The official letter on cross-dimensional extradition, Earth-838's legitimacy

In the command center of the White Bone Hall, the air was so quiet that only the low hum of the equipment could be heard.

On the enormous holographic Star Map, the blue halo representing the Negative Zone Jurisdiction was surrounded by layers of densely packed red dots. These uninvited guests stopped upon reaching the pre-set warning line. They neither advanced nor retreated, nor did they send out any form of communication.

Like a pack of silent wolves, they are staking out their prey.

"Director, the other party has remained silent for over twelve hours," Technician from the Technology Integration Department reported in a low voice, not daring to make the slightest unnecessary movement.

Lynn stood before the Star Map, his gaze calm.

Behind him, Stability Maintenance Office Director Hela, stood with her hand on the hilt of her sword, her expression icy. This posture of being blocked at the door by military force without uttering a word was more offensive to her than direct fire.

"Order," Lynn's voice broke the silence, "All units, maintain the current alert level, do not fire first, and do not conduct any probing contact."

"Keep quiet."

The order was swiftly relayed. The entire Negative Zone, like a lurking Beast, retracted all its claws and fangs, coldly watching the enemy outside the encirclement.

Time passed second by second.

This strange standoff wasn't broken until the morning of the following day.

What broke the deadlock was not artillery fire, but an official letter.

The communication request from Gwen Stacy, the Director the Liaison Office, went directly to the main screen in the command center. Her expression was more serious than ever before.

"Director, the Liaison Office just received a high-priority encrypted file through the ' Cross-Dimension Coordination Office's' backup public channel."

The sender identifies itself as the ' Multiverse World Security Council '.

Lynn's eyebrows twitched slightly.

They've arrived.

Instead of returning to his office, he convened a small meeting directly at the command center. The only attendees were Gwen Stacy, Hela, and Wanda had rushed over after hearing the news.

A virtual document was projected onto the crowd.

At the top of the document is a solemn title in an unknown metallic font. "Official Letter Requesting Cross- Dimension Extradition of Certain Extremely Dangerous Time Variant".

Below, there is a large circular seal composed of countless intricate geometric shapes, with three clear numbers in the center: 838.

The official letter was written with precise wording, cold logic, and an authoritative tone that left no room for argument.

"... In accordance with Chapter 3, Section 7 of the Multiverse Stability and Security Mutual Recognition Act, and as resolved by the Standing Committee of Division 838 of the Multiverse World Security Council, we hereby request the Negative Zone Management Committee to cooperate on joint enforcement matters..."

"... The Variant listed below pose a serious and irreversible threat to the stability of the Sacred Timeline and should be immediately contained and handed over to the Council for Final Judgment..."

Hela let out a disdainful snort.

"The Multiverse World Security Council?" She looked at the official document as if it were a clumsy joke. "In my time when I held the Death Authority, I've never heard of anything daring to use such a title."

Wanda remained silent, her Scarlet eyes fixed on the attachments to the official document.

There, is a list.

Her name was prominently listed first.

Wanda Maximoff.

Following closely behind were the names of Jean Grey, Gwen Stacy Stacy, and even Sylvie, Ravonna, and others. Almost all the core members of the Management Committee were listed.

Each name is followed by a brief qualitative description.

"Out-of-control entity of the Chaos Origin," "Illegal host of the Phoenix Force," and "Cross- Timeline contamination source."

The charges have been clearly defined.

"They want to use procedures to achieve a legal border crossing." Gwen Stacy's voice was low; as the Director of the Liaison Office, she immediately saw through their intentions. "This official letter is their 'legal justification.' If we refuse, it's a blatant defiance of the 'Council's' resolution. If we open fire on the Fleet confronting them outside their jurisdiction, it's obstructing 'joint law enforcement.'"

"What a hypocritical and self-righteous face." Hela's lips curled into a cruel smile. "So, all we need to do is tear up this piece of waste paper and crush those tin cans outside, and the problem will be solved."

"No."

Lynn spoke up.

He remained silent throughout, carefully reading every word of the official letter, not even missing a single punctuation mark.

