"Most of the nearby Titans have already been lured away, 30 seconds until we leave the gate!"
Wall Rose, Karanese District.
Today was the day of the Survey Corps' 57th expedition outside the walls. Because the gate of Trost District was blocked by stones, the route they had been preparing for several years had to be abandoned. They could only depart from Karanese District and then explore a relatively safe route to Shiganshina District of Wall Maria.
This was not easy, because exploration meant the unknown, and the unknown naturally meant more accidents and more casualties.
Therefore, the itinerary for this expedition outside the walls was not far of course, this was just the excuse Erwin gave to everyone.
"Rumble..."
The gate slowly rose, and the scenery outside the walls appeared before everyone's eyes. That vast expanse of land seemed to be beckoning them. And the Survey Corps once again advanced towards freedom.
"Move out!!"
...
"Ugh..."
Annie slowly opened her eyes. After a brief moment of confusion, she instantly realized her situation.
"Ugh ugh ugh!"
She struggled violently, but apart from her eyes, she couldn't move any other part of her body.
She saw that a chair was placed a meter away from her, and Rayan was sitting on it, looking at her, playing with her ring that concealed the iron hook.
"Don't waste your energy, Annie," Rayan said. "This restraint device is specifically designed for you."
"..."
At this moment, Annie was completely fixed to a not-so-delicate but practical wooden frame, in a "spread-eagle" position. However, it wasn't just as simple as tying up her limbs. This device was so meticulous that each of her fingers and toes was tied to a separate small forked wooden piece, making it impossible for them to touch each other.
In this way, even trying to scratch her own skin with her fingernails was impossible.
Her head was also firmly fixed to a semicircular wooden board, with length extensions on both sides, preventing her head from moving. At the same time, the extended wooden boards were connected to extremely strong fiber materials, which were stuffed into her mouth and tied around the back of her head with thread, preventing her from biting her lips or tongue. Naturally, she couldn't speak either.
He had drawn the blueprints for this device a long time ago. After returning to the training corps from seeing Karen off last night, he had rushed to the underground district of the inner city and asked Klaus to find seven or eight craftsmen overnight, who had worked all night to build it.
"Ugh ugh!"
At this moment, Annie could only make such sounds, but her eyes showed that she was extremely angry.
"Sorry."
Rayan said, "I didn't want to do this to you either, but you wouldn't be willing to sit down and talk to me properly, would you... if I told you that you are a 'Titan'?"
Indeed, once the identity of an intelligent Titan was exposed, their subconscious reaction would be to silence or escape.
At this moment, when Annie heard the word "Titan," shock and confusion flashed in her eyes, clearly not knowing how he had found out.
"Hey, Annie. What's your first reaction right now? Isn't the first thought in your mind, 'If only he knows, killing him would hide my identity'?"
Annie couldn't speak, her emotions could only be conveyed through her eyes. However, at this moment, Rayan didn't see any strong killing intent in her eyes.
"You must be very curious right now about how I learned your identity. It's okay, don't be anxious, we have all night. I will tell you everything you want to know."
Rayan was very serious. "After you've heard everything, you can act according to your own judgment. I think someone as smart as you can figure out that I can't really do anything to you, I can only restrain you temporarily."
The transformation condition for Titans was injury + strong purpose. In this situation, killing her wasn't impossible.
This was an abandoned basement, and no one would come here for months. In this way, he could starve Annie to death or use poison gas.
However, this wasn't foolproof, because it was unknown whether an internal injury would count as an "injury." If a person was starved for a long time, their stomach would be damaged. If this also counted as an "injury," then Annie could still transform.
What's more,
Rayan didn't want to kill her either.
To fight against Marley within the walls, the power of the intelligent Titans was indispensable. And once Annie was killed, the power of the Female Titan would randomly appear in a newborn Eldian baby, which was absolutely unacceptable.
