Start the morning with a sentence from Fang Zheng.
"Shinji, it's almost your birthday."
"Why?"
Shinji Ikari, who was serving rice, was stunned when he heard Fang Zheng's words. He was so tired of living that he didn't even remember when his birthday was. It was good enough that he could remember who he was.
"Yeah?"
"Yes, June 6th."
Fang Zheng confirmed that he was definitely not mistaken.
"It's the day after tomorrow. How about it? What birthday present do you want?"
"This, this is not good..."
Shinji Ikari, who had already become somewhat manly under Fang Zheng's training, actually felt a little embarrassed when he heard this.
"It's just my birthday after all..."
"What's the big deal? We rarely live together, so it's only natural to celebrate your birthday."
Fang Zheng didn't take Shinji's refusal seriously. Perhaps in Japan and Europe and America, birthdays are a private matter. But in mainland China, birthdays are not private at all. When I was in elementary school or junior high school, when someone in the class had a birthday, everyone would buy a cake together and have a great time. They didn't care about birthday gifts or anything, they just had fun with the cake on their faces.
Of course, wealthy students will ask their parents to get a few private rooms and invite classmates to have a meal. It doesn't matter if you don't have money. It's more fun to have some fun in class. At least in many cases, this is much more interesting than simply having a birthday party at home.
There is no such custom in Japan, and Fang Zheng is not a class teacher, but it is also nice to hold a birthday party at home to celebrate.
Of course, it also depends on the time and date. Just like the little girls in Tiandao Palace, if we really count according to their birthdays, then there are 365 days in a year, and 365 days would not be enough to celebrate birthdays every day...
"Don't be so fussy. We have defeated the apostles so many times, we should have had a celebration party long ago. It just so happens that it's your birthday, so it's convenient for us to go together. By the way, you have friends in class, right? You can invite a few friends who get along well with you. Since it's a party, the more people there are, the more convenient it is. What do you think?"
"I agree!"
Asuka, who loves lively activities, was naturally the first to agree.
"We were supposed to have a celebration party after defeating the apostles, but we haven't had one yet... I'm beginning to wonder if the Japanese don't know how to throw a party! What do you think? The first qualified person?"
“I don’t eat meat.”
Rei Ayanami expressed her attitude in just four words.
"How can you not eat meat? It's because you don't eat meat that you can't grow up!"
Since joining this big family, Asuka has been on the same front as Fang Zheng, and never gets tired of seducing Rei Ayanami to eat meat.
"Fang Zheng, how about we eat that roasted whole lamb you mentioned this time?"
"I'm afraid I can't find a whole roasted lamb, but a roasted suckling pig should be fine..."
Fang Zheng was also helpless. After the second impact, the environment around the world changed drastically. It was summer all year round. One could imagine how many animals died in this abnormal weather. Sheep were not popular in Japan, and he couldn't even get some mutton. He had no choice but to make do with roast suckling pig.
If all else fails, being a beggar's chicken is actually not bad.
It was already said that Shinji Ikari would not refuse, so the matter was settled. It was up to them to decide who to invite next.
After arriving at NERV, Fang Zheng also invited Katsuragi Misato, but...
"I'll forget it. I'm afraid the kid isn't particularly happy to see me."
Misato Katsuragi hesitated again and again about Fang Zheng's invitation, but finally refused. Ever since Shinji Ikari moved out of her place, the atmosphere between the two of them has been somewhat awkward. Fortunately, Shinji Ikari is now under Fang Zheng's care, and he doesn't meet Misato Katsuragi very often, so it's not a big deal. But this time, after all, the other party is the birthday boy, and I have to go... It's inevitable that I feel a little embarrassed.
but……
"You said the day after tomorrow... Wait, I'm afraid that day won't work, and you won't be able to go either."
"Hmm? What's going on?"
"I just got news from Ritsuko that EVA Unit 3 will be shipped from the United States the day after tomorrow, and you will also be there to receive it."
"Unit 3?"
Fang Zheng was stunned when he heard what Katsuragi Misato said.
"Have you identified the driver?"
"No."
"Then what am I going to do?"
Fang Zheng’s job is to manage the drivers. Without the drivers, EVA is just a big iron frame to him. What does it have to do with him?
"Because there was a problem at the American branch, Unit 4 was blown up along with the North American branch, so they wanted to send Unit 3 here in advance. Also... the pilot of Unit 4 has not been determined yet, and it is tentatively scheduled to be piloted by Asuka."
"Doesn't Asuka have Unit 2? She can't clone herself."
"We can't help it. This is a deal made by Germany, and we are just following orders."
"Oh, I see."
Hearing what Katsuragi Misato meant, Fang Zheng immediately understood what she meant.
