The inspection-exempt filing's first field test, the armed Hounds' procedural trap
The light emanating from the tip of the Pruning Baton was a cold, white light.
It doesn't generate heat, but it makes the surrounding air feel thin and unreal.
Hound Captain ignored the deathly aura emanating from Hela that could send shivers down even the spines of the undead, and he also ignored the guards who gripped their Long Halberd even tighter. In his world, the TVA's wanted posters were law, the laws of physics, and no local armed force was allowed to question them.
He slightly turned his wrist, about to aim the Pruning Baton at the tightly closed lead cabinet door.
That's a preliminary step before initiating a forceful scissor-like action.
In Hela's eye sockets, the eerie green flames suddenly contracted, condensing into an extremely dangerous point. The scabbard of the Night Sky Sword emitted a barely audible groan, a sign that the sword's energy was about to burst forth.
"Stop."
Lynn's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a pebble thrown precisely into water that was about to boil.
He didn't speak to the Hound Captain, but looked at Hela.
Hela paused, the murderous intent in her eyes undiminished, but her sword-wielding hand remained rooted to the spot. She could disregard TVA, but she couldn't disobey Lynn. These were the rules within the Negative Zone, more fundamental than any external law.
Upon seeing this, the Hound Captain's lips curled into a sneer. He believed it was a sign of cowardice and retreat from within the opposing side.
The Pruning Baton in his hand shone even brighter.
Lynn then slowly stepped forward, still standing between the two sides. He didn't look at the captain, but calmly gave an instruction to Gwen Stacy beside him.
"Director Gwen, please read the relevant documents to your colleagues at TVA."
Gwen Stacy nodded and took a standard thin Data Pad from her briefcase.
She stood half a step in front of Lynn, facing the Time Hounds, her expression solemn, her movements textbook perfect.
The Data Pad lit up, and a formally formatted official document appeared on the pale blue screen. At the very top were the dual emblems of the Multiverse Coordination Committee and the Negative Zone Management Committee.
Hound Captain frowned, but he didn't stop them. In the TVA system, reading official documents aloud was a sacred procedure.
"According to Article 7, Section 3 of the 'Joint Memorandum on Including the Negative Zone Management Committee Committee's Territory in Level-Two Inspection-Exempt Filing Zone,' signed yesterday by the Multiverse Coordination Committee and the Negative Space Management Committee and personally signed by Her Special Envoy Discipline and Supervision Department Ravonna Renslayer, Special Envoy of the Negative Zone Management Committee Inspection Department," Gwen Stacy's voice was clear and steady, devoid of any emotion, echoing in the empty server room, "'From the time the memorandum takes effect, the Negative Zone Management Committee's territory immediately enjoys Level 2 exemption. No armed unit not under the jurisdiction of the Negative Zone Management Committee may bring any equipment of Grade A or Class A with functions such as 'cutting,' 'resetting,' or 'formatting' into the Management Committee's territory without submitting a written application forty-eight hours in advance and obtaining a reply from the Liaison Office.'"
She paused, then looked up from the Data Pad and stared directly into the eyes of the Hound Captain.
This act will be defined as 'illegal armed border crossing'.
For the first time, the Hound Captain's expression changed.
Ravonna.
He knew that name, of course. It belonged to the head of the Audit Team, who was also his boss's boss.
But when was this document created?
"Continue," Lynn's voice came through.
Gwen Stacy nodded and continued reading, "Memorandum, Section 5, Article 2, Supplementary Explanation: 'In the event of an illegal armed border crossing, the Negative Zone Management Committee's Stability Maintenance Office has the right to forcibly seize and seal off the illegal border crossers and their equipment in accordance with Internal Safety Regulations, and reserves the right to file a highest-level security incident lawsuit with the Multiverse Coordination Committee's Inspectorate Office.'"
