EVA: Shinji Ikari Returns from the Dragon Clan

Chapter 159 157. Asuka is the first to go
Ikari Shinji was bombarded with phone calls from Katsuragi Misato early in the morning. He was still a little sleepy, but he immediately became alert after hearing the news about the apostles. He and Ayanami Rei washed up and got on the special car sent by the headquarters - the train on the road had been suspended due to the attack of the apostles.

The remaining Tokyo residents have all evacuated, and at this time only the people at the headquarters need to continue working.

Headquarters.

Almost everyone was present in the command room.

Commander Ikari and Vice Commander Fuyutsuki did not show up, and no one knew where they were now. Fortunately, with the presence of Misato Katsuragi and Ritsuko Akagi, the atmosphere was not too impetuous. At this moment, the big screen in the command room showed the photo of the twelfth angel.

“Is this an apostle?”

Shinji Ikari said in surprise.

There are few things that can surprise him like this, but when he saw this weird thing in the photo, even he couldn't help but ask. It's like one day you become an EVA pilot, and then you see a giant several dozen meters tall, and you suddenly realize that it is an Angel. But you see a super-big ball... Can a dozen EVAs form a lifelong team to play football? One kick might destroy the entire Tokyo.

"It can only be an apostle..."

Misato Katsuragi rubbed her brows.

On the big screen in front of me was a photo taken from a helicopter. A giant sphere with black and white stripes was looming a few hundred meters in the sky above Tokyo. Looking up at the sky from below, even the sun was blocked by the sphere. The black shadows created by the interweaving of light and shadow covered a large area of ​​the ground.

Right.

This inexplicable monster could only be an apostle.

The eleventh angel was dealt with before they even met. The last time they fought head-on, it was only the tenth angel. Shinji Ikari still remembered that it was an angel from space. In a blink of an eye, it felt like a long period of leisurely days had passed.

But what is its attack method?

Ikari Shinji was full of doubts.

The next attack shown, from a helicopter, provides the answer.

The pilot pressed the missile launch button, and suddenly a burst of fire shot out like an arrow. However, unlike previous Angels, the Twelfth Angel did not open any AT force field, and the helicopter's missile attack went straight through its body.

Yes.

Weared it.

It's as if... it's a false illusion.

But everyone can see its existence with the naked eye. If it is really an illusion, where is it projected from? Ikari Shinji has seen some drone swarm performances in the past. They use lights to arrange various patterns in the dark. If it was in the distant past, such a scene would be a miracle for mortals. But it is not night now, and there is no noise of drones flying in the sky.

Seeing that the missiles were ineffective, the pilot fired a few more missiles in despair, but they all passed directly through the apostle's body.

It's as if the two parties don't exist in the same layer.

The helicopter returned.

"I have no idea where the core is..." Misato Katsuragi felt her head hurt from lack of sleep. Damn it, she thought she shouldn't have drunk so much last night. "This new breed of Apostle is really difficult to deal with. Anyway, let's use EVA to make a tentative contact, and then formulate a detailed battle plan after we get more information."

"Tentative contact?" Ritsuko Akagi asked for confirmation.

"Hmm." Katsuragi Misato said worriedly, "We can talk about the attack later. It's best to lure it to a remote place. We can't start a war in the city center."

Lead to remote places...

Shinji Ikari felt that this was basically hopeless. The apostles came for the first apostle "Adam" in the underground city. It was like a tadpole looking for its mother. Who could stop a baby apostle that was several hundred meters long from looking for its mother? Thinking of this, he seemed to have become a villain by defeating the apostles.

"Okay, that's the plan for now. All three of you go put on your combat uniforms."

Misato Katsuragi said.

Because the Angels appeared so suddenly, the pilots who rushed to the headquarters had not put on their combat uniforms yet. Ikari Shinji nodded and headed for his dressing room. Seeing him move, Ayanami Rei also moved. The two girls over there went to the dressing room one after the other, keeping their distance.

The two girls remained silent along the way.

After entering the locker room, one goes to the left and the other to the right.

The difference is clear.

Although the two were both drivers, they did not seem to be familiar with each other at all.

After taking off her dress, leaving only her underwear, Asuka couldn't help but think of Kirishima Mana from yesterday.

