Historical remnants in old archives, a special inspection exploiting the issue

late at night.

The Coordination Office was brightly lit.

Ravonna Renslayer sat at the table, surrounded by mountains of Data Pad, each representing an application that had been rejected, shelved, or delayed. An invisible resistance permeated the air—the resilience of the Negative Zone bureaucracy, subtle yet as solid as steel.

Her face showed no signs of fatigue, and her eyes remained calm and undisturbed.

These days, she's been like the most patient hunter, lurking in the jungle of endless meetings and paperwork, waiting for a chance to strike decisively.

Her fingertips traced a 300TB "Historical Data Archive," "reference material" that the Department of Technology had "kindly" provided her a few days earlier. To others, this was an insult, a calculated move. To her, however, this ocean of garbage might hold the pearl she craved.

Suddenly, her fingers stopped.

Deep within a nested folder titled "Old Era Asset Inventory Remnants," a file marked "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]

S.H.I.E.L.D..

A barely perceptible glint finally 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"

She flipped through the report page by page. The report was outdated in format, the data was scattered, and the conclusions were vague. Ultimately, it was filed as "not worth further follow-up."

But Ravonna's gaze was fixed on an energy spectrum analysis chart attached to the report. There, a barely noticeable anomalous fluctuation was marked by the analyst at the time as "unknown interference, recommended to ignore."

A very faint smile curved at the corners of Ravonna's lips.

Without the slightest hesitation, she immediately closed the old file and pulled up a brand new official letter application form.

This time, the title of the application was neither "audit" nor "accounting inspection".

Instead, it is "an application to initiate a special inspection of major historical safety hazards in the jurisdiction".

The White Bone Hall.

Lynn sat on the Throne, listening quietly to Gwen Stacy's report.

"... She cited Article 21 of Chapter 3 of the Interdimensional Work Safety Responsibility Law, as well as the supplementary clauses regarding ' Joint Handling of Potential Risks ' in the Bilateral Memorandum we signed with TVA."

Gwen Stacy's tone was calm, but the somber atmosphere in the hall became even heavier because of this new application.

"The core demand of the application is to establish Special Inspection Team to conduct a thorough security investigation of all related old-era assets, sealed areas, and data ports in the Negative Zone, addressing the historical issue of ' Age of Ultron Energy Residue of Ultron.'"

After Gwen Stacy finished speaking, she presented the Data Pad.

Lynn didn't take it; his gaze passed through Gwen Stacy, as if looking into something much deeper.

Special inspection.

What a clever way to make a fuss over a pretext.

After being bogged down by procedures and official documents, this Observer surnamed Kang finally found a breakthrough that could not be easily blocked by the procedures.

Safety.

This is an issue that is always correct, and a responsibility that no one in a position of power within the system can avoid.

Under the guise of security, one can legitimately enter any previously inaccessible corner and examine any account that was previously off-limits.

This move is like cutting off the fuel supply at the root, striking directly at the heart of the problem.

Gwen Stacy stood below, quietly awaiting Lynn's decision. She knew this trouble was more complicated than any before. The other side had found the one screw in the intricate machine of the Negative Zone that couldn't be dismissed as "complex procedures."

The main hall was deathly silent.

Lynn tapped his fingertips lightly on the armrest of the Throne.

"Thorough."

The sound was crisp and clear, echoing in the spacious hall.

He smiled.

It wasn't a sneer, nor a mocking laugh, but a genuine laugh from the heart, carrying a hint of approval and pleasure.

Gwen Stacy looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. She keenly noticed the change in Lynn's emotions; it wasn't the solemnity of facing a crisis, but rather the appreciation of a chess player who had witnessed their opponent make a brilliant move.

"Director?"

"Approve."

Lynn spoke, his voice not loud, but firm and resolute.

"Not only must it be approved," he looked at Gwen, his eyes flashing with a light she was familiar with, which was the excitement of the planner when he was about to make a move, "But also high-level and vigorous support."

Gwen didn't answer immediately. Her mind was racing, trying to keep up with Lynn's train of thought.

"It's a good thing she wants to investigate safety hazards." Lynn rose from her Throne and slowly walked down the steps. "The Negative Zone setup is too large; some corners are dusty and harbor insects. When we do it ourselves, we have to consider the impact, afraid of breaking any bottles or jars."

He walked up to Gwen Stacy and stopped.

"Now, with TVA's envoy wielding the imperial sword of 'safety in production,' willing to play the villain for us, how can we refuse?"

Gwen Stacy's eyes lit up instantly.

She fully understood Lynn's intentions.

Use someone else's strength against them.

They used TVA's inspections to clean up the deep-seated problems within their jurisdiction.

