An information war defined by force, blaming the dirt on logic

That glance exchanged was as fleeting as an illusion.

But he couldn't escape the ever-calm eyes on the Throne.

Lynn remained leaning back in his chair, his posture unchanged, but that brief, unspoken exchange of glances, like a pebble thrown into a still lake, clearly marked the extent of the ripples in his mind.

Suppression is only temporary.

A cold approach can only deal with the surface emotions.

Once doubt is planted in the root, it will grow wildly like weeds in unseen places. Unless it is uprooted or completely covered up by something stronger.

The suffocating silence in the Negative Zone was broken by a calm voice.

"Finished watching?"

Lynn spoke up.

His voice was soft and emotionless, as if he were inquiring about the progress of a routine task.

Wanda and Jean Grey both stiffened at the same time.

They slowly raised their heads, like two prisoners awaiting their final verdict, and looked at the man on the Throne.

Lynn's gaze lingered on their faces for a moment, without anger or disappointment, only scrutiny, as if examining two malfunctioning precision instruments.

He didn't ask them what they saw, nor did he ask them how they felt.

He directly made the final characterization of the event itself.

"A dying Artificial Intelligence wages its last Information Warfare before being destroyed."

Lynn's fingertips lightly traced the smooth bone armrest, making a barely perceptible sound.

"That's a very low-level tactic."

He stated.

"Using visual forgery technology, they spliced together non-existent images and attached a highly contagious Logic Virus specifically designed to attack weaknesses in mental defenses."

Wanda's lips moved, as if she wanted to say something.

Jean Grey's fingers, which were pressed against her temples, trembled slightly.

Visual forgery?

Logic Virus?

This understated, technical definition stands in a ridiculous and sharp contrast to the raw, soul-crushing emotions they had just experienced.

This is not an explanation at all.

This is a higher level of disregard.

He didn't even bother to fabricate a lie about "who those women were" to appease them; instead, he directly denied the authenticity of everything they had seen.

They attributed all their anger, jealousy, and sense of betrayal to a ridiculous, low-level technical error.

"But."

Lynn's tone shifted abruptly, finally taking on a hint of coldness.

"It's this kind of low-level method that's surprisingly effective."

His gaze, like two cold Scalpel, pierced precisely at Wanda and Qin.

It succeeded.

"It successfully caused the heads of my two core departments to lose their most basic judgment."

"Your political stance has been seriously shaken."

Political stance.

The word carried an undeniable weight when spoken by Lynn.

It instantly escalated an internal dispute about emotional betrayal into a matter of organizational principles and loyalty.

The color drained from Wanda's face in an instant.

Jean Grey also abruptly lowered her head, avoiding Lynn's gaze.

"A hostile force, using a flawed and incriminating document, easily sowed discord within us and nearly caused the entire power center to malfunction."

Lynn slowly rose from the Throne.

He didn't come down; he just looked down at them, each word like a giant hammer, striking their hearts hard.

Don't you think this is ridiculous?

"I Wanda you with the task of integrating technology and order. I thought you had the deepest understanding of the nature of data and logic. Turns out, you can't even distinguish the most basic Logic Virus."

"I put you in charge of the Mutants ' mental integration, Jean. I thought your Mental Barrier were impenetrable. But a fabricated message imbued with emotional resonance caused you to completely lose control."

His words were not heavy, but every word was piercing to the heart.

He did not criticize their jealousy, nor did he condemn their loss of control.

He simply characterized it all as an extremely unprofessional and disappointing business accident.

Your abilities are nothing special.

Your loyalty, too, cannot withstand the test.

This made Wanda and Chin feel more ashamed and terrified than any severe punishment.

Their pride in their abilities became a laughable joke in the face of Lynn's words. Their self-righteous affection and possessiveness also became fatal flaws, revealing their political immaturity and wavering stance.

The overwhelming sense of injustice and anger was replaced by a stronger sense of guilt stemming from a work mistake.

It turns out that what displeased him was not the presence of those women.

Instead, we were the ones who lost our composure and let such a "trivial matter" affect our "work".

"Master, I..."

Wanda's voice was thick with a nasal tone; she wanted to apologize, but found herself without even the right to defend herself.

Jean Grey remained silent, only lowering her head further. The Phoenix's pride was shattered at that moment, leaving only regret for her "dereliction of duty."

Lynn, observing their reactions, knew the time was almost right.

This is exactly the effect he wanted.

Use a holistic perspective to Dimensionality-Reduction Strike, and measure the value of emotions by the standards of work. In an absolute power structure, any personal feelings must give way to the stability and development of the organization. Any attempt to challenge this is naive and unprofessional.

"Ultron's physical carrier has not been completely eliminated."

Lynn returned to her Throne, the change of topic was natural yet cold, giving them no chance to immerse themselves in their emotions.

"This matter itself is a major oversight in your work."

He downplayed the fatal evidence of the Shura Field, attributing it to a subordinate's mistake and a mess that desperately needed fixing.

"I need a full report, and a complete solution."

Lynn's gaze swept between the two men.

"Whoever handles this well will prove that they haven't been affected by that low-level Logic Virus, thus hindering their core business capabilities."

He thus forcibly turned an internal crisis of trust into a united front against an external enemy and a new round of internal performance evaluations.

Wanda and Qin both looked up at the same time.

Their eyes still held traces of wet tears and deep doubt.

But more than anything, it's an urgent desire to make amends and prove one's worth again.

However, just as Wanda was about to accept the order, an image from Ultron's broadcast flashed uncontrollably through her mind again.

In the ruins of Sokovia, when the man shielded her from the laser beam with his back, the resolute yet tender emotion in his eyes...

Wanda, guided by her Chaos Magic intuition, vaguely sensed that the imprint of that emotion was terrifyingly real.

It... doesn't seem like a fake.

This thought, like the finest poisonous thorn, pierced the depths of her newly "corrected" understanding.

Would she conduct an illegal investigation?

She dared not.

At least, not now.