Chapter 1292
This is Love
Is this love?
"This must be love."
"Hiss, that's so interesting."
In the lounge on the third floor of NERV headquarters, Misato Katsuragi, with an unlit cigarette dangling from her lips, stared intently at the monitor screen, her grin stretching almost to her ears. On the screen, Kaworu Nagisa was "accidentally" appearing in the corridor that Shinji Ikari always passed through, holding two hot drinks in his hands, his long, silvery-white hair shimmering under the lights.
"That kid's technique for faking a chance encounter is terrible," Misato scoffed. "This is the third time, and it's always the same corner. Even Shinji, if he's slow on the uptake, should have noticed by now."
“But he is indeed improving,” Ritsuko Akagi pushed up her glasses, her finger swiping across the tablet. “Yesterday he learned to start with ‘Do you like this piece too?’ instead of directly saying ‘I’ve been watching you for a long time.’”
Was it worse before?
"He previously said, 'Your soul radiates a nostalgic glow.'"
"."
how to say
Everyone's just watching the show.
Misato, Ritsuko, Naoko, Maya, Asuka, even Rei Ayanami
Naoko Akagi—or rather, her being in some form—chuckled softly through the laboratory's loudspeaker: "I find it quite romantic, a bond that transcends race and reincarnation. Much purer than some human emotions."
After all, supercomputers are incredibly useful, but...
Naoko Akagi used special privileges, which could only be used by herself and Choi Myung.
There's no other way; we have to be wary of certain people.
"Mom!" Ritsuko called out helplessly, but a smile was also on her lips.
Maya Ibuki walked into the break room carrying a stack of documents and immediately leaned over when she saw the screen: "Oh! Here we go again! What did Kaworu bring today? It looks like... homemade cookies?"
“He was in the kitchen until 3 a.m. last night,” Asuka peeked out from the other end of the sofa, holding a bag of potato chips. “I saw it with my own eyes. That guy studied the recipe for two hours, and then threw away the first batch because it wasn’t ‘perfectly shaped.’”
Rei Ayanami sat in a chair in the corner, staring blankly at the screen, but the cup of tea in her hand hadn't been touched for a long time. Her gaze followed the figure of the boy on the screen, watching him take the cookie that Kaworu Nagisa offered, watching him hesitate for a moment before taking a small bite, and watching the expression of surprise appear on his face.
“That’s amazing,” Li said softly.
The lounge suddenly fell silent. Everyone looked at the screen—Shinji Ikari was indeed smiling, a rare, unburdened smile, like a crack suddenly appearing in a cloudy sky, letting in warm sunlight.
Lindis thought this whole thing was kind of... well, you know.
But it's interesting!
“It’s more interesting than fighting a war,” she shrugged, “at least no one will die.”
Cui Ming didn't pay attention to those things.
Inside the underground hangar, industrial lights illuminated the vast space as if it were daytime. Cui Ming stood beneath the cockpit of the Vulgar, looking up at the newly modified steel behemoth. The S2 engine's energy readings pulsed steadily on the display screen, blue light flowing along the newly laid energy pipelines, like the blood of some living thing.
Cui Ming is currently adjusting Balga's data.
His fingers moved rapidly across the holographic interface, bringing up a series of complex parameter panels. Engine output, hydraulic system pressure, boom load capacity, and deformation mechanism response speed—every value was precisely calibrated, and every redundancy was eliminated. This was not a simple upgrade, but a complete evolution.
It's a good thing that our old friend has gained new strength!
A soft blue light shone from the windshield of the cockpit of the bald maneuver, as if in response to his words. Cui Ming could feel that familiar "gaze," that unspoken understanding between comrades that transcended mechanical programming. The unlimited energy of the S2 engine freed the bald maneuver from fuel limitations, but true strength lay elsewhere—in the years they had shared, in the trust forged in those life-or-death situations. "Try the new power output mode," Cui Ming entered the final command, taking a few steps back, "Minimum power, boom deployed."
The metallic rumble echoed through the hangar. Barga's boom slowly rose, the hydraulic system groaning, but smoother and more powerful than ever before. Operation at minimum power was comparable to full speed in the past, while energy readings barely fluctuated.
“Very good.” Cui Ming nodded, a smile appearing on his lips.
He looked up at the machine that had accompanied him through countless battlefields, watching the scars left by time intertwine with the light of new life. The Apostles, SEELE, the Instrumentality Project—all those things seemed so insignificant before Vulgar. Because true strength is never a divinely bestowed AT field, but the bond of fighting side-by-side, the unwavering will to never give up.
"Welcome back, old pal."
The engine of the balga emitted a deep roar, as if it were laughing or responding.
Upstairs, at a corner of a corridor, a silver-haired boy nervously awaited the arrival of another boy, clutching two concert tickets in his hand. Love quietly blossomed in this mad world, like a tender sprout emerging from ruins, fragile yet stubbornly reaching for the sunlight.
Cui Ming was unaware of these things and didn't care.
He has more important companions to keep him company.
Sigh, there's nothing Cui Ming can do.
For Cui Ming, the Ultraman world and fighting monsters is like taking a vacation.
In that universe filled with giants of light and cosmic threats, every battle is a test of life and death. Facing behemoths tens of meters tall and weighing tens of thousands of tons, every attack could be the last.
But that tension, that adrenaline rush, that sense of accomplishment after defeating a formidable opponent—that is irreplaceable.
Fighting in this world now is just pure bluffing!
An apostle? An AT field? Those behemoths that rampage recklessly on instinct are like toys in front of Vulgar. Cui Ming doesn't even need to transform into Ultraman Jack; he only needs to control this steel behemoth to crush them one by one.
There was no challenge, no suspense, just pure brute force. For a warrior who had experienced countless life-or-death battles, this was nothing short of boring.
However, I didn't expect there to be monsters here as well, and even clones of Dark Zagi and Gatanothor have appeared.
Although he's already been killed by Choi's orders, but...
Choi Myung stood on the observation deck atop NERV headquarters, the night wind ruffling his clothes. His gaze pierced through the city lights, landing on the distant sea where battles had once raged.
Cui Ming was still savoring the memory of the previous battle.
Cool!
It was a pure clash of power, a pinnacle duel of skill and will. Dark Zagi's speed was too fast for the naked eye to follow, each strike carrying the power to destroy planets; Gatanothor's dark mist could corrode all life, its tentacles causing mountains to crumble and the earth to split with every swing. Ultraman Jack, transformed from Cui Ming, weaved between them, his Ultra Bracelet transforming into a lightsaber to sever the tentacles, the Specium Ray clashing with Zagi's lightning, the energy shockwaves evaporating the seawater within a ten-mile radius.
That was the first time since he came into this world that he felt a real threat, the first time that he needed to go all out, and the first time that he felt that heartfelt joy after victory.
“Next time,” Cui Ming murmured to himself, a slight smile playing on his lips, “I hope there will be some decent opponents.”
He turned and left the observation deck, heading towards the elevator leading to the hangar. Varga was waiting there, the light of the S2 mechanism pulsating in the darkness. Whatever challenges lay ahead, he was ready.
In a corner of the city, in a hospital room, Rokubungi Gendo frowned slightly in his unconscious state, as if sensing something. But his consciousness was too blurred to discern what it was—was it the fighting spirit emanating from Choi Myung, or yet another mocking laugh from the world's consciousness?
It doesn't matter anymore.
In any case, he can't even move a single finger right now. (End of Chapter)