Wall Rose
Due to the sudden appearance of the Colossal Titan, the graduation assignments of the 104th Trainee Squad were put on hold. Now that the battle was over, the wall had been blocked by Eren with a boulder, the titans inside had been cleared, and the battlefield debris had mostly been cleaned up. Finally, there was time to deal with this matter.
However, after experiencing this battle, many people's mindsets were no longer the same as before, and the choices they made would naturally be completely different.
At this moment, everyone was waiting in the square, standing together in twos and threes, talking and waiting for the commanders of each corps to arrive.
"Hey, shorty, what did you secretly sneak off to do the day before yesterday?" Ymir asked Rayan. "You disappeared for the whole day."
Rayan glanced at her. "Didn't realize you cared so much about me."
"Huh? Krista found out. She specially made lunch but couldn't find you."
"Ymir!" Krista tried to grab her to stop her from continuing, but the latter easily dodged, a hint of smugness on her face. "So, I ate your share too, hahaha~"
"..."
Rayan looked at her speechlessly, then said to Krista, "I went out for a walk that day when I had nothing to do. What a pity, I'll try your cooking next time."
"Hmm..." Krista said somewhat shyly, her hands awkwardly clasped together. "It was nothing special, just ordinary food..." As she spoke, she felt her cheeks slightly warm and quickly changed the subject. "Speaking of which, I wonder how Eren is doing."
"Didn't they say the Survey Corps took him away?" Ymir said. "He should be fine. Anyway, the Survey Corps was there at the time. But, speaking of which, the power of the titans is really amazing. He could lift such a big boulder."
"Yeah..."
Even though it was Eren, Krista still felt a lingering fear. Moreover, she had a strange feeling inside, as if she had a strange familiarity with Eren ever since he transformed.
It was as if... she had met him a long time ago.
Shaking her head to drive away this strange feeling, Krista said, "After this, many people have decided to join the Survey Corps."
"Are you sure it's many?" Ymir smiled, raising her finger to point at a group of people not far away. "See that? It's been almost a week, and their legs are still shaking."
Rayan looked over. Indeed, even though some time had passed, the psychological trauma caused by the titans couldn't be erased in a short time.
In fact, the vast majority of soldiers who had seen titans eat people would no longer have the courage to fight them, at least not the courage to fight alone. This was also the reason why many soldiers committed suicide after determining that there was no hope of survival. Compared to the terrifying battle, suicide was obviously easier.
Of course, this extremely intense battle would also provoke deep thought. It made people wonder... in such a cruel situation, why were there still a group of people called the "Survey Corps" fighting to the death? Were they not afraid? If they were afraid, why did they still do it?
The answer to this reflection might lead some people to join, while others joined the Survey Corps to find the answer. But in any case, those who joined had immense courage.
Ymir looked at Krista at this moment and suddenly said, "Then it seems you're going to join the Survey Corps."
"...Yeah," she nodded heavily.
"I really can't help it," Ymir sighed helplessly. "Krista is so cute, yet she's going to such a dangerous place. What if something happens?"
Rayan: "Then you just protect her."
"You don't need to tell me that." Ymir glanced at Rayan, then suddenly hugged Krista and rubbed her face against hers. "Of course, I have to be with my Krista~"
"Ymir, the Survey Corps is very dangerous, don't do it for..."
"Trainees, line up! Stand in front of the platform!"
The instructor's shout came, and everyone immediately began to gather and form ranks.
Ymir looked at the worried Krista and suddenly smiled gently. "I'm not doing it for you, I'm... doing it for myself, because..." She paused, not finishing her sentence. "Let's go, it's time to line up."
Because you are my hope, without you I cannot survive.
...
The three corps commanders spoke on stage in turn.
The Garrison Regiment basically just recited memorized lines, something about protecting the walls, protecting the people... it made people drowsy.
And the commander of the Military Police only said a few simple sentences before stepping down.
In fact, it didn't matter what these two corps said, even if they said nothing, it wouldn't affect the soldiers' choices at all.
The reasoning was simple: those afraid of death and whose grades weren't in the top 10 could only go to the Garrison Regiment; those in the top ten who were afraid of death went to the Military Police; those who weren't afraid of death all went to the Survey Corps.
So, what the Garrison and Military Police said was irrelevant; what mattered was the Survey Corps.
Because they needed to use words to make the fearful unafraid. This was the case every year, using things like "nobility" and "dedication" to fool the recruits. Otherwise, without new recruits joining, the Survey Corps would have to disband within a few years.
However, this year, the Survey Corps' "recruitment office" went against the norm and adopted a completely different attitude.
"I am Erwin Smith, Commander of the Survey Corps. On this day when you all choose your respective corps, what I have to say is still to persuade you to join the Survey Corps. However, this time, due to the titan attack, you have all undoubtedly learned the terror of the titans and the limits of your own strength."
"However, through this battle, humanity has taken an unprecedented step towards victory, and the reason for this is the existence of Eren Yeager. Without a doubt, he is our comrade, and this has been proven by his life-and-death performance. Moreover, we have not only used his power to stop the titan invasion but have also obtained a way to ascertain the true nature of the titans."
As Erwin spoke, everyone was very surprised. And Rayan thought that this was still the original plot development, using information to find the titans hiding in the military. After all, the warriors couldn't possibly want the humans inside the walls to know about Marley's existence, so they had to take action to stop it. And this was Erwin's brilliance.
This was indeed a good method, though also very risky.
"In the basement of Eren's old home in Shiganshina District, it is said that a mystery of the titans lies hidden, one that even he himself is unaware of. As long as we successfully reach there, we will be able to obtain some clues to break free from the titans' century-long domination over us."
Hmm...?
Whether it was a hallucination or not, Rayan seemed to notice Erwin glancing at him inadvertently as he spoke.
"To reach there, we must retake Wall Maria. However, after the gate in the southern Trost District became unusable, we can only take a detour from the eastern Karanes District. The large-scale troop movement route that took four years to build has also become completely useless."
After speaking, he also began to say things that made the trainees tremble with fear.
"In these four years, the death toll of the Survey Corps has exceeded 60%. Sixty percent dead in four years, an astonishing number. This year's recruits will also be required to participate in the expedition outside the walls a month later. The probability of death is roughly 30%. Presumably, after four years, everyone will have died. However, those who can overcome this trial will gradually become excellent soldiers with a high survival rate. Those who are still willing to risk their lives to join us after learning of this tragic situation, please remain. Please ask yourselves if you can truly dedicate your hearts to humanity! The rest of you who wish to join other corps, you are dismissed."
"Commander... isn't your intimidation exceeding the necessary level? At this rate, no one will be left..."
Erwin remained silent, his eyes fixed on the crowd, observing the expressions on everyone's faces.
"I... I don't want to die..."
The crowd began to turn and leave, flowing out like a tide. Those who remained standing were filled with entanglement and struggle.
Krista clenched her fists tightly, trying hard not to tremble, but she still couldn't manage it.
His words...
She looked up at where Rayan was standing, seemingly wanting to find some spiritual encouragement, some hope. However, she suddenly froze.
She saw Rayan turn around indifferently, leaving with the crowd.
"Ra... Rayan?"
Ymir, standing behind, watched Rayan leave the ranks without hesitation, narrowed her eyes, and gave him a deep look.
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Need More Chapters
Every 300 Power Stones
2 Bonus chapter
Every 500 Power Stones
4 Bonus chapter.
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