They traveled through time at the same time, but the villainous scientist

Chapter 166 Heavy Chemical Industry Complex and Dangerous Wanderers

However, just as Zhang Qi was preparing to immerse himself in his research...

An unexpected event forcibly pulled him back to reality from his deep thoughts.

He received a carefully worded yet subtly sharp invitation from an organization called the "World Federation of Heavy Chemical Industries".

This is a massive research institution under the United Nations, a giant alliance that brings together top global elites in chemical engineering, materials science, and precision machinery manufacturing.

Their goal is simple: to break NERV's almost pathological monopoly in biotechnology and even the entire field of future technology.

In fact, the organization's establishment could even be said to have been born under his indirect "catalysis".

Several years ago, when he was still a newcomer "consultant", he made a groundbreaking announcement by presenting a complete theory of controlled nuclear fusion reactors and personally supervised the successful operation of the first experimental reactor.

This technology, which was capable of changing the course of human civilization, should have brought him and his organization NERV unparalleled glory.

But it is precisely because of his status as a "NERV member" that he has become like a sharp thorn, deeply embedded in the hearts of global traditional industrial giants.

In their view, NERV's biotechnology was already outrageous enough.

Now, this organization has even demonstrated cutting-edge R&D capabilities that are capable of disrupting the energy landscape. How can they possibly accept this?

That sense of crisis of being abandoned by the times, mixed with the pride of a century-old industrial powerhouse, eventually fermented into a powerful driving force for self-salvation.

Ironically, it was precisely through Zhang Qi's publicly published papers that these giants, backed into a corner, were able to integrate resources in just a few years to produce mature commercial fusion reactor prototypes and promote them globally.

Cheap and clean energy is flooding into every corner of society, indirectly ending the long-standing food crisis in a world plagued by the aftereffects of the pandemic through energy-converted lighting equipment and hydroponic cultivation plants.

This, on the contrary, earned Zhang Qi immense prestige among the people, a prestige that was unimaginable.

However, this invitation that has been delivered to their door at this moment is clearly not just a simple expression of gratitude.

The eagerness to flex one's muscles and prove one's worth is almost palpable between the lines.

……

A few days later, in London.

Outside the ancient and solemn conference center, a light drizzle fell from the overcast sky, adding to the city's solemnity.

Zhang Qi walked into the venue side by side with Ritsuko Akagi, who was dressed in a white researcher's uniform and had a cold and capable demeanor.

The moment they stepped through the door, the spacious foyer, which had been filled with hushed conversations and the clinking of glasses, fell into an eerie silence.

Hundreds of eyes, like searchlights, focused on the two of them.

The emotions conveyed in those gazes were extremely complex. There was awe for the "father of fusion," scrutiny of the unknown NERV leadership, but more than anything, there was an undisguised scrutiny with a strong sense of rejection.

They were used to controlling the pulse of the world, but the arrival of the apostles ruthlessly pushed them from the center of power to the periphery.

The world's resources, budgets, and even top command are being poured into NERV.

Misato Katsuragi, a combat officer under the age of thirty, has the power to directly mobilize the United Nations Pacific Fleet in special circumstances—a power that even these giants who have dominated the business and political worlds for decades have never touched.

A massive amount of funding, unrestricted privileges, and the only hope to save the world... No one wouldn't be envious, especially those who have had their center stage taken away.

"What a warm welcome ceremony!"

Ritsuko Akagi sighed, feeling a visceral aversion to this purely political posturing.

Then a well-dressed waiter came silently, bowed, and guided them to their seats.

Inside the main venue, they were seated in the very center of the first row, with an excellent view and a prestigious position.

However, the entire long row of seats was empty except for the two seats marked with their names.

This was an extremely deliberate isolation, placing the two of them like exhibits under everyone's spotlight, clearly separated from their surroundings. "Intentional isolation, a typical tactic of political pressure; it seems that's all they've got."

Ritsuko Akagi shook her head with a rather helpless expression.

Zhang Qi seemed completely unconcerned. He calmly sat down, comfortably leaning back in his chair, his hands clasped under his chin, and looked with great interest at the podium in front of him and the huge, unlit curtain behind him.

He knew what the other party wanted to do; this childish show of force was nothing more than a dull appetizer before the main course.

What he was really interested in was what kind of "feast" these industrial giants, forced into this predicament, could serve up.

The lights slowly dimmed, and the venue fell completely silent.

A sprightly and refined middle-aged man stepped onto the podium.

He is the current rotating chairman of the World Federation of Heavy Industries, a highly respected German industrialist in the industry.

His opening remarks were full of power and passion, recounting the glory of human industrial civilization and how steel and fire shaped the world. He cleverly attributed the disaster brought by the "Apostles" to an accident in an "unknown biological realm".

They will use the purest and most prized engineering power of humankind to retaliate against this "accident".

"For too long, we have relied on a power that we do not fully understand to combat threats..."

The middle-aged man's voice, amplified through the speakers, resonated throughout the venue, brimming with inflammatory rhetoric.
"But today, we will prove to the world that human wisdom and our hands are still our most powerful weapons!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the huge curtain behind him was instantly lit up.

Amidst dazzling light and shadow, a massive three-dimensional image of a humanoid weapon was presented to everyone in a highly impactful manner.

Its entire body is covered in dark blue metallic armor, with hard lines and full of mechanical power, which is completely different from the EVA's body shape with biological curves.

This is a behemoth made entirely of steel, circuits, and motors.

The middle-aged man on the podium beamed with pride as he began to recount the machine's performance parameters with great familiarity.

"At its core, it is equipped with our latest generation of controlled fusion reactor, which can sustainably provide a maximum output of up to 2,200 megawatts!"

He emphasized these words, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over Zhang Qi's direction.

"The joint is equipped with the newly developed 98BD super torque actuator. Within each bundle of muscle fibers, forty miniature high-energy engines are integrated, giving it unparalleled mobility and power!"

"It has ten TK gyro stabilizers inside its body, which can correct the center of gravity in real time to ensure the absolute balance of this behemoth in any complex terrain!"

One astonishing statistic after another was presented, eliciting waves of suppressed gasps of amazement from the audience.

This is no longer a simple imitation, but a product that has reached its peak in another technological direction.

"Of course, what we should be most proud of..."

The middle-aged man paused, a victorious smile spreading across his face.
"It's its control technology. In order to perfectly drive this steel behemoth, we referenced... some existing neural connection technologies and made improvements."

We have pioneered a dual-pilot driving mode, which integrates the sensory and motor commands of two drivers through a deep neural collaboration interface, thereby achieving precise control of the machine.

He deliberately emphasized "two people" and "fusion", his words full of veiled sarcasm towards EVA's "unstable" system that relied on a single pilot and was extremely prone to causing mental pollution.

The atmosphere in the venue reached its peak at this moment.

The old man opened his arms, like a priest welcoming the arrival of a new god, and with the loudest voice of his life, he announced the name of this miracle to the world.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we call it—"

"Gipsy Danger!"

(End of this chapter)