One day before Toru contacted the former president, Burns suddenly received a message on his phone at CIA headquarters in Langley.
[Come to this restaurant at 7 PM tonight if you want the USB drive back.]
Burns read the message without changing expression, then quickly deleted it.
By six o'clock, he had already packed up and left his office.
The employees who were still working at headquarters were surprised to see the deputy director leaving so early.
Burns was known as a workaholic within the CIA. Most days, he did not go home until nearly midnight. Whenever an emergency arose, even if he was sound asleep in the middle of the night, he would immediately get up and rush to headquarters.
Such efficiency might have been expected from a CIA operative.
But Burns was no longer a field agent. He worked behind the scenes and had no need to exhaust himself like that.
"The deputy director is leaving this early today?"
"He's probably meeting one of his mistresses again."
Two nearby employees whispered to each other, scoffing and mocking him while also feeling envious.
They also hoped that one day they could climb into the CIA's upper ranks, gain power and wealth, and keep a few lovers of their own.
That would be far better than hiring escorts whenever the need arose or visiting strip clubs when they had nothing else to do.
Burns habitually inspected his car before getting into his modest sedan and driving toward the restaurant mentioned in the message.
An Asian man was sitting in a corner of the restaurant.
Burns did not enter immediately. Instead, he found a place outside and observed him from a distance.
He did not recognize the man. He even secretly took a photograph and searched for him through the CIA's internal database, but found no information at all.
At that moment, the Asian man sitting in the corner suddenly raised his head and looked in Burns's direction.
Burns's heart tightened, and a chill ran down his spine. An intense fear rose from the depths of his heart.
Although Burns had once been a frontline CIA operative and was no longer as agile as before, his instincts remained sharp.
From that single glance, he could tell that the Asian man was an expert, and a terrifying one at that.
The man had not only noticed Burns watching him with ease, but had also frightened him with nothing more than a glance. It seemed almost unnatural.
Burns took a deep breath.
Maintaining a calm expression, he entered the restaurant, pulled out the chair opposite the man, and sat down.
The Asian man finally spoke.
"Burns, long time no see."
Burns's expression changed slightly when he heard the voice.
"Adam?"
Toru nodded faintly. "That's right. It's me."
Burns carefully studied the unfamiliar Asian face, but could not find the slightest resemblance to Toru.
"Where did you learn such an advanced disguise technique?"
The CIA had always coveted this mysterious art of disguise.
However, the technique had been Kuroba Toichi's specialty, and according to CIA intelligence, Kuroba Toichi was dead. The skill was therefore believed to have been lost.
As for Kuroba Toichi's two students, Vermouth and Yukiko, they had been taught in secret, so the CIA possessed no information about them.
Otherwise, the CIA might not have been able to capture Vermouth, but it certainly could have gone after Yukiko and forced the technique out of her.
The CIA had tried to create realistic disguise masks with modern technology, but the results had been disappointing. Only the 3D-printing technology Toru had received as a system reward could produce masks that were nearly flawless.
Burns suddenly realized something and exclaimed, "Were you the one impersonating Britney?"
Toru shook his head dramatically.
"No, no, Burns. That wasn't me. Why would I ever French-kiss you?"
"Oh, right. The person who kissed you was a handsome teenage boy. He's gay, by the way, and he said your kissing technique needs work."
Burns's face darkened completely. He looked as if he had swallowed something rotten, and he suddenly felt as though his mouth were filled with a foul taste.
He quickly changed the subject.
"Adam, what exactly do you want?"
"What do I want? Burns, I should be asking you what you and Spencer were thinking. Planning to assassinate a presidential candidate, especially a world-famous former president, was certainly bold."
Toru chuckled softly, but his calm words sent a chill down Burns's spine.
"Even if you have that USB drive, we can claim the recording was fabricated. You know how easy it is to create fake audio and video with modern technology," Burns said, trying to remain calm.
"Heh, Burns, you're the deputy director of the CIA. Don't be so naive. Everyone else can choose not to believe what's on that drive, but only one person needs to believe it."
"And that person is Mr. Donald."
Toru's words made a realization flash through Burns's mind.
"Wait. You were the one who saved him?"
Toru nodded cheerfully. "That's right. Do you think our former president will trust the man who saved his life?"
"And once he believes the recording, what do you think he'll do? The Supreme Court is already stacked in his favor, and the Republican Party holds an overwhelming advantage in Congress. Once he returns to the presidency, it will no longer be a balance of power. All three branches will be aligned behind him."
"When that happens, knowing his personality, how do you think he will deal with you?"
"You're finished, Burns. You will lose everything. You'll fall from the highest levels of power and become nothing more than a worm crawling through the mud."
Toru leaned forward slightly and watched Burns's expression change drastically.
"Can you accept that kind of reversal in your life?"
"If you can't, then someone can help you."
Toru's words sounded like a devil's whisper, tempting Burns to take the final step into the abyss.
Breathing heavily, Burns said, "Adam, I know Spencer wants you dead. Do you intend to use me against him?"
Toru smiled playfully.
"Killing Spencer would be somewhat troublesome, but even with all his agents protecting him, I'm confident I could do it."
"But I prefer to maximize my gains. Simply killing him isn't enough. I want more."
Burns gritted his teeth.
"What do you want?"
"I want the CIA."
"Have you lost your mind?"
"No. Compared to your assassination plot, I think I'm being quite rational."
Since Burns had risen to the position of CIA deputy director, how could he fail to understand Toru's plan?
Toru wanted to use him as a foothold to infiltrate the CIA.
Burns immediately pieced together several possibilities and asked in a low voice, "Have you joined another organization? The KGB?"
"No, no, no. I would never join an organization just to become someone else's pawn. I will only be the one moving the pieces."
"You shouldn't be asking which organization I joined. You should be asking which organization I control."
So that was it.
It would have been impossible for Toru to infiltrate the CIA as an individual. There had to be a massive organization behind him, and it was entirely possible that, just as he claimed, he controlled it.
Only an organization with enormous resources and manpower could even attempt to infiltrate the CIA, the world's largest intelligence agency.
Burns had always known that Toru was a terrifying anomaly, but even he had never imagined that Toru was not only extraordinarily powerful in combat, but had also taken control of a vast secret organization in such a short time.
Burns had even guessed which organization it was.
It was the Black Organization that had previously cooperated with the CIA.
Spencer, Spencer. If you knew your adopted son had become this capable, would you regret the choices you made?
Burns, who had never felt much loyalty toward Spencer, sneered inwardly.
But he soon stopped smiling.
Because now it was his turn to make a choice.
If he refused, Adam would kill him, even without the former president's involvement.
And the former president would undoubtedly use his influence to suppress the matter afterward.
Burns, the deputy director of the CIA, would become nothing more than an insignificant insect that no one cared about, left to die miserably in some filthy ditch.
Could he accept such an ending?
No.
Especially after hearing Toru's tempting words.
"Burns, Spencer has occupied the director's chair for far too long."
"I think that position should belong to you."
Burns's ambition began to swell.
(To be continued.)