I participated in the development of EVA

I can't feel the mission I'm carrying.

And because he came from a peacetime era and had never experienced any major events, he felt that saving all of humanity was too far away from him and that he just needed to live his own life well.

"..."

He walked out of the minister's office with a heavy heart and came to Laboratory No. 1 in a daze.

He didn't regain his focus until someone reported to him.

"The software and hardware parts have been debugged, and the volunteers are ready to participate in the experiment."

"Ah."

Originally he thought it would take at least another day to complete the project, which was calculated based on full load operation. However, the actual time taken was half a day earlier than expected, and the testing work had also been completed.

"Then let's get started—"

After perking up, I came to the command room.

The current experiment is to collect data to verify whether there are differences in the spiritual connection between different people and EVA.

"Re-test the equipment."

As the order was given, the entire command room began to operate.

"Equipment detection."

"All channels are normal."

“The equipment is working well.”

"No abnormalities in the emergency termination device."

"There is nothing wrong with the life support equipment."

He glanced at Volunteer No. 02 who had already changed into a diving suit, and immediately gave the order.

"The experiment has officially begun."

"02 requests access to the cockpit."

"agree."

The relevant volunteers have not been idle these days. They have all undergone breathing training while immersed in LCL liquid, which shortens the time for adapting to the LCL environment during the experiment.

"The visual signal reception is good."

After the equipment was adjusted, some other tests were also added.

Vision test.

The image on the cockpit display becomes clear with the help of external fill light.

"The signal exceeds the upper limit of the display device's resolution. The specific value cannot be calculated due to lack of data."

Just as Fumihiko Ikari was about to say something, he heard an alarm and reports from relevant personnel.

"The subject's consciousness is beginning to awaken - a large-scale unknown signal is detected, which cannot be intercepted! Cannot be blocked! Cannot be analyzed -"

"Activate! Emergency termination protocol."

"Power to the equipment has been cut off. 02 has left the cockpit. Medical personnel are providing treatment."

After the last experience, Fumihiko Ikari calmed down a lot.

And this time we were fully prepared, especially in terms of medical care.

"How's 02 doing?"

"After preliminary testing, vital signs are normal and the patient is being sent to the medical department for a more comprehensive examination."

After being silent for a moment, Fumihiko Ikari still couldn't make up his mind.

In the original work, the pilots were only fourteen years old, which was definitely because teenagers were more compatible with EVA.

Reason told him that he should skip the middle-aged and young adult groups and start the youth group test directly, but he couldn't bear to push these thirteen or fourteen-year-old children onto the test bench.

017. Some things are hard to accept no matter what the circumstances

"Put all the data from experiments 01 and 02 on the main screen."

01Ibuki Emi is 29 years old.

02……45 years old.

Consciousness is too illusory and ethereal to be detected directly by any equipment, but relevant information can be reflected from other objective data. From the comparison of the two sets of data, it is not difficult to see that the younger the age of the experimenter, the slower the EVA consciousness awakens after the mental link, the longer the two-way link lasts, and the smaller the impact of backlash.

Continuing to carry out the experiment with the middle-aged group would at most just add some unnecessary data.

Totally unnecessary.

He took a deep breath and made the decision.

"Adjust the test sequence and use flashback testing."

The normal process, except for the column 01 Ibuki Emi, should be to test the middle-aged group over 45 years old first, then the youth group over 18 years old, and finally the youth group over 10 years old.

This is done partly to allow older people to accumulate experience for subsequent personnel, and secondly because they do not want to conduct juvenile group testing.

For the first time, the directive was questioned.

"Team Leader, this arrangement... isn't it a good idea?"

Some people may have doubts, but Fumihiko Ikari is not surprised, after all, the volunteers in the youth group are too young.

"If you compare these two sets of data carefully...it shouldn't be difficult to see that age has a certain impact on the experiment."

Everyone carefully compared the experimental data and noticed this point.

but……

They were recruited here to protect human civilization and make the world a better place, and they even completely sacrificed their personal lives for this, using themselves like tireless robots. However, they still could not accept letting teenagers as young as thirteen and as old as sixteen participate in this experiment with unknown risks.

I didn’t react much when I learned that there was a youth group on the volunteer list because I was hoping for the best.

If sufficient data is obtained from the middle-aged or young adult groups, there is no need to conduct experiments on the juvenile group.

Even if we have to conduct the experiment on the juvenile group, the data from the first two groups can reduce the experimental risks to a minimum.

"There are only two sets of data now... This doesn't prove anything, we shouldn't be so radical..."

"Yes, one or two sets of data cannot prove anything."

"Too radical."

"Team Leader Wen Yan, please reconsider this."

……

Ikari Fumihiko had made the decision reluctantly, and now that he was being questioned, he was immediately shaken.

