Little Fish?

Otherwise, he might end up sacrificing himself for science.

As Bai Yu pressed the button in his hand, the signal quickly traveled down the wire to the device at the other end. A moment later, the missile shot out, trailing flames as it flew toward the nearby target.

Boom?

An explosion rang out, and even Bai Yu felt a gust of wind sweep past him.

Only then did Bai Yu step out from behind the protective steel plate. He raised a hand to shade his eyes from the sun so he could get a better look at the distant scene, muttering to himself.

"Pretty good firepower. Looks a little stronger than a Thunder Spear's explosion. I'll call mine... hmm... Little Fish. Yeah, Little Fish it is."

He nodded, rather pleased with the name he had come up with.

Beside him, Xiate recovered from her surprise and, upon hearing Bai Yu's words, remarked in a flat tone.

"Dear brother, why not just call it Bai Yu?"

"Ahem..."

Before Bai Yu could answer, Ming suddenly spoke up beside him.

"When Bai Yu was developing this weapon, he muttered about that. He originally wanted to call it Bai Yu, but then he thought it would sound strange if people shouted things like, 'There's a Titan! Quick, bring out Bai Yu!' in battle, so he dropped the idea."

Ming spoke calmly, then took another sip of his drink, leaving Bai Yu standing there looking a little embarrassed. Xiate's gaze toward Ming was positively admiring.

"So, has my brother reached his edgy teenage phase?"

"Let's stop talking about pointless things and go check the target first."

Bai Yu hurriedly cut them off before they could continue, forcibly changing the subject. After all, business came first.

Bai Yu maintained that he never let personal feelings get in the way of serious work. No feelings whatsoever!

The three of them first examined the launcher on the table and gave it a quick check. Yes, it was completely intact. After swiftly taking it apart, they found no problems with its internal components either.

Then Bai Yu pulled a small instrument out of the back of the launcher. He had used it to test the recoil of Little Fish... which, well, could just about be called a rocket.

After a quick look and some mental calculations, he estimated that even a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old could fire it after receiving proper stance training. Of course, using it freely in midair would still require practice. They could even use Little Fish's recoil to help them dodge.

The group then walked toward the distant blast crater. The target on the ground had been obliterated without a trace. A crater roughly three or four meters across remained, and even the targets farther away had been knocked askew by the blast.

Hmm, pretty good firepower, but holding back would be difficult. If they protected their neck with hardening, they might be fine. But if this exploded before they could defend themselves, the person inside would probably be gone for good.

Still, this thing would be pretty good for blowing off a leg or something.

Bai Yu brought over several more Little Fish rockets. He had made about ten for this round of testing, largely because he was confident in them.

He loaded and fired them one after another. After billowing smoke and an unending series of explosions, everything finally settled down. Looking at the rather battered testing grounds before him, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad. I'd call that a success."

With that, he took out a little notebook and a pen and began writing. The notebook contained Little Fish's blueprints, construction details, operating instructions, and data such as its range and firepower.

After recording the results, he closed the notebook and casually tossed it behind him.

"Okay, back to bed!"

Ming caught the notebook behind him. He knew Bai Yu wanted him to deliver it to Erwin.

He gave Bai Yu a slight nod.

"All right. I'll take this to Commander Erwin now."

"Thanks."

As Ming turned and left, Bai Yu stretched his arms with all his might. The past few days in the factory had left him rather tired, and it was very hot inside. Neither Ming nor Xiate liked going in, and Bai Yu didn't like it either.

Before long, Ming arrived outside Erwin's office and knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in."

At the sound of Erwin's voice, Ming pushed the door open and entered, closing it behind him.

"Ming? What's the matter?"

"Commander Erwin, Bai Yu asked me to give you this."

Ming placed the little notebook on the desk and slid it toward him.

"What's this?"

Erwin picked it up and began reading. The first page introduced Little Fish, followed by a message.

"You won't understand the research process anyway, Erwin. The data is on the last page. Also, don't come looking for me for a while unless something comes up! I'm going to get a good day or two of sleep!"

Reading those final words, Erwin could almost hear Bai Yu's drained voice beside him. He could even imagine the exhausted, listless expression on his face as he said them, and couldn't help smiling.

He turned straight to the last page. As he read the recorded data, his gaze gradually grew serious. This... packs quite a punch. Unlike the pistol, this could be used against Titans.

It can attack from a distance, and never mind the flesh at the nape-it could probably blow the entire head off. That would make clearing out the Titans inside Wall Maria much easier. Casualties could drop drastically, too.

And not just against Titans. Against humans... it should be pretty effective as well, shouldn't it?

At that thought, Erwin looked toward the distant horizon, as though his gaze could pierce that vast distance and see the enemies on the other side.

If Bai Yu had been there, though, he definitely would have pointed out that Erwin was looking in the wrong direction. Still, it made little difference. After all, Earth was round, and this world was round too.

Watching Erwin drift into thought, Ming showed no impatience and slowly sipped his drink.

After a while, Erwin came back to his senses and smiled faintly at Ming.

"Thank you for bringing this over, Ming."

"All right. If there's nothing else, I'll go find Bai Yu."

"Nothing else. And thank Bai Yu for all his hard work these past few days."

"I'll pass that on."

With that, he walked out the door.

Erwin closed the little notebook in his hands and looked toward the royal capital at the center of the walls. He was in no hurry to act yet; some things were still being planned. But it wouldn't be long. Once they returned from the next expedition beyond the walls, he would have Levi and the others make their move.