Chapter 132 164: I’m More Concerned About Where the Enemy Is

"Well, for a detailed report, coordinate with Dr. Akagi. I've already told her what SEELE needs to know. Have the MAGI system crack their encrypted lines in the background and lock onto the committee's off-site locations."

Just as Gendo Ikari suspected, the current plan was running wild like a horse that had broken its reins. SEELE had even reached the shameful point of being manipulated by others.

The manipulator stood on the school rooftop, one hand resting on the railing as he looked out at the boys playing soccer on the field, the other hand giving orders to Ryoji Kaji over the phone.

Silently and imperceptibly, the world was already under his control. Shinji no longer needed to hide anything. Even if he wanted to take Unit-01 on a reckless adventure, Gendo would be powerless to stop him. The higher-ups behind the scenes didn't even know, foolishly approving infrastructure budgets, completely unaware of what their expressions would be if they saw the majestic statue of the Emperor.

"Don't complain. Just execute the orders as given. Vacation? Is that the sloppy, half-hearted attitude you bring to saving the world?"

Click.

Shinji hung up. He felt no arrogance; in his view, this was only natural. Did they really think Astartes were just brainless brutes who only knew how to fight? If not for the Emperor's will and the restraint of the Codex, they could have easily replaced the Empire's inefficient, bloated, and incompetent administrative institutions.

Managing multiple lines of deployment was basic operation; it didn't even qualify as a primary task.

"Marking the annihilation of the Twelfth Angel, the campaign has entered a new phase."

Shinji felt the still-warm January breeze. The battle against Leliel had been his most fruitful operation. Not only did he establish communication with his Machine Spirit and speak directly with his mother, but he had also clarified the concept of the Negative Universe.

'At least now I know who the enemy is.'

The wheel of fate had changed completely because of his return. "God" had found a shortcut, attempting to use his psychic projection to transform into a Warp entity—to evolve from a mere concept into a true god. In a sense, he was fighting against himself. No wonder the "alien" entities after the Third Angel had displayed such high tactical proficiency.

With his own Astartes psychic projection, how could the tactical proficiency not be high?

The bad news was that as the only Negative Universe entity, "He" would be immensely powerful, possessing the boundless sea of souls, making victory almost impossible.

The good news was that "He" was shifting from a concept into a physical entity. Humanity cannot destroy a concept, but they can destroy a physical being.

Indeed, in the eyes of an Astartes, this was good news. Compared to the question of how to kill, they were more concerned about where the enemy was.

Before the critical moment of His birth, before He uttered His first cry, this was His weakest point. A precise moment had to be chosen.

Shinji thought calmly. The fog on the path ahead was gradually clearing. Following this line of reasoning, he realized he actually had the advantage.

Adam and Lilith were the seeds of life planted by God, possessing a strong connection to Him. Conveniently, he held Adam's embryo, as well as Lilith's body and soul, which could serve as early warning systems.

"I must ensure the Door of Guf is opened before He transforms into a Negative Universe entity, introducing the power of the material world. Otherwise, if I miss the opportunity and can only watch, everything will be finished."

He understood the difference between a Negative Universe entity and a concept. A concept is like a computer program, destined to follow a set script without interference from subjective consciousness.

But a Negative Universe entity is different. Once it possesses subjective consciousness, it can use its territorial advantage to rewrite previous programming at will, rendering the Dead Sea Scrolls worthless.

"There are only 17 Angels? If I want, I can create 170 more powerful ones. With the infinite energy of the sea of souls, it would only take a thought. Then the ritual would be impossible to initiate; more stringent conditions could be added at any time. That is the difference between having that 'thought' or not."

A destiny that unfolds according to a set program is vastly different from one woven and modified by a certain will. If it were the latter, the success rate would be almost zero.

He took a gentle breath. His heart accelerated at the thought of such consequences, but Shinji felt no panic about the apocalypse. Or rather, the emotion of "panic" had been forgotten by him long ago.

'Accelerate the pace, unfold in sequence. Beyond that, there is no need to influence anything else.'

He turned his head and saw Asuka standing at the entrance. He had grown used to this; whenever he skipped class, the disciplinary committee member would immediately show up.

"Rei is in physical education class. I just saw her."

Shinji looked down at the courtyard, not at the running girls, but at the group of burly soccer team members crawling on the ground. He frowned; this wasn't what he saw on TV.

"What does she have to do with anything? I'm here to catch you."

Asuka stood with her hands on her hips, walked to his side, and stood on tiptoe to look down. "What are you looking at?"

"Is that the soccer team? What are they doing on the ground?"

"They seem to be looking for pebbles. Afraid of getting hurt later, maybe?"

"Blasphemy. To be afraid of getting hurt during a competitive sport? These people don't have half the courage they appear to. They need correction."