I was secretly relieved.

"Okay, then we'll conduct the test according to the original sequence."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this.

After a moment of silence, the researcher who had first questioned Ikari Fumihiko's decision mustered up the courage to speak up again and expressed his opinion, "The youngest in the youth group is only thirteen years old, which is a bit too radical... Let's first select the youngest person in the youth group and collect a set of data for comparison and verification."

"Okay, wait... I'll do as you say when the experiment starts again."

……

……

Meanwhile outside the emergency room of the medical department.

The civilian staff of the R&D department asked the head of the medical department who had just walked out of the emergency room.

"How is the patient's condition? The R&D department is still waiting for news."

"The meninges are inflamed, some neurons are necrotic, and the patient has lost function for unknown reasons... In short, the patient's condition is very bad now. Whether he can be saved requires further diagnosis."

"Dr. Ibuki was just unconscious for a short time last time and woke up quickly. Wasn't there anything serious? Why is it so serious now?"

"I don't know. This is beyond my expertise. If you want to know the answer, go ask the person in charge of the R&D department."

Civilian staff are only responsible for communications and have no authority to know the content of the experiment, nor do they have any curiosity in this regard.

Take out the communicator.

Under normal circumstances, he should report the situation directly to the person in charge of the experiment, but he called the minister's office instead.

Yui Ikari was involved in other experimental projects, so the person who answered the phone was Gendo Ikari.

"What happened?"

The civilian staff were not surprised that the person who answered the phone was Ikari Gendō, because today's liaison task was assigned by Ikari Gendō, and he had received additional instructions. If the experiment went smoothly, it would be enough to complete the task normally. If any unexpected event occurred in the experiment, Ikari Gendō would be notified first to make a decision.

I reported the situation as briefly as possible.

"Okay, I understand. Don't report this news for now. Report to me first if you have further news."

"it is good."

Ikari Gendō used his authority as a minister to retrieve the real-time updated experimental records. He took a quick glance and felt that normal reporting would not have much impact on the experiment. At most, he would just need to readjust the equipment. He then prepared to have his men report truthfully. However, as soon as he picked up the communicator... he discovered that there was another update in the experimental records.

【Dr. Wen Yan compared the experimental data from the 01/02 experiments and found that age had a certain impact on the experiment.

Supplement: It is speculated that the younger the age, the longer the two-way link will last.

Dr. Wen Yan proposed to reverse the sequence and start the experiment with the teenagers to verify this theory, but was opposed by all the team members. Dr. Wen Yan compromised and agreed to use 18-year-olds to verify the conjecture. 】

After calling up two sets of experimental data, Gendō Ikari lowered his head and pondered for a moment, and felt that Fumihiko Ikari's idea was correct.

02The current situation also indirectly confirms the previous speculation and further improves the adaptability theory proposed previously.

There is compatibility between people and EVA, and the younger the age, the higher the compatibility with EVA.

If this conjecture can be proven through experiments, the research direction of artificial pilots will have to be changed from the original cloning direction of combining EVA and human cells to improving the adaptability of pilots through artificial means... At the same time, this also made Ikari Gendō determined to let Ikari Fumihiko participate in the artificial pilot plan.

After pondering for a moment, he suppressed the urge to get the answer quickly and decided not to affect the progress of the experiment.

"Perform duties normally."

"Yes."

……

……

After repeated equipment testing in the laboratory, half an hour later the medical department finally delivered the diagnosis report.

The already depressing atmosphere became even more depressing.

"..."

Fumihiko Ikari looked at the diagnosis report in his hand with annoyance.

If I were less indecisive and more decisive, perhaps this situation would not have happened.

"Cancel the middle-aged group temporarily."

Regarding this decision, after reading 02's medical diagnosis report, everyone naturally would not raise any objections, because this was another piece of evidence to verify Ikari Fumihiko's guess.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Ikari Fumihiko, waiting for the next instruction.

But I didn't expect that the instruction I received was -

"Disband, experiment terminated!"

The experiences of these days have indeed improved his ability to withstand pressure, but the experimental accident still exceeded his psychological limit.

After all, he is just an ordinary person.

Everyone looked at Ikari Fumihiko in confusion, wondering why he would terminate the experiment so suddenly. They had been working in a high-intensity environment every day during the past period of time, which left them with no energy to pay attention to things other than work. Therefore, they did not know that it was Ibuki Emi who proposed the human experiment, and that this had always been the plan proposed by Ikari Fumihiko.

Since such a radical plan has been proposed, people are naturally prepared for the possibility of casualties in the experiment.

not to mention--

Just now, a radical and cruel instruction was proposed to let 13-year-old boys and girls take to the experimental table.