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

Chapter 185 Trading
The world was pure white, as silent as a vacuum in the universe.

This is the core area of ​​SEELE's American base, a cradle for "God" and also a tomb for imprisoning "God".

The air was filled with LCL's signature scent, which had a slightly sweet and fishy smell.

Inside the transparent reinforced glass wall, there was a pale yellow LCL solution that emitted a faint glow.

A naked boy floats quietly in the center of the liquid.

As if sensing a completely different gaze, the boy in the culture tank suddenly trembled slightly with his long eyelashes.

Then, he opened his eyes.

Those were a pair of ruby-clear eyes, pure and deep, as if they could see through the cause and effect of everything in the world.

His gaze was unwavering, piercing precisely through the thick glass and viscous LCL solution, meeting Zhang Qi's eyes in mid-air.

There was no hostility or wariness in his eyes, only a curiosity and exploration that transcended species barriers.

"Hello, Adam..."

A barely perceptible smile curved Zhang Qi's lips. His voice, though soft, resonated clearly in the pure white space, breaking the eternal silence.

Without the slightest hesitation, he walked straight to the control panel.

As a series of complex instructions were confirmed, the huge culture tank emitted a low, depressurizing sound.

"Wow--"

The sturdy glass wall slid open to both sides, and the overflowing LCL solution surged out like a burst dam, spilling onto the ground.

The silver-haired boy slowly stood up from the solution, droplets rolling down his fair and smooth skin.

He was barefoot, stepping on the cold ground, but showed no signs of discomfort.

He scrutinized Zhang Qi before him, his red pupils gleaming with thoughtful intent.

"Are you an apostle?"

Kaworu spoke, his voice clear and ethereal, as if it did not belong to this mortal world.

"No, I'm human."

Zhang Qi answered calmly.

"I have never seen a human being like you before."

Kaworu tilted his head slightly, seemingly surprised by the answer.

"What determines whether a person is human is not his body, but his ego."

"It is the soul, it is the will, that defines our existence."

Just like you right now…

Zhang Qi shook his head and replied.

Kaworu Nagisa remained silent for a moment, seemingly pondering the meaning of those words.

Instead of dwelling on the definition of identity, he changed the subject.

"Does your release of me mean the appointed time has arrived?"

This is his contract with SEELE.

When the appointed time arrives, he will go to the underground of Tokyo-3 as the last apostle to merge with the sleeping Adam and bring new life to this world occupied by the offspring of Lilith.

"That's it."

Zhang Qi nodded, then changed the subject, his tone carrying a hint of mockery.

"However, the people of SEELE have no intention of keeping their promise. From the very beginning, they have been deceiving you, and they have been deceiving all the apostles."

"Beneath the Third New Tokyo City, deep within the NERV headquarters, lies not your origin—Adam."

Rather, it is our origin—Lilith.

"In other words, you lost from the very beginning..." Zhang Qi's voice was calm, but it struck Nagisa Kaworu's heart like a heavy hammer.

The apostles' purpose is to merge with Adam, trigger the Third Impact, purify the planet, and eliminate Lilith's descendants.

However, Adam's body had already been blown to pieces after the Second Impact, and the apostle's purpose could never be achieved in this lifetime.

Whether NERV destroys the Angels or the Angels destroy NERV, the final result will inevitably be that Lilith obtains the power of the Fruit of Life, and since she already possesses the Fruit of Wisdom, she will become the dominant being and evolve into a being comparable to a god.

At that time, with the help of the Spear of Longinus, a global anti-AT field can be generated, allowing all of humanity to abandon their physical bodies and return their souls to Lilith's womb, merging into a unified whole.

This is SEELE's true Human Instrumentality Project.

"..."

The barrage of information caused a noticeable surprise to appear on Kaworu's usually calm face for the first time.

He listened quietly, his red pupils flickering with uncertain light. After a long while, he smiled helplessly, a smile tinged with self-mockery and understanding.

"You humans... are really cunning."

He had to admit that if what the human in front of him was true...

From the very beginning, they were merely pawns on the chessboard, manipulated and controlled.

"Then why are you telling me all this?"

Kaworu's smile faded, his eyes becoming deep again. He stared directly at Zhang Qi, trying to see through the true motives behind his actions.

"This will add some obstacles to SEELE's plans."

Zhang Qi's answer was simple and direct.
"By the way, let's verify an idea."

"There are no perfect beings in this world. Whether it's Lilith or Adam, they are ultimately just technological products that have transcended the current dimensions of humanity."

Everything that is a product must have its own inherent operating logic, which means that it is not unanalyzable…

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Qi extended his right hand.

Light gathered in his palm, and space seemed to be folded and distorted.

A flawless, deep blue octahedral cube appeared out of thin air in his palm and began to rotate silently.

It exudes pure energy fluctuations, which is the form of the Fifth Apostle, the "Thunder Angel"!
"For science, the most important things are objectivity and reproducibility."

Zhang Qi's voice possessed a kind of preaching magic.
"The same experiment, as long as the experimental conditions are met, will yield the same results no matter who does it."

This is the realm of science.

The work of scientists is to explore and summarize the underlying principles of reproducible objective phenomena.

"Humanity... has it really progressed to this point?"

The moment Kaworu saw that azure cube, his face, which had seemed indifferent to everything, revealed an undisguised shock for the first time.

That was not just an imitation, but the actual creation of an apostle!
The being before us, who calls itself "human," has an unbelievable level of understanding of the Apostles.

"I guess so, although there are still some things I don't understand."

Zhang Qi flipped his hand, and the cube of the Thunder Angel vanished instantly. He looked at Kaworu, his gaze calm and profound.

The groundwork has been laid enough; now it's time to propose a deal.

Kaworu took a deep breath, as if trying to inhale all the shocking information in this space into his lungs.

He knew he had no way out, or rather, from the moment this man appeared before him, his life had been led onto a completely new and unknown path.

He re-examined Zhang Qi and asked the final, and most crucial, question.

"What do you want me to do? And what...why would I get in return?"

Zhang Qi smiled, a smile that was meaningful and carried an irresistible allure.

"What I am about to give you is something that, as a living being, you cannot refuse..."

(End of this chapter)