Eating Alone

Chapter 47: Eating Alone

"These damned **—when disaster strikes, we'll slaughter them in the chaos."

A lone reincarnator, muscular and nearly six and a half feet tall, shot the Garrison Regiment a vicious glare, his eyes glinting fiercely.

But before he could finish speaking, a thunderclap rang out from nowhere, and the entire ground began shaking violently as if in an earthquake.

The tremor was so intense that several unsanctioned reincarnators nearly lost their footing and fell. Yet it had come suddenly and passed just as quickly, soon settling down.

As soon as the shaking subsided, while the townspeople were still bewildered, the masked Mo Yan, who had been chosen as captain, cried out in alarm.

"Not good! The Colossal Titan is attacking! The wall is about to be breached!"

Since no one had explained the Colossal Titan to those wildcards, everyone besides the Yanzi Squad members looked confused. Still, the news that the wall was about to be breached jolted them awake.

They had all seen the miserable state of the Survey Corps soldiers who had returned!

"Everyone, stay away from the wall! Those who disobey will be executed without mercy!"

At that moment, due to the sudden "earthquake," the Garrison Regiment guarding Wall Maria began clearing the area.

This time, they were not targeting the reincarnators, but everyone trying to approach the gate. It was one of their emergency measures.

After all, there had never been an incident of Titans breaching the walls before. Their precautions were only intended to keep the gates clear during natural disasters, lest panicked crowds crush together and block them completely.

In the original events, people had mainly entered through the waterways in the walls, while the gates were comparatively spacious. Their long-standing experience had simply led to an instinctive misjudgment.

It was not until the second attack five years later, after learning from the first, that everyone chose the easiest entrance to pass through Wall Rose.

This sudden order made the reincarnators' scalps tingle, but they had no choice but to take it seriously.

"I was too careless. We can't completely trust the information from our seniors. I never imagined they'd stop us at the start. Now we can't get in either—the whole plan has been disrupted."

Mo Yan's expression was grave. They had prepared plans, but for some reason those guards seemed to have it in for them. The identities randomly assigned by the space were truly infuriating.

That brief earthquake had also stirred a sense of foreboding in her heart.

Just then, cries of alarm came from nearby.

"What is that?"

"A Titan?"

"That's impossible!"

"That wall is fifty meters high!"

"..."

Following everyone's gaze, they saw that on the wall facing outward from the Shiganshina Walled City, across from Wall Maria, a gigantic head had risen above the mighty wall that had inspired everyone's awe and admiration.

It looked like a human being whose skin had been stripped away, grotesquely terrifying.

Its enormous eyes were coldly staring in their direction.

As if every human before it was merely an insect, nothing more than an ant.

Although the Colossal Titan had appeared right before them, Wood Clone One among the reincarnators showed no intention of acting.

Besides the fact that another Wood Clone was stationed ahead, the Colossal Titan's traits were another reason he remained still.

In theory, the absolute strength of any Titan could crush Xu Yue in his current state, even most elite jonin. Yet Xu Yue's agility completely surpassed that of Titans. The Colossal Titan, with its slowest movements and dullest reactions, should have been the easiest target to deal with.

But in reality, that was not the case. First, the Colossal Titan appeared for too short a time. It vanished almost immediately after destroying the wall, and there was no way to know where it would appear in advance to set an ambush.

Second, in a critical moment, the Colossal Titan could evaporate its own body, creating an immense wave of scorching steam. Getting too close was enough to steam someone alive. From the very beginning, the Colossal Titan had not been among the targets assigned to Xu Yue's Chakra-limited Wood Clone!

Boom!

While everyone else was still staring in shock, the Colossal Titan lifted its leg and delivered a heavy kick, directly blasting apart the gate in the outermost wall of Shiganshina. (Note: The wall destroyed at this point was not Wall Maria, but the outer wall of the Walled City.)

The tremendous gust of wind sent everyone nearby flying, and smoke filled the air.

When massive figures emerged from the shattered entrance, stepping out of the dust, the people who had enjoyed a century of peace finally realized that the wall they had depended on for protection had been broken, and the Titans had returned!

"Titans! They're Titans!"

"The Titans are inside! Run!"

"..."

Chaos erupted in an instant. With their deranged expressions, their instinctive drive to capture humans, and their massive bodies, ordinary people had no ability to resist at all.

They grabbed people and stuffed them into their mouths, chewing more crisply than spicy strips.

A woman hiding in a dead-end alley had just breathed a sigh of relief when she looked up and saw a Titan taller than the alley walls, smiling down at her. Before she could scream, it grabbed and lifted her up. With the sound of chewing, blood and flesh splattered across the ground.

Similar scenes were happening everywhere.

Screams and terror became the dominant melody.

Driven by instinct, everyone ran in the opposite direction from the Titans. Most surged toward the waterways leading into Wall Maria, waiting to board the boats.

As Shen Yan ran toward the town, a vicious gleam flashed in his single visible eye.

"What terrible luck. Why did they come in at a time like this? I wonder if there's enough time!"

He had volunteered to enter the town not because of some team mission, but because of the key figure named Eren!

Mo Yan thought that having a capable older brother meant she could control the entire situation, but her personality was far too predictable. He had first pretended to persuade her to make a breakthrough, then, after being rejected, naturally proposed entering the town to gather intelligence. Just as expected, she had let him go.

But just when he had finally slipped away from the team to investigate this secret information and claim the benefits for himself, the Titans had broken in!

Damn it, why had that guy not clearly told him such detailed information? Hmph, it seemed that legion did not truly trust him either. They wanted him to serve as a hidden pawn planted within the Shogunate Gate, yet they also guarded against him. How detestable.

As an old hand who placed his own interests above everything else and could even sell military intelligence for them, Shen Yan quickly made his judgment.

Half an hour!

He had half an hour here to search for that brat called Eren.

Once he exceeded that limit, when the Titans grew too dense, even he would be in danger!

Although he was confident in his speed, the Titans' other abilities were simply too powerful. Once their numbers became too concentrated, one mistake would leave him with nothing but death.

Having made his decision quickly, Shen Yan rolled aside, dodging a swipe from a seven-meter Titan. After evading it, he had no intention of counterattacking or taking revenge. Using his nimble, monkey-like agility, he swiftly darted through the ruins and easily shook off the Titan...