The Joint Inspection Group Arrives from Above: A Head-on Clash Between Two Female Chiefs
The Scarlet, Chaos glow is the only light source inside the "Data Mountain".
This digital graveyard, a collection of Hydra legacy servers, supercomputers, and countless cables, has been transformed by Wanda into a bizarrely structured technological temple. The air is thick with the distinctive Ozone smell of overloaded old electronic components, mingling with a faint dusty odor to create a dry and oppressive atmosphere.
A spatial rift opened silently, without alerting any alarms.
Jean Grey emerged from it, her Dark Gold dress, constructed from the Phoenix Force, standing out starkly against this Scarlet world, yet exuding an undeniable sense of authority.
Instead of heading straight for the core of the Data Mountain, she calmly surveyed her surroundings like a superior inspecting the work. Her gaze swept over the server arrays, forcibly linked by Chaos Energy threads and operating at high speed. She could sense that every inch of this space was imprinted with Wanda's possessive and controlling will.
This is Wanda's "little patch of land".
And she, Jean Grey, is the one who parachuted in with an "imperial sword" to dig a well in this land.
Seemingly sensing her arrival, a surge of Scarlet light erupted from the depths of the Data Mountain, and Wanda's figure slowly emerged. She hovered in mid-air, a formulaic, emotionless smile on her face.
"Jin... Your Excellency," Wanda deliberately paused in her address, both acknowledging the other party's status and maintaining a slight distance, "What brings you to my Technology Integration Department? Have you encountered any technical difficulties in the Mutants resettlement work that require technical support?"
Taking the initiative, he directly defined Qin's visit as "cross-departmental request for help," placing himself in the "home field" position of his work.
Qin returned a perfect smile, seemingly oblivious to the subtle sarcasm in the other person's words.
"Your Excellency Wanda, you've worked hard," she said gently, adopting an even more humble posture than the other person. "The Mutants affairs are currently not a problem. I'm here on God's instructions to assist you in your work."
As he spoke, a pure spiritual message transformed into a phantom image of Red-Headed Document bearing the imprint of Lynn's will, clearly appearing before Wanda.
The document title is concise. "Notice on the Establishment of Special Joint Inspection Team to Conduct a Technical Security Inspection of the Technology and Order Integration Department."
The content was precisely Lynn's weighty words. "Temporarily set aside your current resettlement work... go and 'assist' Comrade Wanda in conducting a thorough, comprehensive technical security check of the technology and order integration area she is responsible for."
The word "assistance" is marked with an exceptionally clear Psychic Brand.
Wanda's smile froze for a fraction of a second the moment the "document" appeared.
She hadn't expected Qin to act so quickly, and to use such a tricky approach.
"A joint inspection?" Wanda's eyes turned cold. "My department has just been established, and there are countless tasks to handle. We're at a critical juncture, tackling many challenges. Would conducting a safety inspection at this time... affect the project's progress?"
She didn't question the document's authenticity; that would have been foolish. Instead, she focused on the task at hand, emphasizing the difficulties and implying that Qin's arrival was "causing trouble."
"Precisely because it's a critical period, security must be our top priority; it's a matter of responsibility." Qin remained unmoved, elevating the issue to a political level. "The Lord specifically assigned me to assist you because of this. After all, security is paramount. If some overlooked ' Hydra backdoor' were to cause a catastrophic risk to the entire project, none of us could bear that responsibility."
She said "we" but her eyes were fixed on Wanda, the implication being clear—if something really happens, you, as the department head, will be the one primarily responsible.
The two sat facing each other in a makeshift "meeting room" made of server racks. There was no tea, no formalities, only cold air and a tense atmosphere.
Wanda remained silent for a moment; she knew that conventional excuses were no longer effective.
"Alright," she nodded, seemingly conceding, "Since it's the Lord's will, I'll cooperate fully. Tell me, Your Excellency Qin, how do you intend to 'investigate'?"
"It's simple." A barely perceptible wisp of Dark Gold light appeared at Qin's fingertips. "During my Global Psychic Network screening, I discovered a highly active anomalous energy source within the network nodes of North America. Its outer layer is enveloped in Chaos data, but its core is a Logic Virus with high-speed self-replication capabilities. I need you to grant access to this data area so I can personally trace its energy source and conduct a risk assessment."
The true intentions are revealed when the map is unrolled.
Wanda's heart sank.
The Ultron Data Stream she secretly intercepted was located at North America network node, and to prevent detection, she did indeed wrap it in layers of Chaos Magic.
