On Earth, fully armed NERV special forces stood ready outside the Universe Radio Wave Research Institute, guns raised.
Kaji, also dressed in combat gear, crept up to the entrance with his Ultra Guard gun in hand.
By tracing the radio waves back to their source, NERV headquarters had confirmed that the Universe Radio Wave Research Institute was the Knuckle Aliens' base, so they had sent Kaji to lead a team to wipe them out.
The team's designation was UC07.
Someone in the UN forces had proposed simply blowing the place up with rockets, but the leadership wanted to recover something from it, so the proposal had been rejected.
After copying all the data inside the Ultra Guard gun, Ritsuko had entrusted it to Kaji for self-defense.
"This gun still works, but there isn't much ammunition left. Use it sparingly."
"It doesn't just shoot aliens. It can open locks, too."
"On top of that, the Weapons Department and I followed the manual and fitted it with a few attachments, like tranquilizer rounds and a wall dissolver. Read the manual on your way there, and you'll know how to use them."
Kaji turned the Ultra Guard gun over in his hands, pleasantly surprised.
"With this, we can finally avenge Misato and the others."
Back at the scene, the scouts outside were using an unmanned unit to inspect the area behind the door.
"Sure enough, the entrance is booby-trapped..." A scout frowned at the bomb on the monitor.
"Start disarming it..." Kaji promptly moved away from the entrance.
With precise control, the operator slowly cut the tripwire and disarmed the bomb.
The operator reported calmly, "The trap has been disarmed."
"The unmanned equipment Dragon Country supplied is incredibly useful."
Kaji waved a hand, and the special forces behind him moved up.
They carried