Darkstone Code

Happy times are always short-lived, and during dinner in the evening, Catherine was noticeably a bit down.

"Are you going back after dinner?" Catherine looked at Rilinchi, "Not staying a few more days?"

While Lynch was cutting his food with knife and fork, he shook his head, "No, I have a ticket for tonight, heading to Bentley."

Bentley will begin a seven-day Fashion Week in three days, during which trendsetters from the entire Federation and even pioneer fashionistas from neighboring countries will gather in Bentley to showcase their styles.

This is a significant event in the fashion world, and various organizers will naturally invite social elites to attend. For these social elites, frequently appearing in the media and in public helps maintain their image and comes with benefits, making it a win-win scenario.

Lynch also received some invitations from the organizers. The book "Lynch's Adventure," based on his real experiences, is currently a bestseller, coupled with the film adaptation that's in full swing, and his position as the second-largest shareholder of Fox Film Corporation, all meaning he's a figure in this circle.

He declined many invitations, but he couldn't refuse Severa's. That girl had helped him several times, and this was her first time inviting him to accompany her, so he couldn't reject her.

Girls like Severa, with her family and social background, definitely wouldn't miss such a fashion event. She needed a male companion to compliment her, just like Lynch sometimes needed a female companion.

In the current Federation society, there are indeed few peers as outstanding as Lynch. Perhaps some people, relying on unmatched family backgrounds, can perform on par with Lynch, but to surpass him significantly, it's not just family background that suffices.

Catherine's eyes lit up when she heard Bentley, but the sparkle quickly vanished, "It's a pity I still have classes!"

In a way, studying is similar to most skills: as soon as you relax for a while, much of it gradually becomes forgotten and shelved.

In two years of daily monotonous work and life, the girl had actually forgotten a lot of knowledge she had already mastered. She needed to work harder than others to keep up with her studies, which was her only asset now.

She really wanted to go, but she also knew that in seven days, she would miss at least twelve major classes and lose a lot of self-study time.

Wasting seven days would require her to spend much more time to catch up, and it wasn't a worthwhile exchange. Bentley wasn't going anywhere, and Fashion Week happened every year; she could wait.

"Hope you enjoy yourself!" The girl cleverly avoided asking Lynch if he had a female companion. Asking such a question would have been awkward and altered the atmosphere.

Lynch nodded slightly, accepting the girl's good wishes, "If there's something suitable for you, I'll have someone bring it back for you."

After dinner, Lynch drove the girl to her apartment. Lynch bought an apartment for Catherine near the school.

An apartment doesn't necessarily mean cheap, messy, or dirty. Most apartments in each city indeed have these problems, but many are completely different from some people's impressions.

In fact, Lynch owned a standalone house in Curilan and initially thought of letting Catherine live there, but considering that she was just one person, and a young girl at that, living alone in such a setting could tempt some people towards the abyss of crime.

Ultimately, he decided to buy Catherine a high-end apartment with strict management, where only the social elite lived in the entire building.

The State University was roughly three blocks away from Curilan City's commercial center. The speed of development was just too fast; not only had the universities at the city's periphery unconsciously become part of the city, but the commercial center also began to shift.

A base rent of seventy-five dollars per month, plus other expenses, would bring the total to between ninety-five and one hundred twenty-five dollars. During such times, being able to afford this rent meant standing at the forefront of society.

Through Hart's connections, Lynch contacted the apartment's operator and purchased one of the units for $175,000.

Living here, Catherine didn't need to pay additional fees, only her monthly electricity, water, and garbage collection bills. The "salary" Lynch gave her was enough to support her living independently here.

Upon entering the apartment, two security guards in the first-floor duty room quickly stood up upon seeing Lynch. They had seen Lynch before, not just in recent newspapers and on TV, but he had visited previously with their big boss; he's a big figure.

Lynch greeted the two with a kindly smile and even chatted briefly about the recent stability and slight hints of recovery in society while waiting for the elevator. Overall, his conduct had no connection with the term "big figure," creating a refreshing atmosphere.

