Shinji Ikari, the pilot of Unit-01 during the Spirit Awakening Era

"..." Hiei and Kurama exchanged a glance. Although Urameshi Yusuke is usually a bit carefree, please don't treat him like a fool when it comes to really important moments. Apart from not being good at studying, his brain is still very sharp.

"What are your thoughts?" Kurama glanced at Yusuke Urameshi. He was right; they didn't necessarily need to find the door immediately. Moreover, Kurama had thought much more than Yusuke Urameshi. Even if they found it before the demons of the Demon World, it would be strange if those powerful demons didn't know what was happening once they started sealing it.

“I think…” Yusuke Urameshi glanced at a path that was faintly visible at the end of the woods, “Perhaps…”

"Perhaps I really didn't expect Shinji to bring you here!" Ryoko Sakaki, who had just returned from the factory, hugged Shinji Ikari, who had knocked on the door of the Polaris Dormitory, and then happily pulled Mei Isayama into her small dormitory. "We were just preparing for our weekly dormitory dinner, and you've come at the perfect time!"

"Oh? This is truly a case of better timing than early arrival. I was just thinking..." Shinji Ikari's eyes lit up. What kind of place is the Polar Star Dormitory? Every chef here in the Totsuki Culinary Group is among the top-tier chefs in the entire Totsuki Culinary Group.

"Shinji!" A voice that Shinji Ikari recognized rang out. "What are you doing here... Oh, right, you're here to see Ryoko-senpai, aren't you?" The newcomer gave Shinji a firm high five. The red-haired boy seemed to be genuinely preparing to go to the stove, having already tied his hair up with a headband.

"Soma?! Haha, you're in the Polaris Dormitory too?" Shinji Ikari's lips curled up. Although Soma Yukihira's journey had only just begun, the fact that he had already moved into the Polaris Dormitory meant that he was no longer a nobody.

"Yeah, my old man suddenly decided to go on a long trip, so he sent me here to study, hehe! What about you? Didn't you transfer to St. Lin Academy? How was it? I heard that school has no shortage of beautiful young ladies!" Soma nudged Shinji with a smile, his face full of a strange smile. Although his voice was not loud, everyone in this room could hear and see it.

All eyes immediately turned to Ryoko Sakaki. After all, in most cases, a long-distance relationship is definitely not a good idea for any couple! It would give others an opportunity to take advantage of the situation. Ryoko Sakaki glared at Soma Yukihira, then glanced at Shinji Ikari, clearly waiting for Shinji's explanation of this potentially disastrous question.

"You said it yourself, you're a bunch of rich girls who can't cook, and besides, I'm the biggest truant at St. Lin School right now. I can only recognize the names of people in my class." Shinji Ikari shrugged, then gave Soma Yukihira a nudge. You bastard, how could you treat me like this?

"By the way, I heard you just arrived in a police car?" Ryoko Sakaki asked. The Totsuki Group was quite sensitive about Shinji Ikari's identity, so when Shinji Ikari got out of the car at the school gate, a message was sent to both Senzaemon Nakiri and Ryoko Sakaki.

Then, in the next instant, Shinji Ikari's face darkened, but before he could speak, Mei Isayama, who was standing next to him, perked up and huddled among a group of girls, vividly recounting how Ryoko Yakushiji had tricked Shinji. The girls' eyes widened; it was the first time they had ever heard of a police inspector so childishly setting traps for someone. To make matters worse, Shinji's motorcycle was damaged, so he could only grit his teeth and sit on the back of the police car.

"This is terrible!" Ryoko Sakaki suppressed a laugh and nodded to Shinji Ikari, indicating that she was standing with her boyfriend!

"Just laugh if you want to. It's so hard on yourself to hold it in." Shinji Ikari pinched Ryoko Sakaki's cheek in exasperation, his eyes full of helplessness. "Because we received news that demons were causing trouble in New Tokyo, Mei Isayama and I rushed over to help the incompetent Metropolitan Police Department solve the problem. But after we resolved the situation, we were tricked by Ryoko Yakushiji..." Shinji was furious when he talked about it!

