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

"A motorcycle? Shinji, you have something like that?" Ritsuko Akagi tilted her head, looking at Shinji Ikari in the front seat with great surprise.

"Ah, a regular on the Tokyo Bay highways, riding a monster motorcycle that goes up to 300 kilometers per hour, constantly outsmarting the police," Misato Katsuragi said irritably. The data retrieved roughly depicted Shinji Ikari's wanderings all over Japan. "You seem to be very busy."

"There's no way around it, it's not easy for me to support myself. By the way, speaking of which, if I were to join NERV, what would my monthly salary be? There has to be a figure, otherwise I'd be jumping off the train." Shinji Ikari tilted his head and looked at Misato Katsuragi beside him, asking a rather realistic question, which made Ritsuko Akagi in the back seat's eyes flicker, giving her a very realistic understanding of Shinji Ikari's maturity.

“I’ve checked. Your annual living budget is 300 million yen, which is more than enough for you,” Misato Katsuragi said with a smile. Little brat, I finally guessed one step into your plans. You still want to ask about money, don’t you? I wonder what Shinji Ikari does with all that money. It seems he mostly goes on missions alone, so there’s no issue of taking care of orphans. I wonder where all that money goes.

"That's all? Rent, food, transportation, public health insurance, there's hardly any money left. NERV is so stingy." Shinji Ikari quickly complained. His words instantly made Misato Katsuragi feel like needles were pricking her skin. Ah, the pressure was immense. "I was planning to stay in a room with better lighting, but it looks like I'll have to stay in a discounted room."

“300 million yen is already the standard for the middle class,” Misato Katsuragi muttered to herself.

"Yes, at the very bottom of the middle class, once you've passed probation at a company, you can get a similar income. If you join a better, larger company, you can definitely get a higher salary. It's not high in any sense, and it's still a combat position. Are there any extra subsidies?"

"As far as I know, no, unless you can grow your income slowly over a decade or more like Misato Katsuragi." Ritsuko Akagi shook her head with a smile, indicating that Shinji Ikari shouldn't think too much about it. "Besides, this is your living budget, and you'll need to submit receipts for approval."

"Tsk..." Shinji Ikari curled his lip. "Then I have to go out and work. This corporate culture is really too much."

"Let's not talk about that now. We're almost there. Shinji Ikari, to be honest, do you think there's anything different about NERV compared to the ones you've encountered before?" Ritsuko Akagi asked curiously.

"The characteristic of these organizations is that they like to make themselves mysterious, as if we are very important and great, but in fact, in most cases, they are still groping their way forward with only a superficial understanding of what they are dealing with." Shinji Ikari turned to look at Ritsuko Akagi. "The difference is... NERV seems to be richer, and all the facilities are huge! It's meaningless. For example, this elevator that hasn't arrived after twenty minutes. In an emergency, you can expect to die of anxiety on the way."

"..."

"..."

Chapter 10: I've also worked on film sets.

"So this is my so-called combat suit?" Shinji Ikari looked at the several white lab coats handed to him. They weren't loose anymore; they were rather baggy. A speechless expression appeared on his face. "Putting aside whether they increase resistance to impacts and bullets, what the hell is the use of this thing? Does reducing my agility help me resist gravity?" Shinji Ikari lifted the suit. It wasn't very heavy; it seemed to be filled with some... liquid and air?

"It does have an anti-gravity effect. After you put it on, press the button on your wrist! It can be retracted." Ibuki Maya was somewhat speechless, looking at the shirtless Shinji Ikari with a blank expression. His standard muscular physique and numerous crisscrossing scars indicated that the boy in front of her was not a simple student, but a seasoned warrior.

"I refuse... This thing looks so stupid to wear, it's like something out of a tokusatsu movie. Am I supposed to strike a transformation pose and summon my armor or some other equipment?" Shinji Ikari rolled his eyes to express his refusal.

