Chapter 537: A Stroke of Luck in Misfortune
Perhaps it was Chen Yu's argument regarding the weapon's characteristics and the possibility of rescue that injected unprecedented conviction into Shinji Ikari; or perhaps it was the intense desire deep within his heart to "save Asuka" that overwhelmed his fear of battle and injury.
Shinji Ikari in the cockpit became focused and resolute as never before.
Under his control, Unit-01's movements lost their hesitation, imbued with decisive power. Even amidst the fierce confrontation with the Angelized Unit-03, his synchronization rate began to break through its usual stable range, showing a significant climb.
He no longer avoided attacks but precisely parried and dodged, searching for fleeting openings.
Finally, in a perilous close-quarters struggle, Unit-01 caught the moment the Ninth Angel's A.T. Field fluctuated due to its own attack. Both fists, wrapped in the power of his own fully deployed A.T. Field like burning cones, violently tore through that mottled, distorted barrier!
"Now!"
Shinji shouted in his heart. Unit-01's arm reached into the field fissure by a hair's breadth, precisely pressing the "Cherubim-Type I" grenade he held tightly in his hand against Unit-03's alienated, squirming chest armor!
The grenade left his hand, and Unit-01 rapidly retreated.
There was no deafening explosion; only a familiar, pure azure ball of light rapidly expanded and bloomed from the point of contact on Unit-03's torso.
The light was not blinding but carried an unquestionable purifying power.
Under the breathless gaze of everyone in the command center and the ground observation personnel, that heart-palpitating scene played out once more.
Wherever the azure light passed, the Angel's alienated biological structure—which had been attached to and controlling Unit-03 like a parasitic tissue—was like filth cast into a purifying torrent, rapidly decomposing and dissolving. It turned into a large amount of clear liquid, pouring down from Unit-03's white armor surface and gathering into a rapidly expanding puddle at its feet.
When the light dissipated, the Angel's unsettling presence had completely vanished.
All that remained was Unit-03's original white body, quietly kneeling on the ground.
Its chest armor was heavily torn and twisted due to direct contact with the grenade and the process of the Angel being stripped away. Internal structures were faintly visible, and electrical sparks flickered occasionally. It was clearly severely damaged, but it had undoubtedly returned to being "EVA Unit-03," rather than the monster controlled by the Ninth Angel.
The emergency ejection indicator light for the Entry Plug flickered stubbornly on the damaged body.
"Angel signal disappeared! Unit-03 biological signal returned to baseline mode!" The operator's voice was filled with disbelieving excitement. "Entry Plug life support system confirmed! Pilot... Pilot Asuka Langley Soryu, vital signs stable!"
Inside the command center, the frozen air instantly flowed again, erupting into low cheers mixed with relief and lingering fear.
Although Unit-03 was severely damaged, the worst-case scenario—machine destroyed and pilot killed, and by Shinji's own hand—had been averted.
Misato Katsuragi let out a long sigh of relief. Her body felt almost exhausted, but a look of relief appeared on her face. This time, they had not only protected the city but also the future of the land.
Ritsuko Akagi immediately began pulling all the data on the "Cherubim-Type I" in this special application, her eyes filled with technical scrutiny and thought.
On the battlefield, Unit-01 slowly lowered its arms, which had been held in a defensive posture.
Inside the cockpit, Shinji Ikari breathed heavily, but a massive, post-catastrophe sense of relaxation flooded his entire body.
He looked at Unit-03, kneeling in the distance and emitting wisps of smoke, and the flickering Entry Plug indicator, muttering to himself: "Asuka... is saved..."
Chen Yu stood before the observation station, calmly recording the final data: "Cherubim-Type I application against parasitic Angel successful. Confirmed that specific stripping of Angel tissue is achievable while preserving the host EVA's basic structural framework. Pilot rescue operation achieved its primary objective. Unit-03 damage assessment: severe, but non-destructive."
His gaze swept over the damaged parts of Unit-03 on the screen, lingering for a moment particularly on the area where the Angel's core had likely been parasitized.
This intervention not only verified the weapon's efficacy in extreme situations and preserved an important pilot and test unit but also created excellent conditions for him to study the fusion mechanism of Angels and EVAs up close, and perhaps...
