A defense test that turned their strength against them, and a high-risk entity's united front value
Emergency expanded meeting held in the White Bone Hall.
The air around the long conference table seemed to have been stripped of all its liveliness, leaving only a solidified heaviness.
Lynn sat in the main seat, his gaze calm as he scanned the heads of the core departments present.
Stability Maintenance Office Director Hela, stood with her arms crossed, her face expressionless, but her tense jawline betrayed her impatience. Wanda, the Minister of the Department of Technology, stared at the extinguished Data Pad in front of her, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the smooth surface of the table, a barely perceptible wisp of Scarlet Energy silently Oblivion in the air beside her.
Liaison Office Chief Gwen Stacy and the newly appointed Acting Director of the Internal Affairs Inspection Office, Natasha, both sat upright with serious expressions.
Lynn tapped her fingers lightly on the table, the crisp sound breaking the oppressive silence.
"Time is limited, so let's get to the point."
He gestured to Gwen Stacy.
Gwen Stacy immediately stood up and projected a document onto the holographic screen in the center of the conference room.
"Everyone, this is a final ultimatum we just received from the Time Variance Authority's Discipline Inspection Commission. TVA has unilaterally determined that we illegally harbored a high-risk entity, and on this basis, they are threatening to freeze the mining rights for the three energy Dimension promised to be transferred in the agreement."
On the screen, TVA's strongly worded official letter was enlarged, especially the words "freeze mining rights," which were highlighted in red.
"These three Dimension are the core energy support required for the second phase of the ' S.H.I.E.L.D. Protocol ' upgrade." Technology Minister Wanda raised her head, her voice icy. "If they are frozen, more than half of our defense system upgrade projects will immediately come to a standstill."
These words seemed to lower the temperature in the conference room even further.
This is not political wrangling, but a fundamental and decisive move to cut off the lifeline of our nation.
"This is a test, and also an insult." Hela Stability Maintenance Office Director Hela, sneered before finally speaking, "Their Fleet is still at the border, and now they're pulling out this stuff. Director, give the order; I'll take the Nibelung to give them a respectable reply."
Everyone present understood what she meant by "a dignified reply."
"Responding with force will only fall into their trap and give them an excuse to escalate the situation," Wanda immediately retorted. "I suggest activating Project ' Veil,' constructing a conceptual shield on the outer layer of the energy Dimension to technically isolate TVA's freeze orders."
"Can a turtle that only knows how to hide in its shell earn respect?" Hela turned her gaze to Wanda, making no attempt to hide her sarcasm.
"It's better than a brute who drags everyone down with him," Wanda retorted without backing down.
Seeing that the two heads of core departments were about to clash again, Lynn raised his hand.
The argument stopped abruptly.
"Director Hela's plan is too risky. Minister Wanda's plan is too passive." Lynn's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears. "We can't initiate war, but we can't just defend without attacking either. Since TVA has put their excuse on the table, let's play along with their excuses."
He looked around.
"What are TVA's accusations? That we 'illegally housed high-risk entities' and 'lacked effective control capabilities.'"
"In that case," Lynn's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile, "We'll show them our 'control' capabilities."
"I propose that a 'High-Risk Entity Controllability and Jurisdiction Defense Stress Test' be held at the C-7 Portal."
"Speak like a human." Hela frowned.
"A compliant defense exercise," Lynn said succinctly.
He paused, then added the most crucial sentence.
"Our 'high-risk entity,' Comrade Jean Grey, will personally serve as the lead tester."
The conference room was silent.
Everyone looked at Lynn, their expressions varied. Was this some kind of "defense exercise" against TVA, where someone TVA specifically named and wanted to arrest was being used?
This is no longer using someone else's strength against them; it's using a knife delivered by the other party to hold to their throat.
Half an hour later.
Negative Zone boundary, the void region outside C-7 Portal.
On the light screen in the conference room, the scene at the front line was broadcast in real time. Jean Grey floated alone in the cold universe, and in the far distance opposite her, the TVA's forward outpost, which resembled a steel thorn, was flashing with a blinding light.
"Director, I'm in position." Qin's voice came through the encrypted channel, tinged with nervousness.
"Do you remember the key points I told you?" Lynn's voice was clearly transmitted to the front lines through the Bridge's command system.
"Remember. Precise control. The target is the enemy's detection array; the mission is to disable, not destroy."
"Very good." Lynn's voice was calm and steady. "Let's begin."
Jean Grey closed her eyes.
The next second, she suddenly opened her eyes. A golden-red light flashed and disappeared deep in her pupils.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, no devastating energy surge.
A dark red beam of light, thinner than a strand of hair and almost invisible to the naked eye, shot out silently from her location, instantly traversing a vast distance at a speed beyond comprehension.
The beam of light did not hit any physical structure of the outpost, but rather, like an invisible Probe, precisely pierced the core main detection antenna array of the outpost.
On the light screen in the conference room, the complex light and shadow model representing the TVA's forward outpost, all the flashing energy indicator lights, and all the flowing Data Stream, all froze in that instant.
Then, as if swept away by an invisible hand, all the light was extinguished at the same moment.
That massive and menacing steel outpost has become a silent tomb.
"Report!" The Technician in the command center jumped to his feet, his voice trembling slightly with excitement. "Director! C-7 Portal monitoring reports that all energy readings at the TVA forward outpost are at zero! Communication, detection, and defense systems... all offline! They're blind and deaf!"
The conference room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Hela's arms, which had been wrapped around her shoulders, had somehow come down. She looked at the tiny figure on the screen, her eyes filled with an unprecedented solemnity.
Wanda stared intently at the screen, the Scarlet Energy beside her fluctuating violently at an unprecedented frequency, revealing the extreme turmoil within its master.
Natasha and Gwen Stacy both turned their gazes to the man in the main seat who had remained calm throughout.
"Now," Lynn's voice broke the silence, as if stating a fact, "Do you all still believe that Entity 'XN-734-01' is merely a nuisance that requires us to consume resources to relocate?"
He stood up, walked to the light screen, and looked at the starry sky on the screen that had fallen into a deathly silence.
"TVA's pressure precisely proves Comrade Jean Grey's value. Does the fact that they are so wary of her, willing to tear up agreements to seize her, even question her inherent value in uniting the people?"
"She is not a liability for us; she is our strategic deterrent weapon."
Lynn turned around, his gaze sweeping over Hela and Wanda.
"Her staffing issue is no longer just a matter of resource allocation within a department; it's a political issue concerning whether our entire Management Committee can stand tall in future external competition."
"I hope that at the next Standing Committee, we will see a discussion outcome that takes a broader perspective."
After he finished speaking, no one in the conference room uttered a sound.
Hela and Wanda showed no obvious change in emotion. But Lynn knew that the silent blow had not only rendered the TVA outpost completely ineffective, but also shattered all the reasons they had used to oppose it.
However, while the reasons for being shattered can be rebuilt using politics and the bigger picture, how should we deal with the instinctive hostility and possessiveness that are rooted in our nature?