Something was approaching, and before Zeke and Pieck could turn around, it flew past them.
A streamlined biplane glider soared overhead.
"No... That's not a glider…"
"Even though it looks like a glider, it wasn't launched from a high altitude; it's flying through the sky using its own power!"
"That's an airplane..." Zeke had seen this conceptual equipment in military design blueprints.
Thanks to the great advances in internal combustion engine technology, the idea had been proposed in many places that by adding an internal combustion engine to a glider, it would be possible to create a small flying machine capable of rapidly traveling through the air.
It was a flying device much faster than an airship. Besides being used for reconnaissance, it could also serve as a powerful weapon of war if equipped with machine guns and cannons or used to drop bombs.
However, although the concept of the airplane had been proposed, the aircraft itself was still under construction.
At the very least, Marley had not produced any finished models, and its science and technology were at a lower level than those of the world's leading companies.
Perhaps some technologically advanced countries had secretly produced a completed airplane, but... Even if they had, why would an airplane appear on Paradis Island?
Zeke felt deep unease, an ominous sensation that seemed ready to swallow him whole.
The airplane's propeller spun under the power of its internal combustion engine, and the roar of the engine produced a deafening noise.
Zeke saw the pilot inside the aircraft.
The pilot wore windproof goggles and a helmet, along with a tight black uniform.
Even through the goggles, Zeke's eyes met the man's gaze.
Their eyes did not linger for long; it was only a fleeting glance before the other person turned away and flew off without looking back.
They were directly exposed in front of the wall.
"Pieck, we have to follow it!"
"Yes!" Pieck replied in her Titan form, leaping down the slope and using her powerful limbs to grab onto rocks while chasing the biplane.
Although the Cart Titan was very fast, it was ultimately a creature that ran on land. There was a fundamental difference between creatures that flew through the sky and those that ran across the ground.
The Cart Titan could only smell the airplane's exhaust fumes, but it never lost sight of its target.
The tremendous noise allowed Pieck to locate the aircraft at any moment.
"That plane isn't armed, you can follow it without a problem!" Zeke shouted excitedly.
He stared at the sky while tightly gripping the railing inside the structure mounted behind the Cart Titan.
According to his interpretation of the ancient documents, Paradis Island should still be at the social and technological level of the feudal period from a hundred years ago because of the King of the Walls.
According to the true history he and Tom Ksaver deciphered, there had been no "Titan War" a hundred years ago. It was because the 145th King Fritz had become disgusted with war and, after making a vow of renunciation, led his people into seclusion on Paradis Island.
If that was the case, why were there airplanes on the island?
Why had all the Pure Titans Marley dropped onto the island disappeared?
Had the warriors sent by Marley failed?
Had the King of the Walls made contact with other countries?
Zeke was surrounded by countless mysteries and felt that he had to uncover what had happened on the island.
This was not only about the "euthanasia program," but could also become a concern for the entire world.
If the King of the Walls, owner of the Founding Titan, broke the "vow of renouncing war," the world could face another terrible crisis.
He and Pieck continued chasing the airplane as it headed toward the wall, and they too approached the wall.
The airplane descended and landed on the runway.
It was a smooth landing strip made of concrete. Beneath fluttering flags, airplanes rolled across the runway while the wind swayed the lush green grass.
Many staff members stood around the airfield.
They wore black uniforms with insignias shaped like swords and shields with wing-like patterns on their chests, and there were probably several dozen of them.
The Cart Titan appeared before their eyes, but no one was surprised by its appearance.
They completely ignored the Cart Titan, looking at it indifferently as though nothing had happened, and moved forward to inspect the aircraft.
That was certain; they had long since become accustomed to the presence of Titans.
On the contrary, it was Zeke and Pieck who were shocked by what was happening before their eyes.
"The Titans... They're helping humans work…"
Titans, with rough cloth covering their groins, helped humans lift the airplane and carry it away.
They seemed to possess intelligence, acting in an orderly manner under human command.
Moreover, through the gaps in the wall, on the endless plains, a dark iron steam train appeared, traveling through the intricate railway network.
"The world inside those walls seems completely different from what I imagined..." Zeke straightened his back while gripping the carriage.
"I'm utterly disappointed..." Zeke looked around; they were surrounded.
They were armored vehicles moving on tracks, equipped with rotating machine gun turrets.
Another weapon still in the conceptual stage: tanks.
Weapons still under development overseas had inexplicably appeared on this island.
They had fallen into a trap; the airplane was bait, designed to lure them here.
"Mr. Zeke, should we run?" Pieck asked alertly.
"Look around you, there's no escape." Zeke sighed, realizing they had fallen into the enemy's grasp. "So this is where all the Titans on the island went..."
Outside the tanks, Titan figures appeared. Hundreds of Titans surrounded the area, staring intently at the Titan-powered tank standing at the center.
"Is this... the power of the Founding Titan? This is... dangerous..." Pieck crouched down, observing the gaps in the encirclement.
"But... if this is truly the Founding Titan, then something is strange..." Zeke said in a low voice. "The Founding Titan stands at the pinnacle of all Titans. Since a Titan controlled by the Founding Titan has appeared before us, it means they are also watching us."
"But, Pieck, you're still in your Titan form, aren't you?"
"The island devils are completely ignoring us..." Zeke jumped down from the carriage mounted on the Cart Titan's back and cut the palm of his hand with a knife.
Boom!
In an instant, a gigantic skeleton grew and was covered in flesh. In the blink of an eye, a giant Titan-like figure appeared inside the encirclement.
"That being said, I have no intention of admitting defeat..." Zeke, in his Titan form, picked up a rock from the ground, crushed it into pieces, and made a throwing motion with his arm, which reached down to his knees.
Boom!
However, within seconds, the tank fired its cannon before he could throw it.
The Beast Titan's arm was blown apart.
As alarms blared, the defense turrets opened fire on a single target. The other tanks stationed nearby joined the assault, firing a barrage of shells that created a chain of explosions, scattering blood across the ground.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Beast Titan's abdomen was instantly pierced through, and its body was blown to pieces.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The power of a Titan was no match for weapons of steel.