Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

She sat down, feeling a little dizzy. The next second, Shinji Ikari suddenly opened his eyes due to pain and turned around with a distorted expression.

"Shinji, what's wrong?" Rei Ayanami asked with concern as she approached him from the side. When she sat down, she felt as if she had accidentally tilted some hard object.

It's broken! It's broken! It's broken! Oh, there's no bone? But it still hurts!

"It's nothing, it's just that I'm... going through my molting period. Every adult male goes through it every year, it's a normal reaction." Shinji Ikari gritted his teeth and took a deep breath.

This minor injury was nothing; Shinji Ikari's Angelic regenerative abilities allowed him to heal completely in the blink of an eye. But what truly made his expression grim was the psychological trauma inflicted in that instant.

"I'm sorry," Rei Ayanami apologized.

Rei Ayanami's overly calm expression would have led an unsuspecting person to believe she was being sarcastic. But Shinji Ikari simply waved his hand helplessly, indicating that he was alright.

Rei Ayanami nodded, genuinely believing that Shinji Ikari was alright. At that moment, Shinji Ikari also noticed the current state of the two of them.

Her delicate little nose, her fresh and moist lips, and her cool and aloof beauty made her seem to belong to another dimension. Shinji Ikari moved his gaze downwards, and then Rei Ayanami's pale, unadorned figure came into view.

It might be romantic at times, but right now, Shinji Ikari is frighteningly calm.

When did it become like this again?

When they were sleeping, it was just a normal sleeping position. After Rei Ayanami finished taking a bath, Shinji Ikari vaguely felt a warm, slightly damp body pressed against his back, but that was all.

But when did it escalate into this entangled situation? Shinji Ikari wanted to recall what happened last night.

But what she truly recalled were dreams. In the swaying mist, scenes from Rei Ayanami's past appeared.

The story revolves around Rei Ayanami's childhood argument with Naoko Akagi, Ritsuko Akagi's mother, and the entire process of Rei being strangled to death.

But recalling this tragic scene, Shinji Ikari remained calm, only slightly lamenting that Gendo Ikari was truly a heartless and ruthless robot.

After Naoko Akagi developed MGAI, she didn't hesitate to make her a new test subject. Using the young Rei Ayanami, she verbally tormented Naoko Akagi, her lover, causing her mental breakdown, and at the same time, she strangled the young Rei to death.

Behind all these tragedies lies the work of Gendo Ikari, a chillingly cold-blooded scheme.

Once no one of value becomes an obstacle, he can kill even his own woman without hesitation; he even uses her death to test the stability of the Rei Ayanami series.

Gendo Ikari may have abandoned his humanity even before he used the Key of Nebuchadnezzar.

But then again, isn't young Rei a bit too sharp-tongued?

175: Heaven or Hell

In the sparse sunlight filtering through the leaves, a blue Mazda sedan wound its way up the mountain, into the depths of the ridge, and stopped directly in front of a black building.

The building, encased in a black glass curtain wall, stands out starkly against the backdrop of these mountains. It resembles a black iron monument erected at the border of Kanagawa and Shizuoka prefectures. The fact that it could be built here suggests the immense power of the organization that houses it.

NERV, the spare parts of the city of Tianjing, the new command post.

The steadfast defenders guarded this place, their figures lean and their gazes sharp. Their uniforms, distinctly different from the Self-Defense Forces' camouflage, were made of multiple layers of high-strength nylon fabric, giving them a steely quality. Their collars gleamed with a cold silver light, while their badges were dark red, and upon closer inspection, they resembled fig leaves cut in half.

Just looking at the scene through the glass created a tense atmosphere, but these elite security personnel seemed oblivious to the approaching Mazda. Even the leader, Keisuke Minami of the Fourth Defense Division, proactively jogged over, bent down, and opened the car door, placing his hand on the top edge to prevent the occupants from accidentally bumping their heads.

"I thought it was Kenzaki Kyoya." Shinji Ikari climbed out of the car and looked up at the skyscraper that resembled a black tombstone.

“Officer Kenzaki has other work to do. If you specifically request that he receive you, I will inform him right away.” Minami Keisuke bowed and scraped, with a perfectly timed smile on his face. “However, you don’t need to make a special trip. We are still in the process of fighting the Angels. Just let us know if you have any instructions.”

Indeed, the drawbacks of relocation have already become apparent.

Because of the severe damage in Hakone, the command center was relocated here for safety reasons. However, most of the original equipment and buildings are still in Hakone, including the launch test site, most of the research institutes, and the four mobile suits, including the sealed Unit-01.

This resulted in the qualified personnel responsible for the counter-offensive and most of the staff remaining in Hakone, while the command center was relocated here. The sense of disconnect was severe before they could adapt.

Shinji Ikari seemed too lazy to answer the question, calmly scanning the entire room with a smile that was hard to decipher—whether it was approval or sarcasm: "Do I need to report to you before I come here? Do I register at the front desk, or do I submit an application online?"

