The Director's Return as a Stabilizer, Politics at the Expanded Standing Committee Meeting
The air White Bone Hall was stagnant, as if solidified.
The last handful of golden sand in the giant hourglass was sliding down at a visible speed. Only ten minutes remained until the final deadline of the 48-hour review process.
Gwen Stacy stood in front of the Control Console, her back ramrod straight. Her gaze was fixed on the hourglass, but out of the corner of her eye, she could clearly sense the state of the other core members in the hall.
Hela's hand never left the hilt of the Night Sky Sword hanging at her waist.
A faint wisp of Scarlet Mist lingered around Wanda's fingertips.
Jean Grey had her eyes closed, seemingly calm, but the invisible Psychic Power around her had reinforced the physical structure of the entire hall seventeen times.
The final step in the emergency Contingency Plan is "deploying forces".
Just then, a barely perceptible ripple appeared in the space above the Throne in the center of the hall.
Lynn's figure shifted from blurry to real.
He appeared calmly on the Throne, still wearing the same casual clothes he had worn to the appointment, as if he had simply gone to the next office.
The tension that had been stretched to its limit inside the main hall instantly eased.
Hela's knuckles, which had been resting on the sword hilt, were no longer white. The Scarlet Mist at Wanda's fingertips quietly dissipated. Jean Gur's arms also opened their eyes.
Gwen Stacy's tense back muscles finally relaxed slightly. She didn't turn around, but simply reported in a soft voice.
"Director, there are nine minutes and thirty-seven seconds left until the review deadline."
Lynn's gaze swept across the entire room, taking in everyone's state. He didn't respond to Gwen Stacy first, but instead casually placed a Data Pad on the armrest of the Throne.
"Notify all Standing Committee Member that an expanded meeting of the Standing Committee Member will be held in five minutes."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable penetrating power, quickly dispelling all the unease and anxiety that enveloped the hall.
"Yes."
Gwen Stacy immediately responded and began skillfully operating the Control Console, issuing emergency meeting notices to the heads of various departments.
Five minutes later, everyone had arrived at the giant conference table in the White Bone Hall.
Lynn sat in the main seat, with Gwen Stacy, Hela, Wanda, Jean, Sylvie on either side. The atmosphere was solemn, and all eyes were on Lynn, waiting for him to summarize the "closed-door deduction" of the past forty-eight hours.
Lynn didn't speak immediately; he first gestured to Gwen Stacy.
"The Liaison Office should first inform them of the situation."
Gwen Stacy stood up and succinctly reported the entire process of how the TVA Adjudication Office crossed the border under the guise of a "joint inspection" and how she had successfully delayed the process for forty-eight hours by citing procedural loopholes.
After the report, Hela gave a cold snort.
"Delaying is just delaying. Once the deadline is up, they'll find another excuse."
Lynn raised his hand, signaling Hela to calm down.
"Director Gwen handled the situation very well and responded effectively." He first affirmed Gwen's work, saying, "She bought us the most crucial window of opportunity."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
"The nature of this border friction, and TVA's recent series of overstepping its authority and exerting pressure, is very clear."
Everyone held their breath.
"This is a growing pain we inevitably encounter in the process of deepening our bilateral cooperation with TVA."
The word "labor pains" made Hela frown. Wanda's eyes also showed a hint of confusion. In their eyes, it was clearly hostility, a sign that the table was about to be overturned.
Lynn ignored their questions and pushed the memo Data Pad in front of her to the center of the table.
"Following friendly and candid communication, we have reached a broad consensus with TVA's top management on establishing a new, stable, and constructive strategic cooperative relationship."
He switched the display on the Data Pad, and a Red-Headed Document titled "Bilateral Memorandum on Establishing Cross-Dimension Coordination Mechanism" was clearly presented to everyone.
Based on this memorandum, both parties agreed to establish a "Cross-Dimension Coordination Office."
Lynn's voice was steady and powerful.
"This office is led by us, with TVA sending personnel. Its core function is to specifically handle highly unstable Variant and data fragments resulting from Timeline pruning."
This statement is like a pebble thrown into a deep pool.
Hela's eyes changed; she instantly understood the substantial power behind this memorandum. This meant that the Negative Zone would no longer be a passive defense mechanism, but would instead transform into a "superior guiding unit" for some of TVA's core law enforcement powers.
"The establishment of the office signifies a fundamental elevation of the Negative Zone's status within the Multiverse governance system," Lynn continued, as if reading an annual work report. "We have transformed from a merely governed Special Zone into participants in the rules, and even rule-makers in some areas."
He looked at Hela.
"The Stability Maintenance Office's experience in physical containment will provide the office with core military support."
He then looked at Wanda.
"The technology Department of Technology in terms of concept blocking will be an indispensable technological support for the office."
His words cleverly packaged the immense external pressure into a substantial political achievement, precisely allocating it to various factions and transforming everyone's dissatisfaction and doubts into expectations for the new institution and new power.
The previously tense atmosphere has now been completely transformed into an internal commendation meeting that rewards merits and looks forward to the future.
Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces—each lost in thought but already accepting the established fact of a "diplomatic victory" —Lynn knew that the crisis had transformed into internal cohesion.
He cleared his throat, preparing to end the meeting.
"Finally, regarding this newly established office, there is one more personnel arrangement to report."
The atmosphere, which had just begun to relax, tensed up slightly again.
"To demonstrate our sincerity in cooperation and to ensure the smooth operation of the Coordination Office, TVA's top management has decided to assign a ' Special Observer ' to the office."
Hela's face instantly darkened.
"Supervisor?"
"It's 'coordination'," Lynn corrected, his face still displaying a businesslike calm. "Responsible for coordinating internal TVA resources to ensure all instructions are carried out smoothly."
That being said, everyone present understood that this was tantamount to having a pair of eyes planted in their hearts.
A subtle silence fell over the main hall once again.
Lynn seemed oblivious to this undercurrent and continued giving his report.
"This Observer possesses extremely high authority and is personally appointed by the He Who Remains."
He paused, giving everyone ample time to process the information, his gaze sweeping over Wanda and Jean's faces before finally speaking slowly and dropping the real bombshell.
"To show respect for our ' Risk Hedging ' model, this Observer is not currently employed by TVA."
She comes from a cut-off Timeline.
Seeing the sudden change in everyone's expressions, Lynn added one last sentence.
"Her surname is also Kang."