With the necessary parts finally gathered, everyone set out for the Matsushiro Test Facility.
Thanks to Unit-01's assistance, the group reached Matsushiro much more quickly this time. But upon seeing the devastated ruins before them, even Ryota Kitazawa couldn't help but shake his head repeatedly.
Fortunately, the experimental environment at Matsushiro had survived intact, spared from the total annihilation of the "Seven Days of Fire." Most importantly, beneath the facility lay an underground laboratory.
Originally, Matsushiro had been prepared as a contingency: if NERV Headquarters were ever destroyed by the Angels, then Matsushiro would serve as the final command post. Now, that backup plan had become their greatest lifeline.
Countless former NERV staff poured into the facility and immediately began studying the artificial S² engines installed in the Mass Production EVAs. Meanwhile, Misato Katsuragi gave the urgent order to send search teams across the entire Japanese archipelago.
Food remained the most desperately scarce resource.
It couldn't be helped—after all, the world had fallen into a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Not only were crops gone, there wasn't even grass left to graze upon. In such an environment, humanity's survival was hanging by a thread.
Still, every day brought both good news and bad. The good news was that aside from essential supplies, search teams were also finding more survivors. Many of them had gone days without eating, or had been wandering the barren wilderness before being discovered and brought to Matsushiro.
Thankfully, Misato had already spread the word that Matsushiro was a temporary refuge. More and more survivors were receiving the message and making their way to the shelter.
But the food stores would not last long.
Misato's brow furrowed deeper with each passing day. On the matter of food, even she had no solution—her hands were tied.
As the number of survivors swelled, rations dwindled sharply. Supplies were limited, and under these conditions there was no way to procure enough food for so many mouths.
Despite her strict rationing, the stockpile was finally nearing exhaustion.
When word of the shortage spread, it set off an uproar among the refugees. Hunger was, without question, the most primal fear of all. In the midst of an apocalypse, the terror of starvation could ignite panic at any moment.
On the fourth day after food ran out, the shelter faced its first real internal crisis.
The spark came when a desperate group of survivors attempted to harvest the small crop of wheat planted outside. But that wheat represented everyone's future—next year's seeds, the possibility of expanding their harvests. A clash broke out immediately.
Though the conflict was quickly suppressed—since everyone understood that destroying their only chance of sustainable food would mean collective ruin—the tension did not vanish. Until the food problem was solved, unrest would linger.
Misato's frown never left her face. The thought of more internal strife terrified her. In this fragile moment, they could not afford to fight among themselves. Humanity was already on the brink of extinction—how could they survive if they turned on each other?
If that happened, they could abandon any hope of defeating NERV and Gendō Ikari. After all, wasn't NERV now the true enemy of humanity?
The irony wasn't lost on Misato: she herself had once been a part of NERV. Sometimes, it all felt like an unbelievable dream.
On the seventh day, another crisis erupted. A group of survivors somehow got their hands on a rocket launcher. Raising it skyward, they fired on one of the drones flying overhead.
The missile streaked into the sky, flames roaring from its tail as it shot upward, and struck the drone dead-on.
The drone tumbled down in flames, scattering the supplies it carried as they rained from above.
"We've got food! Food!"
"Tell everyone—we'll eat tonight!"
"Hurrah! Hurrah!"
Shouts of jubilation filled the air. Refugees poured out of the shelter in a frenzy, rushing to snatch up the supplies.
It was sheer dumb luck. By chance they had struck a supply drone—otherwise they would have continued starving.
"Everyone, don't panic! Stay calm!"
Misato rushed out at the sound of the commotion, shouting at the crowd.
But no one was listening anymore. Desperation had already won out.
"If we don't grab it, we'll starve to death!"
Someone in the mob sneered back at her, and the scramble for food only grew fiercer.
"Human beings in the grip of hunger can overcome anything—even fear," Ryota murmured beside her, watching Misato's face turn pale. "You won't talk them down. Might as well let them take it."
"No… no, I've thought of something," Misato suddenly said, her eyes flashing. The corner of her lips curved upward in a fox-like grin.
"Oh? And what's your plan?"
"Think about it—if they're using drones to deliver supplies, that means there must be a central facility producing that food. So why don't we track them back to the source?"
Misato's expression sharpened into determination.
Kaji Ryoji stepped forward, intrigued. "You mean, follow the drones to the production site—and seize it?"
"Exactly." Misato nodded firmly, her smile bright and unyielding.
Since Gendō Ikari and NERV were already their sworn enemies, there was no reason to show restraint anymore.
Misato immediately issued the operation order. Among the survivors were many former NERV personnel, and their coordination with her was seamless.
With the equipment at Matsushiro's disposal, they quickly pinpointed the source: an underground base located in Shikoku. Inside, automated robots were tirelessly producing supplies.
Misato led everyone in an assault on the facility. With Ryota Kitazawa's Unit-01 clearing the way, they swept through like an unstoppable force.
And when they finally laid eyes on the vast stockpiles of provisions stored within, the crowd erupted in cheers of pure, unrestrained joy.
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