Joint signatures on the closing report, the Living Tribunal's provisional closure

The White Bone Hall, Zero Conference Room.

The air was stagnant.

The Encrypted Terminal on the table had a red countdown timer flashing on its screen, indicating that the final three minutes were up.

Lynn sat upright in the main seat, his fingers unconsciously tapping rhythmically on the smooth tabletop—his only movement.

To his left was Gwen Stacy Stacy, the Liaison Office Chief. She sat upright, with a sealed blue Data Pad in front of her.

On the right, in order, are Stability Maintenance Office Director Hela, and Wanda, the Technology Integration Department. Hela's expression is indifferent, as if everything in front of her is irrelevant. Wanda, on the other hand, has her head down, her gaze fixed on her clasped hands, revealing no emotion.

In the center of the conference room, the envoy of Rule Envoy, composed of golden Runes, floated silently. It had no physical form, no facial features, but was merely a humanoid ball of light, the embodiment of the rules.

The moment the countdown reached zero, the conference room lights automatically brightened by three points.

Gwen Stacy stood up.

She picked up the Data Pad from the table, took precisely calculated steps, walked to the Rule Envoy, and presented it with both hands.

"Your Excellency, Special Envoy," her voice was calm and devoid of any emotion, "By Director's Order of the Management Committee, I am now presenting to you the Ending report of the ' Abnormal Energy Tracing Joint Task Force.' This report was jointly issued by the Liaison Office, the Department of Technology, and the Office for Stability Maintenance Office, and has been signed and confirmed by all core members of the Task Force."

The Rule Envoy did not respond, but instead extended a "hand" from the light and took the Data Pad.

The Data Pad silently disintegrated in its "palm," transforming into billions of thin, golden Data Stream that flowed into its body.

The entire conference room was instantly enveloped in a golden net.

Lynn saw countless golden chains of logic shooting out from the envoy. Some of them connected to Gwen Stacy, Hela, and Wanda, seemingly verifying the authority and authenticity of the "signatures" they left on the report.

Another, more robust Data Stream penetrated the walls of the conference room, crossed Dimension, and pointed directly to the distant, Abandoned Dimension D-78—that "emotional dump" they had meticulously packaged.

The verification has begun.

This was a silent trial. There were no interrogations, no debates, only cold, hard data and legal logic at play.

Lynn's gaze swept over Wanda seemingly casually.

He saw her hands, resting on her knees, tighten almost imperceptibly.

This report is a flawless work of art. But for Wanda, it was more like a mirror, reflecting her deepest, most real scars and telling her that it was all just an illusion.

She was forced to sign a "false" certification onto what she cherished most. "Truth."

Lynn didn't know if this pressure would become the last straw that broke the camel's back at this moment.

Time passed by, second by second.

The golden data network reached its peak brightness.

Lynn could clearly see that all the data about Dimension D-78, including the original exploration records submitted by Lister, the review process led by Gwen Stacy, and the peripheral blockade logs sent by Hela, were retrieved, broken down, and compared one by one with the energy samples in the "Assistance Investigation Notice".

Every byte, every timestamp, fits perfectly.

The physical data from the on-site investigation, together with the emotional spectrum retrieved remotely, form a perfect logical closed loop.

Legally speaking, this report is impeccable.

Finally, the golden data network began to recede, flowing back into the Rule Envoy like a tide.

The meeting room's original cool-toned lighting was restored.

A deathly silence.

All eyes were focused on the humanoid ray of light.

"The data model is complete."

The voice of the Rule Envoy rang out, devoid of any emotion, as if translated directly from the most fundamental rules.

"Closed-loop logic chain."

"The scene matches the case file."

"The procedure was compliant and flawless."

A series of judgments struck everyone's hearts like heavy hammer blows.

Finally, it provides a conclusion.

"This on-site inspection is now closed for the current phase."

As the words fell, the radiant form of the Rule Envoy began to turn transparent and slowly dissipated.

"The Living Tribunal will revoke the temporary observation status of the Negative Zone Management Committee. The investigation into the ' Residual Anomalous Emotional Dimension ' will be filed."

It left behind its last words, then completely transformed into specks of golden light and disappeared into the conference room.

The sword of Damocles that had been hanging over our heads has finally been removed.

Gwen Stacy's tense shoulders visibly relaxed. She turned around and gave Lynn an inquiring look.

Lynn nodded slightly.

Meeting adjourned.

He stood up, his voice not loud, but it sounded as if some kind of restriction had been lifted.

Gwen Stacy immediately began tidying up the documents, preparing to archive them.

Hela remained silent, got up, and walked towards the door, seemingly unconcerned about the outcome.

Only Wanda was a step too slow.

She looked up at Lynn, her Scarlet eyes filled with complex emotions. There was relief at surviving a disaster, resentment at being forced to compromise, but more than anything, a bottomless confusion.

She opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something.

Lynn met her gaze, his eyes calm yet carrying an undeniable air of authority.

He signaled to her with his eyes that the meeting was over and now was not the time to discuss "technical issues."

Wanda ultimately swallowed her words, silently stood up, and followed Hela out of the conference room.

Only Lynn and Gwen Stacy remained in the large conference room.

"Director," Gwen Stacy's voice finally carried a hint of relief, "We... won the gamble."

"This isn't gambling." Lynn walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the unchanging emptiness. "This is work."

Gwen Stacy didn't say anything more. She knew Lynn didn't like taking credit.

"Classify all relevant files as top secret and physically seal them away," Lynn ordered. "All personnel involved must re-sign Confidentiality Agreement."

"Yes."

Gwen Stacy responded and turned to leave.

Lynn looked out the window; the external crisis had been averted, but he did not feel relieved.

Bureaucratic systems and Rule Game can resolve problems stemming from higher Dimension.

But it cannot solve the problem of people's hearts.

Wanda's silence at the meeting today was like a thorn stuck in his heart. He knew that the suspicions that were forcibly suppressed by political means would only take root and sprout deeper.

And Hela...

Lynn's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Throughout, Hela remained remarkably calm. Her calmness was unlike that of a domineering and controlling Director of the Stability Maintenance Office.

She did not raise any objections at the meeting, nor did she comment on the "Assistance Investigation Notice" that she also had doubts about.

If it doesn't concern me, I'll stay out of it.

This is not in line with her personality.

Just then, Lynn's Private Terminal vibrated slightly.

An encrypted message from the internal monitoring system of the Stability Maintenance Office.

The message was very simple, just one line.

"S-rank confidential document cabinet 07 had an unauthorized remote copying record three minutes ago. Target attachment: Assistance Investigation Notice - Coordinates Appendix - Asgard Bifrost."

Lynn's pupils suddenly contracted.