“The third eligible candidate, GEHIRN (head) of the Artificial Essence Research Institute, Shinji Ikari, the head of the Inspection Department, is also one of the suspects in the kidnapping case of Ryoji Kaji. Headquarters provides him with a car, a black Lexus, but he came in Misato Katsuragi's Mazda, his attitude was very clear.” Above the tombstone-like black building, behind the louvered windows of his office, the head of the Second Section of the Intelligence Department patiently explained.

“He’s a lucky little guy, looks like he came straight for me.” The intelligence chief opened the blinds a crack and stared at the boy getting out of the blue Mazda. “He’s been too arrogant, barging in like that.”

Adults have their own rules. A greenhorn like him might be okay for fighting an apostle. But if he comes looking for trouble, a seasoned veteran like him has a hundred ways to make him leave looking utterly humiliated.

Even though he was hiding behind the blinds, Shinji Ikari, who was standing on the ground, suddenly looked up and stared in his direction.

Logically, he should have been absolutely safe from detection, but in that instant, his gaze locked onto the direction of his presence. Then, the intelligence chief vaguely saw a crimson glint, and the next second, the bulletproof glass in front of him shattered.

With just a glance, the intelligence chief covered his forehead, a trickle of blood running down his cheek from under his palm.

"They're up to no good," the intelligence chief sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"He is GEHIRN, not someone who has come from elsewhere," the head of the second section carefully reminded him.

“Oh, yes. He is the master. If it were still the Shogunate era, we would be a bunch of rebellious retainers.” The intelligence chief slowly took the white handkerchief and wiped the blood from his head. “Then we should see him even more.”

“This building was actually started at the same time as Hakone, but it has only just been put into use. It’s a little messy, please forgive us.” Keisuke Minami led Shinji Ikari into the spacious lobby.

"Section Chief! It's a fax from Section 7 of the Labor Department. The 24-story special steel plate on top of NERV is too difficult to repair, and the funds are running low. He wants to know if it's possible to build only the top seven floors." The young man with his hair slicked back ran up to Keisuke Minami with the fax. He paused slightly when he saw Shinji Ikari and Keisuke Minami, and was about to retreat, but Shinji gestured for him to continue with his work and ignore him.

"The local yakuza in Second New Tokyo are obstructing our investigation, claiming we've invaded their territory. Why don't we just wipe them out? When have we ever been threatened by these vermin?!"

"But their brothels recently got a new batch of foreign women, so it's a tough decision! Oh, I'm not saying I'm reluctant to give them up, I just think that while we're cracking down on them, we can also support our operations. If we apply to our superiors, it might even alleviate our financial pressure."

"The power supply to the Jiguang Building near Lake Ashi is malfunctioning, which could affect the operation of Hakone... Also, a new batch of mobile weapons provided by the United Nations has arrived at Nagasaki Port, but the waters there are blocked by the Self-Defense Forces. Are those bastards planning to...?"

Looking at the bustling crowd and the employees carrying folders coming and going, Shinji Ikari sighed, "Everyone's so busy."

This is the General Affairs Department, the core department of NERV, which handles all affairs of the entire intelligence agency. Its main management scope includes administrative organization, staff system, intelligence agency finance, intelligence communication, statistics, etc.

While staff from other departments may still be in Hakone, the entire General Affairs Department has moved to the new command post, allowing Shinji Ikari to see their true colors.

“Because these are turbulent times, we can’t afford to slack off.” Nan Keisuke smiled. “To put it nicely, I’m also fighting for humanity.”

Shinji Ikari smiled but made no comment.

"Watch out for the steps here." Minami Keisuke swiped his card to open the elevator door. "Chief of the Intelligence Department, Honda Yu, has been waiting for you for quite some time."

The car carrying Shinji Ikari arrived at the upper level of this building, which resembled a tombstone. Perhaps because it was not in Hakone, it was heavily guarded, with armed security personnel every few steps.

As Shinji Ikari stepped into the intelligence department's office, the door slowly closed from the inside out. The room was dimly lit, with only a wooden table in the center and a man standing in front of it.

It's often said that those above influence those below, and there's some truth to that. For example, Commander-in-Chief Gendo Ikari always wore his signature sunglasses, which led many NERV employees to follow suit. And then there were the simple, dimly lit rooms.

The intelligence chief in front of them was indeed Gendo Ikari's loyal dog, having learned both of them perfectly.

But coincidentally, both of these elements are what Shinji Ikari hates the most.

So even though it was daytime, the room was unusually dark. A row of candlesticks sat on the long table, their light illuminating the intelligence chief's face.

"Captain Ikari, I understand why you've come, but I'm sorry." The intelligence chief unfolded the case file in front of Shinji Ikari. "I regret to inform you that Captain Katsuragi may have gotten himself into serious trouble."

Shinji Ikari remained expressionless as he quickly skimmed through the case file. According to the file, Misato Katsuragi was suspected of kidnapping the Vice Commander, and there were also allegations of her past abuses of power, including the unauthorized use of N2 bombs leading to the collapse of the eastern Kii Peninsula, the failure of the counter-force Angel operation, and her possible ambition for the Vice Commander's position, possibly involving her collusion with Ryoji Kaji in planning this kidnapping to advance her career.

Misato Katsuragi's accusations were all well-founded, and the case file included many photos as evidence, such as trivial matters like her Mazda having been repaired seven times.

