Chapter 19: Assault on the Safehouse

Wednesday Night

"Here we are kid." Sergei said as he pulled up to the street next to the safehouse.

"Thanks for the ride, Sergei." Eren said as he opened the door.

"Listen kid." Sergei called out before Eren left.

"What?" Eren asked.

"I hate to see you throw your life like this, and I'd rather you abandon this suicide mission and just go back to your apartment." He said. "But I get that you are completely set on dying this way, but I was glad to have worked with you. You made life for me much easier and even when you die you'll make things easier."

"You're welcome." Eren shrugged.

"But at least make sure this is the fate you want." Sergei said. "If you intend to die in a blaze of glory, so be it. But you should consider that people will miss you."

"I won't die Sergei." Eren said. "Even if I do, I'll die fighting. But I won't let myself die. I refuse."

"So, you're going to just keep living for the sake of living?" Sergei asked. "You think that will keep you alive?"

"I won't ever lose this gift of mine. I have a right to live in this world." Eren said with determination. "And I refuse to let someone else dictate my life."

"Sounds boring." Sergei said.

"Boring?" Eren asked.

"What's the point in living just to live?" Sergei asked. "Maybe that's why you are so reckless. You have nothing to live for, except to keep breathing."

"Goodbye Sergei." Eren said as he closed the door, leaving the man and his philosophies to himself.

Sergei drove away from Eren, intending to get far from the fight that was about to happen.

Eren was right across the street of the Nakano safehouse. It was a small warehouse situated on the dock near the Yokosuka port, which was south of Tokyo along the coast. It was on the edge of a small inlet right at the mouth of the Tokyo Bay. There were a few large ships that were either transporting cargo or cruise ships that transported people. There was a single Japanese Navy ship, based on the information Sergei gave him, however the ship was too far to react to anything Eren had planned.

Eren stayed a bit of a distance. He saw that the warehouse itself was surrounded by a simple chain link fence with barbed wires on the top. Inside was a few shipping containers and Nakano Yakuza guards patrolling the area. From his vantage point, he saw that the outside guards were unarmed, at least visually. He had no doubt that they had concealed handguns since they couldn't be seen visibly armed in public.

Although it was dark, there were lights on the roof of the warehouse that shined down in order to illuminate the area. It would be difficult for Eren to sneak in, so he would have to move with speed and aggression, much in the way that Sergei taught him.

Eren went over his weapons and equipment. He had a single Ar-peegee with a rocket already loaded and three additional rockets stowed in a backpack on his back. He also had two satchels crossing his chest and hanging on either side. One satchel was full of grenades, while the other one had a few Semtex explosives in it.

Eren had an Aykem rifle slung on the front of his chest for easy access, as well as his engraved Marley pistol in a holster on his left hip. A holster that Sergei let him borrow. Eren had a Russian styled Army belt that had three additional Aykem magazines, with a fourth magazine located in the gun itself.

As far as weight, it wasn't too bad. Eren carried much heavier when he was a Scout, especially since the ODM gear weighed close to 20-30 kilograms, depending on how many swords you had left. All this equipment probably weighed close to that, so he knew he'd be fine.

Right near the main gate of the chain link fence was a box truck, that was parked right next to the fence. It was high enough that Eren knew he'd be able to run over and jump over the barbed wire. With years of practiced athleticism, Eren jumped onto the box truck and leaped over the fence.

Eren landed on the ground near a shipping container, but faltered as he did. He was a bit unused to having all this weight unsecure on him, since ODM gear was normally very stable. It was a minor annoyance, but nothing that would slow him down.

Eren moved along the side the container, ensuring that he was out of any gang members line of sight. The lights on the roof only illuminated the main open area in front of the warehouse, which allowed Eren to stay near the containers and use the darkness to his advantage. His black slacks and black hoody provided decent camouflage in the night.

Eren stopped where he was and unslung the Ar-peegee and took out a spare belt that he brought with him. The video Sergei showed had the Ar-peegee shoulder fired, but Eren didn't think that would be comfortable. Instead, he decided to jury rig a kind of thunder spear from the weapon.

Eren held the weapon in a reverse grip with his left hand, making sure his pinky rested on the trigger. Eldian Soldiers were experts in trigger discipline since you had to maintain contact with the triggers while moving with ODM gear in order to react in time. Even when they got the upgraded ODM gear, their three trigger handles required extreme discipline to use.

