Chapter 1308
This is called a battle-hardened body
After receiving a communication from the Kiras brothers, Cui Ming learned about the situation.
The communicator vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and glanced at the screen; the red indicator light was flashing.
After the connection was established, a deep roar came from the other end, mixed with the snoring sound of Blackgiras exhaling smoke rings. The two monsters reported the results of the battle in the ward in their own unique way.
As Cui Ming listened, the corners of his mouth slowly turned up, and finally he couldn't help but laugh out loud, shaking his head and putting his phone back in his pocket.
Choi Myung knew that those old guys from SEELE wouldn't give up so easily. Those old foxes who manipulated the chessboard from the shadows always treated Gendo Ikari as an obedient pawn. How could they just stand by and watch their pawn be taken away?
But I didn't expect these guys to be in such a hurry... It's only been a short time and they've already sent people to snatch him away. It seems that the secret Gendo Ikari holds is more important than we thought, or perhaps those old fogies have already realized that NERV is out of control and can't sit still anymore.
but……
NERV headquarters has now been essentially turned into an impenetrable fortress by Choi Myung.
From the operations department to the intelligence section, from technology research and development to logistics management, every link has been reorganized and replaced with reliable personnel.
Those former loyal followers of Gendo Ikari were either transferred to marginal positions or wisely changed their stance after witnessing Choi Myung's methods.
The entire headquarters operates more efficiently than before. Orders are no longer passed around in layers, and execution is swift and decisive, like a machine that has been refurbished, with every gear meshing perfectly.
After all, Choi Myung is much, much better than Gendo Ikari.
To everyone else, Gendo Ikari was like a ghost.
He always had a gloomy face and hid in the command room. His eyes were so sinister that they looked like he wanted to devour people. He always looked bitter and resentful towards everyone, as if the whole world owed him several lives.
When subordinates report on their work, they dare not breathe too loudly, for fear of saying something wrong and angering this devil, which would bring misfortune to everyone—operation plans are changed from day to day, resource allocation is stingy, and when problems arise, they only know how to shift the blame, taking all the credit and all the blame.
Under his leadership, NERV was like a tomb, oppressive and suffocating. Everyone lived cautiously, feeling suffocated by the oppression.
Although Acting Commander Choi always attracted the attention of women—young female employees would secretly blush when he walked in the lobby, and nurses would glance at him under the guise of delivering medicine while he ate in the cafeteria—no one had any ulterior motives.
Those furtive glances were filled with more awe and curiosity, mixed with a touch of pity, but not with frivolous covetousness.
The main reason was that when they saw the terrifying injuries on Cui Ming's body during his training, they felt that they were no match for him at all.
In the gym in the early morning, Choi Ming's T-shirt was soaked with sweat and stuck to his back as he did pull-ups, his body covered with hideous marks.
There is a circular, penetrating scar on his shoulder, a hole left after being pierced directly by some sharp object, with uneven skin around the edges.
Large areas of corrosive wounds spread across his abdomen, with dark brown scar tissue resembling twisted tree roots clinging to the muscles, as if it had been splashed with strong acid and then healed again.
His chest and arms were crisscrossed with the wrinkles left by burns, the pink flesh standing out starkly against his bronze skin, as if it had been licked by flames countless times.
His back was covered in claw marks and lacerations; one could almost imagine the scene of him being pinned to the ground and torn apart by some monster. Penetrating wounds, corrosive wounds, burns, lacerations, bruises, and knife scars—almost every type of injury was present.
Every time Cui Ming took off his shirt on the training field, the scars twisted grotesquely under the lights, like silent mouths telling a story.
Onlookers would invariably gasp, instinctively take a half-step back, their eyes filled with shock and fear.
Some people couldn't help but turn their faces away, unable to look directly at the wounds, as if just looking at them could make them feel the pain they had endured.
Everyone is wondering what happened to Choi Myung, and how he's managed to survive until now.
Any one of those injuries would be fatal to an ordinary person: penetrating wounds damage internal organs, corrosive wounds destroy tissues, and large burns can lead to infection, not to mention the complex injuries that are compounded together.
But this man not only survived, he also appeared in the training room every morning without fail, carrying those scars and doing high-intensity training. When sweat flowed into his wounds, he would only frown and not even groan.
What exactly did he fight?
Is he an apostle?
Or is it an existence even more terrifying than the Apostles?
What kind of willpower did he have to crawl back from the brink of death?
No wonder Asuka Langley Soryu and Rei Ayanami like her so much...
Asuka is always sharp-tongued, constantly cursing and calling Choi Myung an idiot, but every time Choi Myung returns from a mission injured, she is always the first to rush over to check on him. Her blue eyes are full of unconcealed worry, her fingers tremble as she touches the newly added wounds, and her voice softens.
Rei Ayanami is usually as indifferent as a porcelain doll, but she shows subtle changes in expression only in front of Choi Myung. She will silently hand him a first aid kit, and she will stand quietly in the corner watching him train. Her red eyes reflect the scars on his body, as if she is looking at something precious and fragile.
They have witnessed too much suffering, so they understand even more what kind of resilience is worth cherishing.
The others at NERV, after witnessing the scars on Choi Myung's body, understood why this acting commander earned respect—not through power and intimidation, but through the confidence of someone who had truly crawled out of hell.
Steam filled the cafeteria, and the clinking of plates echoed throughout. Choi Myung sat down opposite Rei Ayanami, his gaze falling on her lunchbox—the rice was neatly divided into three portions, with a few small pieces of salt-grilled salmon arranged beside it, and the tomatoes and cucumbers in the vegetable salad were chopped into small pieces. The meat section was completely empty, with only a lone perilla leaf at the bottom of the plate.
"Rei, why don't you like eating meat?" Cui Ming asked Rei Ayanami. He put down his chopsticks, leaned forward slightly, lingered on her pale face for a moment, and then moved back to the plate that lacked protein.
Rei Ayanami raised her head, her red eyes as calm as a stagnant pool, without ripples or evasion. She put down the spoon in her hand, her voice so soft it was almost drowned out by the surrounding noise: "I just can't accept it, fish can."
“Is that so? It seems your condition is quite serious. I will try my best to cure you. After all, if you can’t even eat meat, you can’t be called human.” Cui Ming said, looking at Rei Ayanami. His tone was calm, as if stating a simple fact. His fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a soft tapping sound. “The genetic defect of the clone causes the digestive system to reject animal protein. If this physiological reaction is not corrected, your muscle mass and bone density will be affected, and your combat power will also decline.”
Rei Ayanami nodded. Her hair swayed gently with her movement, obscuring half of her face, and her red eyes appeared even more profound in the shadow of her bangs. She picked up the spoon again and poked at the rice in the bowl, the grains rising and falling back down.
I'll try my best.
"Don't force yourself, take it slow." Cui Ming withdrew his gaze, picked up his plate, and stood up. Before leaving, he briefly touched her head, the warmth of his palm passing through her hair. "Treatment takes time, and your body needs time to adapt. I will adjust your nutrition plan, starting with liquid protein. Remember, staying alive is the first priority; everything else can come later." (End of Chapter)