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

Chapter 174 Shock
A few days later, news that the third branch of NERV in Germany, along with hundreds of square kilometers of surrounding land, had been completely wiped off the face of the earth spread rapidly around the world.

The leaders of major countries received the report immediately, which was filled with the smell of scorched earth and radiation, and were immediately filled with uncontrollable anger and suspicion.

Those top biologists who were summoned by SEELE under the guise of "joint research" were the treasures of their countries in the field of life sciences, but now they have vanished along with that secret base.

In an instant, countless encrypted lines lit up, and strongly worded interrogation letters flew like snowflakes to NERV headquarters in Japan.

They demanded an explanation, a statement that could console the souls of the deceased and quell public opinion in the country.

However, the official response from NERV headquarters was as cold as a steel plate on an operating table—an accident occurred during the experiment of mounting EVA Unit-04's S2 engine, triggering an uncontrollable chain reaction that ultimately led to this tragedy.

Naturally, countries around the world will not accept such a conclusion.

Conspiracy theories are rampant, pointing the finger at NERV, which possesses the ultimate weapon, EVA, claiming it is a despicable act of monopolizing research results and eliminating dissidents.

However, anger aside, without concrete evidence and still relying on NERV to fight the apostles, all protests and condemnations seem pale and powerless.

Ultimately, this tragedy, worthy of being recorded in history, could only be left unresolved amidst endless bickering and suspicion.

This is exactly the scene SEELE hoped to see.

When NERV's prestige was tarnished by this "accident," they successfully planted a seed of suspicion between humans and NERV.

There is no doubt that the apostles are the common enemy of mankind.

But what happens after all the apostles have been wiped out?

Could NERV, which wields EVA, possesses independent weaponry, and boasts advanced technology, become humanity's next and most terrifying enemy?

SEELE played this game with profound insight and ruthless skill.

They operate behind the scenes, using NERV to fight against the Angels, while simultaneously pushing NERV to the opposite side of the world, clearing the final obstacles for the future implementation of the "Human Instrumentality Project".

At the heart of the storm, NERV headquarters is now shrouded in a more concrete and somber atmosphere of sorrow.

Central Dogmatic Zone, Main Control Room.

A huge panoramic screen scrolled through follow-up reports on the events in Germany, but the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The air was thick and heavy, like congealed blood, making it hard to breathe.

Misato Katsuragi slumped into the captain's seat, her usually vibrant purple eyes now dull and lifeless. Beside her lay an empty beer can, the condensation slowly sliding down its surface.

Ritsuko Akagi, on the other hand, stood like an ice sculpture, her arms crossed over her chest. Beneath her short, golden hair, her glasses reflected a cold, data-driven light, as if she were numbing herself with work.

Zhang Qi... the man who almost single-handedly rewrote NERV's technology tree and elevated EVA's combat power to a whole new level, was also caught up in that all-consuming explosion.

His name was not on the list of survivors.

According to survivors, Zhang Qi was at the epicenter of the explosion, where Unit 4 was located.

Even the usually boisterous Asuka was now sitting silently in the corner, hugging her knees and burying her head deep in her hands.

Shinji Ikari stood not far from her, head down, his fingers unconsciously twisting together, confusion and sorrow intertwined in his eyes.

The man who once affirmed him and taught him how to fight... just like that, disappeared?

However, the apostles would not give them time to be depressed and mourn.

“Woo! Woo! Woo!”

A sharp, piercing alarm suddenly tore through the stagnant air, and blood-red warning lights instantly replaced the indoor lighting, illuminating everyone's faces as if they were ghosts.

"High-energy reaction! In satellite orbit!"

Maya Ibuki's voice, trembling slightly, broke the deathly silence.

"Form confirmed! It's blue, identified as the Tenth Apostle!"

Everyone looked up sharply. On the huge screen, an apostle, as big as an eyeball and with a bizarre shape, was hovering above the Earth's arc. It began to adjust its posture and plummeted toward Tokyo-3 in a destructive trajectory!

The sadness was forcibly suppressed, and the instinct for fighting and duty instantly took over the body.

