Chapter Summaries

Huang Zhetian reflected on how his training system worked and prepared to rewrite the events leading to Human Instrumentality. After spending the night planning with a chart of key relationships, he resolved to work with Kaji and wondered why Gendo Ikari had summoned him to Headquarters alone.

• Huang Zhetian reviewed the system’s training space, its limits, and its promise to grant a wish after he completed the final mission.
• Huang Zhetian checked his skills and items, then considered using his Special Unit upgrade to enter the mindscape during Human Instrumentality.
• Huang Zhetian decided Rei Ayanami should follow the original plot to Central Dogma and recognized that he would need to enter the world created by Instrumentality to save it.
• Huang Zhetian suspected Gendo Ikari had been watching him and wondered what role Gendo had planned for him at Headquarters.
• Huang Zhetian identified Kaji as crucial to their plans, drew a chart of the characters’ relationships, and burned it after deciding where to begin.

Huang Zhetian completed his combat-data tests at Headquarters while Gendo Ikari and Fuyutsuki discussed their suspicions about him. After leaving, Huang Zhetian prepared to contend with Gendo, while Asuka wrestled with her feelings after realizing she had fallen in love with Huang Zhetian.

• Misato reminded Huang Zhetian to go to Headquarters, and he left with the men in black after briefly encountering Shinji, who felt abandoned.
• Huang Zhetian demonstrated his combat skills in the underground testing facility as Akagi and Ibuki recorded his data and Gendo Ikari and Fuyutsuki watched.
• Gendo Ikari and Fuyutsuki discussed Huang Zhetian’s familiarity and usefulness, while Akagi told him his data recording was complete and he could stop training for now.
• Huang Zhetian resolved to help Rei Ayanami form an emotional connection with Shinji and thought of his coming conflict with Gendo as a wager.
• Asuka lay in her room, angry that Huang Zhetian had lied about Kaji but admitting to herself that she had fallen in love with him.

Huang Zhetian considered the coming conflict and worried that Asuka was losing confidence, while Shinji grieved over Kaji and Misato investigated the sudden mass production of EVAs. Misato enlisted Hyuga to gather intelligence and resolved to keep Kaji’s information from Asuka for now.

• Huang Zhetian judged that Shinji’s withdrawn nature was unlikely to change and considered SEELE’s preparations while planning for what lay ahead.
• Asuka told Huang Zhetian she would stay at Xiaoguang’s, and Misato said she would be home late after reviewing Kaji’s recordings and memory card.
• Shinji mourned Kaji and the growing distance between himself and the others as the necklace Huang Zhetian had given him turned dark and dull.
• Misato asked Hyuga about reports that seven countries were building EVAs, and Hyuga confirmed the intelligence and agreed to investigate further.
• Misato decided to keep Kaji’s information from Asuka to protect her ability to pilot Unit-02 and wondered what Ritsuko was doing for Gendo.

Asuka spoke with her adoptive mother in Germany, and Huang Zhetian helped her confront her painful feelings about the past, deepening her attachment to him. While Asuka wrestled with her fears and feelings for Huang Zhetian, a white-haired boy appeared in the ruins and announced that he had waited to meet Shinji Ikari.

• Asuka answered an international call from her adoptive mother, then explained that she felt awkward and distant from the woman who had raised her.
• Huang Zhetian told Asuka to face her past, and she ran to her room in tears; Shinji later washed the dishes after Misato passed out drunk.
• Huang Zhetian examined the Special Unit's upgraded design and a blueprint for its heavy external armor.
• Asuka reflected on her painful childhood and her feelings for Huang Zhetian, whom she trusted and feared might abandon her, before falling into an uneasy sleep.
• A white-haired boy played piano among the ruins, identified Shinji Ikari as the Fourth Children, and said he had waited long enough to meet him.

During a quiet outing with Shinji, Huang Zhetian met the Fifth Child, Kaworu Nagisa, and stopped him from killing a starving kitten. After Kaworu revealed his identity, Huang Zhetian felt an uncontrollable urge to kill him, while his sword mark began to transform.

