n

n

nHearing the sound of footsteps, Hao Xuan turned around and saw the old men. There were about five of them and they looked to be about sixty years old at least, if not older.

n

"Captain,

" the old man in the lead walked up to Hao Xuan and made a small bow.

n

"Elder, what are you doing? Please get up!

" Hao Xuan stopped and helped him up.

n

"How can I help you? Is there a problem with my men?

" he asked with a frown upon seeing the elders look at each other with smiles.

n

"No, not at all. We just thought to keep you company,

" the one in the front replied smilingly.

nHao Xuan was confused by their words and actions,

"Sorry? Elder everyone has to leave for the grade two city. You should be in the middle caravan. How could those idiots just leave you behind?

" he looked towards the few guards still moving towards the castle.

n*BOOOM*

nThe entire city shook as a massive tail came out of the clouds and hit the defensive formation, making it light up.

nHao Xuan's expression turned serious as he quickly jerked backward and looked at the Ether beast responsible for the attack.

n*BOOM*

n*BOOM*

n*BOOM*

nThree other attacks landed simultaneously, exploding upon impact and shaking everything under the barrier.

n

"Finally, couldn't wait any longer huh?

" Hao Xuan mumbled looking at the Griffin who stared back at him fearlessly.

nHe turned back around and looked at the old men,

"Gentlemen please, you have to evacuate right now!

" he said urgently.

n

"Haha, captain, if you're not leaving, how could these old bones bear to leave their hometown like this?

" the old man grinned.

n

"My name is Charles, this is O'Neill, Thomas, Sean, and Joel. If you don't mind, could we keep you company for a bit?

"

nHao Xuan was taken aback with their introduction and finally understood why they were here.

n

"Elders, as long as you're alive, there's hope. Why put yourselves in danger like this? You've still got a few decades left in you.

"

n

"Hahaha,

" all of them broke out laughing.

n

"Captain, you're very funny,

" Charles patted Hao Xuan's shoulder and sat down on the ground along with the others.

n

"Please, won't you accompany these few old fools?

" he looked up at Hao Xuan's dumbfounded face and smiled.

n*Sigh*

nHao Xuan shook his head and sat down beside them.

n

"If everyone suddenly disappears, even those dumb beasts will know something is up. Just you alone sitting here won't do,

" Thomas shook his head.

nHao Xuan looked at each of them. Although they were old, in this world they could still live at least a 100 more years easily. Why would they choose to throw that away? He could feel their cultivations. Most of them were earth realm warriors, while only Charles was in Origin realm.

n

"Even with that hiding your face, I can easily tell what you're thinking,

" Charles pointed at Hao Xuan's mask.

n

"We were born here. All of us,

" he gestured towards the others.

n

"We served the city for almost a century before retiring. You see, we old men are very stubborn. Our families, wives, sons, daughters, they have all moved on to the next world, yet we still hold on to life for no reason. But now, now we have a chance to do something for the greater good.

"

n

"But still-

" Hao Xuan spoke up but Charles pointed at an area near the back of the city.

n

"That, is where my wife is buried. Thomas's son, O'Neill's brothers and father, Sean and Joel's entire last generation is buried there. They are buried here, in this little town of ours. We do not have anyone waiting for us at home, nor anyone to go back to. This city, it is our home and we would rather die fighting here than flee. At our age, it would be very unbecoming,

" he looked at Hao Xuan with a grin.

n

"Please don't take this away from us captain.

"

n*tap*tap*tap*

nSounds of footsteps came from the stairs and hundreds of old people walked up on to the wall. There seemed to be at least two to three hundred of them.

n

"They are like us. Leftovers from an older era with nobody remaining to remember or take care off. All we have is this city and for it, we will fight,

" Charles put his hand over his heart as he said that, making a vow.

nHao Xuan didn't know what to do anymore. Other civilians had all left by now so even if he wanted to send these old folks back by force, it would not be feasible. There were barely enough people to protect the civilians as is, let alone holding hundreds forcefully.

n

"As long as you're sure,

" Hao Xuan nodded his head and finally gave in.

n

"Hahaha, great! I knew you would understand. I could tell we were cut from the same cloth. You remind me of an old friend...

" the five old guys patted Hao Xuan's shoulder with a hearty laugh and told him their life stories. Things about their younger days, their loved ones and the places they had visited.

nMost of them had spent their entire lives in Galena, occasionally venturing out to hunt or trade. This was their whole world.

nThe bombardment on the barrier continued for hours while these old people sat under the heavy rain and chatted. Not one of them left the city wall. Everyone stayed there, laughing and joking like it was completely normal.

nHao Xuan sat with them and listened to everything they had to say. The stream had gathered a lot of attention and now there were billions of people watching. Both civilians and the military. They could see and hear everything Hao Xuan could because it was connected to his spirit band. And because of that, billions of people heard these old men's stories as well.

nA few people were bored and made some horrible comments about them but others quickly set them straight.

n

"What the hell is going on? Why hasn't this thing been turned off yet?

" a strict looking middle-aged man sitting in an office asked a room full of soldiers.

nOne of the soldiers stood up and saluted before speaking,

"Sir, there are too many people watching. If we cut the broadcast halfway, they will know it was on purpose and it would only make us look worse. Also, the Red Legion has already sent reinforcements, although whether or not they will get there in time is a different story.

"

nThe middle-aged man harumphed and waved his hand for them to leave.

n

"It seems the old demon is getting a little too imperious in his old age,

" he mumbled and dialed a number on his spirit band.

n

"It's time, the last piece is in place,

" he said quickly before hanging up.

n****

nIt had been more than 8 hours since the first attack on the barrier. Hao Xuan had been sitting with the old folks all this time while waiting for the right moment.

n*Crack*

nA fist the size of a small hill came crashing down on to the formation and a hairline crack appeared on its barrier. All the laughter and merriment stopped as everyone looked up at the minute crack.

n

"It's time,

" Charles smiled and stood up with Hao Xuan's help.

n

"Old man, why don't you stay here and let me fight for a bit?

" Hao Xuan looked Charles in the eye.

nHe shook his head,

"We may be old, but we are not weak. We can still fight one more battle,

" he said looking at all the old people on the wall who nodded.

n*Vmmm*

nA strange sound reverberated from their bodies as their postures straightened and muscles bulked up within seconds. They seemed to have regressed into 30 years old with buff bodies.. Only their faces gave away their real age.

n