Tomb Raiding: My Family's Last Clan Chief is Little Brother

Chapter 182 Before the Storm
Wu Xiaoxie kept his eyes tightly closed and it took him a long time to regain his senses. After calming down, he began to analyze, "You're right, that's not me. The video is from more than ten years ago. I was still young then, and it's uncertain whether I would have grown up to look like this now, so it must be a coincidence."

Seeing that he had finally returned to normal, the fat man breathed a sigh of relief. "Goodness, you almost scared the soul out of me."

Ah Ning paused the recording and said softly, "That's why I came to find you."

Wu Xiaoxie raised his head and stared directly at the face on the screen, a face he knew all too well, yet now seemed utterly unfamiliar.

That face had cold, empty eyes, constantly glancing left and right, as if it were the work of a madman, as if something terrifying, unseen by others, was lurking in the room, sending chills down one's spine.

Zhang Wuxun straightened up, blocking his view, and asked A Ning, "Where did the video come from?"

Aning glanced at him, walked over, took the belt out and put it away, and then said, "Golmud, Qinghai."

The fat man hissed, "Besides this, are there any other clues?"

Ah Ning shook her head, "That's why I came to find you, precisely because I had no clues."

Wu Xiaoxie smiled bitterly, "It's no use you coming to me. I don't even know what's going on myself, so I can't answer you."

Ah Ning seemed a little anxious, frowning as she paced around twice. "You really don't know anything? Since the person in the video has the exact same face as you, there must be some kind of connection between you. Maybe he is someone from your Wu family."

That's one idea.

The fat man clicked his tongue and guessed, "Could it be your twin brother or something who thought it was funny and made this to scare you?"

Wu Xiaoxie thought about it carefully, but still shook his head. "My dad only has one son, me. I can't think of any other reason why we look so alike except for coincidence."

“There’s another possibility.” Zhang Wuxun tapped the table, and everyone looked over. “The person in the video was wearing a mask.”

"A mask?" Wu Xiaoxie asked in surprise.

“Well, you probably haven’t seen it before, but there’s a kind of mask that feels just like human skin. I know someone who can learn all of a person’s features in a single day and then create a mask that’s almost indistinguishable from the real thing. This person can wear your face and appear in a video from over ten years ago…” Zhang Wuxun paused here and didn’t continue.

He was feeling very conflicted. What he hoped for most was that this person was the real Qi Yu, not a clone. He would rather Qi Yu become a failed experiment in immortality and die in some unknown corner.

In his heart, Wu Xie is Wu Xie, an independent individual, even if he is a key part of the whole plan, even if he exists in place of Qi Yu.

Instead of Qi Yu, who failed in the immortality experiment, he transformed into Wu Xie.

That would be absolutely terrifying.

Wu Xiaoxie had a headache. He pinched his face and said with a wry smile, "I'm starting to wonder if I'm wearing a mask."

Zhang Wuxun patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't overthink it. I guarantee your face is the real deal."

Who cares about all that? No matter what schemes or tricks the people behind him have, Wu Xie will always be Wu Xie, and he will always be Wu Xie.

Seeing that she couldn't get any information, Ah Ning was very unwilling to give up. Just then, she received a call from the company. After going out to answer the call, Ah Ning came back in to say goodbye to Zhang Wuxun and the others.

"I have to go now, I have things to do at the company. Here's my phone number and address." Aning casually tore off a piece of paper and wrote something down. "If you remember anything or have any new clues, be sure to tell me, and we can exchange them."

Wu Xiaoxie's mind was in a mess. He casually waved his hand to indicate that he understood. All he wanted to do now was clear his mind and get a good night's sleep.

When I wake up, everything will probably be back to normal, and I've never even seen this strange video.

﹉﹉﹉

Zhang Wuxun brought the dazed Wu Xiaoxie to the house and told him and Fatty to stay there for the night. Wu Xiaoxie's condition was really worrying.

That evening, Fatty showed off his culinary skills and made a spicy boiled fish hot pot for everyone.

"Dumplings, dumplings, quickly get a plate!" The fat man held spatulas in both hands, scooping up the whole fish, which was fried until crispy in the oil, from both ends.

Dumpling, also known as the steward given by Pan Zi, was originally named Jiao He. He felt that this name wasn't prestigious enough for the underworld, so he changed it to Dumpling, which sounds auspicious and festive.

The hot pot stall was set up in the gazebo in the front yard, which was spacious and well-ventilated.

Fatty rolled up his sleeves and got to work, with Dumpling following behind him to help out. Zhang Wuxun pulled Wu Xiaoxie and Wang Mengmeng aside to wash vegetables and make skewers, preparing for the barbecue later.

The group was bustling and lively.

Unfortunately, Panzi is busy and can't come.

After finishing their meal, Fatty pulled Wang Mengmeng and the other person to play cards, while Zhang Wuxun and Wu Xiaoxie sat on deck chairs watching the fun.

"Are you feeling better?" Zhang Wuxun opened a can of beer and pushed it over.

Wu Xiaoxie took it, tilted his head back and took a big gulp, let out a long sigh, and laughed, "You know what, after working up a sweat and then taking a cold shower, I feel so comfortable from head to toe."

"Alright," Zhang Wuxun comforted, "Don't overthink it. Things will work themselves out. There's no point in worrying about it now."

Wu Xiaoxie nodded, finished the rest of the wine in one gulp, crushed the can, and threw it into the trash can next to him.

"I'm going to sleep now, I'm so sleepy. You guys should get some rest too."

Zhang Wuxun waved his hand, "Go on, goodnight, sweet dreams."

Wu Xiaoxie went to the room that Zhang Wuxun had specially reserved for him on the second floor.

Zhang Wuxun glanced at the fat man, whose chubby face was covered with notes and who was still fighting fiercely, smiled, stood up, took out his phone from his pocket, and took two steps.

Jiaozi caught a glimpse of Zhang Wuxun out of the corner of her eye and, thinking something was wrong, quickly got up, put down the cards in her hand, removed the note from her face, and was about to follow him when she called out, "Master Yu?"

Zhang Wuxun waved his hand, "You keep playing, I'm going to make a phone call."

"Okay," Dumpling replied with a smile. "Just let me know if you need anything."

The fat man shouted, "You can't cheat! Stick it on now!"

Zhang Wuxun walked out of the pavilion and came to the fish pond next to the artificial hill.

The moon is quite round tonight, illuminating the yard so brightly that we don't even need to turn on the lights.

The number of fat goldfish in the pond has doubled compared to a year ago. They hide under the water plants and lotus leaves, and occasionally a couple of more lively ones are attracted by the moon's reflection in the pond and float to the surface, blowing bubbles.

With a flick of its tail, the clear waves rippled, and the jade plate on the water's surface was shattered into several pieces, but it soon returned to its original state.

The only thing in this world that can mend a broken mirror is a water mirror.

After admiring the scenery for a while, Zhang Wuxun glanced at the time and then pressed a number he already knew by heart.

(End of this chapter)