At NERV Headquarters.
As soon as Shinji and the others returned, they headed straight to the command center.
Shinji ran up to Gendo Ikari and said breathlessly, "D-Dad... hah... Dad."
"What is it?" Gendo Ikari's imposing presence as commander immediately bore down on him. Even a single sentence carried immense pressure.
"I... I..." Shinji immediately began stammering. Half a minute passed, and he still couldn't get a complete sentence out.
"If you have something to discuss, come find me later, all right? I'm very busy right now, Shinji," Gendo Ikari said slowly. Everyone present understood what he meant.
"I..."
"Enough. Leave. I know what you want to say, and I will not help. This is outside our jurisdiction. As for that childish thinking of yours, it's time you grew up, Shinji Ikari..." With those words, Gendo Ikari cut off everything Shinji wanted to say.
Gendo Ikari glanced sideways at the others and said flatly, "You aren't children either. This world still needs you to save it. Don't indulge in the same childish thinking as him."
Having said his piece, he stood on the descending platform and rode it down.
Shinji stood there blankly, his head lowered. His hair covered his eyes, hiding his expression.
Fuyutsuki still came over and told him, "Don't blame your father. There's absolutely nothing he can do about this. All right, you three should go. There's nothing left for you to do here."
With hollow eyes, Shinji walked out of the command center alongside Asuka, the two of them moving like walking corpses.
On the rail lift.
Huang Zhetian couldn't stand watching anymore and decided to move the plot forward himself.
"Go find Mr. Kaji. Maybe he can think of a way to help you."
Huang Zhetian's words immediately brought them to their senses.
Shinji suddenly snapped out of it too and said happily to the other two, "Right! Why didn't I think of that? Let's find Mr. Kaji. Maybe he'll know what to do!"
Asuka said indignantly, "What's the point of going to him? How could he possibly solve this for you?"
"Mr. Kaji can't solve it for us, but he can help us decide what to do. Come on. He's bound to be at the Melon Patch." Huang Zhetian stepped onto the elevator, ready to head up to the surface.
At the Melon Patch.
Kaji listened gravely as Asuka and the others explained everything that had happened.
After hearing them out, Kaji said seriously to Shinji, "There's something wrong with the way you're approaching this. If you've come to vent to me or ask for comfort, then this behavior is shameful."
"I can't do anything! I don't have the power to change anything!" Shinji broke down. He really couldn't do anything, and he had no idea what to do.
"No! You're Shinji Ikari. You're an Eva pilot! You need to understand that you have the power to resolve this! Once you're in your Eva, you'll have a way. I imagine you'll be getting into it today..." Kaji said calmly, watering the melon seedlings with a watering can.
"Also, you can't stay here too long. Hurry along. Sometimes you need to understand that people's abilities are limited, but sometimes their faith and hope are limitless. Do you understand what I mean, Shinji?"
Beep, beep-beep.
The alarm sounded.
"Is another Angel here?" Asuka asked, somewhat surprised.
It had only been a week since the last Angel. Another one arriving now would be rather unusual.
"Asuka, are you with Shinji and the others? If you are, come straight back. Prepare for combat!"
Dr. Akagi's voice came over the phone, issuing orders.
"Understood! They're both here. We're heading back immediately," Asuka replied.
"So this is what you meant by fighting today? Mr. Kaji, aren't your predictions a little too accurate?" Huang Zhetian calmly ate a slice of watermelon.
"It's not a matter of accuracy. It's a matter of intelligence. Hurry back..."
In the NERV command center.
Gendo Ikari held his hands against his mouth, the reflections on his glasses preventing anyone from reading his thoughts.
"The military and government have requested our support in taking down the failed prototype. Destroy it as thoroughly as possible, because that Giant Machine has entered a populated area. If you can't handle it, they're prepared for the worst: deploying an N² Missile. Of course, before they launch it, you'll need to lure it into an uninhabited area," Dr. Akagi explained the mission intelligence to the three of them.
The objective this time was clear: destroy the Giant Machine.
"Is that even our responsibility? Our job is just to defeat Angels," Asuka asked in confusion.
"The Giant Machine is now harming civilians. Our mission is to protect humanity, so this operation is another way of doing that," Ibuki said.
"All right. Commander Ikari, I heard the dedicated weapon for the Special Unit sent by the Chinese NERV Branch has arrived. May I use it on this mission?" Huang Zhetian had heard Misato mention in the car that morning that his Special Unit's dedicated weapon had been delivered.
"Yes, you may. Destroy it as thoroughly as possible... It'll make it easier to give them an answer, too." Seeing that the briefing was nearly complete, Gendo Ikari ordered the staff to prepare for standby.
Inside the hangar.
Shinji still hadn't said a word, but both Huang Zhetian and Asuka could see resentment and madness in his eyes.
"Shinji..."
"Zhetian-kun! Don't stop me this time!"
"Idiot! You..."
"Shut up! I know everything. That machine's pilot-is Mana's teammate!" Shinji said through gritted teeth.
"Why is Dad making us do this?"
"Let's talk once we encounter him. Rei Ayanami is already lying in ambush outside the mountain the Giant Machine will pass. We just need to force it over there. Maybe..."
"He's already rescued Mana. She might be with him..."
Huang Zhetian revealed the truth.
"Then we can just let it go, can't we? That should work, right?" Asuka felt the situation had become much easier to handle.
"Didn't you hear what Commander Ikari told us? Destroy it as thoroughly as possible. In other words, leave no survivors..." Huang Zhetian spelled out Gendo Ikari's meaning.
"What do we do now, Zhetian-kun?" Shinji was helpless and at a loss, on the verge of breaking down.
"We take it one step at a time. Even if we let it go, what about the N² bomb hanging over our heads?"
"Then let's do our best to subdue it. That's the best option." Asuka understood that they had no choice but to fight this battle. Winning would be better for everyone. If they lost, the enemy really would die, and Mana would die along with him.
None of them wanted to see that outcome.
"LCL injection complete. Neural systems normal. Synchronization rate stable. Channel stable."
The entry plugs slowly slid into the backs of the units' necks.
Then they gradually locked into place.
The three Evas had been moved onto their launch platforms, and the staff began the countdown.
"3."
"2."
"1."
"Launch!"
The Special Unit shot up to the surface and broke free of its restraints.
The steel panels of the weapons depot in the nearby high-rise slowly opened, revealing the Greatsword inside. More precisely, only one side of the sword had an edge, while the other half of the blade had a recessed grip.
It was probably a Greatsword meant to be held at both the top and bottom.
Huang Zhetian adjusted his grip on the Greatsword. It felt pretty good in his hands.
Then he lifted the Greatsword and began running.
The Giant Machine was already heading toward the marketplace.
That was a crowded area, and the three Evas hurried toward their destination.
I hope I get some rewards this time. Otherwise, this mission will have been for nothing.
Ding! System mission notification: save both Musashi and Mana to receive a reward. Reward: Sword God Descends Card (single-use item). Card description: grants the Sword God's abilities for two minutes.
"Gulp... Now I have to save them. Those two lives are worth it. Don't ask why I'm risking my neck to save you. It's because you're worth this much..." Huang Zhetian gazed at the reward before him with burning eyes.
He hadn't held out much hope of saving them before, but after seeing the reward, that was a different story.
Before you continue