Although the woman cop had said "if," combined with her somewhat evasive gaze, the implication was not much different from a direct statement.
After being taken aback, Leon couldn't help but ask the hesitant woman cop in front of him, "Did you find something when you were going through the list?"
"I did find something... But it's not very certain at the moment, so it's just an if..."
After a silent sigh in her heart, the woman cop took the "Missing Persons List" and the "Lionheart Family Register," pointed to one of the names that was crossed out, and spoke in a low voice with an unpleasant expression,
"This person... has the same name as your maternal grandfather. He was a fairly outstanding mechanic who once competed with the former head of the family for control of the Ryan Armaments Company. But because of his shallow roots, after losing the contest, not only did he lose his position in the company, but he was also driven out by the former head. In the end, his entire family had to leave the Capital City and moved to... Laine County..."
The same name, mechanic, Laine County... It seemed a bit suspicious, but...
"That doesn't necessarily mean I'm part of the Ryan Family, right?" Leon frowned and said after thinking for a moment,
"While Laine County is a small county, it has a resident population of several million, so having someone with the same name..."
"It's not just the same name."
Apparently having had similar suspicions, the woman cop shook her head upon hearing Leon's words and brought out the third book she had prepared.
"Look, this is a photo from a ball at the time. The person on the stage is your maternal grandfather."
"Are you expecting me to recognize people from photos?"
Looking at the spirited yet very unfamiliar middle-aged man on the stage, Leon couldn't help but frown and said, "I have almost no impression of my maternal grandfather because of certain things, so..."
"Even if you don't recognize him, don't you find this person familiar?"
Pointing to someone in the crowd below the stage, the woman cop said helplessly, "That person is your maternal grandmother. Her appearance is just..."
A mature version of Anna indeed!
Looking at the woman in the photo, whose eyebrows and eyes bore a seven-tenths resemblance to his sister except for some details, even Leon felt that this was probably not a coincidence.
After returning to his seat with the three books, Leon, with his brows tightly knit, quickly leafed through the relevant records and also looked for related genealogies.
Subsequently, he was extremely speechless to discover that if all this were true, not only was he part of the Ryan Family, but he seemed to be of quite a high rank. Even the current head of the Ryan Family would have to call him uncle!
Although he was a distant uncle and had no inheritable property, not to mention his inheritance rights to a title were nowhere near the top 30, he was indeed a member of the Ryan Family, and could barely be considered part of the direct lineage.
*My gosh, this is some real dog blood!*
And looking at the ever-increasing doubts in front of him, even though Leon didn't really want to acknowledge the kinship, he had to admit that he was probably part of the Ryan Family.
If there were only one or two suspicious points, it might just be a coincidence, but with so many coincidences piling up, it was hard to argue otherwise. Especially with a maternal grandmother who bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Anna...
*This is... the kinship was just an excuse to investigate the Anomalous Object, but now, the mutton stew wasn't found, and I ended up acknowledging the kinship instead!*
Seeing Leon rubbing his temples incessantly with an unpleasant expression, the woman cop couldn't help but ask again, "What are you going to do?"
"What do you mean, what am I going to do?"
"The investigation of the evidence!"
"These two matters are separate, you just go ahead and investigate."
After dismissing it with a wave of his hand, Leon took out a pen and paper, and while jotting down the relevant records, he remembered Anna's secret.
*I am a traveler, not only do I have no memory of my maternal grandfather, but even most things related to my parents were heard from Anna.*
*But Anna is different from me, although both grandparents died of illness early, by counting the age, Anna should have met them when she was young, maybe she knows about her own lineage.*
*So... is this what Anna was hiding from me?*
*But if it was this, why wouldn't she want me to see the photos? Also, is it really necessary to hide something from me?*
With a stomach full of questions, after finishing copying the records related to his maternal grandfather, Leon folded the paper and carefully kept it close, intending to ask Anna back home.
Then he looked at the woman cop beside him, who seemed like she had more to say, and pushed a piece of paper he had filled out over to her.
"Here, this is a list of those whose rise was strange, and who likely used some unscrupulous means. If you want to investigate the Ryan Family, you can prioritize these people."
Taking the "Suspicious Personnel List," the woman cop couldn't help but clench her fists and spoke with a complex expression upon seeing Leon restored to calm again: "Didn't expect you to really be part of the Ryan Family..."
Raising his hand to make a stopping gesture, Leon said with a serious face, "My Ryan is from Laine County's Ryan, not the Duke of Lionheart's Ryan... At least I have no such intentions, and since my family never mentioned this, it proves they probably have no interest in acknowledging this kinship either."
"So I hope this matter stops here, afterwards you can investigate the Ryan Family however you want, but I have nothing to do with this family."
When he said this, Leon couldn't help but pause slightly. Although the woman cop didn't seem like the talkative type, just to be safe, he took out a note pad.
"Tell you what, let's consider what just happened as confidential content, only known to you and me. If I find out that someone else knows..."
"Don't bother writing the note! I'm not that kind of person!"
Glaring at Leon with dissatisfaction, seeing him acting as if zealously defending against being tied to the Ryan Family, the woman cop inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief. Then with a look of slight respect: "Although the Ryan Family doesn't have a very good reputation, it's still a noble house with over 500 years of history, and your grandfather is of the direct lineage. I thought you would..."
"What you think isn't necessarily true, besides, how do you know I wasn't telling the truth just now and wouldn't turn around and recognize the Ryan Family?"
After cutting off the woman cop, seeing as she didn't conceal the discovery and conducted a secret investigation on him, but came straight out with it, to avoid her getting into trouble again due to rashness, Leon couldn't help but advise,
"You're not a bad person, but you're a bit too impulsive, always making decisions on a whim. For instance, since you know I have interests related to the Ryan Family, why still tell me directly? And before, it was just a misunderstanding, why were you so certain that I must be a rebel?"
"Your judgments are too hasty. When you encounter similar situations in the future, try thinking it over before deciding. Acting so rashly won't do."
"I... I'm not entirely without thought..."
Hearing Leon's assessment of her, being called impetuous and reckless by someone younger, the woman cop's face flushed slightly, and couldn't help but try to salvage her dignity:
"I told you directly because I felt you're not a bad person and unlikely to collude with the Ryan Family! As for why I thought you were a rebel... It was simply because of what the 'Daily News' editor said before, who wouldn't think you're a rebel after hearing that?"