The Director's iron-fisted intervention, the first test of the Phoenix Force

When the Shuttlecraft pierced the boundary of the "XN-734" Timeline, it caused violent turbulence.

Inside the cabin, the red warning lights flashed silently, casting shadows on Lynn's face.

Through the porthole, what lay outside was not the vast universe, but a boiling, fiery red ocean of spirits. Countless chaotic wills and fragmented memories, like grains of sand in a storm, relentlessly eroded this tiny spaceship.

The pilot's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his hands gripped the control stick tightly, trying his best to maintain the stability of the flight path.

Lynn's expression remained unchanged.

He simply unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up.

"Landing on the Landing Pad of the ' Nibelung '."

His voice was steady and clear, cutting through the noisy alarm and reaching the driver's ears.

"Director, that's the eye of the storm, the energy readings are already..."

"Execute the order," Lynn interrupted him.

The pilot's Adam's apple bobbed, and without another word, he gritted his teeth and steered the Shuttlecraft toward the Undead Flagship that was faintly visible amidst the energy storm.

The atmosphere on the Bridge of the Nibelung was extremely tense.

Hela stood in front of the main screen, her face ashen. On the screen, more than 30% of her proud Undead Fleet had been paralyzed or attacked by each other due to mental pollution. The battle damage reports flashed by like snowflakes, each one intensifying her rage.

Not far away, Wanda's figure emerged from a Scarlet portal. She had just been forcibly teleported from the Delta-1 Observatory, and her Chaos Magic was still surging within her, clearly indicating that she wanted to personally take control of the situation.

On the other side, at the Audit Seat, Natasha sat quietly, her fingers flying across the Data Pad; a new accountability report was nearing completion.

The three men's eyes met in mid-air, filled with icy hostility and wariness.

Just then, the piercing landing alarm blared across the Bridge.

"Report! An unregistered Shuttlecraft is attempting to land on the C-3 Landing Pad!"

Hela whirled around, a murderous glint in her eyes.

"Shoot it down!"

"Wait!" The adjutant's voice carried a hint of fear, "The identification code... it's the Director's private jet!"

Hela froze.

Wanda and Natasha both looked up at the same time, gazing towards the Landing Pad.

The hatch opened.

Lynn, dressed in a crisp uniform Director of the Management Committee, walked down the gangway alone at a leisurely pace.

He wasn't wearing any protective gear, leaving him directly exposed to the aftershocks of the raging Psychic Storm. The turbulent energy currents, powerful enough to shatter the will of Undead Warriors, fluttered his clothes but seemed unable to penetrate his body in the slightest.

Hela, Wanda, Natasha all went to greet them without prior arrangement.

Their faces showed a variety of expressions. Some were surprised, some were confused, but most of all, they had a complex emotion of being caught red-handed by the top leader.

Lynn stopped in front of the three of them.

His gaze swept over them one by one, calm and devoid of any warmth.

"Director the Stability Maintenance Office."

He looked at Hela first.

"Minister of the Department of Technology."

Then there's Wanda.

"Acting Director of the Internal Affairs Inspection Office."

Finally, there's Natasha.

He didn't give anyone a chance to explain, and directly took out a data stamp from his pocket and pressed it onto his Personal Terminal.

A deep blue holographic screen instantly unfolded before everyone.

At the top of the light screen is the emblem of the Negative Zone Management Committee, and below it is a line of Scarlet bold title.

Special Director's Order Regarding the Freezing of the Command System of the "XN-734" Special Task Force

"Given the serious internal friction within the frontline command system, which has led to Major Safety Accident and the loss of state-owned assets, I have decided," Lynn's voice was like the clanging of cold metal, "That, effective immediately, all command, technical intervention, and Inspectorate Authority of the Stability Maintenance Office, the Technology Integration Department, and the Internal Affairs Inspection Office in this special operation is frozen."

"All frontline units, immediately enter a state of silent standby."

"All department heads are hereby ordered to undergo Discipline review."

