Ultraman grunts? Call me Space Policeman outside!

Although Ultraman Old Deng's combat power is not what it used to be, he is still extremely good at exerting some of his power in human form.

Shinji was also angry at his father's orders, but his personality, which he had developed since childhood, prevented him from venting these emotions on his father.

He was extremely surprised that Mr. Natsuki had taken the initiative to resist on his behalf.

Although he wouldn't normally do something like that, for some reason, he felt a sense of satisfaction when he saw it.

"What do you mean?" Gendo Ikari asked coldly, looking at the boy in front of him whose personality had changed drastically.

Starting yesterday, one unexpected thing after another happened, making him very irritable.

"Go back and learn properly what a father's responsibilities are."

"I am not your tool."

"Next time, this fist will shatter more than just a pane of glass."

The boy looked directly into Gendo Ikari's eyes, his gaze sharp.

Upon seeing this, Gendo Ikari remained silent for a while, seemingly having taken it to heart, while simultaneously pondering deeper matters in his mind.

"I understand." Gendo Ikari made his decision after a moment's thought and nodded.

"The world needs you, Shinji."

"Get on EVA."

Upon hearing this, the golden light in the boy's eyes gradually faded.

“Hmm,” Shinji said.

He didn't know how Mr. Natsuki had managed it, but his father's attitude towards him had indeed changed at this moment.

'Thank you, Mr. Natsuki,' he said to himself.

Xia Shu nodded silently.

Who knows what this old fox is still plotting, but at least on the surface, he has backed down.

He truly couldn't tolerate this behavior of treating children purely as tools.

......

Soon, under Ritsuko Akagi's arrangement, Shinji entered the cockpit inside Unit-01's insertion plug.

He was going to pilot Unit-01 to fight monsters, and Natsuki was also curious about the extent of power that the mechs in this world could unleash.

"The insertion plug enters Unit-01."

"EVA Unit-01, prepare for activation!" Outside, Ritsuko Ki, the actual person in charge of the EVA Red Development Project, directed the activation of Unit-01.

As the white insertion plug was inserted into the spinal cord at the back of Unit-01's head, the coolant around Unit-01 began to drain out, revealing its slender, purplish-green, enormous body.

"Boom!" On the ground, the Fourth Apostle was still fighting the automated defense tower and began attacking the ground, preparing to forcefully break through into this underground space.

"We need to hurry." Ritsuko Akagi felt the shaking of the base and accelerated the launch procedure for Unit-01.

Misato Katsuragi also set off for the command post to prepare to direct the battle.

Gendo Ikari also left the monitoring room.

After the power was turned on, the dormant EVA Unit-01 slowly lit up its eyes.

"This thing isn't a mecha, but a living being..." Inside the cockpit, Natsuki examined the structure of Unit-01 and immediately recognized that its steel shell was encased in flesh and blood.

Unlike the mechs in Pacific Rim, the mechs here are not purely mechanical creations; in fact, they cannot even be called mechs at all.

Unit-01... is alive.

"Huh?" Shinji, who was still curiously examining the cockpit, was taken aback by these words.

What I'm piloting isn't a mecha, but a living creature?

Anyone else might feel a chill at this moment.

But when Shinji sat in the cockpit of Unit-01, he felt a strange warmth and did not dislike Unit-01.

Subsequently, LCL liquid was injected, replacing the air inside, allowing Shinji to synchronize more closely with Unit-01.

"Ugh!" An unknown liquid entered his nasal cavity, and Shinji instinctively covered his mouth.

"It's okay, this thing can help you breathe," Xia Shu reminded her from the side.

The mechs in Pacific Rim also have similar technology.

"...Really." Shinji removed his hand from his mouth after hearing this and found that he could indeed breathe; the liquid was directly delivering oxygen to his blood.

Furthermore, the walls around the cockpit began to become transparent, allowing him to see directly into the outside world, indicating that he had begun to synchronize his nervous system with Unit-01.

"Mental pollution levels are within the standard range, connections are normal, communication is available, and all lines are open..." Ritsuko Akagi left the hangar and came to the command room to look at the data displayed on the screen.

"It's amazing that they can achieve a synchronization rate of nearly 35% without any training," she said in surprise.

Not just anyone can pilot Unit-01. Another pilot, Rei Ayanami, participated in the activation test of Unit-01, but her synchronization rate was still much lower than Shinji's.

Most importantly, this was Shinji's first time piloting an EVA, and he wasn't even wearing a special combat suit, yet he still managed to achieve such a high synchronization rate.

It seems... Unit-01 can unleash its full potential in the hands of this young man.

"Only 35%?" Gendo Ikari was also somewhat surprised to see this data, but he didn't think the number was high; on the contrary, he thought it was a bit low.

EVA synchronization rate is related to a person's mindset.

