Shinji Ikari, returned from Warhammer

Among the folk remedies that have been passed down through generations is one such one—

That is to stick a scallion into your buttocks, and all your illnesses will disappear overnight.

(I'll decide whether to write this section and Chapter 200 based on the group vote. Consider this a free bonus chapter.)

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Returning to the city of Tenjo, to the Third New Tokyo, Asuka finally made up her mind.

"You don't seem surprised that Asuka volunteered for the mental test?" At this moment, in the bathroom sink, Ritsuko Akagi turned to look at Misato Katsuragi next to her.

“There’s nothing surprising about it. Whether it was intentional or unintentional, it was only a matter of time.” Misato Katsuragi gazed at herself in the mirror. “You can never be too serious about things related to the Angels. Before Shinji Ikari arrived, Asuka was always number one. Her theoretical knowledge was the most solid, so she wouldn’t be unaware of this.”

Escape is useless; it only delays sentencing.

“Unexpectedly, Asuka asked to go herself. Perhaps the hot spring trip a few days ago had an effect. Her mental state has visibly improved. You should go too.” Ritsuko Akagi pulled out a handkerchief from the side and wiped her hands.

However, she regretted it as soon as she said it, because she suddenly remembered who Misato Katsuragi had given up her trip for.

"Actually, it doesn't have much of an impact, and Asuka's mental state doesn't change the fact that she's been corrupted by the Angels." Misato Katsuragi said insincerely, "I'm leaving now, I'll wait for you in the central control room of the simulation test site."

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PS1: It's not that Asuka is the main female lead with a lot of screen time, it's just that the current plot is moving towards Asuka's side, and from then until the finale, it's almost entirely Rei Ayanami's show.

PS2: It's not that pregnancy is impossible, and pregnancy doesn't affect the plot (because there's only a long, sweltering summer, and the story ends before the baby is born), but my enjoyment comes from following the logic, based on the liger's birth rate. (Except for those with special powers or character traits, such as apostle abilities).

The survival rate of liger is extremely low, with only a one in 500,000 chance. However, if the chance of conception can be increased to 1%, I will roll the dice with Cat Master after each attempt, hoping for a great success.

206: Twisted Evolution, the Seabed that Nurtures Life

As the long, narrow elevator slowly descended, Rei Ayanami followed Shinji Ikari into the massive gray building.

Asuka's mental health test was none of their business, but as friends, they felt they should come and check on her. The two of them barely spoke the rest of the way, but there was no awkwardness between them.

They're like an old married couple, and also like brothers and sisters.

"There have been quite a few earthquakes lately," Shinji Ikari remarked, glancing at the morning news notification on his phone.

【凌晨2:18、2:23、早晨6:37，靠近日本东京的山梨县东部地区连发三次地震，级别分别是M4.1级、3.6级、4.9级，震源深度均为20公里，震中都在富士五湖一带；到了上午9:28，出入濑户内海进入太平洋的纪伊水道又发生了M5.4级地震，震源深度19公里；中午12:37，东京西南部的神奈川县西部又发生了M2.8级地震，震源深度10公里。】

"Could it be related to the vanished apostles?" Rei Ayanami asked.

“Probably not. The Angel of the Womb disappeared into the sea.” Shinji Ikari thought for a moment. “Perhaps it’s related to Mount Fuji. It’s an active volcano. Although it hasn’t erupted for over 300 years, enough lava has accumulated beneath it. Geologists have long believed that Mount Fuji could erupt at any time.”

"The Angel of the Uterus?" Rei Ayanami tilted her head and looked at Shinji Ikari.

“It’s the name of the new angel.” Shinji Ikari ruffled Rei Ayanami’s hair. He didn’t want to lie to Rei, but with surveillance cameras all around, it was inconvenient to say that he had learned this information from a parallel world.

"Seismograph monitoring has revealed that geological activity at Mount Fuji is becoming increasingly frequent, and the energy accumulated in the underground lava could erupt at any time. That's why some people say that Japan is a country that could perish at any moment."

Half an hour later, in Hakone Zone 2, at the simulated test site.

Shinji Ikari, unusually, stood with Ritsuko Akagi in front of the glass of the control room, looking at the emulator that consisted only of a skull and spinal cord. Countless black lines spread across its body, connecting to cables, galvanized conduits, or machines he couldn't recognize at all.

Ever since witnessing that EVA graveyard-like scene in the New World, Shinji Ikari understood what the simulated entities before him truly were. They were flawed Primarchs who had not yet become Evangelions, piled up like mountains inside the Central Dogma, their stark white heads and grotesque spines riddled with countless pits, resembling a giant cross-shaped tomb when viewed from the side.

Those that can serve as sims must at least have intact and functional heads and spines, making them suitable as test subjects for qualified candidates, replacing official Evangelion fighters. However, to researchers unaware of the inside story, the humanoid sims before them are merely the developers' perverse pleasure.

