NERV Headquarters, Second Testing Ground.
"Alright, next is the first official activation test. Li, are you ready?"
"Yes."
Upon hearing Fang Zheng’s inquiry, Rei Ayanami nodded, and Fang Zheng smiled slightly.
"Very good. As I ntioned before, you know that EVA isn’t very reliable, and no one is sure what might happen during the activation test. But rember, maintaining your ntal state is crucial. No matter what, hold on to your true self, just like when you’re ditating."
"Understood."
"Then, I’ll leave it to you."
Saying this, Fang Zheng waved his hand, watching Rei Ayanami enter the insertion plug before heading to the main control room of the testing ground.
"By the look on your face, you don’t seem to think the experint will go smoothly, do you?"
Fang Zheng had just settled by the glass wall when Ritsuko Akagi, standing nearby, curiously pushed up her glasses and asked.
"Who knows."
In response to Ritsuko Akagi’s question, Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders.
"It’s never wrong to make the most thorough preparations and plan for the worst. Even with pure machinery, the first trial run always encounters a slew of problems. Not to ntion sothing like EVA that’s neither entirely human nor entirely ghostly. To be honest, I don’t want any issues either, but can you guarantee it won’t have any? Dr. Akagi?"
"......"
Faced with Fang Zheng’s inquiry, Ritsuko Akagi remained silent. Just as Fang Zheng said, EVA is not pure machinery, and she also understood that many aspects about EVA remain a mystery...
However, it still had to be done.
At this mont, Gendo Ikari, who had been silent, finally spoke.
"Initiate activation."
"Yes."
Upon receiving the command from Gendo Ikari, Ritsuko Akagi nodded and quickly issued the order.
"Connect the main power to all circuits."
"Main power connection complete, beginning system activation... Operating voltage 0.5 from the critical point... 0.2... breach!"
"System activation entering second phase."
"LCL concentration normal, comncing connection with pilot, entering second phase, maintain LCL pressure as is. Synapse insertion, begin integration, transmit impulse... all circuits normal, initial contact without abnormalities, power transmitting to left and right upper arm muscles. Open leg conduction lines, all neural connections normal, check up to item 2550... preparing third contact, 2580 check passed."
As the staff reported, Unit-00 slowly raised its head.
"0.9 to the absolute boundary line, 0.7, 0.5, 0.4......"
"Beep......!"
However, at this mont, the screen images suddenly began to reverse rapidly.
"Pulse reversal!"
At this mont, the staff’s voice imdiately beca tense.
"Anomaly occurred in the third phase, central neurons are beginning to produce rejection reactions!"
Indeed.
Watching Unit-00, which was struggling in agony, Fang Zheng smirked. In fact, he had anticipated this issue. Although strengthening Rei Ayanami’s soul and spirit, Unit-00 was not under Fang Zheng’s control. With only a fragnt of a soul, Unit-00 was like an untad wild horse, instinctively rejecting the first person attempting to ride it.
Next, it was up to Rei Ayanami to ta this wild horse.
"Pulse reversal intensifying, unable to stop it!"
anwhile, Unit-00 began to struggle furiously, breaking free from the restraints on the wall, then suddenly moved forward... and stopped.
"What’s going on?"
Watching Unit-00 stand motionless, everyone was shocked because all data indicated that Unit-00 had lost control, even unable to transmit signals inside.
This showed that Unit-00 was in an uncontrollable state, yet seeing it like this... what on earth was happening?
Ritsuko Akagi was futilely trying to regain control of Unit-00, while Fang Zheng rely stood quietly by the glass wall, staring at the trembling Unit-00.
Go ahead, try moving again?
Although just a half-defective prototype, it’s still a creature, and as long as it’s a creature... one dose of Dragon Might from , and can you still run?
Feeling moved, Unit-00?
"Ugh... ugh......!"
At the mont, Unit-00 let out a painful groan, for Fang Zheng’s Dragon Might had divine power augntation. Not to ntion it, even a true Angel Envoy would submit. However, Fang Zheng didn’t plan to make it his underling, so he rely used Dragon Might to suppress Unit-00’s rampage, leaving the rest to Li.
Unable to counter Rei Ayanami through neural connection, Unit-00 now could only compete with Rei Ayanami for control on the ntal level.
It’s like a wild horse and a horse tar; either the wild horse kicks the tar away, or it obediently submits to the tar.
But Fang Zheng had high hopes for Rei Ayanami.
Let’s not talk about how Rei Ayanami has already absorbed a part of Lilith’s Soul Power, and Unit-00 itself is a defective product, with its biggest issue being its wild nature that’s hard to ta. But because of the incomplete soul, it’s also more pure. To put it simply, from a soul perspective in terms of confrontation, perhaps initially Unit-00 could break through with its brute strength, but as soon as Rei Ayanami becos familiar with the ntal level combat, using her current soul and Psychic Power to suppress Unit-00 should not be an issue.
Things turned out much as Fang Zheng had predicted.
"Connection successful!"
Just five minutes after Unit-00 went out of control, the unit suddenly bowed its head, which had been showing a posture of a caged beast struggling. anwhile, the previously busy staff exclaid in surprise.
"Central nerve reconnect! Pulse counterflow stopped! Third Phase critical point breakthrough successful!"
"Stop the experint."
Despite the promising scenario at present, Ritsuko Akagi still ordered the experint to be halted, because no one understood what was happening during Unit-00’s rampage earlier. Though it seems okay now, who knows? What if it goes on another rampage?
