Chen Si and the others ran toward Eren's house. The streets were a mess, littered with discarded tools and utensils, along with vegetables and fruit baskets.
"Brother, Mom went out to buy groceries this morning... will she..." Mikasa asked, deeply worried.
"No, Mikasa. She'll be all right." Chen Si's heart tightened at her words.
As Chen Si watched the road, he spotted a kitchen knife lying on the ground. He picked it up with his right hand and kept running. A kitchen knife probably wouldn't do a damn thing against a Pure Titan. It likely couldn't even cut one.
The Survey Corps had specially developed blades for killing Titans, but having something in his hand at least gave him a backup.
"Brother, Titans have come in over there," Mikasa said calmly, her gaze steady.
After her Ackerman Bloodline awakened, Mikasa seemed born for battle. She had become much calmer, without a trace of fear.
Terrified screams filled the streets. Mikasa released Armin's hand. He was running too slowly and couldn't keep up at all. She glanced at his trembling legs.
"Armin, go on ahead." Without looking back, she caught up with Chen Si and Eren.
Armin's eyes were wide with shock, his gaze trembling. At her words, he quickly began following the fleeing crowd, looking back toward Chen Si and the others as he ran.
"Disaster is coming," Armin said in terror.
Mrs. Ackerman was carrying a basket of fruit, holding the hand of a little boy who had become separated from his family. Two Titans were chasing them.
Mikasa... Chen Si... please be all right.
Mrs. Ackerman felt the Titans relentlessly closing in behind her, her eyes full of anxiety.
"Ma'am, are we... are we not going to get away? I... I don't want to die... sob..." The little boy wept bitterly, wailing without stopping.
Seeing him like that, Mrs. Ackerman's maternal instincts surged, and she kept comforting him.
"No, we'll get away. Trust me. I'll get you out of here."
Just then, a Titan devouring a human appeared in front of Mrs. Ackerman. The little boy was so frightened that he tripped and fell.
Mrs. Ackerman hurriedly stopped. The two Titans behind her were already reaching for her, and the Titan in front, having finished eating, turned its gaze toward her as well.
Despair filled Mrs. Ackerman's eyes. She knew she could no longer escape. Spotting a soldier on the street to her left, she hurriedly shouted to him, "There's a child here! Come here, quickly!"
"That's Mom's voice!" Chen Si and Mikasa, who had been rushing toward Eren's house, abruptly stopped and exchanged a glance before running toward the voice.
The soldier near Mrs. Ackerman had intended to rescue her, but the sight of three Titans surrounding her made him lose his nerve.
Mrs. Ackerman looked at the terrified child sitting motionless on the ground, then at the soldier who had backed down. She had completely given up hope. The scene of her husband's brutal death suddenly flashed through her mind, followed by Chen Si's and Mikasa's faces. A glimmer of hope abruptly flickered in her eyes.
I was too careless. I listened to what Eren and Hannes said every day to judge when the Colossal Titan would arrive, but my arrival has already changed so many of their original lines.
Mrs. Ackerman going out for groceries as usual hadn't struck Chen Si as anything unusual. Since they had moved into the Yeager home, she had done so almost every day. Strong and independent, she refused to keep living off the Yeagers for free and went out looking at houses every day.
Chen Si gritted his teeth and ran desperately, arcs of electricity flashing around his feet and scorching the soles of his shoes. If the little boy attracted the Titans' attention first, he could make it to Carla. Even if that was inhumane, what did a stranger's life matter to him compared with those close to him?
The Titan approaching from the front had already reached for the little boy. Mrs. Ackerman grabbed fruit from her basket and threw it at the Titan, hitting it squarely in the eye. Its hand abruptly stopped, and it turned toward her.
Watching the Titan looming over the boy from afar, Chen Si's pupils contracted slightly. No. How could such a tiny obstruction make this Titan switch targets? Damn it! He had no time to think. Gritting his teeth, he sprinted with everything he had.
Mrs. Ackerman turned and ran in the opposite direction, toward the other two Titans chasing her.
She drew all three Titans away. The soldier finally summoned his courage, shot over using his Vertical Maneuvering Equipment, scooped up the child, and landed off to one side.
Chen Si arrived first, his pupils trembling as he watched Mrs. Ackerman, who had run into the group of Titans, already clutched in a Titan's hand.
I'm too late... Chen Si lunged at the Garrison soldier and drew the long blade at his waist. Arcs of electricity flashed across his palm as he hurled it with all his strength.
