The overt gambit of economic sanctions, testing the Management Committee Director's limits
The air in the conference room of the White Bone Hall seemed to have been sucked out.
Gwen Stacy finished her report when she stepped back to Lynn's side and stood still, saying nothing more. Her Data Pad screen was still lit up, the title of which, "Draft on Energy Rationing Restrictions for Negative Zone Jurisdiction," was glaringly obvious.
This is a calculated move.
Instead of escalating the situation with force, TVA used another power granted to them by the rules to strike at the root of the problem from a higher level.
More than 30% of the external energy supply to the Negative Zone Management Committee's jurisdiction depends on the waterways and ports controlled by the TVA. Once this draft is passed, the operation of the entire jurisdiction will face severe challenges.
This is more troublesome than going to war directly.
War is like flipping the table, while sanctions are like putting a hand on your rice bowl, forcing you to flip the table yourself.
Around the conference table, the group, who had just united against the threat of external infiltration, began to have their minds racing again.
Hela's fingers tapped lightly on the table, producing a dull, rhythmic sound.
She was the first to break the silence.
"Beat."
In short, decisive and efficient.
Hela raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping over everyone present before finally settling on Lynn's face.
"Proctor's Fleet is in the buffer zone. Destroy them, and the waterway will be clear." Her voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable resolve. "Showing weakness will only attract more greedy wolves. Since they dare to hand over their knives, we must be prepared to cut them off as well."
The Director of the Stability Maintenance Office always has such a simple and direct way of thinking.
Use absolute violence to erase the problem itself.
In the meeting room, several cadres from the Stability Maintenance Office subconsciously straightened their backs.
I disagree.
Wanda was the one who spoke.
She wore a white robe from the Ministry of Department of Technology, a stark contrast to Hela's black uniform.
"Taking action now would confirm our guilt of violently resisting law enforcement and disregarding the authority of the TVA. Proctor couldn't be happier if we did this," Wanda's voice was cold. "That sanctions draft is a motion, it hasn't taken effect yet. By firing the first shot, we're essentially handing over both legal and moral grounds to the other side."
"Legal reason?" Hela's lips curled into a sneer. "When your people have no energy to get through the winter, can legal reason become firewood for warmth?"
"So, we can't fight." Wanda ignored Hela's sarcasm and looked at Lynn, who was in the main seat. "But the energy problem must be solved."
She paused for a moment.
"Director, if you authorize it, the Department of Technology can activate the backup plan. We can forcibly anchor to several nearby enriched Dimension and directly extract basic energy. Although there will be some losses and impurities, it will be enough to fill the gap caused by the TVA cutoff."
The atmosphere in the meeting room did not ease after Wanda proposed a solution.
Those present were all department heads, and they all understood what the phrase "forced extraction" meant.
That's like shooting at your neighbor's oil tank. You get the oil, but who knows if it will set your neighbor's tank on fire, or even spread the fire to yourself?
The two proposals are both more extreme than the other.
One advocates using force against foreign powers, while the other advocates plundering foreign lands.
All eyes turned to Lynn once again.
Lynn remained silent, simply listening. He picked up his teacup; the water inside had grown somewhat cold.
He put down his teacup, the bottom of which made a soft sound as it touched the table.
The meeting room fell silent instantly.
"War is a last resort, not the best option." Lynn's gaze first fell on Hela. "Proctor's Fleet is just the vanguard; behind them is the entire TVA. If we destroy one Fleet, they can send ten more. Most importantly, once we make our move, we will go from being 'victims' to 'provocative ones,' and we will completely lose our foothold in the order of the entire Multiverse."
He paused, then turned to Wanda.
"I also disagree with the Department of Technology's proposal."
Wanda's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
"Our understanding of adjacent Dimension is limited to the data level. No one can predict the chain reaction that would be triggered by rashly engaging in high-intensity energy extraction," Lynn said calmly, as if stating a technical fact. "We cannot exchange a currently manageable economic crisis for an uncontrollable, enormous risk."
He rejected proposals from the two most hardline departments.
The air pressure in the entire conference room dropped to freezing point.
Lynn glanced around, taking in everyone's expressions. Some were puzzled, some doubtful, and some observing.