Misato Katsuragi suddenly stood up, crushed the empty beer can, and her eyes regained the sharp glint that belonged to the operations director.

"All personnel at Level 1 combat readiness! EVA, sortie!"

……

Meanwhile, in an inconspicuous spare office at NERV headquarters, Ryoji Kaji was frowning as he stared at a specially encrypted laptop.

On the screen was his secret communication channel with Zhang Qi. The interface was simple, with only lines of messages sent by him unilaterally.

These days, he sends a message almost every hour, starting with inquiries, then questioning, and finally muttering to himself.

He simply couldn't believe that Zhang Qi, a man so meticulous and calculating to the point of being almost supernatural, would die so easily in a so-called "accident".

This is unreasonable... However, just like countless times before, the message I sent disappeared without a trace, and I received no response.

"Could it be... that I really misjudged the situation?"

"Spare me! I can't possibly stop the Third Impact and save humanity!"

Kaji Ryoji leaned back in his chair, wearily rubbing his temples. A hint of wavering, which he himself was unaware of, began to emerge.

Just as he was about to shut down the computer and give up on this futile attempt, the screen flickered without warning.

That faint flash of light made his heart race more than any explosion at that moment.

He sat bolt upright, staring intently at the screen. Then, a cursor appeared out of thin air, and a new line of text slowly emerged with a steady and undeniable rhythm.

Kaji Ryoji's pupils suddenly contracted, and he almost stopped breathing.

What exactly is going on with the German base?

He typed out his question almost subconsciously, his fingers even stiffening with excitement.

He wasn't worried that the route would be intercepted.

This communication system is directly linked to the highest level of access that Zhang Qi initially implanted in the MAGI core.

Trying to track down or crack it would be tantamount to trying to break through NERV's "Three Sages" supercomputer head-on, which is almost an impossible task.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the screen, as if someone was organizing their thoughts.

"Things are complicated..."

New text appears, SEELE's trap, Colonel Klaus's betrayal, the unfolding of the AT field, and the final explosion, "directed" by Zhang Qi himself, that erased all traces.

After witnessing all this, even Ryoji Kaji, who was used to seeing all sorts of things, couldn't help but gasp and lean back with a soft thud.

"That's it..."

He muttered to himself, and the huge weight that had been hanging over his heart for days finally lifted.

He fully understood the necessity of Zhang Qi's actions.

Putting aside the out-of-control Unit 4, the consequences of Zhang Qi's display of power alone would be unimaginable if it became known to the outside world.

That will no longer be an apostle crisis, but a war for control of the world, driven by greed.

After all, who can guarantee that Zhang Qi will serve that country and manufacture weapons for that country?
"What about the scientists?"

Kaji Ryoji took a deep breath and pressed for an answer.

"Simply put, they've entered a dormant state as spirits. I will release them at the appropriate time..."

Zhang Qi's answer was concise and clear: he had conducted Human Instrumentality on a small scale, collected the souls of those people, and preserved them using the Apostle Core.

When the time is right, he can release them and then reconstruct their bodies with LCL solution.

"That's good..."

Kaji Ryoji breathed a sigh of relief. Although he didn't know how Zhang Qi had done it, those words were enough.

"Aren't you going to tell Ritsuko and the children?"

He then asked, his tone slightly teasing.

"Let's leave it for now. I'll tell you when the time is right..."

"Then don't blame me for not helping you..."

Kaji Ryoji chuckled, imagining the wonderful expressions that Misato and Ritsuko would have when they learned the truth.

"That's all. Remember to report your movements in Japan to me regularly. That's all..."

After he finished speaking, the text on the screen disappeared, and the communication channel returned to silence.

Zhang Qi cut off the communication.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze piercing through the shadows of the room, looking at the heavily guarded, enormous villa in the distance, which resembled a medieval castle.

The towering walls, the dense network of surveillance cameras, and the elite guards lurking in the shadows all testify to the owner's prestige.

This is the location of his target, whom he finally identified through various intelligence channels—the central figure of SEELE, the chairman of the Human Instrumentality Committee, Kiro Lorenz…

(End of this chapter)