"The class president said they were weird. A bunch of stinky, sweaty boys being so careful... but what does that have to do with you?"

Asuka couldn't help but retort, but suddenly realizing the topic had drifted, she quickly pulled it back: "Can't you make your phone calls somewhere else? You always run to the rooftop."

"It's quieter here. Although, if you wanted to eavesdrop, you should have walked closer."

Shinji listened quietly.

"Who wants to eavesdrop on your troublesome business!"

Asuka raised her voice, then, like a rollercoaster, her tone softened. "But if you want to say something, I can reluctantly listen. I'll even give you some ideas. Don't look down on me; I have a university degree, you know."

'Akagi Ritsuko has multiple doctorates and can't figure it out, yet you think your undergraduate degree qualifies you?'

"Then I won't say anything."

Seeing her fist go up, Shinji explained, "It's not that I look down on you. It's just that you can't help with these matters, so there's no need to stress yourself. Besides, you're already helping. Don't think too much—just stay who you are, and trust me."

'Isn't that exactly looking down on me!? But wait, he actually explained it to me... fine, I'll let him off this time.'

Asuka's mood instantly brightened. It was rare to hear Shinji explain himself voluntarily. She followed behind the boy, chattering away while speaking ill of Rei Ayanami.

Last time, Rei said she would follow him in, and in Asuka's retelling, that became a failure to understand the big picture. "If Shinji dies, we should be the ones shouldering the mission of humanity's survival," she claimed. Shinji praised her, saying her level of thinking had improved significantly.

She adhered to the order of "staying who you are" until they returned to the classroom.

Stare.

When Rei turned her head from the window, Asuka guiltily hid behind Shinji, which puzzled him.

"You used to speak ill of her openly. Why are you afraid now?"

"Who said I'm afraid? It's just... some things need to be kept from her."

Asuka was feeling extremely guilty, and it had nothing to do with talking behind people's backs.

'That idiot actually knows German! That means she heard every private thought I ever had!'

It was as if a massive loophole had appeared in her life. The shame was so overwhelming that Asuka was at a total loss. She didn't dare ask how much Rei had heard, nor did she know how to handle it. She could only force herself to delete the relevant memories—or as the saying goes:

'Just give up.'

"Ikari-kun, there's something I want to tell..."

As soon as Rei opened her mouth, Asuka flashed over and covered it.

"Hahaha, isn't Spring Break coming up soon? Rei was just asking when we're going out."

"That's right, break is coming. Where are you planning to go? How about Okinawa?"

"Rei and Asuka can't leave Tokyo-3, can they? How about somewhere nearby?"

"Yeah, yeah! I still have student council work. The soccer club's grades are terrible; the president wants me to supervise them over the break."

Once the topic was opened, the girls swarmed over. The conversation shifted. Shinji looked at them suspiciously. Although he didn't know the specifics, Asuka clearly had some dirt held over her by Rei. No wonder she hadn't left his side for two days.

He didn't ask, and he didn't care. As soon as he sat down, Toji Suzuhara started complaining.

"That woman Asuka is a monster. I was exhausted from dealing with the Twelfth Angel last time, and guess what? She walked up and asked if I had farted in Unit-02!"

He kept his voice extremely low. Passing the tests to become a pilot was classified—the "loyal shadows" as Shinji called them. Both boys were now filled with loyalty, keeping their mouths shut even to their girlfriends.

At this age, boys have no resistance to the idea of being "secret guardians of the world."

"Be satisfied. It's a big deal that Asuka was even willing to lend you Unit-02. I heard that even when Shinji gets in, she bristles at it."

Kensuke Aida leaned over from the back row, the dark circles under his eyes proving he was still in a state of high excitement.

"Don't say that. Asuka has grown up; she's not that willful anymore. I'm now confident I can 'complete' her," Shinji said suddenly, leaving both of them stunned.

They had never heard him speak up for others before. Plus, the logic...

'Wait, isn't it because she has deep feelings for you, and to save you, she was even willing to lend out Unit-02?'

Both boys fell into self-doubt, but fortunately, they quickly skipped over the topic.

"Shinji, when do you think we'll have our own EVAs?"

"You will. But before that, you must work hard to increase your synchronization rates. EVAs are precious assets; you must possess the strength to match them."

Shinji never doubted their conviction. Under his personal guidance, Toji and Kensuke had long since far surpassed their peers.

"Really? We can really pilot our own EVAs?"

Seeing their excitement, Shinji nodded slightly. He had already received news that the Fourth Child and Unit-03 would be assigned to NERV Headquarters. It seemed they no longer cared about the Vatican Treaty.

SEELE's pilots could not be trusted. Since that was the case, it was better to have Unit-03 piloted by his own people.

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