Leveraging the Multilateral Coordination Mechanism, the Hidden Side of Close Protection

After the communications were cut off, the office in the White Bone Hall returned to silence.

Lynn didn't move, his fingertips lingering on the metal casing of the Communicator for a moment, savoring its cold touch.

He stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window in the office.

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

That claim letter sent to Earth-838 wasn't about money. Money was just a number, an excuse, a way to smash a teacup on the table so everyone could hear the noise.

What he wanted was for the voice to reach the ears of those who were meant to hear it.

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."

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

"I'll be right there." Ravonna didn't ask what the document was.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the office door.

Ravonna walked in, dressed impeccably in the TVA's standard consultant uniform. The initial scrutiny and wariness in her eyes had been replaced by a deeper, more complex emotion.

She knew she had no way out.

"Director." She walked to the desk, maintaining an appropriate distance.

Lynn didn't speak, but simply shared a copy of the official letter that Gwen Stacy had just finalized on the Data Pad in front of her.

Ravonna's gaze fell on the screen.

"A Solemn Statement Regarding the Earth-838 Illuminati's Alleged Illegal Cross- Dimension Release of High-Risk Pollutants and Severe Ecological Damage to the Negative Zone Jurisdiction."

The title is long and jarring.

She read on, word by word, her heart pounding faster and faster. When she saw the densely packed list of claims in the attachment, titled "Detailed Cost List of Emergency Ecological Environment Restoration," and the astronomical figure of three trillion at the end, her breath caught in her throat almost imperceptibly.

This is not a Diplomatic Note.

This is a declaration of war.

"Director, what do you mean?" Ravonna looked up, carefully choosing her words.

"That's not what I meant," Lynn corrected. "It's the Management Committee's decision, the decision of the Negative Zone Jurisdiction."

He leaned back slightly in his chair.

"Consultant Ravonna, you are now a special advisor to the Cross-Dimension Coordination Office. According to the Bilateral Memorandum we previously signed, one of the responsibilities of the Coordination Office is to assess and report high-risk events that may affect the stability of multiple Timeline."

Lynn's tone was flat, as if he were reading out regulations.

"Currently, the actions of the Earth-838 Illuminati have already caused de facto ecological damage to the Negative Zone. More importantly, their irresponsible, unilateral, and rule-breaking behavior itself poses a significant threat to the stability of the Sacred Timeline."

Ravonna's pupils contracted slightly.

She understood.

Lynn is trying to drag TVA down with her completely.

"I need a report," Lynn said, looking at her. "An independent investigation report, submitted by you as Special Observer in the Coordination Office, to the TVA Discipline and Inspection Commission."

"The report consists of this official letter and its attachments."

"You don't need to make any value judgments, just state the facts objectively." Lynn slowed his speech. "State what you, as Observer, witnessed firsthand within the Negative Zone Jurisdiction: an extremely serious 'cross- Dimension security incident' caused by the Illuminati."

Ravonna's throat felt a little dry.

She understood the weight of this "objective statement." TVA was riddled with factions, and the Discipline Inspection Commission and the He Who Remains faction were not a united front. This report, submitted by her, was like a precisely delivered bomb, enough to set off a political storm in TVA's upper echelons.

The Illuminati and TVA, two behemoths of the Multiverse, will be forced to confront each other directly on the surface and wrestle with one another.

The Negative Zone will, in this internal strife among giants, win the most valuable breathing room and time for development.

This tactic is called using someone else's strength against them.

"I understand, Director." Ravonna took a deep breath.

She had no choice. This report was both Lynn's pledge of allegiance and the final chain binding her completely to the warship of Negative Zone.

"It's my duty," she added.

Lynn nodded, neither confirming nor denying her statement.

"Go and do it."

Ravonna turned and left, her steps heavier than when she arrived, but also more resolute.

The office door closed again.

Lynn leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest. The chess pieces had been placed; now, it was just a matter of waiting for the chain reaction on the board.

However, this rare period of peace did not last long.

The Internal Communicator on the desk rang again. This time, it was a line from the administration office.

"Director, there is an urgent request from the Multiverse Chaos Energy Research Institute that requires your personal review."

Lynn opened his eyes, his eyebrows twitching almost imperceptibly.

"Bring it in."

A clerk strode in, respectfully placed a Data Pad on the table, and then quickly withdrew.

Lynn's gaze fell on the Data Pad, and the title of the file made his temples throb.

"Request for approval to serve as the 24-hour personal security advisor to the Director the Management Committee".

Applicant: Strategic-Level Living Asset K-01 (Wanda-838).

Reason for application: In view of the fact that the Illuminati has taken extreme measures, in order to prevent hostile forces from taking any subsequent decapitation actions against the core leaders of the Management Committee, including but not limited to physical assassination and Conceptual Erasure, the applicant respectfully requests to serve as the Director's personal security advisor, to ensure the Director's personal safety around the clock, so as to maintain the absolute stability of the Management Committee's command system.

The reasons were plausible, and the procedures were impeccable.

Lynn's finger hovered between the "agree" and "reject" options, hesitating to make a decision.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the office door, more than one.

Tap, tap, tap.

There was a knock on the door.

"Enter."

The door was pushed open.

Stability Maintenance Office Director Hela, and Technology Integration Department Minister Wanda, walked in side by side, one on the left and one on the right.

The two appeared to have just finished a meeting and were preparing to report to him.

Their gazes fell almost simultaneously on the Data Pad in front of Lynn that was still open.

It landed on that extremely eye-catching headline.

"Request for approval to serve as the 24-hour personal security advisor to the Director the Management Committee".

The air in the office seemed to freeze instantly.

The spatial energy field, which had been relatively normal just moments before, began to exhibit chaotic and ominous fluctuations.

Hela's face, which held the arrogance and majesty befitting a queen, seemed to be covered with a layer of frost.

In Wanda's eyes, the Scarlet Energy that had just been calmed was surging up again in a thicker and more dangerous form.

Neither of them spoke.

They simply looked quietly at Lynn and at the request document.

Silence, at this moment, was more deafening than any sound. A new storm was quietly brewing in the stillness.