Although the people from the Onmyōryō and the Countermeasures Bureau weren't actually summoned by Shinji Ikari, he still made a phone call to both departments, explained the situation, and requested additional reinforcements. This allowed the Special Affairs Division officers to quickly go home after leaving behind some unfortunate individuals.

Not to mention that Shinji Ikari himself led Mei Isayama and the other two all the way to support them. Even if they didn't appreciate it, they should at least have done something to show it! But good heavens, Ryoko Yakushiji actually turned around and screwed herself over.

"Alright, stop complaining!" Ryoko Sakaki patted Shinji Ikari's arm with a smile, speechless at Shinji's pettiness, and then pulled Shinji and Mei Isayama to the dining table.

Although they called it a dinner party, it was actually a weekly internal competition between the Polaris Dormitory! The dishes were naturally very plentiful. With an average score of over 85 points in the Autumn Selection, they were undoubtedly among the top students at Totsuki Academy. Now, each of them brought out one or two dishes as their own, and the rich variety of dishes on the table could definitely be considered a lavish banquet.

A group of people had a noisy lunch, and when it came to the final vote, Ryoko Sakaki and Satoshi Isshiki, who had received guidance from many big shots, fought fiercely until the very last round.

"Why are they so serious about cooking?" Mei Isayama was surprised to see the somewhat somber atmosphere, a far cry from their carefree and boisterous demeanor during the meal. She didn't know what to say, as she and Shinji Ikari didn't have the right to vote, so they stayed quietly to the side.

"Because for them, no, for the entire Totsuki clan, this is just as serious as when we decide the outcome of the battle." Shinji Ikari shook his head. Satoshi Isshiki, who had become one of the new Totsuki Elite Ten, did not receive an overwhelming number of votes. Several people were hesitating about who to vote for.

"Ding!" Isshiki Satoshi placed his chopsticks on the plate in front of Sakaki Ryoko, and everyone stared at him with surprise.

"A very high level of completion. It seems Ryoko is still bothered by her loss to Tsukasa Eishi," Isshiki Satoshi said with a smile. "No brewing, no marinating, she almost completely abandoned her strongest areas, yet the dish she created is already of such a high standard. This makes me feel quite threatened! Ryoko, why don't you challenge the Elite Ten sometime? Your current level should be enough to make you one."

"..." Ryoko Sakaki glanced at Shinji Ikari and decisively refused, "No! I have no interest in challenging the Elite Ten."

"Hmm?" Isshiki Satoshi looked at the girl in front of him with great surprise. The Elite Ten represent the second-tier power structure in the Totsuki Group, and their decisions cover almost every aspect of the entire academy. Yet Sakaki Ryoko refused so decisively. Her courage is a bit frightening.

"Becoming one of the Ten Outstanding Members doesn't mean anything. In fact, quite the opposite, becoming one of the Ten Outstanding Members will inevitably take up a lot of your time and energy with academy work. I don't covet the status of one of the Ten Outstanding Members," Ryoko Sakaki said with a smile. "However, I am quite interested in the hundreds of you!"

"Look! A strong woman! A gigolo!" Mei Isayama poked Shinji Ikari's arm and started teasing him with a laugh.

"..." Shinji Ikari rolled his eyes at Mei Isayama, who was causing trouble. Ryoko Sakaki's excellence didn't need Mei Isayama to emphasize it. The reason why the other outstanding graduate chefs were willing to mentor her was because her level had been tested many times and she could keep up with their cooking.

"But in the end, I still want to congratulate you, Isshiki Satoshi-senpai."

"You're too kind. Next time, I'll give it my all!"

I sent it. I'm still busy outside today, and I estimate it won't be until 8 or 9 pm after dinner. Oh dear, I need to take a day off. I've been having some issues lately, so I need to sort things out and catch my breath. Having a baby really puts me in a bind, especially for freelancers like me...laughing and crying.

