The entire Shuchi'in Academy had fallen completely into chaos.
Conan was also in the Auditorium listening to Toru's speech. He had been complaining inwardly about why Toru was so obsessed with becoming Japan's Prime Minister.
The sudden gunshots outside the Auditorium, along with the panicked shout of the teacher who rushed inside, caused his expression to change drastically.
Ran and Sonoko also panicked. Even though Ran was a karate expert, she was still just a high school student and did not know what to do in a situation like this.
Conan looked anxious. Just as he was about to say something, he heard Genta, Ayumi, and Mitsuhiko shout.
"Let's quickly go find Fujiwara-nii!"
Conan was surprised. Since when did these kids become so smart that they knew to go find Toru?
"Fujiwara-nii is Kamen Rider!"
"Kamen Rider will protect us!"
"Those bad guys are definitely no match for Kamen Rider!"
Conan felt awkward for a moment.
Alright, this was still the thinking of children.
But the kids were not wrong. The only person they could rely on right now was Toru.
Conan clearly knew Toru's identity. He was a Central Intelligence Agency officer and a top agent. Among everyone in this school, the strongest fighter was undoubtedly him.
"Ran, Genta and the others are right. Let's go find Fujiwara!"
Sonoko also reacted and said excitedly, "Yes. Only Fujiwara-sama can save us now. Ran, let's hurry!"
Ran hesitated slightly. She wondered if it would be inappropriate for her to bring a group of children to seek Toru's protection.
But at this moment, she had no time to think too much.
For the safety of these children, staying near Toru was indeed the safest option.
He was the man known as the savior of Japan's police force.
The moment Hayasaka received Toru's message, she decisively grabbed Kaguya.
"Kaguya-sama, hurry and come with me!"
Among everyone present, the one who trusted Toru the most was undoubtedly Hayasaka.
She had personally witnessed Toru shoot down a plane with a missile and fight someone using a rocket launcher.
In Hayasaka's eyes, Toru was the embodiment of invincibility.
Chika and Moeha were also in the Auditorium. After receiving Toru's message, they ran against the crowd toward the backstage management area.
After sending the messages, Toru waited in the backstage area.
Soon, the two sisters arrived, panting heavily. Moeha was still tightly holding her friend Kei's hand.
Kei looked uneasy. Her brother, Miyuki, was also a student at Shuchi'in Academy.
She had contacted him just now and learned that he had been swept out of the Auditorium by the crowd.
At this critical moment, the siblings could only take care of themselves.
Hayasaka and Kaguya both had good stamina. Holding hands, they ran to the backstage and met Toru.
"Young Master Fujiwara."
Hayasaka greeted him, while Kaguya looked pale and frightened.
Just as Toru was about to speak, Ran and Sonoko also ran over with a group of children.
His gaze shifted toward them.
Ran looked embarrassed and said apologetically, "These children... I'm worried about their safety. Sorry to trouble you, Fujiwara-kun."
Toru could only shake his head.
More people certainly meant more trouble.
However, if it was just protecting a few people, he was still confident.
Chika whimpered, "Wah, why do I have to encounter something like this again?"
The reason she said "again" was because she had almost been burned to death in Kyoto last time.
Toru deliberately scared her.
"Isn't it because you're running for Prime Minister of Japan? These people are here to stop you from running."
"Then I won't run! Please, please, let those people leave quickly!"
The others looked at Chika awkwardly.
She must be Toru's sister. Truly... quite abstract.
However, her interruption eased everyone's tense nerves a little.
Everyone turned their gaze toward Toru, waiting for his decision.
Toru spoke without hesitation.
"Leave through the back door of the Auditorium. Not far away is the Student Council building."
"We'll go to the Student Council room. There is a secret room in the Student Council President's office where we can hide."
Hearing that there was actually a secret room in the Student Council President's office, everyone looked excited.
Chika's eyes shone even brighter.
She did not even know that Shuchi'in Academy had such a mysterious place.
Everyone quickly followed Toru and ran out through the back door of the Auditorium.
Once outside, they saw many students running around like headless flies.
Gunshots echoed in the distance, getting closer and closer.
Amid the gunfire, they could faintly hear the loud laughter of unfamiliar men and the crying and pleading of Shuchi'in Academy students.
Ran could not bear it and whispered, "What about those students?"
Toru answered calmly.
"Shuchi'in Academy's middle school and high school combined, along with the teachers and the external guests participating in this event, there are probably more than a thousand people in the school right now."
"I can't save everyone."
"Right now we can only hope that the armed attackers came to take hostages, not to kill people."
Ran knew it was impossible to save everyone in this situation, but her kind heart still could not accept it.
Especially if she survived while others died, she might carry guilt for the rest of her life.
Sometimes, the kinder a person is, the more painful their life can become.
The Student Council building was not far from the Auditorium.
However, when they reached the entrance, everyone's faces turned pale.
The building was locked.
No wonder none of the students had run toward this place.
Moreover, the lock was very advanced. It was clearly not something that could be broken quickly.
"It's locked. What do we do now?"
Sonoko asked nervously.
The gunshots were getting closer. She was becoming more frightened.
Toru said nothing. He quickly led everyone to the side of the building.
At this moment, he did not bother hiding anything.
He directly pulled out a silenced pistol from his pocket and fired several shots, shattering a first floor window on the side of the building.
"Although the building materials and infrastructure of Shuchi'in Academy are top quality, the glass is just ordinary glass. It isn't bulletproof."
"What are you all staring at me for? Hurry up. There's not much time. Get inside."
Everyone stared blankly at the gun in his hand.
Only Conan and Hayasaka remained calm.
The children shouted excitedly.
"As expected of Kamen Rider Brother!"
Toru's face darkened.
The others also snapped out of it.
This was not the time to question the gun. Their safety came first.
Ran, the most agile among them, volunteered.
"I'll go first."
The first floor window was a little high. She pushed herself up with force and quickly climbed onto the window.
Ran immediately cleared away the glass shards along the window frame, ignoring the cuts on her hands while doing so.
"Hurry up, I'll pull you up!"
Toru urged them again.
"Faster."
He sighed inwardly.
Fortunately Ran was reliable. Otherwise the rest were mostly children or women, many of whom would become burdens.
With Ran pulling from above and Toru pushing from below, everyone quickly climbed into the Student Council building.
The building was not tall, only three floors.
Toru led everyone through the corridor and opened a tall wooden door at the end of the third floor hallway.
The Student Council President's office was extremely luxurious, with furniture made from the finest wood.
But no one cared about the decoration at this moment.
Toru pointed at a nearby bookshelf.
"There is a staircase behind that bookshelf that leads to the attic."
"There are medical supplies there. Ran, go clean the wound on your hand first."
Under Toru's instructions, everyone acted quickly and in an orderly manner.
Chika, Kaguya, and the others pushed aside the bookshelf.
As expected, there was a staircase behind it.
Meanwhile, Sonoko found a first aid kit and helped Ran treat the wound on her hand.
Toru walked to a nearby desk and opened the laptop.
Conan pretended to be a child and asked, "Fujiwara-nii, what are you doing?"
Toru glanced at him but did not answer. He simply continued operating the computer.
Soon, Conan realized what Toru was doing.
The Student Council computer was actually connected to all of Shuchi'in Academy's surveillance cameras.
Conan was shocked.
"Does the Student Council of Shuchi'in Academy really have this much power?"
That was not something an elementary school student should ask.
Toru replied calmly.
"The Student Council doesn't have that much power."
"I connected these cameras myself when I was Student Council President. The current Student Council members don't know about it."
"Even if they did, they wouldn't know how to use it. These cameras are for me to monitor the entire Shuchi'in Academy."
"If anyone dares to talk badly about me at school, I'll make them pay."
Conan swallowed.
What kind of tyrant was this?
He really treated the school as his own kingdom.
Thanks to these cameras, Toru quickly gained a clear understanding of most of the situation across the campus.
He carefully observed the armed men wearing black masks.
Judging by their movements, they were not professional special forces.
However, they were clearly experienced fighters who had killed before. They were more ruthless and seasoned than newly trained soldiers.
While studying the footage, Toru finally noticed a strange tattoo on the cuff of one of the gunmen.
That tattoo belonged to the Colombian drug trafficking organization he had destroyed.
He had wiped out the leaders and high ranking members of that cartel in one strike. However, such a large organization could not disappear completely. It would inevitably resurface.
But even if they resurfaced, there should not be so many of them appearing in Japan with advanced weapons.
Toru was now certain.
These people had come to kill him.
And behind them, the Central Intelligence Agency must be providing intelligence and weapons.
Spencer... you really made your move.
(To be continued.)