Chapter 535: Unit-03
First came the highly encrypted communication briefing: at NERV's Second Branch located in Nevada, USA, a catastrophic and inexplicable "annihilation" phenomenon occurred during an activation experiment of EVA Unit-04. The entire branch, along with Unit-04, was completely wiped off the map.
This horrifying news had not yet been fully digested when an urgent notification from the Matsushiro test site arrived at Headquarters:
EVA Unit-03, originally scheduled for testing there, would be temporarily and urgently transferred to Japan due to the accident in the United States, with NERV Headquarters taking over its activation experiment.
When this information appeared on Chen Yu's clearance interface via the internal system, a sharp glint of anticipation flashed in his eyes.
Memory information from his main body was instantly activated—during transport, Unit-03 had already been parasitized and infected by the Ninth Angel.
The upcoming activation experiment would be a meticulously orchestrated catastrophe. It would inflict tremendous psychological trauma on the pilot of Unit-03, and subsequently on Shinji Ikari, who would be forced to fight the machine piloted by his close friend.
This was a critical node.
Chen Yu made a swift decision: he needed to intervene in this event.
His motivations were multi-layered.
The surface-level reasons were sufficient and legitimate: as the person in charge of the "Cherubim" series of weapons, the appearance of a new Angel—especially one that manifested in such a unique way (parasitizing an EVA)—was an excellent opportunity to test weapon efficacy and collect actual combat data.
The deeper considerations were that he could not sit idly by while Shinji Ikari's mental state spiraled toward the edge of collapse due to this incident; that did not align with his interests in maintaining pilot stability.
At the same time, an EVA parasitized by an Angel, with its biological tissue in a state of fusion with the Angel, possessed immense research value in itself. It might provide unique samples and data that could aid his understanding of the essence of EVAs and Angels, and potentially support his future "mass production" concepts.
He needed to formulate a meticulous plan that would ensure effective intervention at the critical moment while avoiding exposing all his cards too early.
To him, this coming storm was both a crisis and an unmissable opportunity.
The success of the "Cherubim-Type II" project marked a key step forward in NERV's weapon technology against the Angels.
Based on Chen Yu's theoretical framework and the team's efficient execution, this new type of ammunition—which encapsulated high-concentration catalytic particles within a special shell to be launched via the Positron Cannon platform—successfully completed all tests in the laboratory phase.
Chen Yu soon handed over the first batch of "Cherubim-Type II" shells ready for live-fire testing to the weapons department.
This substantive progress prompted NERV's higher-ups to quickly convene a tactical review meeting.
Considering the potential risks and importance of the new weapon, the meeting ultimately passed a resolution: once EVA Unit-03 was safely transported and had completed basic inspections, this newly arrived unit would execute the first live-fire test of the "Cherubim-Type II" in a strictly controlled environment.
This would not only test the compatibility between the new weapon and the new EVA model but also allow them to evaluate its ultimate effect in a relatively "clean" environment, avoiding the unknown risks that might arise during direct combat.
The test date was officially set.
Meanwhile, another personnel arrangement was quietly underway.
After evaluation, Rei Ayanami was selected as the temporary test pilot for EVA Unit-03.
There was nothing particularly unusual about this decision; however, the date arranged for the test happened to conflict with an important and private appointment.
Thanks to Rei Ayanami's clumsy yet sincere efforts, Shinji Ikari and Gendo Ikari—father and son—finally agreed to have dinner together that day, conducting an extremely rare family-style meeting aimed at attempting to improve their frozen relationship.
When Rei Ayanami calmly reported this time conflict to Misato Katsuragi, Asuka, who was present, heard the entire process.
She looked at Rei Ayanami's face, which still lacked expression but faintly revealed a certain persistence, and then thought of the weak, faint anticipation that Shinji Ikari might hold for this meeting—an anticipation he might not even be clearly aware of himself. A complex emotion welled up in her heart.
"Hey," Asuka said, crossing her arms and interrupting their discussion in a seemingly casual tone, "For a simple test like this, wouldn't it be fine if I went? It's just firing a shot at a target and recording data anyway; no need to trouble the First Child to go in person, right?"
She deliberately made her tone sound haughty and taken for granted, as if she were simply unwilling to be excluded from testing new weapons, or simply felt that Rei Ayanami's reason was "too much of a hassle."
Misato Katsuragi looked at Asuka with some surprise, weighing the possibility and procedure of changing pilots.
At this moment, Rei Ayanami turned to Asuka, her red eyes gazing quietly at her for a few seconds, and then said in her unique, flat yet clear tone: "Thank you, Asuka."
This simple thank-you had no exaggerated embellishments, but it made Asuka freeze slightly.
From Rei Ayanami's nearly hollow gaze, she could capture a trace of extremely faint, yet definitely existing gratitude.
For Rei Ayanami, such an expression of emotion was rare.
"...Hmph, don't flatter yourself; I just wanted to try the new weapon too!" Asuka turned her head away unnaturally. A trace of imperceptible redness seemed to rise at the roots of her ears. Her tone remained tough, but the customary sharpness seemed to have been blunted a bit.
Upon learning of this personnel replacement, Chen Yu did not express any opinion, merely recording this change in his observation log.
He clearly saw that beneath Asuka's hard protective shell also lay a lonely heart that longed for connection and feared abandonment.
Her assertiveness and flamboyance were, to a large extent, meant to cover up the fragility within and to obtain a sense of presence and approval through outstanding performance.
This proactive replacement—perhaps even she herself had not fully clarified the motivation—contained both a vague desire to facilitate the subtle relationship between Rei Ayanami and Shinji Ikari, and an unconscious attempt of her own to integrate and build bonds.
On the surface, everything seemed to be moving in a better direction: the new weapon was about to be tested, the relationship between the pilots showed signs of easing, and even the stiff father-son pair was about to have a breakthrough meeting.
However, Chen Yu knew deeply that beneath this seemingly peaceful facade, lethal undercurrents were surging.
Unit-03 was sailing toward the Matsushiro test site as planned, and the Ninth Angel residing within it, like a lurking viper, was ready to turn this test into a nightmare that would swallow everything.
He planned to use the "Cherubim-Type I" to destroy the Ninth Angel while preserving Unit-03 and Asuka inside the Entry Plug, avoiding her ultimate fate of being chewed up by the Unit-01 puppet in its berserk state.
Although according to his main body's memories, Asuka did not die in this accident, Shinji Ikari, who was piloting Unit-01 at the time, had watched helplessly as Asuka's Entry Plug was crushed by Unit-01.
Therefore, to prevent any irreversible problems, Chen Yu decided to stop this scene from occurring.