Tang An stood atop the colossal wall, his short hair whipped by the fierce wind.
Pixis had just given the order for all members of the Garrison Regiment and the 104th Training Corps to lure the Titans toward the base of the wall, enabling Eren to transform and carry the distant boulder to seal the breached outer gate.
This outcome did not catch Tang An by surprise, even though he had also been drafted.
Furthermore, Pixis seemed to be aware that Erwin had exceptionally promoted him to the Survey Corps; perhaps his file was already circulating among the higher-ups.
Or perhaps information had been obtained from that woman previously--the one named Anka.
Consequently, Tang An had now been assigned to the squad tasked with protecting Eren and specifically clearing out the Titans surrounding him.
Armin, Mikasa, Connie, and Zhou Wei--whom Tang An cared about the most--were all among them.
Zhou Wei now looked completely renewed, dressed in yellow combat gear and equipped with Vertical Maneuvering Equipment.
Tang An was certain the man didn't know how to use the gear; after all, when he first got it, he had been staring at it with a look of excitement and eager study.
Yet, after zoning out into empty space for a good ten-odd seconds, this guy was already proficient with the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment.
If anyone claimed this bastard didn't have a cheat, he, Tang An, would livestream himself doing a handstand and eating shit.
Tang An's mood right now was extremely heavy.
The fact that the other party could apparently master a skill in the shortest possible time meant one thing: Zhou Wei was unfathomably deep, with an unknown number of hidden trump cards.
"Commence operation."
Just as Tang An was deep in thought, a signal flare rose into the horizon, and all the soldiers leaped off the wall to carry out their respective tasks.
"Eren!"
Connie, Mikasa, Armin, Zhou Wei, Jean, and the others also rapidly flew toward the outer wall, with Tang An following closely behind.
He had made up his mind to keep a low profile and hide his strength.
With Zhou Wei around, he trusted this operation would go much smoother than in the original story.
Just as Tang An had anticipated, Zhou Wei's strength shocked everyone.
The Titans were like playthings in his hands, easily and effortlessly dispatched.
Tang An, on the other hand, played it strictly by the book, taking ages to kill a single Titan while putting on a performance of extreme struggle.
"Zhou Wei is so strong!"
Connie and the others stared at Zhou Wei, who was slicing through a dozen surrounding Titans as if cutting vegetables, their eyes filled with envy and admiration.
"Eren, now's the chance!"
The group had already arrived in front of the giant boulder; all Eren had to do was transform into a Titan, lift this rock, and plug the outer gate.
"Understood."
Eren bit down on his index finger. Amidst splashing blood, a bolt of golden lightning descended from the sky. Accompanied by a roar and a violent gust of wind, Eren transformed into the black-haired, green-eyed Attack Titan.
However, Eren seemed unable to maintain his sanity, actually lashing out at Mikasa before collapsing in front of the boulder with his head lowered, steam billowing from his entire body.
In the end, it took Armin to wake him up.
With an impotent roar, Eren heaved the boulder onto his shoulder and marched toward the outer gate, clouds of dense steam venting from his body.
All the Pure Titans that stepped forward to block the path along the way were thoroughly wiped out by Zhou Wei, Mikasa, and the others.
"Boom..."
The earth trembled as the giant boulder crashed heavily into the outer gate, sealing the breach.
"Suc... Success."
Connie and the others wore expressions of deep shock.
"Launch the signal."
As the flare bloomed high in the sky, soldiers who had lured the Titans to the base of the wall and those in other sectors alike wore expressions of pleasant surprise.
"Commander Pixis, we did it!"
"The outer gate is plugged!"
"We did it, we actually did it!"
Everyone cheered; having the outer gate sealed gave them a glimpse of hope.
This meant they might actually retake Wall Maria.
Right by the gate, Eren was being pulled out from the nape of the Titan by Mikasa and Armin, all of them struggling to keep their composure.
"Did we succeed?"
Eren was utterly exhausted, his eyes half-closed.
"Eren, we did it."
