Darkstone Code

In the evening, Lynch learned that Gap had been released, and then he came to where Vera lived. Vera took the initiative to call him because of the child’s situation.

"He still doesn’t want to come out, and he hasn’t eaten dinner..."

Vera was a bit worried. The little boy had locked himself in the room and hadn’t drunk water, eaten, or responded.

If it weren’t for the security guard sent by Lynch to keep them safe seeing the little boy through the window from outside, Vera would have called the police already.

Even though the child was unharmed, staying locked up like this wasn’t good either, and she could only turn to Lynch for help in the end.

She was strong, but there would always be moments of vulnerability, moments when she needed a man!

"Did Gap say something to him?", Lynch softly asked as he approached the door.

Vera shook her head, "They didn’t say anything, he just ran upstairs and locked himself in the room. I’m very worried."

The little boy had been seeing a psychologist continuously. Gap’s arrest left him with extremely terrifying memories. Added to the community and school’s rejection, he was labeled as "the son of a criminal."

He was bullied at school, and the teachers didn’t seem to be very concerned, much less attentive.

This led to the boy being somewhat introverted and mildly depressed.

Things only got better after they left that environment.

According to the doctor, the boy’s dependency on the family was much greater than that of other children. A complete family and a father who could be a role model were key to healing his psychological issues!

But the problem was he didn’t have a father!

Fortunately, Lynch occasionally played this role. His strength made people respect the little boy as well.

It was believed that everything would pass like this until he grew up, but Gap’s sudden return caused the little boy, who seemed to have no issues anymore, to retreat into self-seclusion again.

Lynch frowned and knocked on the door, "Are you in there?"

After a while, the little boy’s voice came through, "Yes, Mr. Lynch."

"Can we talk?"

After a while, the little boy opened the door and looked at Lynch through the gap, glancing behind him for a moment, "Only if it’s just you!"

After Lynch assured it was only him, he went into the room and sat by the little boy’s bed.

The walls were filled with heroes from comics and some from mythological stories. From these posters, it was clear that the little boy longed to be like a hero.

Once settled, he looked at the little boy, "Your mother is very worried about you."

The little boy nodded, sitting on the floor, hugging his legs with his head down, making it impossible for Lynch to see his expression.

After a while, Lynch asked again, "Is it because of Gap?"

The little boy hesitated for a moment, "Yes."

"Are you scared?", Lynch asked, "Do you think Gap will hurt you?"

"Or do you think he’ll hurt your mother?"

The little boy didn’t answer immediately, just kept holding his legs with his head down.

About two more minutes passed before the little boy suddenly raised his head and looked at Lynch, "Will you let him take me away?"

His eyes were filled with fear and unease, and rarely, he stared Lynch straight in the eye without flinching.

Lynch was a bit stunned, "Why would we do that?"

"Because he’s my dad!" the little boy continued, "I’ve seen it on TV, in families where the parents divorce, the boy often goes with the father."

"They even fight over custody, I don’t want to go with him!"

Memories from before the age of five were mostly forgotten by the boy by now. Those once possibly vague happiness couldn’t alleviate his fear.

He didn’t want to go with Gap. He didn’t understand why Gap wanted to reappear in his life, thinking Gap was there to discuss custody.

If not, why else would he reappear here after being gone for so long?

Lynch laughed softly and patted the side of the bed; the boy came over and sat beside him.

He ruffled the boy’s hair, which was smooth and not at all prickly, unlike some kids whose hair felt like hedgehog spikes!

"No one will take you away unless it’s your choice to leave."

"You’ll stay here until you graduate high school, and then you’ll go to university."

"In college, you’ll take courses you like, and maybe even have a few girlfriends."

"You’ll have your own life!"

"So no one will take you away!"

The little boy’s eyes held some hope, "Really, Mr. Lynch?"

"Of course..."

Persuading a child was not too complicated for Lynch, and he was aware of his status in the little boy’s mind.

In fact, most children from families lacking paternal love longed for a strong father figure.

