Chapter 54

The operation to retake Trost District has begun. The fundamental purpose of this operation is to have the Titan-shifted Eren transport the massive rock to seal the gate that was destroyed by the Colossal Titan. If this can be achieved, the Titans will no longer be able to attack, and the Titans inside the city can be eliminated one by one with long-range artillery.

However, there is a critical point in this operation: the Titan-shifted Eren is also seen as prey by the Titans. Once he appears in the city, all the Titans will swarm towards him to attack. During the process of transporting the boulder, Eren will be unable to fight back. Therefore, to ensure the operation proceeds smoothly, a part of the force must be dispatched to protect Eren, killing all the Titans that attack him. Additionally, to minimize the pressure during the transportation, more people must act as decoys.

In other words, someone must be willing to die!

However, after the previous battles with the Titans, most people have already felt the terror of the Titans, and their hearts are filled with fear. Asking them to face death, or even to die for a possibility that seems baseless, is extremely difficult. Even if they are forced to the front lines by military law, their effectiveness under the control of fear is predictable.

Although Tang Cheng had said not long ago that those who dare to fight the Titans are the majority of humanity, in reality, those who truly dare to fight the Titans are few. Most people still yearn for a stable life, even if it means living without dignity and freedom within the walls that are like cages.

Thus, when Pixis announced his battle plan, most of the soldiers became hesitant. Fear, trembling, the desire to live, and the unwillingness to become food for the Titans—these negative emotions erupted instantly upon learning of the unreasonable plan. Some soldiers even defied military law and were willing to fight their superiors to withdraw from the operation.

But!

"I hereby order that anyone who leaves the ranks now will be exempt from punishment. Once you yield to the fear of the Titans, you will never be able to fight them again. And if you want your parents, spouse, children, and loved ones to also endure that fear, then leave here by all means!"

It must be said that Pixis is indeed a veteran leader. With just these words, the soldiers who wanted to withdraw immediately stopped in their tracks, turned around, and returned to the ranks. The fear and hesitation on their faces were replaced by a determination to fight to the death.

Tang Cheng watched this scene and felt a stirring in his heart. Because of the fear, courage is born. That's true, but if the fear is too great, it will not only fail to produce courage but will also crush a person. However, there is one thing that can make a person face the fear that could crush them—the resolve to protect those they love.

Parents, spouse, children, and siblings—if someone values them more than their own life, then to protect these important people, they can face any fear, any powerful enemy, and will not give up even in the face of death.

Even Tang Cheng, a staunch believer in the idea that "human nature is inherently evil," could not deny this greatest highlight of human nature. Unfortunately, Tang Cheng could not empathize with it. Whether it was courage or fear, he could not resonate with it. The only thing that could stir his heart was the thrill of life and death.

At the moment when life rushes towards death, when one foot steps into the gates of hell, when one is at the boundary between life and death... only at such times could he truly feel what he lacked, and this thrill was what he most wanted to pursue.

Therefore, when Pixis began to assign tasks, Tang Cheng immediately said, "Eren is my responsibility. No one else needs to get involved."

"What did you say?" At this moment, besides Eren and his two companions, several squad leaders from the elite class were waiting for their assignments. Hearing Tang Cheng's words, their faces all changed.

"Are you saying you will deal with the Titans attacking Eren alone?"

"That's impossible. No matter how strong you are, you can't do it alone..."

Tang Cheng smiled slightly, "Since I am a criminal, why not let me take on the greatest danger?"

"This is a battle between humans and Titans, and it has nothing to do with whether you are a criminal!" Levi said sternly, "Many soldiers will die in this battle, and their deaths are to ensure that the Yeagerist trainees can complete their mission. We cannot let their sacrifices be in vain, so we will not allow your naive idea... all of us in the elite class will be involved!"

"Are they also involved?" Tang Cheng pointed to behind her, and four people slowly walked over.

"We volunteered," the ordinary youth smiled.

These four were the four challengers designated as soldiers of the Garrison.

Levi looked back at them and said seriously, "They performed excellently in the morning retreat. Given their strength and the importance of this mission, they have been temporarily appointed as squad leaders in the elite class and will act with us."

"Then, let's work together for the future of humanity." The ordinary youth smiled and extended his hand to Tang Cheng.

Despite the danger of the operation, this guy could still smile. Tang Cheng guessed they must have received a mission... and a rewarding one at that.

While others were arranging the decoy operation, Tang Cheng found them and asked, "What mission did you receive?"

