"Nani?!" Connie exclaimed in shock.
"Damn it, Chen Si!" Jean said, sheathing his blade and landing on the ground.
After landing, Chen Si lowered his blood-stained sword slightly. With his back to the people on the lift, he turned his head sideways and said calmly:
"Mission accomplished."
"Ahhhhh! Chief Chen Si is so cool!"
"We did it!"
"We're saved!!"
"Chief Chen Si is way too strong! I feel like even Titans aren't his match!"
The crowd erupted in excitement.
"W-waaah… Chief… mm…" A twin-tailed female soldier blushed deeply and suddenly fainted.
Chen Si finally noticed her and stared blankly.
What's going on? A fangirl?
"Ah… that's great…" Marco said—and promptly fainted as well. Armin hurriedly caught him.
"Whoa?!" Chen Si jumped aside in alarm.
"Hey, Chen Si. You said you'd give us a chance to shine," Jean complained.
"Yeah, didn't I wait until after you all fired?" Chen Si replied, eyes drifting upward as he puffed his cheeks innocently.
Jean and Connie found themselves unable to argue.
"That scared me to death. I almost missed just now. Good thing Chen Si had already taken care of them," Sasha said, letting out a breath of relief.
"Everyone, hurry and resupply at the station!" Chen Si called out.
Cheers rang out as everyone replenished their gas and switched equipment.
The Jaw Titan…
After refilling his gas, Chen Si stood to the side, chin resting on his hand in thought.
"Jean may not be as strong as Chen Si, but he understands the weak better. Thanks to his command, we were able to escape," Marco said gently.
Jean stared at Marco in surprise.
Chen Si glanced at the two of them.
Command… If Jean inherited the Jaw Titan, that might not be bad. Though he might clash with Eren. And would Jean even accept the thirteen-year curse?
One step at a time. We don't even know where the Jaw Titan is. Looks like I'll need information from inside the inner Walls. Should I let Armin join the Military Police? Or maybe ask Annie for help…
"Brother, we're ready. It's time to withdraw," Mikasa said, fastening her ODM gear as she approached Chen Si.
"Alright. Let's move."
When Chen Si and Mikasa emerged, they saw the Attack Titan being devoured.
Mikasa stared, stunned, as Titans bit into another Titan.
"He's not going to last," Chen Si said, glancing at Eren, who was immobilized and surrounded.
"Why aren't you leaving?" Armin flew over beside them.
"The Titans… are eating one of their own? That Titan doesn't seem to be regenerating…" Armin said in shock.
"He's probably just exhausted," Chen Si replied.
"If we can unravel the mystery of this Titan, maybe we can change humanity's despair against the Titans. And…" Mikasa recalled Chen Si's earlier suspicion—that it might be Eren.
"Exactly. If we let it be eaten completely, we'll lose our chance to learn the truth," Reiner said after he, Annie, and Bertholdt landed on a rooftop.
"We'll deal with the Titans attacking it. We have to keep it alive," Reiner continued.
The three of them absolutely could not allow the Titan that Eren had become to be devoured. Their mission required bringing it back—for research and for someone to inherit.
"What? Are you joking, Reiner? We barely escaped with our lives!" Jean protested.
"What if that Titan becomes our ally? Have you thought about that? It would be a weapon far stronger than any gun or cannon," Annie said calmly, not forgetting their original objective.
"An ally? You've got to be kidding me," Jean replied in disbelief.
"I think Annie makes sense."
Before his words had even fully fallen, Chen Si had already activated his ODM gear and shot forward. In midair, he reversed his grip on the blades, spun in a full circle, and shredded the four Titans surrounding Eren. He landed lightly on the opposite rooftop.
The Attack Titan suddenly turned its head toward Chen Si.
It stared at him intently. Chen Si stared back into its green eyes.
Silence fell over the area. One human and one Titan locked eyes.
"Is that Titan going to attack Chen Si?" Armin asked nervously.
"So much for Titans becoming allies. What a joke," Jean muttered.
Mikasa tightened her grip on her blade, prepared to sever its nape the instant it moved.
"Hey, man, you—"
Before Chen Si could finish greeting it, the green-eyed Titan suddenly dropped to its knees… and then collapsed to the side.
Uh… were you just communicating with future Eren or something? Chen Si wondered.
"So it really has exhausted its strength. A Titan is still a Titan," Jean said as he turned to leave—only to notice the trembling eyes of Armin and Mikasa.
"What is it now?" Jean asked irritably, turning back and looking down.
The Attack Titan dissolved into steam, slowly dispersing.
From within the nape, Eren gradually pulled his head free.
Eyes half-closed, he knelt atop the fading remains of the Titan's neck.
Chen Si leapt from the rooftop, slamming into the ground hard enough to leave a large crater, then sprang onto the Titan's back and helped Eren up.
"Hey… this guy…" Jean stared at the crater in shock.
Mikasa descended from the opposite rooftop and ran toward Eren.
"Mikasa!" Armin called out, unsure what was happening and hesitant to approach.
Mikasa pressed close to Eren's chest and listened for his heartbeat.
"Don't worry. Eren's fine," Chen Si reassured her. No matter what, Eren had grown up with them for years—he was family.
"That's… such a relief." Mikasa smiled faintly, tears shimmering in her eyes.
She tried to hold them back.
Chen Si gently pulled her into his arms. Mikasa buried her face against his chest and sobbed softly. He patted her back. With Chen Si present, Eren felt more like the younger brother she needed to protect.
"Brother… you and Eren mustn't let anything happen to you," Mikasa whispered, wiping her tears.
"Don't worry. I promise," Chen Si replied with a smile.
He lifted Eren in his arms and, together with Mikasa, flew up to the top of the Wall. Reiner, Armin, and the others quickly followed.
Chen Si carefully laid Eren down and folded his own coat to use as a pillow beneath Eren's head.
Mikasa rolled up Eren's sleeves and pant legs to check his injuries.
"So the mission target really is Eren. Sawano Kawa didn't lie to us," Reiner said gravely.
Annie's gaze cooled slightly.
Soon… I can return to my father.
"His arm and leg have grown back…" Armin said, taking Eren's hand. After a moment of stunned silence, tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes.
Chen Si glanced at Armin.
He really does cry like a girl…
"Eren did this…?" Bertholdt stared blankly at the steam drifting through the streets below.
"And me too," Chen Si said with a faint smile.