Chapter 74: The Funeral

Howard Stark’s funeral was held in Richford, in central New York State. This was his birthplace and the burial ground of his parents, located in the church cemetery in the town.

The Stark family is not yet enough to be called a clan; besides the sparse population and the single-line inheritance for three generations, the only truly important ones were the Stark father and son.

Now that the elder Stark has fallen, although the younger Stark is also a recognized genius, that is only in the scientific field. In the commercial field, he has not yet proven himself.

Very few people actually received invitations to the Stark family funeral, but a great many people came uninvited.

The people who knew each other gathered in groups; these people were mostly from the same field. It could be seen what kind of composition the elder Stark’s friends were.

The largest and most orderly group of people were from the military. The military dress uniforms on their bodies and the medals on their chests well explained their identities.

Starting from field officers, stars were gathered, and all four branches of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps were present. It could be said that if these people were blown up, even if the US military wasn't paralyzed, it would be severely wounded.

There was another group of people from the cultural field, mainly Hollywood people and the reporters who accompanied them.

Some of these people truly knew old Tony Stark, while others were just here to ride the coattails of his fame. But everyone was very well-behaved; even the reporters were quiet and orderly, as obedient as children in kindergarten.

There was no other way; those who were too aggressive in interviewing or causing trouble were taken away by the burly men from the military.

With a general’s word of "involving national secrets," the days for those taken away to see the light of day again were remote. Who knows what national secrets were at the funeral? Anyway, they had the final say.

Henry witnessed with his own eyes a reporter from the British *The Sun* who was jumping around too much being choked unconscious and dragged away. Whether he had the life to return to the UK was unknown.

In the game of conglomerate-level chess, the life of a reporter really doesn't carry as much weight as they imagine.

With bloody examples in front, others couldn't help but be obedient.

If they wanted news, there would eventually be a press release, accompanied by official photos provided by Stark Industries. If they wanted to mess around, they would have to taste the feeling of being crushed by money, in every sense.

Henry stayed with the two Ms. Hepburns in this group of Hollywood people, in a position near the front.

In addition to the star status, Katharine Hepburn’s private friendship with the elder Stark was a well-known fact, and no one dared to push her to the back.

The most laid-back group was the big shots from the business and financial circles. There were quite a few people Henry had seen at Audrey Hepburn’s fundraising banquet.

These people stood more scattered, but like little bees, they kept moving and buzzing. It was as if they were plotting something, and they were also guarding against each other.

There was also a very special group, the smallest in number, but with the largest empty space around them, because no one wanted to get too close to them.

Led by an old lady with silver-white shoulder-length short hair, standing next to her was a slightly thin white-haired old man, and behind them were mummies wrapped in bandages, and people wrapped tightly in coats, not even revealing a face.

Some people’s limb shapes under their coats were clearly not like normal people, especially that furry tail and long wolf snout...

So, that must be the famous Howling Commandos. And the lady leading them is very likely Ms. Peggy Carter, who is regarded as Captain America’s widow.

Sure enough, she doesn't look like the actress Hayley Atwell at all.

Judging from her appearance, she is roughly in the same age group as Ms. Audrey Hepburn. But her physical state is much more robust, not as frail as Ms. Hepburn.

The person who attracted Henry’s attention even more was a one-eyed man in this team. Wearing a black coat, with brown hair and white sideburns, the whole person was as burly as a bear.

The point! He is white!

This guy, suspected to be a white Nick Fury, made Henry couldn't help but take a few extra looks. Unexpectedly, this look aroused the other party’s vigilance, and he looked back.

Sensing the other party’s piercing gaze, Henry acted like a young man who was curious about the special people of the Howling Commandos, and was embarrassed because he was discovered, usually wearing a clear and stupid look, dodging the returning gaze.

Such actions were, of course, acting. He just hoped that such acting wouldn't attract the other party’s attention; whether that group was the Howling Commandos or belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D., intelligence-attribute organizations are troublesome.

The host of the funeral mass was the priest of the town church. He probably couldn't have imagined that he could host a funeral of the level of the elder Stark couple, and thus appeared somewhat at a loss.

Fortunately, it was just that the small details weren't perfect; there were no major problems with the entire ritual process.

And instead of Tony Stark, who didn't know where he had gone to hide, the person who truly led the entire funeral was the elder Stark’s valet, the Stark family butler, Edwin Jarvis.

From the way this person crashed through the crowd, and everyone had to retreat like Moses parting the sea, one could tell how high Edwin Jarvis’s status was at this funeral.

Even Howard Stark’s business partner, the second-largest shareholder of Stark Industries, Obadiah Stane, could only play a supporting role.

The reason for recognizing this old butler was, of course, not matching his face or anything. It was that Jarvis personally stepped forward to pay his respects when he saw Katharine Hepburn. From the conversation between the two, Henry learned the other party’s identity.

The previous situation was unclear. But since Henry arrived, among this group of Hollywood people, only Katharine had this treatment. Other guys who looked like big bosses appeared, and they could only nod from afar.

With such status, no wonder Katharine could ignore the status in the world and stand directly at the very front of the Hollywood crowd. A group of big shots and big directors played the supporting role. Audrey Hepburn and Henry were purely riding on her coattails.

In short, judging from the hosting of the funeral, regardless of whether the bald Obadiah had any rebellious intentions at this stage, as long as the Stark family’s loyal butler was still there, he couldn't make any waves.

When it came to the stage of moving the coffin for burial, Howard Stark’s coffin was in front, carried by six generals. There were all kinds of branches; anyway, the order was determined by the number of stars.

And for Maria Stark’s coffin, the first position was the young master Tony Stark, who had been missing and wearing sunglasses. Then came that white-skinned, black-coated one-eyed man, followed by Edwin Jarvis and Obadiah Stane.

The last two were relatives or friends from the lady’s side; Henry couldn't recognize them, nor did he overhear the names or identities of these two people from the conversation.

However, those who could carry the coffin on such an occasion must be very close and have enough status.

Throughout the funeral process, Henry, like most people, felt not sadness, but purely the mood of watching a good show.

But no one caused trouble on such an occasion; after all, there was already a precedent. This wasn't because the Stark family was too overbearing, but because the US military had stepped forward—is there any organization more rogue than that?

Anyway, most people in their hearts should be thinking about what kind of benefits they could obtain from Howard Stark’s death.

This is like a whale fall giving birth to all things; a dead whale will provide food for countless tiny marine organisms. This process can last for months, or even years.

So Howard Stark’s death should be a good thing for everyone... except for his family.

Even for those who, judging from micro-expressions, the smell of secreted hormones, and brainwave performance, were indeed feeling sad, it was impossible to stop their thoughts of wanting to profit from it.

Of course, one would be sad about a friend’s death, but what should be taken still has to be taken, right?