"Well, at least it seems the old man has calmed down a bit," Gale thought as he walked out, followed by Captain Levi and Commander Erwin.
He had already realized that his plan would obviously make Pixis uneasy; the cruelty he was showing at his age was far from normal.
Gale had to admit it—of course the commander would have thoughts against him and his brutal way of purging the nobles.
Although in the end there were no disadvantages, but rather advantages, what would happen when they opposed some of his plans? Commander Pixis feared that Gale would become a tyrant, capable of doing anything to ensure things were carried out exactly as he wanted.
But Gale knew that to gain an advantage over enemies who could destroy them if they wished, everyone had to listen to him.
And it was precisely for that reason that, instead of relying on the army, he used his influence and old contacts outside the walls to select two thousand strong men to be trained as his personal army.
They did not need to learn how to use the three-dimensional maneuver gear; no, they only needed to learn the new combat tactics that Gale had formulated.
His new army depended entirely on modern weapons, which was exactly why he needed to expand his arsenal. The factories he could secretly establish were best built in sparsely populated areas.
That was why he was so eager to expand his territory. If he succeeded this time, the entire wall now overrun by Titans would belong to him.
As for the two Titans that still remained within his territory, Gale had ways to deal with them. One of them would be to send letters using Annie's handwriting, which they already had thanks to her previous training; another option was simply to wait.
Once his arsenal grew, he would deal with them in a more practical way.
…
At a steelworks on the outskirts of the capital.
Hange greeted them enthusiastically: "Erwin, Levi, you're back!"
In the middle of the testing area, Hange held a wrench. Her white gloves were stained with weapon lubricant made from vegetable oil, and although she looked exhausted, she was extremely excited.
"Captain Hange," Gale said, stopping the group. "The commander and his men came to see the giant Gatling gun. Let's go to the firing range first."
"One moment, I'll call the gunner."
Hange removed her gloves, ran toward the factory, and came back guiding a man who looked to be around thirty years old.
"This is our star shooter, Artur Braus, whom we recruited just half a month ago," Hange said, patting him on the shoulder.
"This man was born within Wall Rose and was originally a hunter. Since he spent a lot of time hunting in the forest, his aim is excellent, and his senses are more trained than any other soldier's."
"He's practically a sniper. I was amazed the first time I saw him. He can score an average of 8.5 points at the center of a target from 100 meters away with an AK-47."
"Hello, nice to meet you, Artur," Erwin said, shaking his hand. "I am Erwin Smith, commander of the Scout Regiment."
"Hello, Commander," Artur replied, extending his rough and sturdy right hand.
Pixis and Levi also shook hands with Artur.
"Let's not waste time, let's go to the firing range," Gale said somewhat impatiently. "Hange, are the test subjects ready?"
"Of course," Hange said, placing her hands on her hips. "To demonstrate its power, this time we're using steel plates!"
The group headed to the adjacent firing range.
The surrounding plain was enclosed by a wooden fence, and the space was quite large.
All obstacles within the range had been cleared.
That two-meter-tall steel colossus stood imposingly before everyone.
The massive Gatling gun was mounted on a base approximately half a meter high, with iron wheels on both sides to push it forward.
The sturdy machine gun was firmly fixed to the base with anchor bolts.
When it needed to be moved, it could be pulled by animal or human strength. Before firing, the support had to be lowered and a depression dug, or a hard, solid stone placed to absorb the recoil.
This machine gun had tremendous recoil; if it was not properly secured, the entire base could easily topple over after firing a single shot.
Erwin reached out and touched the metal barrels. Ten hard, cold barrels were grouped together, and it was easy to see that they rotated via a crank to achieve continuous fire.
"I'll be the loader, Artur. You sit in the seat and adjust the crank and the firing angle," Hange said, clearly familiar with the weapon.
"Yes." Artur nodded and sat on the base, getting used to the positioning. He took a deep breath, feeling somewhat nervous.