Finally, to avoid making the ending seem too abrupt, I need to think carefully. I currently have two plans: one is to follow the standard ending of EVA and RahXephon, transitioning to creation, a forced and harmonious ending; the other is an ending that ignites a complete counterattack by humanity. Basically, this book should end sometime this month.

Chapter 398 Mari's Information

"Wangda-kun, it's not really appropriate for you to come out to see me with your girlfriend and rumored lover like this." Mari leaned back comfortably in her chair, looking at a book in her hands. She was as serene as an ordinary college girl. If it weren't for the fact that New Tokyo hadn't fully recovered yet, she probably would have been approached by talent scouts and some hot-blooded con artists, just like in the past.

“It’s a pretty good way to disguise yourself, and they won’t care too much if they know, it’s just a bit expensive.” Shinji Ikari smiled at Ryoko Sakaki without looking at her. Ryoko gave Shinji a charming eye roll, and then Shinji suddenly felt something was wrong. After calling out “Aise” twice in his mind, he realized that Ryoko’s smile had become even happier. He immediately realized that Aise had run over again. No wonder Ryoko had bought two sizes of underwear earlier.

"Pfft... It's really embarrassing for Wangda-kun to be so stingy." Masami's face immediately broke into a smile, which turned into a cat-like smile. Just then, the waiter brought over the coffee she had ordered. Masami immediately picked up the book in her hand, put on a shy look, and nodded to the handsome waiter.

Before turning away, the waiter gave her a handsome smile and left. Mari looked relieved, then quickly filled her coffee with milk and a sugar stick, took a sip, and looked shy, as if she was stunned by the handsome guy and needed to drink some coffee to calm her nerves. After the handsome guy returned to the bar, he was teased by his colleagues.

After all, there were just too many beautiful women in their coffee shop today. The two women at the next table were already quite eye-catching: a mature woman in a tight-fitting outfit and a smiling female student. Moreover, the people in the shop recognized her as the creator of a series of flagship products recently sold by the Totsuki Group, who had recently made a strong challenge to the Totsuki Group's chief executive in the autumn selection! She was the new genius female head chef of the Totsuki Group, Ryoko Sakaki, who had been continuously featured in magazines.

For a shop like theirs, which relies on a good location, handsome and beautiful waiters and some trendy drinks, and soft marketing to survive, if this person today were to say that the drinks weren't good, they would probably be finished immediately! Fortunately, Ryoko Sakaki (Aise) didn't mean to make things difficult for them. After receiving some free snacks from them, she was even quite satisfied with their sensible "offering".

"Stingy? Putting aside the physical exertion, 500 million yen is hardly something to be called stingy." Shinji Ikari rolled his eyes. An average worker's annual salary had already been burned up during their casual stroll. Although Ryoko Sakaki wasn't short of money, spending her boyfriend's money was a pampering experience, a feeling of being cherished. Sensing this feeling from Ryoko, Aise Kurosawa ran over...

As for Mei Isayama, that was pure robbery! She only bought the most expensive items! She spent over 500 million of the 200 million yen all by herself, dragging Ryoko Sakaki into several luxury stores! Shinji Ikari rolled his eyes at the sight.

"Pfft... What a huge grudge! Boyfriend disqualified!" Mari, who was covering her face with a book, curled up her lips and smiled broadly. As a very special person, her feelings for Shinji Ikari were less like peers looking at each other on equal terms, and more like an elder looking down on a junior, after mixing in some of her friendship with Shinji's mother, Yui Ikari. Combined with her somewhat unrestrained personality, this resulted in the current ambiguous atmosphere of constantly flirting with Shinji.

"Can we talk about something serious? You went through all that trouble to have Kaji Ryoji notify me to come out and meet you, there must be some real purpose to it, right?" Shinji Ikari said, somewhat speechless. The woman in front of him was definitely enjoying watching him make a fool of himself. If she could communicate with her mother right now, she would definitely have gone and joined her mother in loudly mocking him.