Of course, it was also possible to seize Annie's power by injecting spinal fluid into someone else. Indeed, Rayan had a syringe in the backpack he had buried outside Wall Rose. But... who was that "someone else"? Who should he inject it into? Rayan couldn't use it himself. The 13-year lifespan limit of the intelligent Titans still had no solution, and he naturally didn't want this power carrying a curse.
Completely unrealistic.
As for the other point, it was emotion unrelated to reason. Emotionally... did he really want to kill Annie?
"First, let me explain the despicable means that made you faint," Rayan said, taking out a white pill from his pocket.
"This is 'Flash,' a top-grade hallucinogen that dissolves quickly in water. It can cause huge sensory stimulation to the user in a very short time. Without exception, the first-time user will fall asleep directly. But after trying it a few more times, the resistance will increase greatly. After about 3-4 times, they won't fall asleep but will become addicted."
Rayan had asked Klaus to get this from the underground district. The price of one pill was roughly equivalent to Rayan's three-month salary. It was a truly top-grade drug, only affordable by rich second-generation kids and nobles.
Compared to it, the stimulation of the "codaine" researched by Carly was too childish, just a younger sibling.
"Don't blame me, Annie," Rayan continued. "Without this, the current conversation wouldn't be possible... Of course, saying it's a conversation is actually just me talking unilaterally, and you can only listen. After all... I'm very afraid of you biting your tongue or lips. However, once I'm done talking, I will release your restraints."
After speaking, he paused for a few seconds, giving Annie time to digest. At the same time, he was organizing his thoughts, clarifying the order of what he wanted to say.
At this moment, Annie also calmed down. She understood the current situation. The anger in her pupils gradually dissipated, leaving only coldness, staring coldly at Rayan.
"First, let me tell you why I know your identity. This should be your biggest concern, right?" Rayan said, "Actually, you, no, I should say you all. You hid very well, without leaving any flaws. It's me, an innocent person, who was suspected of being a Titan by others, which is really sad."
When she heard "you all," Annie's pupils contracted slightly. She hadn't expected that not only herself but also her companions had been exposed.
"Reiner and Bertholdt are also Titans, right?" Rayan said, and Annie confirmed it.
"Actually, this has nothing to do with your acting skills. This is... it's like in 'Werewolf,' where players know who the werewolves are through 'out-of-game factors.' I know your identities because I 'cheated."
Annie was very puzzled. Just by looking at her eyes, it was clear that she didn't understand what Rayan was talking about.
"Annie, you should know about the 'Eldian Restorationists' organization, right?"
The moment Rayan said it, Annie's eyes immediately widened in astonishment.
"That's right, I am a member of that organization. That's right, just like you warriors, I also came to this island by boat from Marley."
"The Eldian Restorationists were an organization in Marley where Eldians secretly fought for the liberation of their compatriots. However, due to an internal informant, almost all members were caught in one fell swoop, and the entire organization faced utter destruction. Members were either imprisoned in concentration camps and died from torture or were sent to the island and turned into mindless Titans."
"And the person who informed internally was your 'warrior's' 'warrior leader,' Zeke, who is also the holder of the 'Beast Titan' power."
As Rayan spoke, the shock in Annie's pupils grew stronger and stronger. She didn't know that Rayan knew so much. He even knew about the "warrior leader"...
You must know that the identities of the Titans were strictly confidential to prevent assassination by enemy countries. But Rayan was so clear about it?
"Don't look at me like that, Annie. Actually, the Eldian Restorationists were very well hidden. Although most members were imprisoned, some successfully infiltrated Marley's internal affairs, which is how they obtained this information."
As Rayan said this, he was, of course, not a member of the Eldian Restorationists.
The reason he said this was to give his information a reasonable source. As long as he said this, Annie would definitely believe it. Otherwise, there was no way to explain how he knew these highly confidential Marleyan military secrets. Rayan couldn't very well say, "I read the manga, so I know," could he? He would probably be taken for a lunatic.
And this explanation was quite useful. He could tell that Annie now believed he was a remnant of the Eldian Restorationists...
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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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