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

Chapter 245 Not Uncle Three
After the meal, the group rested around the small fire.

Wu Xiaoxie looked at Chen Wenjin, hesitant to speak. He had too many questions in his mind. Although he was full of doubts, when it came to actually asking, he was at a loss for words and didn't know where to start.

"It's alright," Chen Wenjin said with a smile. "Ask whatever you want."

Wu Xiaoxie sorted through the questions in his mind before speaking, "I have a lot of questions."

Chen Wenjin's tone was very gentle, "It's okay, you can ask them one by one. I expected this to happen today."

Wu Xiaoxie picked up the water pouch and took a few big gulps of water, then cleared his throat. "Okay, let's go by the time."

Chen Wenjin nodded with a smile, indicating that there was no problem.

Wu Xiaoxie took a deep breath and asked the question that had lingered in his mind for the longest time, "Can you tell me what exactly happened in the underwater tomb in the Xisha Islands back then?"

Chen Wenjin pondered for a few seconds and said, "This question is a bit broad. Too many things happened in the Xisha Islands back then. Which one are you referring to specifically?"

Wu Xiaoxie asked, "What happened after you disappeared in the ancient tomb?"

Chen Wenjin was somewhat surprised, and somewhat taken aback that he would ask this question in the first place. After thinking for a moment, he still replied, "It seems that you do know quite a lot. This matter is difficult to explain in a short time. Tell me what you know first, and I will add more as needed."

Wu Xiaoxie then roughly recounted what he had heard from his third uncle, what Xiao Ge said when he regained his memory in front of the Dinghai Stone Monkey, and some of his own guesses and understandings.

“My third uncle said he didn’t go into that mechanism with you, so he has no idea what happened afterward. He’s been trying to find you ever since,” Wu Xiaoxie said. “After receiving the videotape, he analyzed the clues left by the archaeological team from it and immediately came to Tamutuo to look for you.”

After listening to his retelling, Chen Wenjin remained silent for a long time, her expression looking somewhat strange.

She didn't directly point out the problem in Wu Xiaoxie's words. Instead, she glanced at Xiao Ge and saw that he had no reaction. Then, as if she had made up her mind, she took out a notebook carefully wrapped in oil paper from her empty backpack.

Peeling off the moisture-proof oil paper, holding the notebook, Chen Wenjin stared intently at Wu Xiaoxie and solemnly said, "What I'm about to say might be hard for you to accept. I originally planned to save this for last, but after thinking about it, I felt it was better for you to know the truth sooner, even though it might be a little cruel for you."

Wu Xiaoxie was taken aback by the seriousness in her tone, and his heart suddenly started pounding wildly, as if Chen Wenjin was about to tell him a shocking secret.

Taking a deep breath, Wu Xiaoxie closed his eyes and steadied his thoughts. "I'm ready."

“Okay.” Chen Wenjin nodded, opened the notebook, took out an old, yellowed photo, and handed it to Wu Xiaoxie.

Wu Xiaoxie took a look and realized that this was the photo his third uncle had taken at the dock when he went to sea with the archaeological team years ago.

He knew this photo all too well; he could point out the positions of everyone in it even with his eyes closed.

"I've already seen this photo." Wu Xiaoxie returned the photo, somewhat puzzled. "Is there something wrong with it?"

Chen Wenjin nodded. "All the secrets are in this photo."

She handed the photo back to Wu Xiaoxie, saying, "Point out which people in this photo you recognize."

Although Wu Xiaoxie was puzzled, he still read out the names of several people he knew, one by one, matching the names he later found out that could be matched with the real names.

Chen Wenjin didn't react when the others pointed him out, but when Wu Xiaoxie pointed at Wu Sansheng, her expression changed instantly, and she stared at him intently. "Why do you think this person is your third uncle?" she asked.

Wu Xiaoxie was stunned for a moment, somewhat confused, but still said with certainty, "He is my third uncle. I have seen black and white photos of him when he was young, and he looks very similar to the one in this picture. Although they are old and somewhat distorted, I would never mistake him for someone else."

Chen Wenjin shook her head. "It's not just photos that can make people look alike. Two people who are related by blood can also look very similar."

"What do you mean?" Wu Xiaoxie was a little stunned. "You mean, the third uncle in this photo isn't actually my third uncle?"

Chen Wenjin sighed and nodded.

"Then who is he?" Wu Xiaoxie frowned, the fragments of memory in his mind piecing together a complete, familiar yet unfamiliar face. His heart sank, and he said in disbelief, "Could he be...? Impossible, this is impossible. How could he be Xie Lianhuan? He has watched me grow up. There is no way he could have been switched with someone else!"

Wu Xiaoxie could not suppress the fear in his heart; once this absurd thought arose, it could no longer be suppressed.

Wu Xiaoxie was trembling uncontrollably, his lips quivering so badly that he kept muttering "Impossible".

Good heavens, he simply couldn't believe it. If his third uncle was really Xie Lianhuan in disguise, then where was the real third uncle?
Wu Xiaoxie looked terrified and jumped up from the ground. "No, I have to find him and find out who is lying to me."

Based solely on Chen Wenjin's one-sided account, even if you beat him to death, he would never believe that a living, breathing person, whose wrinkles he could count on his face, could one day turn out to be fake.

It's as if you're living in a man-made world where everyone is just putting on an act, and the whole world, everything, is a complete hoax.

Seeing that Wu Xiaoxie was about to reach the well, Zhang Wuxun quickly pulled him back. "Calm down first, listen to what Chen Wenjin has to say, and analyze it yourself. If you really can't figure it out, I'll go with you to find your third uncle."

Wu Xiaoxie struggled a few times, but Zhang Wuxun's hands were like iron rings, holding him tightly, and he was dragged back to his original spot in a few moves.

Fatty also grabbed Wu Xiaoxie's foot, using all his strength as if dealing with a mentally unstable person. He hesitated for a moment when he tried to cover Wu's mouth, worried that Wu Xiaoxie might suddenly open his mouth and bite someone.

After a sudden shock and grief, Wu Xiaoxie broke out in a cold sweat, and his limbs suddenly went limp, leaving him unable to muster any strength.

He took a few deep breaths, suppressing his anger, but his face was still frighteningly pale.

Seeing that he had calmed down, Zhang Wuxun quickly poured him some water, patted his back, and helped him catch his breath.

Chen Wenjin looked at him with concern, but was afraid of saying something that might upset him, so she hesitated and didn't dare to go forward.

Wu Xiaoxie closed his eyes tightly, and when he opened them again, his eyes were filled with a cold calm.

"Then where is my third uncle? My real third uncle," he asked.

Chen Wenjin stood the photo up and pointed to the front of it.

Wu Xiaoxie instantly understood what she meant.

(End of this chapter)