• Asuka's simulation test fell below her usual standard, so Akagi prioritized repairs for Huang Zhetian's Special Unit and Unit-00.
• Misato insisted that Shinji return to school, and Huang Zhetian accompanied him to the ruins when Shinji asked to clear his head.
• Shinji and Huang Zhetian followed piano music to an abandoned church, where they met Kaworu Nagisa playing the Ninth Symphony.
• When Kaworu tried to strangle a starving kitten, Huang Zhetian restrained his wrist with an A.T. Field and took the kitten home.
• Kaworu introduced himself as the Fifth Child and recognized Shinji and Huang Zhetian, while Huang Zhetian struggled to contain his killing intent toward him.
• Huang Zhetian's Incomplete Taiji Sword's level-eight Sword Mark began transforming as he suspected Kaworu could influence emotions.

Asuka’s synchronization test results plummeted as she struggled with cramps and mounting emotional exhaustion. After Huang Zhetian comforted her, an Angel alert sent her running toward Unit-02 while Kaworu Nagisa sensed a kindred spirit in Huang Zhetian.

• Asuka’s synchronization rate fell to negative 12.8 degrees, and Akagi told Misato that the problem lay deeper than physical discomfort.
• Misato and Akagi discussed Asuka’s recent defeat and the arrival of the Fifth Children, Kaworu Nagisa.
• Asuka confronted Kaworu Nagisa after he said Unit-02 would not move unless she opened her heart, then collapsed from apparent anemia.
• Huang Zhetian carried Asuka toward the Infirmary, gave her brown sugar water, and suggested they raise a kitten together.
• An Angel attack alarm sounded, and Asuka ran toward Unit-02’s hangar as Kaworu Nagisa sensed a kindred spirit in Huang Zhetian.

Asuka's defiance during the battle with the Bird Angel left her trapped in a devastating mental attack, and Huang Zhetian rescued Unit-02 from the Angel's range. Kaworu Nagisa offered to help Huang enter Asuka's inner world, and Huang agreed as Asuka continued to suffer.

• Misato ordered Rei Ayanami to attack the Bird Angel while Asuka supported her, but Asuka launched Unit-02 ahead of schedule and took the lead.
• The Bird Angel struck Unit-02 with a psychological attack, causing Asuka to panic, fire wildly, and relive buried memories as her mental state neared collapse.
• Misato ordered Huang Zhetian to rescue Asuka, while Rei Ayanami fired Unit-00's Positron Sniper Rifle at the Angel to cover him.
• Huang Zhetian carried Unit-02 away from the attack, but Asuka remained in agony and refused to leave the Entry Plug.
• Kaworu Nagisa offered to help Huang enter Asuka's inner world, and Huang agreed.

Huang Zhetian and Rei Ayanami failed to stop the Angel with their coordinated sniper attack, so Gendo ordered Rei to retrieve the Spear of Longinus while Huang Zhetian kept the Angel occupied. The Angel trapped Huang Zhetian in a mental assault, forcing him to eject; as Unit-00 prepared to throw the spear, he questioned why his attempts to change the plot kept being corrected.

• Kaworu Nagisa failed to enter Huang Zhetian’s inner world, and Huang rescued Asuka from Unit-02 before preparing to attack the Angel with Rei Ayanami.
• Gendo Ikari secretly ordered Ritsuko Akagi to make Rei miss, prepare to replace Huang as Unit-02’s pilot, and watch Misato; he also told Ritsuko that Kaji was alive.
• Huang and Rei fired at the Angel from different angles, but Rei’s shot missed and Huang’s rounds were stopped by its A.T. Field.
• Gendo ordered Rei to retrieve the Spear of Longinus from Lilith and told Huang to draw the Angel’s attention while protecting himself.
• The Angel trapped Huang’s Special Unit in a mental attack, but the Incomplete Taiji Sword helped him recover enough to eject from the Entry Plug.
• Unit-00 emerged with the Spear of Longinus and prepared to throw it as Huang watched and wondered whether he could change the story’s course.

