Chapter 1289
Bulga: Good, good, good! Old buddy, you still remember me!
Cui Ming wouldn't care about all that; for Cui Ming...
Lilith paused for a moment, then slowly sat up straight. She stared at Cui Ming for a long time, trying to find a trace of hypocrisy or calculation in the man's expression, but there was only calm acceptance. Not tolerance for an apostle, not contempt for an enemy, but simply—you are here, so you can stay.
“Um,” she hesitated before speaking, “the next season of the anime.”
"I've already pre-ordered the Blu-ray limited edition for you."
"Game console."
"Delivered tomorrow."
"potato chips."
There are three boxes in the refrigerator, each with a different flavor.
Lilith's eyes suddenly welled up with tears. This clone seemed to have a problem with her tear ducts too, allowing her to experience an emotion called "being moved." She turned her face away, not wanting Cui Ming to see her lose her composure, but her voice still trembled slightly:
".Thanks."
Choi Myung stood up, stopping at the doorway. "By the way, Kaworu Nagisa has decided to stay at NERV. He said he wants to experience 'human life'."
Lilith's body froze.
“That angel of freedom…” Her voice became complicated, “He also…”
“He’s given up too,” Cui Ming said, pushing open the door and letting in the hallway light. “Now you can watch anime together. He seems really interested in that robot anime.”
The door closed behind Cui Ming, leaving Lilith alone in the dimly lit room. The cat video was still playing on the TV, but she couldn't concentrate anymore. A strange feeling spread through her chest—not fear, not loneliness, but something like...anticipation?
She picked up the penguin pillow from the ground, hugged it to her chest, and slowly curled up into a ball.
Outside lies a world overrun by monsters, a mad battlefield beyond the comprehension of the Angels. But within this small room, there is warm light, endless snacks, cartoons that never stop playing, and a fellow Angel who has also chosen to give up.
Maybe giving up isn't so bad.
Lilith closed her eyes, a slight smile playing on her lips. In the last moments before drifting off to sleep, she vaguely thought:
I'll ask Kaworu Nagisa tomorrow if that robot anime is any good.
Also, could you ask him to help me snag concert tickets?
After all, apostles and such are no longer important.
Cui Ming didn't care about the apostles' affairs.
To reiterate, the apostles' stats are still too low. Those behemoths that rampage through the AT field are nothing more than slightly larger targets in the face of true cosmic-level combat power. Water Angels, Thunder Angels, Fish Angels—these names gather dust in the archives, their remains sent to the laboratory to become topics of conversation among the technicians.
It's good that Lilith is willing to cooperate now, and even better that Kaworu is willing to cooperate.
The goddess who stayed home binge-watching anime, and the free angel who decided to experience human life, both became—well, unofficial staff—under NERV's special organization. Lilith's daily work consisted of filling out anime viewing surveys, while Kaworu Nagisa was learning how to make coffee and repair household appliances. If the old men at SEELE knew that the core of their Instrumentality Project had become like this, they'd probably all have a stroke.
Although Cui Ming seemed to have discovered that Kaworu Nagisa seemed to be particularly interested in Shinji Ikari.
The silver-haired boy's gaze towards Shinji carried a familiar tenderness that transcended time. Cui Ming had bumped into them several times in the corridor; Kaworu was patiently teaching Shinji how to adjust the sound equipment, their heads close together, their silver and blue hair almost intertwined. Shinji's face wore an unusual relaxed expression, one he had never shown when facing an Angel. Oh well, this is their own business.
Cui Ming pulled himself out of his thoughts and strode towards the hangar. The heavy blast-proof door slid open in front of him, revealing a vast space inside. Industrial lights cast a cold white glow from above, illuminating the colossal structure in the center.
Cui Ming is now heading to the hangar, looking at the colossal crane Barga in front of him.
It stood there silently, like a sleeping steel behemoth. Its paint was originally orange, and its surface was covered with scratches and repair marks left by time—marks of countless battles.
"Old friend, I've brought you something good."
Cui Ming's voice echoed in the empty hangar. He raised his hand, and in his palm floated a sphere emitting a ghostly blue light—the S2 mechanism, an infinite power source extracted from the Apostle's core, theoretically capable of providing near-eternal energy to any machine. This was a secure encapsulation that the technical department had spent three months completing, and now it pulsed gently in Cui Ming's hand, like some kind of living thing.
Although Balga was just a behemoth crane, it had fought alongside Cui Ming for countless years.
Cui Ming approached it, reaching out to stroke its cold, metallic shell. His fingertips traced a deep claw mark, a remnant from a battle with a cosmic dinosaur; then they traced a lighter-colored patch, an armor plate hastily replaced after being melted by the monster's fiery breath. Each touch brought back memories—fighting side-by-side in the ruins of a city, silently lurking under the high pressure of the deep sea, sharing life and death in the vacuum of space.
He was one of Cui Ming's best comrades.
A faint blue light suddenly illuminated the cockpit windshield, as if in response. Balga had no vocal organs, no facial expression module, but Cui Ming could feel that familiar "gaze." It was an existence that transcended mechanical programming, a tacit understanding cultivated through countless life-or-death situations, a comradeship that needed no words.
Cui Ming knew that Balga had his own consciousness.
"Soon, you will become even stronger."
He gently pressed the S2 mechanism onto the main armor plate of the Bulgar. A ghostly blue light instantly spread, seeping into the steel's cracks like veins. The Bulgar's massive body began to tremble, the track drive units emitted a low hum, and the hydraulic system of the boom activated, producing a clanging sound of metal rubbing together. The dashboard in the cockpit lit up one by one, displaying unprecedented energy readings.
The S2 engine merged with the core system of the Vulcan, and boundless power began to flow. The slumbering steel behemoth was awakening, and more powerful than ever before.
Cui Ming took a few steps back and looked up at his old partner. The boom of the barge slowly rose, casting a huge shadow under the lights of the hangar, and then gently lowered, as if to salute its driver.
“Welcome back,” Cui Ming said softly.
The hangar's public address system suddenly blared; it was Maya's voice: "Mr. Cui Ming, the technical department is inquiring about the installation progress of the S2 mechanism. Also, Miss Lilith is asking if you could help her buy the limited edition of the newly released game."
Cui Ming smiled, turned, and walked towards the exit. Behind him, the engine of the Balga emitted a steady roar, as if it were laughing.
The old buddy is back, and stronger than ever.
That's enough. (End of Chapter)