Asuka has already been loaded into the cockpit, and with the connection of the spinal cord system, she has successfully sank from the back of the neck into the position of the simulator's spine.

"Asuka, can you hear me?" Maya Ibuki's gentle voice rang in Asuka's ear.

“Perfectly fine, signal reception is normal.” Asuka clenched her fist. “I don’t feel any discomfort, everything is normal.”

Maya Ibuki nodded. "Okay, the auxiliary voltage is normal, the candidate's physical functions are normal, the candidate's psychological stress level is within the normal range, and the connection status of all interface systems is normal."

Perhaps due to her previous experience with mental instability, the development department conducted their testing with exceptional care this time, and only after confirming that all operations were normal did Ibuki Maya finally speak.

"Very good, now begin the restart experiment of Unit 0. Now begin the first connection." Ibuki Maya issued the command, mimicking Akagi Ritsuko.

"Main power supply is plugged in normally. Operating voltage exceeds critical value."

Reports from the technical staff at each stage indicated that the first phase was proceeding normally. This wasn't unexpected, as the previous problem didn't occur in the first phase either, but rather during Asuka's deep-dive dive.

The cause of the mental breakdown remains unknown. This is a psychological shadow for many technicians... Perhaps the speculation about Apostle contamination is true.

However, they couldn't help but look in the direction of the third candidate. At that moment, he was standing with Ritsuko Akagi, looking down at the mental test from a high vantage point.

"You seem to trust Ibuki quite a bit. She's been leading many of the recent experiments. Are you planning to train her?" Shinji Ikari asked, discussing a topic completely unrelated to the experiments.

“This world belongs to the young, and it belongs to you too. Why not let her get more experience?” Ritsuko Akagi crossed her arms and turned to look at Shinji Ikari. “You and Asuka didn’t have a relationship?”

“We’re good friends, of course not.” Shinji Ikari was somewhat surprised. Akagi’s topic had come up so directly, like a sharp scalpel, hitting him where it hurt.

Logically speaking, shouldn't the first question be whether they're together? Ritsuko Akagi's question was too direct, allowing Shinji Ikari to experience the efficiency and decisiveness of a middle-aged working woman.

"The most wonderful encounter in life is meeting the right person at the right time, and you both like each other, right? Sometimes it's okay to be a little bolder... Or is it that you like Rei Ayanami?"

"Dr. Akagi, why are you suddenly so interested in my private life today?" Shinji Ikari raised an eyebrow.

The most wonderful encounter in life is meeting the right person at the right time. Judging from Ritsuko Akagi's gloomy expression, could it be that she met the wrong person at the wrong time?

Shinji Ikari wasn't gossipy, and he'd never heard any rumors about Ritsuko Akagi having a romantic interest. She was like a typical researcher, with little small talk or social interaction; whenever she contacted you, something was definitely going on.

“It just feels so good to be young,” Ritsuko Akagi said, looking at the emulator outside. “We’ll all eventually lose this short life. Why not be bolder? Love someone, climb a mountain, chase a dream.”

"This is a line from Big Fish & Begonia. I've seen the movie."

Ritsuko Akagi showed no embarrassment at being exposed, her expression remaining calm. "Besides, having appropriate sexual relations with someone you like can help stabilize your mental state. Asuka likes you, and you don't dislike her, so why not try being together first? Once you're mentally stable, you can break up and be with the first suitable person."

"No, if I do that I'll lose my dick," Shinji Ikari thought to himself.

He glanced sideways at Ritsuko Akagi, who was wearing a white lab coat beside him. Shinji Ikari roughly understood why Misato Katsuragi hadn't come on the hot spring trip with him. Had she argued with her boyfriend? Heartbroken women are so fussy.

Meanwhile, in the central control room, after receiving responses from the technical staff at each stage, Ibuki Maya nodded.

"Initiate the second phase of the link," Maya Ibuki commanded.

At this moment, all the staff members on duty straightened up and began working in an orderly manner.

"Initiating connection between driver and simulator."

"The circuit is connected, everything is normal."

"Pulsation and resonance are normal, and the neuronal synaptic level is measured, with normal synchronization rate."

Inside the simulated cockpit, Asuka's view shifted from the original red cockpit to a mosaic bathed in white light, resembling a warm white world surrounded by AT fields, ultimately forming the scenery of the external test field.

The first thing she saw was Ritsuko Akagi in her white coat... and Shinji Ikari beside her. As if sensing something unseen, Shinji Ikari also gave his usual smile in the direction of the emulation.

Data collection is complete and review is underway.

[MAGI will begin testing the second eligible candidate in ten minutes. If you wish to cancel, please give the command before the countdown ends.]