About half an hour later, Lynch emerged from the elevator, and the two guards, who had been grinning at the TV, stood up nervously again. Lynch continued to smile, held his hand up slightly, indicating that they needn't trouble themselves.

Just as he was about to cross the first floor of the apartment, one of the guards called out, "Mr. Lynch..."

Lynch's steps paused, and he turned to look at the two guards behind the duty room's wire mesh, "Is there something you need?"

His tone wasn't aggressive at all, very patient. Sometimes, when big figures presented an ordinary self, it would astonish people.

But similarly, when little figures displayed their true selves, it would make people feel something special.

Money, it's truly a magical thing!

"Yes, Mr. Lynch, your neck..." a security guard touched his own chin. Lynch paused for a moment, then pulled out a white silk handkerchief and wiped his chin, leaving some light red marks.

He might have overlooked this while tidying up his attire. As he wiped, he thanked the security guard, finally raising his neck slightly, "Is there any more?"

"No, Mr. Lynch..."

The security guard apparently hadn't finished speaking, and Lynch didn't leave. These guards seemed like mere small figures of society, but in some sudden incidents, these small figures could also determine the fate of big figures.

Lynch patiently waited for him to finish speaking.

About seven or eight seconds after the security guard said this, the slightly older guard scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, "My daughter is a fan of yours, she really likes that adventure book of yours, I was wondering..."

"Of course, why not?" Lynch walked to the window, and the guard excitedly handed over a notebook and a pen.

Lynch looked at him, smiling, "What do we call our little princess?"

"Helen, Mr. Lynch, her name is Helen!" The guard was still having a hard time believing that such a big figure would stop to listen to his request and fulfill one of his wishes. It was truly incredible.

Lynch quickly wrote a line in the notebook, "To our beautiful Princess Helen, may happiness always be by your side—Lynch." After writing it, he handed the notebook back, "Anything else?"

"No, no, thank you so much, Mr. Lynch, this is so surprising!" The guard was very excited; he could imagine his daughter's delight upon receiving this autograph, one of the few ways to find joy in life.

After nodding a slight farewell, Lynch left the two guards who did not sit down until Lynch's car fully disappeared within the doorframe. Only then did they sit down with sighs.

"That's why some people can succeed, while others..." the security guard cautiously cut out the paper with Lynch's blessing and signature and kept it close to him.

He initially just wanted an autograph, but Lynch unexpectedly added a blessing, which made him very touched.

Of course, this guard didn't know that, on the one hand, Lynch wouldn't be stingy with such cost-free kindness, and on the other hand, only having a signature without a blessing could easily lead to the misuse of that signature.

In history, similar things have happened, a carefully crafted scam triggered a series of lawsuits just because of a small signature.

So to avoid these potential problems, and also to bless that unseen lovely girl, Lynch included a long blessing.

At this moment, on the seventh floor of the apartment, Catherine leaned on the windowsill watching Lynch's car disappear into the traffic. She withdrew her gaze and turned to walk towards the bathroom, stretching lazily.

Although there was some discouragement, there was more motivation; she must catch up with him, just like before!

That night, Lynch boarded a southbound train to Bentley, where another girl was waiting for him.

While on the train, Lynch gazed out at the sparsely starry night, his brain went blank for a moment, thinking nothing at all, completely vacant...

At this time in Bupen, there was also someone who dearly wished to empty their mind like Lynch, but evidently, he couldn't.

"...Alright, I can assure you, this has nothing to do with you...I'll pay attention to how I work...Goodbye!"

Mr. Truman sighed after hanging up. In the morning, after Lynch got what he wanted, he directly mobilized the Security Committee to investigate the three foundations mentioned by Lynch.

Less than twelve hours from when he issued the order, more than twenty core members of lobbying groups and some well-known individual brokers had already called him.

He had stirred a hornet's nest, and he knew full well that this was just the beginning; the real big figures hadn't stepped in yet.

Within less than a minute after he hung up the phone, it rang again, and as he reached to answer it, he inadvertently saw a name on a document on his desk—"Healthy Federal People Foundation."

The name seemed to be mocking him...

Damn!