Just as Ryuzaki Makoto's knees buckled and he was about to kneel heavily on the cold, hard ground, he was about to fall.
Suddenly, a figure rushed out from the group of refugees beside him, grabbed Ryuzaki Makoto's arms tightly, and used all his strength to stop him from falling.
Ryuzaki Makoto was a little annoyed that his performance had been interrupted. He opened his eyes and turned his head to look.
Damn it, how could it be that brat Serizawa!
Weren't you just wearing a police uniform that looked like a security guard?
In just a few minutes, where did he get this tattered beggar's outfit?
And what are you crying about, kid? Why are you actually getting emotional?
Serizawa was now covered in tears and snot, his face contorted in pain, his eyes bloodshot, looking even more grief-stricken than if his own father had died.
"Mr. Ryuzaki! You can't kneel! They don't deserve your kneeling!!"
Serizawa's voice was hoarse and filled with grief and indignation.
In the strict hierarchical order of the Japanese underworld, a boss kneeling before his underlings is a more serious offense than killing him.
This not only signifies the complete loss of the leader's personal dignity, but also represents a complete loss of face for the entire organization.
From then on, this organization could no longer hold its head high in the underworld, and all its members were constantly being criticized and cursed behind their backs.
Therefore, the leader should never kneel, especially in such a public setting.
Ryuzaki Shin had no idea about Serizawa's inner thoughts. He struggled for a moment, then tried to sound even more sorrowful and resolute.
"Let me go! Make me kneel! Everything that happened today was because of me, so let me take the blame and give these innocent people an explanation!"
As soon as he finished speaking, three more people rushed out from the crowd and grabbed him tightly.
"Mr. Ryuzaki! You can't kneel!"
"We will not kneel to heaven, nor to earth, and certainly not to these inhuman corrupt officials!"
"If you kneel down, how are we supposed to survive!"
Ryuzaki Shinichi looked on and exclaimed, "Good heavens! Chuta, Izaki Shun, and Tokaji, when did you three sneak in here?"
Also, didn't you guys go a bit overboard with your acting?
Why are you crying?
Try to hold back your tears!
Even if I hadn't told you there would be a performance today, you've all followed me for so long, you should have been able to tell that this is a top-notch show!
Am I kneeling before those bastards from Japan?
Do they even deserve it?
When I, Ryuzaki Shin, kneel, I kneel for a bright future.
Kneeling represents the will of the people.
They were kneeling on the very foundation of the True Dragon Society, a foundation that would never be shaken.
Kneeling is the ticket to enter politics in the future!
The saying "A man's knees are worth gold" is just nonsense to fool children.
To put it bluntly, kneeling down isn't valuable enough.
It can't be entirely blamed on them.
Ryuzaki Makoto's acting skills, worthy of an award-winning actor, are not only visually deceptive, but more importantly, they have reached a level of emotional impact that is indistinguishable from reality.
Coupled with the atmosphere of grief and indignation among tens of thousands of people at the scene, and the immense oppressive feeling brought by the thousands of dark gun barrels, it created a tragic and epic feeling of "I will go even if there are thousands of people against me".
Ryuzaki struggled a few more times, though not with all his might.
Hey, why can't you break free?
When did these brats become so strong?
The camera lens is still pointed at them, so Ryuzaki can't really yell at them. He can only glare at Serizawa and the others, signaling them to let go and not interfere with his business.
When Serizawa and the others saw their leader's eyes wide open in anger, filled with a resolute determination and grief that showed he was willing to sacrifice himself, they felt even more distressed.
Serizawa took a deep breath, and with a sob in his voice, he spoke loudly to Ryuzaki Makoto and everyone around him:
"Mr. Ryuzaki, you did nothing wrong! You shouldn't kneel! If anyone should kneel, it should be me!"
After saying that, he released Ryuzaki Makoto's arm without saying another word, turned around, faced the fully armed army opposite him, and knelt heavily on the cold asphalt road with a "thud," kicking up a cloud of dust.
Tokaji, Chuta, and Shun Izaki were equally decisive.
"Mr. Ryuzaki, Serizawa is right. If anyone should be kneeling, it should be us!"
"You've done enough for us, leave the rest to us!"
"We're just worthless lives! But you are the hope of Nameless Street!"
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Three more muffled thuds followed, and the three of them knelt down beside Serizawa, lined up in a row, heads held high, glaring angrily at the army in front of them.
Ryuzaki Makoto turned around and looked at the people kneeling on the ground with a complicated expression.
These are all people who followed me from the earliest days when I left Lily of the Valley.
In their hearts, that damned, worthless dignity is more important than life itself.
Seeing these guys kneel down without hesitation for his sake, he realized that they were doing this for him.
Ryuzaki couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
These few...
brat...
However, at that moment, something even more unexpected happened.
Behind him, the dark mass of nameless street vagrants seemed to be triggered by some silent command, and without warning, one after another, they slowly began to kneel on the ground.
No one spoke, no one shouted.
The crowd fell like waves of wheat swaying in the wind, row after row, piece after piece.
They knelt very lightly, making no extra sound.
However, the sight of tens of thousands of people kneeling at the same time was suffocating.
This is their silent indictment.
It is their lament after being oppressed to the extreme.
It was their last plea to this cold world.
Sakata Shintetsu looked at the kneeling, dark mass of people in front of him, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
As Ryuzaki Makoto looked at the grand scene of tens of thousands of people kneeling behind him, his usually calm gaze finally trembled slightly.
This time, it wasn't an act.
Anyone who sees this scene will be deeply shocked and impacted.
At this moment, Ryuzaki Makoto's expression became unusually calm, a calmness that was somewhat frightening.
Looking into the tens of thousands of eyes on the nameless street, filled with expectation, trust, and despair, he said loudly:
"I have a dream..."