Two figures flew swiftly toward the front line. As Chen Si felt the houses on either side vanish behind him, he almost felt as though he were out sightseeing.
Yes, after his training in the snowy mountains, Chen Si had discovered that he apparently could not die. Even his wounds could heal at any moment, and he suspected that even if all four of his limbs were severed, he could regenerate them just like a Titan.
Everything rested on his lightning ability. Even if exhausting that ability killed him, his corpse would revive once his electrical energy recovered ten minutes later. As long as he was not instantly reduced to ashes, he was practically invincible.
After Chen Si's Ackerman bloodline had fully awakened and his electrical energy had increased dramatically, this terrifying world of man-eating Titans had become as easy and carefree for him as a game.
After flying for a while, Chen Si and Historia landed on the eaves of a house where five soldiers stood.
"You must be Cadet Chen Si. I'm Hill, squad leader of an elite Garrison team. Our defensive line needs reinforcements. Please come with me on this mission," Hill said.
"Chen Si, I can see my squad leader. I need to rejoin my squad," Historia told him.
"Stay safe and protect yourself. I'll be there soon," Chen Si reminded her.
"Roger. You too." Historia stuck out her tongue, then turned and flew over. Her expression grew much more serious in midair. Facing Titans for the first time made her nervous too.
"Let's go, Squad Leader Hill," Chen Si said.
Hill nodded and flew off first.
Four figures followed, with Chen Si right behind them.
In midair, Chen Si frowned. He realized they were not heading toward the Vanguard Unit's front line.
Chen Si did not give it much thought. It was perfectly normal for some Titans to slip into the Central Unit's area, or even the Rear Unit's. He just needed to finish up quickly and head to the front line, where the Titans were most numerous.
Chen Si followed Hill effortlessly, leaving the other four elite squad members behind.
Seeing Chen Si's effortless expression, Hill could not help admiring him. This guy's skill with Vertical Maneuvering Equipment is outstanding. Even the people in my squad fall a little short. No wonder he's this year's Top Graduate.
Soon, Hill landed on the roof of a tall building. While Chen Si was still some distance above the roof, he retracted his cables and dropped straight down, landing with a dull thud.
From here, they could just make out the front line, where Titans kept pouring in without end.
The others waited until their cables pulled them close to the roof before releasing them and landing. They did not have the physical strength to dare jump from that height.
"Hey, soldier, you retracted your grappling cables too early. Aren't you worried about getting hurt?" Hill asked Chen Si.
Chen Si rolled his ankles, looked at his heels, and said:
"Don't worry. My shoes are well made. A fall won't damage them."
Hill's face darkened with exasperation. Uh, that's not what I meant.
Just then, disaster struck. A twelve-meter abnormal Titan came hurtling toward them on all fours.
"Damn it, an abnormal Titan! Form up!" Hill drew his blades and shouted.
"There's no time!" one squad member cried in despair.
The abnormal Titan lunged at one squad member with its enormous mouth gaping, while a massive hand slammed toward another. Its speed was astonishing.
At the critical instant, a figure flashed past at incredible speed. Two streaks of blade light followed one another, severing the abnormal Titan's arm and then slicing through its nape an instant later.
Carried forward by its momentum, the charging abnormal Titan crashed into the street behind them. Everyone hurriedly ducked, while Chen Si landed lightly and sheathed his blades.
"So fast... that reaction speed, that cutting power..." Hill stared, dumbfounded.
"Is he a second Levi?" marveled the soldier who had just been beneath the abnormal Titan's gaping maw.
Everyone was astonished.
"Thank you, Chen Si," one elite squad member said, still shaken.
"Just tell me the mission." Chen Si waved it off, unconcerned.
Hill took a moment to collect himself, then began issuing orders:
"Our objective this time is to rescue Duke Barren's only son. We need to search an area occupied by Titans."
"Squad leader! Are you kidding? All of us are here just to find one person?" complained a squad member who had just narrowly escaped death.
"Exactly, squad leader. We should get to the front line and kill more Titans as soon as possible. They need reinforcements everywhere up there!" another squad member said.
"Do you think I don't want to?! This is Duke Barren's only son. He's putting pressure on the regiment, and our superiors can't ignore him," Hill said helplessly.
"Squad Leader Hill, with all due respect, this place is nothing but ruins now. There's almost no chance he's still alive," Chen Si said, equally speechless.
Hill gritted his teeth and said:
"We were unlucky to have this mission dumped on us. It's not just us; our entire squad is searching. Duke Barren insists we bring his son back alive or recover his body. If we come back empty-handed, none of our families will be allowed to escape into the Inner City."
"What?!"
"They're actually threatening us with our families!"
"Damn nobles!"
A cold glint appeared in Chen Si's eyes when he heard this. Duke Barren clearly knew his son was as good as dead and wanted a few scapegoats to vent his anger on-preferably ones who would die along with his son.
How could there possibly be a body left after a Titan attack?
Chen Si glanced around at their location. They were toward the rear of the Central Unit's area, and many civilians here had yet to evacuate.
"This mission is impossible. No reinforcements will come here. Not only are we wasting time, we could also end up surrounded. Squad Leader Hill, tell me where Duke Barren is. I'll deal with this."
Chen Si already felt the urge to kill. Ignoring masses of civilians while wasting so much manpower on saving his own son was fucking ridiculous. Chen Si glanced at the dense crowds in the distance, wondering whether Carla had evacuated safely.
Hill was taken aback. He did not think Chen Si could resolve this, but he did not want to drag him down either, so he said:
"Duke Barren should be somewhere near the Inner City gate, together with his butler."
"Go reinforce the Vanguard Unit. Your families will be fine," Chen Si said, preparing to turn and leave.
"But..." Hill tried to stop him.
Chen Si took a token from his waist and held it up, giving it a shake without looking back. To prevent pointless trouble, he had specifically asked Pixis for a token.
"That's Pixis's regimental token!" a soldier shouted.
"Thank goodness! Our families are saved."
The sight reassured Hill as well, and he said:
"Sorry for the trouble."
Under everyone's gaze, Chen Si sped toward the Inner City gate, cutting down three Titans that courted death along the way. This area was close to the rear, after all, so there were not many Titans.
Soon, Chen Si spotted a large crowd of residents blocked at the gate.