" Her eyes remained fixed on the athletes as they prepared to take their marks for the 800-meter dash on the oval field.
Ren responded quickly, "I am already sending him a message," as he hurried to get the message out.
"Do you think he will believe you?" Ava was skeptical.
"Definitely. I have included a screenshot of the unencrypted conversation between those two individuals. The Duke is a smart person. He should be able to figure it out."
Ava’s voice quivered as she asked, "How about Uncle Vasquez and the other guards? Have you informed them?" Fear crept into her eyes, turning them a fiery red. Suddenly, a silvery thread shot out from the tips of her right hand, weaving intricate cobwebs that spread across her monitor.
"Control yourself, Sister. Look at what you’ve done." Ren reminded Ava that losing her composure in such a situation would do more harm than good and suggested that she get in touch with Uncle Dave instead.
Ava closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. But when she heard the gunshot from her laptop, a thick layer of cobwebs spewed out from her left hand, covering a big part of her monitor. She used her right hand to wipe off the web on the screen before hurriedly dialling Dave’s number.
"Uncle Dave, I need your help. Sister Aya is in danger. Someone is planning to carry out an assassination after she completes the 800-meter dash event. Can you please call Galvez or the Dean of Sports? We’ve been trying to reach them, but they are rejecting our calls."
Ava was speaking so quickly that Dave couldn’t catch much of what she said. Just then, his cell phone chimed. When he read the message, he was stunned. However, he quickly regained his composure and pressed the SOS button on his watch. This would send an urgent notification to Amaya’s guards, signaling that she was in serious danger.
When Vasquez and the guards felt a buzz from their watches, their senses sharpened. Moments ago, a chilling message had warned them of an imminent threat to the princess. They couldn’t afford to ignore such a grave warning, so they immediately sprang into action. Discreetly, the guards fanned out, surreptitiously surveying the individuals seated in the stands.
Princess Amaya was poised in her position, eagerly awaiting the referee’s signal to start. Meanwhile, Vasquez meticulously scanned the surroundings, his keen eyes searching for any sign of suspicion, but found nothing amiss. From time to time, he would check the scanning app that he activated on his cellphone.
Vasquez checked the message sent to them by the person code-named "Alpha." He has no time to investigate how the man successfully infiltrated their highly secured group chat and sent the cryptic message. No one should be able to pass through their firewall unless Princess Amaya herself granted them access.
"When the vase is broken, the red petals of the rose will fall." Vasquez read the message several times, repeating it in his mind. His gaze was now focused on the princess, who was oblivious to the danger that would befall her. She was still waiting for the gunshot that would signal the start of the sprint.
While pacing back and forth outside the oval, Vasquez felt a sudden presence looming behind him. When he turned around, he locked eyes with Charles Gray, whose stoic expression gave away nothing of his intentions.
"Is something troubling you?" Charles’s gaze was intense. Vasquez’s eyes flickered.
"Do you know what does ’When the vase is broken, the red petals of the rose will fall?" Vasquez hesitated before asking.
He just uttered his question when a gunshot filled the air. He turned around to see Princess Amaya shot out like the wind.
Suddenly, the Dean of Sports, Duke of Ereseo, burst onto the scene, out of breath and clearly in a rush.
"I received a message that the Princess will be assassinated!" He lowered his voice, so only the three of them could hear. He glanced at Charles Gray warily.
"Shit! It must be in at the finish line." Charles Gray momentarily sounded panicked. "You should have a way to communicate with her, right?" The Chancellor reverted to his cold calm demeanor. "Tell her not to cross the finish line."
Vasquez acted quickly, his fingers pressing urgently against the button on his watch as he spoke into it. "Princess, I need you to listen to me. Your life is in immediate danger. Whatever you do, do not cross the finish line. I repeat, under no circumstances should you cross the finish line."
While Vasquez was talking, Charles took out his cell phone and activated the scanning app. He increased the range and covered the entire stadium.
Charles Gray’s voice was filled with frustration as he demanded, "Do you not have a scanner capable of detecting guns or metallic objects?" Meanwhile, his gaze shifted to the Princess, who was a mere 200 meters from the finish line.
"After receiving a message from Alpha about the assassination plan, I immediately scanned the area, but unfortunately, I found nothing," Vasquez explained.
His attention shifted to the device in Charles’s hand. When he turned back to look at Princess Amaya, his heart leaped into his throat. She was on the verge of crossing the finish line, leading by ten meters ahead of the second-place athlete.
"There are seven miniature bombs buried underground right beneath the finish line. No matter which lane the winner is in, there’s a bomb waiting." Charles Gray urgently warned, attempting to deactivate the bombs using the app, but his efforts were in vain. The bombs required manual disarming. In a panic, he dashed onto the oval, closely followed by Vasquez and Duke Ereseo, all three of them frantically shouting, "Princess, do not cross the finish line!"
The audience was dumbfounded.
"What is happening?" One of the spectators asked. "Why are there three men running into the oval? What are they shouting?"
Princess Amaya could hear Vasquez’s voice calling out to her, but she was determined not to stop halfway. The thought that someone might be after her life only fueled her resolve to press on, no matter what. With unwavering determination, she pushed herself to the limit, running faster than she had ever run before. In that moment, she was convinced that if she were racing against Strata, she would undoubtedly emerge victorious.
Amaya reached the finish line. The three men, who were still a distance and were running like madmen, shouted in fear.
"Princess!"
