A compliance clash over access to the accounts, the Department of Technology and the Liaison Office's
Lynn tapped the armrest of the Throne lightly with his fingertips.
Just for a moment.
The only sounds in the entire White Bone Hall were this barely audible sound and Gwen Stacy's steady breathing.
The light from the Data Pad shone on Lynn's face, revealing no emotional fluctuation.
Special audit on the income, expenditure and loss of Chaos Energy.
What a fine special audit!
This knife, precise and sharp, aimed straight for the heart.
The Observer surnamed Kang skipped all the formalities of adapting to the environment and, less than half a day into his new role, launched his first attack on the most sensitive and crucial aspect of Negative Zone.
Chaos Magic is the foundation of Wanda, and also the underlying energy and ultimate barrier of the entire Negative Zone technology system. Investigating this account is tantamount to revealing the Negative Zone's trump cards one by one, laying them out on TVA's table.
She cited Article 7 of Annex III to the Bilateral Memorandum.
Gwen Stacy's voice remained steady, though her speaking speed was slightly faster than usual.
"This clause stipulates that, to ensure transparency in the Coordination Office's work, Special Observer have the right to conduct compliance checks on 'high-risk energy sources that may affect the stability of the Multiverse.'"
Lynn's gaze shifted from the Data Pad to Gwen Stacy.
"How did the Liaison Office respond?"
"I have temporarily suspended the application due to incomplete application materials."
Gwen Stacy answered.
"We also asked her to submit a detailed 'High-Risk Energy Source Identification and Audit Scope Definition Form' and a ' Data Security and Confidentiality Responsibility Commitment ' signed by herself."
This is a standard procedural response.
Lynn nodded in agreement.
"She submitted it?"
"Submitted within three minutes, and all formatting was fully compliant with specifications."
Gwen Stacy's answer confirmed Lynn's judgment.
The other party came prepared and was equally familiar with how this bureaucratic system worked.
Lynn leaned back slightly against the back of the Throne.
"Director, what about the Department of Technology...?"
Gwen Stacy only told half of what she wanted to say.
She knew that this application would eventually end up in Wanda's Technology Integration Department. Given Wanda's personality, seeing this audit application that directly targeted her core authority would probably make her flip the table on the spot.
"Don't worry about the Department of Technology."
Lynn's tone was flat.
Since she's particular about rules, we'll go over the rules with her until they're explained thoroughly.
He looked at Gwen Stacy and gave her clear instructions.
"The Liaison Office will proceed with the usual procedures and forward the application to the Department of Technology."
"However," Lynn changed the subject, "the official letter stated that the audit request was classified as 'Level 2,' and the classified information pertained to 'routine energy consumption.'"
Gwen Stacy's eyes lit up, and she instantly understood Lynn's intention.
The other party requested to investigate "Chaos Energy," which is the highest level of security. However, Lynn approved "conventional energy," which was downgraded in the very first step of the process.
This is a legitimate attempt to distort the truth by abusing the final approval authority of the top leader.
What if she objects?
"Then let her submit an 'application for an upgrade in security classification'," Lynn said. "Tell her that, according to the ' Negative Zone Asset Management Regulations,' an upgrade in security classification requires a review panel composed of the applicant, the Liaison Office, and the Department of Technology to conduct a risk assessment and feasibility study for fifteen working days."
Gwen Stacy's lips curled into an almost imperceptible smile.
She understood completely.
This isn't a rejection; rather, it's using a seemingly reasonable but actually incredibly cumbersome process to trap the other party.
"I see."
Gwen Stacy accepted the order and quickly turned to leave.
The Coordination Office is located in a private office temporarily assigned to Special Observer.
Ravonna stared blankly at the approval letter she had just received on the Data Pad.
The application has been approved.
However, her access permissions were downgraded from the highest level, "Chaos," to the second level, "Regular."
The attachment also included an official letter personally signed by Gwen Stacy Stacy, the Director of the Liaison Office. The letter was carefully worded and logically sound, emphasizing throughout that "to ensure a smooth start to cooperation between the two sides, it is recommended to begin with low-risk areas and gradually build mutual trust."