"Has your mindset changed somewhat since you entered S-class?" Mari pursed her lips, turned a page of her book, and seemed to continue reading.

"There are some exceptions, but in a sense, that's normal. If an S-rank character were to be so meticulous and cautious in everything they did, people would really start to suspect that I'm possessed by something evil." Shinji Ikari took a sip of his coffee, frowning slightly. What kind of dishwater is this? Hand-ground coffee? Who are they trying to fool?

To prevent the shop owner from being cursed to death for a ridiculous reason like "what kind of garbage is your coffee?", Shinji Ikari looked up and saw a cup of fruit tea. As long as the fruit is fresh, adding some honey will make it taste good.

“You’re not always being… um~” Mari was still saying something when she quickly saw Ryoko Sakaki’s (Aise’s) half-smile in the reflection in front of her. Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat, and she felt that she should change the subject, or something bad might really happen. “Okay, your actions will obviously provoke a lot of people. You should be prepared for that, right?”

"Yes, so what new tricks does SEELE have up its sleeve?" Shinji Ikari immediately realized that the real reason this person had come to see him today was none other than that SEELE, after a period of rest following the end of the conflict with the Babem Foundation, had recovered.

After recovering, SEELE needed to continue their previous "grand plan." Since they couldn't deal with the more troublesome Babem Foundation, it was only natural to tackle the less dangerous but also less troublesome entity—their own. Shinji Ikari had naturally anticipated this and was prepared for it. In fact, he suspected that the constant infiltration of demons might have been orchestrated by these same individuals.

"It was indeed an operation targeting you, but it wasn't entirely aimed at you." Mari's eyes narrowed slightly, a dangerous glint flashing within them. Others might not see it, but she knew very well that Yui Ikari wasn't dead; her soul remained! "Because your Unit-01 demonstrated combat power they couldn't control, they went from treating you as a valuable pawn to..."

These people destroyed the market, shattered the cage, and crushed those once high and mighty aliens! They gave humanity, who had once lived in dire straits, a glimmer of "hope" in their lives, a fantasy that had become reality! After all, the Eternal Emperor proved one thing: that the human spirit can stand tall and upright, and does not need to bow to anyone!

Thinking of this, Shinji Ikari glanced at Ryoko Sakaki across from him, who was smiling sweetly. Alice Nakiri had told him some things with a smile before. Ryoko Sakaki's strength was probably beyond her own expectations. The drinks and candies that could promote the circulation of ki and spiritual power were on the prohibited sales list in some countries, and then became hot commodities on the black market!

Humans are a race with a very strong ability to adapt. Although this era has become a bit strange, humans are still adapting to it quickly, starting with... food.

"So, they absolutely want to eliminate you. But now, because of the power you've displayed, and the centrifugal tendencies within NERV headquarters itself, they seem to have abandoned their previous methods. Recently, a very special item was found in a package sent from the moon to Earth." Mari smiled. Many people had witnessed the battle between Rahula and EVA a while back, and EVA's fighting prowess had shocked many! It had also made SEELE overcome her initial hesitation and make up her mind.

"Logically speaking, they shouldn't have many cards left in their hand." Shinji Ikari nodded with admiration. Multitasking was quite difficult, but thankfully Ryoko Sakaki knew he was exchanging information with someone and was simply feeding him cake. This is the taste of this cake... As a pastry chef with some experience in desserts, Shinji felt that the possibility of the shop owner being cursed had increased slightly.

Unlike the mysterious Seele in the original work, Seele, with the treacherous guidance of his father and his own ambiguous understanding of the plot, lost the initiative when he was brutally beaten by the Babem Group lured there by Shinji Ikari. His important transportation base was destroyed, exposing his huge base on the moon, which shocked many people, including many who thought they were ruling the world.

