Chapter 533: Restricted Promotion
Ryo did not relocate his primary office from the Ninth Research Institute.
That increasingly revitalized bay and the ongoing ecological restoration project remained important anchors for his public identity.
The core of his daily work remained here, handling the institute's routine affairs and his independent research.
However, with his elevated status and the practical needs of the "Cherubim-Type II" project, NERV Headquarters allocated him an exclusive laboratory on the Technology Development Department's floor.
This laboratory was situated in a relatively quiet yet easily accessible location, equipped with corresponding clearance and access control systems.
The room's size was moderate, its layout entirely practical, installed with the analytical instruments, dedicated terminal interfaces, and material processing platforms necessary for the project.
Compared to the comprehensive, large-scale laboratories owned by core executives like Ritsuko Akagi, the configuration here clearly leaned more towards providing R&D support for specific projects, rather than foundational or exploratory cutting-edge research.
This laboratory became Ryo's fixed base at Headquarters.
He would work here several days a week, hosting project meetings, analyzing experimental data directly linked to Headquarters' systems, or running computations that required access to the internal network or specific databases.
Cold fluorescent lights illuminated the standardized lab benches and flickering screens. Outside the window, there was no longer natural ocean scenery, replaced by the massive and complex metallic architecture inside Headquarters, as well as personnel and equipment moving rhythmically between skybridges and corridors.
The administrative assistants and technical secretaries assigned to him by the organization were mainly stationed at Headquarters, responsible for handling resource coordination, process approvals, and cross-departmental correspondence related to the "Cherubim-Type I" project.
When Ryo was at the Ninth Research Institute, most communication was maintained through encrypted channels.
This arrangement allowed him to effectively advance the project within Headquarters while maintaining the facade that the Ninth Research Institute was his primary center of activity.
He was like a regular commuter, shuttling between the tranquility of the coastline and the order deep within Headquarters, cleverly utilizing the resources of both sides to maintain two seemingly separate yet closely related identities and responsibilities.
However, this promotion came with clear boundaries of authority. What he obtained was a project-based "high-level executive clearance" and "status of technical authority," not the highest clearance touching upon NERV's core secrets.
In conventional technical fields, Ryo enjoyed a considerable degree of access freedom.
He could pull most of the EVAs' conventional performance data, review non-core weapon R&D files, and use the standard-level MAGI system's computing resources.
The conventional laboratories and equipment of the Technology Development Department were open to him, and the resource applications he submitted for the "Cherubim-Type I" project were always approved promptly.
But beneath this seemingly lenient clearance lay an insurmountable red line.
Regarding the underlying architecture and core logic of the MAGI system, NERV had never disclosed any relevant information to him; fields involving the "Human Instrumentality Project," "SEELE Directives," "Adam-related matters," and "in-depth analysis of the Lance of Longinus"—related files and research results were entirely closed off to him.
The specific purpose of the deepest part of Central Dogma, and the existence and operational mechanisms of the Rei Ayanami clone maintenance unit—these core secrets forming the cornerstone of NERV's ultimate plan were never included in his scope of knowledge.
This critical information was still tightly controlled by Gendo Ikari, Kozo Fuyutsuki, Ritsuko Akagi, and a few direct personnel of SEELE.
As the core of the Technology Development Department, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi maintained a professional and pragmatic attitude towards Ryo.
She acknowledged Ryo's technical capabilities and provided full technical support on projects like the "Cherubim-Type I," making their cooperation highly efficient and smooth.
But when it came to key areas involving the EVAs' core biological structure or the original design of the A.T. Field generator, she would appropriately draw the line. Citing "technical patent protection" or "project security protocols," she provided processed substitute data rather than original blueprints.
In technical coordination meetings, this boundary was expressed even more subtly.
When a proposal brought up by Ryo required touching upon deeper technical details, Ritsuko Akagi would not flatly refuse, but would instead provide filtered technical documents or arrange for the core team to collaborate on the interface level.
This handling method both guaranteed the project's advancement and ensured that core technology did not leak.
This clearance setup allowed Ryo to fully exert his technical expertise within the designated scope, while ensuring NERV's core secrets remained under strict protection at all times.
For Ryo, this arrangement perfectly matched his expectations—he gained the resources and platform needed to advance his plans, without arousing unnecessary vigilance by getting excessively close to the core.
Commander Gendo Ikari held a tacitly approving, even permissive attitude towards this situation.
He needed to rely on the extraordinary technical abilities Ryo displayed to strengthen NERV's conventional combat power and improve the efficiency and "cleanliness" of fighting the Angels. This completely aligned with his needs to maintain the organization's independence and advance the superficial "scenario."
However, he would absolutely not allow an outsider with a mysterious background and entirely different technological pathways to pry into or interfere with the ultimate goal he and SEELE were plotting.
Facing this meticulously designed, restricted elevation, Ryo appeared exceptionally calm. This situation was entirely within his expectations and calculations.
He never attempted to challenge or probe these boundaries of authority, nor did he reveal any undue curiosity toward the core secrets.
He devoted almost all of his public energy to the specific technical challenges faced by the "Cherubim-Type I" project: leading the team to overcome the structural stability of the special warhead materials under the extreme launch environment of the Positron Cannon; optimizing the activity maintenance rate of the catalytic particles during ultra-high-speed, high-G flight; and maximizing the efficacy output of the terminal energy field simulation device within a limited volume.
His extremely high work efficiency and keen insight in solving complex technical problems ensured the continuous and steady R&D progress of the "Cherubim-Type II" project, which further solidified his unquestionable authority within NERV's conventional technical fields.
At the same time, he did not relax his management responsibilities over the Ninth Research Institute. That increasingly vibrant bay and its ecological restoration project still served as an important fulcrum for his "harmless" background and public welfare image, operating systematically under his remote supervision.
In the eyes of the vast majority of his colleagues at NERV, Dr. Ryo was a brilliantly talented top-tier expert who focused purely on technology itself and lacked interest in administrative disputes.
He was content with utilizing his talents within the fields designated by the organization, a highly contributing and reassuring project leader.
Only Ryo himself knew that this "high-level technical personnel" identity was precisely the most ideal cover and fulcrum for executing his plans at this stage.
It provided legitimate and abundant resources, platforms, and interpersonal networks to advance overt technological R&D, while effectively lulling potential watchers into a false sense of security.
As for those core areas and information explicitly forbidden from contact, he had long ago conducted multiple undetected probes through his own unique channels—the AI virus lying deeply dormant at the bottom of the MAGI system, silently collecting data, as well as his psionic perception and application that surpassed the common sense of this world.
He would often sit quietly before the workbench in his Headquarters laboratory, his gaze resting on the constantly updating progress charts of the "Cherubim-Type II" project on the screen, looking exactly like a fully devoted, dutiful chief engineer.
However, deep within his consciousness, the perception connected to his main body far away in another dimension was continuously encrypting and transmitting the preliminary analysis results regarding the "Key of Nebuchadnezzar," as well as meticulously deducing and evaluating the next course of action.
Like a hunter lurking in the interplay of light and shadow, he cleverly utilized every convenience granted by the authorities, patiently weaving his own web, silently waiting for the prey to step into it.