A Glimpse into an S-rank Secret File, the Shadow Spider's Deadly Venom

The Liaison Office office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The aftershocks of that silent confrontation were still reverberating in the air. The two adjutants who had been "invited" out were probably in their respective offices, pondering how to report this rebuff to their superiors.

Jean Grey's fingertips gently rested on the black wax-sealed file.

It has a cool touch and a tough texture; it is not ordinary paper, but a special fiber mixed with Memory Metal, which cannot be damaged by ordinary flames.

"Handover."

She pondered the word left behind by Gwen Stacy's chief assistant.

This was not a simple intelligence report, but a transfer of power. Before leaving, Gwen Stacy had already anticipated that she would use Thunder and decisive measures to control the situation and secure her position.

This file is the knife that Gwen Stacy handed to me.

Without hesitation, Qin ignited a barely perceptible Phoenix flame at her fingertips, precisely melting a tiny slit in the black wax seal without damaging the document in the slightest.

She pulled the contents out.

It wasn't a thick file, just three thin, translucent crystal sheets.

The first sheet of paper contained Natasha Romanoff's official resume. From the Red Room to S.H.I.E.L.D.., and then to the acting Director the Internal Affairs Inspection Office Management Committee, her resume was as clean as a polished Crystal. Every mission and every promotion was compliant, legal, and impeccable.

Qin's gaze lingered for only half a second before shifting to the second thin sheet.

There were no words on this thin sheet, only a constantly changing Star Map. On the Star Map, dozens of points of light were centered around a core point of light codenamed "Natasha," sometimes converging and sometimes dispersing.

Each point of light represents an individual or force that once had a deep-seated interest in Natasha.

Qin saw that nearly half of the light spots eventually dimmed, turning into a deathly gray. Before they dimmed, they had all had an extremely brief but intense energy exchange with the core light spot, "Natasha".

This isn't a resume; it's a hunting map.

All of her past was built on a series of precise betrayals and severances. Like a spider entrenched in the center of its web, she patiently waited for each ally to lose their usefulness before devouring them and turning them into nourishment for her own ascent.

Qin's eyes turned cold.

She finally picked up the third, and last, crystal slice.

This thin slice is Gwen Stacy's own analysis. There are no superfluous descriptions, only cold data and logical deductions.

Target: Natasha Romanoff.

"Core driving force: An absolute thirst for order and balance."

"Loyalty Model Analysis: The target does not possess absolute loyalty to any individual or organization. All her actions serve a 'stable model' constructed in her mind. When the current situation conforms to her model, she is the most reliable guardian; when the current situation deviates from her model, she will not hesitate to eliminate 'unstable factors,' whether those factors are enemies or allies."

Risk Assessment: S-rank. Extremely Dangerous.

"Current Status Assessment: The target's 'stable model' is currently in a period of violent fluctuation. The existence of the Director (Lynn) is the cornerstone of the model, but the out-of-control crisis surrounding the Director (Wanda, Hela, and himself) has become the most severe destabilizing factor in the model."

"Behavioral prediction: The target has entered the preparatory phase of ' Sweep Mode '. All its recent actions, including planting Probe, attempting to form alliances, and destroying evidence, are not simply power games, but rather an assessment of the threat level of each 'destabilizing factor' and a search for the 'optimal solution' to break the deadlock."

"Conclusion: The target could, at any time, use the pretext of maintaining the Director's safety and the stability of the Management Committee to physically eliminate any high-ranking member, including myself. My motive for accompanying the Director on the Border Patrol is highly suspicious, and we cannot rule out the possibility that I am using external forces to complete the purge of the core circle."

The words on the thin slice, as you read to the end, already carried a chilling aura.

Gwen Stacy's report exposed all of Natasha's pretense and true intentions.

Qin stacked the three crystal flakes together. A flash of fire appeared at her fingertips, and instead of turning to ash like paper, the flakes disintegrated from the inside, turning into a meaningless pool of dull powder.

"What a clever way to shift the blame." She muttered to herself, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Gwen Stacy was both revealing her secrets and asking for help. Giving up the chair in the Liaison Office was Lynn's way of maintaining balance, but leaving behind this file was Gwen Stacy's own calculation. She had anticipated that Natasha would cause trouble during the Border Patrol, and she had also anticipated that within this central hub, only the unconventional Phoenix Force could suppress the spider in the shadows.

Qin stood up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window. Outside, the lights of Starport flickered.

"Someone come here." Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly outside the door.

The chief assistant pushed open the door and entered, head bowed, awaiting orders.

"Pass on my Special Envoy's orders." Qin's gaze was icy, her tone brooking no argument. "From this moment forward, all official documents, confidential letters, and even daily supply lists sent from the Liaison Office to the Border Patrol Fleet must be approved by me. Furthermore, deploy two elite squads of guards to secretly take over the Starport's communications array."

The assistant's expression changed slightly, but he dared not say anything, bowing and accepting the order, "Your subordinate obeys."

Qin watched her assistant leave. She knew she was already caught in this trap. Since Natasha wanted to play the cleansing game, she didn't mind adding fuel to the fire.

Meanwhile, in the Deep Space Domain.

At the edge of T-03 Defense Zone, a medium-sized starship painted in dark gray is silently sailing.

Inside the main cabin at the bow of the ship, the light was dim. Natasha sat upright at the table, toying with an antique-looking bronze seal in her hand.

Three soft knocks came from outside the door.

"Enter."

An Inspector in plainclothes slipped inside, his steps light and silent. He stopped three steps away from the desk and reported in a low voice, "Director Dai, we've investigated."