Ravonna's fingertips swept across the Data Pad, bringing up the "Negative Zone Asset Management Regulations".
She quickly found the clause Lynn used for "legal demotion".
Everything was compliant, and no procedural flaws could be found.
She paused for a moment, then instead of submitting a "security level upgrade application," she sent a request to the Technology Integration Department within the system to view the "Level 2 Conventional Energy Loss Accounts."
She chose to temporarily accept this demotion, starting by creating an opening on the outside.
The system responded in less than a minute after the request was sent.
An automated reply from the Technology Integration Department.
"Dear Observer, your request for access has been received. To facilitate your work, please first submit the following materials: 'Auditor Information Security Background Check Form,' 'Audit Terminal Equipment Physical Parameters and Logic Protocol Specification,' 'Energy Audit Case Analysis Reports from the Past Five Years (No fewer than three)'..."
A long list of materials, numbering more than a dozen, was displayed on the Data Pad.
Ravonna's eyes finally showed a slight change.
She knew this wasn't an automated reply.
This is the first official "counterattack" from the Department of Technology against her.
Without hesitation, she immediately began accessing TVA's database and started preparing the materials.
An hour later, she packed all the materials and sent them over.
This time, the reply came a little slower.
Half an hour later, the Department of Technology sent a new notification.
"Your materials have been received and are currently under format review, which is expected to take 24 hours. During this review period, to help you familiarize yourself with our department's workflow as quickly as possible, we are providing the ' Historical Data Archive of the Technology Integration Department (Public Section)' for your reference."
Below the notification is a huge compressed data file.
Ravonna glanced at the file size.
Three hundred TB.
She sat silently at her desk, watching the data packet slowly download.
She knew she had been dragged into a war without gunfire.
A war comprised of massive amounts of official documents, cumbersome procedures, and supplementary materials.
Over the next few days, Ravonna experienced firsthand the true power of the Negative Zone Bureaucracy.
In her office, Data Pad were piled up like mountains.
The Liaison Office and the Ministry of Science Department of Technology, like two perfectly coordinated Tai Chi masters, countered each other, effectively neutralizing all her audit requests.
Today, the Department of Technology said that one of the logic protocols in her submitted "Background Review Form" was outdated and posed a security risk, and requested that it be updated.
Tomorrow, the Liaison Office will inform her that, according to the newly promulgated Supplementary Regulations on Cross-Dimensional Data Exchange, she needs to attend a three-day online confidentiality training course and pass the exam before she can obtain the next step of access.
The day after tomorrow, the Department of Technology sent another letter, saying that her audit plan was not comprehensive enough and lacked a risk assessment of the "entropy increase effect that may be caused during the energy dissipation process," and asked her to provide supplementary evidence.
Ravonna was like someone stuck in a quagmire; the more she struggled, the deeper she sank.
She works late into the night every day, dealing with endless supplementary materials, format reviews, and training notices. She understands the other party's intentions, but she can't find any procedural loopholes to retaliate.
Late that night, Ravonna rubbed her throbbing temples and glanced at the mountain of Data Pad piled on her desk.
She randomly clicked on one, and it was the 300TB "Historical Data Archive" that the Department of Technology had sent her a few days earlier.
These days, she has been taking time to go through this seemingly useless junk data, trying to find some Silk.
She swiped the screen rapidly, Data Stream flashing past her eyes.
Suddenly, her fingers stopped.
Deep within a folder titled "Old Era Asset Inventory Remnants," a file labeled "Low Value, To Be Destroyed" caught her attention.
The naming convention for this file is different from all the other files.
It carries a prefix that has long been abandoned.
[SHIELD]
A glint of shrewdness flashed in Ravonna's eyes.
She opened the file.
The title of the case file was an inconspicuous line of text.
"Age of Ultron Sokovia Ruins - Investigation Report on Undestroyed Energy Residues"