There was an interesting case in the Federation once, where a girl suffered horrific abuse, yet she developed a terrible affection for her abuser.

She loved the man who hurt her, feared and depended on him, and even when he asked her to help him kill someone, she did not refuse.

For her, the abuser gradually came to share some characteristics with the "father" figure in her mind throughout the process, leading her to become a different person...

God knows why the Federation always has these people, these psychologically distorted individuals, where either the abuser is twisted or the victim is.

Perhaps... this is the price of freedom?

But in any case, a child growing up in a family lacking a "father" hopes to have some kind of support.

Lynch didn’t act tough, but his wealth brought a "gentle reliability," which made the little boy more willing to communicate with Lynch.

Perhaps this is the magical allure of wealth!

Ultimately, Vera didn’t give the little gift left by Gap to the child, thinking it might not be a good thing for their lives.

The next morning, Lynch met with some academic professors in the film industry, those who called themselves "founders."

In industries related to culture, sometimes your achievements or works are not important; what’s important is who you are associated with and whether you can outlast others!

Some of these people actually didn’t have noteworthy works, but they survived long enough to master certain discourse rights.

Looking at the filmmakers, none younger than fifty-six, Lynch felt like he was seeing the ceiling of the film industry—it wasn’t pretty and limited its upward development.

However, he intended to address these issues slightly.

"The reason I invited everyone here is because of some thoughts I’ve had recently."

The staff began distributing documents, which Lynch liked doing.

While discussing matters, he handed them a document to read while listening to him speak.

People’s attention tends to be scattered, staying on the particular areas he wants them to focus on.

For example, if a certain value of a hundred stands out in a bar chart, people will only focus on that hundred and hardly notice the shortest isn’t ten point one, but a hundred and one...

Of course, this is just a metaphor; such an error would not occur in real work.

As people received and opened the material, Lynch began discussing his plan.

"I’ve already established a foundation related to the film industry, which belongs to Darkstone Culture, established two years ago, under the umbrella of Darkstone Media..."

People looked down at the company affiliations, finding them complex; the more complex, the "safer" Lynch was and the less "controlled," which was important.

"The foundation operates in two parts."

"The first part involves establishing a Federation’s highest standard award ceremony, ending the chaotic situation of numerous award ceremonies now."

"With more professional judging and fair, open selection, we need it to become the film trendsetter for the Federation and even the world!"

"The second part is the ’Youth Filmmaker Support Program’ within the foundation, aimed at supporting some imaginative, creative young people."

"We’ll provide independent filming funds and environments for directors and offer a stage for other film industry practitioners to showcase their talents."

"Annually, we will allocate around one to two million..."

At this moment, an elderly gentleman couldn’t help but cough, and Lynch turned to look at him.

He was somewhat awkwardly embarrassed, though it was just an awkward expression; he was not actually embarrassed.

"Mr. Lynch, thank you for all you’ve done for the film industry. I have a question, how does the ’Youth Filmmaker Support Program’ determine who gets the lucky assistance?"

Lynch smiled slightly, "Of course, it’s decided by the company review panel, which is also why I’ve invited you. I hope you can contribute some effort to the film industry."

"You understand film development, the filming process, and subsequent matters better and more professionally than I do. This professionalism can provide us with more effective advice!"

The elderly gentleman showed a satisfied smile, glanced at the document before him, then conveyed his willingness through eye contact with others.

"I think there’s no problem, Mr. Lynch. I’m happy to contribute to the development of the film industry!"

As Lynch continued discussing various items, people increasingly realized that if this foundation could indeed be achieved...

No, it was bound to be achieved; its impact on the entire film ecological environment would be frightening.

But isn’t this precisely what these elderly gentlemen wish for?

With their titles and Lynch’s money, they trust they will gain more respect!

Growing old means not being able to eat too well or drink too much; life has become somewhat dull and tedious.

The only joy left aside from a female actor discussing the plot with them is probably the respect people show them!