Before the Expedition

In the bustling mess hall, hundreds of Soldiers draped in the Wings of Freedom were drinking heartily, their tables laden with meat dishes rarely seen on ordinary days.

Sasha transformed into a red-eyed demon, tearing at a huge piece of roasted meat as big as her head, while Jean and Connie watched her intently, as if afraid Sasha would stuff herself to death.

Tomorrow is the day the Survey Corps sets off. After witnessing the Titan Meat Grinder created by Hange and Eren, all the high command members unanimously agreed to Erwin's plan to Wall Maria Reclamation Battle.

Humanity needs this victory; it needs this victory to dispel the shadow cast by the Titan that has shrouded us for so long.

Earl Duko, who was in charge of finances, even bowed solemnly to Erwin and said, "For the future of humanity, please return victorious!" Then, Earl Duko rallied other Nobility and various Merchant Association to give their full support to the Survey Corps' operation.

The Walls today, almost all the corrupt Nobility of the former Royal Government have been arrested. The remaining Nobility are mostly minor Nobility and newly promoted Nobility who have not participated in any actions of the Royal Government. But one thing is certain: the era in which power was concentrated in the hands of the Nobility is over.

Since Historia became Queen, many things have been changing subtly; education is no longer rigid, and creativity has been greatly developed.

According to the records left by the Central Military Police, Hange was furious, so furious that he trembled. Countless novel inventions and advanced ideas that even seemed to be of great significance to mankind were all stifled in their infancy by the Central Military Police.

But now, there will be no more such constraints. I heard that the chief designer of the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear is currently researching the latest Shinichi of Omni-Directional Mobility Gear.

With those wicked old Nobility gone, life became much easier for the common people, who no longer had to pay taxes that had become increasingly heavy since the city walls were breached.

Merchants and the military have also begun to actively vie for a voice, and now, the rudiments of a small Parliament are gradually emerging, while Historia, sitting on the Throne, has become the most leisurely person.

With full support, the Survey Corps received unprecedented supplies, and even the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear was almost entirely sourced from the latest batch of other corps' inventory.

After discussion, the Commander of the Military Police Brigade, Nile, and several Commander of the Garrison Regiment unanimously decided to recruit elite Soldiers from the Military Police Brigade and the Garrison Regiment who volunteered to join the Survey Corps.

Because the Survey Corps has already sacrificed many Soldiers in several expeditions outside the walls, apart from the Soldiers guarding the Survey Corps' various supply depots and outposts, only about one hundred Soldiers are able to participate in the entire operation.

Therefore, the Survey Corps needs reinforcements.

Without the suppression of the Royal Government, the newspapers the Walls no longer had to hold back and vigorously publicized the deeds of the Survey Corps and the upcoming operation for the future of humanity.

A sentence in the newspaper read, "Those Soldiers draped in the Wings of Freedom drew their War Blade against the Titan. What they heard was no longer the desperate cries of humanity for survival against the Titan, but the clarion call that marked the beginning of humanity's counterattack against the Titan!"

This newspaper inspired many young and passionate Garrison Soldiers and Military Police, and even many ordinary people developed a deep respect and love for the Survey Corps. For a time, many Training Corps in the Training Corps who had originally aspired to join the Military Police Brigade also yearned for the Survey Corps, which fought for the future of humanity.

"So, this is your reason for coming to the Survey Corps?" Yago said, looking at the two people in front of him.

In front of Yago stood a man with bruises on his face and a watermelon-shaped haircut, and a gray-haired girl beside him. The two were Marlo and Hitch, who had just joined the Survey Corps from the Military Police Brigade.

"Yes, to fight the Titan to the death for the future of humanity! That's what a Soldiers should do!" Marlo's face showed some excitement, but it aggravated the wound on his face, making Marlo wince in pain.

"Tch, what an idiot. He can't even beat a few kidnappers and he still insists on joining the Survey Corps." Hitch looked at Marlo with displeasure.

Yago said to Hitch, "Those aren't ordinary people. Those five Ackerman Warriors who have begun to awaken, you know, they're roughly equivalent to five Captain Levi. It's already impressive that Marlo was able to hold them off for so long."

Hitch looked at Marlo with some surprise, "Is that so? Why didn't you tell me?"

Marlo scratched his head sheepishly and said, "No matter who it was, failing to stop them is my dereliction of duty, it's all the same."

Hitch rolled her eyes. Could you really call five ordinary kidnappers the same as five Captain Levi?

Yago looked at the two people in front of him with slight surprise. At this moment, Marlo and Hitch had not helped the Survey Corps fight against the Royal Government as Big Eren's Memories. Why would Marlo have joined the Survey Corps?

And then there's Hitch, who is even stranger, as she also chose to join the Survey Corps along with Marlo.

This made Yago sigh, "What an amazing Fate!"

As he spoke, Yago gave Hitch a meaningful smile and asked, "Hitch, it's understandable that Marlo joined the Survey Corps, but why did you join as well?"

Hitch paused slightly, glanced at Yago, and then looked at Annie sitting next to Yago, her gaze seeming to say, "Girl, what's wrong with your boyfriend? Why is he smiling so strangely?"

Annie felt Hitch's gaze. Although they had only known each other for a few days, they had quickly become good friends. Seeing her best friend's look, Annie decisively nudged Yago and said, "Don't smile so strangely!"

Yago: "But you told me to smile more the day before yesterday."

Annie: "??"

Before Annie could speak, Yago grabbed Annie's hand and said, "Alright, alright, listen to Annie. You can laugh if you want, and you can stop laughing if you want."

Seeing that she was about to be shown some dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection), Hitch immediately interrupted, "If that idiot Marlo can come, of course I can come too."

Marlo looked at Hitch and said very seriously, "I'm not stupid, Hitch, how can you keep saying that about me?"

Hitch stood up, tossed her head, and left with the words, "You're such an idiot!"

Marlo frowned, poking at the bread in his bowl with his spoon, muttering, "That's too much."

To be honest, even a fool could see that Hitch has a thing for Marlo.

Iago and Ani exchanged a glance, and Ani said, "Marlobiago, you still haven't figured it out."

Yago: "What? That's going too far. You should say Marlowe is even less perceptive than Allen."

Marlo: "What are you talking about??"

Eren: "Achoo! Who! Who's talking about me again?!"