Chapter 1995: The City of Demonic Mist in the Dead World (10)

—2015.5.27—
NERV headquarters.
"Well done, Shinji-kun,"
Katsuragi Misato, who was wearing a protective suit and helmet, patted Shinji Ikari, who was also wearing a protective suit, on the shoulder:
"This is the first complete apostle we got, and the study of it will definitely be of great help in fighting against the apostles that appear next."
"Don't say it so easily, it's me who needs a lot of effort," Akagi Ritsuko on the side is directing several staff members in the same costume to debug various data in front of several computers: "At present, it is certain that the red sphere is It is indeed the power source of the apostles, if you don't dig it out, Shinji-kun, the fourth apostle may explode like the third apostle, but there is no way to analyze or restart it, not even thinking."
"It's useless." Katsuragi Miri made a face at her.
"I didn't plan to explain it to a layman." Ritsuko Akagi ignored it.
"Ahaha..." Ikari Shinji, caught between the two, could only fight haha.
This is a giant factory located in the underground fortress. It is responsible for the manufacture and maintenance of the weapons and equipment used by Eva, and it can also "repair" the damaged body. In fact, the first machine is soaking in the "pool" next to it at the moment.
Ikari Shinji was going to conduct the restart experiment of the first unit today, but he heard that the fourth apostle was being studied next door, so he asked Ritsuko Akagi to bring him to see and see before the experiment started.
If it was... the unfortunate fourth apostle was really broken down into sashimi. Of course, no one should use chopsticks.
"Well, it's interesting. Through the analysis of the body structure of the apostles, it can be determined that they are also carbon-based creatures, and the DNA structure is 99.89% similar to that of humans." Akagi Ritsuko looked at the data that appeared on the computer screens. , said with interest.
"Uh? What does that mean?" Katsuragi Misato looked puzzled.
"It means that the apostle, at least the fourth apostle, can almost be regarded as a 'human'." Ritsuko Akagi tilted his head to look at Miri Katsuragi: "For example, the genetic similarity between Lieutenant Katsuragi and chimpanzees is 99.6%. "
"Use yourself as an example!" Katsuragi Misato said angrily.
"This..." Ikari Shinji tried to divert the topic: "Does that mean I'm actually fighting with the King Kong? And Dr. Akagi, your job is to find the reason why it mutated from the Chimpanzee to the King Kong?"
"Well... that's an interesting view," Ritsuko Akagi paused, then looked at Shinji Ikari: "What do you call me?"
"Akagi... Doctor?" Ikari Shinji blinked.
"What was your name as First Lieutenant Katsuragi before?"
"That, Akagi...sister?"
"Um?"
"Ritsuko...sister."
"Good," Akagi Ritsuko patted his head: "Go to start the test, don't play here."
"Hehe, someone is jealous." Misato Katsuragi covered her mouth and smiled, but Ritsuko Akagi ignored it.
"[The first machine will be ready to start in 480 seconds, the driver is requested to be in place in time.]"
"I, I'm leaving." Shinji Ikari, who was sweating a little, turned around and ran.
—
After a while, the first machine inserted the bolt.
"[Don't be nervous, Shinji-kun, the last time it dropped to 0% should be an accident. The two idiots are away, so they should return to their original state." Katsuragi Miri said through the broadcast.
"Ah, um."
As the purple-red pool water that submerged the first machine receded, the familiar command sound of the staff began to sound.
"[Main power on, inject LCL.]"
"[The first contact is completed.]"
"[The neural connection is completed, the second contact begins.]"
"[Sync rate 0%]"
"[The second contact is completed.]"
"[The first machine has been started.]"
etc? Although you are very skilled, but isn't there something wrong?
Ikari Shinji tried to control the movement of the first machine, but failed.
[Curry Curry...] Chestnut Ball floated beside him with a very disappointed expression.
"[What's the matter? Shinji-kun? What's your situation now?]" After a commotion over there, Katsuragi Misato asked Ikari Shinji.
"I'm not sure..." Ikari Shinji tried again: "Everything is normal here, but No. 1 can't move."
A person is very awake, but his body can't move... Isn't he paralyzed?
"[This is impossible, it is impossible to complete the startup in 0% of the cases, there must be something wrong.]"
