But that was simply impossible. Leaving aside how difficult it would be to memorize the location of all those surveillance cameras, Kitazawa Ryōta and Kaji Ryōji were foreigners—Japanese, not Russians. In an unfamiliar land, something like that could never happen.
In short, besides being shocked, he was also gripped by fear. If these two continued to elude capture, not only would Ross hold him personally accountable, but if that secret were ever exposed, it could very well trigger a Third World War.
That was a responsibility he could not bear.
Thinking of this, he roared at his subordinates:
"Get the search going! I want Kitazawa and the others found within 24 hours! I refuse to believe that two living, breathing men could just vanish into thin air!"
And so, while the Sun Gang scoured the world for them, agents of the Russian Federal Intelligence Bureau were doing the same—turning over every stone in search of the two men.
They were on the verge of flipping all of Moscow upside down.
Yet, despite all this, there was still not the slightest trace of Kitazawa and Koji. Could they truly have disappeared?
The Sun Gang couldn't make sense of it. The Federal Intelligence Bureau couldn't make sense of it.
Only one person walking down the street at that moment— a blonde woman carrying a bag full of food—knew the truth.
Inside the bag were bread, bottled water, and other necessities.
She turned down a narrow, deserted alleyway, walked another few hundred meters, and arrived at an abandoned construction site.
Once there, the blonde woman clapped her hands twice, then pulled off her golden hair entirely—revealing a head of lustrous black hair underneath.
She put on a pair of glasses.
Who else could it be but Makinami Mari Illustrious?
"Looks like you made it back without being spotted. Your counter-surveillance skills are as good as ever."
From the shadows of the construction site emerged two figures—it was none other than Ryōji and Kitazawa Ryōta. Ryōta smiled at Mari as he spoke.
"When it comes to counter-surveillance, you're no slouch yourself."
Mari had just returned from buying essential supplies. She glanced at Ryōta and said evenly:
"Although… there's one area where I can't quite match you—and that's foresight. Ever since the day we left Milošhević's place, everything you predicted has come true. Now it's not just the Sun Gang hunting us; the Russian Federal Intelligence Bureau has also joined the chase."
"That was always going to happen."
Ryōta shrugged as he ate the bread in his hand.
"If this involves Director Ross, he's never going to just sit back. I also don't believe for a second that Miloshevic told Ross the truth. He must know that we've linked the Carson City Incident to the Russian Intelligence Bureau. I'd bet Ross's manhunt is just as much about confirming that as it is about catching us. As an intelligence chief, I doubt he'd put full trust in Miloshević."
So, everything had been predicted by Kitazawa Ryōta in advance. What he wanted was to gauge just how deeply the Russian Federal Intelligence Bureau had been involved in the Carson City operation.
That was why he deliberately staged this disappearance—to draw both sides into searching for him.
The results had only confirmed his suspicions: Miloshevic hadn't lied to them. It was entirely possible that the whole scheme had originated within the Russian Federal Intelligence Bureau.
Mari and Kaji both realized the same thing. If such a truth were ever made public, it could indeed spark a global war.
They fell silent, eating without speaking, lost in thought.
"There's still one thing we haven't clarified," Kaji said at last, shaking his head. He was under direct orders from the SEELE Committee of Eleven to investigate the Carson City Incident, and he needed the complete truth. "That's the technology for opening the Dirac Sea."
His sharp gaze fixed on the other two, knowing they understood what he meant.
"Exactly," Ryōta replied with a slight smile. "Which is why we need to pay Director Ross a visit. This is too important to leave unresolved. If we don't get to the bottom of it, the entire world could be in danger. The Carson City disaster was horrific enough—no one wants to see it happen again."
Both of them nodded in agreement. The Unit-04 incident with the Dirac Sea had swallowed an entire city. It had been catastrophic. Now that they knew it had been man-made, the possibility of another EVA being used the same way was a threat they couldn't ignore.
Such a thing could never be allowed to happen twice.
This was a point Ryōji was unshakable on.
And to uncover the truth, it seemed there was only one way forward—to confront Director Ross directly.
All three were highly capable; they only had to wait for nightfall to make their move.
Ross had no "home."
To be precise, the Russian Federal Intelligence Bureau was his home.
He did, of course, have what should have been a personal residence—but ever since becoming Director, Ross had never gone back.
Years in intelligence work had made him deeply afraid of death.
The reason was simple: the fear of being kidnapped by foreign agents and tortured for information.
Even with personal bodyguards, a determined assassin could still get through. And the Bureau itself was often involved in unsavory operations in the shadows. What goes around comes around. It was only natural for Ross to start fearing for his life.
Especially since, not long ago, the Bureau had been behind a shocking covert operation in Nevada, USA…
All of it left Ross living in constant paranoia. Even as Director, he was no exception.
Thus, living in the Bureau's own facilities made him feel far more secure.
But today, he couldn't shake a gnawing sense of unease.
Two Japanese nationals—Kitazawa Ryōta and Kaji Ryōji—both young operatives from NERV HQ in Japan, were here in Moscow… and yet had completely vanished.
No matter what they did, no matter how hard they searched—there was no trace of them.
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