After Rei Ayanami destroyed the Bird Angel with the Spear of Longinus, Huang Zhetian comforted Asuka, arranged for her to sleep through the next Angel battle, and set plans in motion to clone himself. The chapter ended with him accompanying Misato on a playful, ambiguous drive to buy groceries.

• Huang Zhetian bought a resurrection talisman from the System Store, and Rei Ayanami hurled the Spear of Longinus into space to destroy the Bird Angel.
• Kozo Fuyutsuki confirmed the spear could not be recovered, while Misato learned that Asuka was safe and had left quarantine.
• Huang Zhetian comforted the devastated Asuka, used the Infinity Gauntlet to help her sleep, and arranged for her to avoid piloting against the next Angel.
• Huang Zhetian planned to use NERV's cloning records to create a copy of himself, then encountered Kaworu Nagisa watching him leave with Asuka.
• Huang Zhetian met Misato at Headquarters, and she drove him toward the surface to buy groceries while they teased each other.

Huang Zhetian learned from Hikari Horaki that Asuka regretted pushing him away, while secretly preparing to rewrite the story and eliminate the Special Unit. As Gendo Ikari defied SEELE over the Spear of Longinus and Kaworu Nagisa continued spying for them, the Womb Angel appeared and Huang Zhetian left school to respond.

• Hikari Horaki told Huang Zhetian that Asuka felt worthless after her defeat and wanted to apologize to him but was too embarrassed.
• Huang Zhetian revealed that he had secretly created a clone using his genes, considered removing the Special Unit, and planned a major change to the story.
• SEELE confronted Gendo Ikari over his use of the Spear of Longinus, but he dismissed their objections and left when an Angel was reported approaching.
• Kaworu Nagisa admitted he was monitoring the Fourth Children for SEELE and said he planned to find Shinji Ikari.
• Misato told Huang Zhetian that the Womb Angel had appeared, and he left the rooftop to respond.

Huang Zhetian, Rei Ayanami, and Kaworu Nagisa fought the Womb Angel after it attacked their EVAs and revealed its ability to corrode weapons and biological components. With Unit-00 pinned and Unit-02 damaged, Huang Zhetian charged the Angel with a Plasma Vibrating Knife.

• Misato ordered Unit-00 and Unit-02 to intercept the Womb Angel while the Special Unit waited in ambush, and Huang Zhetian said goodbye to the sleeping Asuka.
• The Womb Angel attacked Rei Ayanami and Kaworu Nagisa, shrugging off their electromagnetic rifles and forcing Kaworu to retrieve a double-bladed saw.
• Huang Zhetian struck the Angel with the Greatsword, then the pilots discovered that its tentacles could corrode weapons and use them as projectiles.
• The Angel severed Unit-02's right arm with the double-bladed saw and pinned Unit-00 to the ground with the Greatsword, while its corrosion invaded Rei Ayanami's body.
• Shinji begged Gendo Ikari to let Unit-01 deploy, but Gendo remained silent as Huang Zhetian helped Kaworu retreat and charged the Angel with a Plasma Vibrating Knife.

The Womb Angel invaded Rei Ayanami and Huang Zhetian’s minds while contaminating their EVAs, and Shinji launched Unit-01 to rescue them. Huang Zhetian absorbed the Angel into the Special Unit and triggered its self-destruct, leaving his survival uncertain as NERV searched the devastated area.

• The Womb Angel exposed Rei Ayanami’s hidden loneliness and attachment to Shinji, while it challenged Huang Zhetian about his motives and hypocrisy.
• Gendo Ikari lifted Unit-01’s freeze order, and Shinji went out to rescue Rei Ayanami and Huang Zhetian.
• Huang Zhetian ignored Misato’s order to retreat and held the Womb Angel while Shinji fought it, but the Angel took Rei Ayanami’s form and embraced Unit-01.
• Huang Zhetian reversed the Special Unit’s AT Field, absorbed the Womb Angel, and activated the unit’s self-destruct to contain it.
• The Special Unit exploded and devastated the surrounding area; NERV declared an alert and began searching for survivors, while Asuka remained asleep in the hospital.