The blade struck viciously at the nape of the Pure Titan holding Mrs. Ackerman, slicing away a small piece of flesh. But that damage didn't slow it in the slightest. It slowly opened its mouth and moved to bite her.
Mrs. Ackerman turned toward the direction the blade had flown from and looked back at Chen Si. She smiled gently, tears spilling from the corners of her eyes, and shouted with all her strength, "Mikasa! Chen Si! You must stay strong and live on! Your mom died fighting Titans!"
Mikasa reached Chen Si's side. Seeing Mrs. Ackerman held in the Titan's hand in the distance, her tears began pouring out. She reached for her mother, fifty meters away, but could never touch her.
Mikasa's eyes went vacant as she murmured in agony, "Mom... no..."
Even the extraordinarily strong Mrs. Ackerman couldn't help sobbing at that moment. Covering her mouth, she choked out softly, "I don't want to die..."
Chen Si's pupils trembled as he fell to his knees. Reflected in his eyes was the sight of three Titans simultaneously biting Mrs. Ackerman into three pieces and devouring her.
Mikasa trembled all over, saying nothing.
"Marley..."
Chen Si's voice was strained, his eyes brimming with hatred. He slammed his fist into the ground, fracturing the bones in his hand on impact. His skin split, blood trickling out, and his eyes grew bloodshot.
"You..." The soldier started to say something.
"Why didn't you save her..." Chen Si murmured, his head lowered and his voice suppressed.
"I'm sorry... I was afraid to die! I've never seen Titans before, creatures this terrifying. I couldn't do it!" The soldier squeezed his eyes shut and cried out, on the verge of breaking down.
"You... deserve to die... fuck you!" Chen Si suddenly erupted, roaring as he grabbed the kitchen knife and viciously slashed at the soldier beside him.
"I'm sorry..." Consumed by guilt, the soldier panicked at Chen Si's attack and hurriedly used his Vertical Maneuvering Equipment to dodge before flying away.
Chen Si walked toward the little boy, his gaze sharpening as he tightened his grip on the kitchen knife.
"I'm sorry... I..." Frightened and guilt-ridden, Blake tried to apologize.
Mikasa remained motionless with her head lowered, her body trembling.
"Get lost!" Chen Si roared, forcibly suppressing his emotions. This wasn't the child's fault, after all.
"Brother, he's the child Mom gave her life to save." Mikasa raised her head, deep pain showing in her eyes. They were filled with tears, and her face was streaked with them.
"Mikasa..." The sight made Chen Si's heart ache.
Chen Si took a deep breath and said, "You... head east and find someone named Armin. Whether you survive is up to you. Now get out of here."
"All right! Thank you!" Blake bowed deeply, then turned and left.
Holding back their grief, Chen Si and Mikasa ran toward Eren's house. They didn't want to experience that pain again.
They had become separated from Eren moments earlier when they heard Mrs. Ackerman's voice and ran off.
When Chen Si and Mikasa reached Eren's house, they abruptly stopped. The house was now a pile of rubble. Eren, who had arrived ahead of them, was already desperately trying to save Carla, his voice hoarse from shouting.
"Mom!" Eren ran beneath a collapsed section of the eaves. Seeing Carla trapped underneath, he desperately tried to lift the beam.
Chen Si and Mikasa immediately rushed over. All three joined forces to lift the beam pinning Carla down, but despite putting every ounce of strength into it, they couldn't budge it.
Damn it, this beam must weigh hundreds of kilograms. We can't lift it at all.
Chen Si and Mikasa were still only nine years old. Even with the Ackerman Bloodline, they couldn't draw out much of its power.
We have to wait for Hannes, Chen Si thought. Just then, a blond Titan with a chilling smile slowly approached.
Seeing it, Eren hurriedly shouted, "We have to hurry!"
"I'm trying!" Mikasa gritted her teeth and strained with all her might, but the beam only shifted slightly.
A Titan wouldn't give them time to keep trying, especially the Dina Fritz Titan. Chen Si gave the smiling blond Titan a long look.
"The Titans are inside! Chen Si! Take Eren and run! Mikasa, run! Forget about me. My legs have been crushed. I can't get away." Tears slipped from the corners of Carla's eyes as she spoke to the three of them in utter despair.
Carla already knew how this would end. She only hoped the three children would be safe.
"I'll carry you on my back!" Tears burst from Eren's eyes as he screamed himself hoarse.
"Carla, I won't give up," Chen Si said through gritted teeth, still straining.
What no one knew was that he was cursing inwardly. Why do I remember that one-use system saying I could kill a Pure Titan on my own now?
I can't even lift a wooden beam?
System, you fucking-!