Chapter 1208
Shinji Ikari: You damned eunuch!
Cui Ming let out a soft breath, and the wind blew by, ruffling the folds of his clothes.
The failure of Rokufen Gigendo was far more than just a setback in its plans.
He lost miserably in being a father, with no chance of redemption whatsoever.
No sooner had Cui Ming finished speaking than Shinji Ikari's phone rang abruptly in his hand. The contact name displayed on the screen was not a name, but a string of cold numbers. However, Shinji Ikari only glanced at it before his face darkened—he knew without even thinking who it was.
"Mr. Choi Myung, I need to take this call." He said in a low voice, got up and walked to the shade of a tree in the park, pressed the answer button, and the warmth in his tone instantly disappeared, leaving only estrangement and disgust.
On the other end of the phone came Rokubungi Gendo's cold, emotionless voice. There was no unnecessary small talk, just his usual obsessive and commanding tone. His fingertips were habitually crossed under his nose, and the reflection in his glasses concealed the emotions in his eyes, leaving only extreme calmness and calculation, perfectly matching his character in the original work who disregarded feelings to achieve his goals: "Shinji Ikari, come to the place I've designated immediately. I need you to do something for me."
"Help you do something?" Shinji Ikari scoffed, retorting without any politeness, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Sextant, what makes you think I'd help you?"
He deliberately avoided using the term "father," each word carrying a chilling sense of alienation, as if addressing a complete stranger, or even more so than a stranger.
Rokubungi Gendo on the other end of the phone was clearly taken aback, seemingly not expecting Shinji Ikari to talk back to him like that—in his eyes, Shinji Ikari had always been cowardly and obedient, and even if he disliked him, he would only silently endure it and never dare to talk back so directly.
But he did not get angry, maintaining his indifference and arrogance. His tone grew colder and carried an undeniable sense of oppression: "I am your father, you must help me. I want to deal with Cui Ming and take Wei back. You and I both want Wei back by our side. This is what you owe me, and it is what you owe Wei."
"Owe you? Owe her?" Shinji Ikari seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. His voice unconsciously rose a few decibels, and the anger in his eyes intensified. His retort was sharp and blunt. "Sextant, do you have any shame? You have never fulfilled your responsibilities as a father for a single day. You treat me like a pawn and Mom like your possession. Now that you need someone, you come to me saying you owe me?"
"Let me tell you, I won't help you with anything, and I won't stand with you against anyone. You're responsible for your own ridiculous mess!"
He deliberately obscured the reference to "anyone," omitting any mention of Cui Ming, perfectly avoiding any possibility of exposing their connection, and focused solely on venting his disgust and dissatisfaction—as if, after being ignored and used countless times in the past, the pent-up emotions had finally found an outlet.
On the other end of the phone, Rokubun Gigendo's grip tightened, his knuckles turning white, his crossed hands trembling slightly. The composure he had been deliberately maintaining finally cracked. What he hated most was being contradicted by his son, whom he considered a pawn; what he couldn't tolerate most was someone denying his "obsession" with Yui Ikari, denying everything he had done.
"You're asking for death!" His voice finally crackled with rage, no longer cold as before, but filled with barely suppressed fury. "Shinji Ikari, you piece of trash! What can you do besides hide on the sidelines and complain? Without me, you're nothing. You can't even protect your own mother. You're just a useless piece of trash!" "Trash?" Shinji Ikari sneered, his retort faster and sharper, each word piercing Sextant's heart, precisely striking his sore spot. "Even if I'm trash, I'm still better than you, a dead eunuch who betrayed his own mother, only knows how to hide in the gutter and scheme, and doesn't even have a true self!"
The words "dead eunuch" were like a poisoned dagger, piercing Rokufen Gigendo's heart and shattering all his composure and pretense. This was the pain he most hated and least wanted to be mentioned, but now it had been brutally exposed by his own son in public (on the phone).
A brief silence fell on the other end of the phone, followed by Rokubun Gigendou's hysterical roar. His voice, filled with rage and utter collapse, completely betrayed the calm, obsessive, and strategic NERV commander from the original story. All that remained was a twisted despair bordering on madness, revealing the vulnerability hidden deep within him: "You dare insult me?! Shinji Ikari, you bastard! You actually dared to call me a dead eunuch?!"
"I'm not just going to curse you, I'm going to say you deserve it!" Shinji Ikari retorted without backing down, his tone filled with direct and intense hatred. "You obsessively pursued a Stand, betrayed your mother, used everyone, and in the end, you were abandoned by everyone. You deserve it all! You don't deserve to be my father, and you don't deserve to mention my mother's name!"
"Ah—!!!" Rokubun Gigendo's roar grew increasingly shrill, even carrying a hint of sobs. It was clear that he had truly broken down. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you, you piece of trash! You wait, I will make you pay the price, I will take back Yui, and you will regret every word you said today!"
He roared and smashed things around him wildly. The sounds of tables and chairs falling and objects breaking came through the telephone receiver and reached Shinji Ikari's ears clearly.
Shinji Ikari frowned, wrinkled his nose in disgust, and said dismissively, "Come on if you dare, I'm waiting. Also, don't call me again, or I won't mind letting everyone know that you, the so-called commander of NERV, are just a hysterical, spineless eunuch who breaks down when someone touches his sore spot."
After saying that, before Rokubungi Gendo could continue his roar, Shinji Ikari hung up the phone and blocked the number without hesitation. He turned around and walked back to Choi Myung's side, the anger on his face gradually fading, leaving only a trace of barely perceptible fatigue.
Looking at him, Cui Ming didn't ask any further questions. He simply scattered a handful of grain and asked in a calm tone, "Is it over?"
“Yeah, just a madman.” Shinji Ikari nodded, not mentioning the specific content of the phone call, still not revealing the connection between the two, but the determination in his eyes grew stronger. “Mr. Choi, I’m ready. No matter what tricks he tries, I can handle it.”
Cui Ming looked up at him, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes, and nodded slightly: "Okay, I believe you."
On the other end of the phone, Rokubungi Gendo slumped to the ground, trembling all over, his face streaked with tears and twisted hatred. The surroundings were a mess. He clutched the broken phone tightly, repeatedly screaming, "Shinji Ikari... Choi... I won't let you get away with this... I will definitely take back Yui, I will definitely make you all pay with your lives!"
He went completely mad. His own son had brutally exposed his deepest wounds and shattered his defenses. All his reason was consumed by hatred, leaving only obsessive madness and an unrealistic obsession—to reclaim Yui Ikari, to take revenge on Shinji Ikari, to avenge Choi, even at the cost of everything, even if it meant mutual destruction. (End of Chapter)