"This order."

Lynn paused, his gaze sharpening.

"I, Lynn, the Director the Negative Zone Management Committee, will personally oversee the execution."

This Special Director's Order, issued without any discussion or procedure, came crashing down like a mountain.

Hela's fingers, gripping the sword hilt, turned white from the force. She wanted to say something, but found herself, for the first time, unable to find any procedural basis to refute the other person's argument.

The Director oversees the operation; this is the highest on-the-spot decision-making power granted to the top leader by the Management Committee's charter.

Wanda's Scarlet magic unconsciously receded in the face of this cold official document. All her grievances and anger were suppressed by the heavy label of "loss of state-owned assets."

Natasha quietly put away her Data Pad.

A deathly silence fell over the scene, broken only by the distant howling of the energy storm.

Lynn didn't look at them again.

Reprimands are pointless; the most effective approach is to use the iron fist of the system to nip all outdated ideas in the bud.

He turned to face the ever-expanding Phoenix Force, like a scar on the universe.

Amidst the horrified gazes of everyone, he strode forward alone, heading straight for the eye of the storm.

"Director!" Gwen Stacy's voice came through his Communicator, filled with unprecedented urgency, "The Mental Entropy at the core of the storm has exceeded the measurement limit; any matter entering will be instantly decomposed!"

Lynn did not respond.

His left hand was in his pocket, his fingertips lightly twirling an inconspicuous System Item— [Conceptual Bastion) ].

A thin barrier, invisible to the naked eye of mortals, completely isolated him from the spiritual torrents of the outside world, a torrent powerful enough to tear apart Deity.

One step, two steps.

He walked very steadily.

Fragile fragments of memory, extreme pain, rage burning the entire universe... these pollutants, enough to drive Skyfather-level powerhouse insane, washed over him, yet left no trace, like a gentle breeze across a hillside.

On the Bridge, Hela, Wanda, and Natasha, three women powerful enough to destroy the world in their respective fields, stared blankly at the figure gradually being engulfed by flames.

For the first time, they realized they knew absolutely nothing about this man.

Lynn crossed the outer edge of the storm.

The further you go in, the purer and more refined that spiritual energy becomes.

Finally, in absolute silence and light, he stopped in his tracks.

At the eye of the storm, there is no fire, no energy.

Only the figure of a Red-haired Woman, curled up and radiating a soft light, floated in the void.

Her eyes were tightly closed, and her brows were furrowed, as if she were enduring endless pain.

Jean Grey.

Lynn looked at her, raised his hand, and activated the Mental Communication Module.

He did not convey any aggressive or provocative intent, but instead sent a carefully crafted, Standardized Information that perfectly conformed to the Management Committee's official document format in the most peaceful manner.

[Lynn, Director the Negative Zone Management Committee]

[I have been ordered to come and conduct our first Compliant Mental Contact with you regarding the handover of the Abandoned Timeline assets, 'XN-734'.]

Please identify yourself and state your Political Demands.

The cold, bureaucratic rhetoric transformed into a clear stream of logic, flowing into that Chaos Sea of Consciousness.

Jean Grey, struggling between sleep and awakening, seemed to hear a different voice amidst an endless nightmare.

In her confused state of mind, she instinctively grasped at this straw.

Mind Link is established in an instant.

However, at the very moment the link was established, no understanding of "asset transfer" or "Political Demands" came to mind.

A fragment of a memory, not hers but incredibly profound, was unexpectedly activated by this shared energy and surged forth.

That's the Bifrost in Asgard.

The Gungnir pierced the sky, bringing the Ending of death.

A man stood in front of her, smiling, and turned to ashes in the Heimdall's Underworld Fire.

That figure from behind...

That smile...

Jean Grey's tightly closed eyelashes trembled violently.

A surge of emotion, a mixture of extreme grief, the ecstasy of regaining what was lost, and an intensely possessive desire, violently surged into Lynn's mind through the Mind Link.

[... Found you.]