Eren took the belt and wrapped it around the tube of the weapon and his forearm, making sure it stayed flush on his arm. It felt very similar to a thunder spear, but Eren knew he wouldn't have time to get used to it. He'd have to move quick and effectively if he hoped to kill enough of them.

Once the belt was on his arm, he took out his Marleyan pistol and cocked the hammer back. It was ready to fire.

The primary purpose of this safehouse was to house supplies and act as a safe haven for members operating in the area. Eren didn't necessarily have to kill everyone, only destroy their supplies and make the building useless, which is why he had so many explosives.

Once everything was set, Eren took a deep breath. Right past the container was the open area with three total patrolling guards and the warehouse main door that was fortified and reinforced. There was a smaller door on the side that let people go through, but it would clearly be locked.

Once Eren was ready, he maneuvered his pinky to cock the hammer on the handle of the Ar-peegee and placed his finger back on the trigger. Everything was ready to go.

Eren got out of cover and aimed at the first guard nearest to him.

BANG!

The guard went down from a headshot thanks to his Marleyan pistol.

The other two guards yelled in Japanese in order to alert their fellow men, but Eren was quick in shooting them as well. He aimed at each man and put each down with a few more headshots, trying to conserve as much ammo as possible.

Eren heard shots right above him and stepped back behind the container. There were gang members in the upper floors of the warehouse that started shooting at him from the windows with automatic guns. Their aim was incredibly bad, so Eren didn't have to worry much about getting hit.

Using the containers as cover, Eren sprinted towards the main gate to give himself some room. He needed to time the use of the Ar-Peegee perfectly in order to maximize as many dead Yakuza members as possible.

Peaking from his cover, Eren noticed that they still were shooting at the spot where he initially took cover and didn't know where he was. Eren was safe for the moment and let them think he was there. They were too far to attack with a pistol, so Eren waited for them to use up their ammo.

After a few moments, the small door near the main door of the warehouse opened up and Yakuza members started running out in blind panic. No doubt they were expecting much worse than a single man.

Eren ran from cover towards the door. A few men saw him but didn't react in time.

Eren cocked his left arm back and shoved it forward while pressing the trigger of the Ar-peegee. He felt some minor recoil as it blasted from his hand and over towards the main door of the warehouse. Out of habit, Eren pulled back right as it impacted, as if he was pulling the string of a thunder spear.

BOOM!

The explosion destroyed the main door. These weapons, unlike thunder spears, shot a cone of molten copper into the target, which destroyed fortified areas, but wasn't too dangerous to nearby people. Sergei said during the Afghan war, captured Ar-peegees' were used against them and detonated near him, causing only minor injuries to anyone who wasn't directly in the path of the rocket.

Although the men near the door weren't killed, they were holding their ears from the loud explosion and concussive wave that stunned them. Even the men in the second floor were stunned.

Eren sprinted over to the opening he made, making sure to shoot the men dead before they could recover from the shock of the explosion. He shot each man as they held their ears in the head and made sure they were dead.

Eren stopped right at the opening he made, which was a circular hole that he'd be able to look through. Although it was awkward, Eren reloaded his pistol and the Ar-peegee before moving in.

Right inside were men who were either unconscious from the explosion or severely injured from the molten copper and shrapnel of the door. Some were still alive, but moaning in pain from either ruptured ear drums or the shrapnel. Eren quickly executed them so they couldn't get back up and become a threat.

Looking around for a moment, Eren saw that there were walkways above him with Yakuza members who were still holding their ears from the explosion below them. They were the ones shooting at him earlier.

To the right were administration buildings and offices for either paperwork, employees, or customers. No doubt that's where the bulk of the members were.

Eren ran a bit away from the door and turned around, intending to fire another Ar-peegee at the men in the upper walkway. Before he could, an unarmed Yakuza member grabbed the Ar-peegee and tried to wrestle it from his hand.

Eren head butted him, stunning the man before kicking him away. Eren turned his back to the man and extended his arm out towards the upper walkway, firing another shot and pulling back as it made contact.

BOOM!