"Stop being stubborn! The test is about to start! Hurry up and change! Hurry up and change! Today is a simulation experiment, wearing this will make you feel less stressed." Ibuki Maya had never seen anyone as unreasonable as Shinji Ikari. She shoved the clothes into his hands and pushed Shinji towards the changing room. "Hurry up, Misato Katsuragi and Dr. Akagi are waiting for you!"

"What is all this nonsense? The stunt doubles for special effects fight scenes in pardon movies cost a fortune! You guys are always ripping me off!" Shinji Ikari grumbled, then went into the dressing room to change his clothes.

"Eh! You know about this?" Shinji Ikari's words surprised Maya Ibuki, who was clearly not expecting such a situation.

“Yeah, anyway, once you put on the suits, you won’t be able to tell who’s who. My other buddy and I were out fighting to remove the cursed spirit when a tokusatsu director saw us and invited us to be his stunt doubles.” Shinji Ikari took off his suit, stretched his limbs, and his joints cracked. His angular muscles were projected onto the curtain by the light, creating a muscular silhouette. Maya Ibuki was stunned for a moment, her face slightly flushed, and then she quickly turned around and took a few steps away.

"Then we helped out in a few matches. Often, the hours we spent playing for others earned us more than we did from removing low-level cursed spirits." Shinji Ikari shrugged. "It's just that the thing is stuffy and hot. When you take it off, your whole body is covered in a layer of water."

"Oh, the latest one is still showing, it should finish playing this weekend." Shinji Ikari changed into his battle suit, then pressed a button on his wrist. "Oh! This thing is much more interesting than the suit!" Then Shinji Ikari quickly stretched his body.

"Hmm?" At this moment, Ritsuko Akagi had already begun receiving the monitoring data, and she quickly started browsing it.

"How is it?" Misato Katsuragi, who was drinking coffee nearby, walked over, took a look, and immediately had a surprised expression. "As expected, Shinji's physical abilities are no longer within the scope of ordinary people. We should be glad that our top candidate has given us a big surprise."

"Yeah, I heard that someone initially planned to let this boy stay at their house! They had ulterior motives!" Ritsuko Akagi casually teased her friend, but his glasses reflected the light from the computer screen, so it was impossible to see what was flashing in her eyes.

"What nonsense are you talking about? It's just that my rented room is available, so he doesn't have to rent another place." Misato Katsuragi twitched her lips. Ritsuko Akagi, that person, really has a vicious mouth.

“Oh, really?” Ritsuko Akagi tilted her head and glanced at Misato Katsuragi.

“Yes!” Misato Katsuragi crossed her arms and glared fiercely at Ritsuko Akagi.

“I’ll just take it as true for now,” Ritsuko Akagi said with a smile. Then she heard the door open. Ritsuko glanced at it out of the corner of her eye and said quickly, “Good job, Maya! It seems Shinji Ikari doesn’t like his combat suit.”

"Yes! I really didn't expect that Shinji Ikari had actually acted in a movie, although he was a suit actor." After bringing Shinji Ikari to the test site, Maya Ibuki quickly came up and sat down in her seat, and then told her the news she had just heard.

"So much red!" The group was shocked. Where did Shinji Ikari get so much energy to do so many things? He was constantly exorcising spirits, and now he was even acting in movies?

“Yes, he said the stunt doubles pay quite a bit,” Maya Ibuki continued, recounting the news she had just heard. “And it’s currently showing in theaters.”

"Ahem! Focus on the mission..." Sitting on the platform, Fuyutsuki Kōzō softly reminded the group of NERV operators below who had started chatting idly, indicating that they should be doing something now, definitely not chatting. Since their leader had spoken, everyone fell silent instantly, their eyes fixed on the surveillance video not far ahead.

"Is this some kind of cockpit?" Shinji Ikari knocked on the door of a simulated cabin in front of him. He was speechless. When he saw this on TV before, which looked like the lever on a naval watertight door, he thought it had a lot of flaws. Now he had to crawl in and experience a water burial later. It was a pain in the ass.

