"That's something I made using Hardening abilities."
Lock's speech was flat, as if he were talking about some trivial matter.
Hange couldn't believe it: "Impossible! The Walls' current technology can't open that crystal at all. How did you...?"
Erwin understood Lock's meaning: "That day in the Stohess District, it wasn't Annie fighting against our Survey Corps, it was you, wasn't it?"
Lock was somewhat surprised, but he immediately nodded and said, "Yes."
"Impossible!" Eren stepped forward and said, "The person I met that day with Mikasa and Armin was clearly Annie!"
"Right, Mikasa?"
Mikasa stared at Lock and said, "That was true at first, but the Titan Annie later became was completely different from the one in the Forest of Giant Trees."
Jean and Connie had never seen Annie's Titan form, but the others suddenly realized that they didn't know about the Power of the Titans at the time and hadn't considered it at all.
Looking back now, they realized that Annie back then wasn't Annie anymore.
Eren was still puzzled: "If it was you that day, then Lock, how did you transform into Annie's appearance?"
"That's not as simple as just having someone impersonate me."
Lock was silent for a moment, then said, "That's a special ability of the Female Titan. I can briefly transform into the appearance of the previous successor."
Hange's eyes lit up.
Eren and Mikasa recalled the events of that day and then fell into deep self-doubt.
Levi asked, "From that investigation outside the walls to Stohess's arrest, there were only three days in between. When did you eat your girlfriend?"
Lock honestly replied: "The night you returned, I blocked her outside the Stohess District wall."
Levi sneered: "After your girlfriend killed so many of us, she must have been too exhausted to use the Power of the Titans. You really went to great lengths."
Lock remained expressionless.
The members of the 104th cohort had even more complicated expressions.
Levi continued in a chilling voice: "So, you're saying you caused the deaths of so many civilians in the Stohess District?"
Lock remained silent.
Eren couldn't help but whisper, "I also bear some responsibility."
Erwin said, "Levi, the death toll of the Survey Corps at that time, I remember, was zero."
"So what!" Levi retorted rudely.
Erwin looked at Lock and said, "You're doing this for Eren, right?"
Eren was taken aback by what he heard.
Lock said, "You could say that. At that time, the Royal Government was already preparing to take over Eren and disband the Survey Corps."
"In that situation, the Survey Corps needed a high-profile operation, and the operation had to be successful."
"Only in this way could we stop the parliament from launching an attack."
Lock looked at Levi: "I know that my actions wronged you, so I chose to join the Survey Corps to atone for my sins."
At this moment, Jean couldn't help but ask, "Lock, why did you do this? Was the trouble between you and Annie fake, too?"
Lock said, "Actually, in that situation, it would have been a better outcome for the Corps if I had eaten her."
"It's better than being eaten by Rod."
Lock did not answer Jean's second question.
Erwin stood up: "We'll ask about the specific details when we get back. Lock is currently under Levi's supervision."
"Eren, do you still have your key on you?"
Eren gripped the key to his chest through his clothes: "Here!"
"Alright, then Hange, Eren, Mikasa, and I will go to Eren's basement to investigate."
"The rest of you stay here and work with the recruits to monitor the surroundings."
"Yes!" everyone answered in unison.
...
Levi watched Erwin leave from the wall and muttered sarcastically: "It's amazing he's managed to hold out this long."
Lock asked in confusion, "Why didn't the Commander ask me if I knew about the 'Memories of the World'?"
Levi snorted: "He was probably in such a hurry that he forgot."
He then glanced sideways at Lock: "So, do you even know?"
Lock thought for a moment and shook his head: "Eren can't remember his father's memories outside the walls either. I haven't had this power for long, and I only have some fragments in my mind, so I can't explain it clearly for now."
Lock didn't want to aggravate his guilt for concealing the truth, and he was too lazy to explain everything to Levi here.
The wind was quite strong on the roof, so Lock carefully tucked the blankets of the other two people in.
Then he looked at Levi: "Captain, haven't you found any other surviving soldiers in the last few hours?"
Levi replied calmly, "No, not a single one."
"Hange's squad was all vaporized by the Colossal Titan, and their bodies can't be found."
"We do have bodies where we are, but they're mostly broken."
Levi scoffed, "This saved us a lot of trouble on the way back."
Levi spoke very casually, but Lock knew he was in a very bad mood.
...
...
"Bertholdt..."
With a soft murmur, Lock and Levi saw Armin wake up and sit up.
Lock handed him a water bottle: "You're finally awake, Armin."
"Lock? Captain?"
"What's the situation now?"
Armin groggily took the water bag; he wasn't fully awake from Bertholdt's dream.
Lock laughed and said, "We won! Once Eren and the others get the secret of the basement, we can go home."
Levi slapped Lock on the back of the head: "You're really good at summarizing things. Tell him the whole story clearly!"
With no other option, Lock reluctantly recounted the details of the battle to Armin.
"Besides the three veterans of the Survey Corps, our Levi Squad only has a bunch of recruits who were going to war for the first time, surviving."
"The original operational objective of reclaiming Shiganshina District has been achieved."
"The enemy had four Intelligent Titans, but we only captured Bertholdt. The Corps used the Titan Serum to save you, making you eat Bertholdt."
"Now Eren and the others have gone to the basement with the Commander. Once they get what's there, we can go back."
Lock looked at Levi: "Captain, is this okay?"
"And this is your business too!" Levi said coldly.
Lock sighed and turned to put his arm around Armin's shoulder, who was still processing the information.
"Armin!"
"Ah!" Armin looked at Lock.
Lock said with a serious expression, "I am the Female Titan!"
"Huh?" Armin thought he had misheard.
Lock laughed and said, "Why are you so surprised? Haven't you already suspected me?"
Armin looked at Levi, and Levi said, "This kid dragged it out until now."
Armin stared blankly at Lock: "Lock, you really... ate Annie?"
Lock leaned closer to Armin and chuckled, "When you heard this news, besides being surprised, did you also feel extremely angry, and have the urge to punch me?"
Armin asked, puzzled: "Uh... no."
Lock patted Armin on the shoulder, somewhat bored: "That's good, that's good..."
---
A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
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