A chance to survive

Huang Zhetian immediately contacted Misato.

"Tell them to stop the bombing immediately! We're not at that point yet!"

"Understood! Stopping the Angel is up to you and Shinji." Misato knew how serious things were and wasted no time sending a message to headquarters.

"What? The Commander isn't there? Understood." Misato hung up, covering her eyes in frustration.

Then she immediately raised her head and told Huang Zhetian and the others, "Our information on the Angel is incomplete. Retreat is no longer an option. If we leave, the N² Missile will come down, so..."

"Hold the line!!" Misato's expression twisted, and she forced those last words through clenched teeth.

Indeed, leaving meant death, and staying meant death too. They might as well cling to the little hope before them. If they defeated the Angel, wouldn't they survive?

When he watched the anime in his previous life, he had thought this Embryonic Angel was rather weak, but actually facing it...

That was a different story...

Besides, it had fully hatched, and Asuka hadn't killed it. Now they were in serious trouble. Tch!

Rooaar-awooo!

The Angel surfaced from the magma, its six tentacles twitching eagerly. The anime hadn't shown it being this powerful, so there was no telling how things would go this time. In the magma, it had more than its A.T. Field. Its tough skin was another advantage... Its only weakness was inside its body. How were they supposed to attack that?

Ding-zzzt!!!

The Angel opened its enormous mouth and fired a cross-shaped laser beam. Several smaller cross-shaped lasers shot straight out of it. In an instant, the equipment on the ground was blasted apart! The huge crane was blown straight into the magma, while Unit-02 had already escaped its protective suit.

Huang Zhetian knew Gendo Ikari wasn't at headquarters, leaving NERV effectively leaderless. Their immediate problem was survival. After all, there was still an N² Missile overhead.

"Miss Misato, Shinji, Asuka, and I will hold the Angel off for now. Get the main force out first! Once we're done, have them drop the N² bomb." Huang Zhetian contacted Misato again.

"Commander Ikari isn't at headquarters! I can't make that decision!" Misato wasn't afraid of death, but thinking of all the Angels they still hadn't dealt with, she simply couldn't accept it! She still wanted to live... and take revenge!

Tch! What a pain! Even memorizing Three Hundred Tang Poems as a kid wasn't as much trouble as dealing with you people...

If there's really no other way, then...

I'll deal with the humans first!

Huang Zhetian operated another Eva system, switching from the ground system to the aerial combat system. The two enormous wings on its shoulders folded several times before moving onto its back. They became aircraft wings, with a jet engine at the center of its back. Though small, it was enough to get it airborne.

He had to disconnect the external power supply, and this configuration could only last three minutes. He would have to leave the Angel below to Shinji and Asuka. As the protagonist, Shinji should have more than enough ability to deal with this Angel. After all, his mother was still inside him.

"Asuka, Shinji! You two keep the Angel occupied. I'll take care of those three planes overhead! Hurry!" Without hesitation, Huang Zhetian flew toward the three fighter jets.

"Report! NERV's Eva Special Unit is flying toward our fighter jets and showing hostile intent! Do we return fire?!" The pilot of the fighter jet carrying the N² Missile reported to the military.

"Return fire! Our primary objective is to eliminate the Angel! Destroy anything that gets in our way!"

"Roger! Aaargh!!!"

"Damn it!! The fighter carrying the N² Missile has been destroyed, and the N² Missile has been taken!! The pilot's status is unknown!!" A pilot in another fighter jet immediately reported what he saw.

The Special Unit cleaved the fighter carrying the N² Missile in half with its Tang Dao. Huang Zhetian had already seized the missile, while the pilot was destroyed along with the fighter. They were blown straight to pieces!

"Retreat immediately! Without the N² Missile, pull out at once! Leave this mess to NERV!! This incident must be reported to the United Nations!"

The military's senior officers hastily ordered a retreat. They had already lost one combatant and couldn't afford to lose two more. Even the N² Missile had been taken, so there was no point staying. They could only pin their hopes on NERV's humanoid weapons. At any rate, the responsibility wasn't theirs...

Huang Zhetian plunged rapidly from high altitude, shedding his wings. The engine on his back went straight to maximum thrust, allowing him to settle into a steady landing over the final few hundred meters. As he landed,

a huge cloud of dust rose, and the Special Unit gouged a massive crater into the ground.

Huang Zhetian walked out of the crater and stowed the Tang Dao on his back. He glanced at the N² Missile in his hand. It looked rather small, fitting easily into the Eva's palm with room to spare. But its power was very real. Its capabilities spoke for themselves.

