Chapter 601: Technology Prospects
"Med-Bay?" Asuka repeated the somewhat straightforward name, but considering its near-resurrection capabilities, the name seemed incredibly fitting.
"Exactly," Pilar picked up the thread, his mechanical oculars flashing with the light of technical discussion. "That thing is simply a miracle of bioengineering and precision medicine."
"Unlike traditional treatment methods that require drugs, surgery, or lengthy recovery periods, it is essentially an extremely advanced material reconstruction and biological information repair system."
He tried to explain it in a more understandable way: "It uses a complex energy field to scan and analyze the patient's entire physiological structure, from the genetic level to macroscopic tissues, accurately identifying any abnormalities, damage, or signs of aging."
"Then, it channels pre-stored—or real-time synthesized, as needed—biological matrices and energy to repair or replace the damaged parts with cellular-level precision. The entire process is staggeringly fast."
"It can even save someone with half their head blown off?" Asuka asked for confirmation, recalling Rebecca's earlier exaggerated claim.
"According to the data we obtained and local records, as long as the core information storage area of the brain hasn't been completely and instantly physically annihilated, even after suffering extremely severe trauma, the Med-Bay can use the remaining biological information templates to restore them to their pre-injury state, including memory and personality," Dorio answered affirmatively.
"Of course, this requires the Med-Bay itself to have sufficient reserves of biological matrices and energy. Under normal use, it can easily cure all known diseases, repair organ damage, and reverse physical degradation caused by age or environment, keeping the user in peak physiological condition at all times."
Shinji listened, dumbfounded. This completely exceeded his understanding of medicine.
At NERV, injuries were a common occurrence, and the treatment process was often accompanied by pain and long recovery periods. But this kind of technology was almost equivalent to granting humanity a form of "immortality"—as long as you lay on that bed in time.
Rei Ayanami quietly asked, her voice flat: "Energy source?"
Falco gave her an appreciative look, as she had grasped the key issue: "Nuclear fusion. The Elysium space station itself possesses a powerful array of fusion reactors, providing near-limitless energy to the entire station, including the thousands of Med-Bays."
"Even the main body of Magos Ryo, far away on Necromunda, immediately expressed high interest after receiving the preliminary reports and data we sent back," Maine said, his tone carrying a trace of the validation that came from having their completed mission recognized.
This news took the three EVA pilots somewhat by surprise. They certainly knew of the existence of the "Magos" Ryo, even though Ryo himself had never detailed the connection to them.
But whether it was the EVA squad or Maine's squad, they had all more or less sensed that the Astartes Ryo at the Death World base and the Magos Ryo who was not present were far more than just simply sharing the same name.
For the main body—someone who lived in deep seclusion and focused on highest-tier research—to immediately show interest, the value of this technology was clearly extraordinary.
Seeing their reactions, Dorio explained further, "Lord Magos once mentioned that the Imperium's current life extension and recovery technologies, such as the methods known as Rejuvenat treatments, often rely on extremely rare psychic materials, specific genetic serums, or complex rituals involving Warp powers."
"These methods are not only exorbitantly expensive, but the process is fraught with variables and risks, making the success rate difficult to guarantee."
She turned her gaze to the three pilots to ensure they understood the crucial difference: "But a technology like the Elysium Med-Bay, which can purely rely on controllable, replicable technological means to stably and efficiently maintain the human body in peak physiological condition, and even reverse the aging process, is extremely rare, even unheard of, within the Imperium's known technological systems."
She paused slightly to let this information be fully digested before pointing out the core value: "This holds incalculable strategic value for extending the effective service years of important Tech-Priests, senior military commanders, or core personnel of critical research projects. It provides a relatively reliable and potentially mass-applicable life-support solution."
This explanation gave Asuka and the others a much clearer understanding that what Maine's squad brought back was not just an advanced medical technology, but a strategic asset capable of influencing the entire power structure and technological development path of the Imperium.
This also indirectly confirmed why Magos Ryo had so quickly turned his attention to it.
Asuka immediately thought of those Tech-Priests whose bodies had undergone massive mechanization. If they could combine that with this medical technology, did it mean they could maintain optimal vitality in their biological parts while retaining their mechanical advantages? That sounded incredibly appealing.
"Furthermore," Pilar lowered his voice slightly, though it wasn't necessary in this room, "this technology might also serve as a reference for... certain specific biological projects."
His gaze lightly swept over the three pilots. He didn't say it explicitly, but his meaning subtly pointed towards the biotechnology involved in the EVAs themselves, and perhaps also to the long-term maintenance of the pilots' physical conditions.
Shinji subconsciously touched his arm, seemingly feeling the illusion of LCL fluid flowing through his veins.
Rei Ayanami remained as calm as ever, as if the technology being discussed had nothing to do with her.
Rebecca hummed proudly, "See? We told you this thing was amazing! Once our Tech-Priests fully figure it out, maybe in the future when we get hurt, we can just lie down for a bit and be back to full health. We'll never have to smell that awful disinfectant again!"
This prospect was indeed thrilling. Especially for people like them who constantly faced high-intensity combat and lived alongside the risk of casualty, a treatment method that was fast, thorough, and had no obvious side effects was worth no less than gaining a second life.
Asuka's gaze swept over the members of Maine's squad. Their faces naturally and honestly bore the satisfaction of having braved danger, successfully achieved their goals, and brought back tangible results.
This couldn't help but remind her of the other two mysterious worlds they had mentioned earlier that were still being explored. A complex emotion—a mix of curiosity for the unknown, a thirst for adventure, and a hard-to-ignore trace of envy—quietly grew in the depths of her heart.
They were able to travel relatively freely beneath different starry skies, witness and even personally participate in all sorts of civilizations and stories, and even had the power to intervene and change the trajectory of a world's fate.
This stood in stark contrast to her past experiences—back then, she was bound to a planet destined for destruction, forced to fight for a vague and possibly meaningless goal, filled with powerlessness and oppression.
She tilted her head back and downed the last bit of beer in her can. The cold liquid slid down her throat, and she then squeezed the empty can with a bit of force, slightly deforming it.
Setting the can aside, she looked up at Maine and asked directly, "So, are you going to explore those two unfinished worlds next?"