Procedural barriers to handing over the ledgers, the Liaison Office's soft delays
That deep red "Mandatory Takeover Order" was like an invisible wall pressing down on Reception Hall One.
The air froze.
For the first time, Gwen Stacy's professional smile froze. The Liaison Office officers behind her tensed up instinctively, and no one dared to utter a sound.
Ravonna's fingers were still resting on the document. Her eyes were calm, but that calm carried more weight than any harsh rebuke.
Just then, a series of unhurried footsteps came from the corridor leading from the hall to the interior.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.
Lynn walked over.
He wore his usual smile, as if he had just finished a relaxed meeting rather than dealing with an imminent crisis. He didn't even look at Ravonna first, but nodded to Gwen Stacy and the Liaison Office staff behind her, as if to say, "Thank you for your hard work."
This simple action inexplicably eased the tension in everyone at the Liaison Office.
"Special Envoy Ravonna, you must be tired from your journey." Lynn then turned to Ravonna and extended his hand. "I am Lynn from the Negative Zone Management Committee. My subordinates are not very knowledgeable, and their hospitality has been somewhat inadequate. Please forgive them."
He adopted a very humble attitude and spoke very politely.
Ravonna's gaze shifted from the "Mandatory Takeover Order" to Lynn's outstretched hand. She didn't shake it, but merely raised her chin.
"Director Lynn, there's no need for formalities. I believe Director Gwen has already shown you the 'Involuntary Takeover Order'."
Lynn seemed oblivious to the other person's rudeness, naturally withdrawing her hand and smiling.
"We have seen it. We must, of course, implement the document signed by the Supreme Chairman without fail. The Negative Zone Management Committee firmly supports and cooperates with the Discipline Inspection and Discipline and Supervision Department's investigation."
His statement surprised even the male attendants behind Ravonna.
There were none of the expected explanations or resistance.
"In that case," Ravonna's voice remained icy, "Please have Director Lynn take us to the Core Data Center now."
"Of course," Lynn readily agreed.
He turned to the side, making a "please" gesture, but did not move his feet.
"However, there is one last procedure to complete before the formal handover."
Ravonna's brows finally furrowed.
What program?
Lynn's smile remained unchanged, but her tone became more serious.
"Special Envoy Ravonna, as a veteran of the Discipline and Supervision Department, you should know this better than we do. Forced takeover involving all assets and core data is an administrative act of the highest risk level. According to Article 312 of the 'Regulations on Cross-Level Asset Transfer by the Coordination Committee,' to clarify the responsibilities of both parties and avoid subsequent disputes such as data damage and asset loss, both parties must jointly sign a 'Cross-Level Asset Transfer and Data Damage Disclaimer.'"
He paused, looked at Ravonna, and his eyes were sincere.
"This is also to protect you and your team. After all, our Negative Zone space has many historical issues with its accounts, and the situation is complicated. If something is missing or the data doesn't match after the handover, we won't be able to explain it, and it will also cause trouble for you, right?"
Ravonna looked at Lynn in silence.
The male entourage behind her couldn't help but speak up, "We have Mandatory Takeover Order! Its force is above all local regulations!"
Lynn didn't look at him; her gaze remained fixed on Ravonna's face.
"This comrade is right. Mandatory Takeover Order has the highest legal force. But the procedure we are going to follow now is not based on our local regulations for Negative Zone, but on the Coordination Committee's own fundamental law."
He turned to the Liaison Office officer behind him and said something.
"Bring the documents over here."
An officer immediately took out an astonishingly thick document from his briefcase.
The document was wrapped in a gray hard cover, had no title, only a number. It looked to be at least three hundred pages long, like a brick.
The clerk respectfully handed the document to Lynn.
Lynn took the document and presented it to Ravonna with both hands.
"Special Envoy, please take a look. This is the 'Cross-Dimensional Asset Transfer and Data Damage Disclaimer,' in triplicate. After you and your team have reviewed it and have no objections, please sign it, and we will immediately proceed with the handover. All permissions for the Core Data Center are hereby handed over."
His tone was extremely respectful.
His movements were impeccable.
He wasn't refusing; he was actively, compliantly, and meticulously cooperating with the work.
Ravonna did not reach out to take it.
Her gaze was fixed on the "statement" that was thicker than a city wall. She didn't even need to look to know that these three hundred-plus pages were bound to be riddled with textual traps and procedural Bastion. Every clause, every footnote, could be a bottomless pit.
If she doesn't sign, it means she's not abiding by the Coordination Committee's fundamental law, and Lynn has every reason to suspend the handover.
If she's going to sign it, who knows how much time it will take, or how many legal experts will be needed to thoroughly study it?
This is no longer just a show of force.
This is a blatant, overt conspiracy. They're using your own rules to tie your hands and feet.
The reception hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Standing behind Lynn, watching his retreating figure, Gwen Stacy finally felt a weight lifted from her heart. She had tried everything, but only managed a "soft interception." The boss, however, with just a few words, used an insurmountable procedural Bastion to neutralize the opponent's Thunder offensive.
This demonstrates the top leader's ability to control the situation.
After a long while, Ravonna suddenly smiled.
"Okay." She only said one word.
She took the heavy document from Lynn's hands.
"Director Lynn, you've considered everything very thoroughly."
"Serving the Special Envoy is our duty," Lynn said with a smile.
Ravonna flipped through two pages of the document; the handwriting was as small as mosquitoes, the clauses were jagged and intertwined, and the references to each other were so numerous that it made her dizzy.
She closed the file.
"We need a meeting room to study this carefully."
"Of course." Lynn immediately instructed Gwen, "Director Gwen, arrange for coffee and refreshments in Conference Room One for the special envoy and the comrades from the Discipline Inspection Department. Also, notify the comrades in the Legal Department and the Archives to be on standby at any time, and to provide consultation services if the special envoy has any questions about any clauses in the statement."
"Yes." Gwen Stacy accepted the order and turned to make the arrangements.
Ravonna gave Lynn a deep look, said nothing more, and, with her male entourage, followed the Liaison Office officer toward the conference room.
A tense crisis was thus averted.
The atmosphere in the hall instantly relaxed.
Lynn watched Ravonna's retreating figure, his smile slowly fading. He knew this was just the beginning. The time he had bought for Wanda and the others wouldn't be much longer.
Just then, the female attendant who had been following Ravonna without uttering a single word and seemed to be merely a decoration paused as she passed Lynn.
She turned her head and looked at Lynn.
Her gaze was peculiar, carrying a scrutinizing quality, a knowing look, and a hint of... barely perceptible mockery.
Lynn's eyes met hers.
It's her.
The woman who handed documents from the briefcase when Ravonna presented the Mandatory Takeover Order.
The woman nodded slightly to him as a greeting, then turned and followed Ravonna's footsteps.
Lynn's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Just as the woman turned around, her left hand, hanging at her side, tapped three times gently and rhythmically on an inconspicuous metal bracelet on her wrist with her index finger.
The movements were so small and fast that they were almost impossible to detect.
There was no sound.
There is no light.
But an invisible, high-level energy fluctuation, undetectable by conventional means, silently escaped from her fingertips, penetrating layers of physical barriers, like an invisible nail, precisely driven into the depths of Negative Zone, into the underlying coordinates of the server cluster protected by Chaos Magic.