"Don't ask me..." Ikari Shinji said helplessly,
"[In short, start the backup plan, you come out and let Zero go in and try it. We have to confirm that it was not the first machine that was affected by the battle with the fourth apostle.]"
"Zero...Ayanami is she okay?"
"[Although I can't attack yet, there is no problem with just starting it. After all, there are no apostles attacking now.]"
No, if you complain, you will lose.
When the command center was busy and the technicians were changing the operating system of the first machine, Ikari Shinji and Ayanami Rei met on the landing bridge.
"That..." Ikari Shinji scratched his head, not knowing what to say for a while.
Although the two meet almost every day, they are basically wearing school uniforms, like ordinary classmates, but now they are all wearing tight leather jackets driving EVA, but they have become quite unfamiliar. After all, the last time I saw her wearing this, it was just When I came to drive the first number one for the first time.
"Have you seen it?" Lingbo Ling actively greeted.
"what?"
"Book."
"...I read it." Ikari Shinji forcibly ate "what book" back into his stomach, obviously the ones she "strongly recommended".
"How do you feel?"
"Shinichi Kudo is a scumbag."
"Um."
No, what do you mean when you say "um"? Do you want me to continue?
"Maolilan's force value is not scientific at all."
"Um."
"Mori Kogoro must be pretending to be arrogant, inexplicably in a drowsy state to solve so many cases without suspicion."
"Um."
"Haibara Ai…"
"Um?"
Well, wait here.
"very cute!"
"Uh-huh."
Recommending a whole set of books to others because you like a certain character... Is it worthy of being the president of the literary club?
"What do you think of the [time in the book]?" Lingami Ayanami asked instead.
time?
"It's just the author's intention that time won't move forward. If it flows normally, the cases can't be so dense at all. If it doesn't take much, the elementary school students should grow up." Ikari Shinji scratched his head.
"Then, isn't it very pitiful for [people caught in the 'time loop']?"
"…"
Can she really ask such a question that only a sentimental "literary girl" can ask?
"I think so, so,"
Ikari Shinji thought about it and said:
"If they don't have self-awareness, they can't be pitiful. If they have self-awareness but don't perceive the cycle, it doesn't matter. If they have self-awareness and perceive the cycle, they're even less pitiful."
"Um?"
"Because they have already understood the nature of the world and surpassed 99.89% of the other people in the world," Shinji Ikari learned a number and began to mess with it: "Whether they want to use the cycle, or try to break the cycle, they will have the uniqueness of others. Impossible experience."
"Yes?"
"Just like you and me," Ikari Shinji pointed to himself: "There are so many 'qualified', how many can drive Eva to fight against the apostles? No one will think that we have to drive giant robots to fight dangerous ones. Fighting monsters is pitiful, isn't it?"
"..." Ayanami stared at Ikari Shinji steadily, but did not respond to this sentence.
"[The first machine will be ready to start in 60 seconds, the driver is requested to be in place in time.]"
"[Shinji! Stop talking with Zero! Talk about it when you have something to say!]"
No... how did I pull her to speak?
Shinji Ikari opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't refute it. After all, this is not a plug, and Miri Katsuragi might not hear what he was saying.
"That, you go," he looked at the first machine: "If your synchronization rate is also 0, it may be that the first machine has suffered some damage."
"Yeah." Lingbo Ling nodded slightly and passed by Ikari Shinji.
Since when he refused to drive, his father had planned to let Zero replace the driver, and he also had a backup system, which proved that they were very sure that Zero could drive the first machine.
Ikari Shinji looked at Zero's back, feeling a little guilty.
If she can really start the first phone smoothly... Isn't the reason for the 0% synchronization rate on her own?
Is it "Skyscraper", "Golden Captain" or the reason for that unknown card?
Shortly after Rei Ayanami entered the insertion plug, the staff's instructions sounded one after another.
"[Main power on, inject LCL!]"
"[First contact completed!]"
"[The neural connection is completed, the second contact begins!]"
"[Sync rate...50%!]"
It's over, it's really my own problem, but what's the reason? With such a low synchronization rate, will he be trained by the devil?
Ikari Shinji started scratching his hair.
"[Zero, try to control the first machine to complete some actions, don't force it.]"
【Okay. 】
Huh, wait, this familiar feeling...
Ikari Shinji stopped scratching his hair and looked up at Unit 1.