The entire walkway collapsed as men either fell or were blown to pieces from the direct hit. Eren felt the air hit him from behind as he knew the man who attacked him was just hit by the backblast of the weapon. He turned to look at the damage.

The man was completely unresponsive. His upper body was torn to pieces and his ears were covered in blood from the backblast. It reminded Eren of the carnage he saw in the trenches of the Mid East and the attack on Liberio.

Eren looked around at the support beams of the building. Once he learned of where the attack would be, Sergei showed him an online building plans of the warehouse. It showed blueprints and design information of the building, specifically where the structural supports were.

In the Eldian army, both prior to and after retaking Wall Maria, Soldiers were expected to help build and maintain civil infrastructure. Not only that, but they had to construct different machines and lifts for use on the walls.

The Scouts had even more training on this, since they would have to construct buildings and bases in Titan territory. Every single Soldier was an engineer by trade, which is why many Soldiers would get out and either go into farming or engineering when they got out of the Army.

Eren understood how buildings worked and basic engineering because of that. He knew what beams in this building were structurally important and where to destroy it. Granted, Eren wasn't a lead designer, so he wouldn't be able to really lead an engineering project very well, but he could understand designs and weaknesses of a structure.

He holstered his pistol and went over to some of the beams in the center. He knew these ones were used to hold the weight of the building and started placing the Semtex on each one. He quickly set it up with the remote trigger to detonate it when he got clear.

After setting the explosives, more men started to come out of the administration building. Eren took cover behind the steel beam as he reloaded the Ar-Peegee. He had two shots left so he was going to make it count.

The men were packed in front of the door leading into the offices, so they would be easy to hit. Eren moved from the beam and did the same motion again, pulling back right as it made contact.

BOOM!

This time, the rocket hit the men's feet. Although the explosion was concentrated forward, it was close enough that the entire group was blown to pieces from the explosion. The smoke that covered the door had a red mist that dissipated to reveal the torn and mangled bodies of the gang members.

Despite the success they had in the previous weeks ambush, Eren realized that their skill was lacking. These weren't trained Soldiers or warriors. They were simple men who were given a gun and didn't know how to fight well. Without surprise and momentum on their side, they were significantly less of a threat.

Eren loaded his final rocket and cocked the hammer back. He ran over to the center of the open area and fired the last shot at the wall of the admin section.

BOOM!

The wall had a large hole blown though, no doubt surprising the men inside since they were probably expecting Eren to come through the main door of the admin section.

Eren dropped the tube and holstered his pistol, prepared to engage in close combat. He took his Aykem and a grenade before throwing the grenade into the new hole. After waiting a moment before it exploded, Eren breached into the new hole.

There were a few men who Eren shot in order to ensure they were dead. A few men twitched but were likely dead. Still, he took no chances as he executed the gang members one by one.

Before Eren continued, he got out the remote detonator and prepared to blow the support beams. If his estimations were right, the central area of the warehouse would collapse but leave the admin area untouched. He hoped his was right.

With a push of the button, followed by large explosions from outside, he heard the main room of the warehouse collapse, burying any remaining survivors and equipment under all the steel and concrete rubble.

Thankfully, the admin area remained standing, which allowed Eren to fight his way to the exit and escape, now that the warehouse was effectively destroyed.

Once he moved through the office room, he went to the door on his left. Taking another grenade, Eren kicked open the door and threw it in. He waited a moment as the grenade exploded, killing more men inside. He breached into the room, a conference room, and did the same thing by executing anyone who looked like they may have survived.

Eren got to another door and prepared another grenade.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Plaster and paint hit Eren's face as bullets passed by his head, missing him by mere centimeters. Eren dove to the ground as the gunfire continued to blow apart the wall next to him. The men in the other room fired through the wall blindly, hoping to hit Eren.

Eren got to his knees, opened the door, and threw the grenade inside. The explosion silenced any gunfire from inside, allowing him to breach the next room.

Eren repeated this strategy for the next several minutes, clearing office room by office room. Each room was covered in splintered furniture, mangled bodies, and burnt paperwork all over the place. There were supplied as well, guns and ammunition mainly, which were damaged or destroyed by the grenades.

A few times, Eren would get surprised by a guy coming into the room before he could throw a grenade. A few times, they got close enough to where Eren had to engage them in hand-to-hand combat since they closed the distance before he could shoot them.