The fact that this happened can only mean that Shinji's closed-off heart has undergone a slight change.

The more normal a person's mindset is, the lower their synchronization rate when piloting EVA will be.

Under normal circumstances, Shinji's synchronization rate would definitely exceed 40%, so this situation... could it be related to those golden eyes?

Gendo Ikari guessed it might be related to the changes that had happened to Shinji, but at this moment, he didn't have time to investigate the specifics. He needed to see what Shinji could do with Unit-01 now.

The primary objective right now is to eliminate the apostles.

Chapter 88 Unit-01 Ceases Operations!

"Unit-01, prepare for launch!" With Misato Katsuragi's order, the locking bolts used to secure Unit-01 were released, and the entire massive machine was carried to the launch area by floating tracks.

"EVA Unit-01 is being transported and is about to head to the sixth tunnel," the relevant technicians reported in the communications.

"EVA Unit-01 has arrived at Gate 6. Everything is proceeding smoothly!"

"It's finally here... our first operation." Misato Katsuragi clenched her fists, staring at Unit-01 on the screen, and gave the order with a hint of excitement, "Unit-01, launch!"

"EVA Unit-01, launch!" Technicians activated the high-speed elevator, transporting the massive Unit-01 to the ground at an extremely fast speed.

The excessive speed brought a surge of pressure.

Shinji felt a little uncomfortable sitting in the cockpit, but fortunately, his physical abilities were now extraordinary, and he quickly got used to the feeling.

And in her heart, she kept telling herself: 'I must fight...I cannot run away...I must meet my father's expectations...and Mr. Natsuki's expectations of me...'

With positive encouragement, the boy is trying to confront his inner self and challenge the shadows within him.

Thus, in battle mode, a ground gate opened between the third Neo-Tokyo City.

EVA Unit-01 was transported to the ground through the gate. The over 80-meter-tall machine stood out among the high-tech buildings, with power cables connected to its back.

As soon as Unit-01 appeared, the Fourth Angel spotted it and emitted a low-frequency cry, which was masked by the sound of movement.

"Its appearance is quite unique," Xia Shu said, rubbing her chin as she saw the Fourth Apostle's giant purple insect-like appearance.

The defensive structures on the ground were damaged, with obvious cutting marks, clearly the work of the Fourth Apostle.

"The control of the EVA unit largely depends on the pilot's mental state."

"Shinji, all you need to do is imagine yourself walking," Ritsuko Akagi's voice came through the communicator.

They were all watching this battle closely. As the person in charge of the EVA development project, she knew the EVA's control methods better than anyone else.

The Fourth Angel wielded its whip-like tentacles, destroying another batch of buildings, before hovering towards Unit-01, preparing to annihilate it.

"Imagine walking..." Shinji thought of Ritsuko Akagi's words, gripped the control sticks on both sides tightly, and tried hard to imagine himself walking.

walk......

When walking, do you step with your left leg or your right leg first?

Walking is a human instinct, but when you actively think about it, you might be momentarily confused.

In that moment of confusion, Unit-01's left leg, which had just taken a step, was tripped by its right leg, and it fell to the ground with a "thud".

Shinji was really not used to driving an EVA for the first time.

"Stand up quickly!" Misato Katsuragi, who was in the command room, immediately reminded him when she saw this.

The Angel had already reached Unit-01, its toes on its abdomen constantly wriggling, its upright body exuding immense pressure, and its two light whips radiating intense heat.

The Fourth Angel swung its light whip, lashing out at Unit-01.

Shinji, inside the cockpit, saw this and his pupils contracted sharply. He instinctively tried to roll away to avoid it.

At the same time, Unit-01 did the same thing, rolling on the ground to dodge the attack.

However, the cables trailing behind Unit-01 were not so flexible.

"Unit-01's cables have been cut!"

"Unit-01 has lost power!"

"It is expected to be able to operate for another 5 minutes using its built-in power supply!" the technician in the command center, who was checking the condition of Unit-01, hurriedly shouted.

To power such a large machine, sufficient energy is required. EVA Unit-01 was powered directly by cables from the base.

Now that the cable is broken, Unit-01 can only use its internal power supply and can only operate for a maximum of 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, Unit-01 will stop operating.

"Get up, Shinji!"

"You only have five minutes left!" Misato Katsuragi reminded him over the communicator, a bead of sweat forming on her forehead.

There is a close spiritual link between Unit-01 and its pilot, meaning that the pilot will feel any injury Unit-01 suffers. She still doesn't want a 14-year-old boy to endure too much pain.

But this was Shinji's first battle, which meant he was destined not to have a very good performance.

Five minutes... is definitely not enough. It's even possible that Unit-01 will have been completely dismantled by the Angels by the time five minutes are up.

“Shinji, we have delivered the weapon to you. Now you need to pick it up and fire at the Angels!” Misato Katsuragi continued.