Even if these people don't directly oppose SEELE, they are still quietly creating trouble for SEELE in various ways.

"Wangda-kun, underestimating people is a bad habit!" Mashiro shook her head with a smile. "SEELE has prepared a huge trouble and opponent for you this time. You'd better be mentally prepared, even if you're ready to move the battlefield elsewhere."

"Hmm...so you mean, the time when you're sure the other side will attack is very likely to be..." Shinji Ikari frowned. Don't these guys know what it means to die together if we're all doomed?

"Hmm! That's about enough. There are too many paparazzi on the street. I'm leaving now. Good luck, Woof woof!" Mari's eyes darted around, noticing that more and more people were watching her from various spots! Oh dear! Who told her to be so conspicuous?

"Hmph..." Shinji Ikari glanced around and released his aura for a moment. Many people looked in his direction with some fear in the face of Shinji Ikari's sudden outburst, including even a waiter in a coffee shop.

"Wow... that really is a convenient ability!" Mashiro pretended to freeze for a moment, then turned around and looked at her surroundings strangely. She patted her chest, as if she thought she hadn't discovered anything. Then she looked at the people looking in her direction from all directions with a hint that these exposed guys had been completely exposed.

"Finished talking?" Mei Isayama glanced at Mari Makinami, who had stood up, out of the corner of his eye, then turned his attention back to Shinji Ikari, whose expression remained unpleasant. He rolled his eyes. Using his power to intimidate people? You're something else! But judging from what Mei Isayama observed, it seemed to have worked quite well, managing to extort so many worthless people in one go.

"I guess so, I got it." Shinji Ikari said succinctly. Modern technology is so convenient. What used to require film and documents for intelligence trading can now be stored in a tiny chip the size of a fingernail. Just now, under the guise of looking around in fright, Mari casually flicked herself in front of Ryoko Sakaki (Aise). At this moment, everyone's attention was on Shinji Ikari, and no one noticed Mari's little action.

"It seems...so interesting!" Ryoko Sakaki's eyes sparkled. It was hard to tell whether it was Ryoko Sakaki herself who was expressing her feelings, or Ayase Kurosawa, who was experiencing intelligence activities firsthand for the first time, who was pleasantly surprised.

"Have you got everything?" Shinji Ikari glanced at Ryoko Sakaki, whose eyes were sparkling, and for some reason, he reached out and rubbed his waist. This action almost made Mei Isayama, who was standing next to him, burst out laughing.

“We don’t have much stuff.” Mei Isayama covered his face and chuckled. “A lot of things will be delivered directly to our place, so you don’t have to worry.” Luxury stores may not be good at everything, but their service is always top-notch. As long as the money is right, home delivery is practically a basic service. And clearly, Ryoko Sakaki and Mei Isayama, who spent over a million yen in one go, are more than capable of enjoying such service.

"We only have one handbag, and we've really never had an experience like this before. Thanks!" Ryoko Sakaki thanked Shinji Ikari with a smile. Although the two of them were not very old, Shinji Ikari and she were both relatively busy, and there were very few days like today when they had time to stroll around properly.

"Alright, can we go back now? Today has really been tough enough." Shinji Ikari stood up and stretched. For him, the key thing was already in his hands. Mari was an experienced guy, so he didn't need to worry about her.

“Let’s go! Let Ryoko take a good look at you when we get back!” Mei Isayama said with a double meaning.

"You bastard... remember to pay up!" Shinji Ikari rolled his eyes speechlessly and held out his hand to collect the bill!

"Slap!" The thug!

Chapter 399 His Intelligence

"The companion of the Eternal Emperor..." Shinji Ikari stared at the signature on the intelligence report and suddenly fell silent. He never expected to see this signature here. His heart suddenly became very complicated. He felt a kind of chuunibyou feeling, as if he had suddenly become the mastermind behind the scenes. Shinji Ikari suddenly felt very complicated, with a bit of pride.

