Chapter 1352
Hikari: Hehehe
The angel knew very well...
I can't beat these guys here...
It huddled in the shadow of the abandoned satellite, its massive, symmetrical geometric form still trembling slightly. On the blue planet below, the scent of a predator, though distant, clung to its core like a thorn, impossible to remove. It had to find a way, a solution that could both fulfill its mission and save its life, but the computational modules in its brain, gripped by fear, were unable to produce any effective results.
But while the angel was thinking this, it was unaware that many missiles had already begun targeting it...
Inside the underground launch silos at NERV headquarters, heavy metal covers slid open, revealing a dense array of launch tubes. The guidance system's red light locked onto the massive heat source outside the atmosphere, while the tracking radar emitted a low hum.
"Commander, shall we begin the attack on the Apostles?"
Maya stood in front of the control panel, her finger hovering over the launch button, and turned to look at Cui Ming.
Cui Ming stared blankly at the red dot hovering over the ocean on the big screen.
"Target location?"
"We've reached the airspace above the ocean!"
Cui Ming nodded, his tone as calm as if he were confirming today's weather.
"Then we can fight."
"Yes!"
Maya immediately gave the order: "Begin the attack!!!"
The next moment, countless missiles were launched.
Scorching flames erupted from the launch silos as missiles, like a swarm of enraged wasps, streaked into the sky with long trails of fire. They pierced through the clouds, broke through the atmosphere, and hurtled straight toward that massive geometric shape.
Meanwhile, Sextant, covered in wounds, witnessed this scene.
He stood in the corridor, dragging his stiff left leg, which was riddled with steel nails, and leaning against the wall. Blood still seeped from the bandages on his face, and he looked like a bamboo pole bent by the wind. His eyes were wide open as he stared at the dense missile trajectories on the big screen, his mouth agape.
"How come I didn't know we had this authority?!"
Cui Ming turned his head and looked at him, his eyes as if he were looking at an unrecyclable piece of trash.
"Idiot, it's me."
"Cui Ming! You bastard!"
*Smack!*
Before Rokubungi Gendo could finish speaking, Spike had already slapped him across the face. The burly bulldog appeared out of nowhere, its front paw raised, and with tremendous force, it struck Rokubungi Gendo's already swollen face. Several teeth flew out, tracing pale arcs in the air before clattering to the floor.
As for Rokufen Gigendo himself, he flew backwards and stuck to the wall, the kind of thing that was hard to peel off.
His body slammed against the metal wall like a rag, making a dull thud, then slid down the wall, leaving a dark red mark. His stiff left leg stretched out straight, the steel nails scraping the ground with a grating sound. He slumped in the corner, like a flattened lump of mud, too weak even to groan.
Cui Ming patted Spike and said, "Good dog, go eat your steak, remember to cook it well."
Spike grinned, revealing its gleaming white fangs, its tongue lolling out, and a satisfied purr emanated from its throat. It nodded with a smile, its tail wagging like a rattle, then turned and dashed off towards the cafeteria to enjoy its grilled steak.
The others, however, were unfazed. The staff in the corridor stopped to glance at it, then continued walking with their heads down, as if what had just happened was merely a speck of dust falling from a ventilation duct. No one gasped, no one offered to help, and no one even bothered to look again. The once high and mighty commander was now, in their eyes, less than a nuisance of trash.
The Liufen Yiyuan Hall has lost all its prestige.
Everyone only recognizes Commander Cui Ming!
After all, it's Cui Ming who's paying salaries now...
Throughout NERV headquarters, from operations departments to logistics management, from senior technicians to newly hired interns, every month's salary, allowances, and hazard pay are approved by Cui Ming. The special funds allocated by the five national liaison officers are then distributed to various positions through Cui Ming's hands. Who gets more or less, who should receive payments and who should have them deducted, is all up to him. In this world, paychecks are the bottom line, and one's job is one's lifeline, so everyone knows perfectly well—who can't be offended.
But then again...
In the corridor, several employees carrying coffee cups passed by, their gazes invariably falling on the human-shaped indentation embedded in the wall in the corner. Rokubungi Gendo was still stuck there, his body sprawled on the metal wall, his bandages loose, his left leg, secured with steel pins, sticking straight out, his head tilted to one side, blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth, a few teeth scattered on the floor beneath his feet. Sunlight streamed in from the corridor windows, illuminating his bruised and swollen face, casting a long shadow on the wall.
Everyone was looking at Rokubun Gigendo...
This thing looks quite artistic now that it's embedded in the wall.
“Like an ancient Egyptian mural,” a young employee muttered, taking a sip of his coffee. “Look at that posture, that expression, the depth of the indentation…”
"As expected of Spike." Another senior employee nodded, his tone carrying a hint of professional appreciation. "The technique is impeccable. One slap, precise angle, just the right amount of force, and it's embedded perfectly, impossible to pull out."
Hikari looked at Rokubungi Gendo and said, "This guy is strange..."
He appeared at the end of the corridor at some point, the hem of his white lab coat swaying gently with his steps, his eyes behind his glasses gleaming with the curiosity unique to researchers. He walked to the wall, tilting his head to examine the humanoid figure embedded in the metal, his gaze sweeping back and forth over Sextani Gendo's distorted features and stiff limbs, as if assessing an experimental sample he had never seen before.
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Cui Ming leaned against the windowsill in the corridor, holding a thermos in his hand, his gaze sweeping over indifferently.
"Can I take a look at it?"
Hikari turned his head, his eyes filled with barely suppressed excitement. The fervor he felt upon seeing a novel sample made his voice tremble slightly.
"can."
Cui Ming took a sip of tea, his tone as calm as if he were approving a routine equipment loan application.
"?!?! Cui Ming! You beast..."
Rokubungi Gendo's eyes widened suddenly, and he let out a muffled wail from inside the wall. His swollen lips trembled, and his voice, strained by the draft and missing teeth, sounded both comical and shrill. He knew Hikari all too well! The nightmare of him chasing after him with a giant syringe to draw blood was still vivid in his mind, and the way Hikari treated him like a living specimen had chilled him to the bone. Calling this guy a monster wouldn't be an exaggeration!
Hikari, on the other hand, didn't mind at all.
He bent down and pulled a data panel from his white coat pocket, beginning to record the vital signs of the six-part instrument, muttering to himself: "Blood pressure changes while embedded in the wall, frequency of muscle spasms, distribution of stress on bones... these data are too precious..."
Hikari knew very well that the guy who could get Choi to treat him like this was no good person!
In Hikari's logic, while Trevor was ruthless, he never indiscriminately killed innocent people. Those he beat up like this, those he chased with his cannons, and those he tacitly allowed Spike to smash into the wall, must be enemies or scourges in some sense. Since they weren't good people, what's wrong with studying them? Anyway, they're just wasting air, so why not contribute something to science?
The employees in the corridor watched this scene, silently picked up their coffee cups and walked away, pretending they hadn't seen anything.
Only Rokubungi Gendo's wails still echoed: "Help... Someone save me... I don't want to be studied... Aaaaaaah!!!" (End of Chapter)