208 Chapter 185: Wipe Them All Out
Xiangyang had a branch of the Beggar's Sect, and at this time, those outsiders who had fled with the refugees were all temporarily accommodated here.
It wasn't imprisonment, but it was somewhat akin to house arrest.
It was apparent that the group of refugees was quite young, looking to be on average around fifteen or sixteen years old. Their clothes were dirty, but the symbol of the Wings of Freedom could still be seen on their capes.
Each one was a member of the 104th Training Corps.
At the moment, a handsome young man with blond hair kept shaking another person whose face was woodenly expressionless and said,
"Eren, you are the commander appointed by Captain Erwin. You have to pull yourself together. Mikasa is the strongest among us; she'll be fine."
"Why... Why did this happen..."
Even though Eren was being shaken continuously by Armin, he still appeared somewhat lifeless.
Everything had been planned perfectly; the operation to retake the city was going smoothly. Although he lost control for a while after transforming into a Titan, he ultimately regained his senses with Armin's help and succeeded in blocking the breach with a giant boulder!
This was the first victory faced against the Titans, a reclaiming of lost ground!
However, it was then that the sky displayed the aurora, and a bolt of lightning split the sky, ripping the city asunder in an instant!
The three walls that were supposed to stop the Titans became useless, and the cage that imprisoned the people and the shelter that blocked the Titans disappeared in a flash. The latter half of the city seemed to have been completely erased, revealing a plain.
Fortunately, there were no traces of Titans on the plain side, only some cattle, sheep, and horses were visible.
And some men speaking an unintelligible language came riding horses.
But...
The Titans up ahead could slowly get to the plains through the city's breach and then circle back into the city!
Although initially, there were not many, just a few scattered here and there.
But as the breach widened, the entire city's fall was only a matter of time!
Fleeing south...
This decision had been made immediately, and as members of the 104th Training Corps, they had been assigned a separate mission to preserve the fire: their sole objective was to ride south on horses and survive.
The entire Survey Corps engaged the Titans in combat, trying to contain and delay their pursuit.
The reason they were not arranged to protect others and flee south together...
That was because once the walls were breached, there was no chance of escape for ordinary people, they had to find their way to survive in the Titan territory!
And so, this group of Survey Corps recruits relied on the convenience of their horses, along with their mobility and 3D maneuver gear, to gallop across the plains, traverse the fields, cross a murky great river, and continue heading south.
They did not speak the language, making communication quite difficult.
But later, somehow a few who understood a bit of the language were found, and some rudimentary communication ensued.
However, Eren, who had been appointed as the temporary captain because of his Titan power, appeared extremely dejected after Mikasa went missing during a rearguard action along the way, and now everything depended on Armin's negotiation skills.
"Why bother with this coward! He doesn't deserve to be the captain at all. It's a waste of the Titan power. He was useless when it mattered most!"
A fellow classmate whose face was already slightly grimy shouted angrily.
...
Tao Yu communicated with this group of refugees fleeing southward for an entire day, inquiring about everything from the original situation in their world to what happened along the way.
To facilitate explaining his familiarity and understanding of their world, some questions were deliberately guided by him, so the conversation took a bit longer.
Even Tao Yu didn't expect that the people who had escaped this time included seemingly all the main and significant characters.
However, thinking about the attributes of a Chosen One, it didn't seem strange to Tao Yu anymore.
It's not that Eren became stronger by killing monsters; it is that he was favored by destiny to escape death, and then it was just natural for him to be rescued by Guo Jing, who is also a Chosen One.
"I understand. Arrange for two representatives to come over, and we can continue our discussion tonight."
After Tao Yu spoke, he gestured toward Armin and Eren.
"I'm terribly sorry. My friend has been shaken by the journey; would it be okay if just I come alone?"
Armin stood up to apologize.
Tao Yu also hadn't expected that Mikasa's disappearance while covering their retreat would hit Eren so hard.
"I can act as a representative."
At this moment, a gold-haired, blue-eyed girl perked up, raising her hand cutely, while another girl beside her, with some freckles on her face, kept pulling at her, seemingly trying to make her let go, but she remained unmoved.
"I also want to do something within my power."
Historia looked fragile but held firmly to her decision once it was made.
"Then I'll go too."
Ymir decided on the spot to ensure Historia was protected.
"Fine, the three of you then."
Tao Yu recalled and roughly matched the three of them with their respective characters.
After all, he had seen the animated series.
He then glanced over and spotted the Marley trio.
It was these three, transformed into Titans, who had breached the wall, leading to the subsequent series of events.
They might not necessarily be Fortune Thieves, but they indeed carried good things with them.
From the ending clips that filled in the story, Tao Yu knew that Eren possessed the power to control the Titans.
It's just that he can't utilize it right now.
One could say the key to solving the current problem lies with him.
But how to solve it, how to activate it, Tao Yu was somewhat at a loss.
However, as a Chosen One, constantly becoming stronger can't be wrong—Yuan Force will help him activate his potential!
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