I'm here
In the Command Headquarters of the Slava Fortress, an elderly Middle East general slammed his fist on the table, silencing Command Headquarters noisy Officer who were arguing in front of him. "Enough! What kind of behavior is this?!"
As the highest-ranking and most senior general among the Middle East Officer present, Vassell held absolute authority in the eyes of the Middle East Officer.
However, the question facing Middle East Officer is very real: should they defend or abandon the Slava Fortress? Abandoning it would mean that all the efforts the Middle Eastern Union has made in the Middle East over the years would be in vain, and they would lose everything they had gained in Marley. Moreover, if Marley is determined to continue the war, they might even advance into the Middle East.
Giving up would also mean the Middle East Union to acknowledge defeat, bowing to Marley once again, continuing to endure Marley oppression, and abandoning the peninsula they had worked so hard to conquer—something that is difficult for every Middle Easterners to accept.
But how easy is it to defend? Although the war has continued to this point, and the Marleyan seem to be making great strides in recapturing lost territory, only the high-ranking officials on both the Marley and Middle East sides know that the advantage has always been with the Middle East Union. The casualties suffered by the Marley Army are several Middle East that of the Middle Eastern army, and because the war is being fought on Marley soil, the damage caused by the war is also borne by the Marleyan.
In fact, if this trend continues, the Middle Easterners will be the ultimate victors, because the Marley are essentially risking their lives to fight the Middle East. The war is draining the Marley's own life force, while the Middle Easterners are not in a hurry at all. They will wait until the Malays are exhausted before easily reaping the benefits.
Unfortunately, Marley not only sacrificed their lives but also possessed Titan Power; the power of the Titans was their cheat code. Even though the Middle Easterners had made many preparations to deal with Marley's Titan Power, with Anti-Titan Cannon and various other weapons ready to be deployed.
But once the war broke out, the Middle Easterners realized they had underestimated the Marleyan Titan Warriors. It was precisely because of these Titan Warriors that the Marleyan were able to recapture fortresses from the Middle Easterners.
Although the most troublesome Colossal Titan was gone, the remaining Titan Warriors of the Marley Warrior Unit still caused the Middle Easterners a great deal of trouble. In particular, the appearance of the new Titan, such as the Flying Claw Titan, the Sea-Swimming Titan, and the Red Fire Titan, shocked the Middle East Union. These new Titan completely disheartened the Middle East Union.
The intelligence provided by the Middle East Union's informants within the Marley Army was the final straw that broke the Middle Easterners' back: three new Titan Warriors had emerged in the Marley Warrior Unit, and their strength was terrifying.
This also completely ignited internal conflicts among the Middle Easterners, and their stance on the war split into two factions. One faction advocated abandoning the war, taking the initiative to seek peace, and surrendering meant losing half the war, since the Marley losses were much greater than theirs. The other faction advocated fighting the Marley to the bitter end, arguing that the Middle East had already suffered enough humiliation and was unwilling to admit defeat again.
Overall, the pro-war faction still has the upper hand, but the top leaders in the Middle East are not on the front lines and are not aware of the true crisis situation there.
As the current supreme commander on the front lines, Vassell was well aware that the intelligence from his inside sources was extremely detailed. Looking at the information about the Winged Titan, Paladin Titan, and Fortress Titan, Vassell felt a chill in his heart. These Titan were simply born to conquer fortresses.
Although the Slava Fortress is heavily armed, well-defended, and impregnable, nothing is absolute. The port of the fortress also houses almost the entire Fleet of the Middle Eastern Union, which represents the Middle Eastern Union's core strength. If the fleet were to perish here, the Middle East Union might not recover for decades.
Vassell didn't dare gamble, which is why he convened this meeting to hear the opinions of his Officer. Unsurprisingly, the meeting turned into a heated argument.
Amidst the commotion, Vassell learned of the orders issued by the Supreme Command Headquarters. Looking at the order on the paper, "Defend the Slava Fortress to the death!", Vassell felt dizzy and his head throbbed, but he had no choice but to issue the order for the army to prepare for battle.
This order drew cheers from the pro-war Officer present. The meeting was then adjourned, and as it was ending, Vassell called out to the Combined Fleet's Commander Obishi.
Although he might be Military Court, Vassell had no choice but to do this for the sake of the United Nations in the Middle Eastern Union. He secretly ordered the Commander of the Joint Fleet Obishi, to take half of the Fleet and the reserve forces in the fortress back to the Middle East, claiming that this was top secret and should not be publicized.
Obishi was a junior whom Vassell had mentored, and he respected and supported Vassell very much. Without much hesitation, Obishi expressed his determination to carry out the order.
Watching Obishi's departing figure, Vassell sighed. He thought to himself, "Let him leave some seeds for the Middle East; we can't all perish here."
Yago stared blankly at the two people in front of him, almost unable to believe it.
Just now, the informant that Hizuru had planted in the Marley army not only passed on intelligence about Paradis Island to Yago, but also brought Yago two people he hadn't expected.
As the person before him slowly removed their mask, revealing the face that Yago held so deeply in his heart, Yago could no longer hold back. He trembled and said, "Ah, Annie? You, how did you get here?"
That's right, the people brought by the Hizuru were none other than Annie, who had traveled across the ocean to see Yago, and A-Yi, who had come with Annie.
Upon seeing Annie, Yago had no time to be moved. Suddenly, something occurred to him, and his expression changed. This was Marley! And the Marley army at that! The Marley Warrior Unit were right here. Zeke, Reiner, Pieck, and their group all recognized Annie. If their identities were accidentally exposed, how dangerous would it be for Annie!?
Thinking of this, Yago's face immediately darkened, and he scolded Annie, "This is too reckless! Where is this place? Annie, what if someone recognizes you? It's so dangerous! Why take such a risk!"
But when faced with Yago's rebuke, Annie didn't say anything. She just stared blankly at Yago with her big, watery blue eyes. She stared at the boy she had been longing for for two years, and a sour feeling welled up in Annie nose.
On the other side, Yago was still scolding Annie for being too reckless, but before he could say anything more, a figure rushed into his arms. Yago didn't react in time, but he still instinctively caught and hugged the figure.
The soft jade embraced him, and the familiar, delicate fragrance wafted to Yago's nose. All the words he wanted to say vanished upon hearing the girl's soft sobs, leaving only one sentence. "It's alright, I'm here."
A-Yi tactfully turned his back, but his eyes kept glancing at the reflection in the mirror next to him.