"Hm? Did the wind blow the door open?"
Keith stared at the doorway, frowning.
"Something's wrong!"
Suddenly, Keith's face was struck hard, followed by a vicious kick to his stomach. He was sent crashing to the ground, blood pouring from his nose.
Gritting his teeth, Keith struggled to his feet and spun around, kicking backward—but only shattered a corner of a bed.
"Keith! Someone's here—mmph!"
Carla called out anxiously, but a hand suddenly covered her mouth. She struggled desperately before being seized and inspected by Sawano Kawa.
"Carla!"
Keith turned around—she was already gone.
His face changed drastically. Like a madman, he rushed out the door, searching for her while roaring at the top of his lungs:
"All soldiers! Assemble immediately! The camp is under attack!!"
For a moment, the stationed soldiers were flustered, but they quickly gathered toward Keith.
"What's going on, Instructor Shadis?" a Training Corps officer asked.
"Mrs. Yeager has been kidnapped! Seal off the entire Training Corps camp immediately!" Keith shouted, nearly frantic.
"Instructor Shadis, I didn't see anyone entering or leaving. Could she just be cleaning another room?" a soldier suggested.
"Silence!"
Keith exploded with anger, his presence turning terrifying.
"She is the family member of three top-ten trainees—and the top graduate! Seal all exits immediately! Do you understand?!"
"Yes, sir!"
The soldiers immediately moved to carry out the order.
The camp's commanding officer quickly realized the severity. If something happened to soldiers' families while they were fighting on the front lines, it could devastate morale. The nature of the situation was extremely serious.
Meanwhile, atop Wall Rose, artillery fire roared as Titans were bombarded and cleared in large numbers. With the Trost District gate sealed, the Titans in the vanguard and midline had mostly been eliminated.
The Survey Corps' combat strength far surpassed that of the Garrison, delivering a devastating blow to the remaining Titans. Under Hange's specific orders, they even managed to capture two Pure Titans alive—one four meters tall, and one seven meters tall.
At the entrance to the Training Corps camp, the Special Operations Squad and the elite unit regrouped.
"Well, if it isn't Rico. Long time no see—you've become even more of a tomboy, huh?"
Oluo mocked as he spotted Rico, biting his tongue again mid-sentence.
"Tch." Rico scoffed.
They had been part of the same training class. Rico had ranked second that year, with Miche in first place. Back then, Rico had long silver hair and many admirers—Oluo included.
But her personality drove most men away, and she eventually cut her hair short to avoid the trouble.
As for Oluo and the others, after following Levi, their focus shifted entirely. Levi had become their idol, and following him was their lifelong goal.
"Long time no see, Miche," Ian greeted.
"Ian. I heard your results were good," Miche replied.
"I'd rather not have those 'results.' We suffered heavy casualties… Mitabi was killed."
Ian clenched his fists, gritting his teeth.
Miche's expression darkened. Mitabi and Ian had both been his close friends during training. Though they had gone separate ways after graduation, their bond remained.
"We came too late," Miche said quietly.
"Enough catching up," Hange cut in coldly.
"We're here under Commander Erwin's orders to capture an infiltrating enemy. Have you discovered anything?"
"We just arrived as well," Rico replied.
At that moment, a commotion broke out inside the Training Corps camp.
Hange, Rico, and the others exchanged glances and rushed in. Inside, they saw soldiers forming a large defensive circle around the camp square.
"What's going on here?" Rico asked, puzzled.
"And you are?" asked the white-haired commanding officer.
"Special Operations Squad Leader—Rico Brzenska."
"Survey Corps Fourth Squad Leader—Hange Zoë."
The two introduced themselves.
"So you're subordinates of Pixis and Erwin. Impressive—truly the bearing of elites," the officer said with a smile.
"May I ask what's happening?" Hange asked, lowering her stance slightly.
"The culprit is most likely still inside the camp. He has taken a hostage. We don't know who it is, and we can't find him. He's using some kind of concealment—we've searched every corner and found nothing. To prevent his escape, we've surrounded the area," Keith explained.
"I see. The enemy has strong concealment abilities," Hange analyzed.
"No need to complicate things," Rico said coldly.
"With this many of us, not even a rat could escape."
"Who is the hostage?" Hange asked, adjusting her glasses.
"Carla Yeager. She's the family member of trainee Eren Yeager, trainee Chen Si, and top graduate Mikasa Ackerman. The enemy clearly came prepared—the target was Mrs. Yeager specifically," Keith said anxiously.
Hange frowned. This enemy was far more calculated than expected—targeting the family member of three elite trainees at once, including Chen Si.
"There's a strange scent…" Miche sniffed the air, detecting something unusual.
"What?! A Titan?" Hange exclaimed.
"A Titan?!"
Keith broke into a cold sweat. Had Carla been taken by a Titan? Impossible.
"All units, prepare for combat!" Rico ordered, already conditioned by Eren's case to accept that Titans could be human.
"No… it's different from a Titan. But also not like us. It shouldn't be a Titan," Miche clarified.
Keith let out a breath of relief. If it were a Titan, Carla would have no chance of survival.
"Over there!"
Miche's eyes sharpened as he suddenly hurled his blade.
"Ah!"
A woman's cry rang out.
The blade sliced through empty air—but blood suddenly splattered from seemingly nothing.
"There's someone there!" Miche shouted.
"It's Carla! Everyone, tighten the perimeter—block that area off!" Keith roared.
"What is this? An invisible person?" Hange was stunned.
"Everyone, step back! Or I'll kill her!"
Sawano Kawa suddenly revealed himself, a dagger pressed against Carla's throat.