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

Chapter 76 Project E
Dr. Naoko Akagi's funeral was held in a somber and somber atmosphere.

Zhang Qi, dressed in a sharp black suit with a white flower pinned to his chest, calmly placed a bouquet of chrysanthemums in front of the coffin.

The official statement released to the public was that the death was an accident...

However, Zhang Qi, based on his understanding of his former boss's style of doing things and his slight insight into the undercurrents within NERV, was deeply skeptical.

Accident?

That's too much of a coincidence.

[MAGI] Just as the super biocomputer was announced to be completed ahead of schedule, Naoko Akagi, one of the core developers, "unexpectedly" died.

He simply didn't believe there wasn't something fishy going on behind the scenes...

NERV, or more accurately, Gendo Ikari, had ample reason and motivation to "deal with" Naoko Akagi.

The forces in this world are complex and intertwined, but based on his understanding, they can be roughly divided into four groups.

First, there are the constantly attacking "angels," whose goal is to contact the First Angel, Adam, hidden deep beneath NERV, thereby triggering the Third Impact and utterly destroying human civilization.

But hidden beneath NERV headquarters, specifically in Tokyo Third City, is actually Lilith...

Secondly, there is the United Nations, which is dedicated to eliminating the apostles and safeguarding the existing order of humanity.

Thirdly, there is the mysterious SEELE organization, which refers to the twelve cold stone tablets in the original work.

On the surface, they align with the goals of the United Nations, claiming to eliminate the Apostles, and have even established organizations like NERV.

However, its true purpose is to promote the so-called "Human Instrumentality Project," intending to free humanity from its fragile physical and mental barriers, return to Lilith, and become a completely new super life form.

The fourth force is NERV, a subsidiary of SEELE, or Gendo Ikari.

On the surface, NERV appears to be the executor of SEELE's will, dedicated to realizing the Human Instrumentality Project.

But Gendo Ikari's ambitions go far beyond that; he probably wants to steal the fruit after the Human Instrumentality Project is completed and become the new "god".

Against this backdrop, Naoko Akagi, as the designer and core controller of [MAGI], became an obstacle for Gendo Ikari.

After all, given MAGI's performance, it can monitor just too many things...

If that's the case, he might have escaped unscathed because of good luck...

On one hand, he did not have control over [MAGI], since the control system for this thing was built on Naoko Akagi's personality.

On the other hand, he put forward many theories based on the technology of the "Guyver" world, and perhaps in the eyes of SEELE and Gendo Ikari, he still has value.

"Tsk~"

Thinking about this, Zhang Qi couldn't help but frown. This feeling was really a pain in the ass.

"Are you Zhang Qi?"

A slightly aloof female voice came from behind.

Zhang Qi turned around at the sound and saw a young woman with shoulder-length black hair, delicate features, and a small beauty mark under her left eye.

"you are?"

Zhang Qi was slightly taken aback, as he did not seem to recall this face.

“Ritsuko Akagi…I’ve heard my mother mention you.”

The girl's tone was so calm that it didn't sound like someone who had just lost her mother.

"Ritsuko...?"

Zhang Qi was taken aback, only then realizing that the other person bore a resemblance to Naoko Akagi.

In his memory, Ritsuko should have had striking blonde hair...

"I've also heard Dr. Akagi mention you... My condolences."

Zhang Qi nodded and said in a deep voice.

"Please accept my condolences...?"

"Unfortunately, I don't feel that sad."

Ritsuko Akagi shook her head slightly, a barely perceptible self-deprecating smile playing on her lips.

Her mother abandoned her when she was young, throwing herself into her work. The only contact between mother and daughter was usually limited to occasional letters.

Upon receiving the sudden news of her mother's death, Ritsuko didn't even feel much of the reality; grief was a distant emotion for her.

"Forehead……"

Zhang Qi scratched his head, momentarily at a loss for words. This mother-daughter relationship seemed to be more complicated than he had imagined.

"that……"

Ritsuko Akagi didn't seem to care about Zhang Qi's embarrassment. She paused, then continued to ask:
"I'm about to graduate from university... Could I work for NERV?"

"You should ask Director Ikari Gendo about that." Zhang
Qi shook his head, his gaze subtly drifting to a middle-aged man in a black suit with a solemn expression not far away.

“My mother rarely praises others in her professional field.”

Ritsuko Akagi stared at Zhang Qi.

"After she passes away, you should be the next head of the technology department, right?"

"Um……"

Zhang Qi nodded.

Gendo Ikari did indeed speak with him about taking over Naoko Akagi's position. In return, he would gain higher authority and access to more core secrets about Project E.

"Looking forward to the day I can work with you."

Ritsuko Akagi nodded slightly.

After saying that, she turned and left, walking towards a tall woman in a black dress on the other side.

If Zhang Qi's guess is correct, then it should be Katsuragi Misato.

After this brief interlude

Zhang Qi formally submitted his reply to Gendo Ikari, agreeing to succeed Dr. Naoko Akagi as the head of NERV's technology development department.

If he doesn't answer, he'll probably just disappear without a trace.

Given his demonstrated talent, if he were to join the United Nations, he would clearly become an obstacle to the Human Instrumentality Project.

Moreover, he also wanted to know more about the apostles...

Thus, after Zhang Qi became "one of their own," under the leadership of Gendo Ikari and Vice Commander Fuyutsuki, Zhang Qi stepped into the forbidden area known as the "Final Dogma" in the underground of Tokyo-3 for the first time.

At the end of the deep and oppressive passage was an enormous void.

In the center of the hollow, a white giant was nailed to a huge red cross, with a spiral spear stuck in his chest.

The indescribable sense of oppression made Zhang Qi's heart pound, even through the thick observation window.

"That's truly...stunning..."

Zhang Qi couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, the kind of exclamation humans utter when they see something beyond their imagination.

This is a life form even more magnificent than the ultimate creature in the world of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure"...

"really."

Fuyutsuki, standing to the side, nodded in deep agreement, her tone tinged with complexity.

"When I first saw it, I thought I had met a god."

Perhaps, this is God in itself...

"Welcome to the team, Dr. Zhang Qi."

Gendo Ikari pushed up his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses deep and unfathomable, and he reached out his hand to Zhang Qi.

Zhang Qi nodded silently and reached out to shake his hand.

Despite his dislike for the so-called Human Instrumentality Project, which turns all of humanity into orange juice.

However, in the current situation, almost all the core technologies related to EVA are in the hands of SEELE and NERV.

If you want to explore the truth of this world and acquire more cutting-edge technology, joining NERV, led by Gendo Ikari, is undoubtedly the fastest way.

Given his talent demonstrated in the MAGI project, it was only natural that Gendo Ikari would invite him.

And so, Zhang Qi officially became a member of NERV, serving as the project leader for Project E.

This was followed by access to a massive amount of information that had previously been classified as top secret.

Gendo Ikari seemed happy to show his "sincerity," as many key documents, including the historical outline of the SEELE organization, the investigation report on Adam and Lilith's discovery, and even some interpretations and annotations of the Dead Sea Scrolls, were included in his access permission.

All of this points to one conclusion: the Angels are not natural life forms, but rather, like the humans in the world of "Guyver," creations of a higher civilization...

(End of this chapter)