And yet, the answer soon presented itself — for right beneath that lit lamp, Miloshevic caught sight of a figure.
Having roamed and ruled over Europe for a lifetime, Miloshevic naturally did not believe in ghosts or any other supernatural nonsense. The only explanation was that the person before him was flesh and blood — a living human being.
"Heh… Mr. Miloshevic, a pleasure to make your acquaintance," the figure said with a faint smile — in flawless, unaccented Russian.
Under the lamplight, the man's fine features came into view, and Miloshevic finally saw his face clearly: unmistakably that of an East Asian.
"An Asian…? Who are you? What do you want?" Miloshevic swallowed hard. His throat felt dry and scratchy. Steeling himself, he forced the question out.
"Heh… I'm sure you've heard my name before. My name is Kitazawa Ryōta."
Yes — the man standing in the light was none other than Kitazawa Ryōta himself.
And the moment those four syllables reached Miloshevic's ears, his face twisted into an expression of pure terror.
Terror — no other word for it.
The name Kitazawa Ryōta now resounded across the globe; even children knew it. Humanity's hero. An EVANGELION pilot. The man who had taken the controls of Unit-01 and defeated the Angels time and time again — and always in spectacular fashion.
But none of that was the cause of Miloshević's fear. What terrified him was the fact that Kitazawa Ryōta was here, inside his own home. Which meant that they had, at last, come for him.
Without even thinking, the instant Kitazawa finished speaking, Miloshevic jerked up his arm and pulled the trigger — aiming to kill without a shred of hesitation.
But Kitazawa's body shifted in that moment, moving with almost sleight-of-hand speed and grace, effortlessly dodging the bullet.
A second later, the cold muzzle of a pistol pressed against Milošhević's kidney, and a woman's voice purred in his ear:
"Don't move, boss. Bullets don't have eyes."
From behind him, a figure stepped into view — it was Makinami Mari Illustrious.
Miloshevic had never even imagined that, besides Kitazawa, there could be someone else already in his house. His face turned pale as death.
"Let's have it, Mr. Miloshevic," a new voice drawled. Kaji Ryōji emerged from the shadows, cigarette dangling from his lips, his whole bearing one of nonchalant amusement. "The Carson City incident — time to tell us the truth. And I trust we won't have to force it out of you?"
"You…"
Miloshevic was stunned. He had never expected to be cornered this quickly — and by two Japanese, with a third man clearly involved as well.
At that moment, the fight seemed to drain out of him. He understood now that he was finished. If the thing the Sun Gang had done ever came to light, he would be beyond salvation — his end would be miserable beyond imagining.
Head drooping, he slumped onto the sofa, casting a weary glance at Kitazawa and the others.
"Fine… What do you want to know? Ask away."
"We want to know if the EVA explosion in Carson City, Nevada, was the work of your Sun Gang," Kaji said, eyes boring into Miloshevic. "If I find out you're lying, don't expect me to show mercy."
"I'll talk, I'll talk! But let me make it clear — this had nothing to do with me! It was all Ross — planned it from start to finish! It had nothing to do with me or the Sun Gang!" Miloshević's voice rose in protest. "He — Director Ross — orchestrated the whole thing. The Sun Gang just handled certain… inconveniences that the Russian Intelligence Directorate couldn't take care of themselves!"
"Oh?" Kaji shot a glance at Kitazawa, then pressed on in a low voice: "Then tell me — who is Jack? I want every detail. If I catch even a whiff of half-truth—"
"I wouldn't dare! I'll tell you everything," Miloshevic blurted. "Yes — the man who ignited the EVA in Carson City was named Jack. The Sun Gang smuggled him into the United States years ago, helped clean up his identity. He'd been working at a mine outside Carson City ever since. All of it — every step — was at Ross's request! I had nothing to do with it!"
"Jack?" The three exchanged glances. It was not the first time they'd heard that name. Kaji's voice sharpened: "Who exactly is Jack?"
"He's the Russian operative who triggered the EVA," Miloshevic explained, shaking his head. "Jack's got English blood, but he's always worked for Russian intelligence. Ross chose him for the job because — well, sending someone who looked Russian into the U.S. would've been too risky. America and Russia have always been enemies."
"So it really was the Russian Intelligence Directorate…"
In an instant, the three looked from one to another — each reading the same shock in the others' eyes.
If the Russian intelligence service had truly been behind the Carson City incident, then exposing it would not merely stir up a storm on the world stage — it could directly trigger war between the United States and Russia.
Humanity had already endured the agony of Second Impact. If it had to suffer a full-scale war — perhaps even a nuclear war — extinction was not unthinkable.
The consequences alone were enough to chill the blood.
And yet, Kaji's mind was already turning. "No… There's still a missing piece here. Tell me this — how did Jack detonate Unit-04? That kind of technical know-how is impossible for someone — or even an agency — unfamiliar with EVAs to pull off."
He was right. The act of detonating an EVA, annihilating the whole of Carson City — such a feat could not be achieved without advanced, specialized knowledge. Whoever had provided that knowledge was still out there.
"I don't know! I really don't!" Miloshevic protested, almost whining now. "The Sun Gang was only passing messages. Whatever happened inside… I had no idea!"
PS: Access the complete chapters/series at