The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1065

It took some time for Ves to divest himself of the clingy little brats. Some of their parents came to shoo them away, giving Ves a path to continue up to the main building.

Once he stepped inside, he rid himself of his visor and beret and greeted Ovrin Larkinson, the Fifth Elder of the Larkinson Family.

"It seems that the stories we’ve heard in the media have a kernel of truth. You have a different air about you, Ves." Ovrin calmly said with his wheezing voice.

Ves recognized the same vibe from Ovrin that he got from other military veterans. "I’m one of you now."

Ovrin shook his head. "You’ve always been one of us, Ves. Whether you’ve served in one of the wars or not, you will always be a Larkinson to the rest of the family."

Yeah right. Ves knew very well that the Larkinsons exerted a lot of pressure on the younger generation to serve in the military. Those who didn’t volunteer would be left out of the most important circles of the family and plainly received less attention when it came to the allocation of money and benefits.

In any case, Ves was undeniably among the Larkinsons who did their time. Both his awards and his changed demeanor amply proved that he didn’t spend his entire time in service holing up in some quiet research base far away from the frontline.

Admittedly, he did spend half a year in relative safety, but it wasn’t as if Ves could mention anything related to Flashlight.

He changed the topic. "Is grandpa Benjamin available?"

"Benjamin will be back in the evening. He’s been held up at the Ministry of Defense recently due to the recent demobilization efforts. You’ve come at a quiet time, Ves. Many Larkinsons are still on their tours of duty. Therefore, don’t expect to meet many family members during your stay."

"I understand. I only came to have a talk with my grandfather before I go back to Cloudy Curtain."

He spent the rest of the afternoon in the Larkinson Compound sitting with the aunts and uncles at the front courtyard. He felt as if he became an old man as his family members leisurely gossiped and talked about all kinds of trivial topics.

Surprisingly, they didn’t express much curiosity about Ves at all. To the old dogs, Ves had earned the right to sit among them, that was all. Everyone had their own war stories, but it was up to them to take the initiative to tell them to each other.

Not everyone wanted to tell their war stories. Some of them didn’t want to relive those moments. Ves had the feeling that many of them just didn’t want to brag or attract any special attention.

As for a small number of Larkinsons like himself, the classified nature of their missions prevented them from disseminating any details about their most important experiences.

The other Larkinsons could tell that Ves was under this restriction, and they suitably took note of that in their subsequent behavior.

It felt good to Ves to be among family. While he wasn’t particularly close to any of them, their shared blood gave them a strong bond that tied them all together in a way that nothing else could.

This was true kinship!

The Larkinsons at the compound didn’t do much besides keeping each other company. Yet, they nonetheless helped each other heal and find peace in this tranquil environment due to their mutual understanding.

Time flew by and before he knew it, Benjamin Larkinson returned from the Ministry of Defense. He immediately called up Ves once he heard that his grandson arrived at the compound.

Inside Benjamin’s main office inside the compound, the first thing his grandfather did was to hug his grandson. "Ves! I’m very glad to see you whole and healthy! When I heard that you’ve almost died to an assassination attempt, I was almost ready to turn MinDef upside down!"

Ves was touched by his grandfather’s concern. "It was just a flesh wound."

They both laughed at that joke.

"I’m glad you haven’t lost your sense of levity. That’s a good sign."

After they finished hugging, they took their seats and began to discuss some business.

Benjamin Larkinson started with the elephant in the room. "Lately, the Larkinson Estate has received an increasing amount of scrutiny. After some investigation, I’ve learned that we have attracted the attention of some very powerful political influences. When we followed up on that, we learned that their recent actions are somehow tied to you, Ves. What have you been doing lately?"

"I can’t say much, grandfather, but I’ve done some favors for the Tovar Family and they have given me some favors in return. At some point, I’ve fallen into their camp."

Grandpa Benjamin adopted a grave expression. "That’s dangerous. Very dangerous. I never explained to you about the dangers of associating yourself with the founding families. I didn’t think you would get in touch with the apex influences of the Bright Republic so soon."

Ves shrugged. "It’s already done. It’s hard to get rid of their clutches once they saw value in me. Do you think I can say no to someone like Senator Tovar? Also, I’ve learnt that a growing company like the LMC will eventually have to depend on political backing in order to avoid being taken advantage of by the government. For better or worse, I’m aligned with the Tovars now."

"Thereby dragging the rest of the family with you into their camp."