Raised From The Wild-Chapter 355: The Culprit
Princess Amaya did not stop running. She could not stop because of the momentum. She could only slow down. The moment she stopped, she heard an explosion, and when she looked back, she saw two athletes from Uropa lying unconscious on the ground in a pool of blood. Their legs became mangled flesh.
The wailing sirens of an ambulance and a police car pierced the air as they rushed onto the oval. The ambulance was halted by the police, who barred its approach. The authorities swiftly deployed the bomb squad, and they meticulously combed the vicinity to ensure that there were no lingering threats.
As Amaya panted, Charles Gray, Vasquez, and the Duke of Ereseo approached her, purposefully skirting the vicinity where the police and the bomb squad were inspecting.
"Princess, are you feeling okay?" Charles Gray inquired, his worried gaze reflecting the weight of his position as Chancellor during the occurrence of this tragedy.
"I am alright," Amaya said, her voice strained as she struggled to catch her breath. It was evident that she had pushed her body to the limit; her legs trembled and felt as weak as jelly.
"Earlier, I called you," Vasquez said gently. Although he felt the urge to scold her, he held back, knowing he didn’t have the right to. Silently, he scolded, ’Why didn’t you listen to me?’
Princess Amaya’s legs buckled beneath her, and she collapsed to the ground, her strength fading away.
"Princess!" the three men cried at the same time.
"I am fine. I just need to rest a bit." As she caught her breath, she took a moment to rest and gather her thoughts. Her eyes drifted back to the finish line, where she could see the medics providing first aid to the injured participants.
"Take the Princess to the infirmary so she can rest properly." Charles Gray instructed Vasquez before leaving and heading to the accident area.
Vasquez hesitated, a sense of familiarity tugged at the edges of his memory.
"What are you waiting for? Do you want me to carry the princess?" the Duke of Ereseo reprimanded him.
Vasquez crouched down and gently lifted Princess Amaya into his arms. He then began making his way to the infirmary. Along the corridor, he encountered Donello, Prince Raquim, and Professor Stephane.
"Sister..." Donello ran alongside Vasquez, his eyes filled with concern as he looked at his sister. He was terrified when he heard the explosion and saw two athletes sprawled on the ground. Although the blast wasn’t massive, it still caused injuries to two people. He couldn’t bear to imagine the gruesome scene of Amaya’s lower limbs being mangled, mirroring the fate of the two athletes who came after her.
"I’m doing okay, Don. No need to worry. I’m just feeling drained, and my legs are cramping up." Princess Amaya indeed sounded tired.
Prince Raquim demanded that Vasquez surrender Princess Amaya to him. Despite Vasquez’s reluctance, the intimidating gaze of the crown prince of Albanya compelled him to reluctantly hand over the princess, knowing that as a mere guard, he had little choice in the matter. He learned that Prince Raquim and Princess Amaya had a betrothal since they were young.
Stephane found himself redundant, so he left after saying a few gentle words to the princess.
When Prince Raquim reached the infirmary, he carefully placed Princess Amaya on the bed. The doctor examined her and told them that she suffered from exhaustion and leg cramps. She advised Amaya to rest for an hour.
Raquim and Donello wanted to stay and watch over the princess but both of them soon received a notification that they were needed in the stadium to take care of their delegates and ensure that they were all accounted for and led to safety.
After bidding the princess farewell, they requested Vasquez to maintain extra vigilance. In addition to Vasquez, three other guards discreetly watched over the princess.
Princess Amaya pondered what happened during the game. She could not think of a reason why someone would target her.
At the track and field oval, the piercing stare from Charles sent chills down the spines of the Uropa University security team. It was unfathomable that despite the stringent security measures in place, an unknown individual successfully planted not just a bomb but seven of them on the oval. The incident was a blow to the reputation of the university and Charles Gray as the chancellor.
To contain the incident, Charles took action to prevent communication by disabling all cell signals inside the stadium at the time of the bomb detonation. As a result, all live feeds ceased to function. Despite the chaos, some calm spectators attempted to capture the scene on their phones, only to realize that their cellular signals were unavailable. They resorted to taking photos instead. However, to their surprise, their photos were mysteriously deleted a few minutes later, leaving them bewildered.
The investigation was swift. Within thirty minutes, the culprit who planted the micro bombs was apprehended. He was the maintenance staff member who operated the sweeper machine that cleaned the track and field oval fifteen minutes before the start of the event. The tiny bombs, measuring just half a centimeter in diameter, were discreetly deployed by the sweeper at the specified location. These were positioned only a few centimeters from the finish line, precisely where an athlete’s foot would typically land upon finishing the race.
The intelligent micro bombs burrowed themselves into the cement as the cement was porous. The color of the bombs was the same as the paint used on the oval.
It was discovered that the maintenance staff’s wife needed surgery, and someone offered him a huge sum of money to dispel the bombs on the track. However, he insisted that he only knew that those were just tiny cameras and that the man who paid him to do the job was from a TV station. He said that he just wanted to capture the athlete’s winning moment from a different angle.
Charles assigned a task force to investigate further and handle the PR crisis then he left.
Princess Amaya was alone in the infirmary as the nurse on duty went to the restroom. She was resting on the bed, looking at her cell phone. Her chat group with Ava, Ren, and Dave was very busy. She learned that she had broken the world record on the 800-meter run, clocking in at 1 minute and 40 seconds.
The door creaked open. A familiar scent enveloped Amaya’s senses. It was a delicate mix of musk, patchouli, cedar, and sandalwood, creating an alluring aroma that stirred her memories. With curiosity, she lifted her gaze to see who had entered.
"You ...."