"How is the pilot’s condition?"
"All physical characteristics are normal!"
Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and Ritsuko Akagi imdiately gave orders.
"Restraint Unit-00 again, remove the Insertion Plug."
Quickly, under Ritsuko Akagi’s orders, Unit-00 was fitted with Restraint Devices again, and everyone was very cautious throughout the process, afraid it might rampage again. Luckily, this ti Unit-00 was quite obedient, not causing any issues until the experint fully concluded.
Even Rei Ayanami, when she erged from the Insertion Plug, aside from looking slightly pale and weak, was otherwise perfectly normal, not appearing in the tragic state wrapped in bandages as shown in the animation.
"Hey, Rei, are you okay?"
Seeing Rei Ayanami walk out from the Insertion Plug, Fang Zheng cheerfully waved, and Rei Ayanami nodded slightly in acknowledgnt.
"A bit fatigued, but there’s no major problem."
"That’s good, go for a full-body check-up, and then we can go rest. By the way, what do you want to eat today? How about beef noodles?"
"I don’t like eating at..."
"You should eat a little anyway... Beef noodle in clear soup with roasted at is excellent, I tell you, you’d be missing out...
As Fang Zheng was speaking, he walked away with Rei Ayanami. Gendo Ikari, arriving a step later, couldn’t get a word in and could only watch as Fang Zheng took Rei Ayanami’s hand and left the Second Experintal Area......
At this mont, Gendo Ikari felt his blood pressure was about to hit a critical point.
If it weren’t for the nurous staff around, Gendo Ikari might have shouted aloud "Villain, stop walking!"
But now... he could only watch dryly.
Fuyutsuki, observing Gendo Ikari, silently shook his head.
The results of the physical check were normal, which was expected, because Rei Ayanami’s body was in such a dire state in the animation due to Unit-00’s self-destructive outburst. However, this ti Unit-00 didn’t have the chance to self-harm, as it was pressed down by Fang Zheng’s Dragon Might. In the soul-level battle, Rei Ayanami obviously had the upper hand. Consequently, the final check results showed everything was alright, suggesting all she needed was to rest well for a few days.
So Fang Zheng decisively withdrew with Rei Ayanami, and Ritsuko Akagi didn’t stop them, evidently occupied with studying the correlation between Unit-00’s prior rampage and sudden halt afterward.
However, Fang Zheng believed she’d never figure anything out.
Of course, Fang Zheng ultimately didn’t get to enjoy beef noodles, because Japan doesn’t have such dishes, forcing him to settle for ran, which didn’t taste great.
So Fang Zheng decided to head ho and made clear soup noodles himself.
anwhile, during the al, Rei Ayanami reported her experience within Unit-00 to Fang Zheng—just as he had predicted—as Rei Ayanami neared the critical point, Unit-00’s soul launched an attack against her. Fortunately, due to Fang Zheng’s reminder, Rei Ayanami had already braced herself, although initially unfamiliar with the soul impact and caught off guard, she recovered quickly and began her counter-attack.
There’s not much more to say thereafter, failing its triple strike and subdued by Dragon Might, Unit-00 ultimately retreated, leading to Rei Ayanami’s victory.
"Seems ditation proved effective, so continue as planned with training."
"Yes."
Upon hearing Fang Zheng’s answer, Rei Ayanami nodded without hesitation. Evidently, this victory made the once bewildered Rei Ayanami even more resolved.
In the days that followed, everything went smoothly.
As Fang Zheng expected, Ritsuko Akagi never figured out what transpired that day, although she did ask Rei Ayanami about the circumstances back then, to which Rei Ayanami truthfully reported. Regrettably, as a scientist, Ritsuko Akagi’s understanding of soul matters was virtually non-existent, eventually formulating a convoluted conclusion stating "Due to certain special reasons, Unit-00 almost caused the pilot spiritual contamination, but returned intact thereafter."
Basically, worth saying nothing at all.
Regarding Fang Zheng’s ditation training for Rei Ayanami, Ritsuko Akagi showed considerable interest, previously aware of Fang Zheng’s training thods for Rei Ayanami, but initially deed ditation sowhat dubious.
Unexpectedly, this Unit-00 rampage was tamped down due to the seemingly mystical "ditation" training, causing Ritsuko Akagi to take note.
Subsequently, everything normalized, with Unit-00 no longer rampaging, and Rei Ayanami’s synchronization rate with Unit-00 steadily increased—unlike in the original work, where Unit-00, tad improperly, periodically exploded. By now, Unit-00 was completely subdued by Rei Ayanami, naturally no longer hindering her. Under Fang Zheng’s guidance, Rei Ayanami, empowered by Lilith’s Soul Power, was increasingly prominent.
As for Fang Zheng and Rei Ayanami’s relationship, it naturally improved, although Rei Ayanami wasn’t nurtured into a cheerful, lively type, at least she wasn’t as reclusive when interacting with others.
Of course, Gendo Ikari’s daily routine of taking blood pressure dication was sothing Fang Zheng couldn’t be bothered to care about.
He should ideally suffer a stroke and be dismissed.
Finally, the mont arrived.
Having just finished breakfast one morning, Fang Zheng received an urgent call from NERV.
The shadow of the Angel Envoy was spotted.
In other words, it’s ti for Unit-00 to sortie.
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