After arriving at his residence, Shinji Ikari and Ryoko Sakaki engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand combat. After repeatedly defeating Ryoko, she fell into a deep sleep. Only then did Shinji turn on his computer and begin reviewing the documents Mari had given him. He then noticed this signature in one of the intelligence reports.

"Is this the kind of action driven by human pride?" Shinji Ikari removed the memory card, connected to Wi-Fi, and searched for recent news. He had been so busy with his own affairs lately, with all sorts of trivial matters leaving him with little energy to care about things thousands of miles away. However, the content revealed in these news articles left Shinji with a surprised expression.

Unlike the turbulent political situation and the imminent threat of an alien invasion that has been creating a strong sense of crisis within Japan, what has unfolded abroad is a magnificent scene of humanity's unyielding spirit, with small-scale hunts of alien races already underway.

This time, the strongest humans in South America set aside their prejudices and united to massacre a clan's settlement! They created a huge news story! And these people weren't afraid at all, directly wearing various anime character costumes, even the Eternal Emperor's costume. This photo gives Shinji Ikari the feeling... Damn, this is a large-scale anime convention cosplay scene.

However, when paired with the burning manor behind them and the three powerful demon heads that terrified the entire country, which they had thrown to the ground, the photo was full of power and tension. As for who was affected and what kind of impact it had, that depended entirely on who was looking at the photo from what angle.

When Shinji Ikari saw the photo, he was stunned for a moment. He then silently took out his phone and sent the photo to a certain unscrupulous director. As for whether the director would be sleepless all night or burst into tears, Shinji Ikari didn't intend to guess.

This may have been an unintentional oversight by Mari, or it may have been a deliberate surprise for Shinji Ikari. In any case, because of Shinji's actions, some people began to emulate him and stand up against various supernatural beings and the strange and evil organizations that arose with this special era.

"This is truly an era of geniuses..." Shinji Ikari remarked with some emotion. Only S-class beings could contend with an S-class! Unless they used A-class powerhouses as cannon fodder, piling them up with their own lives to wear them down. But what organization could afford such extravagance as using A-class powerhouses as cannon fodder? Therefore, those few S-class corpses represented nothing more than that among this group of delusional individuals, there was at least an equal number of S-class powerhouses to their opponents! Only in this way could they annihilate the entire demon race.

"And this has already happened three times! Should I say these guys are incredibly bold, or is this really premeditated?" Shinji Ikari laughed as he looked at the increasingly outrageous feats online. "Too bad, time is tight, otherwise I might have joined in the fun too!"

"What are you doing here?" Ryoko Sakaki, wearing pajamas, draped her black hair over Shinji Ikari's shoulders like a waterfall, nestled against his back and yawned adorably.

"It's nothing, it's just that most chuunibyou guys do cosplay, it's just that the venue and props are a bit..." Shinji Ikari said with a smile. "I don't know whether to admire their costumes or think their behavior is crazy." Shinji Ikari wasn't sure if others were crazy, but Ryoko Sakaki was definitely crazy! Did she and Aise develop feelings for each other while sharing a body?

“This is really…” Ryoko Sakaki (Aise) poked Shinji Ikari’s chest with a mischievous smile, then glanced at the webpage and looked at the contents with great surprise. “This is more than just a little bit.”

"Yes, this has ignited a war. If nothing unexpected happens, they will either become a turning point in history or become fleeting heroes." Shinji Ikari looked at the news with a slight sense of感慨 (gan3kai3, a complex emotion encompassing both admiration and regret). To be honest, after waking up this time and finding this damned world in such chaos, Shinji Ikari was somewhat disappointed with this world, feeling that the people of this world were a bit too weak-willed.

After all, Shinji Ikari's experiences and insights differed with each of his consecutive time travels, and he gained something from each cycle.

UNSC's style is to fight to the death, with knees and spines forged of steel, and unyielding spirit! As the vanguard deployed by UNSC, Hellscreamers are born to wreak havoc amidst enemy encirclement! Fear? Weakness? Just kidding, Hellscreamers have never had such feelings.

