This matter is now resolved.
Lynn stopped looking at the news articles praising him and Yasuo on the screen.
Those were just pre-written performances, not worth a second glance.
His gaze fell on an obituary that Motoko Kusanagi had just printed out on his desk.
Howard Stark.
Maria Stark.
The two names, printed on the pristine white paper, resemble two scars etched on the pages of history.
How are the funeral preparations going?
Everything is ready.
Motoko Kusanagi answered.
"As you instructed, we did not utilize any Stark Industries resources; all arrangements were made through Vought channels, and we also received assistance from our friends in security and media control."
Lynn nodded.
He stood up and changed into a simple, well-tailored, pure black cashmere coat that he had prepared beforehand.
He is now an ordinary person who is about to go to pay respects to his deceased friend.
Long Island, Stark Manor.
The mansion, once a haven for ingenious ideas and parties, now resembles a tomb covered in ice and snow.
The underground workshop was a complete mess.
A figure was huddled under the workbench.
It was Tony Stark, his bow tie pulled askew to one side.
Tony didn't cry.
Those eyes, which should have inherited all of Howard's wisdom and pride, now held only a bewilderment and emptiness beyond their years.
He was holding a circuit board in his hand, with several crookedly soldered parts on it.
It was a toy he had tried to repair yesterday, but now he didn't even have the strength to plug it in.
Overnight, my father and mother became a black-and-white photograph in a newspaper and two boxes buried in the mud.
He doesn't understand.
Why?
Why did that clever man run into a tree?
Why would a man who could analyze the universe at the atomic level die in such an "ordinary" car accident?
The whole world, from the police to the media, was telling him it was an accident.
But deep inside him, a voice was screaming wildly.
--lie!
Footsteps coming from the stairs interrupted Tony's thoughts.
He watched the entrance warily.
Lynn appeared at the basement doorway.
He did not bring any attendants.
He stood there quietly, all by himself, as if he were just an elder who happened to be passing by.
His gaze swept across the messy studio, finally settling on a pair of wary eyes hiding in the Shadow.
Lynn did not walk over, nor did he speak to him from a superior position.
He simply found a chair, sat down, picked up a half-finished machine glove from the workbench, and examined it carefully.
"An interesting structure."
Lynn's voice was very gentle.
"The energy conduction path design is very bold. If you can solve the heat dissipation problem at this node, its power can be increased by at least 30%."
He pointed to an inconspicuous weld point on the glove.
Tony was stunned.
In the past few days, everyone who came to comfort him said nothing but empty words like "please accept my condolences," "be strong," and "your father will be proud of you."
The way they looked at him was filled with cheap pity.
He was the first and only person to discuss technology with him.
I've known your father for almost fifty years.
Lynn put down her gloves and looked at Tony.
There was no pity in their eyes, only an equal gaze between adults.
"He's a jerk, arrogant, paranoid, and sometimes so mean you just want to punch him."
Tony's body tensed up.
"But he's also an absolute genius."
"He can see a world others cannot, and he can do things others cannot. And you, you inherited his talent, and even... surpassed him."
Lynn stood up and walked to the workbench.
He took off the pure black cashmere coat and gently covered Tony, who was curled up.
I promised him.
"I promised him that the Stark family's honor would not be broken."
" Tony, I'm not here to comfort you. Cowards are the ones who need comforting."
"I'm here to tell you that from today onwards, I am your guardian."
"Before you officially take over the company, I will shield you from all external storms and deal with all the wolves that covet Stark Industries. You only need to do one thing."
Lynn crouched down, her gaze level with Tony's in the Shadow.
"Grow up."
"Then, take back everything that belongs to you with your own hands."
Tony Stark doesn't want sympathy or pity.
What he wanted was an answer, a goal.
Lynn gave it to him.
Even now, Lynn Morris is no longer the aloof CEO of Vought in his eyes, but has truly become a "godfather" who understands him and whom he can rely on.
A person who held up the sky for him when his world collapsed.
Over the next few days, Lynn, in his dual capacity as " Howard Stark's best friend" and " Tony Stark's godfather," took full control of Stark Industries during its transition period.
He did not make any personnel changes, nor did he attempt to get involved in any core technologies.
He simply used the toughest measures to stabilize the volatile stock price.
Lynn, acting as the regulator, convened a closed-door meeting attended only by board members.
No one knew the contents of the meeting, only that the company veterans, who had originally harbored ulterior motives and were preparing to stage a "pack of wolves" scenario, were all ashen-faced and silent after the meeting.
He averted an impending Civil War the company.
He organized a grand yet solemn funeral for the Howard.
The world's media witnessed that scene.
Lynn Morris, the iron-fisted leader of the Vought International, stood silently behind the thin boy like a mountain, shielding him from all the Flash and prying eyes with his own figure.
His image has been imbued with a series of words completely unrelated to business, such as "loyalty," "protection," and "compassion."
Vought not only sells security, but also "morality".
Dusk after the funeral.
Stark Manor.
Lynn prepared to leave.
He had arranged everything for Tony, including the best nanny and the most reliable team of bodyguards.
He walked to the door, about to get into the car.
"Uncle Lynn."
A voice came from behind him.
It's Tony.
He changed out of his black clothes and into a plain hoodie, standing on the steps by the door.
The setting sun cast a long shadow of him.
"Thank you."
Tony said this was the first time in several days that he had thanked Lynn on his own initiative.
"It's what I should do."
Lynn turned around, a gentle smile on her face.
"I've read the police accident report."
His eyes held a light that was beyond his years.
"They said the braking system failed before the impact."
"But my father just installed his newly invented electromagnetic braking system on that car a week ago. He says that system will never fail."
Tony stared intently at Lynn and asked, word by word.
"You say you understand him, then tell me, would someone who can control even atoms make such a basic mistake?"