Chapter 101 133: Taken!

Click.

After swiping the ID card, the light turned green, and the airtight door slowly opened, revealing the steel corridor behind it.

The last time Shinji came here was during the headquarters-wide blackout. To reach the bottommost level, he had only caught glimpses along the way; this time, he saw far more strange instruments.

"That's a MAGI test unit. Its computing power is insufficient; it was mainly used for experimental personality simulation."

"Personality? Did you never consider the dangers of Artificial Intelligence?"

"Shinji-kun, you seem to harbor a heavy wariness toward AI."

"Of course. Any soldier of the Empire is wary. We trust simple mechanical structures more. Only those with souls and faith can resist the encroachment of the Warp."

The two chatted as they walked. Shinji never hid his experiences in the 41st Millennium, and Ritsuko Akagi, unlike others, preferred to analyze them from a technical perspective.

The future in Shinji's mouth didn't sound like a future at all. With no high-calculation AI, administrative efficiency was abysmally low. Apparently, the Administrative Bureau of this "Imperium" could work its employees to death just processing paperwork; a planet could be destroyed and not receive a reply for years.

Yet their combat power was immense, possessing extremely high-end biological modification surgeries—and she happened to be an expert in exactly that field.

"Never treating human life as anything of value? That Empire is truly cruel."

"Humanity has to be cruel to survive. The Imperium is bad, but Chaos is worse. The dangers the Imperium faces aren't nearly as... leisurely as they are here. To be honest, I still haven't fully adjusted."

'Leisurely?'

Facing monsters on the level of the Angels is "leisurely"?

Ritsuko didn't know what to say for a moment. She knew Shinji's story, but she had never taken it to heart. A middle schooler in his second year—it was normal to have some fantasies. As a scientist, she naturally scoffed at things like "transmigration."

However, after experiencing so much, she began to try to believe.

A person who had experienced countless near-death encounters, who fought every single moment—for a person to live a century like that, how low must the survival rate be?

She dazed for a moment. Forget the Pilots selected by NERV; if you threw all 3 billion people on Earth into that dark galaxy, would even ten thousand survive after a hundred years?

"I understand a little now. Perhaps only that kind of experience could forge someone like you, made of iron."

Ritsuko continued forward, suddenly calming down during the conversation, even forgetting her twisted intent to watch a "good show."

"Why don't you hide it?"

"Hide it?"

Shinji rolled his eyes and said with curiosity, "No one can verify it anyway, and I don't care whether others understand or not. As for danger, am I supposed to be afraid you'll slice me into specimens, or that SEELE will come for me?"

Ritsuko was choked up again. Confidence stems from strength—much like how she still couldn't fathom how a special operations agency directly under SEELE had been taken over by Shinji.

"Of course, rationally, I hoped to use that experience as bait, but the result was disappointing. Those filthy things didn't follow me—at least, not in this material universe."

"Filthy things? That 'Chaos' in your stories?"

"Yes. If they existed, this world would have been destroyed long ago. So, you should recite the Emperor's name; He only sent an Angel."

Truthfully, at this stage, Shinji had finally breathed a sigh of relief, which was why he had the interest to participate in something like a school festival.

SEELE might be a colossus in Gendo Ikari's eyes, but after several probes, he realized they were merely so-so.

If there were truly the power of Chaos behind them, he would have been locked in a bitter struggle long ago. Those blue-skinned deceivers could toy with all of humanity in the palm of their hands; the Human Instrumentality Project would look pathetically crude in their eyes.

Ritsuko didn't quite understand, but she understood the weight of the "Emperor." From the description, He seemed to be a fellow professional.

"I'd actually like to meet the Emperor. We'd probably have a lot to talk about."

"You?"

Shinji didn't want to discourage her. After thinking about it, he chose the gentlest phrasing: "Then maintain your loyalty. Perhaps you'll have the chance for your soul to return to the Golden Throne."

"What do you mean 'soul return'? Do I have to die first?"

"Obviously. Do you expect to see the Emperor while still alive?"

Ritsuko fell silent. This story wasn't fun; it was full of blood, cruelty, and despair. She occasionally wondered how there were still living people in such a screwed-up world.

At this point, the corridor reached its end. Ritsuko ended the topic and placed her hand on the access control.

"Are you ready?"

"If you already believe in my experiences, do not ask such a stupid question."

Shinji was getting impatient. Unless there was a winged birdman standing behind the door, nothing was going to shock him.

Click.

The heavy doors slowly slid open, and the lights flickered on one by one. Shinji frowned.

He saw a giant brain-like device in the center, surrounded by glass walls like an aquarium. Floating inside were... Rei Ayanami.

Yes, identical copies of Rei Ayanami. Hundreds of them, sleeping like infants. For a normal person, the impact would be staggering. In this world, cloning technology was a top secret. If one harbored even a bit of affection for her, they would likely collapse on the spot.

