The Management Committee's Unified Stance, the Response of the Stability Maintenance Office and Department of Technology
It was still dark in the Standing Committee room of the White Bone Hall.
The atmosphere on both sides of the long conference table was even heavier than the stagnant air outside.
Lynn sat in the head seat, his fingers unconsciously tracing the cold surface of the table. To his left sat Gwen Stacy, the Liaison Office Chief, her Data Pad screen in front of her dark, and she sat ramrod straight.
There are two empty seats on the right.
Below them were the other department heads in attendance, each sitting upright, eyes downcast, seemingly lost in thought.
The meeting room door was pushed open without any announcement.
Hela and Wanda entered one after the other.
Hela was still wearing her black Stability Maintenance Office uniform, but her aura was even more oppressive than usual. Wanda, on the other hand, wore a white researcher's robe from the Department of Technology, her face expressionless, but her Scarlet eyes were churning with emotion.
The two walked straight to the empty seat to Lynn's right and sat down. The breeze they stirred up with their movements felt like it had been quenched with ice.
All eyes, seemingly casually, fell on them.
Lynn raised her eyes and scanned the entire room.
"Everyone's here, let's have a short meeting."
His voice was flat, devoid of emotion.
"Last night, based on reliable intelligence, the newly established Internal Affairs Inspection Office placed TVA's special consultant, Ravonna Renslayer, under isolation and investigation."
Hela spoke up as soon as Lynn finished speaking.
"Director."
She leaned forward slightly, looking directly at Lynn without any attempt to hide her gaze.
"When was the Internal Affairs Inspection Office established? As the Director of the Stability Maintenance Office, how come I didn't know that the Management Committee had an extra tool in its staff that could arbitrarily arrest people in the middle of the night without prior notice or following any procedures?"
The words were harsh, almost like a direct interrogation.
The air in the conference room seemed to freeze instantly.
Before Lynn could answer, Wanda also raised her head, her voice cold and clear.
"My Department of Technology had unauthorized access records on its Core Server last night. The alert was only issued by the Inspection Office after Ravonna was taken away. Why did they know first, and not me, the minister?"
She wasn't as direct as Hela, but her questions were even more incisive.
One question concerns procedural legality, while the other concerns technical Jurisdiction.
The functions of the Stability Maintenance Office are to maintain stability internally and enforce the law forcefully externally. The function of the Department of Technology is to control all technology and data. Now, a newly established, little-known Inspection Office has simultaneously infringed upon the authority of two core departments, and did so without prior authorization.
This is not just a problem for Natasha alone; it is also a blatant challenge to the authority of the two powerful ministers present.
All eyes were on Lynn, who was in the main seat, to see how he would respond to the attack from both sides.
Lynn did not go to see Hela, nor did she go to see Wanda.
He simply tapped the table lightly.
Gwen Stacy.
"Exist."
Gwen Stacy immediately responded and turned on the Data Pad in front of her.
"Inform the two ministers about the data that was urgently seized from Advisor Ravonna's Personal Terminal last night."
Lynn's tone remained businesslike and indifferent.
He offered no explanation, no rebuttal, and went straight to presenting the evidence.
Gwen Stacy stood up and simultaneously projected the contents of the Data Pad onto the Holographic Projection in the center of the conference room.
A series of folder paths clearly appeared before everyone's eyes.
The two folders at the very top have particularly jarring names.
[/ Stability Maintenance Office / Undead Legion /Mobile Deployment Plan - S-rank]
[/ Department of Technology / Chaos Research Institute / Source Code -V3. hex]
Hela's pupils contracted sharply.
That was her highest-level troop mobilization Contingency Plan for dealing with emergencies. If it were leaked, the entire defense system of the Negative Zone would be rendered useless.
Wanda's face instantly turned cold.
That was the core algorithm she was optimizing to stabilize her own power; it was the "reins" of this power within her, and also her most fatal "weakness."
The Data Stream on the projection continued to scroll.
Each filename, like a silent slap, landed on the faces of the two ministers.
It contains not only the core secrets of the two departments, but also their individual private schedules, security vulnerability analyses, and even psychological evaluation reports.
Ravonna, the TVA's special consultant, was like a venomous snake, having already silently infiltrated their core and most private territory.
And they were completely unaware.
"This data was programmed to be sent out at a set time with encryption at 11:59 PM last night. The target was an encrypted address belonging to the TVA Commission for Discipline Inspection."
Gwen Stacy's voice rang out at the opportune moment, providing a cold footnote to these chilling statistics.
"If the Inspection Office had acted even a minute later, these documents would already be on TVA's desk."
The conference room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Hela, who had been so aggressive just moments before, now stood with her lips tightly pressed together, not uttering a word. The oppressive aura emanating from her had completely subsided, transforming into a deeper, more insidious killing intent.
The Scarlet light in Wanda's eyes slowly shifted as she looked at the documents that belonged to her on the projector. She didn't speak, but the temperature in the entire conference room seemed to drop a few degrees as a result.
Previous questions about "procedure" and "overstepping authority" appear so pale and even laughable in the face of these irrefutable facts.
The internal power struggles are clearly outweighed by the deadly external infiltration; which is more serious?
Lynn successfully transformed an internal impeachment campaign targeting his personal authority and newly established departments into an external security crisis concerning the very survival of the entire Management Committee.
Hela and Wanda, who were initially the instigators, have become the infiltrators and parties responsible for negligence.
Lynn picked up the teacup, gently blew on the steam, but didn't drink it.
"Now, are there any comrades who have objections to the actions of the Inspection Office?"
He looked around, his gaze finally settling on Hela and Wanda's faces.
No one answered.
Hela pinched her nose and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth.
"No."
Wanda merely glanced coldly at the projection, which was taken as tacit agreement.
"Very good."
Lynn put down her teacup.
"Since everyone has reached a consensus, let's define this matter as follows: The Ravonna case was a malicious infiltration attempt by TVA against us, and its nature is extremely serious. The Inspection Office's actions were timely, necessary, and legal."
He made the final decision, not only endorsing Natasha's actions but also formally establishing the Internal Affairs Inspection Office's legitimate status within the Management Committee system.
"The subsequent review work will be led by the Inspection Office, with the Stability Maintenance Office and the Department of Technology providing full cooperation, to ensure that all potential risks are uncovered. The external communication will be unified by the Liaison Office..."
Before Lynn could finish speaking, the heavy door to the conference room was suddenly pushed open.
It was Gwen Stacy's secretary, the Liaison Office Chief, who looked flustered and completely disregarded meeting Discipline.
"Something terrible has happened, Director Gwen Stacy, she..."
Before the secretary could finish speaking, Gwen Stacy had already strode in behind her, her face more serious than ever before.
"Director!"
Gwen Stacy's voice was somewhat hurried as she quickly walked to Lynn's side and handed him her Data Pad.
"Emergency! The Liaison Office has just received a top-priority communication from the TVA Commission for Discipline Inspection. Their commissioner has led a Adjudication Fleet to the C-1 Border Buffer Zone!"
The atmosphere in the conference room tensed up again.
Lynn took the Data Pad and glanced at it.
What are they trying to do?
Gwen Stacy took a deep breath and said, word by word.
"They demanded that we extradite Ravonna Renslayer immediately."
"Furthermore," Gwen Stacy paused, lowering her voice even further, "the other party possesses a supreme warrant personally signed by the ' He Who Remains.'"