After all, just half a month ago, he had been nothing more than a minor hunter.
When he went to collect the food the government was distributing for free, he heard they were recruiting people who could use bows and arrows, and that the pay was very good.
At first, he signed up just to try his luck, but he never expected to be selected or for the benefits to be so good.
He was stunned when he heard the amount: eight gold coins per month and housing for his family within the safest walls.
Since the villagers had been driven out of the forest last year, his clan had rarely gone hunting, and they were worried about not finding work.
Originally, they had planned to take up farming, but they never imagined such a good opportunity would present itself.
Not only was he chosen as a shooter for this "Gatling gun," but almost all the hunters from his village were selected.
As is tradition in hunting villages, both men and women learn archery from a young age.
Perhaps it was the result of natural selection over the years, but their clan had great talent for shooting.
Even Sasha, his eleven-year-old daughter, was capable of shooting a rabbit.
Thanks to their remarkable talent, his clan occupied nearly a third of the shooter positions. Half a month ago, after the recruitment results were announced, Artur led the villagers in relocating to the capital.
The Hawthorne Chamber of Commerce provided them with excellent housing and sent their children to school to learn how to read and write.
Artur could not have been happier. Recently, since they had been eating meat every day, even his youngest daughter, Sasha—who loved meat—complained that she wanted to try something different.
Artur was deeply grateful to the Merchant Guild for the treatment they had received. The capital was the safest place within the three walls.
No one would want their family to live in an unsafe place, nor for them and their loved ones to be poorly fed and clothed.
That was why he accepted—he joined Gale's personal army and was now training to become a private soldier.
Artur took a deep breath, focused on regaining his composure, felt the wind and the day's breeze, turned the crank, and adjusted the firing angle of the barrel.
Then, Hange opened the ammunition box and attached the loaded chain magazine to the Gatling gun.
Artur aimed and turned the crank. A set of gears rotated around the main shaft, which drove the barrels, the bolt, and other components to rotate with it. The bullets dropped one by one from the magazine into the feed slot, and the bolt pushed them into the chamber.
"Fire!" Hange shouted, filled with adrenaline.
"Yes!" Artur nodded, put on his goggles, and his vision narrowed to the large steel plate fixed one hundred meters away. Then he put on his ear protection and prepared himself.
After sensing a favorable wind direction, he began turning the handle.
The firing pin inside the barrel was released, and the spring drove it forward to strike the primer and fire the bullet.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
An intense barrage erupted as sparks burst from the muzzle of the Gatling gun. Empty casings flew out along with the feed, and the ten barrels spun and smoked!
The bullets shot out freely, striking the steel plate with a loud impact. Artur felt a massive recoil force in his hands, numbing them.
At the same time, the flat steel plate was pierced at a speed visible to the naked eye, dented by the impacts, and within seconds turned into a leaking piece of scrap.
"You can stop now, Artur!" Hange ordered.
Artur obeyed and released the trigger.
The barrels were slightly hot, and smoke rose upward. Finally, that roaring steel beast calmed down.
But Erwin, Pixis, and Levi felt a strange excitement about it; it was a terrifying weapon.
At that moment, they truly understood what kind of weapon the "Gatling gun" was.
That plan was entirely feasible. As long as the machine guns remained outside the walls, the Titans would not be able to enter the danger zone for humans and would be shot down from hundreds of meters away.
As for the gunfire attracting other Titans, there was absolutely no need to worry about that.
Because Gale intended to eliminate all the Titans within Wall Maria, killing every one that crossed his path!
However, there was one Titan he wanted to capture alive.
That Titan had been transformed from a member of the royal family. Having that Titan would activate Eren's "Coordinate Power."
If he managed to control the Titans living outside the walls and turn them into labor, he could allow the inhabitants of Paradis Island to access the outside world before the end of this year!
That would be an extraordinary situation that the entire world could never have foreseen!
Even so, that would bring potential problems, and Gale was still debating whether to do it or not.