The chaos in the square began to come under control as the security guards intervened forcefully.
But the bone-deep panic spread silently through the crowd like a plague.
Whispers and stifled sobs replaced the cheers and shouts from earlier.
Yue Xiaofei ignored the commotion around him, his hawklike gaze sweeping over the elderly men on the raised platform.
Long Qianshan, Xu Anbang, and Ye Jincheng, the pillars of the Dragon Kingdom, had recovered from their initial shock, though their expressions remained deeply grave.
Yet there was not a trace of fear in their eyes, only mountainlike steadiness and a flicker of kindled anger.
Long Qianshan gestured to Yue Xiaofei.
Yue Xiaofei understood immediately. He turned, passed through the restless crowd, and strode toward the rear side of the platform. A black Red Flag Limousine was already waiting there in silence.
A few minutes later.
The limousine bore no license plates, yet every guard post waved it through without hesitation as it drove smoothly inside the Red Walls.
The door opened, and Yue Xiaofei stepped out.
He looked up. All around him stood stately red walls and yellow-tiled roofs, green pines and verdant cypresses. The atmosphere was so solemn that he hardly dared breathe loudly.
A serious-looking middle-aged secretary in a Zhongshan suit was already waiting.
"Major General Yue, please follow me. The leaders are waiting for you."
Yue Xiaofei nodded and followed the secretary through one heavily guarded checkpoint after another, finally arriving at the door of a seemingly ordinary yet exceptionally well-protected conference room.
The conference room door was made of thick solid wood, with no markings on it.
Two security guards stood motionless as statues outside, their gazes sharper than the keenest blades.
The secretary pushed the door open, and a heavy, oppressive atmosphere washed over him.
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