A procedural challenge to compulsory screening, the delegation leader shows her mettle
The cold, electronic synthesized voice echoed in the pure white space, each word carrying a metallic quality, striking the eardrums of everyone present.
"Mandatory Existence Integrity Examination."
The moment the words fell, dozens of silver-white spherical mechanical bodies suspended in mid-air flashed red light at their centers simultaneously.
An invisible pressure suddenly descended.
Hela's knuckles turned slightly white from the force of her crossed arms. She raised her eyes to look at the lifeless mechanical eyes, her gaze filled with an undisguised destructive desire. In her eyes, this was the most blatant show of force, the most naked provocation.
A wisp of extremely fine black Death Energy began to dissipate from her body.
Just as she was about to make a move, a hand gently pressed down on her arm.
It's Gwen Stacy.
"Director Hela," Gwen Stacy's voice was calm and emotionless, "Please calm down."
Hela shifted her gaze from the mechanical body, turning her head to stare coldly at Gwen Stacy. Her eyes seemed to ask, "Is this what you call 'rigorous programming'?"
"We represent the face of the Negative Zone." Gwen Stacy didn't avoid her gaze, her tone remaining businesslike. "Any unauthorized action could be defined as a provocation, putting us at a complete legal disadvantage in subsequent negotiations."
She released her grip, took half a step forward, and stood at the very front of the delegation, facing alone the dozens of cold, red beams of light.
Wanda, standing to the side, looked down at the data terminal on her wrist. Countless lines of code flashed across the screen as she seemed to be trying to decipher the spatial rules here, completely indifferent to the standoff before her.
"Our delegation is from the Negative Zone Management Committee, visiting the Battleworld. Our leader is Gwen Stacy Stacy." Gwen Stacy adjusted her glasses, looked up at the nearest spherical mechanical object, and spoke in a clear, though not loud, voice.
"Based on your previous official letter of inquiry and our formal reply, this visit is an invited official diplomatic activity."
The machine did not respond; the red light remained locked on her, and the scanning pressure did not lessen in the slightest.
Hai Ren chuckled softly, his voice not loud, but it sounded particularly jarring in the quiet space.
Gwen Stacy ignored the commotion behind her, took a slim data terminal from her briefcase, and held it up.
On the screen, an image of a document was projected clearly.
"According to the Interdimensional Extradition Treaty No. 7, which you cited in the extradition of Comrade Erik Lehnsherr, Article XII of Annex III, ' Rules for Diplomatic Personnel Exchanges,' clearly stipulates that official delegations sent by both Contracting Parties shall enjoy reciprocal diplomatic immunity while performing their official duties."
"This includes exemption from any form of humiliating or coercive personal or existential scrutiny."
Gwen Stacy paused, glancing around at the floating mechanical bodies.
"Your current actions have seriously violated the spirit and details of the treaty. We have reason to believe that this is a blatant offense to our delegation and the Negative Zone Management Committee it represents."
"Now, on behalf of the Negative Zone Management Committee, I lodge a formal protest with you."
She spoke slowly, using only standard diplomatic language, as calmly as if she were reading out the minutes of an insignificant meeting.
"We reject this irregular review and demand that you immediately cease all current non-compliant practices, arrange for personnel of diplomatic protocol to conduct formal contact with us."
"Otherwise, we will suspend this expedition and reserve the right to appeal to the Multiverse Coordination Committee and take all necessary countermeasures."
After he finished speaking, the entire pure white space fell into a deathly silence.
Even the faint hum of energy in the air seemed to have stopped.
Hela watched Gwen Stacy's retreating figure, a look of surprise appearing in her eyes for the first time. She had imagined countless ways to break the deadlock, but none of them were like this. Without using a single soldier, without releasing a single ounce of energy, just a few words of law, she thought she could force them to back down from their initial show of force?
To her, this was nothing short of a fantasy.
However, the change happened in the next second.
The red light in the center of the dozens of spherical mechanical objects suspended in mid-air began to flicker rapidly and irregularly.
The cold, electronic voice sounded again, but this time, it had a stuttering and disjointed quality.
"Logical conflict... A conflict was detected between a Level 1 priority instruction and a Level 2 security regulation..."
Directive 1: Official delegations enjoy diplomatic immunity.
Rule Two: All entities entering the premises must undergo mandatory screening.
"Conflict determination... unable to execute... requesting higher-level ruling... requesting intervention of living units..."
The electronic sounds came and went intermittently, eventually fading into silence.
The red light on all the mechanical bodies simultaneously changed from red to a soft white, and then slowly faded away. The invisible pressure that had been enveloping everyone also dissipated.
The spherical machines stopped scanning and simply hovered silently in place, like a pile of scrap metal that had lost its power.
Hela unconsciously loosened her arms a little.
Wanda also looked up from the data terminal, glanced at the "crashed" machines, then at Gwen Stacy's back, a strange light flashing in her eyes.
It's done.
Gwen Stacy said to herself.
The first point in the Top Secret file Lynn gave her regarding the deduction of the underlying rules of the Battleworld was: This is a rigid system that relies heavily on rules and procedures. Its power comes from the absolute enforcement of the rules; its weakness is precisely the rules themselves.
Any behavior that goes beyond the rules or creates a logical paradox within the rules will cause its underlying system to grind to a halt.
Just then, a door silently slid open in the center of the perfectly sealed, pure white Alloy Wall in front of them.
A blinding light shone from behind the door.
A figure in a crisp uniform slowly emerged from the light.
His steps were steady, and the crisp sound of his leather shoes on the ground broke the tranquility of the place.
As he approached, the light became less glaring, and his features gradually became clearer.
This was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties, with his hair neatly combed and a professional, just-right smile on his face.
"Welcome, distinguished guests from the Negative Zone." He walked up to the delegation, stopped, and bowed slightly. "I am Mobius, Deputy Director of the Battleworld Foreign Affairs Reception Office. There was a slight logical glitch in the system just now, which may have startled you. On behalf of the Battleworld, I sincerely apologize."
His attitude was impeccable, and his tone was gentle and appropriate.
However, the moment she saw his face clearly, Gwen Stacy's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.
This name, this face.
She remembers it very clearly.
Among the Top Secret files on early Dimension projects of S.H.I.E.L.D.. S.P.E.A.R., which were reviewed by the Liaison Office, there was a list of fallen personnel marked "highest sacrifice".
One of the files belongs to someone named Mobius. His position is Senior Agent in the S.H.I.E.L.D. Temporal Anomalies Investigation Department.
The young face in the file photo almost completely overlapped with the middle-aged man in front of him.
The file was sealed in the 1970s.