Hitch woke up in the morning, looked at Annie's neatly made bed, and rested her chin in her hand for a while.
"That Annie really didn't come back all night..."
She said, getting out of bed and walking to the desk.
A hair flower was placed on the desk.
"Seriously, I even prepared this for that girl," she said, then thought of something, opened the closet, and her lips twitched twice. "That girl... really went on a date in her uniform?"
"Knock knock."
A knock on the door sounded. Hitch went to open it. It was her classmate Garcia, a short-haired girl.
"Hitch, get ready, we're going on district patrol."
"Oh, right away."
Hitch quickly washed up and changed her clothes, then followed Garcia outside. Everyone had already arrived. Hitch looked at the crowd and curiously glanced around. "Where's the captain?"
"Don't know."
Marlo shook his head. "He didn't come back last night, don't know where he went."
"..."
Hitch was silent for a moment, then suddenly showed a mischievous smile.
"Hitch, what are you smiling about?"
"No, no, nothing, nothing. We don't have to wait for the captain. Anyway, the patrol areas are all divided, let's just go."
"Yeah, otherwise those bastard seniors will come and boss us around again later," Roberts said.
Everyone unanimously agreed and then began to head out for their area patrols, while Hitch muttered to herself as she walked, "That Annie actually dared to lie to me, and the captain too, saying it was nothing... Hmph, when they come back, I'll have to blackmail them properly."
As Hitch thought this, Marlo not far away was thinking: Rayan said earlier that he was going to investigate the missing Straussman family's daughter... Could something have happened to him? Probably not, he's so strong after all.
However, if he still doesn't show up by the afternoon, then they will have to report it to the higher-ups and look for him.
"..."
"Clatter clatter..."
Rayan walked into the basement from outside with breakfast in hand. Annie was still bound, looking extremely listless and exhausted.
This was normal. The hallucinogen "Flash" itself would have a significant impact on the body. It could be said that most drugs were like this, extracting the body's energy for a short burst, and once the effect wore off, the body would be very weak.
Coupled with being tied to the wooden frame all night without being able to move, even a physically trained warrior like Annie was now exhausted. Even if her restraints were released, her current physical condition would make transforming into a Titan very difficult.
Of course, exhausting her physical strength was not Rayan's goal.
In fact, he had talked almost all night yesterday, analyzing the pros and cons of various aspects. Annie had just listened, and Rayan didn't know if she had taken it all in. However, in Rayan's view, among the Warrior trio, if there was one who could best distinguish right from wrong, it was Annie.
This "right and wrong" referred to human nature, not the correctness of inter-factional fighting.
Unlike Reiner and Bertholdt, Annie was essentially a kind person. Although many people in modern society felt that "kindness" had become a derogatory term, advocating the law of the jungle where the strong preyed on the weak, Rayan felt that it was a very rare quality.
What is kindness? It's not the saintly generosity of giving away other people's possessions, but having goodwill and respecting life. It's "having seen the vastness of the universe, yet still pitying the greenness of the grass and trees," rather than feeling that something is right just because it's unavoidable.
The opposite examples were naturally Reiner and Bertholdt. They were qualified warriors and could certainly become war heroes, but they could not be said to be very kind people. Because in the later stages, they believed that exterminating the humans within the walls was the right thing to do, without any hesitation, their thoughts and actions were completely consistent.
They were completely different from Annie. Annie would shed tears for killing, and would give up fighting because of the pain and guilt in her heart. This was the fundamental difference. Or it could be said that she wasn't brainwashed as deeply as Reiner and Bertholdt. As for the reason, girls might mature earlier, or it might be because of her solitary nature since childhood, focusing all her energy on training, so political views didn't take deep root in her heart.
And this was the fundamental reason why Rayan wanted to win her over.
Because although she seemed the most unapproachable, in reality, she could be said to be the best listener among the Warrior trio, and also the relatively smartest.
As for a schizophrenic like Reiner, who seemingly acted like a very good older brother, in reality, he couldn't take in what you said at all. Even if he did, it was the "soldier" personality, not the "warrior" personality.
"It's been broad daylight outside for a long time." Rayan placed the breakfast on the table and walked towards Annie. "The Survey Corps' expedition outside the walls is probably coming to an end soon. Sorry, Annie. I should have released you last night after I finished talking, but even with a one-in-ten-thousand chance, I couldn't take the risk. And now, even if you rush over, it's too late, and your physical strength can't support such a long journey."
Annie looked at him silently, her eyes full of exhaustion.
Rayan then reached behind her head with both hands and untied the ropes that bound her head and the wooden board. Then his right hand came to the front and removed the fiber material from her mouth.
The moment her head and mouth could move, Annie suddenly bit down hard on Rayan's right hand.
As if wanting to vent all her anger, pain, and inexplicable emotions, she didn't speak, biting down with all her might. Rayan didn't resist, letting her bite.
A salty taste spread through her mouth, and hot blood dripped from Rayan's hand onto the ground. Annie looked at him, who didn't make a sound, and suddenly couldn't help it. Tears instantly welled up in her eyes and dripped down, mixing with the blood.
She released Rayan's hand. Rayan took out his bloodied palm, didn't say a word, and untied the rest of the restraints on her body.
After she was completely untied, Rayan realized that Annie's physical condition was extremely poor. She couldn't even stand up, her body falling backward directly. He quickly reached out and supported her back, his other hand holding her shoulder.
It was indeed the case. Investigating Carly's disappearance all day, then taking the hallucinogen "Flash," and then being bound in that way all night... no one could withstand such torment. What's more, she was only a 16-year-old girl, and that kind of restraint, to some extent, already constituted torture.
Rayan helped her sit down by the chair. Annie's eyes were now red-rimmed, and she looked at his bloodied right hand through tear-blurred eyes, then glanced at her ring on the nearby table.
She didn't know where she got the strength, but she suddenly picked up the ring, pulled out the iron hook inside, and was about to slash down!
"..."
The skin on her finger stopped a centimeter away from the iron hook. Annie looked at Rayan and said in a weak voice, "Aren't you going to stop me?"
"If you really want to do it, then do it," Rayan said. "I've said everything I needed to say. If, after listening to everything, your judgment is still 'transform into a Titan and kill Rayan,' then do it."
"..."
"Annie, actually, we are all involuntary. But I want the chance to choose actively. If we're all going to die, I'd rather die in a failed struggle than die in obedience."
Annie's hand lowered, her weak body leaning against the nearby table, forcing herself to speak, "My family..."
"They will be rescued," Rayan said. "I promise."
"Can I really trust you, Rayan?" Annie said this, but didn't look at him, as if asking herself.
"No, I'm a despicable person, you can tell from how I gave you the drug without a word, right?" Rayan said, "So, don't trust me, trust your own judgment. If your judgment is to trust me, then trust me, entrust everything to me, and we'll fight together."
"..."
Annie raised her eyes to look at him. Their eyes met for several seconds. She reached for the breakfast Rayan had bought on the table and began to devour it. Rayan watched, and finally, slowly, let out a sigh of relief.
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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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Try Other Fics I Have
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•Anime: I Want Harem
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