Perhaps he could obtain some additional "samples" or data from this damaged body.
Rescue and recovery operations began swiftly.
Based on the fact that the "Cherubim-Type I" grenade was the direct cause of Unit-03's final state (whether it was purifying the Angel or causing damage to the unit), Chen Yu formally submitted an application to the Technology Development Department to inspect the damage to Unit-03 at close range, citing the need to evaluate the weapon's actual impact on the EVA body and to optimize the design parameters for the subsequent "Cherubim-Type II."
After a comprehensive assessment, NERV Headquarters approved his request.
On one hand, as the Chief Designer of the weapon system, Ryo's request was logical and essential for subsequent R&D; on the other hand, the current damage status of Unit-03 was complex and indeed required consultation from experts in various fields.
This allowed Chen Yu to legitimately and directly contact this precious sample that had just experienced Angel parasitism and forced removal.
Inside a special, strictly monitored hangar, Chen Yu conducted a detailed inspection of Unit-03, which was kneeling on the ground with its external armor broken and twisted in multiple places.
His preliminary conclusions were fundamentally consistent with the judgment of NERV's own technical team: most of Unit-03's structural damage stemmed from the Ninth Angel's forced modification and takeover of the internal systems during its parasitic erosion, as well as the collateral structural damage caused by the violent confrontation between the two alien forces during the process of the Angel being forcibly decomposed and stripped by the catalytic particles.
As for the "Cherubim" catalytic particles themselves, they truly acted as designed in their theory, primarily affecting the Angel's biological tissue without causing observable, specific, sustained damage or pollution to Unit-03's primary skeleton and core biological structure, which were based on Lilith's cells.
This result further confirmed the precision and safety of the "Cherubim" series weapons and provided data support for more audacious weapon application plans Chen Yu might propose later.
Meanwhile, at the Medical Center, Asuka had recovered from the initial intense mental shock.
A physical examination confirmed that she had not suffered serious physical injury, but the terrifying experience of having her mind forcibly invaded by the Angel's consciousness, having her control stripped away, and the despair of being trapped in the Entry Plug witnessing the battle outside had left deep scars on her spirit.
The doctor diagnosed that she needed a period of rest and psychological counseling, and would be unable to bear the high-intensity synchronization and combat required to pilot an EVA in the short term.
Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami came to visit together.
In the hospital room, Asuka leaned against the headboard. Her complexion was still somewhat pale, and the aggressive flamboyance of the past had subsided significantly.
Seeing Shinji enter, she subconsciously turned her face away, but her earlobes flushed slightly red.
"Id—idiot Shinji, what are you here for?" Her voice was weaker than usual, but it still carried her habitual stubbornness.
Shinji stood by the bedside somewhat helplessly, carrying a bag of fruit, and said in a low voice: "I—we came to see you—I'm so glad you're okay."
"...Hmph, why would anything happen to me?" Asuka muttered, but her gaze drifted subconsciously toward Shinji. Seeing the genuine worry on his face, her heart inexplicably softened, and her voice lowered a few degrees. "...Thanks for coming."
This subtle, slightly shy response made Shinji freeze for a moment, and then he scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.
Rei Ayanami stood quietly to the side, her red eyes watching the scene calmly.
She saw Shinji's concern for Asuka, saw Asuka's slightly soft reaction that was different from the usual, and saw the indescribable, quietly changing atmosphere between the two.
An unfamiliar, complex emotion sent a ripple through her usually calm lake of a heart.
She didn't quite understand what this feeling of slight tightness in her chest was; she only subconsciously gripped her own hand lightly and silently looked away.
After completing his preliminary assessment of Unit-03, Chen Yu also monitored the pilots' situation through the internal system.
He saw the medical report and noted the emotional ripples this incident had stirred among the three young pilots that went beyond the past.
Everything was adding more uncertainty to this fragile world and providing richer samples for him to observe the impact of the "Wall of the Heart" and human emotions on the EVA system.
He closed his data pad, his gaze turning back to the broken Unit-03 in the hangar.
The subsequent repair process might give him the chance to understand some of the EVA's core secrets more deeply.
And the increasingly complex emotional connections among the pilots were also important variables he needed to continuously observe and—
When necessary, to guide.