"Heh… Director Ross, there's no need to waste your breath. Threats like that don't work on me." Kitazawa Ryōta smiled faintly. "More importantly… regarding the incident in Carson City, I suggest you first consider your own situation."
"You…"
Ross's mouth hung open. He hesitated, but in the end, no words came out. It was now certain—Kitazawa Ryōta knew the truth about what had happened in Carson City.
Damn that Miloshevic. You can never trust a gangster.
Ross cursed inwardly, his face darkening.
"What is it you want?"
Ross understood well: since he was no match for Kitazawa at the moment, negotiation was his only option. There was no way Kitazawa had subdued the Bureau's countless guards. That was simply impossible. If such a thing had really happened, the alarms would have already sounded throughout the facility, and Kitazawa would never have made it into his office unseen.
"Heh, Director Ross, you're a clever man. And a clever man knows full well what should and should not be done." Kitazawa's smile widened, sly and sharp like that of a fox. "I'm here for one thing only. And if you answer truthfully, it will not harm you—in fact, it may even do you good."
"…Fine. Speak."
Ross exhaled, realizing at last that Kitazawa wasn't here to kill him—at least, not yet. What the man wanted was information.
"What I want to know," Kitazawa said evenly, "is who supplied the Russian Intelligence Bureau with the critical technology that led to the EVA Unit-04 explosion."
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed on Ross.
"Director Ross, you should know this well. Unit-04 initiated its own Dirac Sea, engulfing all of Carson City and even vanishing entirely. The one who ignited Unit-04 must have possessed an expert's understanding of Evangelion systems. That is precisely what NERV must investigate. As for disputes between Russia and America—that is not our concern."
Ross let out a low, derisive chuckle, his lips curling into a foxlike grin.
"And why should I believe you? Even if you know that Carson City was our doing, what proof do you have? You think we'll simply admit to it? At worst, it comes to war. And the Russian people… we have never feared war."
Kitazawa chuckled softly, unperturbed.
"So Director Ross chooses silence, then. Very well. In that case, allow me to show you something."
"What… what do you mean? What are you trying to do?"
A chill gripped Ross's heart. His instincts screamed danger. Whatever this young man was about to reveal, it would not be anything good.
And indeed, what Kitazawa produced made Ross's blood run cold.
Trembling seized him from head to toe.
Kitazawa had pulled out… a video camera.
On its small screen, a recording began to play.
It was him—Ross himself—meeting with Miloshevic. Every word of their conversation was there, laid bare. And the topic was none other than the Carson City operation.
The footage even included Miloshević's own voluntary confession.
Everything. Every detail. Proof undeniable.
Even Ross's own words, spoken only minutes earlier to Kitazawa, were captured perfectly. There was no room for denial.
When Kitazawa calmly switched off the device and slipped it back into his coat, Ross sat in silence for a long while. Finally, with a heavy breath, he said:
"Tell me. What do you want to know?"
"I've already made myself clear," Kitazawa replied coolly. "NERV only wants to know one thing: the identity of the person who leaked that critical technology to the Russian government. That's all. Nothing more concerns us."
"I… can't answer that." Ross shook his head. "Because even I don't know who it is. The one in direct contact with them wasn't me."
"Oh?" Kitazawa's eyes narrowed. "Then who?"
Ross drew in a long breath, his expression bitter. At last, he spoke:
"…It was the President."
Kitazawa's gaze sharpened.
"The President himself has always dealt directly with that person. Their identity is classified at the highest level—even I was never informed. Only the President knows. The technology was handed to him directly, and only afterward was it passed down to me."
"So… even the President of Russia is involved."
Another voice spoke suddenly from the doorway.
The office doors creaked open, and two figures stepped inside—a man and a woman, both clad in the uniforms of Russian Intelligence Bureau staff.
It was Kaji Ryōji and Makinami Mari.
Shock was written all over Kaji's face, his expression caught between disbelief and alarm.
Mari, though, was stricken with something even deeper—terror. As an MI6 operative, to uncover intelligence of such magnitude was staggering.
This was the ultimate secret of a superpower. Mishandled, it could ignite a Third World War—and with it, the extinction of humanity.
"You…"
Ross's eyes widened in disbelief. He froze for a moment, then slowly lowered his head in resignation.
It was over.
Not only Kitazawa, but two more intruders—this was beyond repair. He had been outplayed. Man proposes, but heaven disposes.
With three of them present, there was no way to contain what had just been revealed. Silencing one man had already proved impossible; silencing three was out of the question.
Ross's spirit broke.
"In that case," Kitazawa said calmly, "it seems our next step is clear. We must meet with the President of Russia. Without learning the true source of this leak, the investigation will never be complete. We will need your cooperation, Director Ross."
Ross let out a bitter laugh, his face pale.
"Heh… you think you can meet the President? That won't be so easy. The President is not someone you can just walk up to. The Kremlin is an impenetrable fortress. There's no way the three of you could ever infiltrate it."
Pls drop some power stones supper me at my
PS: Access the complete chapters/series at