The commendation meeting at the White Bone Hall: how the boss balanced the factions
Negative Zone, the White Bone Hall.
Beneath the dome, the air was so quiet that one could hear the deep, rhythmic hum of the Energy Core.
The heavy palace doors opened inward without making a sound.
Gwen Stacy walked at the front, followed by Hela, Wanda, and Jean Grey. The four women's combat boots clattered rhythmically on the smooth, mirror-like bone floor as they walked step by step toward the throne in the center of the hall, a Throne made of countless bones.
Lynn sat quietly on the Throne, watching them approach with a calm gaze.
His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the Throne, paused for a moment, then he raised his hand and pointed to the lower right.
"Please sit down."
The sound was not loud, but it clearly carried to every corner of the hall.
The seating arrangement is very particular.
Gwen Stacy's seat was at the very front to Lynn's right, a standard reporting position and the closest to the top leader. Hela was seated to Lynn's left, a half-step behind Gwen Stacy. Wanda and Jean Grey's seats were further downstream at the long table.
The four people sat down in order, and no one spoke.
A subtle silence fell over the main hall once again.
Lynn didn't rush to speak. He simply picked up the teacup beside him, blew away non-existent foam, and took a sip.
The soft clatter of the teacup being set down seemed to signal the start of the meeting.
"I've seen what's happening in the Battleworld." Lynn's gaze swept over everyone present, finally settling on Gwen Stacy.
"Comrade Gwen Stacy, the Liaison Office did a good job on this assignment."
Lynn's assessment was very straightforward, without using any words of praise; he simply stated a fact.
"From procedural defenses to fighting for visitation rights, and finally to the negotiation where the other side took the lead, every step was conducted within the framework of the rules. It was reasonable, advantageous, and measured."
He paused, then changed the subject.
"In particular, it's good that they know to consult with the organization at critical moments and don't make decisions on their own."
This statement, seemingly an affirmation of Gwen Stacy, was interpreted by the other three in the hall as having a deeper meaning. It was a warning, and also an establishment of rules.
"After deliberation by the Management Committee," Lynn's voice became steady, "the Liaison Office is to be credited with the greatest contribution to this Battleworld."
Gwen Stacy stood up and bowed slightly. "It's thanks to the boss's excellent leadership; I was merely carrying out your instructions."
Her answer was impeccable, both accepting the credit and delegating the highest honor back to the top leader.
Lynn nodded noncommittally, gesturing for her to sit down.
Then, his gaze shifted to Hela on his left.
Hela sat upright, her jawline taut; she could sense that the real highlight was about to begin.
"Comrade Hela," Lynn's tone remained unchanged, "The determination shown by the Stability Maintenance Office at this critical moment, and its protective stance towards core members, are also commendable."
affim.
It's just a statement, nothing more.
Compared to Gwen Stacy's "primary credit," these two words carry much less weight.
Hela's eyes flickered, but she remained silent.
"However," Lynn's voice held a firmer tone, "Preparing to overturn the table before the rules are exhausted is not our preferred solution."
"Organizational Discipline is the foundation of Negative Zone. This line must never be crossed by anyone, at any time. This is a warning; I don't want it to happen again."
As soon as the words were spoken, the temperature inside the hall seemed to drop even further.
This is a ruthless public reprimand.
Hela's knuckles were slightly white as she gripped the sword hilt. Normally, she would have stood up to argue, but at this moment, she silently endured it.
Because she knew in her heart that what Lynn said was true. Moreover, he chose to say it in such a setting so that everyone would understand who really made the decisions in this family.
After reprimanding Hela, Lynn's gaze fell on Wanda and Jean.
"Comrade Wanda's technical support was crucial; both her key reconstruction and the final ' Benign Patch ' provided indispensable guarantees for the success of the operation."
"Comrade Qin's expert rescue team reacted swiftly and acted decisively, stabilizing the situation with minimal cost."
His evaluation was precise and restrained, highlighting the specific contributions of each of them, acknowledging their achievements without allowing their credit to exceed the scope of their respective responsibilities.
A commendation ceremony that clearly distinguished between merits and demerits was thus conducted by Lynn in the most understated tone, making it seem effortless.
Gwen Stacy's primary contribution was setting a benchmark and clarifying the guiding principle of "procedure first".
The "reprimand" of Hela served to draw a red line and solidify the absolute authority of the command system.
The "recognition" of Wanda and Qin was intended to reassure people and ensure the stability of the Technology Division and core combat capabilities.
He held a bowl of water perfectly still.
The four female heroes present had different thoughts, but they all had to admit that Lynn's art of balancing the factions was very skillful.
"This time's merits have been recorded. This time's mistakes must also be recorded," Lynn concluded. "Go back and thoroughly review your performance. Meeting adjourned."
"Yes."
Everyone stood up and turned to leave.
Hela walked last, and just as the palace doors were about to close, she turned back to glance at the figure on the Throne.
Lynn remained in that position, as if she hadn't moved at all from beginning to end.
The doors to the main hall slowly closed.
Silence returned to the hall.
Lynn sat alone on the Throne for a long time.
He didn't move, but just stared at the empty hall, as if he was thinking about something.
After a long while, he raised his hand and gently tapped three times on the armrest of the Throne.
A pale blue light curtain silently unfolded before him.
Lynn's fingertip swept across the light screen, bringing up a file that was encrypted multiple times.
The file title is very simple.
"Battleworld Engine Three Log - Instance - A".
This is a Top Secret file that Wanda copied from the Core Server of the Battleworld while implanting the "Benign Patch".
Lynn opened the file.
Countless lines of complex Data Stream down like a waterfall.
Instead of looking at the complicated engine parameters, he directly entered a keyword to search.
"Ke'er."
The Data Stream stopped instantly, and several lines of communication records marked "highly confidential" were located.
Lynn's gaze fell on one of the financial transaction records.
Records show that Ke'er had made a large transaction of Energy Unit with an anonymous account the week before he was "Data Oblivion".
The encrypted prefix of that anonymous account pointed to an organization that Lynn knew very well, yet was completely unexpected.
Multiverse Coordination Committee.
Lynn's pupils contracted slightly.
He continued scrolling down.
At the very end of the log, there was an encrypted message that Ke'er sent to the anonymous account but received no reply.
The message was very short, consisting of only one sentence.
"The Negative Zone in the accounts is too large, and forcibly balancing the books carries too high a risk. It is recommended to initiate the next round of auditing and introduce new variables."