The psychological contest in the Interview Room, the Management Committee Director's political resolve

The office was quiet.

Wanda's question remains suspended in the air, neither echoing nor landing.

Where exactly is that real 'weight'?

Lynn didn't move.

His hands were folded and placed flat on the table, his posture unchanged. He looked at her calmly, as if she had only asked about today's weather.

Time stretched out in the silence, each second feeling like a difficult journey through frozen air.

Finally, Lynn spoke.

"Minister Wanda."

His voice was calm and emotionless; he was simply stating a fact.

"You already signed it at the meeting."

Wanda's body stiffened for a moment.

Lynn continued speaking, her tone unchanged.

"That report is now the unified version from the Management Committee. It's backed by your professional opinion, supported by the on-site investigation from the Stability Maintenance Office, and guaranteed by the procedural review from the Liaison Office."

"It's no longer just a technical document; it's our political stance on the Living Tribunal."

He didn't answer her question, or even touch upon a single word of it. He was simply reminding her of her role as "Technology Minister" and the responsibilities that came with that position.

"I don't understand what you mean." A slight change finally appeared in Wanda's voice.

"What I mean is..." Lynn leaned forward slightly, separated his clasped hands, and tapped his index finger lightly on the table.

"This stance is the shield upon which our entire Negative Zone survives in the higher-level Rule Game."

"And now, you want to break through it from the inside?"

His words weren't harsh, but they made the office temperature drop even further.

Wanda looked at him, her Scarlet eyes filled with confusion and struggle. She wanted to talk about truth and falsehood, about soul and sacrifice, but Lynn reduced it all to stance and survival.

"I just... have questions about the data." She tried to steer the conversation back to the technical aspects.

"Question?" Lynn leaned back in his chair, picked up the cup of tea on the table that had gone cold, but didn't drink it.

"Wanda, let me ask you, as the head of the Ministry of Department of Technology, have you been feeling a lot of pressure lately?"

The shift in topic was abrupt, yet it carried an undeniable concern.

Wang Han was stunned.

"The energy residue from Sokovia, the isotope sample from Earth-838, and now Assistance Investigation Notice from the Living Tribunal. Your department has undertaken almost all the frontline technical challenges."

"Your mind has been dealing with the most chaotic and disordered energies for a long time. Could this high pressure cause some... distortions in your perception?"

Lynn looked at her, his eyes revealing the "concern" of a superior for the work performance of a key subordinate.

"For example, mixing personal historical memories with objective energy data."

"Treating intuition as a conclusion."

His voice was gentle, as if he were conducting a calm and rational discussion.

"I..." Wanda opened her mouth, but found herself speechless.

Lynn's words are logically sound. It's perfectly "reasonable" for a combat engineer who has long handled highly dangerous explosives to have a stress response upon hearing firecrackers.

"Your intuition is one of the most valuable assets of the Negative Zone. But wealth can also become a burden." Lynn put down his teacup with a soft thud.

"Especially when it starts to affect your professional judgment, or even leads you to act beyond your authority."

The final sentence instantly ripped away the gentle facade, revealing the cold, hard core beneath.

"Today, without consulting the Task Force Deputy Leader Gwen Stacy, and without submitting any written supplementary opinions, you simply barged into my door and, based on a mere 'feeling,' questioned a politically significant resolution that had already been passed by the Standing Committee."

"Minister Wanda, tell me, is this in accordance with the rules?"

The office fell silent once again.

This time, the balance of power was completely reversed.

Wanda is no longer the challenger who holds the truth and comes to question. She has become a department head who violates Discipline, acts recklessly, and may even have her work judgment affected by "internal strife".

All her strengths, her keen perception of "truth," were completely dissolved in the face of the word "rules."

Looking into Lynn's unfathomable eyes, she suddenly felt powerless. She couldn't prove the existence of "weight" to him, just as she couldn't describe the taste of salt to someone who has no sense of taste.

However, the other party could use a whole set of systems, procedures, and logic that she couldn't refute to prove that there was something wrong with her "sense of taste".

"I..." She finally lowered her gaze. "I acted impulsively, Director."

"This isn't an impulsive act," Lynn corrected, "It's a warning."

"It serves as a reminder that even the most powerful individuals must operate within the framework of an organization. It also reminds me that the workload of the Department of Technology may have exceeded a reasonable threshold."

He stood up and walked to her side.

"Let's go back."

"Clear your lab, stop all unnecessary simulations. Give yourself and your department a 24-hour break."

"You need a break. Your brain needs a temporary break from all that chaotic data."

"The Negative Zone needs a calm, rational, and Absolute Obedience Discipline Technology Minister, not a Witch plagued by intuition and memory."

He spoke the last two words very softly.

Wanda's body trembled violently. She looked up at Lynn in disbelief.

Lynn had already turned around and walked back behind her desk.

"That's an order."

Wanda stood there for a long time, but in the end, she said nothing.

She turned around, opened the door, and went out.

The office door slowly closed behind her.

Lynn stood alone in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the Eternity nothingness. He showed no sign of ease or smugness.

Bureaucratic rhetoric and political maneuvering temporarily suppressed the bomb that could explode at any moment.

But cracks have already appeared on the dam.

He knew this was merely a stopgap measure.

The Encrypted Terminal on the table silently lit up. A cold countdown appeared on the screen.

That was the remaining time for the Rule Envoy of the Living Tribunal to conduct the final review.

The internal threats have been temporarily suppressed, but the sword of Damocles hanging overhead is about to fall.