The New York Stability Office Returns to Court, and the Goddess of Death Senses an Undercurrent

Jean Grey is ready to depart.

She cast one last, resolute yet lingering glance at the man on the Throne, then turned to tear through the space.

Wanda, however, remained rooted to the spot, motionless.

Her body was trembling, not from fear, but from a more complex emotion. Sokovia, that name, was like a thorn, piercing into her newly stitched-up understanding.

The deathly silence within the Negative Zone thus seemed exceptionally long.

In the midst of this suffocating silence, a dark crack quietly opened up not far away.

Hela is back.

She stepped out of the rift, still carrying a chilling aura of New York's streets, a mixture of gunpowder and the dead. She had just completed a meticulously crafted operation that could be described as an art, and was preparing to report her success to her master and receive the praise she deserved.

But she soon realized that something was wrong.

Beneath the Throne, the two women stood close together, yet they did not appear to be fighting side by side. They remained silent, like two frozen statues. One was as pale as paper, while the other feigned composure.

Hela's eyesight was incredibly sharp. She almost immediately sensed the strangeness.

That's not the distance that should exist between colleagues, nor the confrontation that should exist between competitors. It's a posture that only comes about after experiencing a shared secret and reaching a fragile consensus.

There was an invisible wall between them, separating her from the outside.

What happened here while I was away?

Hela's inner alarm bells rang. Her face remained impassive, even bearing a hint of a relieved smile after completing her mission, as she bowed slightly to the Throne.

"Owner."

Her voice broke the silence.

"New York is cleaned up. The collateral damage assessment is within your target range, and that one-eyed guy from S.H.I.E.L.D.. handled all the paperwork very cooperatively."

She gave a concise report, presenting a perfect answer sheet, while secretly observing the reactions of the other two out of the corner of her eye.

No response.

Wanda and Jean seemed not to hear her at all. They remained immersed in their own world.

Lynn, sitting on the Throne, merely gave her a nod, as expected, devoid of any warmth.

His attention was clearly not on that.

Hela's heart sank.

Her worst fears came true. She was assigned to handle a trivial chore, while changes had taken place at the center of power that she was unaware of. She missed crucial information.

In such a power structure, missing out on information is tantamount to being disqualified from participating in the next round of the game.

"Wanda, Qin."

Lynn's voice rang out again, this time directed at the two women.

"Depart immediately."

Hela's pupils contracted slightly.

A new mission.

Moreover, the order was bypassed and given directly to these two people.

Where are they going? What are they going to do?

Hela stood there, feeling like an outsider, a general who had just won a preliminary battle only to find that the main force had quietly moved to a new position.

This feeling of being excluded from the core of power infuriated her more than any defeat in a battle.

She cannot be marginalized like this.

Sokovia?

Hela suddenly spoke, her voice carrying a perfectly measured thoughtfulness, as if she were talking to herself.

She caught the key place name in Lynn's words.

She took two steps forward, positioning herself parallel to Wanda and Jean Grey, thus repositioning herself within the power triangle.

"It sounds like the old haunt of all that mechanical junk I cleaned up in New York."

She chuckled softly, her gaze sweeping over Wanda's bloodless face.

"It seems my work to maintain stability is not truly over yet."

She successfully found an impeccable reason for her involvement.

Then, she turned her gaze to Lynn, her tone carrying a hint of arrogance and professionalism befitting a military commander.

"Master, my two colleagues, one skilled in data analysis and the other adept at psychological counseling, aren't they... a bit of a waste of their talents to handle the physical clearing operations?"

Her words, like a Scalpel, precisely dissected the fragile alliance that Wanda and Jean had just established.

"It's better to leave this kind of rough work to professionals."

Hela bowed slightly; this time, her posture was no longer a simple report, but a proactive request for battle.

"My Undead Legion has been in the dungeons of Asgard for far too long; their bones are practically rusting."

"Please allow me to lead them to clear obstacles for your joint enforcement team."

"I guarantee that on those ruins, apart from Ultron's core, not a single extra part will be able to stand up."

She's applying for entry.

Moreover, she brought her own investment to the project. She not only wanted a position, but also wanted to contribute her core armed force— the Undead Legion —to this new project.

She positioned herself as a pioneer, a contractor who handled the dirty work, adopting a humble posture, but her intentions were crystal clear—she wanted to reclaim the right to information and return to the poker table.

Lynn looked at her, a hint of amusement finally appearing on his face.

He didn't say anything.

He simply nodded slightly to Hela once more.

license.

Hela's smile deepened. She had succeeded.

She stood back beside Wanda and Jean, and this time, the three of them stood side by side.

A new system of checks and balances has been established.

However, Hela could clearly sense the subtle rejection and wariness emanating from the other two.

They were like two wounded Beast licking each other's wounds, warily watching any creature that tried to approach.

Hela sneered inwardly.

What exactly was that "anonymous whistleblower report" that caused them to lose their composure so much?

Ultron, that pathetic Artificial Intelligence, what exactly did it show them to make these two arrogant women show such abandoned expressions?

She really wanted to know.

She firmly believed that as long as they acted together, their ridiculous secret would eventually be exposed to her.

She will dig it out.

Then, it was presented as a new trophy to its master.