Chapter 25 (The Basement)
"We made it, sensei!" Genos retorted toward Saitama.
"Yeah, it seems that way Genos." The hero stated back to his disciple.
"This is it, let's go." Erwin turned his head and replied towards everyone with a calm tone. Mikasa placed her hand on Eren's shoulder.
"Let's go." Eren nodded, Sasha were holding Saitama's hand to feel safe while they was walking down the creepy hatch.
Levi lighted the way with his lamp and Genos with his ignited palms. They saw the door at the end of the stairs.
"Eren." Levi stated to Eren who immediately equipped the key from his neck. "Yes."
Eren tried to put the key in the lock but it didn't fit, something was wrong.
Eren frowned in frustration. "What's wrong?" Erwin asked with raised eyebrows.
"Eren." "Hurry it up." Mikasa and Levi said to Eren who was still trying to unlock the doorm with the key.
Eren answer with sweat all over his face and had a scared expression. "This key... doesn't go to this door."
"What?" Hanje asked, Mikasa followed "But... that's the key Dr. Jeager always carried." Levi got tired of this and shifted his gaze at Saitama.
"Show those brats how it's done." The Caped hero reply to Captain with a neutral expression planted on his face. "Oh? Alright if you say so. Wait a sec Sasha."
Saitama patted her head gently and walk forward, he pushed the door with one hand and it got ripped off from the wall.
"Good job, hero." Erwin responded to Saitama with a small smirk.
They walked in, it wasn't something weird in that room, only medical potions and several documents about botany knowledge.
"It can't be just that!" Erwin exclaimed serious and he were staring around the small room.
"It just looks like a study." Hanje spoke.
Eren talk back to her "My father was a doctor. He used to spend a lot of time down here making medicine."
"I see. Well if these labels are accurate, this is all ordinary medicine, and all of the books are medical in nature. It's all very normal for a doctor's study."
Hanje said whilst Levi and Genos were reading books. "I see..." Erwin mumbled and let Hanje finish her phrase.
"There's nothing in here that stands out. Or, at least, it's set up to give off that impression.
"What you have to say about this? Levi." Erwin shifted his head at the short Captain.
"Well, if he was trying to hide anything from the Interior Police, we won't be able to find it with cursory."
Levi turned around and order to Eren, Mikasa and Sasha. "Hey, come on, you brats, don't just stand there.
"That counts for you too. Saitama and Genos, start searching."
Erwin holded his chin curiously "My intuition can't be that far off. There's something else... something deeper.
"Sensei! Captain! I found something here!" Genos replied loud to everyone and they surrounded him.
There was a lock on a drawer from Dr Jeager's desk.
"Eren." Erwin mumbled, Eren knew what he had to do. He placed the key in the lock and it was fitting perfectly.
"It fits." He replied and extended the drawer. "It''s empty?" Eren's face turned into a nervous one.
"Look closely." Erwin said calm and serious.
"It has a false bottom." Levi stated while Eren removed the bottom of the drawer.
They saw some books and weird materials wrapped with clothes.
"This cloth smells like mint oil and charcoal. It must be to protect the books from moisture and insects." Hanje explained and Levi said after her.
"It seems like we've found what we were looking for." Levi gave a green book they took from the drawer to Erwin.
"What did my dad want to show me?" Eren asked with no answer, he and Mikasa placed their hands on the book and had determined faces.
They opened it and all they saw was a family picture inside of the book.
Erwin dropped a sweat of relieve "I knew it..." He whispered.
When they returned back to Wall Sina
A random girl ran into the room to inform Pyxis and the other Commanders about the good news.
"Levi's Squad and the heroes has returned from the mission! Wall Maria has been retaken!"
Outside to welcome the heroes and the Scouts
The countless crowd was cheering and waving at the victorious heroes and the few brave Scouts that successfully retook Wall Maria.
"One Punch Man! You're the best!" "Genooooos! Marry me!" The heroes had already created their own fan clubs.
"That was it? It was boring as hell man..." Saitama yawned while Sasha were holding his hand and kissed his cheek.
"My father's hypothesis was right." Erwin said whilst the civillians was still screaming and cheering for them.
Flashback from inside the basement
"Is this a portrait?" Eren asked.
"Let me see..." Hanje took the photo in her hands and said serious. This looks far too detailed to have been drawn by human hands."
"There's writing on the back." Mikasa replied and pointed behind the photo.
Hanje read it for everyone "This is not a drawing. This is an image created by capturi-" Genos cut her off and shouted.
"It's a photograph from a camera!" Everyone excluding Saitama, turned their gazes on the cybong with shocked expressions.
"You know about this?!" Erwin asked Genos with particular interest.
"Yes! Humans in our world own those small metal boxes called cameras, with those they're able to take pictures like this and far better I can tell."
"Amazing... So our worlds have something similar after all huh?" Levi questioned the heroes with raised eyebrows.
"As it seems yeah." Saitama responded while he had placed his hand on Sasha's shoulder.
"There's more!" Hanje shouted at them and read it.
"I come from a land outside the Walls where humans live in luxury. Humanity has not perished. I only hope that of one of my fellow countrymen will be the first to lay hands on this book."
After a huge tale of Grisha's childhood in Marley city Hanje reached the last phrase of the message.
"That was the day when, as a mere child. I came face to face with the truth of this world." She finished, Erwin sat down to the chair and released a big laugh.
"Oh" "Hey, why are you laughing for? Erwin?" Saitama and Levi gave question mark expressions toward Erwin.
"My father was right all along. Humans outside of the Walls exist, and I'm pretty sure these are the ones that want our demise." The Commander ended, Sasha got scared from his answer and holded Saitama's chest tightly.
End of the Flashback, somewhere in Wall Sina
Someone was stalking the people atop of the rooftops.
"Did you really think you could escape from me?! Saitama!" Sonic planted the creepy smile of his face and vanished to search for Saitama in the city.