"AHHH—!!!"
Zeke's scream tore through the dungeon. The blade in his chest burned like fire. Death felt only a heartbeat away.
"Go to hell, you bastard Titan!" roared Mike, veins bulging, his teeth clenched in fury.
"Captain!" Several soldiers burst into the cell, panic flashing in their eyes.
Then—suddenly—Mike's expression changed. He jumped back in alarm.
"Quick! Send him to the infirmary! Help!!!"
His subordinates froze.
"...Captain? You're scared?"
Zeke blinked through the pain, completely dazed. "..."
Mike straightened, wiping blood from his hands. "I figured this guy was just too calm. Torture didn't work, so I had to use death itself to push him! When someone faces the brink of life and death, the body's instinct kicks in! If he still doesn't transform now, that proves it—he really can't!"
Team 3 stared, dumbfounded. One of them whispered, "Captain… are you a sand dollar?"
"But—you already stabbed him to death!" another blurted.
"No! I didn't! I adjusted my aim by exactly 0.01 inches!" Mike barked proudly. "Anyone else would miss that detail. As long as we don't pull the knife out, his blood won't spray everywhere. There's still time! Move him to the infirmary—NOW!"
The soldiers exchanged a look, then scrambled to obey. They rushed to unfasten Zeke's bindings—
But just as they lifted him, Zeke's trembling hand clenched around the hilt.
He yanked the knife out himself.
Blood burst from his chest like a crimson fountain, splattering every soldier in reach.
"AHHH! He's still moving?!" screamed one, face drenched in blood.
Zeke, gasping, raised the knife and pointed weakly at Mike. "You… big… liar!"
Then he collapsed to the floor.
Mike froze, his mind blank. Then, reality hit him like a slap. "Send him to the infirmary! QUICK! AHHHH—!!!"
The soldiers scrambled, dragging Zeke's limp body away.
Everyone assumed he'd lost consciousness.
He hadn't.
As he was dragged across the corridor, pain twisting his face, Zeke cursed Mike silently the entire way.
Liar! Fraud! Bastard!
He'd actually believed the execution was real.
I gave you my heart!
And yet that stab had been—on purpose?!
If Zeke hadn't been bleeding out, he would've screamed.
His brilliant plan—stabbed, faked his death, dumped outside, escaped to freedom—was completely ruined!
Now he was alive, suffering, and furious.
Damn you, Mike. Damn you forever…
…
The "seriously injured" Zeke was rushed into the infirmary.
Two hours later, the curtain parted. The doctor stepped out, removing her gloves.
As soon as she left, Zeke opened one eye, clutching his bandaged chest. The stitches pulled painfully. He bit back a groan.
"Ugh… humans are insane," he muttered weakly. "Even a blood vessel injury gets sewn back together. It hurts so much I want to go back to Marley…"
Outside, the voices of the officers carried through the curtain.
"Captain of Team Three," the doctor said icily, "should I praise your knife skills or punish you for breaking protocol?"
Mike's voice was pitiful. "Captain, please—listen! I knew he was hiding something! No prisoner gives up information that easily! Think about it—this outsider told us everything without hesitation. Doesn't that seem suspicious?!"
Hange's tone sharpened. "No matter what you think, Zeke defended Wall Maria. If it weren't for him, the territory behind it would have fallen. How could you treat a hero like this?"
Mike's voice cracked. "And why would someone from outside the walls risk his life to save us? What reason does he have?!"
Hange shot back, "Because he wanted to fulfill his brother's wish! Eren said so himself!"
Mike snorted. "Just because of his brother's request? They barely know each other! Who risks their life like that after one reunion?"
"Maybe he's just got a brother complex!" Hange fired back. "People like you wouldn't understand—you don't even have a brother!"
Snap! Snap!
The sound of latex gloves snapping broke the argument.
"No loud noises in the infirmary," the doctor said dryly.
Mike: "…"
Hange: "…"
Then Keith's deep voice rumbled from nearby. "Sally."
"Yes, Captain," the doctor—Sally—answered. "The surgery went smoothly. The patient lost a lot of blood but no vital organs were hit. He'll survive. His physical readings are the same as any normal human." She hesitated. "But… is he really a human turned from a Titan?"
Hange crossed her arms. "Let me say this clearly again: Zeke is a human who transforms into a Titan—not a Titan who became human."
Dr. Sallysighed. "In my opinion, there's no real difference."
Hange: "…"
From behind the curtain, Zeke quietly laughed to himself.
Exactly. To humans, there's no difference at all.
How could he expect trust from people who only saw him as a monster in disguise?
Keith exhaled. "As long as he doesn't take that special serum, he's just another man. That's good enough for now."
Hange muttered, "It'd be even better if we could study that potion. But we've run out…"
Mike snapped, "Don't believe that! He's hiding some!"
Keith's voice rose. "That's enough, Mike! He's stable, and that's what matters. When Erwin recovers, we'll resume questioning—but not under you. I can't trust you with this anymore!"
"Captain, please—!" Mike protested.
Hange perked up. "Then let me handle him! I promise I'll take good care of him!"
Keith frowned. "You promised to dissect him, didn't you?"
Hange froze.
Keith groaned, rubbing his forehead. "There isn't a single normal person in this Corps. Fine—I'll watch him myself!"
Just then, a soldier's voice echoed from outside the door.
"Captain! The four regional commanders—Southeast, Northwest, Northeast, and Southwest—are all here!"
Keith's expression hardened. "Understood."
Behind the curtain, Zeke sighed and shut his eyes again.
If this is what human 'rescue' looks like… I'd rather be unconscious.