Asuka relived the trauma of her childhood in a dream, and Huang Zhetian comforted her before telling her it was time to wake up. When Asuka woke in NERV Headquarters, Misato lied that he had been recalled to the Chinese NERV Branch, while privately grieving his departure.

• Asuka's memories brought back her mother's abuse, her mother's death, and the loneliness she had endured as a child.
• Huang Zhetian appeared in Asuka's dream, freed her from the figures surrounding her, and promised to face future difficulties with her.
• Huang Zhetian kissed Asuka's forehead and told her to wake up, and she opened her eyes in a hospital bed at NERV Headquarters.
• Asuka asked Misato where Huang Zhetian had gone, and Misato claimed he had temporarily returned to the Chinese NERV Branch.
• Misato cried alone in the women's restroom, while Ritsuko Akagi ordered that the damaged Special Unit Entry Plug incident be kept secret.

After Huang Zhetian appeared to die in the Special Unit’s explosion, Shinji grieved while Kaworu Nagisa tried to understand his feelings. Huang Zhetian returned in a clone body and pretended to have no memories, leaving Misato suspicious and resolved to act as Asuka’s necklace regained its shine.

• Ritsuko Akagi found Huang Zhetian’s charred hand in the Entry Plug and ordered the evidence classified and recovered.
• Shinji mourned Huang Zhetian’s apparent death and avoided returning home, while Kaworu Nagisa stayed with him and kissed him to steady his breathing.
• SEELE discussed replacing the lost Special Unit with a new one and using Mass Production Units for the ritual.
• Misato learned that Huang Zhetian might still be alive, and Shinji received the same news from her.
• Huang Zhetian revealed privately that he had been resurrected in a clone body, then pretended not to recognize Shinji when they met.
• Misato recognized that the Huang Zhetian with them was a clone and decided it was time to act, while Asuka’s necklace beads regained their shine.

Shinji returned to Misato’s home while Misato investigated Kaji’s recording and the objects Huang Zhetian had left behind. Gendo handed Ritsuko over to SEELE, while Huang recovered in the hospital and prepared to visit Kaworu and Rei; the chapter ended with an author’s update and apology.

• Shinji left Kaworu’s dormitory and returned home, where Misato explained that Huang Zhetian was back at NERV Headquarters for treatment and Asuka learned she could pilot Unit-02 again.
• Misato listened to Kaji’s recording and began connecting the clues surrounding Second Impact, NERV, Rei, and Huang’s replicas.
• Gendo and Fuyutsuki discussed Rei’s treatment and the need for another pilot, while Gendo ordered surveillance of the Children and assured Fuyutsuki he would manage SEELE’s objections about Huang.
• SEELE’s agents took Ritsuko to the committee, where she learned Gendo had handed her over in Rei’s place.
• Huang checked his recovery and plot progress, then left the hospital planning to visit the cloning laboratory, Kaworu, and Rei.

Huang Zhetian remembered his lonely childhood and former life, then met Kaworu Nagisa in the hospital and discussed Kaworu’s fate and Shinji. The two sat together to talk, while Kaworu listened seriously.

• Huang Zhetian recalled how he had been ostracized at school, found comfort in his family and hobbies, and later enjoyed high school and Neon Genesis Evangelion.
• Huang Zhetian remembered that he had died at twenty-five after staying up all night watching anime and playing games.
• Huang Zhetian encountered Kaworu Nagisa in the hospital, but Kaworu’s instinctive AT Field blocked Huang’s attempt to pat his shoulder.
• Huang Zhetian told Kaworu that he knew his goal and that Kaworu would willingly die, and Kaworu accepted this as his mission.
• Kaworu asked Huang Zhetian to sit with him and talk about Shinji, and Huang Zhetian agreed after Kaworu lowered his AT Field.

