The soft chokehold of data isolation, the Technology Minister's tactical retreat

Inside the Liaison Office office building, the relief of surviving the ordeal had not yet completely dissipated.

As Hela's Fleet withdrew, the three main and secondary guns that slowly retracted, like three Beast that had sheathed their fangs, still left a heavy shadow in everyone's hearts.

But at this moment, the shadows were replaced by an almost fanatical worship.

All eyes were subtly drawn to the red-haired Special Envoy seated at the head of the table.

She simply showed him a token, and that made the arrogant Director of the Stability Maintenance Office back down.

This method of subduing the enemy without fighting demonstrates the weight of power more effectively than any military intimidation.

"Special Envoy, the Stability Maintenance Office has sent an encrypted communication; it's Director Hela's private channel."

A clerk carefully presented a standalone communication terminal.

The zither was not picked up.

"Content."

Her voice was flat, as if it weren't a warning from a department head, but rather a trivial daily briefing.

The clerk hesitated for a moment, then forced himself to repeat, "The content is very short, just one sentence—'Your privileges are not unlimited.'"

The office fell into a deathly silence.

The joy on the subordinates' faces quickly faded, replaced by new worries.

Qin's face, however, showed no emotion.

She simply picked up the warm water on the table and took a small sip.

"Knew."

She waved her hand, signaling the clerk to leave.

"Record this communication and file it in the ' Interdepartmental Collaboration Risk Assessment ' file, classified as S."

This effortless and composed demeanor calmed the previously restless hearts of the people.

At that moment, another clerk in charge of data integration suddenly changed his expression and stood up abruptly from his seat.

"Special Envoy!"

His voice carried a hint of panic.

"Our... our connection to the Central Data Center has been severed!"

"What?"

"What's going on? Is it a technical glitch?"

"Restart the backup line immediately!"

The tension that had just subsided in the office was reignited.

The clerk's forehead was beaded with cold sweat as his hands flew across the screen, but all his attempts returned the same result.

"It's not a malfunction... it's... it's access denied!"

He looked up at the zither, his voice trembling.

"Our access rights have been stripped away from the Central Data Center at the Underlying Logic..."

Once these words were spoken, everyone understood that this was not a technical issue, but a political one.

Within the Management Committee, who controls the Central Data Center?

The answer is self-evident.

Before Qin could speak, all the lit terminal screens in the office flickered at the same time.

Immediately afterwards, a Red-Headed Document bearing the Highest Access Privileges seal of the Department of Technology Scarlet and Technology was forcibly presented to everyone.

[Minister of the Department of Technology's Order]

The document's title is large and carries an unquestionable authority.

The main text, however, is polite and its wording is so precise that no flaws can be found to criticize it.

"Effective immediately, to safeguard the core network security of the Management Committee, the Department of Technology will conduct a 72-hour upgrade of the Source Code security protocol for the Central Data Center. During this period, to ensure the absolute stability of Data Migration and code compilation, all data exchange channels for non-urgent documents will be temporarily suspended. In case of any emergency, please report through the Physical Messenger Channel Stability Maintenance Office in accordance with the ' Wartime Communications Regulations.'"

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

The signature was a bold, Scarlet letter "W".

Not a single soldier, not a single threat.

Even the name of the Liaison Office was not mentioned.

But this official document, like an invisible hand, instantly choked the Liaison Office.

Cutting off non-emergency document channels means that all the Liaison Office's daily reports, resource requests, personnel coordination, intelligence gathering, etc., will become a pile of useless paper that cannot be passed up or down.

They were turned into an Information Island through compliance, legality, and even politeness.

"How dare she!"

"This is blatant retaliation! This is an abuse of power!"

A young Supervising Officer, filled with righteous indignation, looked at Qin and asked, "Special Envoy, we should immediately submit a complaint to the Director's Office, impeaching the Department of Technology for overstepping its authority!"

Qin didn't speak, but simply stared quietly at the Ministerial Order.

She could picture Wanda signing the document.

After her plan for a direct, armed takeover failed, the woman did not become enraged; instead, she immediately changed her approach.

She abandoned radical methods and instead picked up the Management Committee's sharpest weapon—the rules.

To retreat in order to advance.

She achieved a more thorough effect than a military blockade without bloodshed, using a completely compliant reason.

This tactic is far more sophisticated than Hela's strategy of forcing Hela to surrender with her warships.

"Appeal?"

A barely perceptible curve appeared at the corner of Qin's mouth; it wasn't anger, but a cold smile of someone who had met their match.

"What grounds should be used for the appeal? To impeach her for being too diligent in ensuring cybersecurity?"

She stood up, walked to the huge porthole, and looked down at the bustling Starport below.

"She's telling me that having the Director's authority alone isn't enough."

"In this place, if you want others to listen to you, either you have a harder fist than her, or you understand the rules here better than her."

The Supervising Officer was speechless and lowered his head in shame.

Everyone in the Liaison Office fell silent.

The sense of victory he had just gained from forcing Hela to retreat with the Privilege Token vanished in an instant.

Their prized backing, that black Privilege Token, seemed utterly powerless in the face of this airtight document from the Department of Technology.

You cannot use Privilege Token to order a department that is "compliantly" upgrading its technology to stop working.

That's the real violation.

Wanda used a clever strategy to outmaneuver Qin.

Now, the entire Management Committee is watching.

Watch as this newly appointed Special Envoy, who has just established his authority, tries to break through this gentle yet deadly soft blockade.

Should we bow our heads and submit, waiting for the "blockade" to be automatically lifted after 72 hours, only to become a laughing stock?

Or will he disregard the rules and forcibly tear open the data channel with the Phoenix Force, confirming that he is just a brute who only knows how to use brute force?

Qin's gaze slowly returned from outside the window.

She saw the mountain of official documents from various departments piled up on her desk, awaiting her approval.

The document at the very top is a special research budget application submitted by the Department of Technology for the "Next-Generation Chaos Magic Stabilization Algorithm".

This budget, due to its enormous amount and involvement in several sensitive areas, had been stalled for months by previous heads of the Liaison Office for various reasons.

Qin's gaze fell on the cover of the budget request.

There is a bright red stamp in the lower right corner of the cover.

[turn down]

That was the handwriting of her ex, Gwen Stacy Stacy.

Qin stretched out her finger and gently brushed it across the seal.

A moment later, she turned around and gave instructions to her Chief Clerk.

"Find all the backlogged budget requests from the Department of Technology."

The clerk was taken aback, not understanding why.

"All?"

A meaningful smile appeared on Qin's face.

Yes, all of them.

"Security upgrades... are very expensive."