Natasha didn't look up, but simply turned the bronze seal in her hand slightly. "Speak."

"Director Gwen Stacy did not accompany the main Fleet. Instead, under the pretext of taking stock of the accounts of abandoned observation stations along the way, she took only a light Shuttle and deviated from the main channel. Her escort consisted only of two clerks from the Liaison Office and a team of six regular armored soldiers."

Natasha stopped what she was doing.

Six regular armored soldiers escorted the Management Committee's chief confidential officer along a secluded route.

This is against the rules and defies common sense.

"What did she bring?" Natasha raised her eyes, her gaze sharp as a knife.

"No large supplies were found. However, the lower power compartment of that Shuttle reported an abnormal energy overflow to the Department of Technology yesterday. My subordinates bribed the craftsmen who were inspecting it, and the craftsmen claimed that a lead-mercury coating had been installed at the bottom of the compartment to prevent detection by Psychic Power."

A knowing glint flashed in Natasha's eyes.

Gwen Stacy was secretly plotting something. On the surface, she handed over the Liaison Office office to Jean, but in reality, she was taking a Top Secret item entrusted to her by Lynn and transferring it under the guise of Border Patrol. And that item was very likely related to the secret of the Forty-Second Execution in Zero Storage Room.

The instructions in that anonymous secret letter fit together perfectly with the intelligence before them.

"Kill Gwen Stacy."

This is not only a pledge of allegiance from the other side, but also an excellent opportunity to cut off Lynn's intelligence hub.

"Director Dai, should we...?" The Inspector made a downward cutting gesture, his eyes revealing a ruthless glint.

"Idiot," Natasha uttered coldly.

The Inspector turned pale and quickly lowered his head.

"Gwen Stacy is the Director's confidante. If she dies at our hands, no matter how cleanly we handle it, the Director will hold the Inspection Office responsible." Natasha slammed the seal heavily on the table. "Using others to do your dirty work, understand?"

"Your subordinate is dull-witted; please enlighten me, Director."

"Outside the T-03 Defense Zone, there's a group of roaming interstellar raiders known as ' Bloodfang,'" Natasha said calmly, as if discussing a trivial matter. "They used to be lower-level scavengers for the TVA, but after the Timeline collapsed, they became outlaws. What these people lack most is high-purity energy cubes."

The Inspector understood immediately. "I'll arrange it right away. 'Inadvertently' leak the route and coordinates of Director Gwen Stacy's Shuttle to Bloodfang's spies. Also, give them a heads-up: that ship is carrying six months' worth of core supplies for the Management Committee."

"Go ahead and do it. Make it look natural, and don't leave any trace of our communication frequency band."

"Yes." The Inspector acknowledged the order and withdrew.

The cabin fell silent once more.

Natasha leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. In her mind, she quickly reviewed every move of the game.

With Gwen Stacy dead, the Liaison Office will inevitably be thrown into chaos. Although Jean has taken over general affairs, she is unaware of the undercurrents of the bureaucratic system and will certainly clash with Hela and Wanda. At that time, the central government will be in turmoil, Lynn will have no choice but to rely on the accompanying Internal Affairs Inspection Office to stabilize the situation.

And the mysterious person who hid in the shadows and delivered the anonymous letter would also reveal the trump card for the Forty-Second Execution to her because she had fulfilled her "pledge of allegiance".

Killing three birds with one stone, a sure-fire way to make a profit.

However, just as she thought she had the plan perfectly in mind, a hidden communicator on her desk suddenly lit up with a faint red light.

This was a spy she had planted among Lynn's guards, only to be activated in extremely urgent situations.

Natasha's eyes sharpened, and she quickly pressed the answer button.

The voice coming through the communicator was tinged with suppressed terror. "Director... something's happened. Half an hour ago, the Director's car suddenly ordered all external communications to be cut off, and..."

"And what?" Natasha pressed sharply.

"Furthermore, their flight path wasn't even towards the T-03 Defense Zone. They activated the highest level of stealth mode, turned back immediately, and headed towards the abandoned XN-734 Timeline!"

Natasha stood up abruptly, the chair behind her making a screeching sound.

XN-734.

That ruin, which once concealed a child of Ultron and was designated an absolute forbidden zone by Lynn.

Lynn wasn't Border Patrol at all; he used the pretext of Border Patrol to send everyone away so he could retrieve the Remnant that was powerful enough to overturn the rules of the Multiverse.

The trap she had just set for Gwen Stacy now seemed like a laughable bait, easily used by Lynn to completely trip her up.

"Prepare a speedboat immediately." Natasha clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms. "I want to see the Director myself."

"Director, it's too late." The undercover agent's voice was filled with despair. "The Director left a message before he left. He said that if there was any unusual activity in the Internal Affairs Inspection Office, he wanted me to give this to you."

What is that?

A buzzing sound came from the communicator. Immediately afterward, a clear Holographic Image was projected onto the table.

That's the surveillance footage from Zero Storage Room.

In the scene, the miniature Probe that Natasha had placed at the bottom of the Archive Cabinet is being gently crushed into powder by a hand wearing a black leather glove.

The owner of that hand was facing the camera, displaying a cold, ambiguous expression that seemed to be a half-smile.

Not Lynn.

It was Hela, the Director of the Stability Maintenance Office, who should have remained in the central government to check and balance Wanda.

Below the image is a short note in Lynn's handwriting:

"If you turn the blade inward, you'll only hurt yourself. You can write this 30,000-word self-criticism slowly in the defense zone."

Natasha stared intently at the words, her face ashen. She finally understood that from the very beginning, she had fallen into a vicious cycle.