"Quite the opposite." Lynn's gaze shifted from the virtual document to the three people present. "Not only can we not tear it up, we must take it seriously."

Hela frowned.

Lynn walked to the Star Map and pointed to the dense red dots on the outer edge.

"A large army is pressing in, yet they hold back. This isn't about waiting for an opportunity, but about creating momentum."

"A major legal trend."

He turned around and looked at the crowd.

"They adopted a posture of war, but handed us a document. Their aim was to force us to choose: to choose force or to choose the rules."

"If we choose force, we'll play right into their hands. They'll immediately label us a terrorist organization disrupting the stability of the Multiverse, and their encirclement will become a 'just punitive expedition.' They'll then hold the 'righteous cause' to deal with us."

"If we choose the rules, then we have to play the game within the framework of this official letter. And this official letter, along with that so-called 'bill,' was all drafted by them. Playing within someone else's rules puts us at a natural disadvantage."

The command center was completely silent.

The murderous intent on Hela's face gradually faded, replaced by a deep contemplation. The red light in Wanda's eyes also diminished considerably.

This is an open conspiracy.

No matter which option you choose, it's wrong.

"A letter riddled with flaws," Gwen Stacy said, pointing to the document. "The sender is questionable, and we've never seen, much less signed, the bill it cites. Procedurally, it can be rejected entirely."

"We can reject it, but we can't ignore it," Lynn corrected. "Since they dared to do this, they must have a backup plan. They're not afraid of us finding loopholes; they might even want us to. The more we get bogged down in procedural matters, the more we're essentially acknowledging their status as 'enforcers' and admitting that there's a 'rule' between us that allows for dialogue."

Lynn's composure was on full display at this moment. He was neither provoked by the other party's aggressive stance nor got bogged down in the technical details of finding program vulnerabilities.

He saw through the other party's true intention of trying to seize the legal high ground at a glance.

"Then what should we do?" Hela asked, her tone no longer carrying the initial disdain.

"Gwen Stacy," Lynn said, turning to the Liaison Office Director, "Is issuing a formal reply in the name of the Negative Zone Management Committee Office."

The reply stated three points: First, it expressed concern about the existence of the "Multiverse World Security Council" and requested that the other party provide its legally established organizational structure and list of member states. Second, it stated that it supports in principle any joint action conducive to the stability of the Multiverse, but that relevant legislation needs to be internally reviewed before formal cooperation can take place. Third, given the importance of the matter, it will establish Special Task Force to conduct a thirty-working-day assessment of the extradition request.

"No rejection, no acceptance, just talk about procedures, and pass the buck back." Gwen Stacy immediately understood.

"Yes." Lynn nodded. "They want to play games, so we'll play along. We'll muddy the waters and stall for time. In the meantime, we'll do our own thing."

He paused, his gaze returning to the Extradition List.

The list is long, ranging from the core senior management of the Management Committee to some ordinary members who awakened their memories in the simulation.

Each and every one of them was someone close to Lynn.

Each one is a "Variant" in the eyes of Earth-838.

His finger slowly swiped across the virtual screen, looking at the list from beginning to end and then from end to beginning.

Then he stopped.

"This list is very interesting," Lynn said softly.

Wanda and Hela both looked at him.

Lynn didn't explain, but simply turned to Gwen Stacy and said, "Once the official letter is drafted, bring it to me."

"Yes." Gwen Stacy acknowledged the order, turned, and quickly left to deal with this tricky first official document.

In the command center, only Lynn, Wanda, and Hela remained.

"What did you find?" Wanda asked.

Lynn didn't answer directly. He reached out and tapped lightly on the list, zooming in on a section.

That's the name of the highest-ranking Management Committee.

Wanda Maximoff, Director Technology Integration Department.

Jean Grey, Director the Mutants Management Committee.

Hela Odinson, Director the Stability Maintenance Office.

Gwen Stacy Stacy, Director Liaison Office.

Each name was crystal clear.

However, at the very top, in the position that should belong to the Director of the Management Committee, there was no one there.

His name was not on the Extradition List.