The Supreme Court's Compromise Directive, the Rule Envoy's Cross-Dimensional Arrival
The golden rift that stretched across the sky did not unleash Thunder, nor did it release any energy powerful enough to Oblivion everything.
It simply hung there silently, like an unhealed wound, coldly overlooking the entire Negative Zone.
The White Bone Hall was deathly silent.
Everyone held their breath. Even the Undead Guard stationed outside the hall by the Stability Maintenance Office stopped their regular patrols and stood still, their empty eye sockets gazing at the ominous golden light in the sky.
Lynn remained seated, leaning back in his chair with his hands clasped over his stomach.
He appeared relaxed, but Gwen Stacy beside him could sense that the air in the Director's Office had solidified to a critical point.
Her fingers, gripping the Data Pad, had knuckles that were slightly white.
Using a strategic retreat to advance, transforming a personal crisis into a matter of regional security—this is a textbook example of a calculated move. But the other side is the Living Tribunal, the supreme rule-maker of the Multiverse. How will the rules themselves respond to someone attempting to exploit them?
At the center of the rift, light began to converge.
A soft beam of golden light slowly descended.
It didn't make a grand entrance; it was more like a ray of sunlight piercing through the clouds, gently and irresistibly passing through the dome of the White Bone Hall, and through layers of physical and conceptual defenses.
Finally, it landed on Lynn's desk.
The light faded, and something else appeared on the table.
It is neither a weapon nor a tool for judgment.
It was a scroll, made of the same material as the previous Golden Scroll, only much smaller in size, and bearing a more intricate court seal representing an "instruction".
An official document.
Lynn's gaze fell on the official document.
He won the first round.
Instead of flipping the table, the opponent returned to the table and continued playing according to the rules. This means that the "ecological risk" he created had worked.
Gwen Stacy let out a long sigh of relief, her tense nerves relaxing.
Lynn raised her hand, signaling her to calm down.
He didn't immediately touch the instruction. He simply looked at it quietly, as if admiring a work of art, and also assessing the potential traps hidden within.
A few seconds later, he reached out and picked up the scroll.
It feels slightly heavy in the hand, with a warm and smooth feel that transcends the material.
He slowly unrolled the scroll.
The text above is not in any known language, but rather a conceptual imprint that directly affects the spiritual level.
Lynn's gaze swept over the scroll.
[Reply to the Negative Zone Management Committee's Request for Extension Regarding the Inquiry on 'Anomalous Dimension Disturbance']
[I. The request for an "indefinite postponement of the interrogation" is rejected. This request lacks sufficient legal basis and contradicts Article 3107 of the Supreme Court Litigation Procedure Act.]
As expected, Lynn's expression remained unchanged. It would be abnormal if the other party readily agreed to an indefinite extension.
He continued reading.
[II. In view of the significant ecological risks that may arise during the upgrade of the ' S.H.I.E.L.D. Protocol ' as reported by the applicant, the court Collegiate Bench, after careful assessment, acknowledges the objective existence and potential harm of such risks.]
Upon seeing this, Lynn's lips twitched upwards almost imperceptibly.
The other party accepted the challenge.
Acknowledging the risks is tantamount to acknowledging his value as a "core Anchor," and also to acknowledging the enormous cost of forcibly taking him away.
[III. In summary, to balance procedural justice and public safety Multiverse, the Court has made the following compromise: a special ' Rule Envoy ' will be dispatched immediately to the Negative Zone Jurisdiction to conduct a seven-standard-day on-site inspection.]
They've arrived.
The events mentioned in Susan's file unfolded as expected.
During the verification process, the Special Envoy will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the Negative Zone Management Committee's administrative operations, energy balance system, and risk management measures in accordance with the "Interdimensional Circuit Inspection Regulations." The Negative Zone Management Committee must cooperate unconditionally.
Lynn put down the scroll.
The result was neither good nor bad.
He successfully avoided the worst-case scenario of being tried in a different location, bringing the battle back to his home turf.
Within the Negative Zone space, and within this bureaucratic system he himself had built, he had enough confidence and means to turn any form of "verification" into a protracted paperwork journey.
"Director?" Gwen Stacy asked softly, having also glimpsed the contents of the instruction through her access privileges.
"We won in terms of face, but lost in terms of substance," Lynn commented calmly, "But it's enough."
He stood up, walked to the huge French windows, and looked up at the golden crack in the sky that had not yet closed.
"Pass on my orders."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire office.
"Notice to all departments and units of the Management Committee: Effective immediately, the entire jurisdiction shall enter a state of Level 1 'inspection readiness'."
Gwen Stacy immediately made a note of it on the Data Pad.
"Preparing for the inspection?"
"Yes, prepare for the inspection." Lynn's tone carried a hint of amusement. "The Liaison Office, with the Stability Maintenance Office and the Department of Technology cooperating, should immediately formulate a top-level ' Cross-Dimension Envoy Reception Work Plan.'"
All core data, project files, and personnel records classified as "Top Secret" or higher have been physically sealed and affixed with "Pending Technology Upgrade" seals.
"The Department of Technology has ordered all high-energy experimental zones to switch to 'low-power stability' mode, and external energy fluctuation readings must not exceed 30% of the safety threshold."
"The Stability Maintenance Office has reduced all peripheral patrol Fleet, citing internal equipment maintenance and personnel rotation training as the reason."
"In short," Lynn turned around, his gaze falling on Gwen Stacy, "We must welcome this special envoy from afar with the most enthusiastic, thorough, and, of course, the most cumbersome bureaucratic procedures."
He had to fill the special envoy's precious seven days with mountains of forms, endless procedures, cross-departmental coordination meetings, and countless reports.
Let him see, but only let him see what you want him to see.
Let him investigate, but he only found a bunch of irrelevant and superficial information.
"I understand." Gwen Stacy's eyes lit up; she instantly grasped Lynn's intention.
This is about maximizing the use of the system's subtle, insidious tactics.
Just as Gwen Stacy was about to accept her orders and leave, the office alarm system suddenly emitted a series of rapid but silent flashes.
This is the highest level of alert.
A Technician's Holographic Projection instantly appeared in front of Lynn, his face filled with horror and confusion.
"Director! Heavens... the energy readings in the cracks in the sky are skyrocketing!"
Lynn and Gwen Stacy both looked up at the window.
The golden crack suddenly expanded, and blinding light burst forth from it.
A figure slowly descended from the deepest part of the rift.
Its appearance was indistinct; it was a slender humanoid figure composed entirely of golden light and Runes. It had no wings, yet it hovered in the air, and with each inch it descended, the entire subsurface of the Negative Zone groaned under its unbearable weight.
"Minister Wanda, urgent communication!" The Technician's voice trembled. "The Phoenix Firewall... is not responding! All of the Management Committee's conceptual defense systems are unable to lock onto the target!"
Lynn's pupils suddenly contracted.
The Phoenix Firewall is a product of the combination of Jean Grey's power and Wanda's Chaos Magic; it is the lowest level of defense mechanism in the Negative Zone.
It had no effect on this special envoy who had arrived?
"The target's energy fluctuations... are completely immune to the rules of this jurisdiction!" The Technician's voice was nearly broken. "It... it's penetrating our space in an incomprehensible way!"
On the spatial coordinate diagram on Lynn's desk, a dazzling red dot, ignoring all the complex defensive nodes and Labyrinth paths, points straight to the very center of the diagram with a straight red line.
The White Bone Hall.