Chapter 97: 96 Grandfather and Reconciliation

96 Grandfather and Reconciliation

Although the female police officer said “if,” her slightly evasive gaze made it nearly equivalent to a direct statement.

After being thoroughly startled, Li Ang couldn’t help asking the woman before him, who looked hesitant: “When you were going through the list, did you find something?”

“I did find something… but it’s still not certain, so I just said ‘if’…”

After silently sighing in her heart, the female police officer took the “List of Missing Persons” and the “Brief Genealogy of the Lionheart Clan,” pointed to one name that had been crossed out, and spoke softly with an uneasy expression:

“This person… shares the same name as your grandfather. He was a fairly skilled mechanic who once vied with the second-to-last head of the family for control of Lyon Arms Company.

But because his foundation was shallow, after losing the struggle, he not only lost his position at the arms company but was also driven out by the second-to-last head through underhanded means, and eventually had to move his entire family away from the capital to… Lyon County…”

“… ”

The same name, mechanic, Lyon County… there was indeed something suspicious, but…

“That still doesn’t mean I’m a member of the Lyon family, does it?”

After thinking for a moment, Li Ang frowned and said:

“Lyon County may be a small county, but it has several million permanent residents—finding someone with the same name and surname…”

“It’s not just the same name and surname.”

Clearly, she had entertained similar doubts; upon hearing Li Ang’s words, the female police officer shook her head and brought over a third book she had prepared.

“Look, this is a photo from a ball at the time. The man on stage is your grandfather.”

“You want me to identify him from the photo?”

Looking at the middle-aged man on stage, radiant and confident but with unfamiliar features, Li Ang frowned:

“Due to certain matters, I have almost no memory of my grandfather, so…”

“Even if you don’t recognize him, don’t you find this person familiar?”

The female police officer pointed to someone in the crowd below the stage and said helplessly:

“This woman is your grandmother. Her appearance is simply…”

Simply a mature version of Anna!

Looking at the woman in the photo—whose facial features bore a seven-tenths resemblance to his sister, aside from minor details—Li Ang now also felt this could hardly be coincidence.

Returning to his seat with the three books, Li Ang, his brow tightly furrowed, quickly flipped through the relevant records and searched for the corresponding genealogy.

He then found himself utterly speechless: if all this were true, he wasn’t just a member of the Lyon family—he was apparently of high rank, so much so that even the current head of the Lyon family would have to call him “uncle.”

Although he was a distant uncle, with no inheritable property, and his claim to the title ranked beyond the thirtieth in line, he was undeniably a member of the Lyon family, and even marginally part of the main lineage.

Damn, is this really that melodramatic?

As he saw more and more suspicious points before him, Li Ang, though reluctant to acknowledge this kinship, had to admit: he was likely a Lyon by blood.

If there had been only one or two oddities, it might have been coincidence—but so many coincidences together were simply implausible, especially a grandmother who looked seven-tenths like Anna…

This was… originally, recognizing kinship was just an excuse to investigate the anomaly, but now the tripe hasn’t even been found yet, and he’s already recognized his family!

“Li Ang…”

Watching Li Ang rub his temples repeatedly, his expression troubled, the female police officer couldn’t help asking again:

“What are you going to do?”

“What do you mean, ‘what to do’?”

“About investigating the evidence!”

“These two matters are separate. You go ahead and investigate as you please.”

With a wave of his hand indicating indifference, Li Ang pulled out pen and paper, copying down the relevant records, while thinking of Anna’s secret.

He was a transmigrator; he had no memories of his grandfather, and even the details about his parents came only from Anna’s stories.

But Anna was different—though her parents had died of plague early, considering their ages, Anna must have seen them as a child, and might well know the truth about her own origins.

So… was the secret she’d been hiding from him this?

But if it was this, why didn’t she want him to see the photo? And was there really any need to hide such a thing from him?

…

Carrying a flood of questions, after copying all the records related to his grandfather, Li Ang folded the paper and carefully tucked it against his body, preparing to ask Anna when he returned.

Then he glanced at the female police officer beside him, who looked as if she wanted to say something but held back, and pushed over another sheet of paper he had written.

“Here, these are the people I found whose rise to power seemed suspicious, likely achieved through dishonorable means—if you want to investigate the Lyon family, prioritize these individuals.”

“Huh? Thank you…”

After taking the “List of Suspicious Individuals,” and seeing Li Ang’s calm demeanor return, the female police officer clenched her fist, her expression complex as she spoke:

“I never thought you were really a Lyon…”

“Stop.”

Raising his hand in a stop gesture, Li Ang said seriously:

“My Lyon is the Lyon of Lyon County, not the Lyon of the Lionheart Duke. At least, I have no intention of claiming that connection, and my family never mentioned it—proving they likely have no interest in recognizing this kinship either.

So I hope we end this here. You’re free to investigate the Lyon family however you wish—I have no relation to this family.”

As he spoke, Li Ang paused slightly. Though the female police officer didn’t seem the type to gossip, just in case, he pulled out his authorization logbook.

“How about this: what just happened is classified. Only you and I know. If I find out anyone else knows…”

“Don’t write a note! I’m not that kind of person!”

Scowling at Li Ang, and seeing his determined effort to sever all ties with the Lyon family, the female police officer inexplicably felt a wave of relief, then looked at him with faint admiration:

“The Lyon family may have a bad reputation, but it’s a noble house with over five hundred years of history, and your grandfather was of the main line—I thought you’d…”

“What you assume isn’t necessarily true. Besides, how do you know I wasn’t just lying just now, and won’t turn around and rush to the Lyon family to claim kinship?”

Cutting her off, and recognizing that she hadn’t concealed this discovery to secretly investigate him but had told him honestly, Li Ang couldn’t help warning her:

“You’re not a bad person, but you’re too impulsive—you make decisions on a whim.

For example, now: knowing I’m connected to the Lyon family’s interests, why did you tell me outright? And earlier, it was just a misunderstanding—why did you instantly decide I was a rebel?

Your judgments are too hasty. Next time you face something similar, think twice before acting. You can’t keep being this reckless.”

“I… I’m not completely thoughtless…”

Hearing Li Ang’s assessment, the female police officer, younger than him, felt her cheeks warm with embarrassment and hastily tried to save face:

“I told you directly because I thought you weren’t a bad person—you wouldn’t collude with the Lyon family!

As for why I thought you were a rebel… just because you hit the editor of ‘Daily News’—who wouldn’t think you were a rebel after hearing that?”