"What?" Connie exclaimed in shock.
"Damn it, Chen Si!" Jean sheathed his blades and landed on the ground.
After landing, Chen Si lowered his bloodstained blades slightly. With his back to everyone on the lift, he turned his head and said:
"Mission accomplished."
"Aaaaaah! Top Graduate Chen Si is so handsome!"
"He did it!"
"We're saved!!"
"Top Graduate Chen Si is way too strong! I feel like even Titans are no match for him!"
Everyone cheered excitedly.
"Ooh... Top Graduate... mm... ah..." The female soldier with twin tails suddenly fainted, her face flushed crimson.
Only then did Chen Si notice the girl, his expression darkening. What's going on? Is she some kind of pervert?
"Ah, thank goodness..." Marco said before fainting as well. Armin hurriedly caught him.
"What the fuck?" Startled, Chen Si hastily darted aside.
"Hey, Chen Si, what happened to giving us a chance to show what we could do?" Jean complained.
"I did, didn't I? I waited until everyone finished shooting before jumping in." Chen Si glanced upward and pursed his lips.
For a moment, neither Jean nor Connie could argue with that.
"That scared me to death. I almost missed just now. Thank goodness Chen Si had already taken care of it," Sasha said with a sigh of relief.
"Everyone, hurry to the Supply Station and refill your gas!" Chen Si called.
Everyone cheered as they went to refill their gas and replace their equipment.
The Jaw Titan... After refilling his gas, Chen Si stood off to the side, holding his chin in thought.
"Jean might not be as strong as Chen Si, but he understands how weaker people think. We managed to escape alive thanks to his leadership," Marco said gently.
Jean stared blankly at Marco.
Chen Si glanced at the two of them. Leadership... Jean wouldn't be a bad choice to inherit the Jaw Titan, though he might end up fighting Eren. Besides, Jean probably wouldn't want to inherit that thirteen-year curse.
I'll take things one step at a time. I don't even know where the Jaw Titan is. Looks like I'll have to gather some information from inside the inner walls. Should I have Armin join the Military Police Brigade, or ask Annie for help?
"Brother, I'm ready. It's time to retreat," Mikasa said, approaching Chen Si with her equipment on her back.
"Right, let's go!" Chen Si said.
After coming outside, Chen Si and Mikasa saw the Attack Titan being devoured.
Mikasa stared blankly at the Titans eating another Titan, utterly shocked.
"He's almost done for," Chen Si said, glancing at Eren, who was surrounded by Titans and unable to move.
"Why haven't you left yet?" Armin asked as he flew over beside Chen Si and Mikasa.
"Titans are actually killing their own kind... Why does this one seem unable to regenerate anymore?" Armin asked in horror.
"He's probably just exhausted," Chen Si said.
"If we can unravel the mystery of this Titan, we might be able to turn around humanity's hopeless situation against the Titans. Besides..." Mikasa recalled Chen Si saying that he might be Eren.
"Exactly. If we just let him get eaten, we'll lose our chance to learn the truth," Reiner said after his trio flew onto the roof.
"We'll take care of the Titans attacking him. Whatever happens, we have to keep him alive," Reiner continued.
Reiner and his two companions absolutely could not allow Eren's Titan form to be eaten. Their mission required them to bring him back for study and find someone to inherit his power.
"What? Are you joking, Reiner? We barely managed to escape!" Jean asked, bewildered.
"What if that Titan became our ally? Have you considered that he'd be a powerful weapon far superior to any gun or cannon?" Annie said. She had not forgotten what they had come here to do.
"An ally? Are you kidding me?" Jean asked in disbelief.
"I think Annie has a point."
No sooner had Chen Si spoken than he launched himself with his Vertical Maneuvering Equipment. Reversing his grip on his blades in midair, he spun a full three hundred and sixty degrees, slicing all four Titans around Eren to pieces before landing on the roof opposite.
Eren's Attack Titan suddenly turned toward Chen Si and fixed his gaze on him. Chen Si stared back into his green eyes.
Everything fell silent as the man and the Titan stared intently at each other.
"Is that Titan going to attack Chen Si?" Armin asked nervously.
"Just as I thought. The idea of a Titan becoming our ally is nothing but a joke," Jean said.
Mikasa tightened her grip on her blades, ready to slice through the Titan's nape the instant he moved.
"Hey, buddy, you..."
The green-eyed, pointy-eared Titan had only stared at Chen Si for a short while. Just as Chen Si was about to greet him, Eren's Attack Titan suddenly dropped to his knees, then collapsed to one side.
Uh, were you just communicating with the future Eren? Chen Si wondered.
"So he really has run out of strength. A Titan is still a Titan, after all." Just as Jean was about to turn and leave, he noticed Armin's and Mikasa's trembling pupils.
"What is it now?" Irritated, Jean turned back and looked down.
The Attack Titan turned to steam and slowly dissipated. Little by little, Eren pulled his head out of the Titan's nape, then knelt on the slowly vanishing nape with his eyes half closed.
Chen Si jumped straight off the roof and landed on the ground, leaving a large crater where he struck. Then he leaped onto the Titan's back and helped Eren up.
"Hey, this guy..." Jean stared in shock at the crater Chen Si had made upon landing.
Mikasa also drifted down from the rooftop opposite Chen Si's and ran toward Eren.
"Hey! Mikasa!" Unable to make sense of the situation, Armin did not dare approach rashly.
Looking at Eren as Chen Si supported him, Mikasa leaned against his chest and listened for his heartbeat.
"Don't worry. Eren's fine," Chen Si reassured her. Whatever else he might be, Eren was family who had been with them for years.
"Thank goodness!" Mikasa smiled faintly, tears glimmering in her eyes.
Mikasa wanted to cry but forced herself to hold it in. Chen Si pulled her into his arms, and she buried her face against his chest, sobbing softly as he patted her back. With Chen Si in her life, Eren was more like a younger brother who needed her care.
"Brother, you and Eren have to stay safe," Mikasa whispered, wiping away her tears.
"Don't worry. I promise," Chen Si replied with a smile.
Chen Si picked Eren up and flew onto the wall with Mikasa. Reiner, Armin, and the others immediately followed.
Chen Si gently laid Eren on the ground, took off his own jacket, and folded it to make a pillow beneath Eren's head.
Mikasa rolled up Eren's sleeves and trouser legs to check his injuries.
"So Eren really is our target. Zeyechuan didn't lie to us," Reiner said in a low voice.
Annie's gaze sharpened slightly. I can go back to Father now...
"His arm and leg have grown back..." Armin took Eren's hand and stared blankly for a moment, tears streaming uncontrollably from his eyes.
Chen Si glanced at Armin. He really looks like a girl, crying like that.
"Did Eren... do all this?" Bertolt stared blankly at the steam drifting through the streets.
"I helped too," Chen Si said with a grin.