First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 201
Chapter 201: Resemblance
The agent caused quite a commotion on the street.
Seeing that Lian Sheng and the others were unfamiliar with Gelen, he proactively helped them hail a taxi and gave up his seat for them.
Everyone except Lian Sheng was somewhat confused.
After getting in the car, they began studying Cornell's face intently.
Fang Jianchen said: "That guy was so excited, I thought he'd seen the real deal. So exaggerated!"
"Edwin? That famous General Edwin from Gelen? They don't have a second one, do they?" Zhao Zhuoluo turned to look at Cornell. "Cornell resembles him? Are you sure? It's not just their imagination?"
After all, Edwin was a Gelen general who never officially appeared in Alliance textbooks.
But as military academy students, even if he was obscure, they'd at least heard of such a legendary figure.
As for his actual appearance, they weren't particularly interested. Edwin himself disliked having his photo taken - most images on the Alliance star network showed him in military uniform with half his face obscured. There were plenty of distant group shots but few close-ups.
Moreover, Edwin grew a beard in middle age, which became his most distinctive feature in public appearances. But Cornell was just a freshly adult youth with a clean-shaven face.
They weren't at the level of recognizing people by their beards, so they'd never thought Cornell resembled Edwin.
Just as Ji Ban was about to search online for Edwin's photos, the driver glanced in the rearview mirror at Cornell's face and suddenly swerved, nearly hitting the guardrail.
The group was thrown into a pile, exclaiming in alarm: "Whoa—!"
The driver broke out in sweat: "Sorry sorry, my mistake."
Lian Sheng said gloomily: "Am I doomed to encounter reckless drivers my whole life?"
"My god, the resemblance is uncanny! At least seventy percent similar to General Edwin when he was young," the driver said. "Where are you all from? Sir, is this your first time in Gelen?"
Lian Sheng said: "We're exchange students from Lite University. He's a bodyguard I hired in the 14th District."
"Bodyguard? No no no!" The driver said. "Sir, you could be a model - you'd be wildly popular! And it'd be much easier work. Trust me sir, people would adore you."
"Wow—" Ji Ban asked curiously. "How can you be so sure people would like him when you don't even know what kind of person he is?"
The driver laughed: "You're not from Gelen so you wouldn't know - nobody could dislike him. Like that currently trending gentleman in Gelen who's somewhat similar to General Edwin. Though of course, he can't compare to you. Let me see - you're so young too! But General Edwin was only twenty-two when he fought his first revolutionary battle at the port. What a courageous man!"
They'd never witnessed such fervent personal idolization before.
Perhaps because the Alliance had never produced a similar revolutionary hero who single-handedly turned the tide.
Fang Jianchen asked: "Do people here all love General Edwin so much?"
"Of course! Here you can criticize political parties, the government, even deities - call them idiots and their supporters will argue with you. But if you insult General Edwin, they'll throw punches without hesitation," the driver said. "Though he's been gone for years, we grew up hearing his stories. Which part would you like to hear? Haha, I could even tell you all his gossip."
The group said admiringly: "Wow—"
Edwin's achievements for Gelen were indeed monumental. Combined with deliberate ideological propaganda from the government, such admiration wasn't hard to understand.
Lian Sheng asked: "Is it like this everywhere in Gelen?"
"I wouldn't know about everywhere, but at least here in the port, General Edwin is definitely everyone's favorite," the driver said. "Especially the ladies. You have no idea how handsome General Edwin was! A gentleman both handsome and great - perfection! Oh wait, maybe you do know, since you've got someone who looks just like him."
Ji Ban finally found a photo of Edwin in his clean-shaven youth. He enlarged it and compared it side-by-side with Cornell's face.
The group huddled together to study it.
The photo was probably taken when Edwin was around twenty-five.
Cornell was much younger now, but due to his childhood experiences, his facial features were actually more angular and resolute. The emotions in his eyes were also more composed, giving him a precociously mature air.
Did they resemble each other?
The eyes and facial structure were similar, but their facial muscles created fundamental differences.
You could tell them apart at a glance.
Seventy percent similarity was probably accurate.
Even that was quite remarkable. Minor differences could be covered with makeup. A skilled makeup artist might make them indistinguishable.
Not knowing the full story, Zhao Zhuoluo and the others thought of Cornell's experiences in Kafa and couldn't help sighing.
Cheng Ze: "You can really see the resemblance."
Fang Jianchen said: "You were born in the wrong place. Born here, you'd be treated like royalty."
Harry blocked him, saying seriously: "No! Cornell is my friend!"
Fang Jianchen said: "Nobody said he wasn't, or that we'd sell him. Why so tense?"
"Right now he's our bodyguard - technically already temporarily sold," Lian Sheng said. "But staying in Gelen, it'd be hard for him to be an actor. Someone who's never even gone to school probably couldn't even read a script."
The driver kept glancing back through the rearview mirror, still visibly shocked.
