Chapter 48

Soon after, the group finally climbed up the wall, and the first phase of the main quest was completed. The ordinary youth and the auntie girl, seeing no unexpected incidents, bid farewell to everyone and left. As for Eren Yeager, who had returned to human form from his Titan state, he still had not regained consciousness. His good friends, Mikasa and Armin, were taking care of him by his side.

In addition, Tang Cheng also lingered nearby, but his mind was not on these three people. Instead, he was paying attention to a few other trainees... Reiner Braun, Bertolt Hoover, Annie Leonhart, and Jean Kirschtein.

The last one, aside from his secret crush on Mikasa, had no other standout qualities, so Tang Cheng quickly ignored him. However, he knew about the first three. They were all capable of transforming into Titans like Eren: one with an extremely strong defense, the Armored Titan; one with combat skills, the Female Titan; and one standing at 60 meters tall, the Colossal Titan.

Unlike Eren, they all stood on the opposite side of humanity. The collapse of Wall Maria five years ago and the current retreat from Shiganshina were both caused by the Colossal Titan, transformed by Bertolt Hoover.

Tang Cheng was now thinking whether he should take this opportunity to eliminate these three.

Although they would become incredibly powerful when transformed into Titans, they were not weak in their current human forms. They were all top five graduates, second only to him and Mikasa, and had the ability to kill a Titan alone, making them much stronger than most soldiers. However, on the ground, Tang Cheng could still easily take them out.

With three times the physical attributes of a normal human and his supergod mode, the burst of power and speed, combined with the Seven Nights Assassination Style known for its unpredictability, Tang Cheng didn't think anyone in the world could withstand his attack.

However, after careful consideration, Tang Cheng ultimately abandoned this boring idea. Not only might he not gain survival points by killing them in human form, but it could also create complications after killing their comrades. Most importantly, such a challenge-free task was too meaningless. He didn't want to miss the opportunity to face three high-level Titans.

"Who would have thought that Titan was actually Eren... So, it means..." Reiner and the others' faces were filled with shock and uncertainty, fully demonstrating what it means to be a good actor, unaware that they had already walked through the gates of death.

Suddenly, a slightly hoarse voice rang out from behind the group. Turning around, they saw a dark-faced, bearded man leading dozens of members of the Garrison, surrounding them.

"What do you want?" Mikasa's face changed, instinctively protecting Eren behind her.

In response to her reaction, the dozens of Garrison soldiers immediately raised their blades, pointing them at the group.

The bearded man shouted, "Eren Yeager! Tang Cheng! These two are involved in a matter of life and death for humanity. I will take them back for questioning. The rest of you, leave this place immediately and keep today's events confidential, or you will be treated as traitors to humanity!"

"Questioning?" Armin, seeing this, knew it was not good and immediately ran forward, shouting, "They are warriors who have made great contributions in this battle. Why should they be questioned? There's no reason, and Eren..."

"Silence!" The bearded man roared, "I don't need to explain my actions to you. As soldiers, you must obey orders! Everyone except Eren Yeager and Tang Cheng, leave within ten seconds, or you will be treated as traitors to humanity!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces changed, realizing that this man was serious. Reiner and the others did not dare to argue, though they looked hesitant, they were eventually escorted away by a few Garrison soldiers.

However, Mikasa and Armin remained steadfast by Eren's side. As for Tang Cheng, his expression never changed, as if the situation had nothing to do with him, calmly watching the scenery outside the wall.

"Fine, since you two won't leave, you will also be questioned. You have a close relationship with Eren Yeager, and it's necessary to thoroughly question you!"

The bearded man loudly declared, and under the strict vigilance of dozens of Garrison soldiers, the four were taken away. On the inner side of the wall, the four stood with their backs to it, a large river to their left, and nearly a hundred Garrison soldiers surrounding them on all sides. Even further away, they could see several cannons aimed directly at them.

The situation was clear. At least Mikasa and Armin could guess what was happening. Although they were filled with anger, this was not entirely unexpected. After all, Eren's transformation into a Titan would naturally raise suspicions.

They, of course, did not believe that Eren would betray humanity. Eren had witnessed his mother being eaten by a Titan, and his hatred for Titans was probably stronger than anyone else's. His vow to eliminate Titans from the world was genuine, but such words were meaningless at this moment. Moreover, Eren was still unconscious, and they had no way to explain.

What they didn't understand was why Tang Cheng was also involved.

Of course, they soon found out.

The bearded man stood on a high platform, protected by several elite members of the Garrison, pointing at Tang Cheng and loudly questioning, "Tang Cheng! Why did you kill humans?"

"Kill humans?" Armin was momentarily stunned, but Mikasa already understood. Without a doubt, Tang Cheng was being held accountable for past actions.

Tang Cheng scratched the back of his head, lazily lifting his head, but his eyes did not look at the man. Instead, he gazed at the clouds floating in the sky, as if in a daze, "Oh, which one are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb!" The bearded man roared, "At the evacuation point, countless people saw you brutally kill three humans, one of whom was the president of the largest merchant guild in the city! He provided food for the army and made great contributions to humanity, yet you cruelly murdered him. Answer me! What are your intentions?"

"You mean that guy? Sorry, I've forgotten," Tang Cheng said, shrugging.

"What kind of attitude is this!" The bearded man was furious, "I heard that you were originally part of the rear guard, but during the retreat, you did not evacuate with the rear guard. Instead, you went to the front line with Mikasa Ackerman, where Eren Yeager was also present. Can I interpret this as you and Eren having already colluded with that monster, disguising yourselves as humans, and attempting to assassinate key figures in humanity, just like the breach of Wall Maria five years ago, to once again breach Wall Rose and completely annihilate humanity!"

"Ha ha ha ha." Tang Cheng suddenly burst into laughter, then, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he extended his hand, but only to gently clap a few times, saying, "Great, your imagination is truly out of this world. To connect two unrelated events like this, it's a waste for someone with your talent to be a captain in the Garrison. Why don't you write novels with me instead?"

"Silence! Don't change the subject!"

The bearded man's eyes widened in anger.

...

In a nearby, deserted corner, the ordinary youth and the other three challengers stood, watching this farce from a distance. Yes, in their eyes, this was a farce, a ridiculous farce where a weak group fears a powerful individual and attempts to drive them out and eliminate them.

"Should we intervene?" the literary youth asked with a smile.

"There's no need. This farce will end soon," the girl said, kicking at the pebbles on the ground, showing little interest in the situation.

"Although it is indeed like that in the original, given that man's personality, I don't think he will easily back down."

"Isn't that better? We can also see the skills of a five-star rookie. Unless he really can't handle it, we can intervene then."

"For some reason, I have a strong premonition..." The ordinary youth frowned slightly, "I fear he will make things completely out of control."

...

**The climax is about to begin, and the protagonist is finally going to show his true colors. Please support with your recommendations!**

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