A united front at the Standing Committee, protecting him on the edge of a Shura Field

The atmosphere in the circular meeting room of the White Bone Hall was tense.

This is not a metaphor.

The Aura of Death emanating from Hela, the Stability Maintenance Office Director Hela, caused the air temperature to drop several degrees. The cup of hot tea that had just been brewed in front of Director Gwen Stacy on the table was no longer steaming.

While Wanda, the Technology Minister sitting opposite Hela, did not display such overt behavior, a faint, almost imperceptible Scarlet light emanated from her unconsciously twirling fingertips, creating an unstable, distorted feeling in the surrounding space.

Lynn sat in the main seat, seemingly oblivious to everything.

He had just finished briefing the Living Tribunal on its "inquiry letter." Throughout the process, he used the plain tone of handling routine official documents, characterizing this momentous event, which was enough to overturn the order of the Multiverse, as a "superior unit investigation with incomplete procedures and unclear reasons."

After he finished speaking, he did not immediately ask for opinions, but simply picked up his teacup and gently blew away the foam.

He needs to give the core members of the Standing Committee Member some time to process this.

Hela obviously doesn't need it.

"An inquiry?" Her voice was cold, like two pieces of icy metal rubbing together. "This is more like a declaration of war."

She looked at Lynn.

"Director, I don't think it's necessary to accompany them through any procedures. Since they've already provided the coordinates, my Stability Maintenance Office will handle it."

"I will personally lead the team to completely erase that so-called ' Omniverse Hub ' from its coordinates. That way, there will be no need for inquiries."

Hela's words were devoid of any emotion, as if she were stating the simplest and most direct solution: cutting off the root of all problems.

Her hand was already gently resting on the hilt of the Night Sky Sword at her waist.

"That was too rough."

Wanda's voice rang out, carrying a hint of barely perceptible sarcasm.

"Director Hela, your approach will only escalate the situation. The Living Tribunal is not Illuminati; directly resorting to force is tantamount to taking the responsibility for starting a war upon ourselves."

Hela's gaze slowly shifted to Wanda, her eyes devoid of warmth.

"So, according to the Technology Minister, what should we do?"

Wanda's fingers stopped twisting, and a wisp of Scarlet, Chaos light flashed in her eyes.

"It's very simple."

She looked at Lynn as well, but her tone was much gentler Hela's, carrying an undeniable sense of protection.

"Since the source of the trouble is that Golden Scroll, let's just let it disappear. I'm 90% confident that I can use Chaos Magic to completely dismantle it from the conceptual level without triggering any chain reactions, leaving not a trace."

"In this way, we haven't received any summonses, so there's naturally no issue of 'refusal to cooperate.'"

She paused, then added.

"This is the safest way to protect yourself."

The air in the conference room seemed to solidify.

Hela sneered, her knuckles turning slightly white as she placed her hand on the sword hilt.

"You mean my sword is inferior to your magic?"

Wanda didn't look at her; her gaze remained fixed on Lynn's face, as if waiting for his approval.

"I'm just stating a fact. The Department of Technology's solution is more sophisticated and the risks are more controllable than those of the Stability Maintenance Office."

That's enough.

Lynn spoke up.

He didn't raise his voice, but simply placed the teacup back on the table.

A soft sound.

The chill emanating from Hela vanished instantly, and the red light in Wanda's eyes disappeared as well. The pressure in the entire conference room suddenly eased.

Lynn's gaze first fell on Hela.

"Director Hela, the Stability Maintenance Office's responsibility is to maintain stability within its jurisdiction. I didn't hear anything about risk assessment, action Contingency Plan, or follow-up measures in your proposal. This isn't solving the problem; it's creating a bigger one. Never fight an unprepared battle—this is a fundamental principle of the Management Committee's actions."

His tone wasn't harsh, but every word he uttered hit the nail on the head regarding the rules and regulations.

Hela's lips moved, but she ultimately did not refute, only lowering her eyes slightly.

Then, Lynn's gaze shifted to Wanda.

"Minister Wanda, your plan sounds perfect. But, with your so-called '90% certainty,' who will bear the remaining 10% risk? You, or the entire Negative Zone?"

"The Department of Technology must attach a 100% feasible feasibility report to any proposal submitted. This is Discipline."

A hint of grievance flashed in Wanda's eyes, but she also lowered her head.

"Yes, Director."

Lynn glanced around; Gwen Stacy, who was sitting there, was still taking notes, as if the confrontation that had just occurred to her had nothing to do with her.

"Let me set the tone regarding this inquiry letter."

Lynn leaned forward slightly, crossed his hands on the table, and glanced at everyone.

"First, we respect all legal procedures followed by higher authorities. However, the prerequisite is that the procedures themselves must be legal and complete."

"Secondly, we will not provoke trouble, but we are absolutely not afraid of trouble. Before the other party takes any substantial hostile action, all our responses must be carried out within the existing regulatory framework of the Management Committee."

The core principle can be summarized in eight words: legal and compliant, reasonable and measured.

He paused for a moment, then gave his final conclusion.

"The Liaison Office will take the lead in handling this matter. First, as I requested before, they will draft a reply requesting an extension, asking the other party to provide supplementary materials. We'll get the process going and pass the buck back to them."

"Understood," Gwen Stacy looked up and replied.

"Furthermore," Lynn said, looking at Hela and Wanda, issuing a new instruction, "This incident also reminds us that there are still loopholes in our internal defenses."

"The Stability Maintenance Office shall immediately activate Level 1 border control measures, strengthen security and encryption of all nodes within its jurisdiction, and strictly prevent the infiltration of any unauthorized entities or information."

"Department of Technology, immediately conduct deep camouflage of the energy signatures across the entire jurisdiction. Simultaneously, prioritize the upgrade of the ' S.H.I.E.L.D. Protocol ' to the highest level."

"I'm giving you forty-eight hours; I need to see initial results."

This is an order that cannot be questioned.

"Yes." Hela and Wanda stood up simultaneously and replied in deep voices. The tension between them was forcibly dispelled by these two specific work tasks, and transformed into internal execution.

Meeting adjourned.

Lynn waved.

As everyone got up and left, Hela and Wanda brushed past each other without even exchanging a glance.

The meeting room quickly emptied.

Lynn was about to get up when she realized that the special consultant Ravonna, had not left.

She carried a Data Pad and walked to Lynn's desk with a respectful demeanor.

"Director, there are a few points regarding the coordination between the Coordination Office and TVA last week that I need to report to you separately."

This is a perfectly reasonable reason.

Lynn nodded, gesturing for her to speak.

Ravonna didn't immediately begin reporting the data, but instead mentioned it seemingly casually.

This morning, internal discussions within TVA regarding a ' Golden Scroll ' were temporarily elevated to the highest level of confidentiality.

She looked up at Lynn.

"It seems that even the He Who Remains themselves have expressed great concern about this matter."