"We've run into a small problem."
Lynn wore a look of "distress" at just the right moment.
"The loss rate during energy transmission is shockingly high; we are unable to stably transport energy from the core to the terminal."
He pointed to the energy circuit diagram in the proposal, one he had intentionally drawn to be incredibly complex and riddled with errors.
"It's right here, we're stuck."
Howard Stark looked at Lynn as if he were an idiot, then snatched the proposal and the pen on the table.
"A problem? No, this is stupidity!"
He picked up the pen and scribbled frantically on the exquisite proposal.
"Who came up with this topology? Tell him to go back to elementary school and retake physics! And this choice of medium—are you trying to use it to toast bread?"
"Idiots! A bunch of fools who haven't even figured out Ohm's Law!"
Howard's pen tip danced across the paper, leaving behind wild, cursive marks.
He not only overturned Lynn's "design" but even redrew a brand-new energy circuit on the side with a more concise and ingenious concept.
A perfect energy circuit with a loss rate approaching Zero.
"Look closely!"
Howard threw the proposal, now scribbled into a mess, back in front of Lynn.
"Energy isn't Water; it's a dancer! You need to build it a perfect stage, not a damn drainage ditch! Buffering, amplification, refocusing! That is art!"
Lynn looked at the formulas on the diagram that perfectly solved all of Dr. Horton's problems and even provided optimization schemes; a hint of a smile flashed deep in his eyes.
He put the proposal away.
"Howard, you are a genius."
"Of course I am!"
"So..."
Lynn extended an invitation.
"Vanguard wants to hire you as our Chief Technical Consultant."
Howard Stark scoffed and picked up his champagne again.
"A consultant? Don't joke, Lynn. I have no interest in babysitting a bunch of idiots."
"Fine, that's a real pity."
Lynn turned and left without the slightest hesitation.
Howard was actually taken aback for a moment.
He thought Lynn would at least pester him a bit longer or offer some exorbitant price.
Poor Howard; he would never know that the blueprint he considered charity and an insult to "fools" would ignite the first flame not belonging to humanity for this World.
...
Half a month later.
Lynn stepped into Dr. Horton's underground temple.
The lights in the entire laboratory were dimmed to a soft mode, and the air was filled with a scent similar to that of a newborn.
Dr. Horton stood in the center of the laboratory.
His expression was solemn and devout, like a priest waiting for a monarch's inspection.
The incubation tank behind him had been drained.
A perfect male body stood there quietly.
He had the same perfect muscle definition as "Number Three," but his skin presented a healthy ivory White, rather than a pale, deathly hue.
He kept his eyes closed, breathing steadily, his chest rising and falling rhythmically.
"Mr. Morris..."
Dr. Horton's voice trembled.
"It's a success!"
Dr. Horton pointed at the body, his eyes filled with uncontrollable fanaticism.
"His organism is completely immune to high temperatures; Fire cannot cause him any damage!"
"I used a flamethrower at maximum power to burn him continuously for ten minutes; his skin didn't even change in the slightest!"
"He can absorb external thermal energy to replenish himself, and even... a more efficient energy source is radiation!"
Dr. Horton's voice grew increasingly high-pitched.
"That energy circuit provided by Stark is simply a stroke of genius! It allows the energy of the God's Blood to circulate perfectly within this body, endlessly!"
"He can manipulate Fire as he pleases; whether it's shooting columns of Fire, or constructing walls of Fire, it's all just a thought away for him!"
A super soldier who is immune to Fire, manipulates Fire, and feeds on thermal energy and radiation.
"What is his name?"
"I dare not name your creation."
Dr. Horton lowered his head humbly.
Lynn looked at that handsome and unfamiliar face and spoke slowly.
"Jim Hammond."
"The codename... let's call him Human Torch."
Dr. Horton chewed on the name a few times, then looked at Lynn even more fanatically.
"A perfect name! Mr. Morris, we have one last step remaining."
"Activation?"
"No."
Dr. Horton shook his head and pointed to his own temple.
"It's imprinting."
He led Lynn to an instrument displaying complex brainwave patterns.
"The failure of Number Three was because it possessed a perfect body and free will, but could not find the meaning of existence, so it chose self-destruction."
"But Human Torch is different."
Dr. Horton's voice dropped very low.
"I have emptied him of everything; he is a blank sheet of White paper. His awakening does not require an activation program, but an anchor point and a meaning for his existence!"
"According to my theory, the moment his brain is activated, the first person he sees when he opens his eyes and the first voice he hears will be like an oracle, carved into the deepest part of his soul, becoming his eternal imprint and the cornerstone of his existence."
"And also his only God!"
"Mr. Morris, only you are qualified to be his God!"
Lynn understood everything.
This mad scientist had prepared the most loyal believer for him.
A Sun that would only burn for him alone.
"Begin."
Lynn walked to the sleeping Human Torch.
Dr. Horton entered the final command on the console.
"Miracle... descend!"
The laboratory lights went out, leaving only a circle of faint blue light glowing at the bottom of the incubation tank.
Jim Hammond, the perfect creation codenamed "Human Torch," his eyelids began to tremble slightly.
He was about to open his eyes and see this World.
Lynn stood before him, motionless.
Those eyes suddenly opened.
Within them were two orbs of orange-red light like embers.
They reflected Lynn's figure, as if he were the only person left in the entire World.
Dr. Horton watched this sacred moment devoutly.
Lynn locked eyes with those eyes, not speaking.
He was waiting.
Waiting for a result.
Finally, the body crawled out of the incubation tank.
He knelt on one knee, his head bowed.
"I await your instructions."
"Stand up."
Human Torch rose in response, standing straight like a soldier waiting for inspection.
"Horton says you are immune to Fire."
Lynn walked around him.
"Is he right?"
"Certainly!"
Dr. Horton rushed to speak.
He dashed to the console and pressed a button.
A robotic arm extended from the laboratory, with a flamethrower nozzle at the end.
"Maximum power!"
A crimson dragon of Fire roared out, engulfing Human Torch's figure.
The temperature inside the laboratory rose sharply, and the air began to warp.
There was a sickly flush on Dr. Horton's face.
Lynn watched quietly.
The fire lasted for a full minute.
When the dragon of Fire disappeared, Human Torch was still standing in place, completely unharmed.
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