Eren quickly dispatched them, either by breaking a bone in a take down or by hitting them with his rifle.

However, each time Eren engaged in combat, he was getting more and more sluggish. His stamina depleting from the constant fighting since he was unable to take even a moment to rest. He had to maintain his tempo and aggression before they can properly react and prepare for a fight.

When Eren reached the last door, he took a moment to catch his breath. He was exhausted from the fighting. His movements were getting sluggish, and he felt himself covered in sweat. If the fighting continued, Eren was worried that he'd run out of energy. He had to get out before he was exhausted.

Eren took the next grenade he had and threw it into the last room. Right as he did though, the grenade flew back into the room he was in.

"Damn!" Eren screamed.

Abandoning caution, Eren dove into the room he was about to clear as the grenade went off. The blast was able to hit him and Eren's already ringing ears got worse, effectively deafening him. His head was pounding from the shockwave and he felt like he was just punched in the back. Thankfully, he felt like he was far enough that he didn't actually get injured, just dazed.

"Holy shit that was good!" He heard a familiar voice above him.

He looked up and saw the Yakuza boss who he was supposed to kill last week, the same one who ambushed him. He had a surprised but happy look on his face as he looked down at Eren.

"You know, I knew I should have worked with the Russian instead of tried to kill him, but I thought if I can get rid of the old man's supply, we'd have the advant- Shit!" He was cut off.

Eren stood up and attacked, throwing a punch that the boss managed to deflect and made room between Eren and himself.

"Damn, not even letting me talk." He laughed.

Eren charged again, throwing another few punches that caused the man to step back on the defensive. Eren's punches were sluggish, both from being tired and from the explosion that severely slowed him down.

"You are too weak." The boss smiled. "I grew up on the streets, I betted on myself in fights and became a mast-" He was cut off as Eren landed a round house punch on his face.

Eren used this opportunity to take his Aykem and shoot at the man, however, the boss managed to grab it at the last second and easily detached the magazine as it fired. Without its source of feed, it was useless.

"Ok, so you still got some fight." He smiled through a bruised and cut lip. "I wasn't expecting that faint."

He kicked Eren in the stomach while holding the rifle, causing Eren to lose the rifle. Eren stayed kneeling on the floor for a moment, taking the opportunity to rest and regain some strength.

"You know, I never expected a fucking kid to be able to do all this." He said, though continued to maintain his smile. "I actually kind of wished you'd taken my offer, but I have to admit, the challenge is a lot of fucking fun."

He threw the Aykem away and charged at Eren. Eren stood to try and defend but he was too slow and got kicked in the face. The exhaustion and injuries were starting to affect him.

"Come on!" The boss yelled. "Show me what you can do!"

He started punching and kicking at Eren, using a fighting style similar to Anny's but had its differences. He used a combination of kicks, punches, and short movements to either dodge Eren or deflect his own attacks.

He repeatedly kicked at Eren's shin, causing pain and making it difficult to stand. Eren gritted his teeth as he tried to ignore the pain, but it was getting too much to deal with. After another kick, Eren fell onto his back.

The boss got on top of Eren and started to punch him repeatedly. Eren tried to defend against the hits, but he was unable to effectively counter. He tasted blood in his mouth and felt the bruising start to appear from the hits.

"Damn, you're tough." The boss laughed as he stopped. "I knew the old man employed you for a reason. I'd actually hate for you to die like th-" He was cut off again.

Eren pushed his hips up, breaking his concentration and causing him to get off balance. Eren rolled him onto his back while getting on top of the boss. Eren started to punch the boss in the same way he did to Eren earlier. He was unable to get Eren off of him but was able to defend against him well enough.

Eren grabbed his arm and swung his legs around into an arm bar, pinning his arm between his legs as he used his hips to try and break his arm.

The boss managed to shift his shoulder in a way that prevented Eren from breaking it, instead keeping them in a locked state where Eren couldn't break it.

"How fucking tough are you!" He yelled. "Even when you're completely exhausted, I can't fucking win against a fucking child!"

"I am not a child." Eren grunted as he tried to pull on his arm eve harder. "I am a DEVIL!" He pulled as hard as he could.