He observed Shinji Ikari's expression, trying to find a flaw in it, but Shinji Ikari only glanced at it lightly before throwing the file back in front of him.

The intelligence chief swallowed hard. He began to sense the steely hardness in Shinji Ikari's indifference, and this silence, which contained violence, sent a chill down his spine.

"And then, what was your decision?" Shinji Ikari smiled and looked directly into the eyes of the Chief of Intelligence.

His eyes glowed a dark red in the candlelight, causing the intelligence chief to instinctively avert his gaze.

“We’re all on the same side, and you’re a great hero, so I won’t tell you any high-sounding lies. We need to extend her detention period. I personally have a lot of faith in Captain Katsuragi’s character, but there’s nothing we can do. We’re in a difficult position because she’s involved in the deputy commander’s kidnapping case.” The intelligence chief’s tone was gentle. “But I can guarantee that Captain Katsuragi will be fine. If you need, you can speak to her now.”

"That's fine then," Shinji Ikari said.

"That's it? What does 'that' mean?" Before the intelligence chief could understand, he saw the boy who made him extremely wary turn and leave the room.

As Shinji Ikari walked out of the office, the door slowly closed from the inside out, and with that click, the intelligence chief realized that the matter was over.

"Is that really it? They're so easy to fool. I had dozens of alternative plans, and they just got away with it like this."

Standing before the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, the intelligence chief held a cup of coffee and smiled.

The head of the Second Intelligence Section stood to the side with his head bowed and eyes downcast, the case file tucked under his left arm.

He picked up the coffee cup by the handle, took a small sip, and sighed slightly, "That's what youth is all about."

When he picked up his coffee again, he found it was empty, and he felt a slight pang of regret. It was unclear whether he was disappointed by the taste of the coffee, or by the unfulfilled sense of accomplishment from having Shinji Ikari so thoroughly under his control.

"Let me add it for you," a familiar male voice sounded from the side.

"Oh, um?" The intelligence chief looked at the young man in the light blue shirt in front of him, and upon seeing that familiar face, his pupils suddenly contracted to a single point. "You are, Kaji Ryoji?! What are you doing here?!"

"Is it strange that I'm here?" Kaji Ryoji raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I'm also the chief prosecutor specially approved by SEELE, and a high-ranking official at NERV. What's so strange about me being in the new command center? On the contrary, it's you, Minister Honda, who is more likely to disturb others by shouting like this."

The intelligence chief instinctively stepped back, then turned and ran towards the door, shouting, "Help! Kaji Ryoji is here! Help!"

As he ran, he shouted at the cameras, knowing this area was also under MAGI's surveillance. Although he didn't know why Kaji Ryoji was there, he was certain that once MAGI received an alarm, the guards in the corridor would rush in and apprehend him!

But when he got to the door, he found that the doorknob was completely stuck. Just as he gritted his teeth and prepared to muster the courage to circle around with Kaji Ryoji until the security personnel came over, a long, narrow dagger pierced his chest from behind.

He turned around and saw Kaji Ryoji, who was holding a dagger, nod at him before handing the dagger to his section chief. He then took out a white handkerchief and wiped his blood-stained right hand.

"Really, I still have to take care of things for you before I die." Kaji Ryoji sighed, "Shinji-kun, do you think someone like me will go to heaven or hell after I die?"

“If we can reunite after death, then hell is heaven.” Shinji Ikari walked out of the door, stepping over the still convulsing body of the intelligence chief with his left leg. “Have you made up your mind?”

Rewind five hours, to the room where Fuyutsuki Kosuke was imprisoned before dawn.

Fuyutsuki Yukizou, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, opened them and stared at the doorway. The hinges made a slight grinding sound, and the locked door slowly opened.

“It’s you.” Fuyutsuki Yukizo looked at the newcomer, his face showing no surprise.

"It's been a long time." Kaji Ryoji quickly walked behind Fuyutsuki Kozo, half-squatting down to untie him. "I'll let the guards outside take a short break."

"This operation will cost you your life." Fuyutsuki Yukizo closed his eyes.

He kidnapped me on SEELE's orders, then released me without my consent. Fuyutsuki Yukizou couldn't quite understand what this man was trying to do. This meant that neither SEELE nor NERV would let him go, and even the Self-Defense Forces couldn't protect him.

"I just want to get closer to the truth in my heart. Besides, it seems that my secret giving of the Key of Nebuchadnezzar to Commander Ikari has been exposed. If I don't find a way to protect myself, things will get bad."

“But Gendo Ikari won’t let you off the hook either; you know too much.” Fuyutsuki Yukizo flexed his wrist.

At this moment, in the corridor behind the intelligence department office at the new command post, Kaji Ryoji took a deep breath, recalling what had happened not long ago.

Although he claimed it was for self-preservation, he knew Gendo Ikari's character well. Even if he hadn't betrayed him, Gendo wouldn't allow someone as worthless and troublesome as him to live.

But now, he still holds two things that might save his life.

Shinji Ikari's voice rang out from ahead, "Have you thought it through, Ryoji Kaji? Do you want to go to heaven or hell?"