"At the same time," Gwen Stacy's tone rose slightly, carrying an unquestionable, businesslike air, "According to the mutually agreed-upon agreement, any unilateral military action that violates the memorandum will render all audit findings previously confirmed by the Audit Team immediately invalid."
An eerie silence fell over the server room.
The Hound Captain's breathing became noticeably heavier.
The squad he brought was one of TVA's most elite armed forces, capable of easily wiping out a small, disobedient civilization. But now, they were not facing resistance fire, but a newly issued, completely unknown Red-Headed Document from within their own system.
Each word was like a programmed shackle, tightly locking his finger from pulling the trigger.
"It's a fake!" one of his teammates whispered. "They've definitely faked it!"
Hound Captain didn't speak. He raised his wrist terminal, aimed it at the Data Pad in Gwen Stacy's hand, and initiated the Highest Access Privileges authentication procedure.
A beam of blue light swept across.
A few seconds later, a green, irrefutable confirmation message popped up on his terminal.
[Document Number: TVA-F-7734. Issued by: Ravonna Renslayer. Status: Effective.]
The air seemed to freeze.
The Hound Captain's face slowly turned from ashen to a deep purple. He felt like a brute who had punched cotton, using all his strength only to have all his power dissipated by the opponent's softest yet most resilient rules.
Take action?
This constitutes disobeying the valid decree signed by Special Envoy Ravonna, and is an "illegal armed border crossing." The other side's Stability Maintenance Office can then "according to regulations" detain them all. At that point, they will be the ones in the wrong.
Even more critically, once he took action, the audit results would be invalidated. Although he didn't know the specific contents of the audit results, he was well aware of how long Ravonna had stayed in the Negative Zone and what price she had paid for them. If his recklessness caused all of this to fall apart, he would face far more than just a simple punishment when he returned.
Are we just going to retreat like this?
His mission was to capture Class A Variant. Returning empty-handed was also a dereliction of duty.
He found himself in a procedural dilemma, a cage built for him by the very "rules" he believed in and relied on most.
Lynn looked at him but didn't say anything more.
He knew that what the other party needed now was not a threat, but a way out.
"The energy leak emergency drill in C-7 Zone has concluded." Lynn's voice broke the silence. "Director Hela, the lockdown can be lifted."
Hela glanced at Lynn, somewhat unwilling, but still waved her hand.
The Undead Guard neatly sheathed their Long Halberd, turned, and retreated like a tide, disappearing into the shadows of the passage.
The tense encirclement, which had been on the verge of conflict, vanished instantly.
Only Lynn and Gwen Stacy remained, standing in front of several TVA hounds.
This stance undoubtedly tells the other side: We are not forcing you out with force; we are simply following the rules. The exercise is over, and you can leave now.
The Hound Captain's chest heaved violently a few times.
He stared intently at Lynn, as if trying to discern even the slightest flaw or provocation in that calm face.
But he failed.
Lynn's expression was as calm and professional as Gwen Stacy's when he read the documents aloud.
"We'll be back," the Hound Captain spat out through gritted teeth.
He put away the Pruning Baton, turned around, and gestured for his teammates to retreat.
The orange light gate opened once again in the center of the server room.
Just before stepping through the portal, the captain turned around and gave Lynn one last look, his eyes so dark they could drip water.
"Your Honor, we will not tolerate Variant polluting this newly designated Special Zone."
After saying that, he walked into the portal without looking back.
The portal spun, shrank, and finally disappeared completely.
The abandoned server room in C-7 Zone has returned to its deathly silence.
Gwen Stacy let out a long sigh of relief, only then realizing that her palms, which were gripping the Data Pad, were covered in cold sweat.
Lynn walked to the cabinet door and turned the physical lock.
The cabinet door opened, and Sylvie stepped out. Her face was somewhat pale, but her eyes held an unprecedented, complex light, a mixture of shock and scrutiny.
She looked at Lynn as if she were a monster.
A monster who used the intangible concept of "rules" to force back the TVA Armed Hounds.