To put it simply, it is very simple. Unit 03 was originally manufactured in North America and the ownership belongs to the United States. But now, Germany wants to get Unit 03, and they also want to control two EVAs at the same time like Japan. But Germany obviously does not have extra pilots, so what should they do?
It's very simple, just seal Unit 2 and let the pilot of Unit 2 drive Unit 3.
Since the ownership of Unit 2 originally belonged to Germany, no one else could use Unit 2 unless Germany gave in. As Asuka herself was German, if she controlled Unit 3, it would actually mean that Unit 3 was in the German camp.
In this way, Germany can get North American EVA without spending a penny... It is a typical example of getting something for nothing.
The only trouble is that the procedure of transferring money from left hand to right hand is a bit cumbersome.
But for Fang Zheng...
"You told me this because you want me to convince Asuka."
"That's right."
Looking at Fang Zheng in front of her, Misato Katsuragi also laughed.
"This is your job, I leave it to you."
"Why……"
Hearing Misato Katsuragi's answer, Fang Zheng sighed helplessly.
This is such a hassle.
Based on Fang Zheng's understanding of Asuka, she will definitely accept this news happily... What the hell!
"Why do you want to seal my Unit 2?"
Sure enough, when Asuka heard the news from Fang Zheng during dinner that night, she was furious.
"Why not just let the stupid Shinji and the first qualified person go up!?"
"It's no use telling me. After all, the higher-ups have already decided..."
Fang Zheng was naturally prepared for Asuka's anger, so the moment Asuka opened her mouth, he quickly picked up a piece of meat with chopsticks and stuffed it into Asuka's mouth, blocking her from complaining. Asuka chewed the meat in her mouth viciously, looking as if she wanted to pull out her tendons and bones.
"Your Excellency is so ugly!"
In the face of Asuka's complaints, Ayanami Rei ate her meal silently, while Ikari Shinji looked at this and that hesitantly.
"Well, Mr. Fang Zheng, in this case..."
"I will go to Matsushiro with Asuka to conduct the startup test of Unit 3. If everything goes well, we should be able to return in the evening. You guys continue to prepare. We will definitely make it in time."
Although she was extremely reluctant, Asuka didn't say much because Fang Zheng was willing to go with her. On the morning of the third day, the two of them immediately drove to Matsushiro.
"Unit 3 is so ugly!"
Looking at the black Unit 03 nailed to the cross, Asuka couldn't help but complain. At the same time, she glanced at her own pilot's suit and her face turned slightly red.
"And this driving suit is... ugly..."
“Maybe the designer himself is a pervert.”
Fang Zheng looked at Asuka's driving suit and then shook his head.
"So……"
"Wait, I'll go with you."
"Why?"
Asuka was stunned for a moment when she heard Fang Zheng's words, but she didn't say much. She just turned around and walked into the elevator silently. Soon, the elevator door closed and began to rise slowly.
"...To be honest, I never thought that I would live with someone else before."
Asuka suddenly spoke as she looked at the gradually rising scenery outside.
"Yeah?"
"That's right. Isn't it tiring to match other people's emotions? I hate this kind of situation, but once I lose face, adults will blame me and say things like 'Why is this child so disobedient?'... But why should I be obedient?"
Asuka clenched her fists as she spoke.
"I've already decided that I can live alone! Seeing other people happy makes me unhappy, so I'll be satisfied as long as I can drive the EVA. Anyway, no one pays attention to me. Unless I get the highest score, no one will even look at me. In this case, other people don't matter to me."
Fang Zheng didn't say anything, just looked at Asuka quietly.
"But recently... I feel like it's not bad to be with other people, whether it's you, stupid Shinji, or the first qualified person... Doesn't it feel a little weird?"
"Not at all."
Fang Zheng reached out and patted Asuka on the head.
"Because I used to be like you."
"Eh? Really?"
Hearing Fang Zheng's answer, Asuka looked at Fang Zheng with eyes wide open in surprise.
"That's right. Although I wasn't driving an EVA, the relationship between me and my family was the same at the time. To my mother, I was just a tool to deal with my father. Only when I defeated my father according to her ideas would I have value in existence. So when she realized that I had lost my value, she decisively abandoned me."
"Then what?"
Hearing this, Asuka couldn't help but stare at Fang Zheng.
"At first, I hated the world, too. To me, the world couldn't be any worse. But after all, children can't choose their parents. Of course, there are many children in the world who are born miserable. I am not the only one who is not loved. The important thing is... although children can't choose their parents, they can choose their own future."
As he spoke, Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders.
"So I found my life after that, and then... well, after going through a lot of things, I finally found my place."
Having said that, Fang Zheng smiled and patted Asuka on the head.
"I believe you will find it one day. You are still young now, but you will grow up slowly and then find your own happiness... Well, I can guarantee it, because Asuka, you are a gentle child."
“Woo…”
Hearing this, Asuka blushed and turned her head away.
“Beep.”
