A diplomatic note that turned the tables, a joint response to a security incident
Dust swirled in the air. Occasionally, the broken load-bearing cable would burst into a cluster or two of eerie blue sparks, emitting short crackling sounds.
The Supreme Adjudicator 'Vast Metal Body emitted a dull creak of gears meshing. The deathly darkness in its eye sockets was replaced by a renewed Scarlet glow.
Hela's jawline tightened instantly. The blade of the Night Sky Sword pressed down half an inch silently, the Death Force condensing into a thick black hue at the edge. Wanda didn't move, but the Chaos Red Glow at her fingertips had already locked onto several of the Judge's core joints.
Gwen Stacy raised her right hand, fingers together, and made an extremely restrained downward pressing motion.
This is a tactical gesture to cease combat.
Hela frowned slightly, but the sword still stopped.
Gwen Stacy didn't turn around. She reached up and brushed the dust off her combat uniform, then straightened her collar. She took a half-step forward, her boots clicking crisply on the metal wreckage.
"Your Judge," Gwen Stacy's voice was calm and unhurried, showing no trace of the turmoil she had just experienced in a life-or-death crisis.
She pulled a tactical tablet from her waist, her fingertips swiping rapidly across the screen to bring up a document. With a flick of her wrist, an encrypted electronic letter was projected directly into the air between the two of them.
The letter's heading prominently bore the bright red seal of the Negative Zone Management Committee.
"This is the Negative Zone Liaison Office's ' Formal Protest Letter ' submitted to the Battleworld authorities regarding the recent major safety incident involving Engine Three." Gwen Stacy looked into those Scarlet mechanical eyes, her tone cold and businesslike.
The Supreme Adjudicator did not immediately launch an attack. Its red-beaming eyes swept across the Holographic Projection, and a muffled mechanical voice echoed in the empty Engine Room: "System logs indicate that this physical collapse was caused by the unlawful overreach of Administrative Faction Foreign Affairs Office Ke'er. The threat has been neutralized."
"The threat is gone, but the responsibility hasn't been clarified yet," Gwen Stacy retorted without mincing words.
She extended her index finger and pointed to the first clause of the virtual official letter.
"As the official representative of the Battleworld, Director Ke'er not only illegally cut off physical communications during the period when both parties had signed documents and officially launched the ' Joint Security Exercise,' but also deliberately damaged the structural support of the Engine Room. This nearly led to the danger of our key personnel, the Expert Team, and the on-duty consultants."
Gwen Stacy paused, her gaze unwavering. "Director Ke'er forcibly intervened in the Joint Drill without presenting any legal authorization. This action not only violates the ' Internal Recusal Principle ' of the Battleworld, but is also a blatant provocation against the consensus previously reached by the high-level officials of both sides."
These words were extremely harsh.
She made no mention of the terrifying will that had almost descended, nor of the code Wanda had just implanted into the engine's core. Using the most rigorous administrative language, she shifted all responsibility to Ke'er, who had already escaped, and confined a Multiverse- level life-or-death crisis to the categories of "security incident" and "diplomatic dispute."
Jean Grey stood behind, watching Gwen Stacy's retreating figure, a barely perceptible hint of admiration flashing in her eyes.
Lynn's move to put Gwen Stacy in the captain's position was incredibly shrewd. If Hela were present, she would have already drawn her sword and attacked; if it were Wanda, she would most likely have tried to forcibly take over the system with magic.
Only Gwen Stacy could switch back to "bureaucratic mode" the instant the crisis was over, using the rules that the other party valued most to crush them. This was also the tone set by Lynn in the closed-door conversation before his departure—to defeat bureaucracy with bureaucracy.
The Supreme Adjudicator fell into a brief silence. Its massive internal computing power was working frantically, assessing the logical flaws in Gwen Stacy's statement.
"Ke'er's actions have triggered Article 114 of the Internal Affairs Regulations of the Battleworld." The Judge's voice remained cold. "The Adjudication Office will initiate Internal Purge Procedure."
"This is your internal affair, Negative Zone will not interfere." Gwen Stacy changed the subject, turning to the second page of the official letter, "But as the victims, we have the right to make reasonable political and material demands."
She stared at the Judge: "Article two of the negotiation letter clearly states our bottom line. The Battleworld official must issue a formal written apology to Negative Zone for this egregious incident. At the same time, they must provide substantial compensation for the mental distress, reputational damage, and lost wages suffered by our personnel."
"Compensation for emotional distress lacks quantifiable standards and is not part of the regular enforcement procedures of the Adjudication Office," the Judge gave a rigid response.
Gwen Stacy was prepared. Her expression remained unchanged, but her tone carried a subtle, yet menacing, pressure.
"Your Judge, it seems you haven't grasped the current situation." Gwen Stacy gestured to the main console. "Just a few minutes ago, we signed the Technical Assistance Memorandum. The ' Benign Patch ' we provided is helping Engine Three refactor its computing power."
She narrowed her eyes slightly. "If the Battleworld cannot even restrain a Foreign Affairs Office, and even refuses to bear the consequences of its own security loopholes, the Negative Zone Management Committee will have reason to doubt the Battleworld's spirit of contract."
"At that time, as the head of the delegation, I will have no choice but to unilaterally withdraw all technical assistance and forcibly remove the already implanted code, based on the 'force majeure clause' in the memorandum."
The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere Engine Room plummeted to freezing point.
Retracting the code means that the engine's computing power will once again be insufficient, and the system crash that was just suppressed is very likely to make a comeback.
This is blatant blackmail. But ironically, it's disguised as legal and compliant.
The Supreme Adjudicator's underlying principle is to absolutely uphold the validity of signed contracts. Gwen Stacy used the memorandum it had just signed to turn the tables on it.
The red mechanical eye began to flash violently.
The Judge's system is once again facing a logical conflict. On the one hand, the compensation claim exceeds its normal authority; on the other hand, refusing compensation will lead to the breakdown of legitimate contracts and trigger a more serious systemic disaster.
From the loudspeakers in the Engine Room, the faint electronic voice of the Judge's internal judgment could be heard.
Warning: Risk of contract breach detected.
Warning: The computing power reconstruction process is irreversible; forcibly separating it will cause the engine core to crash.
"Reassessing the weights... compromise solution in progress."
A full ten seconds passed.
"The appeal is logically sound. Compliance Review passed." The Judge's voice finally rang out, carrying a hint of forced procedural compromise.
Hela's grip on the sword hilt loosened slightly, almost imperceptibly.
"Based on the principle of reciprocity and loss assessment, the Adjudication Office agrees to pay compensation." The Judge raised his robotic arm, and a blue Data Stream shot from his fingertips, converging into a brand new electronic list in front of Gwen Stacy.
"This is a preliminary compensation plan. Please review it, representatives of the Negative Zone."
Gwen Stacy did not immediately reach out to take it. She maintained the composure befitting a victor in negotiations, her gaze slowly sweeping over the list.
At first, her expression was perfectly calm. But when her gaze fell on the additional terms at the very end of the list, Gwen Stacy's pupils contracted sharply.
That's not the usual compensation in terms of materials or energy.
In the clause written in the official secret document of the Battleworld, there was a very high level of authority that could completely change the current strategic landscape of the Negative Zone.
Gwen Stacy looked up, took a deep look at the cold machine in front of her, and calmly sent the list data to Lynn was far away in the White Bone Hall.