A formal claim against the Illuminati, an enormous ecological compensation bill

The office door closed for the third time, and this time, there was no more knocking.

Lynn leaned back in the wide, Bone Chair Back, remaining motionless.

A faint tension lingered in the air, the aftershocks of a violent collision between two Chaos Energy of the same origin.

His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest, then stopped.

Dealing with internal conflicts is more mentally taxing than dealing with external enemies. One requires appeasement, the other requires a warning; the right words, the right measure, and the right timing are all indispensable.

He sat quietly for a while, pulling himself out of the highly tense "Commissar" state.

He then opened the Data Pad in front of him.

A video is playing on a loop on the screen.

The precise Blue Data Stream from Earth-838 was repeatedly slowed down on the screen, with every energy rhythm meticulously labeled. In the corner of the screen was a record of the entire process of Wanda-838's body going from solid to ethereal, and then being forcibly stopped and erased before being restored.

Next to the video file lay a document that Gwen Stacy had just archived.

Report on Emergency Intervention Actions for Asset K-01

Lynn's fingertips slowly swiped across the screen, opening the report's attachment.

The attached document is a loss assessment jointly issued by the Department of Technology and the Liaison Office.

The content is very detailed.

I. Estimated energy required for the repair and stabilization of the conceptual structural damage to asset K-01.

Second, the losses incurred by the Management Committee in implementing the "Humanitarian Asylum Decision" due to the emergency mobilization of Strategic-Level Energy (Phoenix Force Firewall and Chaos Magic Supercomputing Power).

Third, the illegal attack forced the interruption of the expanded meeting of the Standing Committee Member, causing mental Impact and time loss to the core leading cadres present.

Each item is followed by a long list of precisely calculated energy values.

Lynn's gaze finally settled on the astronomical figure summarized at the end of the assessment report.

A cold, indifferent smile curved at the corners of his lips.

He picked up the Internal Communicator on the table and pressed the Liaison Office Chief's line.

After a brief busy signal, Gwen Stacy's voice came through, crisp and efficient.

"Director."

"Director Gwen Stacy," Lynn said calmly, glancing at the list of claims on the screen, "prepare a Diplomatic Note to Illuminati sent to Earth-838."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the Communicator.

Gwen Stacy didn't ask why, but simply confirmed, "What is the tone and main demands of the note?"

"The tone, harsh," Lynn said. "The wording, official. But every word must make them feel the pain."

He shared the damage assessment report directly to Gwen Stacy's terminal.

"That's the demand."

Gwen Stacy responded quickly, "Received. This number... I understand."

"No, you don't fully understand," Lynn corrected. "This assessment is only for our internal accounting purposes. We can't write it like this externally."

Please give instructions.

The title of the note should be. "A Solemn Statement Regarding the Earth-838 Illuminati's Alleged Illegal Cross- Dimension Release of High-Risk Pollution Sources and Severe Ecological Damage to the Negative Zone Jurisdiction."

Lynn spoke slowly, but each word was like a polished pebble, heavy and sharply defined.

"In the main body, first, characterize the other party's behavior."

"Don't mention 'remote erasure' or 'attack.' Define it as a 'high-concept contaminant release attempt that was not reported, lacked a safety assessment, and seriously violated the ' Interdimensional Biosafety Regulations.'"

Gering was quickly taking notes on the other end, occasionally letting out an "um" to indicate that he was following the train of thought.

"Secondly, list our losses." Lynn tapped his finger lightly on the table. "Don't write about the resources we used; that's an internal secret. Just write that, in order to deal with this sudden 'ecological crisis,' we were forced to activate Level One Emergency Response, carrying out emergency, harmless 'physical isolation' and 'ecological restoration' of the 'pollution' within our jurisdiction, which resulted in huge administrative costs and energy expenditures."

"Ecological Compensation." Gwen Stacy, on the other hand, pinpointed the key phrase.

"Yes," Lynn agreed. "Ecological Compensation. Don't they like to talk about rules? We'll talk to them about rules. If you pollute someone else's land, you have to pay compensation."

