"Please, go ahead, Chief~~"
Hao Shuai replied politely, then walked alongside the old man toward the military helicopter parked nearby.
Amid the thup-thup-thup of its rotors, Hao Shuai was escorted to the command base. Everyone there, including the Elder Council far away in the north, had been optimistic about his arrival.
That optimism quickly turned to delight when Hao Shuai dispelled the illusion covering his face.
Black hair, yellow skin, fluent Chinese, and his attitude—all of it suggested that this "godlike" man before them had deep ties to their people.
Hao Shuai wasn't giving much thought to what the old man and the others were thinking. Once they reached the base's conference room, he sipped the fine tea they served him and got straight to the point. "I'm here for the Titan in Dian Province, Mothra—the Dragon Butterfly, as you call her. I'm only here to greet you out of courtesy."
"Mothra belongs to our country. No one is taking her away," the old man said sternly.
"Oh? You're confident you can stop me?" Hao Shuai smiled.
Hao Shuai's words sent a shiver through everyone present, and they couldn't help but grow uneasy.
It was no wonder they looked so rattled. Hao Shuai's record so far had been astonishing.
"Rather than worrying about a Titan you can't control, you'd be better off focusing on developing your technology and strengthening your country. That's the right path." Hao Shuai paid no attention to the old man and the others' expressions and continued.
"We want to develop, too, but the West has imposed a blockade on us, so we can only rely on ourselves. We've been striving to catch up, but we started too far behind. We still can't close the gap between us and Rice Country," the old man said with a