Since she came to me, maybe she would also come to this top student. I don't know what tricks she would use at that time... But Asuka quickly overturned this idea, because Ikari Shinji and Ayanami Rei were like shadows following her. With Shinji's protection, the top student would not be contacted by the "spy" at all. The top student was living a much better life than me.

"...You stick together all day long. You came together today too, like two children who haven't been weaned yet." Asuka taunted him, "You two really are a couple who follow each other."

"Jealous."

Rei Ayanami said.

After saying this, she quickly left the locker room, leaving Asuka choking with anger with the words "I'm not jealous" still choking in her throat. She had no place to vent her anger, so she punched the door of the closet. Damn top student, if you have the guts, just stay and fight. She had let go of those things a long time ago, okay? Can you please not use such ambiguous words to describe it!
But now is not the time to be angry.

Asuka came out right after her. Although she knew that the top students couldn't see her, she still glared at Ayanami Rei's back fiercely.

The three pilots changed into their combat uniforms and entered the cockpit, which took less than five minutes in total.

"Then, attack." Katsuragi Misato gave the order, "One person will approach and make a tentative contact first, while the other two will provide cover."

This is the safest solution.

After the helicopter failed to detect the attack method of the apostles, EVA had to contact them in person. However, the danger was unpredictable, and as the director of the Operations Department, Misato Katsuragi made such a plan after careful consideration.

A few minutes passed.

The three machines finally arrived at the designated location.

The ground exit made a slight vibration sound, and the conveyor tracks transported the EVA machines to the ground. The weapons were ready, and with the help of the hundreds of meters of armed buildings around them, the three people with cables moved quickly and quietly moved near the apostles.

It was already daybreak.

The whole city of Tokyo was silent, like an empty city, and it would not look out of place if it were a scene from a disaster movie. Who could have imagined that a few months ago, this city was still so prosperous? In the past, Shinji Ikari had read a science fiction novel about how all humans suddenly disappeared, leaving only one person alone on Earth. The protagonist ran freely in the empty city. If he wanted any brand-name clothes, he could just walk into the mall and wear them. If he wanted to drive any car, even a Lamborghini or a Rolls-Royce, he could take the keys.

But without other humans, without companions.

This is too lonely.

"--Miri Misato, I have a question!" Asuka's voice, like a rebellious student raising her hand to ask a difficult question, came from the communication channel, interrupting his inexplicable sigh.

"Hmm? Asuka, what's wrong?"

"Which machine was the first one to approach and make tentative contact?" she asked.

"Let Shinji do it." Thinking of the results of training three pilots, Katsuragi Misato, the director of the Operations Department, made a decision immediately. However, she realized something immediately, "Why, Asuka, do you want to go?"

"Then let Asuka go first."

Shinji Ikari interrupted.

He always took a nonchalant attitude towards such things. Someone would have to go first anyway, either him or Asuka. Even if he did a good job, he wouldn't get any internship points. His so-called hero complex wouldn't care about such things. Besides, Asuka's fighting ability should not be underestimated. Miss Misato let him go first just to be safer.

As long as the final outcome is good, that's enough.

He believed in Asuka.

"Tsk, I don't want you to give in like that." She muttered in the communication channel. Even so, Asuka still rushed to the front, "Hehe, watch out for me."

The cable was limited in length and could not support such a long distance. She replaced the cable that powered Unit 2 in the nearby Armament Building. Then she was eager to enter the range of the Angel. Misato Katsuragi in the command room seemed to sense her emotions and had to remind her:
"The target is a new breed of Apostle, so don't let your guard down, Asuka."

"I know, I know."

Asuka waved her hand in disgust, but she still took the words to heart. She was not stupid, but even if she was stupid, the previous apostles had taught her enough lessons. If you underestimate them, you will pay the price. Besides, the twelfth apostle was weird in every aspect. If you just rush in, you will only get a bloody head.

Just initial contact.

There shouldn't be any problems... and most importantly, there are Unit-01 and Unit-00 to support us. Asuka subconsciously considered the strength of her teammates without even realizing it.

The three machines maintained their formation and moved together, at a distance that allowed them to support each other. The three had already had experience in simulation training. Asuka carefully moved Unit 2 forward, like testing the thickness of ice in winter, fearing that the ice would break at any moment. This timid look was not like the flamboyant Unit 2, but she took one step at a time and slowly stepped into the visible distance of the Angel.

In the sky.

As if feeling something.

The twelfth apostle, who was still moving forward, paused for a moment.

(End of this chapter)