At this moment, the elevator arrived at its destination and slowly opened its door. At this moment, Asuka seemed to have sorted out her mood and jumped out of the elevator.
"I feel much better after hearing what you said. See you later, Fang Zheng."
"Uh-huh?"
Looking at Asuka waving at him, Fang Zheng wanted to nod, but at this moment, a flash of vigilance suddenly flashed through his mind, and the next moment, Fang Zheng reached out and grabbed Asuka who was about to enter the plug.
"etc."
"What's wrong?"
Fang Zheng's sudden reaction also scared Asuka. She looked at Fang Zheng with a slightly red face and asked in a low voice. Fang Zheng frowned and looked at the dark inside of the plug.
“It doesn’t feel good.”
"Feeling...bad?"
"Hmm...let me think about it...could it be...?"
As he was talking to himself, Fang Zheng was suddenly startled. It was only at this moment that he suddenly remembered!
If Fang Zheng remembered correctly, there was indeed an apostle in the animation who corroded EVA!
Frankly speaking, Fang Zheng didn't think of this at first, because in the animation, there was still a long time before the Angel appeared. More importantly, if Fang Zheng remembered correctly, the person responsible for driving the EVA at that time should have been Ikari Shinji's friend Suzuhara Touji!
Because of this, when Fang Zheng first heard Misato Katsuragi talk about this experiment, he did not react immediately. After all, although he had watched the animation before, the situation was different now that he was in this world. Take Rei Ayanami's rampage during the experiment. In the animation, any viewer could tell which episode the rampage occurred in, and experienced viewers could even tell you exactly how many minutes in the animation.
But the reality is not that simple. Take the EVA synchronization experiment for example. In reality, Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami have performed it hundreds of times in a row!
As for which synchronization experiment caused the rampage, who can say for sure?
If Katsuragi Misato had explicitly told Fang Zheng that Suzuhara Touji was chosen as the driver, then Fang Zheng would have definitely remembered it the first time. However, because Asuka was chosen this time, the plot was completely different from what Fang Zheng remembered, so Fang Zheng did not react at first. It was not until he came to the insertion plug that Fang Zheng suddenly grasped that feeling.
"Fang Zheng?"
"Don't enter the plug yet, Asuka."
Fang Zheng pulled Asuka behind him and quickly connected with Katsuragi Misato who was at the back.
"Captain Katsuragi."
"What's up, Third Lieutenant?"
"I request that this aptitude test be cancelled."
"Why?"
Misato Katsuragi was shocked to hear Fang Zheng's words.
"Why?"
“It doesn’t feel good.”
"Feel?"
"Didn't EVA Unit 4 explode in North America's Second Division? Are you sure Unit 3 doesn't have this problem?"
"this……"
After hearing this, Misato Katsuragi was speechless, and at this time, Ritsuko Akagi interrupted.
“That’s why we’re testing.”
"I suggest that we conduct a test run first. I have the duty to protect the life of the pilot. Under the current circumstances, I will not allow Asuka to enter the insertion bolt unless I can confirm that there are no safety issues with this EVA."
Although Fang Zheng is not as high-ranking as Misato Katsuragi and Ritsuko Akagi in terms of social class, this aspect is under his jurisdiction and there is nothing others can do about it.
"I see."
Ritsuko Akagi seemed to be convinced by Fang Zheng as well. She thought for a moment and then nodded.
"I will arrange a test run right away. You just stay nearby."
"Fang Zheng?"
"Let's get out of here first."
Fang Zheng didn't say much, but immediately left the EVA with Asuka. When they took the elevator back to the ground, Akagi Ritsuko also issued an order in the temporary command center on the ground.
"Beginning trial operation, conducting the first test of EVA Unit 3."
"yes."
Upon hearing the order, the staff immediately tapped the keyboard, and soon, the insertion plug without a driver rotated into the body of EVA Unit 3.
"Begin testing each neuron contact section."
"There is no abnormality in the plug sensor, and the error value is within the allowable range."
"very good."
After hearing the report, Ritsuko Akagi also breathed a sigh of relief.
"So……"
“Beep!”
However, before Ritsuko Akagi's next order was even given, a row of red warnings suddenly appeared on the screen in front of her!
"Insert depth, enter 100!"
"how so?"
Seeing this, Misato Katsuragi and Ritsuko Akagi were both shocked.
There's clearly no one in the plug!
"Experiment terminated!"
After being reminded by Fang Zheng before, Katsuragi Misato was vaguely worried, and now she was sweating profusely and quickly gave the order.
"Cut the circuit!"
"No, there is a high energy reaction in the body!"
"How could it be? Could it be that...!"
Seeing this, everyone's expression suddenly changed.
The next moment, the restrained Unit 03 opened its mouth and let out a roar.
Then, a dazzling blue light burst out instantly, engulfing everything.