They did not hide it and laughed a bit slyly, "Main Mission 2: The Trost District Retake. Complete the mission to receive 500 survival points and a D-class cycle card."

Hearing this, Tang Cheng understood why they were so happy. In the original story, the Trost District Retake was successful and was the first victory in human history, although many sacrifices were made, including the death of Squad Leader Ian. Although the number of Titans in the city has increased due to their interference, as long as Eren does not have any issues, the victory of this battle is certain. In other words, their rewards are almost guaranteed.

Of course, since they have joined the elite class to protect Eren, danger is inevitable, but for challengers who are accustomed to danger, this level of danger is negligible compared to their rewards.

However, what Tang Cheng found annoying was: why didn't he receive a mission?

Is it because he is just a trainee, while these four are part of the Garrison?

"Hey, Tang, what are you planning?" Just as Tang Cheng was thinking, the ordinary youth suddenly whispered to him, "Kizue Wilman's death won't just end like this."

"Of course not, that was just the beginning," Tang Cheng smiled.

"Beginning?" The four were immediately stunned.

"Do you want to know?" Tang Cheng's lips curled.

Seeing his half-smiling, half-serious expression, the four hesitated instinctively, but then the ordinary youth gritted his teeth and said, "If you don't want to say, we won't press you. But we are all challengers, and there is no conflict of interest in this world. I think if possible, we can cooperate. Although our abilities are not very strong, we can help with most things in this world."

"Rest assured, if I need your help, I will find you. Just hope you won't be scared out of your wits. Try to prepare mentally," Tang Cheng smiled, patted his shoulder, and left.

The four remained where they were, looking at each other.

Although the cycle world has a cruel system of survival of the fittest and a jungle law of the strong preying on the weak, whether it's a team or an individual, they might encounter a life-or-death situation. However, because of the existence of regional battles, it is also necessary to be on good terms with other challengers in the same region.

They came to talk to Tang Cheng for two reasons: one, because of his strength. If they could form an alliance with him, they might gain more in this world. The other reason was to establish a certain level of friendship with Tang Cheng, so they could have a strong ally in future regional battles.

This was also a bit of their selfishness.

But after hearing those words, they began to doubt whether their decision was right.

"To be honest, although Tang Cheng's killing of Kizue Wilman seriously violated military discipline and could lead to his execution, there is still a lot of room for maneuver," the literary youth analyzed, "After all, he is now shaping himself as a hero. If he can achieve great success in the upcoming operation and bring the first victory to humanity, compared to that, Wilman's death will be insignificant. If the military high command supports him, they can suppress the matter, even twist the facts, and turn Tang Cheng into a hero who defies authority."

"If that were true, he wouldn't have told us to prepare mentally," the girl rolled her eyes.

The literary youth nodded, "So I think the key issue is not Wilman."

"Then who is it?"

"The royal family and the Military Police," the idiot youth, despite his villainous appearance, was not as stupid as he looked, and said solemnly, "In that speech, Tang Cheng denigrated the royal family and the Military Police to the point of worthlessness. If the news reaches them, they will not let him off. If Tang Cheng were just a regular soldier, it wouldn't matter, but if he becomes a great hero of humanity, his words and ideas could shake the position of the royal family and the Military Police. What do you think they would do in such a situation?"

"Eliminate him before he can grow!" the three said in unison.

"Exactly, any ruler would do that. But Tang Cheng obviously won't sit idly by, so..."

"My God!" The ordinary youth's face changed dramatically, "Is he planning to fight the entire royal family?"

"Perhaps not just the royal family, but the entire ruling class," the literary youth added.

"Insane!" The girl couldn't help but curse, "Although humans are helpless against the Titans, the collective strength of humanity is still a behemoth. If he really challenges the current ruling class, no one will tolerate him, and at least half of humanity will become his enemies... Is he crazy?"

The literary youth sneered, "Facing the Titans with his body, singing on the battlefield, killing a military commander in front of hundreds of people, insulting the royal family, and demanding to protect Eren alone... When did you start thinking he wasn't crazy?"

"But... what does he gain from this?"

"Only he knows."

"Then, should we help him?"

With this question, the four fell silent.

Fighting against more than half of humanity... this is a suicidal and insane act. Damn, they are not crazy!

...

Guess what the protagonist is planning. If someone guesses correctly, I'll add an extra chapter tomorrow.

Also, please recommend and collect!

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