“Yes! This is the EVA insertion plug. Today is just a test run in the simulation system, so don’t worry too much. It will be over soon,” Misato Katsuragi explained to Shinji Ikari with a smile.

"...Since it's a simulation, why not make an electric door? Did you really use all your funds to dig tunnels?" With a sigh, Shinji Ikari reached out and pulled the lever of the thing. After opening it, he stepped inside. In the narrow space, there was something that looked like a recliner.

"Actually, it should have been the staff who opened it for you, but you're strong, so it's okay," Misato Katsuragi teased. Then Shinji Ikari saw a few people waving at him from the side. As they closed the isolation door, only the positioning devices on the chair remained, still emitting a faint light, providing Shinji with a general sense of direction.

“Great! You can tell me a little earlier next time! Misato-nee! The 3-day luxury suite tour of the Suzuki Hotel in Shikoku is no longer available for you! Dr. Akagi, please consider it?” Shinji Ikari sat down and stretched. The feeling of lying back made him feel like he was on a reclining chair in the summer.

"Such blatant attempts to sow discord are so tasteless, Shinji-kun." Ritsuko Akagi smiled, glancing at Misato Katsuragi, who was furious beside her, and teased Shinji Ikari, "Now, let's start injecting LCL. After a little adjustment, you'll be able to breathe."

"Ah... I hope it's not something sticky. Besides, I'm not worried about my lungs, I'm more worried about my stomach. I hope this won't make me sick." Shinji Ikari looked at the liquid that was quickly submerging his ankles, scratched his head, and realized one thing: it was good that he took a shower before leaving the house...

"Don't worry, LCL is the basic fluid that makes up life. Just think of it as artificial amniotic fluid." Ritsuko Akagi explained simply to Shinji Ikari, then nodded to Maya Ibuki beside her. With Maya Ibuki's operation, the formal simulation experiment began, and the insertion plug was slowly inserted into the restrained EVA Unit-01.

"LCL injection complete. Now, we will begin the simulation test, proceeding with the second contact and connecting to the display interface." As Maya's voice rang out, the light inside the entire insertion plug began to change, and the scene began to shift rapidly.

"A10 neural connections are normal, LCL ionization status is normal." Maya quickly began debugging the system according to the procedure.

"Thinking in Japanese, everything is working normally," Ritsuko Akagi concluded.

"All communication rework is now enabled, the synchronization rate is steadily rising to 43.1%, and all projects from 1 to 1427 are operating normally." Maya's tone was filled with excitement.

"40%? How can it be so low?" Shinji Ikari tilted his head, picked at his ear, and then his face turned extremely ugly... It was still sticky! But looking at the environment before him, which resembled a steel cage, he licked his lips and suddenly remembered a scene from a real-time strategy game he'd played in his earliest life. In the storyline involving Kerrigan, the Queen caused a ruckus at the beginning, dismantling the young prince's laboratory. He pursed his lips, and suddenly felt an urge to try it himself...

“That’s already pretty good. Now let’s start using the simulated alternative environment. Shinji, feel your own hands and feet, and then…” Ritsuko Akagi wanted to continue explaining to Shinji Ikari, but she soon discovered something astonishing.

"Oh! Here it comes! Is this the simulated combat test environment?" Shinji Ikari looked surprised. In front of him was a huge city and a large number of targets floating there.

"It is indeed a training space for you. Do you have any familiar weapons? We have some options here." Ritsuko Akagi looked at the giant robot on the screen with an interested expression. Misato Katsuragi and Ritsuko Akagi both understood one thing: Shinji Ikari had successfully piloted this giant.

"Medium-caliber assault rifles, standard semi-automatic pistols, and standard-sized swords. If convenient, rifles, machetes, and most long-handled weapons are also acceptable," Shinji Ikari said simply. Then, the group watched as Shinji Ikari's Unit-01 began to stretch its limbs and perform simple extension exercises in the simulation space.

"I feel a slight imbalance in my body, like the sluggishness of someone severely injured. It seems that the synchronization rate you mentioned is also very important!" Shinji Ikari said in the communication.