He felt the man's shoulder dislocated from the awkward position; the boss only able to ensure he didn't get a broken arm from the position. He screamed as he tried everything he could in order to break out of Eren's grasp.

He managed to twist his body and slide out of Eren's grip, the sweat both men accumulated during the fight allowed him to slip right out of Eren's grasp. He got up and moved back, creating space from Eren, who quickly stood up.

"Hear that?" He asked as Eren looked towards the window. Red and blue lights were flashing outside, along with sirens. "Cops are here, we should cut this short or we're both fucked."

He started making his way to the exit, calmly walking as if Eren was no longer a threat. His arm swayed slightly from the dislocation, but he quickly set it back into position.

"I'm not done yet." Eren said.

"Yes, you are." The boss said. "And I'm done, even if you were a step from death, I don't think I'd be able to beat you in a fair fight. Honestly, I haven't felt this way in a long time." He laughed to himself.

"What does that mean?" Eren asked.

"You're good kid, no... Devil." He grinned at the man. "A damned Devil, that's a good one. I haven't had this much fun or got this worried in a long time. This little war seemed like it was going to be too easy. But a child of the fucking devil decides to grace us. Damn, I'm excited." He laughed.

He opened the door, about to leave Eren to deal with the police alone.

"But I will admit, you're too much for me to handle. I'll need to find a way to deal with you without fighting. I'll also have to shore up my defenses. This is going to be one hell of a war." He said as he left.

Eren stood there for a moment, his ears ringing and his

Eren saw the door on the other side of the room bust open, men dressed in blue uniforms and black armor, carrying automatic gun, rushed in and screamed at him in Japanese. They aimed their guns at him and tried to get him to surrender.

Eren was too exhausted to fight anymore. He took his last grenade and pulled the pin, letting it slide out of his fingers and roll towards the men. They yelled as they rushed back through the door, trying to get away from the explosion.

Eren dove out of the window as the grenade went off, missing the main force of the explosion. The men were outside with him, taking cover from the explosion, but they didn't react in time as Eren got up and sprinted away.

They tried to yell at him to stop, not taking any shots at him as he ran away. Eren needed to find a way to escape from the authorities before he got caught. His simple illegal entry into this country would easily turn into a criminal charge.

Eren ran to the dock and dove into the water. The only thing he had left was his Marleyan pistol that was still in its holster. He swam underneath one of the shipping vessels so as to break any kind of line of sight with the authorities.

After surfacing, Eren swam a few hundred meters with the current in order to reach the coast a little way away from the warehouse. Eren pulled himself onto the beach, barely having the energy to move anymore.

He rolled onto his back, his torso covered in wet sand and his hood down. He tried to get up but was too tired and injured. Now that the adrenaline wore off, Eren realized that he was covered in cuts and bruises from the fight. His clothes were completely ruined and damaged from the explosions and glass when he jumped out of the window.

"Get up." Eren told himself. "Get... up." He said again, gritting his teeth.

Eren rolled onto his stomach and started to push himself up. It wouldn't take long for the authorities to follow the current and get him. He needed to move now.

"Damn, you survived." Eren heard in front of him.

"Sergei?" He asked.

"Da." Sergei confirmed. "You're still alive, and judging from explosions, sounds like you succeeded." He said.

"Not without injury." Eren said as he stumbled forward.

Sergei rushed over to him and grabbed him, letting Eren rest on his shoulder for support.

"I'm truly amazed you survived. I didn't think it'd be possible." He said.

"Don't doubt me again." Eren wheezed.

"Say that after we get you to hospital." He said. "Let's go, I know good hospital that is discrete."

Sergei carried Eren over to the car, but Eren was putting minimal effort into staying up. He felt completely spent from the fight and he wasn't used to being so hurt and not healing quickly. The last time he felt this messed up was probably after retaking wall Maria.

"Come on, stay with me!" Sergei said as Eren completely collapsed.

Eren couldn't hear anything anymore, nor could he see with his eyes closed. Eren wasn't feeling much of anything right now, only exhaustion and tiredness.

Everything went black before Eren hit the ground.

Next Morning

"Careful Ai." Meimei said as they were practicing for their next concert on Saturday. "You need to make sure your hip is in rhythm."

"Yea, it's always a bit hard for songs that go this fast." Ai laughed.

"Don't worry, we all have off days." She laughed.

