The Black Privilege Token's Dimensional Suppression, the Stability Maintenance Office's Compliant Withdrawal
The jet-black token was held between two fingers of Jean Grey, held horizontally in front of her.
It emitted no energy and had no luster, yet it was like a black hole, sucking in the gaze of everyone in the office, along with the murderous intent locked onto by heavy artillery outside the window.
In the oppressive silence, a Senior Clerk's Adam's apple bobbed laboriously.
He recognized the mark.
Within the Management Committee, the higher the rank, the simpler the official documents one receives. At the very top, however, certain Top Secret instructions issued by Director Lynn, which are not filed or follow proper procedures, are only stamped with this Personal Seal.
Seeing this seal is like seeing the Director himself.
Qin ignored the shocked looks on her subordinates' faces. She simply looked calmly at the token and then gently placed it on the edge of her desk, facing the main control screen.
She pressed a Special Channel for Internal Communications.
That channel bypassed all conventional communication arrays and directly connected to the Bridge of the flagship of the Stability Maintenance Office, the Nibelung ".
This is Emergency Appeal Line exclusively for Special Envoy. Once activated, it indicates that the situation has exceeded the Liaison Office's response capabilities.
"I am Jean Grey, Multiverse Crisis Response Special Envoy."
Her voice, transmitted through the cables, echoed clearly across the Bridge of the Nibelung.
Hela sat enthroned on her Bone Throne, the enormous monitoring screen displaying the scene inside Jyn's office with perfect accuracy, as well as the black token lying quietly on the corner of the table.
The moment the token appeared, Hela's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.
Her adjutant, Skurge, standing beside her, had turned quite grim.
"According to Article 7 of the ' Management Committee Wartime Resource Allocation Regulations,' the Liaison Office, as the central coordinating department, has the authority to conduct compliance inventory checks on the requisitions of confidential materials by various departments. This constitutes procedural oversight."
The sound of the zither continued, neither hurried nor slow.
"The Stability Maintenance Office's use of the pretext of ' Live-Fire Exercise ' to blockade Area A-3 and surround the Liaison Office building constitutes armed coercion against central government departments and is Level-One Violation."
Hela stared coldly at the harp in the light screen, without saying a word.
She knew, of course, that it was against the rules.
What she wanted was to force Qin to give in and bow down through this unreasonable violation of the rules. In the Management Committee, a place where strength is paramount, rules are used to serve the powerful.
But the appearance of that token changed the balance of power.
That wasn't the power of the piano, but Lynn's.
It is the pinnacle of the entire Management Committee, the sole and unchallengeable authority.
"The Director's Office Highest-Priority Directive is now activated."
The sound of the zither suddenly turned cold and hard, carrying an unquestionable sense of judgment.
"The Stability Maintenance Office shall immediately cease the ' Live-Fire Exercise,' lift the blockade of Area A-3, and order all armed units to withdraw to their original Residence within fifteen minutes."
She didn't mention the token.
It was as if that thing didn't exist at all.
She was simply reading out an order, an order she had the right to read.
The Bridge of the Nibelung was deathly silent.
All eyes were focused on Hela, who sat on the Throne.
This is a blatant slap in the face.
Using the Director's authority, he forced the Stability Maintenance Office office to admit that this aggressive armed demonstration was a joke.
Hela's hand slowly grasped the armrest of the Throne.
She can disobey orders.
There are many reasons, such as doubting the authenticity of the order and demanding that Jyn produce the warrant in person. But this would only drag things into an even uglier situation and publicly question Lynn's authority.
Is it worth completely falling out with Lynn over the priority allocation of a mere batch of supplies?
Hela's gaze lingered on the black token for a full ten seconds.
She could see it clearly; the mark was real.
Lynn... he actually granted this woman such a Privilege Token.
Was it to keep Wanda in check, or... was there another hidden meaning?
Countless thoughts flashed through Hela's mind, and finally, she slowly loosened her grip on the armrest.
She cannot be here because of this incident, openly transgressing the bottom line of the system.
That would cause her to completely lose the initiative in future power struggles.
"Pass on my orders."
Hela spoke, her voice cold and devoid of any emotion.
"The objectives of this Live-Fire Tactical Exercise ' Defend Against Enemy Infiltration ' have been achieved. The exercise is now concluded."
She paused, then added.
"All units shall evacuate in accordance with the Contingency Plan and in compliance with regulations."
The adjutant Skurge, hesitated for a moment, then immediately bowed and replied, "Yes, Director!"
The order was swiftly transmitted to the ground via the flagship.
Outside the Liaison Office office building, the Siege Cannon, which had been fully charged, slowly dimmed its eerie blue glow as the barrel began to retract automatically.
The dark mass of armored soldiers, like a tide, began to retreat in perfect unison.
The Nibelung ship, hovering in mid-air, gradually reduced the resonance of its engines, and the massive hull slowly turned, heading towards the horizon.
The Abyss eye that had been staring at the Liaison Office finally looked away.
The terrifying pressure that had enveloped the entire building vanished in just a few minutes.
In the office, the clerks, who were almost suffocating, collapsed one by one, panting heavily, their backs already soaked with cold sweat.
Their gazes toward Qin were filled with awe and the fervor of surviving a catastrophe.
There was no fighting between a single soldier.
They simply displayed a token and read out an instruction.
Let the arrogant Stability Maintenance Office, that Death Legion capable of flattening an Dimension, retreat without bloodshed.
This is the Dimensional Suppression of the highest authority within the system.
Qin remained standing by the window, looking down at the streets that had returned to normal, her face calm and undisturbed.
At that moment, her Personal Communicator emitted a very soft notification sound.
It was a Single-Line Encrypted Message from Hela.
There are no texts, only audio.
"Special Envoy, your methods are very clever."
Hela's voice was as cold as the Niflheim glacier.
"But remember, the Liaison Office is just a place to deliver papers. Don't let those papers burn your hands."
A cold, threatening official rebuke.
Qin deleted the message without any expression.
She won this round.
But this also made him a thorn in Hela's side.
Just then, the office's Chief Clerk strode over, a new and more complex worry on his face.
"Your Excellency, we have just received an internal notification from the Department of Technology... Minister Wanda, citing 'preventing external Information Warfare infiltration,' has ordered a 72-hour ' Source Code Security Upgrade ' for the Data Interface of all core departments."
He paused, then said with difficulty.
"This means that all data channels between our Liaison Office and the outside world for non-urgent official documents have been... unilaterally cut off."
Hela's main force has just withdrawn.
Minister of the Department of Technology Wanda's counterattack has already arrived quietly.