"Yes! Boss! We understand!"
Hearing Miloshevic's order, all the gang members shouted in unison. They could tell he was deadly serious this time — it seemed those two Japanese men's lives were forfeit. Who told them to be so blind as to provoke Miloshevic, the big boss of the Sun Gang?
Immediately, under Miloshevic's orders, countless Sun Gang members poured into the streets, even going door to door in search of Kitazawa Ryōta and Kaji Ryōji. At the same time, the Sun Gang issued a jianghu bounty kill order: regardless of the gang, regardless of the person — anyone who could take the lives of Kitazawa Ryōta and Kaji Ryōji would be rewarded handsomely by Milosevic.
There was no doubt — such a bounty was both brutal and dangerous.
It meant that as long as they were on Sun Gang turf, the moment Kitazawa Ryōta and Kaji Ryōji showed their faces, they could be attacked or assassinated at any time, in any form. Under great profit, greed would reveal itself in anyone; and for money's sake, no matter how dangerous the road ahead, there would always be people willing to "tuck their heads into their belts" and go after them.
As the saying goes: no one does business that loses money — but plenty will do business that costs them their heads.
Soon, it was as if a whirlwind swept through all of Moscow. Countless shady-looking types roamed the streets day and night, purpose unclear. The city grew restless — no one knew what had gotten into Moscow's gangsters in the past few days. They seemed to be searching everywhere, as though a storm was about to break. Even the local police looked visibly shaken, staying up through the night to keep watch in the streets, ready to act the moment the gangs made a move.
Moscow had fallen into the grip of a gangland storm.
Meanwhile, as soon as Miloshevic's bounty order went out, Ross — the Director of the Russian Federal Intelligence Bureau — also learned what had happened the night after he himself left Milosevic's house.
Kitazawa Ryōta and NERV's senior inspector, Kaji Ryōji, had gone to see Milosevic?
Miloshevic might be saying with his mouth that he "hadn't told them anything," but Ross didn't believe a word from that old fox. He was certain Milosevic had confessed something — why else would he go to such extremes, raising such chaos, all to kill Kitazawa Ryōta and his companion?
Otherwise, this kind of noisy, showy action was completely out of character for Miloshevic. The Sun Gang might be an underworld syndicate, but normally it kept a very low profile, presenting itself to the public as the "Sun Zaibatsu." Ross felt very confident in his judgment.
"What now, Director Ross? Since Miloshevic has taken action, what should we do next?"
The question came from Ross's most trusted aide, a man unfailingly loyal to him, who now stood frowning in concern.
"Hmph. If Miloshevic can go to such lengths to hunt them down… He may dress it up as 'removing unstable elements' for the Russian Intelligence Bureau, but do you think I don't know his character?"
Ross gave a cold smile, the curve of his lips radiating cruelty. "Miloshevic is as sly as they come. If he hadn't already told those two Japanese men the secret, would he be working this hard? Without great personal stakes, Miloshevic wouldn't lift a finger out of 'goodwill.'"
"Then, Director… are we to break with Miloshevic now? Or…?" The aide trailed off, realizing there were some matters far above his pay grade to discuss.
"It's still better to eliminate those two Japanese first," Ross said, shaking his head casually. "For now, our common enemy with Miloshevic is them. If they leak our secret, then… it could well be the start of World War III."
No one wanted to spark a third world war. No one.
The apocalyptic aftermath of Second Impact was still vivid in everyone's minds. If war broke out now, human society — perhaps the entire world — would collapse and disintegrate.
That was the last thing Ross wanted to see. He believed that even the supreme power-holder in the Kremlin would feel the same.
"Find those two Japanese — and kill them both. No mistakes. Do you understand?" Ross ordered.
"Yes!" the aide replied, brimming with confidence.
When it came to killing, the Russian Federal Intelligence Bureau had a fearsome reputation. Back in the KGB days, its operatives were masters not only of espionage, but also of assassination.
In terms of field agent capability, Russia's was among the very best in the world.
Once the Bureau moved, its efficiency far outstripped that of gangs like the Sun Gang. Not only could they employ the latest high-tech methods, but they could also use investigative techniques far beyond the reach of any criminal outfit.
For example — access to Russia's nationwide surveillance network, or pulling the guest registries from all major hotels in Moscow.
With such tools, almost no one could escape their net. If you were still in Moscow, you could not escape the Bureau's tracking and monitoring.
And yet… three days later, Ross's aide began to look unsettled.
The reason was simple: it was as if Kitazawa Ryōta and Kaji Ryōji had vanished from Moscow overnight.
No matter the cameras, no matter the investigative methods, their whereabouts could not be traced. There wasn't even any record of them leaving the country. Not a single clue, not the slightest lead.
It was as though… they had simply vanished into thin air.
Yes — vanished. Because in Moscow, so long as you were here, no one could possibly escape surveillance.
Which made this all the more bizarre.
Of course, there was one other possibility: Kitazawa Ryōta and Kaji Ryōji might know Moscow so well that they could navigate it with perfect awareness of every single camera in the city.
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