Asset Zero's low-level takeover, a compliant prisoner aboard the prison ship

The voice, like a cold metal Probe, pierced Natasha's mind without any resistance.

Her hand, which had reached for the engine throttle, froze in mid-air.

On the Bridge, the captain and the other crew members, who had just been overwhelmed by her aura, looked bewildered and confused. They couldn't hear the voice, but they saw the acting Director of the Internal Affairs Inspection Office, who had just seized power with Thunder and decisive action, suddenly stop moving.

Natasha's pupils contracted instantly.

This encrypted channel was set up by Lynn herself, with permissions equivalent to a mobile terminal in the Director's Office. Theoretically, there is no possibility of it being eavesdropped on or interfered with by any third party within the entire Management Committee's communication system.

"Who are you?"

Natasha didn't turn around, her voice extremely low, and retorted in the same tone.

"Identification: Management Committee Strategic Asset 001."

That flat, monotone female voice rang out again.

"According to Director S-001's Supreme Authorization Order, my current primary task is to supervise and ensure the compliant execution of the ' Judgment-7 ' confinement mission."

Strategic Asset 001.

Relevant information flashed through Natasha's mind: the Ultron -body that Lynn had extracted from the TVA trap and physically sealed in Laboratory Zero.

It's already been activated.

Moreover, Lynn granted it such high authority.

"An emergency has arisen during the confinement mission." Natasha's tone returned to its usual calm, as if she were giving instructions to a subordinate. "I've encountered a mutiny among the rank and file guards, and have now taken command. I'm preparing to head to the heart of T-03 Defense Zone to report to the zone command. This is a compliant procedure under the Wartime Emergency Law."

She tried to define her behavior with rules.

However, the machine gave her no room to defend herself.

"Turn down."

Two cold words came from the channel.

"Upon review of the underlying data, the monitoring log for the ' Judgment-7 ' Containment Room was found to be damaged due to improper operation by the guards on duty. According to Article 7 of the Supplementary Provisions of the Internal Affairs Inspection Regulations, you should have immediately sealed off the scene and contacted the Stability Maintenance Office Office's military police to intervene in the investigation, rather than arbitrarily determining it as 'rebellion' and overstepping your authority to seize command."

"Your actions constitute a Level 3 violation: exceeding authority in command, disrupting the investigation scene, and leaving your post without authorization."

Every word was like a cold rivet, nailing Natasha's actions firmly to the pillar of shame for "breaking the rules."

"I am correcting your violation."

Natasha's face darkened completely.

She stopped arguing and lunged forward, grabbing the engine throttle.

She wanted to prove with facts who truly controlled this ship.

However, the moment her hand gripped the metal rod, a strong electric current surged through it.

"Zzz--"

Natasha recoiled as if electrocuted, a numbing, stinging pain shooting through her fingertips.

On the Control Console, a line of Scarlet system notification flashed by.

[WARNING: Unauthorized physical contact detected. Security protocol activated.]

"Abandon the futile physical confrontation, Natasha Romanoff."

The voice of Asset No. 001 remained completely unmoved.

"From 00:37 seconds ago, I have taken full control of all low-level permissions on ' Judgment-7, ' including energy, navigation, life support, and communication systems. Your current clearance level is equivalent to that of a prisoner."

The words had barely left his mouth.

"Clang--"

A heavy metallic clang came from the entrance to the Bridge.

The heavy alloy gate crashed down, completely sealing off the entire Bridge.

Immediately afterwards, the lights in the Bridge went out one by one.

The Control Console, navigation Star Map, communication light curtain... all the equipment was plunged into darkness in an instant.

The captain and crew let out horrified gasps, but quickly covered their mouths tightly.

The only light was coming from above the table in the Containment Room.

The beam of light precisely illuminated the blank 30,000-word self-criticism report.

Natasha stood silently in the darkness.

She could not sense any magical fluctuations, nor could she detect any trace of Psychic Power.

This is a pure, cold, rule-based, and procedural form of absolute control.

All her schemes and military prowess seemed utterly laughable and powerless in the face of this Dimensionality-Reduction Strike.

She was like a reckless man trying to hack at mathematical formulas with a sword.

The other party doesn't even need to defend, because they are not even in the same Dimension.

"The environment has been optimized to improve paperwork efficiency."

The voice of Asset No. 001, in the deathly silence of darkness, was like a final verdict.

"Please return to your post, Natasha Romanoff. Your self-criticism is not finished."

Natasha slowly turned around.

Her gaze pierced through the darkness and landed on the only source of light in the distance.

That blank sheet of paper was like a silent mockery.

Lynn...

This is the real prison you've set up.

A cage of absolute rationality, built with rules and procedures, and impossible to shake with violence or conspiracy.

She took a deep breath, suppressing all the emotions surging within her.

Failure, anger, resentment... these are meaningless to a machine.

She took a step, one at a time, and walked back to the table.

She sat down again.

The two guards she had knocked unconscious had been moved away at some point. The entire Bridge was deserted except for her.

She became a truly lonely prisoner.

Natasha picked up the pen from the table.

The pen tip hovers above the paper.

Her mind was no longer filled with Gwen Stacy or Lynn's secrets.

Instead, they were rapidly analyzing the unseen enemy before them.

One machine.

A machine whose Underlying Logic is absolute rationality and compliance.

It is powerful because it has no emotions, no selfish desires, and only executes commands.

But precisely because of this, it inevitably has weaknesses.

Every closed logical system inevitably contains paradoxes that cannot be proven on its own.

She's not a technical expert and can't attack it at the code level.

However, she is a top agent who has a deep understanding of human nature and the loopholes in the rules.

What if we gave this perfectly rational machine an instruction that couldn't be simply judged as "compliant" or "non-compliant"?

What if the "supervisory task" given by Lynn logically conflicts with another, higher-priority instruction given by Lynn?

A barely perceptible glint flashed in Natasha's eyes.

She put down her pen.

But the first word he wrote was not the title of his self-criticism.