In the training of G Gundam, in addition to the Master East style, the old man East also taught Shinji Ikari a vision that encompasses the world and the spirit of a warrior!

In what was almost a previous life, before she went mad, Sensui Shinobu gave Shinji Ikari a lot of guidance: what responsibility is, what it means to protect the weak, and what it means to have a belief that will forge your glory!

Of course, the two masters later showed Shinji Ikari what kind of mess a strong person with a screw loose would make... The old man from the East and Sensui Shinobu are quite similar in that their beliefs were shattered at some point by the shameless acts of humans, or rather, a certain group of humans. Their pride made them unable to believe what they were seeing! As a result, their own beliefs collapsed.

Having been killed by his master in two lifetimes, Shinji Ikari touched his chest; it hurt quite a bit! However, compared to the old man from the East who was in tears after killing him, Shinobu Sensui fell into the Demon World with an incredulous expression.

So when Shinji Ikari saw that the humans of this era weren't putting up a hard-fought resistance and struggle, but instead seemed to have given up and accepted the status quo, he developed some prejudice against them. What a bunch of useless idiots! Of course, whether for survival or out of habit from his past life, Shinji still actively went to slay these demons and monsters.

But now it seems that's not the case. These people who have stood up have proven with their actions that humanity's backbone remains strong, and that a mere coarse peace with these monsters cannot be achieved solely through the deterrence of nuclear weapons! When humanity decides to fight back, many will step forward!

"You sent it to...Sen-sui Shinobu?" Ryoko Sakaki looked at Shinji Ikari quickly sending several links to Sen-sui Shinobu's number and felt speechless. Her intention to stir up trouble was far too obvious.

"This used to be his obsession, his pride, and now someone is following in his footsteps, which means that this path still exists and is correct." Shinji Ikari shook his head. Although Sensui Shinobu may not be as obsessive as he was because of his disciple's act of remonstrating with his death, he still has no intention of accepting humanity again. Now, Sensui Shinobu is an unstable existence. He might become a bomb, or he might become a huge help, just like when he faced the Eternal Society.

"So what we got today... um?" Ryoko Sakaki (Aise) turned to look outside, frowning in displeasure. "They've really got some nerve." They'd overheard the evil god eavesdropping; that was truly astonishing. The aura of the evil god quickly spread out.

Meanwhile, Rei Ayanami, who was preparing to rest on the second floor, was looking up as the shrine enshrining the sacred mirror suddenly opened. Originally planning to go to the bathroom before going to sleep, Rei quickly hid under the covers and tucked in. However, soon after, she heard the shrine close outside. She peeked out and saw that everything seemed normal. She blinked and then turned over to go back to sleep.

"Save my life. If nothing unexpected happens, it should be SEELE that's contacting me." Shinji Ikari shook his head. There are only two organizations that can move freely in and out of Tokyo-3, which has deployed all its surveillance and control systems. And since Helena, who was previously under NERV's protection, is now in charge of Babem, there are really not many unpleasant guests who can come.

"No way!" Ryoko Sakaki (Aise) glanced at Shinji Ikari, made a playful face, and didn't care what he thought! "Your sister has already taken away the other person's soul. You can ask about their purpose yourself tomorrow." After saying that, Ryoko Sakaki stretched and flopped onto the bed. "I'm going to sleep now! I'll go back by myself tomorrow."

“Actually, you should buy a car.” Shinji Ikari glanced back at Ryoko Sakaki. Right now, apart from being a little short on points within the Totsuki Culinary Group, she had no shortage of other currencies.

“Great idea! Order one for me, I don’t need to ride that fast.” Ryoko Sakaki’s eyes lit up. This was a pretty good idea. Although it was great to experience the thrill of speeds of over 200 kilometers per hour while riding on Shinji Ikari’s back seat, she could have a completely different experience if she rode it herself.

