The Liaison Office's asset inventory order, a polite rebuff at the Department of Technology's door
The echoes of the encrypted communication being cut off reverberated in the No. 3 core computer room of the Liaison Office.
Gwen Stacy put down the receiver and tapped her fingers lightly on the mahogany desk.
K-7-Chaos-M.
The Director never wastes energy on unimportant consumables.
He had barely left the defense zone when he bypassed the Internal Affairs Inspection Office and directly used the Liaison Office's Covert Operatives to check the paper ledgers of the Seventh Laboratory of the Department of Technology, indicating that a deadly trap had been set up against the Director.
The key to breaking the deadlock lies in this batch of specially supplied paper.
"Xiao Li."
Gwen Stacy didn't look up; her gaze fell on the "Management Committee's Annual Logistics Budget Reimbursement Details" on the left side of the desk.
"Yes, Director."
Clerk Xiao Li strode forward, his hands hanging at his sides, standing properly.
"Draft a letter of assistance regarding the investigation of redundant special consumables across quarters in various departments."
Gwen Stacy pulled out a pen, unscrewed the cap, signed her name on a blank transfer order, and pushed it to the edge of the table.
"Get the Liaison Office's routine verification stamp, bypassing the Director's Office's expedited channel. Go personally to the Seventh Laboratory on the third basement floor of Building B at the Department of Technology and retrieve the requisition slips for high-grade official paper from the past three months."
Xiao Li took the transfer order with both hands, glanced at the annotations on it, and frowned slightly.
"Director, the Seventh Laboratory is Minister Wanda's directly subordinate experimental zone, and it only recognizes internal instructions from the Department of Technology. If we take a regular reimbursement letter, they probably won't even let us through the first gate."
That's why I let you go first.
Gwen Stacy closed the folder and glanced at him.
"Their stopping you is because the Department of Technology is violating the Management Committee's internal control regulations; my going directly is like the Liaison Office forcibly entering a classified department. The rule in officialdom is to first be courteous, then use force, making sure you have a strong case before using regulations to pressure people. Go ahead, if I haven't received your reply in fifteen minutes, I'll go pick you up myself."
Xiao Li's heart skipped a beat. He replied "Yes," turned around, and quickly walked out of the server room.
Gwen Stacy stood up, walked to the coat rack, took down the dark gray trench coat with the insignia of the Director's Office, and slowly buttoned it up.
Wanda has a strange temper, and her subordinates are adept at reading the winds and changing their tune.
Since the Director is so eager for this ledger, she'll break down the door of the Ministry of Department of Technology today if she has to, until she gets the ledger.
Twenty minutes later, on the third basement level of Building B, Department of Technology, in the outer corridor of the Seventh Laboratory.
The double-layered lead alloy explosion-proof door was tightly closed, and the access control indicator light emitted a cold, hard red light.
Clerk Xiao Li stood by the reception desk at the door, holding the letter of assistance in his hand, sweat beading on his forehead.
Behind the reception desk, Morris, the director of the Seventh Laboratory, was leisurely blowing on the foam while holding a cup of hot tea, not even glancing at the official documents.
"Li Wenshu, it's not that I'm disrespecting you."
Morris took a sip of tea and slammed the teacup down heavily on the metal table, making a crisp sound.
"The Seventh Laboratory is responsible for the research and development of materials to block Chaos Energy, and all consumables are classified as Class A classified assets. Let alone a small redundant investigation letter from your Liaison Office, even if a full-fledged inspector from the General Logistics Bureau came, without Minister Wanda's personal written order, this door wouldn't open."
Xiao Li took half a step forward and lowered his voice.
"Manager Mo, we're just checking the batch numbers of the official documents. We're not going into the Core Zone, nor are we looking at the experimental data. Could you please be lenient and avoid hurting our relationship?"
"Harmony?"
Morris chuckled, leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and glanced sideways at Xiao Li.
"Your Liaison Office just caused such a commotion outside the T-03 Defense Zone, and now you want to talk to us about peace? Take my advice, take your note back and report that the Ministry of Department of Technology is too small to accommodate the Liaison Office's reach."
Several Technician from the Department of Technology stopped in the corridor, leaning against the wall with their Recording Board, watching the spectacle with a jarring whisper in the enclosed metal passageway.
Xiao Li's face flushed red, his fingers crumpling the edge of the letter of assistance, but he dared not lash out.
Just then, the elevator at the end of the corridor slid open.
The sound of high heels clicking on the ground grew louder as they approached, the rhythm steady and unhurried.
The Technician who had been watching the commotion noticed the silver badge on the newcomer's trench coat collar, and their mocking expressions vanished instantly. They all lowered their heads and stepped aside.
Morris's arrogance froze for a moment, then he forced himself to remain composed, not getting up, but simply lowering his arms from his chest.
Gwen Stacy walked to the reception desk, her gaze not falling on Morris, but first landing on the letter of assistance in Xiao Li's hand.
"What, Manager Mo, do you have questions about the Liaison Office's document format?"
Gwen Stacy reached out and snatched the letter of assistance from Xiao Li's hand, laid it flat on the reception desk, and pressed her fingertips against the red seal at the bottom of the document.
Morris smirked, stood up, placed his hands on the table, and adopted a businesslike posture.
"Director Gwen Stacy's personal presence is an honor, I apologize for not welcoming you sooner. But rules are rules. Article 14 of the 'Regulations on the Management of Classified Laboratories of the Department of Technology ' clearly states that the flow of classified consumables is a core secret of the department, and external departments have no right to access it. Director Gwen is a senior member of the department, surely she understands this basic principle?"
