The Stability Maintenance Office Director's illegal departure, the chill in the Director's office

Lynn hung up the call.

Absolute silence returned to the office.

He didn't look out at the Eternity nothingness, but instead focused his gaze on the surface of his desk. The smooth Obsidian surface clearly reflected the cold light of the life support system indicator lights on the ceiling, flickering like a rhythm.

Hela is gone.

In a way that best suited her authority, yet most challenging his authority.

That leave application, which stipulated "execute first, report later," was like a sarcastic note, neatly pasted onto the Management Committee's rules and regulations.

Lynn knew very well that he couldn't order an interception.

The Undead Fleet under the Stability Maintenance Office obeys only Hela's orders. Any attempt to physically intervene in the flight path will be interpreted as a direct conflict of supreme command. At that time, the sky in Negative Zone will no longer be a void of darkness, but will be completely ignited by the flames of the warship engines.

A political entity that has just weathered an external crisis by relying on "unity" and "rules" is most vulnerable to self-destruction from its core.

He slowly leaned back in his chair, his weight sinking completely into the soft leather.

His fingers tapped unconsciously on the armrest, then stopped.

He couldn't stop her from going, but he had to define her actions in going.

Within the system, the facts themselves are not important; what matters is how the facts are recorded procedurally.

Lynn pressed the Internal Communicator, connecting to the Liaison Office's encrypted line.

Gwen Stacy.

"Director, I'm here." Gwen Stacy's voice was as steady as ever, but Lynn could hear a hint of tension hidden beneath the calm.

"I saw Director Hela's leave application from the Stability Maintenance Office."

"Yes, Director. The system has automatically filed the record."

"The timing is sensitive." Lynn's voice was unreadable. "The interim report of the Living Tribunal has just been submitted. As the core armed force department, the Stability Maintenance Office's head leaving his post at this juncture, while procedurally compliant, could easily arouse unnecessary speculation in other departments."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone. Gwen Stacy was waiting for him to continue.

"I remember there was a task on the to-do list of the Stability Maintenance Office regarding on-site investigation of historically high-risk coordinates, which has been hanging there for a while," Lynn said unhurriedly.

Gwen Stacy understood immediately.

"Yes, Chief. Mission number 'A-74,' level three, concerning the energy decay survey of a collapsed Asgardian dimensional fragment. Due to the high risk, it hasn't been prioritized."

"Now bring it up." Lynn's tone left no room for argument. "Raise the mission level to S-rank, classify it as top secret by the Management Committee. Director Hela's current operation is to carry out this classified field mission."

"Clear."

"From this moment forward, the Liaison Office's back-end system must immediately complete all the necessary paperwork for this operation. Operation codename, mission briefing, risk assessment, Confidentiality Agreement... not a single one can be missing."

"Yes."

"The Nibelung's energy consumption, navigation log, and warp records are all linked to this 'A-74' mission. This ensures that any level of audit can only see one compliant and legitimate classified field operation."

Lynn paused for a moment, then added, "You will handle this personally. Physical isolation is required; leave no electronic traces."

"I understand, Director." Gwen Stacy's voice finally relaxed.

She knew that the Director had used a flawless procedure to forcibly turn a disciplinary violation that could have sparked a Civil War into an impeccable official dispatch.

This is not only protecting Hela, but also protecting the stability of the entire Management Committee.

"Is there anything else, Director?"

"There is none left."

Communication cut off.

Lynn picked up the glass on the table; the water inside had gone cold. He took a sip, the icy liquid sliding down his throat, calming his racing mind slightly.

He used the established dikes to temporarily plug a breach that was about to burst.

However, the pressure underwater does not disappear as a result.

He knew this was just a cold shoulder, a way to buy time. He needed to think about how to deal with Hela when she returned with the "truth" she had uncovered.

Just then, the Director -level Encrypted Terminal on the table emitted a crisp notification sound.

It wasn't the red of an emergency alarm, nor the blue of ordinary communications, but a white that represented an official letter from a department at the same level.

Lynn's gaze shifted over there.

A title line is clearly displayed on the screen.

Sending department: Technology Integration Department.

From: Minister, Wanda Maximoff.

Subject: "Letter requesting access to the energy consumption report of the ' Night Owl ' standalone hangar over the past forty-eight hours".

The official letter was meticulously written, stating that the Department of Technology was testing a new energy efficiency monitoring algorithm, which required using actual energy consumption data from different types of ship hangars as samples for comparison in order to optimize the model.

Everything seemed so normal, as normal as a typical cross-departmental data request.

Lynn's pupils contracted slightly.

The "Night Owl" hangar is the Nibelung's dedicated dock.

Nearly forty-eight hours.

It perfectly covers the time Hela departs from port.