When the soldiers saw Sawano Kawa and Carla uddenly appear, panic spread instantly.
"What's going on?! He just appeared out of nowhere!"
"Could he be an invisible Titan?"
"Is there even such a small Titan? That's clearly a human!"
The soldiers began chattering all at once.
Meanwhile, the Special Operations Squad and the Survey Corps stood on guard in silence.
"Silence!" Shadis shouted with authority.
The area fell completely quiet.
"Who are you?! Do you know this is a capital crime?!" Rico shouted fiercely at Sawano Kawa as she stepped forward.
"Take one more step and I'll kill her!" Sawano Kawa shouted, his heart pounding with tension. He hadn't expected things to spiral this badly.
He never imagined that a missing camp cleaner would alert the entire base. That damn Keith Shadis, he cursed inwardly. With no way out, he could only resort to holding Carla hostage.
"Let me handle this," Hange said, stopping Rico.
Rico agreed—negotiation wasn't her strength.
Shadis glanced at Carla's leg, his brows tightening. The earlier strike from Mike had grazed her, leaving her calf soaked in blood. Seeing this, Shadis felt a sharp pain in his chest.
"Oh my, are you a Titan, mister?" Hange said with a smile, rubbing her hands together. "Tell us—what will it take for you to release this innocent lady?"
"Let me leave immediately, or I'll kill her!" Sawano Kawa said viciously.
But deep down, he had no intention of killing Carla. He knew that if she died, Eren would unleash the Rumbling—and then he'd be finished too.
He didn't want to stay in this backward island any longer. He wanted to go to the mainland, where things at least resembled a modern nation.
"Oh? That simple?" Hange gestured politely. "Make way for our Titan guest."
The Special Operations Squad hesitated but stepped aside.
The stationed soldiers on the perimeter were uncertain.
"Let him pass!" Shadis ordered.
On the wall of Trost District
Reiner's face was pale as he clutched his forehead in pain.
"Reiner! I think I've been exposed. They must already be suspicious of me!" Bertholdt said anxiously.
"It looks like the mission has failed perfectly," Annie said expressionlessly. "We should prepare to return. There's no point wasting time."
"No. We can't go back," Reiner said through gritted teeth.
"Marcel sacrificed himself to protect my identity. If we leave now, everything he did would be meaningless."
"Watch your words, Reiner!" Annie's gaze turned cold. "We lost Marcel because of you. That has nothing to do with me."
"Annie! We've achieved nothing in five years—and we even lost that Titan. Do you think you can escape punishment if we go back? Even our families will be implicated!" Reiner shouted.
Annie fell silent. No matter what promises Chen Si had made, her father was still in Marley's hands.
"Reiner… what should we do?" Bertholdt asked nervously, sweating.
"Bertholdt, did your operation with Sawano Kawa succeed? What are the casualties inside the walls?" Reiner asked.
"The Survey Corps didn't take much damage. The Garrison suffered some losses, and there were civilian casualties…"
"…But Chen Si was severely injured. He probably won't survive," Bertholdt said, conflicted and guilty—he hadn't truly wanted to kill him.
"Chen Si is critically wounded?" Reiner's expression brightened. "Well done, Bertholdt! The Survey Corps isn't a concern—Chen Si is the real threat."
"What?! Chen Si is injured?!" Annie said in disbelief.
Seeing her reaction, Bertholdt froze. For some reason, resentment toward Chen Si suddenly rose in his heart.
He remembered Sawano Kawa's words:
"Annie's about to climb into that Chinese guy's bed, you useless fool!"
So that was what he meant… He had already noticed Annie's feelings for Chen Si.
Bertholdt clenched his fists, killing intent flashing in his heart—then slowly relaxed them.
It doesn't matter… Chen Si won't live past today. In the end, I'll be the one by Annie's side, he thought.
"What's wrong, Annie? Have you developed feelings for the devils inside the walls?" Reiner shouted.
"No. I just think Chen Si shouldn't have lost to Bertholdt in combat," Annie said, lowering her head.
"That's true," Reiner said. "Bertholdt, how did you even manage it? With your size, you shouldn't have had an advantage."
"Sawano Kawa turned invisible and brought me to the base of Wall Rose… and then… when I transformed, I detonated…" Bertholdt said hesitantly.
"You—!" Annie glared at him angrily, but held back from saying more.
"It's fine," Reiner said. "But your explosion should've destroyed most of Trost District. Why weren't there heavy losses in the Survey Corps?"
"I don't know. Chen Si released some kind of energy that enveloped me—it reduced the blast's power. That's probably why… I was able to kill him," Bertholdt said.
At this point, any trace of sympathy he had for the people inside the walls was gone. Annie's reaction only fueled his anger.
"I see. Still, well done," Reiner said. "At least we've earned some merit. Next, as long as we capture Eren, we won't just avoid punishment—we'll be rewarded."
"Sawano Kawa entered Wall Rose, right? Should we go help him?" Bertholdt asked.
"With his ability, even if he can't win, escaping won't be a problem," Reiner replied. "And with us drawing attention, he'll be fine."
"Reiner, what's your plan now?" Bertholdt asked.
"We continue infiltrating the Survey Corps. When they go beyond the walls, we capture Eren," Reiner said.
"What?! Reiner, they already suspect me! Soldiers were chasing me earlier—going back would be walking into a trap!" Bertholdt said nervously.
"Did they see your face?" Reiner asked.
"…Probably not," Bertholdt replied.
"Then suspicion doesn't matter. Without proof, they can only test us," Reiner said. "We just wait until Eren leaves the walls. Once we reveal ourselves and take him, no one will be able to stop us."
"…Alright," Bertholdt said, reluctantly agreeing.
"Annie?" Reiner looked to her for confirmation.
Annie lowered her head in silence, recalling her moments with Chen Si. Her hands trembled slightly.
"…Okay."