It could hold off even an Angel for so long. That alone made its power clear.

Finally, a use for the missile. An Angel, huh? How about shoving it into its mouth!?

"What a fucking pain! Gendo Ikari, you give us far too much credit. Or is it me you think so highly of?" Huang Zhetian looked toward the distant outskirts of the volcano.

"Zhetian!? Miss Misato and the frontline personnel have all evacuated. We're just waiting for you!" Shinji slashed at the Angel with his Progressive Knife, but every thrust was blocked by its A.T. Field. Unit-01 was repelled and rolled over once, then ran around the Angel, seeking another angle of attack.

Beside it, Unit-02 sprayed machine-gun fire. All smoke, no damage. A pure waste of taxpayer money... Still, the gunfire served to keep it occupied and draw its attention.

"Understood! We can absolutely destroy the Angel now!" Huang Zhetian told Shinji and the others.

"Now follow my instructions..."

A short while later, all three Evas nodded.

Asuka's Unit-02 discarded its machine gun and drew the Utility Knife from its shoulder. It charged toward the Angel with all its strength, and Shinji hurried after her.

They ran up before the Angel and spread their palms, fully opening their Walls of the Heart.

The two Evas combined their A.T. Fields to neutralize the Angel's A.T. Field.

Pressed by both of them, the Angel began to struggle. They sliced a large opening in its A.T. Field with their knives, and Shinji seized his chance.

He thrust both arms into the Angel's mouth and forced its jaws apart.

He opened the Angel's mouth as wide as it would go!

"Everyone, get out of the way!! Hurry!" Huang Zhetian ran up from behind with the N² Missile in hand and thrust his fist into the Angel's mouth. Together, the three of them kicked the Angel down into the magma. As it fell into the abyss, they hurriedly ran back!

"Hurry!! The N² Missile is about to explode! Run! Get as far away as you can!! My power's running low..." Before Huang Zhetian could finish, he fell to the ground. He looked back. The Angel!?

The Angel hadn't fallen!?

A tentacle was wrapped tightly around his mech's right foot. The Angel was clinging to the cliff edge, its enormous mouth opening and closing with the N² Missile still inside.

"Go!! In another moment, none of us will get away! Hurry!" Seeing the other two still hesitating, Huang Zhetian immediately shouted.

"Zhetian! We can't abandon you! I can't do it!" Shinji was torn. He couldn't bring himself to leave a companion behind.

"Zhetian, you idiot! Think of something! I'm absolutely not leaving you behind this time!" Asuka was frantic. Their power was nearly gone too.

The Angel's initial attack had completely destroyed the power supply equipment.

"Fuck!! In ten years, I'll still be a man to reckon with!! Let's do this! Throw me the knife! Grab my hands and drag me away!" Huang Zhetian steeled himself as a brutal idea came to mind!

Not understanding what he intended, Asuka threw the Utility Knife to Huang Zhetian. She and Shinji hurriedly took hold of one arm each, and what he did next left them dumbfounded!

With one slash, Huang Zhetian severed his entire foot at the ankle. Deprived of its hold on him, the Angel didn't fall straight down. It still clung desperately to the cliff face.

"Aaaaaaah! Fucking... aah! It hurts! A high synchronization rate isn't always a good thing! What are you standing around for? Drag me away! We really won't get out if we wait!" Huang Zhetian gritted his teeth, tears filling his eyes as his face twisted in pain.

The two Evas hurriedly dragged the Special Unit away, sprinting toward the foot of the volcano.

After they had run about five kilometers, a deafening explosion erupted behind them. It blasted all three Evas into the air, sending them hurtling down the mountain.

The three Evas tumbled all the way to the mountain's foot, where they were buried beneath volcanic ash dislodged by the explosion above. A long while later, another blast erupted! The Angel's core had exploded. The volcano was gone, leaving only an enormous crater.

A little magma and a few fissures still remained around the crater.

Are these points worth losing a foot at the ankle? This pain is unbearable! Aah! I'd rather not have these 7,000 points! I'll need a good while to recover. At least the Eva will need repairs for some time. Huang Zhetian was in so much pain that he nearly lost control of his bladder!

Ding! System-issued mission complete.

Mission rewards have been delivered to the System Inventory. Please check them.

Current points: 7,000

Hearing the system's voice, Huang Zhetian finally relaxed. He had thought the 7,000 points surely meant there were other dangers waiting, but the reward notification put his mind at ease.

His vision went dark, and he passed out. The cockpit fell into darkness as its power ran out.

Before losing consciousness, he felt the cockpit being pulled out...

So fucking exhausting...