It was like a plot point in a game: your girlfriend is a mass-produced tool. Upon discovering the truth, one should be shocked and broken, leading to various branching endings.

Ritsuko Akagi kept watching Shinji's expression. Her twisted "pleasure-seeking" mindset completely vanished because the boy's face held only calm, mixed with... a hint of disdain?

"Is this the reality you wanted me to see?"

Shinji walked into the room, examining the Rei Ayanamis behind the glass walls. As he moved his arm, he could see their eyes following his movement.

Truthfully, seeing hundreds of Rei Ayanamis look up at once was a macabre scene. But Shinji shook his head and offered his critique:

"No soul. They are all nothing more than shells with only conditioned reflexes. Your craftsmanship is cruder than I imagined. These dolls have absolutely no combat value. It seems you've made some progress in biology, but you know nothing of the soul."

'Wait, why are you critiquing the craftsmanship?'

Ritsuko, who had expected the boy to break down, froze for a moment. She said with a bit of indignation, "You understand cloning technology?"

"Similar technology matured long ago in the Death Korps of Krieg. That is gene-culturing, not mere cloning. Every soldier is distinct, every one possesses an independent soul. Then, by

flash-indoctrinating them with combat techniques, millions of loyal soldiers can be harvested in a short time."

Ritsuko opened her mouth, tried to imagine it, and found herself unable to speak. Compared to such mass-produced war machines, these clones of Rei Ayanami were indeed subpar.

"So Rei is just the combination of your cloned body and Lilith's soul. The truth is as simple as that?"

"Yes. If Rei II dies, Rei III will be activated."

A sickly smile appeared on Ritsuko's face as she spread her hands. "That's why I said Rei Ayanami is just a tool. I reminded you repeatedly not to invest too much emotion."

The cold, cruel truth: Rei Ayanami was just a consumable. No matter what happened, destroying the body would reset everything.

She finally saw displeasure on Shinji's face and took out a remote control. "I brought you here to give the choice to you. Rei is very useful in many ways."

She was indeed useful—the equivalent of an infinitely regenerating resource. Strategically, one could even use her as cannon fodder an infinite number of times; after all, if she died, there would be a new one.

Shinji looked at the densely packed Rei Ayanamis, staring into pair after pair of eerie red eyes.

"That was before. The current Rei is a normal human. Judged by her soul, she is unique."

Click.

Before Ritsuko could even react, he reached out and pressed the red button. The glass walls turned red, and the bodies inside rapidly disintegrated. Blood, heads, and torsos surged with the bubbles, staining the fluid a deep crimson.

The intense visual impact sent Ritsuko to the floor, dry-heaving. "You killed them? Without a hint of hesitation!?"

"These things cannot be called 'human' to begin with, so there is no talk of killing. I don't like leaving a way back. For humans, there is no such thing as resurrection. Therefore, I will not let Rei die, and there is no need to keep opportunities for resurrection."

Shinji watched the fragmented, beautiful bodies calmly. To him, this scene didn't even qualify as an appetizer. He crouched in front of Ritsuko.

"I view Rei as a 'human,' a precious comrade. I cannot leave these blasphemous things of her behind. Your little probe was meaningless."

Ritsuko Akagi slowly raised her head, her eyes meeting his. He was right—she had thought of tempting him. After all, there was no reason to give up such a useful tool. Whether one wanted to slay a god or replace a god, Rei Ayanami was an unavoidable condition.

Yet this man had destroyed it without hesitation, as if he hadn't considered Rei Ayanami's infinite value for a single second.

Just as Shinji said, with Unit-01, he no longer needed her help to fight the Angels; that was why Gendo Ikari had sold her out without a second thought.

But here, a plan of cloned Reis—worth infinitely more than her—was destroyed simply because of Shinji's promise, simply because Rei Ayanami was treated as a person.

One must realize that this was the most precious place in NERV. Gendo Ikari could give up anyone, but he would never give up this pool of dolls.

She finally understood. The reason Gendo hadn't discarded the Rei Ayanami who had slipped from his control wasn't because of any emotion—it was because he was afraid of the boy in front of her.

"But what am I? I gave up everything, stayed in this sunless basement every day just to help him fulfill his wish. And when I lost my value, I was discarded like a tool?!"

Without comparison, there is no harm. The fire of jealousy ignited a thousand emotions in her heart. All rationality and calm were thrown to the wind. Ritsuko Akagi buried her face in her hands and wept like a little girl.

'I haven't even started yet, and her Heart's Wall is completely broken.'

He watched Ritsuko sobbing and slowly shook his head. This doctor's Heart's Wall was extremely thick; normally, who knew how long it would take to pierce it? But reviewing the process...

He hadn't done anything. Ritsuko Akagi had broken herself, simply because she had overheard an interrogation.

Taken.

Shinji looked toward the entrance not far away, sensing the rapid breathing coming from there.

'Gendo Ikari, you did well.'

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