"What about compensation for emotional distress?" Gwen Stacy asked.

"Of course," Lynn said, "but not in the form of emotional distress. It should be called 'Special expenses for maintaining stability and providing psychological support, arising from your irresponsible and reckless behavior that severely disrupted our normal administrative order and caused widespread anxiety and insecurity among relevant staff of the Management Committee.'"

Gwen Stacy seemed to pause for a moment, as if digesting this highly creative official statement.

"I understand." There seemed to be a hint of amusement in her voice. "Then, most importantly, about the total amount of the claim?"

"Just follow the figures in the assessment report." Lynn looked at the string of threes followed by a string of zeros. "Three trillion Standard Energy Unit. Not a single one less."

"They probably won't accept that amount easily," Gwen Stacy cautioned.

"I didn't expect them to accept it easily." Lynn's tone was flat. "Bills are for making a scene, not for haggling. What matters is our attitude."

"Add a clause at the end of the official letter."

"The Earth-838 Illuminati is hereby ordered to remit the full amount of compensation to our designated account within forty-eight Standard Hour of receiving this notice."

"If payment is not received by the due date," Lynn's voice turned cold, "I Negative Zone Management Committee, reserve the right to take all necessary and compliant countermeasures."

"A compliant countermeasure." Gwen Stacy repeated these words, immediately understanding their weight.

This statement is a polite declaration of flipping the table.

"That's it," Lynn said. "Show me your draft after you've finished."

"Yes, Director."

Communication cut off.

Lynn leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.

He didn't consider the furious reaction the Illuminati have upon receiving the letter, nor did he calculate whether he could actually get the money.

He was reviewing something else.

The defection of Wanda-838 represents, for the Illuminati, the loss of control and defection of its highest-level biological weapon.

Their subsequent reaction could not have been as simple as a remote erasure.

This demand letter is more like a declaration of war. It will completely block any room for maneuver for either side, forcing the other to reveal more of their cards.

That's exactly the effect he wanted.

An hour later, Gwen Stacy sent over the draft of the official letter.

Lynn reviewed it word by word.

The official letter was worded more rigorously and coldly than he had requested. There wasn't a single emotional word in the entire document; it consisted entirely of quotations of various regulations and "objective statements" of facts. Yet, when put together, it formed a menacing manifesto.

Gwen Stacy handled the details very well.

For example, she attached the three trillion yuan claim to the official letter and made it into a separate appendix entitled "Detailed Cost List of Emergency Restoration of Ecological Environment in Negative Zone C-9 Quadrant".

The attachment lists hundreds of fee items.

From "Conceptual-Layer Information Entropy Cleanup Fee" to "Expedited Spatial Structure Stabilization Assessment Fee" and "emotional comfort and refreshment fee for frightened grassroots staff," everything is included, with each item marked with Energy Unit accurate to two decimal places.

He's a rogue, but he does it professionally and with dignity.

Lynn signed his name in the approval column.

"You can send it now," he texted Gwen Stacy.

"Sent." Gwen Stacy replied instantly, followed by a screenshot of a system receipt showing "Sent successfully."

After doing all this, Lynn stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window in the office.

Outside the window lies the Eternity, profound darkness of Negative Zone.

He did not wait for a response from the Illuminati.

He knew very well that, faced with an absolute disparity in strength and information Bastion, such a cross- Dimension Diplomatic Note would have negligible effect. Its true purpose was not to demand compensation, but to create a "reasonable" pretext.

An excuse to drag other forces into the mess.

Lynn returned to his desk and picked up the Internal Communicator again.

This time, he did not allocate the funds to any department of the Management Committee.

He connected to the dedicated line of the Cross-Dimension Coordination Office.

"Get me the Special Observer, Ravonna Renslayer."

A brief static came through the Communicator, followed by a restrained yet slightly wary female voice.

"Director, I'm Ravonna."

"Consultant Ravonna," Lynn's tone was completely normal, as if he were assigning a routine task, "There's a document that needs your personal review."