A Three-Way Hearing in the Engine Room, the Liaison Director's Deflection

The vibrations in Hela's waist were very slight, almost negligible.

But for someone of her caliber, any abnormal energy fluctuation is like a thunderclap in their ear.

Her gaze didn't move, but out of the corner of her eye, she coldly swept over Director Ke'er not far away.

threaten.

A blatant threat from the Administrative Faction of the Battleworld.

Ke'er's expression remained that of someone preoccupied with official business, seemingly overwhelmed with how to properly handle this "foreign affairs reception incident." His gaze didn't even meet Hela's.

The stalemate at the scene continues.

"Your Judge, please understand my duty." Ke'er's voice carried a hint of pleading as he addressed the Supreme Adjudicator, "The Negative Zone Delegation are important guests of the Battleworld; their safety is paramount. Now, I must remove them from this dangerous operational area."

The Supreme Adjudicator ignored him, his metallic voice still directed at Gwen Stacy: "Commander Gwen Stacy, please comply with the provisions of the Joint Security Exercise Plan and hand over the key evidence."

An important person.

One needs evidence.

Gwen Stacy became the knot in the tug-of-war between the two sides.

Hela's patience was wearing thin; the Death Energy around her began to dissipate uncontrollably, making the surrounding air thick and cold. Wanda gently tugged at Gwen Stacy's sleeve, signaling with her eyes that she had locked onto the frequency of the Communicator on Ke'er's body.

It can be done at any time.

Gwen Stacy gently shook her head.

She stepped forward, placing herself precisely between Ke'er and the Supreme Adjudicator, a standard diplomatic apologetic smile on her face.

"Please forgive my intrusion, gentlemen."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly, easing the tense atmosphere.

"As representatives of the Negative Zone, our group has only one guiding principle: strictly adhere to the officially filed documents."

She waved the "Emergency Contingency Plan Notification" in her hand.

"This document is my only code of conduct right now. It states that this is a Joint Security Exercise. Therefore, we are obligated to cooperate with the entire process of the exercise."

These words were meant for Ke'er's ears.

The Supreme Adjudicator remained silent, seemingly waiting for her to continue.

"However," Gwen Stacy changed the subject, looking at the Supreme Adjudicator with a perfectly timed hint of confusion, "the document also clearly states that this exercise was jointly authorized by the Negative Zone and the ' Rules Faction ' high-ranking members of the Battleworld, and the exercise site should be overseen by a commander with 'joint enforcement authority.'"

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the two high-ranking members of the Battleworld.

"So the question is, to which leader should I report now? Or rather, which leader can represent this 'joint enforcement authority' at this moment?"

A simple question, yet it acted like a sharp Scalpel, precisely cutting along the boundary between the two power factions.

Ke'er's expression was somewhat grim. As the Foreign Affairs Office, he was in charge of welcoming and sending off guests, and the Engine Room in front of him was clearly not within his jurisdiction. He was able to get in under the pretext of "handling a foreign affairs incident."

The Supreme Adjudicator, who represents the rules, may not necessarily have the procedural authority to handle "external affairs".

Gwen Stacy didn't give them time to think and continued.

"I'm just a Liaison Office Chief, not high enough in rank, and my understanding of the internal organizational structure and workflow of the Battleworld might not be deep enough. To avoid serious procedural errors such as reporting to the wrong level or misidentifying a leader, which could cause unnecessary trouble for our cooperation, I suggest..."

She smiled slightly and said something that made Ke'er's heart sink.

"... We'll stick to the documents. We only respect the documents, not the people."

"We will only cooperate with the on-site commander who holds 'joint law enforcement authority,' handing over all evidence and reporting all circumstances."

These words are impeccable.

They completely absolve themselves of any responsibility, pushing everything onto the procedures and documents.

Ke'er's forehead was beaded with sweat. He knew very well that if things went according to procedure, he, as Administrative Faction director, had no right to compete with the Rules Faction Judge for control of the scene.

He took a deep breath, attempting a final struggle. "Commander Gwen Stacy, you're confusing the issue! Foreign affairs security is the prerequisite for all procedures!"

"Director Ke'er, I completely agree." Gwen Stacy nodded immediately in agreement, "But that's precisely why we need to clarify responsibilities. After all, what caused this 'security drill' was a suspected forged temporary key."

She finally revealed her true intentions.

But she phrased it very tactfully. She didn't directly point out that Ke'er had given her the key; she only said it was "suspected of being forged."

"I imagine there must be a clause similar to the ' Internal Recusal Principle ' in the internal rules and regulations of the Battleworld, right?" Gwen Stacy's tone became as if she were asking an academic question, but her gaze calmly fell on Ke'er.

"If a key piece of evidence in an investigation may be directly linked to a certain department or individual, should that department or individual recuse themselves and temporarily relinquish command and intervention authority at the scene to ensure the impartiality of the investigation?"

Ke'er's pupils contracted sharply.

He didn't expect that the other party was not only familiar with the intricacies of the system, but even brought up their internal "Principle of Internal Battleworld Internal Recusal Principle".

Now he was completely on the defensive.

If he insists on staying, it would be tantamount to admitting that he has something to hide and attempting to forcibly interfere with the investigation.

If he leaves, once the logbook for that key is handed over, his charge of dereliction of duty will be final.

The Supreme Adjudicator, who had remained silent until now, turned his unfocused gaze toward Ke'er.

Although there was no explicit statement, the invisible pressure of order spoke volumes.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze.

Ke'er's face turned pale and then red. He stared intently at Gwen Stacy for a few seconds, as if trying to etch her image into his mind.

Finally, he managed to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth.

"Okay, very good."

He turned around, waved to the security personnel behind him, his voice hoarse.

"Let's go. We'll leave this to the Adjudication Office."

After saying that, he looked away from everyone and walked towards the Engine Room door without turning back.

Gwen Stacy kept smiling as she watched him leave.

Hela and Wanda exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of newfound Gwen Stacy in each other's eyes. They had eliminated the other side's people without bloodshed, using their own rules.

This Liaison Office Chief certainly has some unusual methods.

A temporary calm returned to the Engine Room.

The Supreme Adjudicator seemed unsurprised by the outcome; he simply turned back to Gwen Stacy, ready to continue the previous topic.

Just then, Ke'er, who had retreated to the door of the Engine Room, paused for a moment.

His back was turned to everyone, his left hand in his trouser pocket, seemingly just adjusting his clothes.

No one saw him press his thumb lightly against an inconspicuous, raised red emergency button on the side of the Encrypted Communicator in his pocket.