Chapter 21: The stranger

After some time, the distant wails of sirens pierced the silence. Several ambulances and a convoy of tinted vehicles pulled up to the abandoned school. The vehicles didn't bear any government insignia, but their presence was no less authoritative. Armed men in suits stepped out first, scanning the area with practiced precision. Accompanying them were a handful of police officers, their expressions a mix of caution and confusion.

The group moved quickly, dividing into search teams. Flashlights illuminated the dark corridors as they spread out, looking for their target.

"Found him!" someone shouted from the direction of the classroom.

All movement stopped for a moment before the paramedics rushed toward the source of the voice. The rest of the team followed, armed men at the ready. As they entered the room, they froze, their flashlights falling on the massive crater in the ground.

The sheer scale of the destruction left many speechless. Some of the paramedics hesitated, visibly unsure how to approach.

At the center of the crater lay Goto, battered but conscious, his body struggling against the pain. One of the paramedics murmured, "What the hell happened here?" as they cautiously climbed into the crater to reach him.

The armed men exchanged glances, whispering among themselves. "This is... unreal," one of them muttered. "That crater... it's like a bomb went off."

But their astonishment didn't stem solely from the destruction. "That's him," one of them said, his voice laced with disbelief. "The strongest crew head of the old times... and he's in this shape?"

As Goto was lifted onto a stretcher, his face was calm despite his injuries. He barely reacted to the flurry of activity around him, his sharp eyes observing everything.

Suddenly, a man stepped forward from the group. It was the same smug guy from the cargo plane, still wearing his sunglasses even in the dead of night. He approached the stretcher and looked down at Goto, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"Well, well, well," he said, his tone dripping with mockery. "What the hell happened here, Goto? Looks like a bomb exploded, or some other crazy shit."

Goto didn't respond, his face stoic as the paramedics secured him.

The man's grin widened as he crouched down slightly, getting closer to Goto. "You're supposed to be a legend, right? What kind of legend ends up like this?" he sneered.

One of the armed men in suits stepped forward, clearly uncomfortable with the man's taunts. "Sir, this isn't the time—"

The man waved him off, laughing. "Relax, I'm just having a little fun." He straightened up and looked around at the destruction. "Still, gotta admit, whatever—or whoever—did this... that's some serious power."

Goto's lips twitched ever so slightly, but he remained silent. His mind wasn't on the crater or the taunts. It was on James and the cryptic words he'd left behind.

The paramedics finished their preparations and began to carry Goto toward one of the ambulances. The smug man followed, still chuckling to himself. "I've gotta hear this story once you're patched up," he called after Goto.

As they loaded him into the ambulance, the armed men began cordoning off the area, their expressions grim. Whatever had happened here wasn't normal, and they knew it.

The man in sunglasses stayed behind for a moment, staring at the crater. "Whoever did this," he muttered to himself, his grin fading, "is on a whole other level."