Chapter 16 The Crisis of Depleted Gas Supply

"Are those two even human…? Killing a giant is as easy for them as squashing a bug…"

"They’re practically monsters wearing human skin…"

The sight of Sikong Xu and Mikasa joining forces to slay two blocking giants was witnessed by the cadets following close behind them.

Those were giants! The very giants known as humanity’s mortal enemies! Even elite human soldiers often fail to subdue them, yet these two dispatched them with such ease it was almost casual! Oh mother, those two can't possibly be real trainees!

"Armin, with how fast the two of them kill giants, they should be able to wipe out all the giants before they run out of gas, right?" Connie, who was following behind Sikong Xu and Mikasa, said with a grin to Armin.

With the presence of near-godlike warriors such as Sikong Xu and Mikasa, the shadow of despair that had hung over the group’s hearts seemed to dissipate. After all, the fearsome reputation of the giants had been proven by countless deaths in this world, and now, in this desperate moment, two saviors had appeared who could slaughter giants with ease. No wonder the psychological burden was melting away.

"I'm out! My gas is depleted!" Armin suddenly exclaimed.

Not far ahead, Sikong Xu frowned and tapped at the canister of his maneuvering gear, confirming Armin’s deduction.

"Just our luck, to run out of gas at a time like this…" Sikong Xu said with a wry smile. Without the propulsion of gas, the maneuvering gear was nothing but dead weight, and humanity would lose its most vital weapon against the giants.

"My gas is out as well," Mikasa said quietly beside him.

Just as the two were forced to stop due to the lack of gas, the rest of the unit caught up to them.

"Sikong Xu! Mikasa!" As soon as he landed on the same rooftop, Armin hurried over.

"What’s wrong? Did you run out of gas?"

"Yeah, it’s a real mess without the support team for resupply," Sikong Xu scratched his head. To be honest, though he possessed the cheat-like ability of 'Infinite Martial Refinement,' his body was still the same half-crippled frame as before. Facing giants with a body even weaker than an average human, even with 'Infinite Martial Refinement,' was like a child challenging a champion bodybuilder.

"Thankfully, Mikasa and I went all out earlier and cleared almost all the giants nearby. For now, we’re not in immediate danger." Since fighting was no longer an option, Sikong Xu simply sat down. He needed to recover his strength; if he hadn't been forcing himself, his frail body would have collapsed long ago.

"Xu, are you alright?" Mikasa sat down beside Sikong Xu, gently wiping the sweat from his brow.

"I’ll be fine after a short rest," Sikong Xu pretended to be calm, though inwardly he was overjoyed. Mikasa, the goddess herself, was wiping his sweat! Who would have thought he’d live to see such a day! It was worth it—utterly worth it! Maybe one day he could even experience resting his head in her lap…

"Why do I feel like you’re really happy right now, Xu?"

"Ah? Really! Haha, no, not at all."

Hearing Mikasa’s words, Sikong Xu immediately reined in his thoughts. This was a life-or-death moment—how could he entertain such improper fantasies? Still… it did make him happy.

"Xu!" Armin seemed to come to a major decision and addressed Sikong Xu.

"What is it, Armin?"

"Use my gas! You’re so strong—you can definitely kill all the giants left!" Armin’s eyes were wide and earnest as he looked at Sikong Xu.

"Use your gas…" Sikong Xu said slowly, "Armin, you know what that would mean…"

Gas was the power source for the maneuver gear, and the maneuver gear was humanity’s main weapon against the giants. If someone ran out of gas on the battlefield, they’d have no means to fight back—there was usually only one outcome: being eaten.

So for Armin to say this, he must have resolved himself to die.

"Armin Arlert! Do you realize what you’re saying?" Jean, nearby, was startled by Armin’s words and instinctively tried to stop him.

"I know… I know this means death… but it’s the only way…" Armin said, trembling. "If not for Eren, I would have been eaten already! I’m weak, I can’t kill giants, but there must be something I can do! So…"

"There’s no need to be so hasty," Sikong Xu interjected. "Most of the giants in the area have been killed. We can rest a bit and think of another way."

In truth, he was just waiting for Eren’s titan form to appear. While he could probably fight his way into the supply room with his own strength, without the maneuver gear’s propulsion it would be much harder. If he could rely on Eren’s titan strength, it would be much easier.

"We can’t wait! Even if you and Mikasa have cleared most of the giants, there are still some in the city, and if we want to retreat fully and reach the wall, our only chance is to break through to the supply room!" Armin insisted. "So… Xu, please use my gas! No, exchanging gas is too slow—just take my maneuver gear!"

Sikong Xu gave the proposal serious thought. Though even without the maneuver gear he’d be unlikely to be killed by giants, taking them down himself would still be very difficult…

"Then in that case!" Suddenly, a voice interrupted Sikong Xu’s thoughts. It was Jean Kirstein.

"If that’s how it is, Ackerman, you should use my maneuver gear too!"

As expected from someone with a crush on Mikasa—even at a moment of life and death, he’d step forward like this. Still, Mikasa is mine, and no one will take her away! Sikong Xu thought with an inner chuckle.

Because of Sikong Xu and Mikasa’s earlier display of might, and the fact that the giants nearby had been almost entirely wiped out, everyone seemed to relax. But they forgot—once cleared, giants could always be replaced!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, a massive head appeared from behind the tall watchtower beside the houses. Looking at that grotesque, comical face, there was no need to guess—the giants had come!

"Giants! More giants!"

"What’s going on? Weren’t the giants around here all cleared?"

"Damn it, they must have come from elsewhere!"

In their panic, the group fell into chaos. Some immediately used their maneuver gear to flee, while others froze in terror. Not one cadet stepped forward to face the giant.

"Xu! Quick! Use my maneuver gear!" Seeing the giant, Armin became frantic, and Jean looked desperate as well.

Perhaps due to their panic, neither could remove their maneuver gear quickly.

And as luck would have it, the giant was heading straight for Sikong Xu.

"Forget it, Armin. There’s no time. You and Jean take Mikasa to somewhere safer and change your gear. I’ll draw the giant away and prevent unnecessary casualties."

Having recovered a bit of stamina, Sikong Xu saw the giant charging at him, leapt up from the rooftop tiles, and after tossing a sentence to Armin, directly charged toward the giant.