Chapter 769 - 368: Unpleasant Reunion (Part 2)

"As Gu family men, we ought to have the spirit to rise with even greater courage each time we face setbacks!" Gu Molin smiled kindly, lines of age mapping his face more than during their last meeting. Thankfully, the old man’s vigor remained spry; if fortune favored him, he might live for several more decades.

"Yes, Great-Grandfather. Your teachings are wise." Huaixi spoke, then bowed his head silently, drawing Gu Molin’s attention.

"Xiao Xi, are you facing some kind of difficult problem? Do share it with Great-Grandfather, don’t bear it alone. Don’t forget, you’re not alone. Whatever you can’t handle can be passed onto this old man, and if need be, there’s your Grandpa and Grandfather too. Even your two inept uncles can help out in some way." Despite his young age, Gu Molin actually opposed Huaixi going to the battlefield.

But he knew well that the two children needed genuine tempering; training in the simulation rooms was no longer adequate for them.

"Great-Grandfather, indeed I have encountered quite a troubling matter." Huaixi pursed his lips, a slight struggle flickering across his face. "During a mission, I inadvertently saw a man who greatly resembled... father, claiming himself to be Gu Ningxuan, the third son of the Ning generation of the Gu family... He said that in all these years he’s been missing, he wasn’t actually dead..."

Upon hearing this, Gu Molin initially did not believe it. He missed his early-deceased great-grandchild dearly, yet knowing the dead could not come back to life, he focused on cherishing the present more than reminiscing about those lost, considering it far more meaningful.

He thought perhaps it was Huaixi’s imagination, but he knew the child never lied, always acted methodically, and wasn’t one for flattery or deceit. This matter... seemed true. With that realization, an ominous glint flashed in Gu Molin’s eyes like Huaixi’s thought earlier—the person claiming to be Gu Ningxuan might be a spy?

With this thought, he had Huaixi recount the events in full detail, leading grandfather and great-grandson into a prolonged silence. Finally, it was Gu Molin who broke the silence, "Child, did you say that man’s personal smart chip has been deregistered, rendering him currently undocumented?"

Huaixi didn’t quite understand but nodded in response. "Indeed, that’s the case. But I think he could fabricate a false identity. If I hadn’t brought him back, he might have found a way to smuggle himself onto another planet."

Gu Molin suppressed his tumultuous heartbeat, his expression calm as still water, speaking after a moment, "There is one method to prove whether his identity is real. You should tell him that Gu Ningxuan has returned to the Gu family’s genealogical records and to find a way to provide irrefutable evidence!"

Gu Molin sighed softly in his heart; if that man truly was the missing third son, he would understand the implication of what Gu Molin said. If he didn’t understand... whether genuine or a spy, he would need to be kept under intense surveillance from then on.

Huaixi mulled over it and repeated Gu Molin’s words verbatim. He stared straight at the man claiming to be his father, curious about the charade between his great-grandfather and the individual. Upon hearing this, Gu Ningxuan’s first reaction wasn’t relief but fierce joy as he asked, "Great-Grandfather... did you say that the old master is still alive?"

Two planes experienced a thirty-year time discrepancy. In Marshal Gu’s plane, the Insect Race war had erupted only a few months earlier, causing Gu Molin and Gu Zhengye to fall in succession, devastating to the stormy Gu family’s core.

Knowing this [history], Gu Ningxuan had struggled to accept it. Upon returning to the original plane, he was even prepared for the worst. Yet, fate had not treated him unkindly—his Great-Grandfather was still living safely, "What about Grandfather? How is he doing now?"

Huaixi cast a suspicious glance at the other, speaking coldly, "Great-Grandfather is well, his body quite robust. As Alliance Marshal, he won’t easily fall apart like that. This isn’t something you should worry about."

In Huaixi’s heart, suspicion already leaned towards "spy," a slight pang as though pricked by a needle.

"To know both elders are unaffected is undoubtedly the greatest joy." Gu Ningxuan felt a burden lift, ready to inquire about Su Jiameng’s current situation. Yet the thought of the two children’s remaining rejection and doubt held him back; if he asked, it might only trigger backlash and distaste?

Since they already knew themselves to be [Gu Ningxuan]’s children, they likely knew the ins and outs of that incident from years past as well.

As both victim and perpetrator, Gu Ningxuan harbored anxiety within, not daring to unveil such truths. He hoped to speak openly with Su Jiameng, to reset everything starting anew. Yet he could not speak this in front of the children...

Ultimately, he feared the two might glare as if at a criminal, disdainful. He owed them so much, owed Su Jiameng so much, squandering the most precious five years of interaction and the subsequent five to six years for repair; he felt terribly worried.

Suppressing the urge to inquire about his beloved’s situation, Gu Ningxuan knew proving his identity was most pressing, rather than exist as an undocumented individual. With this resolve, he activated his smart chip.

"Wasn’t your smart chip deregistered? Shouldn’t it be incapable of connecting to the interstellar network..." Huaixi reminded, his tone indifferent.

"I was once groomed as an heir, the smart chip custom-made. As long as the Gu family genealogical records carry my name, even with deregistered residency, I can still connect to the Gu family’s private network loop. Plus, the login credentials are unique, an unsurpassable secret network even for the cleverest hackers. Although with telekinesis capability now, certainty may waver."

Huaixi trembled slightly, shocked at the virtual screen’s simple network transition... Was this the evidence Great-Grandfather mentioned? Known only to direct descendants of Gu after reaching adulthood...

As Gu Ningxuan logged in, the page forcibly switched to a video interface, displaying a familiar face he hadn’t seen for years. To detail, his last meeting with Great-Grandfather seemed to be more than a decade ago.

"Ungrateful great-grandson Gu Ningxuan greets grandfather." Gu Ningxuan performed familial etiquette before the screen.

Inside and out, silence held its place; the elder renowned for lifetime poise, tearing up, while Gu Ningxuan held steady with his earlier motion...

After a long pause, Gu Molin uttered, "It’s good to be back."