S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra was purged, but some tenacious seeds of life still lurked in the dark corners of the old assets and databases received by the Negative Zone, deeply rooted and difficult to eradicate. Lynn wasn't unwilling to act; he was simply waiting for the right opportunity, a legitimate chance to carry out a thorough purge.

Now, Ravonna herself has delivered this opportunity to him.

"I understand." A professional smile returned to Gwen Stacy's face. "The Liaison Office will immediately draft a reply, praising Observer Renslayer's highly responsible work attitude and proposing the establishment of a ' Joint Special Inspection Team ' headed by her."

"Yes," Lynn nodded, "The deputy leader and core members of the Inspection Group will be drawn from the Stability Maintenance Office and the Department of Technology. Tell Hela and Wanda that they must fully cooperate with this inspection; provide them with whatever they need to investigate, the personnel they need, and the authority they need."

He paused, then added.

"Especially for some 'old warehouses' that we don't usually have easy access to, we must proactively open them to the Inspection Group and ask them to help us check them thoroughly, so as not to miss any safety blind spots."

Lynn deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of "old warehouse" and "safety blind spot".

Gwen Stacy understood immediately.

"Yes."

After Gwen Stacy left with the decree, Lynn returned to the Throne. He looked at the empty hall and murmured to himself.

"I hope this Ms. Kang can bring me some surprises."

The establishment of the Inspection Group was remarkably efficient.

Looking at the Red-Headed Document personally signed by Lynn, and the letter of appointment attached to it appointing her as the team leader, Ravonna fell into a long silence for the first time.

The other party's level of cooperation exceeded her expectations.

None of the shirking of responsibility, wrangling, or obstruction she had anticipated occurred. On the contrary, the Negative Zone Management Committee embraced this "special inspection" with unprecedented enthusiasm.

She needed people, and the elite squad of the Undead Guard from the Stability Maintenance Office arrived immediately.

She needed equipment, and the Ministry of Department of Technology delivered the latest Data-Diving Device directly to her office.

She requested access, Lynn directly issued the highest-level pass, allowing the Inspection Group to enter all sealed areas within the Negative Zone marked "S.H.I.E.L.D. Remnants."

Everything went too smoothly.

The smooth sailing made her feel a little uneasy.

But the die was cast, and she had no choice but to proceed. She was caught in a dilemma and had to bite the bullet and follow her original plan, focusing her first inspection target on the source of the residual energy mentioned in the old file—a former S.H.I.E.L.D.. physical data backup center sealed in the C-9 Quadrant of Negative Zone.

In the cold, metallic corridor, only the orderly footsteps of the Inspection Group could be heard.

Ravonna walked at the front, followed by the Undead Guard Captain sent by Hela, and several expressionless Technician from the Department of Technology.

They arrived at a heavy alloy door.

"Team leader," a Technician reported, "This is S-7 Data Center. It was physically sealed After the Age of Ultron and has never been opened."

Ravonna nodded. "Open the door according to procedure."

The Technician placed his palm on the scanner, and after multiple iris and Genes verifications, the heavy alloy door slowly opened with a teeth-grinding scraping sound.

A wave of stale air, a mixture of dust and Ozone, hit me.

Behind the door was a huge circular space, where rows of black server racks stood silently in the darkness like tombstones.

"Activate backup power and connect to the Control Console," Ravonna ordered.

Following her instructions, the indicator lights in the server room lit up one by one, and the low hum of the servers broke the silence that had lasted for years.

"According to the records, that unusual energy spectrum was eventually traced back to server 03-A-7." The Technician was working quickly at the Control Console, "Retrieving the server's underlying access logs."

Ravonna walked to the Control Console and stared intently at the screen.

The Data Stream flashed by rapidly.

Suddenly, an encrypted access warning popped up on the screen.

The Technician frowned. "Strange, someone has added a non-standard access control layer to the underlying layer of this server."

Ravonna's eyes narrowed.

"Is it possible to go around it?"

"Yes, but it will take a little time."

"Implement."

Time ticked by, and only the sound of Technician typing on keyboards remained at the Control Console.

Finally, with a crisp unlocking sound, the non-standard access lock was forcibly broken.

The server's most basic hidden directory was accessed.

That's not dry log data.

It's not a list.

A Infiltrating Agents List written using the oldest Hydra Encryption.

Ravonna's breathing paused almost imperceptibly for a moment.

She knew she had found something.

However, her pupils suddenly contracted when her gaze swept over the first name on the list.

She recognized that name.

Not only did I recognize him, but we had also just met not long ago.

Battleworld, Director of the Foreign Affairs Reception Office.

Ke'er.