"TVA is trying to use economic means to force us to hand over Ravonna." Lynn's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clearly heard. "This shows that they're hesitant to act rashly. They also don't want the situation to escalate, and they don't want Ravonna to be in our hands, exposing everything they've done."
The root of the problem lies not at the border, nor in any other Dimension.
Lynn tapped her finger lightly on the table.
"And in our own isolation room."
He stood up.
"TVA gave us a problem, and we solved it. They wanted the code, so we gave them the code. They wanted the result, so we gave them a result they had no choice but to accept."
Gwen Stacy.
"Exist."
"You stay at the command center and continue to deal with Proctor. Remember, the tactic is delay. Use every available regulation, memorandum, and approval process. If you can't finish it in one day, then delay it for two."
"Yes." Gwen Stacy immediately accepted the order.
"Hela, the Stability Maintenance Office has entered a Level II emergency response state, strengthening internal patrols and strictly preventing any external forces from taking the opportunity to infiltrate. In particular, the absolute security of several key energy nodes must be ensured."
Although Hela was not entirely satisfied with the decision not to go to war, she still nodded.
"Wanda, the Department of Technology is operating at full capacity, optimizing the allocation of existing energy reserves, formulating a tiered supply guarantee plan, and prioritizing the needs of people's livelihoods and core departments. At the same time, we are conducting the deepest data mining on all of Ravonna's communication equipment."
"Understood," Wanda replied.
After assigning all the tasks, Lynn's gaze swept across the room once more.
"Gentlemen, TVA wants to see us thrown into disarray by the sanctions, but we won't let them have their way. Everyone, do your job well."
After he finished speaking, he stopped looking at the crowd and walked straight out of the meeting room.
"Director, where are you going?" Gwen Stacy couldn't help but ask.
Lynn's steps did not stop.
"I'm going to interrogate Ravonna."
His figure disappeared at the conference room door.
Negative Zone Management Committee, S-0 Level Isolation Zone.
This is the most heavily guarded area in the entire jurisdiction, watched over 24 hours a day by the Undead Guard of the Stability Maintenance Office.
Lynn walked alone through the cold alloy tunnel. His footsteps were the only sound in the place.
He arrived at the innermost isolation room.
The heavy isolation door slid open silently.
The interior furnishings were simple: a table and two chairs. The walls were pure white, capable of absorbing all energy fluctuations.
Ravonna sat in the chair, wearing a gray prison uniform. She wasn't bound; she just sat quietly, seemingly waiting for something.
Hearing the door open, she slowly raised her head and looked at Lynn as she walked in.
Her face showed none of the fear, anxiety, or even panic that Lynn had expected.
Instead, there was an almost eerie calm.
"You've come," Ravonna said, her tone as if she were seeing an old friend she hadn't seen in a long time.
Lynn sat down in the chair opposite her, the two separated by a table.
"It seems the TVA's proposed sanctions were within your expectations," Lynn said, looking at her.
"That's always been Proctor's style," Ravonna said calmly. "When procedures don't work, they use pressure. When the pressure isn't enough, they create more pressure. That's their usual tactic."
You don't seem worried about your situation at all.
"Why should I worry?" Ravonna retorted. "If I worry, will TVA lift the sanctions? Or will you let me go because of it?"
She looked at Lynn, a slight smile suddenly appearing on her lips.
"Director Lynn, we all know that the only thing that can break this deadlock is neither the Fleet outside, nor your hardline ministers."
Her gaze possessed a penetrating power that seemed to see through everything.
"It's you, and it's me."
Lynn didn't speak, but just watched her quietly, waiting for her to continue.
Ravonna knew that the time she had been waiting for had come. She reached out and made a light swipe on the table.
A barely perceptible Data Stream spilled from her fingertips, forming a dynamic Holographic Image on the table between the two of them.
It was a familiar set of ruins.
Sokovia.
The image appears to be taken from the perspective of an invisible drone hovering high in the sky. In the scene, Scarlet energy is rampaging, and a figure is using its back to shield the desperate Witch, only to be pierced by thousands of beams of light and eventually dissipate into a sky full of Data Stream.
This video was etched in Lynn's memory.
But what made his pupils constrict was the lower right corner of the image.
There, there is a clear, constantly changing timestamp, and a Top Secret TVA surveillance emblem.