Armin gazed at the sealed gate behind them.
At that exact moment, five Titans appeared, clearly having broken past the blockade held by Zhou Wei, Connie, and the others.
"Damn it."
Mikasa and Armin's expressions shifted drastically.
"Whoosh..."
In the nick of time, two figures appeared. One of them eliminated three Titans with lightning speed--it was Levi.
The remaining two Titans were also swiftly taken down by Zhou Wei.
"Can someone tell me what happened here?"
Levi stood atop a Titan's corpse, glanced briefly at Zhou Wei, and then fixed his gaze on Eren, Mikasa, and Armin.
The Survey Corps had returned at this very moment.
With the Survey Corps backing them, every single Titan within the walls of the Trost District in the southern territory was completely wiped out in just half a day.
Next came the interrogation of Eren and the decision regarding his future allegiance.
Tang An had zero interest in getting involved, so he returned straight to his quarters, took a bath, and began his routine training.
Though his residence was currently drafty on all sides and practically reduced to ruins, a single room remained intact.
For now, he was merely a soldier in the Training Corps and had not yet joined the Survey Corps, granting him a decent level of freedom.
If he remembered correctly, the next phase would be when all the cadets of the 104th Training Corps chose which branch of the military to join. Mikasa, Armin, and the others would undoubtedly enlist in the Survey Corps.
Following that was the 57th Exterior Scouting Mission, where Annie, the Female Titan, would make her appearance.
That would be the time for him to make his move.
He hoped everything would go smoothly when the time came.
Uncontrollably, Tang An's thoughts drifted back to Zhou Wei.
After all, this guy was the ultimate wildcard.
That night, the starry sky was exceptionally brilliant.
At the Survey Corps headquarters, Erwin stood by the window gazing at the stars, while Levi sat in a chair, sipping a drink as he reviewed a file.
"What do you make of this Zhou Wei?"
Two files lay on Erwin's desk.
One belonged to Tang An, and the other to Zhou Wei.
They already had a clear picture of Tang An, but the sudden appearance of Zhou Wei had commanded Erwin's attention.
Judging from the testimonies of Mikasa and the others, this Zhou Wei possessed power outside their understanding.
For instance, the ability to project a golden biological tether from his hand, or crushing a Titan to death with a single palm strike.
At the same time, he possessed speed that surpassed human limits.
Yet, according to the background checks, the man was a native of Wall Maria, with a lineage tracing back five generations--hard evidence with not the slightest trace of suspicion.
Still, Erwin always felt something felt out of place.
Tang An was easy enough to figure out, but this Zhou Wei genuinely gave him a strange vibe.
"Are you doubting him?"
Levi lowered the file, his gaze turning cold.
Erwin first walked over to the desk to look at the two files, then fell silent for a moment before speaking. "Tomorrow's interrogation of Eren--we need to find a way to keep Eren within the Survey Corps."
"Understood."
That night, hardly anyone managed to find peace.
As for Eren, he was locked away in the underground prison cells.
Unawares, the moon had climbed directly to the center of the sky, and the clock had just ticked past midnight.
Tang An lay on his bed, pulling up the light screen and preparing to roll the dice.
After all, today marked the third natural month.
He had no idea what kind of item he would get this time.
To say he wasn't looking forward to it would be a lie.
Yet, the moment he thought about the routine of his useless gold-finger, Tang An's heart sank with uncertainty.
"Let's begin!"
The dice began to spin and bounce, the miniature airplane crossing three grid spaces. As the dazzling light faded, an item materialized in Tang An's field of vision.
"One lighter."
"Description: The main components of a lighter are the ignition mechanism and the gas reservoir. When the ignition mechanism is triggered, it emits a spark toward the gas zone, igniting the fuel. Primarily used for making fire and smoking, and also utilized in cooking and other fire-starting needs."
Staring at the lighter in his hand--the kind one could casually pick up at a roadside stall for a single dollar--he couldn't help but sigh.
This was an opportunity he had waited an entire month for, only to be fobbed off with cheap street-vendor junk.