Shinji, have you seen The Matrix?

"I've seen it, so what!"

"The weapon you requested! It's here!"

"Wow!"

Chapter 11 Simulation Battle

As Ritsuko Akagi finished speaking, rows of buildings revealed the weapons and equipment stored within. The variety of weapons was quite comprehensive, ranging from pistols to assault rifles to the somewhat monstrous Gatling guns. Of course, there were also some firearms with very futuristic designs. Although there was only one of each type, it seemed to be enough for Shinji Ikari to play with for a while.

"It does have a bit of the Matrix vibe." Under Shinji Ikari's control, Unit-01 reached into the cabinet and took out a pistol. It did something that made Misato Katsuragi's heart skip a beat. The EVA, dozens of meters high, skillfully picked up the gun from the weapon cabinet, ejected the magazine, and pulled the bolt. Like a veteran, it raised the gun and made a few aiming motions, even checking the condition of the barrel. After chambering the round, it even pulled the trigger to test the feel.

“You seem very familiar with firearms…” Misato Katsuragi answered the call. The mysteries surrounding Shinji Ikari were piling up, which made Misato Katsuragi extremely curious about them.

“Yes, although they weren’t mine, I’ve seized some and handed them over to the police. But because of this, I also received full weapons training at the Metropolitan Police Department. After all, this is an era where powerful gangs and cults raise ghosts and see ghosts. They sometimes want to find professionals like me. Although I’m a bit stingy with money, I’m more willing to talk to them in other ways after they help me.” Shinji Ikari inserted the magazine and cocked it.

"This is truly a frustrating situation," Misato Katsuragi said with a helpless expression. NERV had heard about what Shinji Ikari was talking about before, and they were even certain that some of the things mentioned were recorded in their records.

He certainly wouldn't say that his familiarity with firearms stemmed from his first life after beginning his transmigration journey, which involved firing tens of thousands of rounds on Reach. On Reach, while he wouldn't say he fought every single battle, he had fought spectacularly in places like Bayonet Base and New Alexandria, even believing at one point that he could change the course of the entire war! Until he was killed by a Spectre with a single leaping attack and a hammer blow…

It's all in the past, but those bygone years have still left some impact on Shinji Ikari. These memories honed his muscle memory, and combined with his own practice of the skills taught by his two masters who had beaten him to death, they shaped the Shinji Ikari we know today.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" After checking the pistol, Shinji Ikari narrowed his eyes slightly. He actually felt the recoil of the pistol after it was fired. This was a really interesting feeling. This was what made Shinji Ikari truly begin to understand what kind of situation the EVA he was controlling was. Even though it was not his own body, he could really feel the same sensations as if it were his own body.

"The synchronization rate is increasing?" Maya Ibuki suddenly exclaimed. She was quite surprised by the data. They had already thought Shinji Ikari's synchronization rate of over 40% was quite good, but they never expected it to increase further. "It seems Shinji Ikari really likes firearms?"

"Huh? What happened?" Ritsuko Akagi rushed over, staring intently at the screen in front of her. The constantly updating data on the screen surprised her greatly. She immediately connected the call and asked, "Shinji? Are you experiencing any new sensations in your body?"

"It feels incredibly magical, like it's my own body!" Shinji Ikari's tone carried a hint of joy as he rapidly clenched and unclenched his fists within the simulation system of Unit-01. With the synchronization rate increasing significantly, Shinji felt the ping value for this action delay also decreased considerably. "It's very interesting!"

To be fair, the unconventional start might have made things a little less amazing for him. After all, if it were like in the anime, when he first boarded the EVA, the Water Angels would have already attacked. Now, after experiencing it, Shinji Ikari feels that he has a 50% chance of adapting to the operation of the EVA and successfully unleashing his combat power.

But the other half... will probably follow the classic historical plot of all timelines: although I fought hard in the battle, the final result is still that I was defeated by the water angel because I was not familiar with these strange things... and then the protective mother went online and beat up the water angel.