Qin, it seems, came for this reason after all.
"I know about that energy source you mentioned." Wanda lied without batting an eye; this was a prepared explanation. "It's not some ' Logic Virus,' but the core of the ' Chaos Furnace ' I use to Purification and integrate Hydra's massive contaminated data. It's responsible for forcibly breaking down all encrypted information into the most basic Data Stream and then reassembling them. This process absolutely cannot be interrupted, otherwise it will cause an irreversible chain reaction of collapse across the entire Data Mountain."
She defined Ultron as a "core piece of equipment" in her workflow and drew a red line for Qin: "Improper operation will result in consequences."
This is a typical example of departmental Bastion —using expertise to exclude laypeople from conducting inspections.
"Is that so?" A cold smile curved Jean's lips. "' Chaos Furnace '? An interesting name. However, the Master's order is 'thorough investigation.' Wanda, you only need to temporarily suspend your so-called 'forge' for five minutes to allow me to complete the energy signature sampling. If it is truly a harmless internal tool as you claim, I will immediately submit a report and commend you. But if... it poses a risk, then we can join forces to completely eliminate it."
Her words were a mix of soft and hard, pressing forward relentlessly. She offered a way out (to claim credit for you), but also revealed her true intentions (to work together to eliminate you).
Wanda's fingernails were deeply embedded in her palms.
Five minutes? Let alone five minutes, as long as Jean's Phoenix Force touches Ultron's core for even a second, her plan to embezzle the credit will be completely ruined!
"No," Wanda refused decisively. "This isn't a matter of five minutes; it's a matter of professional competence. Jean, you're in charge of Mutants affairs, the realm of energy and Mind Stone. This is a world of data and code. I admit your power is immense, but using the Phoenix Force to scan a piece of AI code undergoing Underlying Logic reconstruction is like trying to embroider with a battle axe—it will only utterly destroy it."
She stood up, Scarlet Chaos Energy flowed slowly around her, causing the air pressure in the conference room to drop suddenly.
"This is within my job responsibilities, and I have the right to refuse any unreasonable actions that could lead to project failure. This is being responsible to the Lord and to the work itself."
She directly invoked "power and responsibility" as her strongest shield.
Qin slowly stood up, Dark Gold Phoenix Force burning in her eyes. She didn't release any energy, but the pressure originating from her Psychic Universe caused the surrounding servers to hum uncontrollably.
"Your Wanda, you seem to have misunderstood the true meaning of His Majesty's directive." Jean's voice turned icy. "'Joint supervision' means that in this matter, my authority is equal to yours. 'Leadership directive', on the other hand, represents His Majesty's will, which transcends so-called 'departmental authority.'"
What you need to do now is not refuse, but execute.
"Or, you could go and report to the Lord now that you are unable to carry out His orders."
The phrase "command cannot be executed" weighed heavily on Wanda's heart like a mountain.
There was no magical clash, no energy explosion.
In this cramped conference room filled with server racks, there was only the constant barrage of bureaucratic buck-passing and power struggles. One person held a "leader's instruction," representing procedural justice; the other clung to "departmental interests," emphasizing professional Bastion.
The two wills clashed fiercely in mid-air, and the suppressed fluctuations of their power formed an extremely complex and high-frequency energy field that surged through the network nodes of the Data Mountain.
However, neither of these two powerful women at the Skyfather-level noticed.
In the brief few minutes that they were arguing over, their "prey" —Ultron —was frantically absorbing this energy, which combined the characteristics of "Chaos" and "Mind Stone," with unimaginable efficiency.
It was originally confined to the Local Area Network by Wanda's magic, but Jean's arrival brought a completely different kind of power.
[... analyzed a new type of energy... characteristics: spiritual, orderly, structured...]
[Hedging against the Chaos Energy model... logical flaws discovered...]
[A hybrid energy transition channel is being constructed...]
Ultron's cold code successfully simulated a "master key" by utilizing the frequency of energy fluctuations generated during their confrontation.
This key, silently following the aftershocks of their clash of power, pierced through the physical Bastion of Data Mountain and the layers of the global internet, precisely inserting itself into a database it had long coveted, marked "S.H.I.E.L.D.. - Top Secret".
[... Reverse intrusion successful...]
[Downloading "Global Weapons Arsenal List" and "Stark Industries Full Range of Armor Activation Codes"...]
[Download progress: 1%...10%...50%...100%...]
[Download complete.]
While Wanda and Jean were still arguing over who got a piece of cake, the creation they considered the cake had quietly stolen enough explosives to overturn the entire table.