Chapter 170: I’m Your Dad

Chapter 170: Chapter 170: I’m Your Dad

Lu Zhengchuan saluted. "Thank you, sir."

Lu Zhengchuan was also quite pleased; he had never expected to one day really be able to contact his father.

As Chief Zhang and the others breathed a sigh of relief, the smiles on their faces grew more sincere. After all, the nation had invested heavily in an officer like Lu Zhengchuan—a man who had seen the battlefield and successfully commanded the war in the south.

The last thing the state wanted was a betrayal.

It was no wonder they were tense from the start. Far too many people in the country yearned for life abroad.

They were considered lucky if even half of the government-sponsored students who went abroad each year chose to return.

The world outside was developing so quickly, and the gap with their own country was immense. If one could live a good life abroad, why come back to suffer—to a place where you needed coupons just to buy things, and even then, you couldn’t always get them.

Cars were a rare sight in their country, while abroad, they filled the streets. It was hard not to worry that upon hearing this news, Lu Zhengchuan would unhesitatingly take his whole family and leave the country.

Although, by rights, military personnel were not allowed to go abroad unless they were discharged from service.

But Lu Zhengchuan had just fought in the southern war; at least until the conflict was officially over, he couldn’t leave the country even if he were discharged.

The fear was that if they stopped Lu Zhengchuan from leaving the country, it would anger Lu Tingyan, prompting him to turn against his homeland.

Of course, the best-case scenario was that Lu Tingyan was still the patriotic undercover comrade he was meant to be. But... there had been cases before of agents who, after enduring great hardship to rise to a position of power, became unwilling to part with their wealth and status. Their patriotic resolve would be eroded, and they would set off down a path of no return.

"Xiao Lu, we’ll need you to contact your father," Chief Zhang said with a nod.

Lu Zhengchuan hadn’t expected to be contacting his father so soon.

International calls weren’t easy to make; without the military’s resources, it was impossible for an ordinary person to place one.

"Yes, sir!" Lu Zhengchuan saluted.

The door to the adjacent room opened, and Lu Zhengchuan walked in. Inside were a few soldiers ready to log the call, as well as a single telephone.

Beside him, Xiao Zhang held a notebook, consulting it as he dialed a number.

The call was relayed through a series of switchboards. After an indeterminable amount of time, an unfamiliar, middle-aged man’s voice sounded from the other end.

"Hello, this is Lu Zhengchuan."

Lu Zhengchuan hesitated for only a moment before stating his name.

The voice on the other end instantly became hearty. "Zheng Chuan? It’s me, your dad."

Lu Zhengchuan’s expression was a little strange. ’No matter how he’d braced himself, he never imagined his father would have this sort of personality.’

"...Dad? I’ve never met you, so I can’t be certain that we’re actually father and son," Lu Zhengchuan replied candidly.

Hearing this, Lu Tingyan chuckled. "Don’t worry. I’ve seen photos of you, my daughter-in-law, and my grandson and granddaughter. That face of yours is the spitting image of me and Qingqing combined. There’s absolutely no mistaking it."

"But don’t you have amnesia?" Lu Zhengchuan couldn’t help but ask.

The faint melancholy he had been feeling was shattered by his father’s cheerful tone.

"I did. The memories only started coming back three months ago. To be precise, they haven’t fully returned; I can only recall certain images. I definitely wouldn’t recognize you, since you weren’t even born when I had my ’accident’."

Lu Tingyan was so honest that Lu Zhengchuan was at a loss for words.

"So you’re sure just because we look alike?"

Lu Tingyan nodded. "That’s right. I’m disfigured now, but you inherited my looks. I’d remember what I looked like before the disfigurement even on my deathbed. After all, who wants to turn into a monster?"

"...Disfigured! Is that why you’ve always worn a mask?" Lu Zhengchuan was shocked, but at the same time, he felt like everything was suddenly falling into place.

’If he were trying to hide his identity, a mask wouldn’t have been enough. The truly powerful could always have found out what he looked like if they really wanted to.’

’But if he was disfigured—and he did seem to care a great deal about his appearance—then wearing a mask all the time was perfectly understandable.’

"...You’ve been through a lot." For a moment, Lu Zhengchuan didn’t know what to say. He didn’t have to imagine the hardships Lu Tingyan must have endured over the years. ’Who disfigured him? What kind of torment did he suffer to reach his current position? Being an undercover agent is never that easy.’

"It’s not a huge deal. Conditions have improved over the past two years, and the surgery was fairly successful. If I hadn’t just recovered my memories, I wouldn’t even know my own origins."

Lu Tingyan sighed. "No, son, you’re the one who has suffered. For more than twenty years, I was never by your side. The fact that you still grew up so healthy... I have your uncle’s family to thank for that."

"And you, too. Joining the army at such a young age—you’ve had it rough."

Lu Zhengchuan was long past the age of needing his parents’ affection. Though he was happy to have news of his father, he felt no sense of dependency.

It simply felt as if he had gained one more relative.

"That’s all in the past. My life is very good now. I have superiors in the country who support my advancement, no one makes things difficult for me, and now my wife and children are by my side. I’m quite happy," Lu Zhengchuan said honestly.

He was more content now than ever before.

"I can’t come back just yet, but the gifts I prepared for my daughter-in-law and grandchildren are already on their way. Pick them up when they arrive, and don’t neglect your wife and kids."

Lu Tingyan finished with a cheerful laugh, then asked him, "What gift do you want? Anything your dad can give you, I’ll give it to you."

As soon as Lu Tingyan said this, the other soldiers in the room instinctively looked toward Lu Zhengchuan.

Even Lu Zhengchuan was taken aback for a moment. He could actually hear the longing for kinship in Lu Tingyan’s voice.

Even for the sake of completing the military’s mission, Lu Zhengchuan couldn’t bring himself to do something that violated his conscience.

He thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps you’ve found the wrong person, and I’m not your son. But if I am, my only wish is to continue my development in the military and remain by my wife and children’s side. There’s nothing else I want."

"...All right. I understand."

Lu Tingyan replied after a moment of contemplation, "Put your superior on the phone."

The leaders in the office weren’t surprised by this request. After all, if Lu Tingyan were some naive and easily manipulated man, he never could have achieved his current position.

"Xiao Lu, you can stay and listen. We hold national heroes in high esteem."

Lu Zhengchuan nodded. He knew his superiors were hoping to awaken his father’s patriotism, and he had no objection to that. After all, he was a patriot himself.

The call was hung up, then redialed and put on speakerphone.

Lu Tingyan said, "Chief Zhang, when can I return to the country? You all need to figure out a way, and quickly."

That single sentence made all the bigwigs in the conference room let out a massive, collective sigh of relief.

After all, they had never wanted to be at odds with Lu Tingyan. For him to want to return to the country and hand over his power base—this was the very definition of a good comrade to the nation.

"Mr. Lu, you have endured great hardship over these long years."

Chief Zhang assured him, "As for your military merits, we will tally them. We won’t pretend they don’t exist simply because you haven’t been back for twenty years."

"The medals that belong to you will be awarded to you. However, it would be a pity to simply abandon the power base you’ve built. The higher-ups have a preferred suggestion: we can arrange for someone to take over your work. Since your current identity involves wearing a mask, the handover should be quite easy."

Lu Tingyan said with a laugh, "That’s wonderful. Go ahead and arrange for someone to come quickly."