However, Shinji Ikari felt that since there was already a beginner's learning process, that guy shouldn't be too difficult to deal with. After all, compared to those supernatural beings later on, the Water Angel, who honestly fights you, is a rare breed. The last few are all more spiritual beings, constantly causing this or that kind of pollution. If it were this difficult right from the start, he would basically be doomed.

“This is a very good phenomenon! Take your time to experience it. I’ve put you on the target! Do you want to move the target?” Ritsuko Akagi nodded. Perhaps having a candidate with strange experiences isn’t such a bad thing.

"It would be even better if we could have simulated combat targets! Even those giant monsters from tokusatsu shows would be fine!" Shinji Ikari said quickly. "Whether it's acting in those kinds of things or fighting those kinds of things, I have some experience."

"Ah, this..." Misato Katsuragi said somewhat speechlessly. She had already heard Maya Ibuki mention that Shinji Ikari had experience in filmmaking. As soon as Maya mentioned it, a large group of people were already making plans to go see a movie that evening to see if it was really as good as Shinji said. At least she estimated that after the experiment ended, Makoto Hyuga would be eager to talk to Shinji about his experience in making tokusatsu films.

“We don’t have any giant monsters, but maybe we can ask you to do some motion capture next time. But how about simulating the Self-Defense Forces?” Looking at the data in front of her, Ritsuko Akagi decided to go all out. The white light from the computer screen shone on her glasses, and the smile on her face looked more than just a little dangerous.

"I couldn't be happier! I've wanted to beat up these annoying idiots for ages." Shinji Ikari tucked his gun into his waistband, then, noticing there were no familiar holsters or anything, shook his head. He picked up an assault rifle from the weapon cabinet beside him, quickly checked it like he had with the pistol, and then practiced a few shooting stances to get a feel for it. "Can we begin?"

“A mechanized brigade and an armed helicopter regiment are heading your way. Have fun!” Ritsuko Akagi said with a smile, then cut off the data. “Gather some rough data. If EVA is equipment comparable to the Angels, then at least we understand EVA’s combat capabilities.”

"Let these bastards wash their necks clean." Shinji Ikari curled his lip. To be honest, not counting his memories from his previous life, he and these self-righteous, stupid Self-Defense Force bureaucrats had long had a lot of conflicts. Not backstabbing each other and shooting each other was the limit they could manage. Letting them die was a basic routine. Being able to pilot Unit-01 and beat them up was a dream come true.

The Self-Defense Forces' top brass is almost hopelessly obsessed with this kind of mystical stuff, and even established a special task force for the Self-Defense Forces! However, their attempts to mess around in the city were met with firm resistance from government officials, and the truly professional ones have kept their distance from these military forces since World War II. So, the two sides often end up... competing for resources in some field operations!

For Shinji Ikari, who relies on earning money to support himself, this kind of money-robbing bastard deserves to die even more! After all, when he was training, he could eat several times the amount of food a normal person would eat in a day!

"But... Dr. Akagi, you've lost twice the number of troops you and Shinji Ikari were talking about." Shigeru Aoki said, somewhat speechless, wondering what they were thinking.

“That’s called being lenient with the enemy!” Ritsuko Akagi smiled as she returned to her seat and said, “And let this somewhat arrogant little guy experience the adult world.”

"Vice Commander Fuyutsuki, since we're going to simulate something... let's go all out. It'll be good for those Self-Defense Force bureaucrats to understand things clearly, what do you think?"

“Okay…” Fuyutsuki laughed. Shinji Ikari had given them many surprises, so let Shinji Ikari give those guys who always make sarcastic remarks a little shock.

"Enter emergency simulated combat status now! Open simulation system, map loading and transformation! This base is under attack by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. Local forces are launching an attack on the Third New Tokyo City from three directions: sea, northeast, and southwest. The total force consists of two armored brigades, three air wings, and two armed helicopter regiments. Troop deployment begins!"