This time it wasn't a broadcast, but only the MAGI system's female voice sounded in Ibuki Maya's headphones. She looked at the data that MAGI had transmitted to her tablet and nodded slightly.

"Let's begin, the final mental test."

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At the southern tip of the Kii Peninsula, on the western seabed of Cape Shio.

The submarine's lights, like sharp swords piercing the darkness in the deep sea, bring traces of light to this forbidden land undisturbed by humankind.

This is an extremely harsh environment on Earth, with high water pressure, darkness, extremely low temperatures, low oxygen levels, and scarce food resources... However, a research submarine with a red, white, and blue star flag printed on its side has inexplicably appeared here.

In the early 2000s, the University of Tokyo discovered a massive fault on the seabed west of Cape Shio. This fault is connected to an active fault on the seabed east of Cape Shio, and its confirmed length is over 200 kilometers. The frequency and timing of the fault's past activity are still unclear, but based on topographic features, it is possible that it triggered the 8.6 magnitude Hoei earthquake of 1707.

But this is not the reason why American research submarines came here. The western seabed of Cape Shio at the southern tip of the Kii Peninsula has always been suspected to be the place where the Music Apostle was born.

The birth of the apostles has always been a topic of great interest. The mainstream view is that they are messengers of God, representing God in sounding the horn of doom; or they are destructive devices used by aliens to prey on Earth's civilization, or they are astronauts; there are also rumors that as early as the Precambrian period, when the Earth's surface had no water and oxygen and was filled with magma, the apostles existed as the primitive life forms of the Titans.

But the American research team wasn't there for such dubious reasons; they were simply searching for the origins of the Apostles and bringing back some of the Bird Angel's body tissue.

Most of the known remains of the Angels on Earth have been recovered by NERV, but some have been traded away for personal gain, and a very small number are difficult to recover. The remains of the Bird Angel are a typical example.

His remains are still floating in space 35800 kilometers above the Earth, but a small portion of his body tissue was torn apart in the battle with Unit-01 and fell to Earth through the atmosphere. This is where a larger part of his body fell.

Perhaps it was worried about something, while another missile submarine followed closely behind, providing escort.

The submarine operated very smoothly, with a slight whistling sound from the airflow through the valves, and the gauges on the instrument panel fluctuating, all readings within reasonable ranges. The crew maintained a steady descent.

"According to the mission log, the USS Roger ballistic missile submarine has arrived at the designated location and is checking for potential dangers." With a loud bang, the man's remaining words trailed off. The composure in his eyes instantly crumbled, and fear seeped into them.

"...God!"

The submarine's lights tore through the darkness of the deep trench, revealing an indescribable alien object to everyone. It was an inverted triangle shaped like a uterus, over thirty meters long, and the color of luncheon meat. Half of it was inserted into the seabed, while the other half was wrapped in layers of lung snails. The part in contact with the seabed extended hundreds of square meters of moss-like flesh and blood, densely covered with structures resembling tendons and fascia, and was even slightly wriggling.

"So this is where it was!" The man's eyes widened as he gripped the cross to his chest. "The newest apostle!"

"Our goal has been taken over by Him; He has transformed our goal into a part of Him!" The captain walked to His side, his expression both serious and excited. "Look closely! On the part of the surface covered by that luncheon meat-like moss, you can see traces of blood vessels on the seabed!"

The captain was indeed incredibly excited. He felt like he was Columbus discovering the New World, or Roger finding the Dragon Balls.

Their original target, the remnants of the bird angel's body, had now been devoured by this foreign creature. From the center of the open womb, it opened a gaping maw filled with fangs and gradually digested it into part of its own body.

"He is the Mother of the Apostles, who gave birth to them! We must have her!" The captain's eyes were filled with her image. "God bless America!"

If the United States could master the technology to create Apostles, it would surely lead humanity to the next level of civilization! Of course, unifying the Earth would just be a side effect!

"He is an apostle, not some Mother of Apostles who gave birth to apostles!" The man grabbed the captain's sleeve in alarm. "How could there be such a thing as a Mother of Apostles? This isn't an Ultraman movie set!"

"No, even when Mother of Ultra gave birth to Ultraman, he didn't look like this! I doubt you've ever seen Ultraman Taro!" the captain said seriously.

"No, sir, we didn't come here to discuss Ultraman! It's the apostle! It's clearly still moving! Its veins are throbbing! Let's run, sir! Holy crap, it moved! Holy crap!"

The man screamed in terror. A pink halo suddenly rose above the head of the twisted behemoth, like an umbilical cord or an angel's halo.

The next second, the world was spinning.

Then they were plunged into endless darkness.

—Hakone, Zone 2, Simulation Test Site.

Asuka sat in the cockpit of the simulator, listening to MAGI's countdown.

She knew about Shinji Ikari's efforts for her during this time, but it was meaningless; her mental state wouldn't change the experimental results.