Rei Ayanami struggled with unfamiliar feelings and questions about her identity, while Kaworu Nagisa asked Huang Zhetian about Rei and Shinji. As NERV and SEELE moved toward their plans, Shinji received a call from Ritsuko, and Huang Zhetian discovered a hidden message suggesting his reports had been intercepted.

• Rei Ayanami cried as she wondered whether she liked Ikari and questioned who she really was.
• Kaworu Nagisa asked Huang Zhetian what Rei was like and why Shinji resisted him, and Huang advised him that human relationships developed through different kinds of communication.
• Ritsuko Akagi brooded over her humiliation, while SEELE discussed using her, completing the Evangelion series, and destroying Tokyo-3 as part of its plan.
• Ritsuko called Shinji to say surveillance on him and Asuka had ended, then hung up before he could ask questions; Shinji left Misato's home in anger after Asuka mentioned Kaji and Huang Zhetian.
• Huang Zhetian found a concealed message in Kaji's former office urging him to advance covertly, and concluded that his reports had been intercepted and he would have to rely on himself.

Misato and Shinji followed Ritsuko into NERV’s restricted laboratory, where she revealed the origins of Rei, the Dummy System, and Huang Zhetian’s replacement clone before destroying the spare vessels. Ritsuko broke down over her betrayal and grief, while Misato and Shinji were left with more questions; Huang Zhetian secretly copied the equipment’s structure and departed.

• Misato forced Ritsuko to open the restricted area, and Shinji joined them as they descended into the underground laboratory.
• Ritsuko showed Misato and Shinji the failed EVA remains and explained that Rei had been created as a vessel where Shinji’s mother disappeared.
• Ritsuko revealed that the Rei clones were soulless Dummy System vessels and that the current Huang Zhetian was a clone made from preserved data, cells, and genes.
• Misato slapped Ritsuko, and Shinji broke down as Ritsuko activated the destruction of the Rei vessels and explained her hatred and heartbreak.
• Misato lowered her gun and called Ritsuko foolish, prompting Ritsuko to sob as Misato and Shinji struggled with the revelations.
• Huang Zhetian copied the structure of Rei’s equipment and left, deciding to keep hiding the truth from Asuka until the Mass Production Units arrived.

After learning that Kaji and the original Huang Zhetian had died, Asuka confronted the clone at NERV Headquarters and challenged him to a spar. Their fight ended with Huang Zhetian knocking her unconscious, while he failed to make her reveal her combat data.

• Asuka dreamed of finding her mother dead, then woke and heard Shinji say that Kaji and the original Huang Zhetian had died.
• Shinji confirmed the deaths after Asuka slapped him, and Asuka hurried to NERV Headquarters to verify the truth.
• Misato confirmed that Shinji had told the truth, and Asuka broke down before meeting the expressionless Huang Zhetian clone.
• Huang Zhetian provoked Asuka and challenged her to spar, and Misato let them fight in the training room.
• Asuka fought fiercely, bit Huang Zhetian's hand, and used pepper spray, but Huang Zhetian ultimately knocked her unconscious and called for medical staff.

Huang Zhetian struggled with disturbing memories and learned that Asuka had suffered a fatal injury, while Asuka attempted suicide after losing her place as Unit-02's pilot. Shinji saved her, and Misato discovered unexplained synchronization test documents that could justify Kaworu Nagisa becoming the pilot.

• Huang Zhetian smashed a mirror during a breakdown, then hid his distress from Hyuga and worried that his scattered memories could lead to mental illness.
• Huang Zhetian saw the System Panel report that Asuka had sustained fatal damage and received a transferred wound on his wrist; he resolved to pursue Kaworu Nagisa for points.
• Ritsuko Akagi told Gendo Ikari she had destroyed Zero, but Gendo dismissed her, leaving her devastated and in tears.
• Asuka cut her wrist in the bathtub, and Shinji found her and called Misato, whose staff rescued Asuka and took her to NERV Headquarters for treatment.
• Misato found unsigned pilot synchronization test results at home and suspected they had been planted to justify Kaworu Nagisa becoming Unit-02's pilot.