"Huh? They changed the map? Hmm!" Shinji Ikari looked completely bewildered. Suddenly, the screen went blank, and although he could still feel his feet on solid ground, the sudden darkness made him feel a sense of danger. However, as a veteran who had been brought down from the old guard, he had a gun in his hand and was not flustered.

"Shinji Ikari, listen up. This simulation has now been upgraded to a small-scale exercise. We will be fully supporting you from now on! You need to prepare for a major battle."

"Understood. Can you provide weapon and equipment support like before?" Shinji Ikari cracked his neck, and his vision gradually returned. However, his hands suddenly felt light, and he no longer felt the grip of the gun. At the same time, his body seemed to be bound and unable to move. He looked around and saw the catapult! Tsk tsk, how interesting.

"The defense line of Area A3 has been breached, and Self-Defense Force troops are advancing! The enemy is launching an attack on Tokyo-3 from multiple directions, including by sea and land!" Shigeru Aoki's voice came through, which made Shinji Ikari realize that this meant the exercise had probably begun.

"EVA Unit-01, emergency ejection! Deployed for combat! Shinji, how are you feeling?" Misato Katsuragi asked in a strong voice.

"anytime!"

"catapult!"

"Well!"

Chapter 12

Wielding a massive spear, he charged forward. The earth-shaking power of Unit-01 when it ran was beyond description. Soon, Shinji Ikari saw the shells coming from afar.

"Hey!" Shinji Ikari had a sudden thought, and then he saw EVA dash forward a few steps, leaping two or three hundred meters in one bound, naturally dodging the series of shells. Continuing to run forward, Shinji Ikari could already see the location of the shelling aimed at him.

Shinji Ikari wasn't sure if he could successfully activate the ATField, but based on what he knew, the small-caliber rapid-fire cannons of infantry fighting vehicles and the rockets of attack helicopters posed no problem against the EVA's armor plates. He just didn't know if anti-tank missiles and tank main guns, which have armor penetration capabilities of 600 mm or more, could penetrate the outer armor plates.

However, this reduction has already taken away at least 60% of their firepower, leaving them with only a few dozen main battle tanks, or even just a dozen or so tanks, and a small number of airborne and vehicle-mounted heavy anti-tank missiles. If they are careful, wouldn't that be like having an invincible cheat code?!

After figuring out the relative strengths and weaknesses of each other, Shinji Ikari leaned against the mountainside without hesitation. However, at that moment, he heard some news that made him a little mentally unstable.

"Shinji! Another mechanized brigade belonging to the Self-Defense Forces has appeared in the southwest." Shigeru Aoki said this in the communication.

"Didn't you agree that there would only be one brigade? How come it's doubled all of a sudden?" Shinji Ikari was taken aback. This isn't what we agreed on. Is this how casually you conduct your combat simulations?

“The situation is ever-changing, so let’s just consider it reinforcements that the enemy suddenly sent!” Ritsuko Akagi rested her chin on her hands, raised her thumb to adjust her glasses, and struck a pose that Gendo Ikari often struck.

"This is truly unpredictable!" This clearly doesn't give Shinji Ikari any time to maneuver! Shinji Ikari charged forward a few steps and threw his slashing spear at the huge armed helicopter that was rapidly approaching from the air. The lead armed helicopter was completely caught off guard and was pierced through, falling erratically and crashing into the convoy that was approaching Shinji Ikari. At least four or five armored vehicles were rendered combat in an instant.

"Well done!" This brilliant strike drew gasps of amazement from the command center. In an instant, they may have wiped out the fighting force of one or two platoons. Their combat effectiveness was truly remarkable!

"Hmm... It's better to receive well than to fight well!" Shinji Ikari said simply, then drove the EVA straight up and charged into the unfortunate convoy that was unable to deploy its forces at all on the coastal highway. He slid in and kicked a bunch of armored vehicles into the sea. He then pulled out his spear and kicked the nearby debris towards the convoy in the distance, sending several more unfortunate vehicles flying into the sea.