"Okay, I'll order a car for you from Ryuji tomorrow. Do you want the women's model or the racing model?" Shinji Ikari closed the webpage. This wasn't the time to focus on things in South America. If everything went smoothly, he might travel the world when it was all over. For now, he continued looking at the information.

The other party had obviously planted a Trojan horse in these files. My computer got infected after reading them and exposed its location when I first connected to the internet. But it didn't matter. Anyway, I and SEELE were already locked in a life-or-death struggle, and both of us were well aware of that. So, adding a little more to the bill wouldn't make a difference.

He hadn't expected the SEELE people to be so stubborn as to come charging straight at him. NERV's intelligence department should know that they enshrined Himuro Kirie's sacred mirror here, so how could they not know anything about it? This surprised Shinji Ikari somewhat. Had the head of the intelligence department, who was considered a disgrace to NERV, actually improved? Had he kept his secrets hidden? Shinji Ikari suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

Now that he'd been exposed, Shinji Ikari didn't bother to hide anything. He started flipping through the files and searching for relevant information. Anyway, there wasn't anything suspicious on the computer. If they had the guts, let them see it. At most, it was just XP being exposed, right?

"So it really is you?" As he flipped through the photos and documents, Shinji Ikari saw a picture, though there was a significant difference in appearance. "Kaworu Nagisa, isn't your appearance a little rather shabby?!" Shinji Ikari smirked. His appearance proved that a very crucial moment was about to arrive. If Shinji Ikari and Unit-01 could win, then there would be a next step. If they were defeated, perhaps humanity would have to experience what it meant for a sudden turning point to bring about the end of the world.

Shinji Ikari knew perfectly well that Kaworu Nagisa was a humanoid Angel, and ironically, he had even served as the supreme leader of NERV! An Angel leading an organization established by a human specifically to target Angels! What a ridiculous joke this Inquisition was!

Shinji Ikari carefully examined the boy in the photo. In a sense, this was the true final boss; compared to him, the Angel of Power was merely troublesome. In the TV series, he piloted Unit-02 to fight Unit-01 to the death, and in the movie, his power was exaggerated, defeating the already god-like Unit-01 with a single blow. In terms of temperament, he inexplicably resembled Rei Ayanami… but that didn't quite fit either, since his aura was more like a younger version of Ryoji Kaji.

(Putting everything else aside, the gay atmosphere when Shinji Ikari was with this guy was just ridiculous. Wouldn't it have been better to use that same energy on Xiang, who was practically ready to crawl into bed with him at the time?)

"But this time, it seems you're not so confident you can take me down in one go," Shinji Ikari chuckled. If he were truly confident, he could, of course, do what he did in the movie: a high-speed descent and a single spear thrust that destroyed Shinji's Unit-01. "However..."

However, this one is definitely not easy to defeat. Throughout the entire Neon Genesis Evangelion storyline, there has never been a direct confrontation with him; they were all basically plot-driven deaths, with him offering virtually no real resistance. Whether he will put up a fight this time, Shinji Ikari can't guarantee.

"I'm sorry... the future you want is not mine."

I just got home today. I didn't type a single word all day. Looking up at the sky, I was planning to pull myself together this month, but I never imagined that these social obligations would be so unavoidable lately. I'm also completely out of drafts. I'm so sorry, I apologize. I'll go to bed early tonight and get up early tomorrow to start writing. I pray my son will spare my hair and glasses and give me a little time to write.

Chapter 400 War Preparations

"This is intelligence from the US military. They have discovered a huge shadow approaching Japan... Um, Dr. Akagi, are you sure it's okay?" Maya looked at Ritsuko Akagi with a conflicted expression. Her lower abdomen was slightly protruding, and anyone with eyes could see that Ritsuko Akagi was pregnant. However, Ritsuko Akagi was still working at a high intensity, as if she had completely forgotten that she was pregnant.

Of course, Maya's dilemma might involve more than just this...