A look of grim determination flashed in Osiris' eyes.
He stopped evading, violently turning the steering wheel. The jeep's engine screamed under the strain, like an unbridled wild horse, charging straight towards the massive, slightly shimmering rear-flank of the Angel, which was momentarily disrupted by the force field.
The distance closed rapidly. He could even clearly see the strangely smooth material and the flowing energy patterns on the Angel's surface.
The instant before impact, he abruptly pressed the detonator remote control in his hand, setting it for instantaneous activation. At the same time, he used all his strength to push open the car door and leaped out!
"For—the blue and clean ocean!"
He roared softly, tumbling and falling into a pile of soft rubble.
Almost at the exact same moment—BOOM!!!
There was no deafening explosion, only a silent yet extremely dazzling sphere of azure light that suddenly expanded, completely engulfing the jeep and a portion of the Angel's body.
Wherever the light passed, the Angel's seemingly indestructible body hissed like snow meeting the blazing sun, rapidly decomposing and dissolving, turning into a shower of clear liquid droplets!
The Fifth Angel let out the most agonizing shriek since the battle began. Its massive body was instantly mutilated, and its movements froze completely.
The desperately struggling Unit-01 seized this fleeting opportunity. Its high-vibration particle knife, charged with relentless momentum, accurately pierced the exposed, flickering core.
The battlefield fell into an eerie silence in that instant, with only the heavy breathing of Unit-01 and the faint crackling of distant embers echoing.
The battle was over.
In the NERV Headquarters Command Center, you could hear a pin drop.
The data streams on the screens were still rolling, but everyone was stunned into silence by this incredible turn of events.
Misato Katsuragi braced her hands on the console, gazing at the figure on the main screen who was rising from the rubble, nonchalantly dusting off his white coat. Her eyes held a mix of astonishment, fear, and a difficult-to-describe scrutiny.
Ritsuko Akagi was already completely immersed in the data, her hands flying across the auxiliary control panel, retrieving every energy reading, particle distribution, and bio-response signal from the strange explosion. Her brow was furrowed as she muttered to herself, "This reaction pattern—it's completely different from any known weapon—is it targeted biological decomposition?"
In the shadows behind the command center, Gendo Ikari sat with his hands steepled under his chin. The orange lenses of his glasses reflected the cold screen light, obscuring his gaze. His low voice broke the silence, devoid of emotion, yet seemingly chilling the surrounding air further: "Fuyutsuki, what do you make of it?"
This was not a question.
Kozo Fuyutsuki, standing beside him, also fixed his gaze on Osiris, who was currently being escorted away by security personnel on the screen. He spoke slowly, his tone carrying his usual caution: "It was certainly not accidental.
The principle of the technology he used is unlike any system we are aware of.
It appears to be an extension of environmental purification, but the effect—is too precise and too lethal."
He paused, his eyes behind his glasses sharpening. "A researcher focused on marine restoration should not possess such an—efficient, targeted solution.
His background is more complex than we imagined."
Gendo Ikari's lips seemed to curl into a barely perceptible arc—not a smile, but something deeper.
"He has shown value, but also exposed danger," he said calmly. "Keep him under strict surveillance. Find out everything behind him."
"Understood." Fuyutsuki nodded slightly. "I will personally follow up on the scrutiny process. Also, his 'catalytic particle' project—"
"Keep it for now," Gendo interrupted with an unassailable decision. "It is still useful until we have complete control over it."
These few simple sentences had already established the NERV high-command's stance on Osiris: utilization, but absolutely no trust; a necessity, but he must be controlled.
This researcher, who had unexpectedly stumbled onto their chessboard, had gone from an insignificant minor piece to a dangerous chess piece that needed to be strictly guarded and could detonate at any moment.
On the battlefield ruins, Osiris stood, breathing slightly.
He first looked towards the clear blue bay glistening golden under the setting sun in the distance—the Ninth Institute and the ecological restoration zone were intact.
There was no victor's pride or excitement on his face, only a kind of near-clinical focus, as if what he had just completed was not a life-or-death adventure, but a high-risk field study.
He glanced down at his slightly scraped hands, then back towards the direction where the Fifth Angel's remains had finally dissipated, leaving only a few clear wet marks. In a voice audible only to himself, he spoke clearly, as if recording lab notes: "'Catalytic particles' confirmed to have a specific decomposition effect on Angel living tissue. The effect is significant, and the rate of action exceeded expectations.
However, the energy dissipation is too fast, the effective range is limited, and stability and controllability need urgent optimization. Sample data recorded."
Just then, Unit-01's head turned slightly. Its massive, glowing green optical sensor locked onto the small but unignorable figure below.
Inside the entry plug, Shinji Ikari clearly saw Dr. Osiris standing in the ruins through the panoramic screen.
He saw the Doctor, despite being somewhat dishevelled, standing straight and raising his hand, waving vigorously in his direction. A tired but clearly visible smile, carrying affirmation and gratitude, spread across his face.
That smile, passing through the cold screen and penetrating the post-battle numbness and daze, clearly reached Shinji's heart.
An indescribable emotion surged up—relief, moving, and perhaps a trace of the warmth of being recognized.
The EVA he piloted had protected the Doctor's dream; and the Doctor, in an unexpected way, had helped him win the battle.
However, this brief exchange was quickly broken.
Several black SUVs bearing the NERV logo screeched into the scene. Fully armed security personnel quickly exited, forming a loose perimeter, and "invited" Osiris to get in the car politely but uncompromisingly.
"Dr. Osiris, please cooperate with us. We require a detailed explanation of your recent actions," the security chief's tone was formal, his eyes sharp.
The smile on Osiris' face faded, and he returned to his usual calmness.
He offered no resistance, only looking up one last time at Unit-01, giving a slight nod as if to say, "I'm fine," before turning and calmly getting into the SUV under the "escort" of the security personnel.
The vehicle carried him toward NERV Headquarters.
What awaited him was bound to be a deep and meticulous investigation and interrogation.
His astonishing "field experiment," though it unexpectedly crippled the Angel and greatly aided NERV, had completely exposed him to the spotlight.
He successfully verified a highly valuable potential technological direction, earning himself more specialized attention and perhaps higher internal clearance. Still, at the same time, he had earned a more stringent, more cautious, and possibly more suspicious watch from within the NERV system.
Risk and opportunity were tightly intertwined at this moment.