The roar struck like a bolt from the blue, making the black-clad bodyguards who were about to act freeze in their tracks.
Mei Liangxing's heart jolted at the furious shout, and he instinctively turned toward it.
Whoosh!
The crowd parted to either side.
An elderly man in an old-style naval uniform walked forward from behind them with steady steps. His hair was silver, but his back remained ramrod straight.
It was Xu Anbang!
Mei Liangxing did not recognize him at first.
He had been chatting with Tanaka in the car and had never noticed that, apart from the veterans in their ragged uniforms, someone with such an extraordinary presence was also in the square.
Mei Liangxing frowned, displeasure stirring within him.
Where did this old man come from? How dare he meddle here?
"Who are you? Don't you know we're carrying out official duties?"
Putting on an air of authority, Mei Liangxing demanded impatiently.
But when the bodyguards beside him who had been sent from Longdu got a clear look at the newcomer's face, every one of them went pale.
"E-Elder Xu?!"
One bodyguard's voice began to tremble. His legs gave way, and he nearly dropped to his knees on the spot.
Elder Xu?
Which Elder Xu?
Mei Liangxing's mind raced.
In the Dragon Kingdom, there seemed to be only one man with a military background who could be called "Elder Xu"!
His eyes widened abruptly as he scrutinized the old man before him.
That face, as steadfast as a lighthouse, which he had seen countless times in the news and internal documents, instantly matched the image in his mind.
Boom!
Mei Liangxing's mind went blank. An icy chill shot from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head.
It... it was him!
It really was him!
*Xu Anbang,