"Friend, friend!" Lian Sheng tapped the seatback to remind him. "Stop that, you're making me nervous."
Fang Jianchen: "With this gentleman in the back, shouldn't you focus on driving?"
The driver answered loudly: "Yes sir!"
Then began paying strict attention to the road.
Harry looked unhappy. Watching Cornell, he genuinely worried he might stay here. But thinking carefully, if Cornell remained in Gelen, he'd clearly have a much better life than in the Alliance.
What a depressing truth.
Soon they arrived at the gates of Gelen University of Finance and Economics.
After dropping them off, the driver adamantly refused payment, only asking to take a photo with Cornell.
Cornell seemed awkward about it. Lian Sheng patted his back: "Go on, go on. I'll count the waived fare as part of your salary."
As they finished taking photos, they heard several screams nearby.
Lian Sheng immediately pressed Cornell's hat down over his face, handed him the luggage, and turned away: "Let's go, porter."
Someone was already waiting for them at the school gates. After regrouping, they went together to register. At the academic office, they scanned fingerprints to confirm each person's assigned college and class schedule, after which they were free to arrange their own time.
The student receptionist kept glancing at Cornell. Unable to see his full face, he seemed strange. "Do you need me to show you to the dorms?"
"No need, we're rich kids - we don't do dorms," Lian Sheng smoothed her hair - she hadn't cut it in months and it was now a medium bob. With a careless expression she asked: "Any vacant rentals nearby?"
The student said: "There are some, but prices are steep."
Lian Sheng: "Price is no object - I just worry about quality."
Student: "Then you should check with the agencies by the school gates - they have comprehensive rental listings."
Lian Sheng nodded at him with a smile: "Thanks."
The student waved it off: "No problem. Seniors, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
The group nodded at him.
Playing the role of wealthy exchange students, they immediately rented an expensive apartment near campus.
When Harry heard the monthly rent was over ten thousand, he exclaimed: "Heavens—!"
Outrageously expensive!
Fang Jianchen sighed: "It's nothing really. Barely slumming it in school district housing. Let's endure temporarily and save money."
Harry said: "Slumming? We are the slums!"
Fang Jianchen shook his head, reluctant to shatter his worldview further.
Lian Sheng drew the curtains, signaling everyone to be careful with their movements: "From today on, Cornell stays with me. Harry goes with Ji Ban. Oh, Lin Hui."
Lin Hui was Ji Ban's alias.
"Let me see..." Lian Sheng opened her optical computer. "Banban, what's the major discussion platform here at the port?"
Ji Ban said: "I'm on it!"
He opened a popular social app. Lian Sheng had him search for Edwin. A trending post immediately appeared.
"A youth enduring all manner of indignities in Kafa, solely because he resembles Edwin!"
The agent truly hadn't disappointed - working with lightning efficiency. Clearly a relatively established company here at the port.
The post dramatically described Kafa's former chaos and the pitiable state of child soldiers.
For minor offenses like brawling or theft, regardless of background or age, they received harsh sentences - just an excuse to conscript them cheaply. Meager pay, backbreaking work, brutal training, no protections whatsoever, not even compulsory education. Worst of all was lifelong service. Even after Kafa's dissolution, they remained under Alliance control.
The youth's situation was portrayed as even more tragic - suffering all kinds of oppression, going hungry. Lian Sheng became the villainous oppressor in their narrative.
With enough embellishment, anything could be sensationalized.
In their telling, Kafa became literal hell on earth.
The comments were uniformly horrified.
"I thought this was clickbait - just wanted to see how similar he looked. Instead I read this heartbreaking story!"
"I can't believe such places exist in this world! My god, is this real?"
"How could Kafa exist? Why would Kafa exist?! How could they treat him like this?"
"Kafa doesn't exist anymore. There was internal unrest - seems the military was overthrown and the Alliance took over."
"My god, serves them right!"
"But I'm still furious!"
"Does the Alliance mistreat him because he resembles General Edwin? Please stay! We hope he stays!"
Such unanimous, overwhelming public sentiment.
The group all turned to look at Cornell: "We all pity you now."
Zhao Zhuoluo asked: "Are you planning to make Cornell famous?"
Lian Sheng stroked her chin: "Judging by reactions today, Cornell can't stay low-profile here - it's just a matter of time."
Cornell's face was truly useful, drawing most of the attention. Judging by public opinion, his reasons for staying in Gelen were quite justified. Once his fame grew, nobody would dare act rashly against him either.
For Cornell to meet people or visit places would be far more convenient than for them.
Lian Sheng spun her chair around, clasping her hands with a smile: "Just show you're bound by contract and can't leave me, then you can take me along on your activities. Incidentally, as a newly arrived rich exchange student, I'm very interested in all the fun spots around port. Want to see you? They'll have to come through me."
Cornell's face guaranteed an inseparable connection between him and Gelen.
Thank you!!🫶🏻🫶🏻
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