A super-giant Rei Ayanami was standing there.
"…"
How should I put it, it's better than expected. Although it's not serious clothes, it's better to be wrapped in dense bandages than nothing.
Ikari Shinji shook his head vigorously and rubbed his eyes, but the illusion still did not disappear, so he decided to let it go.
Moreover, I have always been a little worried that the damage caused by the apostles to the first machine did not appear on the "giant Ayanami zero" simultaneously.
Boom, boom.
The giant Ayanami began to slowly move forward. Although her movements were a little stiff, she did move, but her face was still expressionless. She could only slightly judge where "she" was paying attention by the focal length of her eyes.
"[Zero, then perform the -Zizi-No., and -Zizi-and-Zizi-]"
Um…?
Ikari Shinji was thinking about what went wrong and caused the synchronization rate to drop suddenly, when he heard a burst of noise from Katsuragi Misato's command broadcast.
The personnel in the equipment maintenance department will be deducted from bonuses.
When Ikari Shinji looked up with a slightly gloating attitude, he found that something was not quite right.
At some point, the surrounding environment changed from the experimental site of the equipment factory to a vast experimental site that should still belong to NERV, but with much stricter protection measures.
"[Prepare to start the experiment of No. 0 machine.]" Ikari Gendo's voice came from the broadcast.
Great, I not only hallucinated, but also began to hear hallucinations.
Ikari Shinji sighed silently, and turned his eyes to the testing ground in the illusion.
As for the No. 0 machine, I have seen it before. It is a one-eyed eva painted in orange. When fighting against the fourth apostle, he used to stand by as a wingman, but in the end, he had no chance to shoot.
At the beginning, I was a little worried that it could "turn into" some kind of giant girl, but it turns out that not every Eva can... become...
Appearing on the experimental site was a giant girl with long silver-blue hair, red eyes, wearing a set of turquoise light bikini armor with dark red lines on her body.
The most striking thing was the turquoise giant horns that were born on both sides of her head.
You call this machine zero?
Compared with the "giant Ayanami Rei" who is almost a doll, the expression of this "giant long-horned girl" is much more vivid, and it is completely a hideous expression that will destroy everything in front of her. She was found to be firmly held in place by the restraint, and a peg was entering through the back of her neck.
"【Aaaaaa—!】"
She could even make a sound, although it was only a hallucination of Shinji Ikari.

【LCL—】

"【-touch.】"
"[Sync rate 50%...]"
"【…Finish.】"
Following several inaudible broadcasts, the expression of the giant long-horned girl gradually solidified, and then lowered her head.
"[Touch the restraint, Zero, try to control it to move.]" Ikari Gendo's voice came again.
Obviously, the daddy in the vision cannot see the vision that he sees in the vision.
Boom, boom.
The giant long-horned girl took two steps forward mechanically.
"[Ready to proceed to the next step—]"
"【Aaaaaa—!】"
Before Ikari Gendo gave further instructions, the giant long-horned girl suddenly held her head with both hands and let out a shrill scream.
"[The synchronization rate is reduced to 0%! Unit 0 is completely out of control!]"
0% is like this? How are you different?
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The next moment, the giant long-horned girl rushed to the experimental observation window like a beast, and then threw her fists and slammed it, but the wall structure was very strong, except for the cobweb-like cracks, the window could not be broken at all.
"【Emergency ejection plug!】"
laugh! dong dong dong!
The silver-white insertion bolt flew out from the back of the neck of the giant long-horned girl and rammed around the test field.
Hiss... Ikari Shinji, who had sat on the plug and knew what was going on inside, took a deep breath. It was obvious that Rei Ayanami—the one with the trumpet—was injured like this.
After the plug was ejected, the giant long-horned girl threw a few more difficult punches, and stopped completely with hatred on her face.
What should I do... When fighting side by side with Unit 0 in the future, don't let her resist damage to avoid going crazy?
Ikari Shinji was thinking wildly, but saw Ikari Gendo in the illusion running wildly all the way to the ejection bolt, trying to pull open the hatch.
Don't worry, it should be very hot. I remember that every time the plug is ejected, there will be a cooling process, but it was obvious that I didn't have time to do it just now.
The next moment, Ikari Gendo's hands turned into lava, and he easily unscrewed the hatch that inserted the bolt.
...?