[New York]
The Global Council.
A conference where the presidents of each country and other powerful figures from around the world come together to discuss global issues. It was held in a massive, circular hall grand and echoing, with a long, polished table at the center surrounded by chairs marked with national flags.
Outside, the security was insanely tight. Over a hundred officers stood guard, fully armed and alert. From regular soldiers to elite guards, their presence alone was enough to keep most threats at bay. But that wasn't all.
Evolver's from the lowest rank to the top-tier were scattered across the area, stationed like living walls. Some stood casually, while others scanned the surroundings with sharp, trained eyes. The air around them felt different, charged. Anyone who got close would instantly know this wasn't a place anyone could mess with.
Inside the grand, circular hall, representatives from all over the world sat in their designated seats. Each one wore a sleek, black Bluetooth earpiece in one ear, providing real-time translation in their native language. The air was filled with low murmurs and the occasional sound of rustling papers, but as everyone settled into place, silence quickly followed.
Then, the discussion began.
"As you all already know, the reason for this sudden meeting is no mystery. So, let's begin with Japan first," said a woman with jet-black hair tied in a neat ponytail. She adjusted her microphone with a calm, practiced motion, her tone firm but diplomatic.
An older man, likely in his 60s, wearing a sharp gray suit and thin-framed glasses, narrowed his eyes at her.
「日本が最初だとはどういう意味ですか?この事件が我々の責任だとでも言いたいのですか?」
"What do you mean, Japan first? Are you implying this incident is our fault?" he asked, voice tense, gaze locked on her with suspicion.
"I'm simply saying the incident occurred in Japan," she replied coolly, flipping through a few pages in the file placed in front of her. "So naturally, you might have more information about who or what was behind it."
「お前──」
"You-"
The old man began, but his sentence was abruptly cut off by another voice.
«Вы же не можете ожидать, что они знают все ответы.»
"You can't just expect them to have all the answers," said a woman with short, messy blonde hair, styled like a tomboy. Her tone was sharp.
«Эволверы в Японии сделали свою работу. Никто не погиб.»
"The Evolvers in Japan did their job. No one died."
All eyes turned toward her. She leaned back slightly in her seat, arms folded, clearly not afraid to speak her mind.
"Whether someone died or not isn't the issue here," the woman with the ponytail said firmly, her tone tightening. "What I'm saying is how could the Japanese government allow someone like that to enter the country in the first place? These people aren't even listed in the global Evolver registry.. and they weren't low-rank either. How weak has your security system become?"
She looked up, locking eyes with the blonde woman across from her.
«Ой, пожалуйста.»
"Oh, please," the blonde shot back, not even blinking.
«Сначала проверьте свою систему. Уровень преступности в США выше, чем где-либо ещё.»
"Check your own system first. The crime rate in the U.S. is higher than anywhere else."
"Really?" the ponytail woman said, closing the file in her hands with a soft thud. "Care to show the data?"
«Ты так уверена только потому, что после последнего инцидента уровень преступности в мире снизился.»
"You're only this confident because the global crime rate dropped after the last incident," the blonde said, adjusting her glasses with a cool expression.
«Но если я подниму данные до этого? США тоже были в лидерах этого списка.»
"But if I pull up the numbers from before that? The U.S. was leading that list too."
"You make it sound like Russia has the lowest crime rate," the ponytail woman replied, reaching for the glass of water on her table. She took a calm sip before continuing. "Your country's not that much better. We're all on the same page."
«Я никогда этого не отрицала.»
"I never denied that," the blonde said with a slight smirk.
«Но, по крайней мере, я не обвиняю другие страны в провалах своей собственной.»
"But at least I'm not the one blaming other nations for my own country's screw-ups."
Her words hung in the air, sharp and challenging, as a few other leaders shifted uncomfortably in their seats.
「冷静点.这又不是邻里之间的小吵小闹.」
"Calm down. This isn't some petty household argument between neighbors," said a man wearing black-tinted glasses, his long black hair tucked neatly behind his shoulders. His voice was calm but carried weight.
「这是国际会议,请表现得专业一些.」
"This is an international conference so act like professionals."
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping across the table.
「现在,让我们专注于真正的问题.我们需要确认这些人的身份.由于'太阳之息'将目标彻底抹除,日本的事件没有留下任何线索,所以我们在那边彻底陷入了僵局.但我听说俄罗斯那边也发生了一些事情,虽然没有升级成严重危机,这可能意味着他们没有占到上风.那么...你们到底发现了什么?」
"Now, let's focus on the real issue. We need to identify these individuals. Since there's nothing to recover from the incident in Japan thanks to Breath of the Sun wiping out the targets without leaving a trace we've hit a dead end there. But I heard something happened in Russia as well. It didn't seem to escalate into a full-blown crisis, which likely means they didn't gain the upper hand. So... what exactly did you find?"
He turned his attention to the blonde-haired woman.
She stared at him for a few seconds before speaking.
«Два высокоранговых Эволвера действительно появились и начали атаку в России.»
"Two high-ranking Evolvers did show up and launch an attack in Russia," she said, her tone steady.
«Но, к сожалению для них, первым, с кем они столкнулись, был Максим Волков.»
"But unfortunately for them, the first person they ran into was Maxim Volkov."
She paused, taking a slow sip from her water glass.
«Один из них был убит Волковым. Второй выжил... но он в коме. Так что мы пока не смогли получить от него никакой полезной информации.»
"One of them was killed by Volkov. The other survived... but he's in a coma. So we haven't gotten anything useful out of him yet."
The man let out a quiet sigh.
「马克西姆·沃尔科夫...那个人总是太鲁莽了.」
"Maxim Volkov… that man is always reckless," he muttered under his breath, then looked up again.
「不过,好在没有造成严重的损失.」
"Still, it's good that no major damage occurred."
He leaned back slightly, brows furrowing.
「但我现在很好奇...这个幕后之人到底想证明什么?他派人去了日本,又派人去了俄罗斯,明知道...他还活着.他到底想传达什么信息?」
"But now I'm curious... What exactly is this person behind all of it trying to prove? He sent people to Japan, then to Russia even knowing that.. He is still alive... What kind of message is he trying to send?"
The hall fell into silence. A heavy, thoughtful stillness settled over the room. No one dared speak for a few long seconds.
[Chapter 36 end]