An underlying overwrite of factory settings, the system of an illegally overreaching will

Time does not flow.

The entire Engine Three room was like a frozen oil painting. The metal fragments solidified in mid-air, the cracks that had spread halfway across the walls, and the motionless golden quicksand all maintained an eerie stillness.

The only noise came from the main console.

On that enormous light screen, ancient, eerie green code surged upwards like a waterfall flowing against the current. Wherever it passed, the modern instructions that once represented Kang's will and glowed with Scarlet light were gradually covered, swallowed, and erased.

This is not a confrontation between two forces, but a one-sided formatting.

Just like the laws of the new dynasty, which directly abolished the regulations of the old dynasty. There was no room for negotiation, only absolute enforcement.

Jean Grey crouched beside the engine base, one hand still resting on the Bronze Gear embedded in the groove. The gear itself showed no energy response; it was cold, rough, and seemed like just an ordinary piece of scrap metal.

But it is the key.

A key that unlocked the deepest, most primal memories of this machine.

Wanda stood in front of the control panel. The Data Stream that had been a chaotic sea of blood before her was now orderly. She couldn't understand any of the dark green code, but she could grasp the logic behind it.

An older, more domineering, and more unreasonable set of rules is taking over everything.

Suddenly, the scrolling code on the screen stopped.

A new line of system log, also a dark green, was refreshed separately at the very top of the screen, with huge font, carrying an unquestionable sense of judgment.

[System self-test starts...]

[Unregistered third-party program detected... codename: Conqueror...]

[Privilege Level: Unauthorized Access.]

[Threat Assessment: Malicious plugin, posing a risk of systemic contamination.]

[Solution: Initiate the forced exclusion procedure.]

Log refresh complete.

The humanoid silhouette, formed by golden quicksand and frozen in mid-air, began to change.

There was no explosion, no clash of energy.

The single grain of sand that made up the outermost layer of his body vanished into thin air. Then came the second, and the third.

Like a document that has been marked "delete permanently," its data is being erased byte by byte. This process is silent, yet carries a chilling cruelty that goes straight to the heart.

That will, strong enough to make even Skyfather-level powerhouse tremble, seemed to want to rebel.

The outline of the Sandman trembled violently, attempting to reform.

However, on the main console screen, the log line "Force Exclusion Program" only flashed green for a moment.

Buzz.

An invisible wave swept across.

The Sandman vanished at a sudden tenfold increase in speed. From the edges to the core, swathes of golden sand were directly Oblivion into nothingness.

That will finally revealed a hint of astonishment and disbelief. It seemed unable to understand why the tool it had created would use a rule it couldn't comprehend to expel it.

Hela gripped the Night Sky Sword, watching helplessly as the terrifying being that was about to take shape vanished bit by bit, like a pencil drawing being erased by an eraser.

She couldn't understand Jean Grey's "source tracing review," but she understood what was happening before her eyes.

One order is purging another.

Finally, with the disappearance of the last grain of golden quicksand, the will that had been looming over the entire Engine Room, heavy as a mountain, vanished completely.

The air became breathable again.

Almost simultaneously, the system log on the screen refreshed again.

[Illegal plugins have been removed.]

[Continue system self-check...]

[External collaboration Patch found... ICP filing number: NF-D-007-Drill...]

[Source: Negative Zone Management Committee]

[Access Level: Reported and compliant.]

[Threat assessment: Benign, will help optimize engine computing power structure.]

[Solution: Accept the proposal, convert it to a formal component, and integrate it deeply.]

Wanda's pupils dilated slightly when she saw this line in the log.

Before her, the program containing the Phoenix's signature, which had been half-erased by Kang's will, stopped crashing. Not only that, a green data frame appeared around it, completely protecting it.

Countless Data Stream, like gentle streams, began to flow into the code, repairing its damage and tightly linking it to the engine's Underlying Logic.

A Technology-for-Equity was forcibly completed under the most basic rules.

The Trojan horse in the Negative Zone was not only not detected and removed, but was also personally granted "Benign Patch" certification by the system, and obtained permanent residency.

Gwen Stacy let out a long sigh of relief.

Her knuckles turned white from gripping the control panel. Only then did the cold sweat on her back soak through her combat uniform.

It's done.

Lynn's move, the second move, once again landed precisely on the most crucial point on the chessboard.

With Kang's will expelled and the code implanted by Wanda accepted, this deadlock was completely turned around.

Engine Room, the wave that had frozen everything quietly subsided.

Metal fragments, solidified in mid-air, clattered and fell to the ground.

The physical collapse is still ongoing, but the most deadly threat has been averted.

Jean Grey stood up, walked back to the pedestal, calmly took out the Bronze Gear, and put it back in the inner pouch. After doing this, she turned to look at Gwen Stacy and nodded slightly.

Task completed.

However, just as everyone's nerves relaxed slightly...

Clang--

A heavy, loud bang.

The massive mechanical body of the Supreme Adjudicator, which was lying paralyzed on the ground, suddenly convulsed violently.

All the energy indicator lights on its body that had been extinguished began to flash again, but no longer the chaotic red light that represented a system error; instead, they emitted a calm, programmed white light.

Its system is rebooting.

Gwen Stacy's heart jumped again.

The crisis is over, but the matter is not yet resolved.

The Supreme Adjudicator, the embodiment of the rules of the Battleworld, after experiencing a system crash caused by logical paradoxes and a forced overwrite of Factory Settings, how will it define the current situation?

How will it deal with these "guests" from the Negative Zone?

Should we continue with the previous hostile procedures, or... acknowledge the fait accompli of this "Joint Drill"?

Everyone's eyes were instinctively drawn to the massive machine that was restarting.

A few seconds later.

The deathly darkness in the Supreme Adjudicator's eyes was rekindled by a single Scarlet light.