He deliberately emphasized the words "outer department," attempting to use departmental Bastion to push Gwen Stacy back.
Gwen Stacy remained expressionless, and even her breathing remained perfectly steady.
"It's a good thing that Supervisor Mo is well-versed in departmental regulations."
Gwen Stacy took a blue folded document with an embossed seal from the inside pocket of her trench coat and slapped it next to the letter of assistance.
"But you seem to have forgotten that the Management Committee's Joint Conference just passed the 'Supplementary Provisions on Cross-Audit of Internal Control Assets' last month. Article 3 of Section 7 clearly states that for any special office supplies involved in cross-departmental transfers, once an asset inventory order of No. 3 or above is triggered, the Liaison Office has the right to directly freeze the relevant warehouse and conduct traceability and write-off without notifying the head of the user department."
Morris's pupils contracted slightly, and his gaze involuntarily drifted to the Joint Conference stamp on the blue folded page.
Gwen Stacy took a half-step forward, her voice low but each word clear.
"The special official paper developed by the Seventh Laboratory was procured through a special allocation from the Director's Office, and its storage is registered under the Logistics Department. Only the right to use it belongs to your Department of Technology. According to the supplementary regulations, the ownership of this batch of paper belongs to the ' Management Committee's assets,' not your Department of Technology's private classified property."
The surroundings were so quiet that only the low hum of the ventilation ducts could be heard.
A senior researcher who had been standing against the wall quietly shrank back, his eyes darting around, no longer daring to look in their direction.
Morris's temple throbbed, his hand clenched tightly on the table, his knuckles turning white, but he managed a smile.
"Director Gwen Stacy is indeed eloquent, reciting the strict rules of logistics by heart. However, Minister Wanda is currently in seclusion in Zero Storage Room, and she has instructed that no one is allowed to disturb the laboratory's operation at this time. If the director insists on investigating, and it causes fluctuations in the magic-blocking device, can the Liaison Office bear the responsibility?"
This is because they couldn't withstand a soft refusal, so they resorted to using Wanda's name to intimidate people.
Gwen Stacy looked into Morris's slightly shifty eyes and already knew what was going on.
The more they try to evade the issue, the more it shows that the accounts of the Seventh Laboratory cannot withstand scrutiny.
"Director Lynn will handle the explanation regarding Minister Wanda."
Gwen Stacy raised her wrist, glanced at the time on the terminal, and her tone suddenly turned cold.
"As for you, Director Mo, I am now formally informing you in my capacity as the Director's Office Direct Liaison Office. You have three minutes to open the ledger. If you cannot find the ledger in three minutes, I will immediately submit a report titled ' The Seventh Laboratory's Suspected Embezzlement of Funded Assets and Resistance to Internal Control Review' to the Internal Affairs Inspection Office. I will also ask the Stability Maintenance Office to come and help you take stock of the entire laboratory's consumables deficit."
She paused, her gaze piercing directly into Morris's eyes.
"Do you want me to see a few pages now, or do you want to wait half an hour and go to the black jail of the Stability Maintenance Office to talk to Director Hela about your Department of Technology's classified regulations?"
Upon hearing the words "Stability Maintenance Office," Morris's face turned completely pale.
The Department of Technology and the Office for Stability Maintenance Office have always been at odds. If he were to be accused of resisting internal control and the Office for Stability Maintenance Office were to investigate, not only would the laboratory director be unable to save his job, but even if Minister Wanda intervened, he would be unable to protect himself.
Morris's lips twitched twice; the back of his shirt was already soaked with cold sweat.
He stood frozen for a few seconds, then slowly lowered his head and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"You flatter me, Director... Since it's a comprehensive inventory organized by the Director's Office, I'll simply cooperate."
He turned around, his fingers trembling slightly as he entered a password on the access control panel, and then brought his iris up for scanning.
With a soft "beep," the heavy lead Alloy Door slid open to both sides, revealing neatly arranged Archive Cabinet and electronic terminals inside.
"Xiao Li, stand guard at the door. No one is allowed to enter or leave."
Gwen Stacy left those words and strode into the Archives Department.
Morris followed behind, his steps a little unsteady, and gestured towards the third row of temperature-controlled cabinets on the left.
"The records of Specialty Paper issued over the past three months are all here, subject to the department head's verification."
Gwen Stacy ignored his polite words and went straight to the counter, pulling out the original paper ledger labeled "High-Specification Official Document Consumables".
The higher the level of confidentiality of an item, the less trust is placed in electronic network records. Only paper receipts with anti-counterfeiting watermarks are the most difficult to tamper with.
Her fingers flipped through the pages quickly, the paper rustling as it rubbed together.
Morris stood two steps away, his eyes fixed on Gwen Stacy's fingers, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
Gwen Stacy stopped moving when she turned to the record page from the 17th of last month.
[Batch Number: K-7-Chaos-M]
[Quantity issued: 50]
[Purpose Note: Printed for Top Secret official documents of the Minister's Office]
Gwen Stacy's gaze followed the line of text to the right, finally settling on the rightmost section, "Signature of Recipient".
Her breath hitched.
In the signature section, a name was neatly signed— Barton Clint.
That was the former deputy head of the Liaison Office's Field Operations Group, someone who had already been confirmed to have been removed from the Core Zone during the district purge six months earlier.