"It looks like he quickly figured out how to deal with these ordinary-sized human vehicles!" Misato Katsuragi watched as he swung his spear, flattening or kicking them away without hesitation, and occasionally picking up an armored vehicle from the ground and throwing it at the armed helicopters like a shuriken. The few idiots next to him had already started trying to get the view of the helicopters being hit. Seriously... do you think you're watching a tokusatsu movie?

“No… I think he might have seen similar scenes before. It’s possible in tokusatsu movies. Of course, we all know that the Burning Giant Demon incident broke out in Kyoto at the beginning of last year. Although the matter was eventually resolved by the Onmyōryō, do you think our young man went there?” Ritsuko Akagi maintained her Gendō Ikari posture and continued to watch EVA Unit-01, which was wielding a spear and starting to kill those self-propelled cannons. She narrowed her eyes. The little guy was obviously eliminating targets that posed a threat to him.

"He's just a low-level sorcerer, why would he get involved in something like this?" Misato Katsuragi looked at Ritsuko Akagi with disbelief.

"If he were just an ordinary sorcerer, why wouldn't he be willing to hand over his information to NERV? Have you thought about that?" Ritsuko Akagi said with a smile. The intelligence department hadn't just been given a dressing down by Vice Commander Fuyutsuki that day; they were thoroughly scolded and then began to obediently search the world for real information about Shinji Ikari.

Then something really funny happened. The Onmyōryō confirmed Shinji Ikari's identity as a spirit detective and a registered exorcist, but remained silent about any other information about him. Several beautiful shrine maidens pretended to be very curious, enthusiastically serving them tea while subtly trying to elicit information from them. The idiots in the intelligence department only realized what was happening after drinking tea for half an hour. The leader quickly grabbed a few colleagues who were stumbling over their words and ran away.

As for going to the Spellcaster Association, they were even less friendly. After learning that they were going to ask about Shinji Ikari, the group collectively sneered. One of the senior officers simply pointed to the door, not even giving them the most basic courtesy, and bluntly expressed their attitude of kicking them out.

If only one side reacts, NERV might be able to explain it away by saying they don't have enough face or that they've offended someone. But if both sides react similarly, it means that Shinji Ikari's identity is probably not as simple as just a low-level jujutsu master and exorcist. Especially considering the attitude of those high-ranking jujutsu masters, the fact that these arrogant, deadpan guys are reacting like this means that this kid has done them a favor.

Only after Totsuki Academy checked the records did an employee approach Nakiri and say something. Nakiri then formally replied, "No such person can be found at Totsuki Academy." This was clearly a lie; the person was attending the middle school affiliated with the Nakiri Foundation!

Then the question arises: what kind of mess did a third-year middle school student do to warrant the collective secrecy of three organizations?

"Hah!" With a roar from Shinji Ikari, EVA Unit-01 assumed a horse stance, tucked its fists to its waist, and then leaped into the air in the next instant. Two helicopters that were climbing to avoid an attack were smashed to pieces by the suddenly rising EVA, and another was kicked to pieces by Unit-01, which performed a backflip. When it landed, the three helicopters exploded into a pile.

“He just now…” Misato Katsuragi noticed some details and then moved closer to Ritsuko Akagi.

"Yes, ATField has been triggered, but we don't know if it was triggered intentionally or unintentionally." The data began to fluctuate dramatically the moment Shinji Ikari jumped. Under normal circumstances, an EVA couldn't jump that high, let alone perform a spinning kick in mid-air…

"Hmm?" He grabbed a Type 90 tank lying to the side, tossed it around in his hand, then assumed a pitching stance, standing on one leg, pulling his arm back to its limit, and then lunging forward! A full-force swing! A high-speed fastball!

"Oh! The speed is approaching! 900 kilometers per hour (Unit-00 dropped Longinus and directly killed the Bird Angel on the track)! The fastest Type 90 in history!" Hyuga Makoto shouted loudly. The moment they landed, the convoy traveling on the road in the distance was as if it had been hit by an electromagnetic railgun, and the ground exploded.