198: Chapter 198 Ancestral Hall

"To be honest, your habits and behavior really don't seem like they come from our side..."

"Please go ahead, Uncle Wang."

In a study, Wang Yuan poured tea for the three of them; this was a study behind the ancestral hall of Longchuan Workshop.

"Your appearance resembles theirs—those outsiders—making me certain you're definitely not from Longchuan Workshop or Baihui Street. Yet, many of your details are just like ours, which makes it hard for me to tell."

Li Ming and A6 boldly enjoyed Uncle Wang's cooking, making Intrepid's eyelids twitch. Were they really not afraid of poison?

"Relax, Intrepid, it's fine."

"But, Commander..."

"It's fine, it's fine, just relax..."

Uncle Wang smiled, a hint of nostalgia appearing on his face.

"Not bad, you do bear some resemblance to your father when he was young..."

"My father?"

In Li Ming's memory, that round face with glasses immediately came to mind. He wasn't tall and had a belly comparable to his own back then. He had been strict with him, but actually... he wasn't bad.

But the problem was, that was Earth, not here.

"Uncle Wang, you might have the wrong person. I'm not a local," Li Ming shook his head.

"Then what about this portrait?" Uncle Wang took out a rolled-up painting from under the table and spread it out. A face almost identical to Li Ming's, though more youthful, appeared on the paper.

"Uh..."

Intrepid looked at Li Ming, but his face showed only confusion.

"This was painted by our artist based on your father's description. Unfortunately, he has already boarded that ship, and now... sigh..."

"The ship?"

Li Ming recalled something and then said, "I might indeed not be the person you're talking about, but I might know something."

Saying that, he took a small plastic bag from his bracelet's inventory. "This is something I found in a shipwreck overseas. I'm an oversea person, but I do seem to look just like him. However, I must reiterate that we are not the same person."

Uncle Wang opened the bag; inside were a diary, an old laptop, and an ID card. The name Li Ming was clearly written on it.

"You should be able to tell they've all been soaked in water."

Li Ming shook his head. "Although I'm not sure what exactly happened, I'm definitely not the one in your portrait. My memories are very clear, with no logical gaps, so it's impossible for me to have been brainwashed or to have lost my memory. If you have any fortune tellers on your side, you can have them read me; I believe the result will be the same."

Uncle Wang fell into thought. "But... how could there be two identical people in the world?..."

"Any coincidence is possible; the probability is never zero," Li Ming replied.

"...I'm certain now that he isn't you. He didn't even finish school; how could he know so much?" Uncle Wang shook his head and sighed. "What a pity. In Li Zhi's family, only a daughter is left to support the household now."

"Uh..." Li Ming shook his head, but what did that have to do with him?

"In any case, thank you for telling me this." Uncle Wang chuckled. "This meal is on me."

"Thanks, Uncle Wang."

"Hey, it's no big deal."

"By the way... what's the story with Li Zhi's family?"

Li Ming's phone flashed; it was a notification from Logic about information gathering.

"Ah, Li Zhi's family. That brings us to those damnable... proxies."

——————

"...In fact, that is the purpose of the proxies' existence. Generally speaking, proxies are the product of compromise between the xia people community and the local government. However, as the Federation's military power has further increased, the existence of proxies has drifted more toward becoming puppet tools for exploitation by the Federation."

Li Zhi sat in a clean room; across the table was Major Renard, who was quietly taking notes.

"That is why proxies are not well-liked. The actions of most proxies who haven't been purged are actually because they can still help the local government squeeze out enough wealth and resources. By skimming a bit off the top, these proxies can make a fortune."

Major Renard looked up. "Then, these people here..."

"To be honest, Major," Li Zhi replied, "they've all done these things to some extent, whether forced or by choice. You should have seen the signs by now."

"Understandable. Anything else to add?"

"We have an underground organization called the Zhongxing Society, and their functions also include... eliminating traitors," Li Zhi said. "Once a Agent loses power, they might face a pursuit against their entire family by the Zhongxing Society."

"The whole family? Why?"

"First, to prevent their families from being used by the Federation again. Second, their living conditions were built upon everyone's blood and tears—usually not, but there are indeed some Agent families who committed many... evil deeds while the Agent was in power. While some might be wrongly accused, overall, it's mostly accurate."

"...What about you, Mr. Li Zhi? Are you afraid?"

"I'm not afraid." Li Zhi shook his head. "I was also a Commander when I was young."

Renard was stunned. "Then why..."

"The head of the Zhongxing Society in Oronia and I were both Commanders once. But during a Siren tide, we..." Li Ming shook his head. "I don't blame the lack of support. I should have known from the start; it was I who failed to protect them. Later, I returned to Oronia to marry and do business, and I have the family I have now."

"The reason I was chosen as a Agent was my business skills and my relatively good reputation among the xia people. I had a wife and a daughter. During that time, I picked up a baby boy from the river. I didn't tell him he wasn't my biological son, but..."

Li Zhi covered his face in pain. "I should have known... he wasn't the type to keep things bottled up... He got into so many fights at school for the girl, covered in scars... but he really wanted to go out and see the world."

"Last year, I actually should have died last year. But that year, he... he ran away from home and somehow ended up on last year's ship, taking my place... Because of that, I didn't make it onto the ship in time while looking for him, but because I was mistakenly thought to have boarded, I... sigh..."

"I'm sorry, sir..."

"It's fine, Major, it's not your fault..." Li Zhi sighed. "So I'm not worried. My girl is very sharp. Although my wife... she's been a bit... because of the boy's death... but I believe with my girl's wit, the two of them will definitely be fine..."

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