"Model?"
Hou Liangbing froze, then let out an exaggerated scoff, as though he had heard the greatest joke in the world.
"Hahaha! Old man, you're asking me who the model was?"
He straightened his collar and spoke with the disdainful air of someone educating a fool:
"The intelligence operatives of Bureau 7 are unsung heroes!"
"They live hidden among the masses, and when they die, they get no headstones and no names passed down! Their identities are the Dragon Kingdom's highest-level secrets!"
"So this statue has no model at all!"
"It represents a spirit, a symbol—the countless guardians who walk silently through the darkness for this country! Do you understand?"
By the end, his voice was thick with mockery and contempt.
"A senile old man who doesn't even know what Bureau 7 is thinks he can lecture me? Stop spouting nonsense!"
Elder Xu answered with a cold snort laden with boundless disappointment.
"You've forgotten those who came before you!"
The words were few, but they carried the weight of Mount Tai!
Hou Liangbing's smile froze. Anger surged through him!
"Fine! Very fine!"
"If you know so much, tell me who the model was!"
"If you can't give me a proper answer today, you're not leaving!!!"
Elder Xu showed no fear in the face of Hou Liangbing's threat.
He merely raised his head once more and gazed at the silent statue. A rare solemnity and a trace of remembrance appeared in his clouded eyes.
A heavy hush fell over the square. Everyone unconsciously quieted their breathing.
A long time passed.
At last, Elder Xu spoke. His voice was soft, yet it reached everyone present with the weight of history behind it.
"The model was Bureau 7's first agent, codenamed 'Old Farmer'!"
Boom!
The entire crowd erupted!
"What? 'Old Farmer'?!"
"No... impossible!