"Yea, unlike you Meimei." Nino joked.

"Hey, just because I'm the best dancer, doesn't mean I'm perfect." She waived off.

"Yea, sure." Ari laughed as well.

"Listen up girls." President Saitou walked into the dance studio.

"Hai!" All girls stood at attention and gave a poor attempt at a military salute.

"Seriously?" He asked as he shook his head.

"We're listening boss!" Meimei said in a serious a military like tone.

"Stop that." He grumbled.

All the girls broke their composure and started laughing at their company president. He always got annoyed when they acted so formal around him.

"The concert this week is going to be one of our biggest yet. Specifically, there'll be a lot of producers there to scout out B-Komachi." He explained.

"Really?" Ai asked.

"Which means, if it goes well, we could get a chance to do a show at the Tokyo Dome." He said.

"Really?!" Ari screamed. "That's amazing!"

"There's no promises yet." He said. "They're only scouting right now; I don't expect us to even get that chance for at least another few months. We'll still need to do some smaller jobs before they'll consider us. But this will be an initial look."

"Man, if we hit that, we'll be famous for sure!" Meimei said in excitement.

"Yea, imagine. So few idols even get the chance to go to the Dome." Nino said.

"Which is why we need to make sure everything is perfect." He said. "So, make sure everyone's affairs are in order and get some rest in the next few days. I need you girls completely rested for Saturday."

"Can do!" The girls saluted again, making President Saitou face palm at their antics.

"Hold up." Ai said as he phone started to ring. "Hello? Eren?" She asked as she answered it.

"Eren's on the phone?" Meimei asked, her curiosity peaked.

"Shush." Ai said, not in the mood for their teasing.

"This is Ai, yes?" An unfamiliar voice said over the phone.

"Yes, this is her." She said. "I'm sorry, who is this? How do you have Eren-Sans phone?" She asked.

The voice had decent Japanese, but he had a very thick accent. She assumed it was maybe Russian.

"Ai, put it on speaker." Meimei whispered.

Ai nodded, unsure of who this was and wanted the support of her friends, so she put it on speaker.

"I am boss of Eren Yeager, he's hurt." He said.

"Hurt!?" Ai yelled into the speaker. "What happened!?"

"There was shipping accident, Eren is in hospital now." He said.

"Where!?" Ai yelled.

"Calm down and stop yelling, you're taking ear off." He said in broken Japanese. "Just come to hospital, will text you address."

"What happened?" Ai asked.

"We had collapse at work, Eren got hurt, but he's ok. Just unconscious, figured he could use people he knows for support." The man said.

"I'll be right over." Ai said. "Thank you." Ai hung up the phone.

"Let's go Ai." Meimei said, grabbing her jacket.

"You don't need to come with me." She said.

"Yes I do, you're my friend and I'm coming." She said. "We'll pick up the kids from downstairs and bring them along. We should make sure Eren is ok."

"Ok." Ai said.

"Hold up." Saitou began.

"President, we have to make sure he's ok." Meimei said. "Otherwise, Ai might get distracted."

"Damnit." Saitou said. "Fine but take Miyako with you. I want to keep her near the kids so we can maintain that they are her kids and not Ai's."

"No problem boss." Meimei said.

"What about you?" Ai asked the President.

"I'm going to get some work done, I just need to check something." He said.

As the girls left, Saitou went into his office to check his computer. He was a bit busy and putting it off, but he needed to run a background check on Eren.

Taking out his notebook, he flipped it over to where he had his passport number.

Saitou sipped his coffee as he opened the government database and placed a request for an employee background check by entering in the number. It would take a few days for them to get back to him, so he'd have to be patient and wait for the results.

After closing his computer, he stretched in his chair as he prepared to head home. He was hoping for a romantic night with Miyako, but clearly that would be put on pause.

And there's the safehouse attack lol.

I hope you guys enjoyed it. I tried to make it somewhat realistic while at the same time maintaining Eren's abilities. Even without powers or ODM gear, the sheer strength of someone like his is unreal. Plus, he had a lot of advantages on his side. I do wonder what you guys think of Eren using the RPG in that way, I thought it was funny and fitting lol. Also, because he still doesn't know English, he doesn't know the acronyms, so he calls those weapons phonetically.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed.