Spencer angrily swept everything off his desk onto the floor, roaring hoarsely,
"Those useless people, those useless people, a whole company's firepower couldn't kill one Adam?"
"What use are these useless people to me!"
Inside the Director's office, only Deputy Director Burns was present.
Even within the CIA, there were hierarchical structures and various internal factions.
What Spencer intended to do could be considered going against the world, so naturally, the fewer people who knew, the better.
In the entire CIA, only Burns was fully aware of all his plans.
"Director, those people aren't ours. They were just fanatics from a Colombian drug cartel."
Burns reminded him that the ones who attacked Toru were not CIA personnel, so their failure was expected.
He lowered his voice and asked,
"Since those Colombians failed, should we deploy elite agents directly?"
Spencer sat in his chair, breathing heavily as he gradually calmed down.
As CIA Director, he was not someone who lost his temper easily, but Toru was like a stubborn problem he could not get rid of, which made him extremely irritated.
Since becoming Director, he had never encountered such a troublesome and unsolvable issue.
After thinking for a moment, Spencer shook his head.
"Don't send CIA personnel. Adam is not unknown. Many people in the CIA know him."
"We don't have enough justification to execute him. It would cause dissatisfaction and suspicion among the subordinates."
"Moreover, Adam's strength cannot be underestimated. We can't afford heavy losses because of him, or I won't be able to explain it."
He was just a Director who could be replaced, not someone with absolute power.
Within the CIA, there were factions and competing forces. Even as Director, he did not have absolute authority.
Especially what he was doing now could not be exposed, otherwise, he would definitely die.
"Adam was personally trained by you, Director. As someone you raised, how could he be defeated by just a few rabble?"
Burns flattered him slightly and then asked, "What about the assassination mission?"
"It must continue. This cannot be stopped, and it cannot stop now!"
Spencer made his decision.
"We chose Adam because he was strong enough to ensure success."
"But he isn't the only one. We have other candidates, although the probability of failure is higher."
"We only have one chance. The Secret Service can only pretend to make a mistake once, not twice."
"Burns, I'm leaving this matter to you. You must ensure it succeeds."
Burns nodded.
"Yes, Director."
After Burns left, Spencer called his secretary to clean up the scattered documents.
Burns walked out expressionlessly, though his slightly furrowed brows revealed his thoughts.
The reason Spencer chose Toru, aside from his strength, was to make him a scapegoat.
Now that Toru could not carry out the mission, and Spencer had handed it over to him...
Burns began to think.
Would he become the scapegoat instead? Would Spencer betray him in the end?
As Deputy Director, he had the qualifications to take responsibility.
Evidence had to be prepared.
Burns made up his mind.
The mission still had to be carried out. He could not refuse, or he would face Spencer's anger immediately.
But he also had to leave evidence. If Spencer betrayed him, he would drag him down with him.
...
At Shuchi'in Academy, while Shuichi and Rei led their teams to search for terrorist bodies and collect drone debris, Toru returned to the Student Council office building.
He opened the hidden attic door behind the bookshelf, causing a stir among Kaguya and the others hiding inside.
"It's me."
His voice immediately calmed them.
"Brother, are you alright?"
Chika asked urgently, her voice choked with tears.
Toru smiled.
"I'm fine. It's over. You can come out now."
Hearing this, everyone froze for a moment before slowly crawling out of the attic.
Returning to the Student Council President's office, with sunlight shining through the windows, gave them a feeling of being reborn.
"Kamen Rider Brother, where are those bad guys?"
Perhaps because they had been with Conan for so long and had seen many dangerous situations, the children were more excited and emotionally stable than Kaguya and the others.
Toru's expression darkened slightly. What kind of nickname was that?
Still, he smiled gently.
"The bad guys have all been defeated by me."
"Hooray!"
"As expected of Kamen Rider Brother!"
"Kamen Rider Brother is amazing!"
...
Seeing him comfort the children, even Sonoko, who had been crying in fear, couldn't help but smile through her tears.
"Let's leave here first."
No one objected, and they followed him out of the building.
As they walked, seeing the shattered glass in the corridor and walls riddled with bullet holes, everyone's heart tightened.
They could imagine what kind of terrifying situation Toru had faced while they hid in the attic.
Even Conan felt a sense of respect.
This CIA agent is truly incredible. Even I have never seen someone this strong.
If he can really help me deal with the Black Organization, my chances of winning will greatly increase.
Most importantly, I need to let him know that the woman beside him, Haibara, is from the Black Organization.
Walking out of the building, they saw an even more tragic scene.
Destroyed structures, debris and bodies scattered everywhere, broken drone parts, and fully armed Self-Defense Forces and FBI agents searching for survivors and investigating the scene.
Among them, Toru saw Rei and Shuichi again.
The two walked over.
"Boss, who are they?"
Rei's eyes shone brightly as he looked at Toru.
He deeply loved this country, treating it like a lover. With his strong sense of justice, he could not tolerate the evil happening on this land.
This incident, which nearly caused the deaths of a thousand innocent students, was one of the most serious cases in Japan in recent years.
If not for Toru, it would have become a tragedy recorded in history.
In Rei's eyes, Toru had saved everything important to him.
His tone carried unprecedented respect.
"They're all my friends. When we encountered the terrorists, I had them hide."
"Send someone to take them to the hospital for a checkup, especially the children."
Rei immediately arranged for personnel.
Kaguya and the others were reluctant to leave, but after Toru persuaded them, they finally went.
"Boss, aren't you going to the hospital?"
"I know my condition. It's nothing serious, just fatigue and minor injuries. Have you found any surviving terrorists?"
Shuichi replied,
"We've searched the academy. No survivors so far."
As he spoke, he gave Toru a deep look.
As for the drones, he did not ask, nor was he qualified to.
Toru nodded.
He had already confirmed all enemy positions earlier. There was no way anyone survived.
At that moment, another group of armed personnel arrived and demanded some drone debris.
They were American troops stationed in Japan.
After taking what they wanted, they left without saying anything further.
Toru sneered inwardly.
Go ahead and study it. It would be strange if you found anything.
Once the signal jamming was lifted, he began receiving messages.
"Fujiwara, I saw what happened on TV. Are you alright?"
"If you're still in danger, you don't need to reply."
...
"Toru-kun, I remember you went back to Shuchi'in Academy today."
"If you're safe, please reply immediately. Yukino and I are very worried."
These messages came from Haibara, the Yukinoshita sisters, family members, and friends.
Rena and Curacao even wanted to come help, but without his orders, they did not act.
Even Vermouth, who had just left Japan, was rushing back.
Seeing so many people worried about him, Toru suddenly realized that he was no longer alone.
He had family, friends, lovers, and loyal subordinates.
He replied to each message one by one.
...
When Toru walked out of Shuchi'in Academy, he was greeted by countless cheers.
"Fujiwara Toru!"
"Fujiwara Toru!"
"Fujiwara Toru!"
...
Hundreds of reporters pointed cameras at him, taking photos and rushing forward.
Some shouted excitedly. Parents cried as they surrounded him.
At this moment, Toru had become a true national figure in Japan, a real celebrity.
His fame and support reached their peak.
Toru knew these had become his assets.
(To be continued.)