The Unexpected Backlash of the Evidence Handover, the Administrative Faction's Desperate Move

Hela's embrace was very secure.

The emaciated body, almost reduced to skeleton, finally stopped trembling almost imperceptibly in her arms.

Erik Lehnsherr, E-734 Variant, with his eyes closed and his breath barely a whisper, survived.

The humming sound Engine Room seemed to have softened a bit.

The deal was completed, and the hostages were rescued.

This is a partial victory.

Wanda watched this scene, her tense nerves relaxing slightly, and the red light swirling around her fingertips dimming. Her gaze shifted to Gwen Stacy, a hint of inquiry in her eyes.

The matter is not over yet.

Gwen Stacy's gaze shifted from Erik back to the Supreme Adjudicator's inorganic visor.

She stepped forward.

"Your Judge."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was like a precise rivet, drawing everyone's attention to her.

"In accordance with the Provisional Memorandum of Understanding signed by both parties, and the Joint Security Exercise Plan previously issued by our leadership, we have completed our technical assistance."

Gwen Stacy paused, making sure that every word she spoke was clear and compliant with regulations.

"Now, we will proceed with the final clause of the exercise Contingency Plan."

She raised her wrist, and the screen on the control terminal lit up. An encrypted data log floated in mid-air, recording all the underlying traces of Director Ke'er's unauthorized provision of the maintenance channel key.

This was the "key piece of evidence" that Lynn had specified in his Red-Headed Document.

This is irrefutable evidence enough to completely condemn the Administrative Faction of the Battleworld to the pillar of shame for dereliction of duty and betrayal.

"We will formally hand over the key evidence that led to this security breach to the Adjudication Office."

Gwen Stacy's words were devoid of any emotion, as if she were reading a cold autopsy report.

A faint, cold smile played on Hela's lips. She understood what Gwen Stacy was doing. This was a final political blow, more lethal than any sword.

The Supreme Adjudicator's mechanical head nodded slightly, and a blue data receiving beam shot out from its visor, aimed at the document on Gwen Stacy's terminal.

The program is nearing its end.

It is also heading towards the final trial of the Administrative Faction Director Ke'er.

Just as the Data Stream was about to complete the connection.

"Boom--Rumble--"

A dull, extremely loud thud came from beneath our feet.

It wasn't the sharp roar of an explosion, but rather the groan of some massive structure being forcibly torn apart and twisted.

The entire Engine Room, along with the thick alloy floor beneath our feet, lurched violently upwards.

Hela immediately tightened her arms, protecting Erik even more closely. The Death Force instantly formed a barrier, offsetting the violent shock.

Caught off guard, Wanda stumbled, but the crimson light of the Chaos Magic exploded spontaneously, stabilizing her. Her face turned deathly pale instantly, not from the shock, but from the sense of an unreasonable, destructive energy surging wildly from the direction they had come from.

"Alarm! Alarm!"

"The underground energy core of No. 3 Guesthouse has suffered a structural collapse!"

"An unauthorized abandoned self-destruct program has been detected!"

"Instability cracks have appeared in the regular shielding of areas A-7 to A-9! Repeat, cracks have appeared in the regular shielding!"

A piercing electronic warning sound replaced the engine's steady hum, echoing wildly throughout the vast space.

The ceiling lights flickered violently, and countless specks of dust and metal fell down.

The data receiving beam fired by the Supreme Adjudicator dissipated amidst the violent tremors.

Its unchanging mechanical head suddenly turned towards the only alloy gate, and the red light in its eye sockets flashed wildly at an unprecedented frequency, as if it were processing a massive amount of data far exceeding its preset limits.

Gwen Stacy clung tightly to a nearby control panel to keep from falling.

Her heart sank.

No. 3 Guesthouse, abandoned self-destruct program.

Ke'er.

It's a desperate act by the Administrative Faction.

The other party was clearly monitoring everything in the Engine Room in real time through some means. The moment he saw that the log was about to be handed over, he chose the most extreme and ugly method—physical elimination.

They attempted to bury their delegation, along with the fatal evidence, here with a so-called "accidental explosion."

"Boom!"

Another loud bang.

The heavy alloy door, representing the only way out, visibly twisted violently, accompanied by a piercing metallic cracking sound, until it completely caved in, deformed, and was welded shut into the door frame.

Their escape route was completely cut off.

Gwen Stacy's face was grim. She had underestimated how shameless the other party could be in order to protect themselves. The covert struggle that had begun had escalated into a ruthless attempt to silence her.

This kind of rule-breaking style of play is precisely the most difficult situation for those of them who are used to playing within the rules.

"Gwen Stacy!" Hela's voice was filled with suppressed anger. "What do we do now?"

"Maintain formation, don't make any rash moves." Gwen Stacy forced herself to calm down.

Especially in times like these, it's crucial to stay calm and avoid making a rash decision.

However, the real crisis does not come from the blocked escape routes.

Wanda suddenly looked up, staring in horror at the top of the Engine Room.

The space there seemed to have been torn open by an invisible hand, leaving a tiny opening.

A crack invisible to the naked eye, yet capable of unleashing a monstrous wave on the spiritual level.

The energy of the explosion not only destroyed the physical structure, but more seriously, it shook the rules that protected this core Engine Room.

A will.

A will a thousand times, ten thousand times more terrifying than the cold sense of order of the Supreme Adjudicator was slowly and irresistibly descending through the crack.

It was a pure desire for conquest that transcended time and space.

Cold, domineering, and regarding everything as dust.

All the mechanical guards Engine Room, their Scarlet compound eyes, suddenly went out, as if they had encountered some absolute monarch from the very source of the system, and were even stripped of their right to exist.

Even the usually indifferent Supreme Adjudicator froze for a moment. The red light in its eyes, which had been flashing rapidly, turned into a dark red that represented the highest level of alert.

For the first time, Hela's hand, gripping the Night Sky Sword, was drenched in cold sweat. As the Goddess of Death, her perception of will far surpassed that of ordinary people. She could feel that the descending will, even just a wisp of its aura, made her feel a long-lost tremor called "insignificance."

This is not at the Skyfather-level.

This is... something on a higher level.

Gwen Stacy felt a wave of suffocation. That will swept over her like a human looking down at an ant, without hostility, only pure indifference.

In her mind, a name automatically surfaced from the Top Secret file that Lynn had handed over.

The true ruler of the Battleworld.

Conqueror.

Kang.