Lynn naturally knew about the White Armor Iron Man.
In the Axis of Evil storyline, Tony Stark became the White Armor Iron Man and turned into a villain. Even Sam, who succeeded Steve Rogers as Captain America, became a tyrannical dictator.
And Loki turned into a loyal little puppy devoted to his brother.
It was an undeniably classic arc.
"In the vision.. um.. that White Armor Iron Man you saw, what was he doing?"
At Lynn's question, Natasha crossed her legs and replied, "I saw the end of superheroes. I saw him destroy a planet with a flick of his hand. Even just a glance from him made a planet explode."
"What?"
Lynn froze for a moment, then shook his head.
Destroy a planet with a flick of his hand? Blow up a planet with a glance?
That was definitely beyond anything the White Armor Iron Man from Axis of Evil could do. This wasn't that storyline at all.
What kind of power would Tony Stark have in the future to reach that level?
After thinking for a few seconds, Lynn continued, "Then what did you mean by me standing with someone who died more than twenty years ago?"
"Exactly what it sounds like."
Watching him, Natasha lifted her hand and lightly tapped the watch on her wrist.
A moment later, a bright blue holographic projection appeared, displaying the image of an elderly man.
"When I first saw this scene, I checked the database, but nothing came up. So I sketched him out and searched again—and found out he was Howard Stark."
"Howard Stark?"
Lynn was genuinely surprised.
"Exactly. Howard Stark—Tony Stark's father. One of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s founders. Died in 1991."
Natasha's words completely threw Lynn off balance.
Tony Stark blowing up planets with a single glance—and Lynn walking side by side with a man who'd been dead for over twenty years?
How chaotic was that future supposed to be?
Seeing him fall silent in thought, Natasha didn't rush him. She simply crossed her legs and sipped her red wine.
When Lynn finally came back to himself, Natasha shrugged. "That's all you need to know. As for the rest—well, you're a necromancer with magic. I'm sure you'll eventually figure it out."
"Ha! Who cares!"
Lynn stood, slipped on his trench coat, and spread his hands. "That's future business. Why stress about it now?"
Seeing Lynn getting ready to leave, Natasha stood as well. "I'm flying the Quinjet back to New York today. Want a ride?"
"No thanks, I already booked a flight."
Lynn pulled the ticket from his pocket and waved it at her.
"Alright then. See you in New York."
She nodded, then left the hotel and drove off.
At the airport, after checking in and boarding, Lynn leaned against the window once the plane took off, staring at the endless sea of clouds.
But his mind kept replaying the two scenes Natasha described.
Was it possible that Howard Stark and his wife weren't actually dead?
If they were alive, where had they been hiding all these years?
And why hadn't they appeared even when Tony was on the verge of death in the desert?
And another thing—why had Tony become that strong?
Lynn knew this wasn't the main Marvel universe. George Stacy existed here. Spider-Woman Gwen existed here. Peter was a normal kid. Plus, he himself, a fucking transmigrator necromancer detective, existed here.
But aside from those differences, everything else seemed largely in line with the original universe.
That was why Lynn had been treating life like it was just a game.
But now, it was clear the future wasn't going to follow the path he expected. Maybe his plans and mindset needed to change too.
Lynn closed his eyes, pulled down his eye mask, thought for a long while—and finally chose sleep.
If he couldn't figure it out, then he wouldn't think about it.
People should live a little more casually, after all.
...
Three days later, New York.
"Don't tell me you still haven't found the real culprit after all this time."
Seeing George Stacy looking so troubled, Lynn let out a playful chuckle.
"It's not about the culprit—it's about you."
George sighed and rubbed his forehead. "A fully armed team launched a surprise attack on you in the middle of the city. Even the Director personally intervened, and we still couldn't identify the attackers. Do you know what that means?"
"What does it mean?"
"It means that team either belongs to a top-secret unit operating at the highest clearance level… or they're part of an organization we have no authority to question."
"In either case, Lynn.. your trouble is huge."
Looking at Lynn with a serious expression, George said, "What if there are more attacks aimed at you?"
"Don't worry. It's already handled."
Seeing George's concern, Lynn smiled lightly. "Why else do you think I went to Europe?"
George studied him for a moment. Lynn didn't look like he was lying, and that eased him a bit.
He was just about to say something else when Lynn's phone rang.
Lynn answered, and Tony Stark's anxious voice exploded through the speaker. "L-Lynn, do you still have that sobering potion of yours?!!"
"I want to buy it—five hundred thousand dollars a bottle! J-Just say yes."
Tony's breathing was fast and uneven; his voice even trembled slightly.
Lynn instantly realized—his anxiety disorder was flaring up again.
"Of course. I'll bring it to you right away."
After hearing the number five hundred thousand, Lynn hung up and turned to George. "My vacation isn't over yet, so I'll head out first."
"Let the Director know he doesn't need to keep digging into this matter. It might put him in danger."
"Alright."
George nodded as Lynn walked away, then immediately dialed a number.
When the call connected, he spoke quietly: "Hey… did you manage to find anything on what I asked you?"
Inside Los Angeles City Hall,
The Deputy Mayor leaned back in his chair and sighed. "George, you know I've got your back—we've been classmates for decades—but this time… I hit a wall. The identities of those people are extremely mysterious."
"So nothing.. huh.."
"Sigh.. The moment I tried digging deeper, I received a warning."
"..."
"George, we've been friends for decades. If you want to become Director of the NYPD's Manhattan branch, all of us old classmates can help you—we're fraternity brothers, after all. But my advice? Don't keep investigating this. It's beyond what we can handle."
Hearing that, George sighed. "Alright… I'll think of something else."
Seeing that George was still reluctant to drop the matter, the Deputy Mayor frowned. "You hold this young man Lynn in very high regard?"
"Of course. If he weren't such a flirt, I'd even want my daughter Gwen to date him. You know what I mean."
_______
(づ￣ 3￣)づ
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